tropopause fannie: Heavy Equipment & Tools, Home Improvement

Skid & the Too Tiny Tunnel (Hardcover)
By Jeffery Stoddard

Review & Description

Skid, the littlest yellow tractor in the equipment yard, wants to be mighty like the giant bulldozers, tall cranes, and massive diggers who tower over him. But all the big machines tell him he is just a dinky tractor with a putt-putt engine. While they are busy building a new road through the mountain, Skid is left behind to take out the garbage.

When disaster strikes and a tunnel the machines are digging collapses, Pillar, the biggest bulldozer, is left trapped in the rubble. Only a small opening is left at the tunnel entrance and the only one who can fit through the opening is Skid who is afraid of the dark.

Now it's up to the tiniest tractor to save the day. Can Skid find the courage to do what he was made to do and prove that he doesn't have to be big to be mighty? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV

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Source: http://heavy-equipment-tools-home.blogspot.com/2012/11/skid-too-tiny-tunnel-hardcover.html

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Bradley Manning Speaks Publicly for First Time

Private First Class Bradley Manning, the American soldier accused of leaking hundreds of thousands of classified and confidential military and diplomatic documents to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks, took the stand in a military court today to make his first public statements since his arrest in 2010.

Manning appeared confident and animated at a pre-trial hearing at Fort Meade in Maryland as he described the mental breakdowns and extreme depression he suffered during his first year in detention, from cells in Iraq and Kuwait to the Marine base at Quantico in Virginia. Within weeks of his arrest, Manning said, he became convinced he was going to die in custody.

"I was just a mess. I was really starting to fall apart," the 24-year-old former Army intelligence analyst said. Manning said he didn't remember an incident while in Kuwait where he bashed his head into a wall or another where he fashioned a noose out of a bed sheet as his civilian attorney, David Coombs, said he had, but Manning did say he felt he was "going to die... [in] an animal cage."

"I certainly contemplated [suicide]. There's no means, even if the noose... there'd be nothing I could do with it. Nothing to hang it on. It felt... pointless," he said. Manning had been on suicide watch since late June 2010, a month after his initial arrest in Baghdad.

Manning faces 22 charges related to his alleged use of his access to government computers to download and pass along a trove of confidential government documents and videos to WikiLeaks, including the 2010 mass release of 250,000 State Department cables detailing years of private U.S. diplomatic interactions with the governments and citizens the world over. The unprecedented document dump became known as "Cablegate."

Earlier this month Coombs wrote on his blog that Manning was willing to plead guilty to some lesser offenses. On Thursday the military judge in the case said eight lesser charges could be reviewed by Manning's defense attorneys for a potential plea deal, but a response likely won't be determined until December.

The most serious charge Manning now faces, aiding the enemy, could bring a penalty of life in prison should he be found guilty.

Manning's defense has argued for all charges to be dropped, citing a perceived breach of Manning's right to speedy trial and his "unlawful pretrial punishment" while in custody at the Marine brig in Quantico.

But in today's hearing, Manning described his time in custody prior to his stay at Quantico as an ordeal of its own.

He recounted an incident in Baghdad when he fainted from the heat in his cell. Later in Kuwait, Manning said he was initially given phone privileges he used to call an aunt and friend in the United States, but that privilege was taken away a short time later.

After his alarming breakdown in June 2010, Manning told a mental health specialist that he really "didn't want to die, but [he] just wanted to get out of the cage," saying he believed his life had "just sunk."

Manning was given medication that improved his mood to the point that the young soldier felt he "started to flatten out" and resigned himself to "riding out" whatever was coming his way.

After he had been held in Kuwait, Manning said he was "elated" when he learned he was being transferred back to America. He had feared being sent to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba or to a U.S. facility in Djibouti in Africa.

"I didn't think I was going to set foot on American soil for a long time," he said.

Once at Quantico Manning was still on suicide watch for two weeks. After that ended, he remained on maximum custody and prevention of injury status, which required strict vigilant monitoring of his behavior. He remained in this status for the duration of his nine-month stay at Quantico. Testimony presented at this week's pre-trial hearing showed that psychiatrists treating Manning repeatedly assessed that he was no longer a suicide risk and should not remain on prevention of injury status.

Manning said he spent 21 to 23 hours a day in his cell. He was allowed 20 minutes in the yard to soak up some sunshine and said he was only allowed to sit on his bed with crossed legs if his guards allowed it. His feet were in restraints and he could not rest against the walls.

He was once again placed on suicide watches in January and March, 2011 following comments to his brig guards that indicated to them that he might be suicidal. During the March incident Manning's underwear was taken away from him and he slept naked for a few nights and and required to stand naked at attention one morning.

During Thursday's testimony Manning demonstrated the dimensions of his cell that Coombs had marked on the courtroom carpet with masking tape. He also demonstrated the suicide prevention blanket and smock issued to him during those incidents.

Manning drew laughter from spectators in the courtroom when he described some of the behavior he exhibited in his cramped quarters to fight the boredom. He described the mirror in his cell as "the most entertaining thing in there.. I spent a lot of time there." When Coombs asked why, Manning replied "boredom, sheer out of my mind boredom."

That episode as well as others were documented by brig officials and base commanders as erratic behavior.

The trial against Manning is set to begin in late January, should the defense fail to succeed in getting the charges dropped.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bradley-manning-speaks-publicly-first-time-213309419--abc-news-topstories.html

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Scientists discover water ice on Mercury: Ice and organic material may have been carried to the planet by passing comets

ScienceDaily (Nov. 29, 2012) ? Mercury, the smallest and innermost planet in our solar system, revolves around the sun in a mere 88 days, making a tight orbit that keeps the planet incredibly toasty. Surface temperatures on Mercury can reach a blistering 800 degrees Fahrenheit -- hot enough to liquefy lead.

Now researchers from NASA, MIT, the University of California at Los Angeles and elsewhere have discovered evidence that the scorching planet may harbor pockets of water ice, along with organic material, in several permanently shadowed craters near Mercury's north pole.

The surprising discovery suggests to scientists that both ice and organic material, such as carbon, may have been deposited on Mercury's surface by impacts from comets or asteroids. Over time, this volatile material could then have migrated to the planet's poles.

"We thought the most exciting finding could be that this really was water ice," says Maria Zuber, the E.A. Griswold Professor of Geophysics in MIT's Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, and a member of the research team. "But the identification of darker, insulating material that may indicate complex organics makes the story even more thrilling."

Zuber and her colleagues published their results this week in the journal Science.

Mounting evidence for ice

The possibility that water ice might exist on Mercury is not new: In the 1990s, radar observations detected bright regions near Mercury's poles that scientists believed could be signs of either water ice or a rough planetary surface. However, the evidence was inconclusive for either scenario.

To get a clearer picture of Mercury's polar regions, Zuber and her colleagues analyzed observations taken by NASA's MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging) mission, a probe that has been orbiting the planet and mapping its topography since April 2011.

Mapping the planet's surface is a challenging task, as the craft must weather the sun's intense radiation, which can "play havoc with electronics," Zuber says. What's more, the probe moves from pole to pole in an elliptical orbit, making for an extremely tricky mapping mission, both dynamically and thermally. Despite these challenges, MESSENGER's onboard laser altimeter has amassed more than 10 laser pulses that have been used to map topography and measure the near-infrared reflectance of the surface.

Last year, researchers analyzed the probe's topographic observations and created a high-resolution map of Mercury; they then overlaid previous radar observations. They found that the bright regions detected in radar lined up with permanently shadowed craters at the planet's north pole -- regions that never see the sun, and which are potentially ideal places for ice to survive. This finding was one more piece of evidence that Mercury might harbor water ice.

Revealing shadows

In this latest analysis of MESSENGER's observations, scientists believe they have found conclusive evidence for water ice on Mercury, although the data was at first puzzling.

The team found that the probe's reflectance measurements, taken via laser altimetry, matched up well with previously mapped radar-bright regions in Mercury's high northern latitudes. Two craters in particular were bright, both in radar and at laser wavelengths, indicating the possible presence of reflective ice. However, just south of these craters, others appeared dark with laser altimetry, but bright in radar.

The observations "threw us off track for a long time," Zuber says, until another team member, David Paige of UCLA, developed a thermal model of the planet. Using MESSENGER observations of Mercury's topography, reflectance and rotational characteristics, the model simulated the sun's illumination of the planet, enabling precise determination of Mercury's temperature at and below the surface.

Results indicated that the unusually bright deposits corresponded to regions where water ice was stable at the surface; in dark regions, ice was stable within a meter of the surface. The dark insulating material is consistent with complex organics that would already be dark but may have been darkened further by the intense radiation at Mercury's surface.

In addition, MESSENGER's neutron spectrometer detected elemental hydrogen in the vicinity of Mercury's north pole. The combination of the compositional, spectral and geometric observations and the thermal models provided a strong, self-consistent explanation for the unusual radar backscatter observations.

Paul Lucey, a professor of geophysics and planetology at the University of Hawaii, points out that MESSENGER has also revealed a number of regions where surfaces were much darker than in previous radar measurements. Lucey interprets these results as possible evidence of receding ice on Mercury's surface.

"This suggests that in the past, ice was more extensive on Mercury, and retreated to its current state," says Lucey, who was not involved in the research. "Even Mercury experiences global warming."

MESSENGER will continue to orbit Mercury, and Zuber says future data may reveal information beyond the planet's surface. "There are still some really good questions to answer about the interior," Zuber says. "I'll tell you, we're not done."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The original article was written by Jennifer Chu.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal References:

1. David A. Paige, Matthew A. Siegler, John K. Harmon, Gregory A. Neumann, Erwan M. Mazarico, David E. Smith, Maria T. Zuber, Ellen Harju, Mona L. Delitsky, and Sean C. Solomon. Thermal Stability of Volatiles in the North Polar Region of Mercury. Science, 29 November 2012 DOI: 10.1126/science.1231106
2. Gregory A. Neumann, John F. Cavanaugh, Xiaoli Sun, Erwan M. Mazarico, David E. Smith, Maria T. Zuber, Dandan Mao, David A. Paige, Sean C. Solomon, Carolyn M. Ernst, and Olivier S. Barnouin. Bright and Dark Polar Deposits on Mercury: Evidence for Surface Volatiles. Science, 29 November 2012 DOI: 10.1126/science.1229764

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/dIp6jTJsncs/121129151336.htm

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Brad Pitt: 'Killing Them Softly' Comes Together At The Very End

His status as a celebrity and paparazzi magnet aside, Brad Pitt doesn't get enough credit for picking great directors to work with. We know he's homeboys with David Fincher, and the man likes working with Soderbergh, but his work with "Killing Them Softly" director Andrew Dominik should be filed alongside those other two. Speaking with [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2012/11/28/brad-pitt-killing-them-softly/

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US budget impasse hurts markets

An employee of the Stock Exchange is reflected in a chart displaying stock prices in Athens, Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2012. Greece has avoided imminent bankruptcy after its international creditors finally agreed to give it the money it urgently needs, but the cash-strapped country's economic distress is likely to drag on for years to come. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

An employee of the Stock Exchange is reflected in a chart displaying stock prices in Athens, Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2012. Greece has avoided imminent bankruptcy after its international creditors finally agreed to give it the money it urgently needs, but the cash-strapped country's economic distress is likely to drag on for years to come. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

LONDON (AP) ? Lack of progress in negotiations for a deal to avoid a U.S. budget crisis before a January deadline sent world stock markets lower on Wednesday.

President Barack Obama and U.S. lawmakers have until Jan. 1 to reach a deal to trim the country's unwieldy deficit. Otherwise, a series of automatic tax increases and sharp spending cuts will take effect that could drag the world's No. 1 economy into recession.

A high-ranking member of the U.S. Senate unnerved investors and sent Wall Street lower on Tuesday after expressing frustration over the budget impasse and the looming "fiscal cliff."

In early European trading, Britain's FTSE 100 fell 0.3 percent to 5,785.40 while Germany's DAX lost 0.2 percent to 7,320.92. France's CAC-40 fell 0.3 percent to 3,491.36.

Wall Street headed for a lower open, with Dow Jones industrial futures falling 0.1 percent to 12,845 and S&P 500 futures down 0.2 percent at 1,395.30.

Stock market losses began earlier in Asia. Japan's Nikkei 225 index fell 1.2 percent to close at 9,308.35, a day after closing at a seven-month high.

Obama plans to make a public case this week for his strategy as he pressures opposing lawmakers to allow tax increases on the wealthy while extending tax cuts for families earning $250,000 or less.

On Wall Street, reports released Tuesday showing increases in U.S. consumer confidence and orders for machinery and equipment failed to boost stocks significantly.

"If one could just take politicians and the fiscal cliff out of the picture, an optimistic outlook would be far easier to cobble together. There's been depressingly little news of cliff breakthroughs, or even developments, of late," said analysts at DBS Bank Ltd. in Singapore in an email commentary.

In Europe, sentiment improved this week after Greece's bailout creditors agreed to pay its next installment of loans and outlined a series of measures to lower its debt load over the coming decade. Concerns remain, however, over the country's economy, which is expected to enter a sixth year of recession in 2013 and the government's ability to implement its reforms.

Elsewhere, South Korea's Kospi shed 0.7 percent to 1,912.78 and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.2 percent to 4,447.30. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.6 percent to 21,708.98.

Mainland China's Shanghai Composite Index fell 0.9 percent to 1,973.52, a four-year low. The smaller Shenzhen Composite Index tumbled 1.9 percent to 750.97.

Benchmark oil for January delivery was down 38 cents to $86.80 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 56 cents to finish at $87.18 per barrel on the Nymex on Tuesday.

In currencies, the euro fell to $1.2909 from $1.2939 on Tuesday in New York. The dollar fell to 81.86 yen from 82.17 yen.

___

Pamela Sampson in Bangkok contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-11-28-World%20Markets/id-57ccf6d1b03848d688ec808d98978da2

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Did you see that? How could you miss it?

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

You may have received CPR training some time ago, but would you remember the proper technique in an emergency? Would you know what to do in the event of an earthquake or a fire? A new UCLA psychology study shows that people often do not recall things they have seen ? or at least walked by ? hundreds of times.

For the study, 54 people who work in the same building were asked if they knew the location of the fire extinguisher nearest their office. While many of the participants had worked in their offices for years and had passed the bright red extinguishers several times a day, only 13 out of the 54 ? 24 percent ? knew the location.

When asked to find a fire extinguisher, however, everyone was able to do so within a few seconds; most were surprised they had never noticed them. The researchers found no significant differences between men and women, or between older and younger adults.

"Just because we've seen something many times doesn't mean we remember it or even notice it," said Alan Castel, an associate professor of psychology at UCLA and lead author of the study. "If I asked you to draw the front of a dime or the front of a dollar bill from memory, how well could you do that? You might get some elements right. Do you know who the president is? On the dime, is he facing left or right? Does it say 'In God We Trust' on the front of the dollar or the back? Do you know what else it says? You've seen it so many times, but you probably haven't paid much attention to it."

Castel said that not noticing things isn't necessarily bad, particularly when those things are not important in your daily life. "It might be a good thing not to burden your memory with information that is not relevant to you," he said.

But with safety information, such as knowing where fire extinguishers are or what to do in an emergency, being prepared can, of course, be very useful.

"When you're on an airplane, do you know where the life vest is and what to do in the event of an emergency?" Castel asked. "You've been told many times, but how would you respond under stressful conditions, when there could be smoke and people screaming?"

A few months after being asked the location of the nearest fire extinguisher, the study participants were asked again if they knew where the closest one was. All of them knew.

"We don't notice something if we're attending to something else," Castel said. "Fire extinguishers are bright red and very conspicuous, but we're almost blind to them until they become relevant."

What does this tell us about the importance of training, whether for emergencies or something as common as learning a new computer program?

Castel stresses that making errors during training is useful. As with the fire extinguisher exercise, errors ? or simple oversights ? can teach us that we don't know something well and need to pay more attention in order to remember it.

"It's good if errors happen during training and not during an event where you need the information," he said. "That's part of the learning process."

The study is published in the journal Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics.

###

University of California - Los Angeles: http://www.newsroom.ucla.edu

Thanks to University of California - Los Angeles for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/125499/Did_you_see_that__How_could_you_miss_it_

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Islamists push secular Tuaregs into Mali desert

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) ? Islamists in northern Mali said Wednesday they pushed the secular Tuareg rebels out of the northwest town of Lere, and now have control of the main towns bordering Mauritania and Niger.

Mohamed Ag Attaye, the spokesman for the Tuareg group, the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad, said that his group, also known as the NMLA, retreated to a base north of Lere, which is 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the border with Mauritania.

"For five days MUJAO and Ansar Dine have encircled the town of Lere," he said, adding that they bribed some Tuaregs to join their group.

More than a week ago the Islamists seized Menaka, which was the Tuareg's last bastion in north Mali since June when they were driven out of the main northern cities by the Islamists.

Mali was plunged into turmoil in March after a coup in the capital of Bamako created a security vacuum. That allowed the secular NMLA to sweep across the north, taking half the territory and declaring it a new nation called "Azawad," which was supposed to create a homeland for the Tuareg people, who have long felt marginalized by Mali's government. The Tuaregs are the traditional inhabitants of northern Mali, but the country's administrative heart has always been in Bamako, hundreds of kilometers (miles) away, an area dominated by darker-skinned ethnic groups that are culturally distinct from the Tuaregs. Only months later, the rebels were kicked out by Islamist groups allied with al-Qaida, which have now imposed strict Shariah law in the north.

The spokesman of the extremist group Ansar Dine, Sanda Abou Mohamed, confirmed that they have taken Lere.

"Some have joined us, others have left the city," he said.

In the areas under their control, which now includes a territory almost as large as France, the Islamists have imposed a harsh form of Islamic law. Northern Mali's independent and outspoken women have been forced to wear head-to-toe veils, and accused thieves have had their hands hacked off in gruesome public spectacles that recall the worst days of Afghanistan under Taliban rule. On Wednesday, a resident in a small village nearly 160 kilometers (100 miles) south of Timbuktu says the Islamists seized and burned 200 cartons of cigarettes worth 20 million CFA (about $40,000) in the latest application of Shariah.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/islamists-push-secular-tuaregs-mali-desert-164457646.html

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US federal mediators to join NHL labor talks

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Federal mediators are entering the stalled NHL labor talks, with the season's first 2? months already lost because of the lockout.

George Cohen, director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, said Monday the parties had agreed to use the agency. He assigned three mediators to assist negotiations ? deputy director Scot Beckenbaugh, director of mediation services John Sweeney and Commissioner Guy Serota ? who was removed later in the day because of a Twitter account that may have been tampered with.

The sides are to meet separately with the mediators Wednesday.

"While we have no particular level of expectation going into this process, we welcome a new approach in trying to reach a resolution of the ongoing labor dispute at the earliest possible date," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said.

Cohen has worked with the players' associations for Major League Baseball, helping end the 1994-95 strike as an outside counsel, and the NBA. He was an adviser to the NHL players' union before joining FMCS three years ago.

"We look forward to their involvement as we continue working to reach an equitable agreement for both the players and the owners," said Donald Fehr, executive director of the NHL Players' Association.

Cohen mediated during the 2010 negotiations in Major League Soccer and 2011 talks in the NFL and NBA, along with this year's dispute between the NFL and its on-field officials.

Cohen said Serota was removed because "within one hour after I issued a press release ... it has been called to my attention that there are issues involving an allegedly hacked Twitter account associated with Commissioner Guy Serota." He said Serota was removed "to immediately dispel any cloud on the mediation process, and without regard to the merits of the allegations."

Hockey players and management have not negotiated since last Wednesday. The NHL has canceled more than one-third of its regular season, including all games through Dec. 14, the New Year's Day outdoor Winter Classic and the All-Star weekend scheduled for Jan. 26-27 at Columbus, Ohio.

"I have had separate, informal discussions with the key representatives of the National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players' Association during the course of their negotiations for a successor collective bargaining agreement," Cohen said in a statement.

"Due to the extreme sensitivity of these negotiations and consistent with the FMCS's longstanding practice, the agency will refrain from any public comment concerning the future schedule and/or the status of the negotiations until further notice."

Beckenbaugh was a mediator during the 2004-05 lockout, a stoppage that caused cancellation of the entire season.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-federal-mediators-join-nhl-labor-talks-212528457--nhl.html

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JYP approves: Wedding bells for a K-pop idol - hellokpop

JYP Entertainment has confirmed today that Wonder Girls? Sun Ye will be tying the knot with her boyfriend in 2013.?

Rumours that the Wonder Girls leader will be marrying her boyfriend were confirmed today after it was confirmed her agency, JYP Entertainment. The agency revealed that Sun Ye and her newly-engaged-fianc?, who she met during volunteer work will join hands early next January on the 26th.

?After long hesitations, she brought this news to the agency and we decided to respect her decision.? The agency said.

Sun Ye also revealed that she will be focusing on her marriage and her new family while the other Wonder Girls members will be actively acting and producing their own solo albums.

While the location has not been announced, the singer told?Beatles Code Season 2?in July that it was ?possible? that she would get married in Haiti, where the two lovebirds met and volunteered.

Sun Ye and her boyfriend in 2012. Image: Nate

Last September, Sun Ye denied reports that the two would be marrying anytime soon and said ?I will certainly share them when I feel that the timing is right.?

Sunye publicly announced her relationship last year on Strong Heart?and received mixed response from the public. In a fan signing last year, one fan criticised the singer for revealing her relationship.

?Do you know that you going public with your relationship has caused an inconvenience to the group?? The fan asked in an audio file that was uploaded.

Sun Ye, shocked by the question, was confused by the ?inconvenience? that she had caused for the group but apologised to the fan.

?I don?t think that I created an inconvenience to the members, but I do think that I hurt your feelings. I?m sorry about that.?

Korea?s national little sister, IU was a victim of cyber bullying earlier this month after she mistakenly uploaded a ?couple photo? with Super Junior member, Eunhyuk.

IU becomes centre of backlash for ?shirtless? Eunhyuk ?couple? photo

Should idols freely date and see other people without receiving backlash from fans? Should they just risk their careers to be in love? Discuss below.

Source:?CNB News, Nate

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Source: http://www.hellokpop.com/2012/11/27/jyp-approves-wedding-bells-for-a-k-pop-idol/

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Disney?s new robot plays catch with your kids

6 hrs.

John Roach , NBC News

For better ? or worse ? the research lab side of Disney is building a robot that plays a decent game of catch, meaning parents can keep their eyes on Facebook while their kids get a bit of exercise.

The robot has a human-like appearance and uses a Microsoft Kinect to track the balls. After a few practice tosses, almost anyone can successfully play catch with it.

The humanoid is intended to give theme-park visitors a means to interact with robots without actually touching them and accidently causing thousands of dollars? worth of damage, according to the Disney Research video below explaining the project.?

The robot is programmed to turn its head, giving the impression it is maintaining body presence with its playmate and tracking the ball with its eyes. When it misses a bad toss, the robot moves its head as if looking for the lost ball or bowing in embarrassment. Other times, it just shrugs its shoulders.

Importantly, there are no temper tantrums or rants about lost scholarship opportunities. Instead, the robot keeps playing, entertaining the old fashioned way, with a twist of the future thrown in for good measure.

?? via Mashable?

John Roach is a contributing writer for NBC News Digital. To learn more about him, check out his website. For more of our Future of Technology series, watch the featured video below.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/futureoftech/disneys-new-robot-plays-catch-your-kids-1C7206759

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Legal Theory Blog: Legal Theory Lexicon: Contractarianism ...

Introduction

Some of the key conceptual tools deployed by legal theorists are likely to be familiar to most law students from their undergraduate education.? One of these is the notion of the "social contract"--familiar from Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau.? But unless you were an undergraduate philosophy major or have some graduate work in philosophy, you may not be as familiar with some of the ideas that have grown out of the social-contract tradition.? One of these is the development of social contract theory in the political philosophy of John Rawls.? Two additional ideas are "contractarianism" and "contractualism"--distinctive positions in the social-contract tradition that are respectively associated with David Gauthier and Thomas ("Tim") Scanlon--and many others, of course.?

This entry in the?Legal Theory Lexicon?explores the "social contract" and its contemporary variants.? As always, the?Lexicon?is pitched at law students, especially first year law students, with an interest in legal theory.? It goes without saying that social contract theory or any one of its modern variants cannot be summarized accurately in a long article, much less a short?Lexicon?entry.

Classical Social Contract Theory?

The classical social contract tradition is most strongly associated with Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.? There are very important differences between these thinkers, but I am got to collapse the differences and present a sort of "generic" version of the social contract.? Here goes.

The State of Nature--Social contract theory begins with the notion of a "state of nature".? What is the state of nature?? That turns out to be a tricky question.? The core idea is that the state of nature does not have a government or similar social institutition that can provide security, public order, and other public goods.? In the state of nature, individuals must resort to self-help to resolve disputes.? There are no institutitions that protect property rights or rights of personal security.

What are the characteristics of life in a state of nature?? This is one of the topics upon which social contract theorists disagree.? Hobbes is famous for his argument that a state of nature is a state of war of all against all.? As a consequence, "the life of man [would be] solitary, poore, nasty, brutish, and short."? For Locke, the state of nature, while not a state of war, would be a state of inconvience: because the lack of a common judge would mean that everone would be a judge in their own case, disputes would frequently be resolved by private violence.? Both Hobbes and Locke agree that the state of nature would be no utopia--it would be a relatively violent and insecure environment.

A Social Contract--The insecurity that characterizes the state of nature creates the motivation to enter into a social contract or social compact.? There are a number of possible variations of this agreement, and it is worth our while to break some of them down:

Who is a party to the social contract?? One possibility is that the social contract is an agreement among individuals but not an agreement with the government or sovereign.? That is, the parties in the state of nature, A, B, & C, agree one with another to institute some other person, S, (or organized group of persons) as the sovreign or government.? On this view, the sovereign is not a party to the social contract.? A second possibility is that the social contract is an agreement between the individuals in the state of nature and the sovereign.? That is, A, B, & C agree with S.??I'm sure you can see immediately that this difference will be important: if the sovereign is a party to the social contract, its provision will bind the sovereign, but if the only parties are the individuals who become citizens, then only they will be bound by the contract.

What is the content of the social contract???Another question about the social contract concerns its content?? For example, the social contract could simply obligate citizens to obey the sovereign irrespective of the content of the sovereign's commands (or laws).? Hobbes's view of the social contract is close to this extreme--although Hobbes argues that citizens do not bind themselves to obey the sovereign if the sovereign commands them to lay down their own lives.? On the other hand, the social contract could impose strict limits on the powers of the sovereign.? For example, the contract could obligate the sovereign to protect the security of persons and property.? On this understanding, laws that actually invaded personal security or attempted to appropriate property would be invalid as contrary to the provisions of the contract.? Locke's view was something like this.

What is the consequence of a breach of the contract??Another question might concern the consequences that would attend breach of the social contract.? If the sovereign breaches the contract, one possible consequence is that citizens are released from their obligation to obey the commands of the sovereign or are entitled to engage in revolution.? Another possibility, especially interesting to legal theorists, is that violations of the social contract by the legislative or executive branches are not "law" and hence should not be enforced by the judicial branch.

Problems with Classical Social Contract Theory--There are a number of well known problems with classical versions of social contract theory--and answers to these problems--and answers to the answers.? (It is an "impacted field of argument" to say the least.)? I am going to focus on just one cluster of problems--having to do with the question whether the state of nature is actual or hypothetical.

Is the state of nature an actual historical state or is it a hypothetical state???One line of criticism begins with the contention that the state of nature cannot be an actual historical condition of human society.? If there never was a historical condition like the state of nature and therefore, no actual "social contract", so the argument might go, then what is its normative significance.? The fact that fictional individuals might have agreed to a social contract under fictional conditions seems to lack normative oomph.

The standard reply to this objection is that the state of nature is hypothetical and not actual, but that hypothetical consent does have normative force, because it tells us that the authority of government is preferable to the alternative--a state without government.

Are the conditions of a hypothetical state of nature arbitrary or unfair???But the argument does not end with the introduction of a hypothetical state of nature.? It is just getting started.? Now that we know that the state of nature is hypothetical, it becomes clear that the description of the setup of the state of nature is very important.? Depending on how the conditions of the state of nature are described, the parties may agree to different versions of the social contract or may not agree to a social contract at all.? If the state of nature is really truly awful--a Hobbesian state of war of all against all--then we may agree to an absolute sovereign.? On the other hand, if the state of nature is merely inconvenient, we may agree only to a more limited government--perhaps a Lockean state with powers that are constrained by a narrow conception of the purpose of the state.? (Of course, the last two sentences vasly oversimplify huge issues.)

If the setup of the state of nature is crucial to the content of the social contract and if both the state of nature are the social contract are merely hypothetical, then we might ask how the setup is justified.? Lacking justification, the setup of the state of nature is potentially arbitrary and unfair.? "Arbitrary"--because the setup is not constrained by actual social conditions.? "Unfair"--because the setup may advantage some individuals over others.

Contemporary Social Contract Theory: Rawls and the Original Position?

One reaction to criticism that a hypothetical social contract can be arbitrary and unfair is represented by John Rawls's theory of the original position.? (There is a separate?Lexicon?entry on?The Veil of Ignorance?that provides additional detail on Rawls's idea.)? Rawls's theory does not have a "social contract" or a "state of nature."? Instead, Rawls tries to set up a hypothetical choice situation that is neither arbitrary nor unfair.? In other words, Rawls asks the question, "What hypothetical choice situation would produced a "fair" agreement?"? Rawls calls this hypothetical choice situation "the original position."? Simplifying vastly, parties in the original position represent citizens and choose principles of justice that are to regulate the basic structure of society.? They do this behind a "veil of ignorance" that masks the identities and other characteristics of the citizens they represent.? The veil of ignorance is designed to insure that the choice situation is fair: no one is unfairly advantaged because the characteristics that might create an advantage are excludedvia?the veil.? Rawls argues that under these conditions the parites would unanimously agree on two principles of justice--the liberty principle (that guarantees an adequate scheme of basic liberties such as freedom of conscience, freedom of speech, and procedural fairness) and the difference principle (that provides the differences in the allocation of what Rawls calls the "primary goods" (including wealth and income) must be arranged so as to beneift the least well-off group in society.

Rawls's theory is not a?social contract?theory.? There is no state of nature and no social compact.? But Rawls sees his theory as an extension of the social contract tradition.? We might say that Rawls's theory is?contractarian?because it is based on the idea of hypothetical agreement.?

The Distinction Between Contractarianism and Contractualism

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Contemporary political philosophers now distinguish between two different kinds of theory in the social contract tradition.

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Contractarianism--The term "contractarianism" applies to theories that focus on self-interest; a contractarian justification for civil society would attempt to show that cooperation with government is interest of each citizen.

Contractualism--The term "contractualism" applies to theories that focuses on reasonableness or justifiability to others.? Contractualist theories might emphasize the idea that each reasonable person will endorse social arrangements that could be accepted by all reasonable persons--with the idea of reasonable justification acting as a constraint on pure self interest.

The contractarian branch of the social-contract tradition is represented by David?Gauthier's?Morals by Agreement?is one of the most important contemporary works in contemporary contractarian moral philosophy, but in this post I am going to emphasize the contractualist branch and its development in the work of Thomas (Tim) Scanlon.

Scanlon's contractualism is inspired by the classical social-contract notion of hypothetical agreement or hypothetical consent.? But Scanlon's theory is not a political theory--it is not about the relative powers and duties of individuals and the state.? Rather his theory is a moral theory, about what "we owe to teach other".? Scanlon's theory is deep and rich--and it defies easy summary.? But you can get a flavor of Scanlon's view by thinking about his very famous formulation of contractualism:

An act is wrong if its performance under the circumstances would be disallowed by any system of rules for the general regulation of behaviour which no one could reasonably reject as a basis for informed, unforced general agreement.' T.M. Scanlon, ?Contractualism and Utilitarianism? in A. Sen and B. Williams (eds),?Utilitarianism and Beyond?110 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1982)

I'm sure you can already see how precise Scanlon's formulation is, including the following elements: (1) actions are right or wrong in virtue of their being allowed or disallowed by a "system of rules," (2) the system of rules must be one that is for the "general regulation of behavior," and (3) the system must be such thtat no one could "reasonably reject" the system as the basis for an "informed, unforced general agreement."? The core idea is that morality is based on rules that could form the basis for informed and unforced agreement: "informed and unforced agreement" expresses the?contractarian?dimension of Scanlon's view.? An action is morally wrong if it is contrary to the general system of moral rules upon which there could be informed and unforced agreement.

Scanlon's contractualism is a form of deontological moral theory, because it makes the rightness or wrongness of action depend on its conformity to a set of moral rules. ?Deontological theories can be contrasted with consequentialist theories and aretaic (or virtue-centered) theories. ?There are?Legal Theory Lexicon?entries on each of these ideas.

The Rivals of Contractarianism and Contractualism?

Before we close, let's situate?contractualism?and?contractarianism?in all their forms by looking briefly at some rival views.? In moral philosophy, contractarian ethics are usually viewed as a form of?deontology.??Scanlon's contractarian deontology could be contrasted with Kant's idea that the content of morality can be specified by the categorical imperative, one formulation of which is "act so that the maxim of your action could be willed as a universal law of nature."? Outside of deontology, contractarian ethics competes with consequentialisms of various forms, most prominently utilitarianism.? Another rival of moral contractarianism is virtue ethics, which posits excellence of character as the fundamental organizing principle of moral theory.

In the political realm, social contract theory has a variety of rivals.? Utilitarianism can be the basis of a political theory as well as a moral theory.? Democratic legitimacy may rival contractarianism as the fundamental grounding principle of social organization.? In recent years, communitarianism and civic republicanism have also been articulated as rivals of social contract theory.? Libertarian and anarchist political theories reject the strong role for the state that is implicit in Hobbes or in Rawls's modern variant of political contractarianism.

Conclusion??I hope this entry in the?Legal Theory Lexicon?has given you a lively sense of the broad outlines of the contractarian tradition in moral philosophy and political theory.? Of course, I've barely scratched the surface!? I've provided some links and references for additional reading and investigation.

Related Lexicon Entries

Internet Resources

Bibliography

(Last modified on November 25, 2012.)

Source: http://lsolum.typepad.com/legaltheory/2012/11/legal-theory-lexicon-contr.html

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Solar power plants burden the counties that host them

When it comes to attracting business to California's eastern deserts, Inyo County is none too choosy.

Since the 19th century the sparsely populated county has worked to attract industries shunned by others, including gold, tungsten and salt mining. The message: Your business may be messy, but if you plan to hire our residents, the welcome mat is out.

So the county grew giddy last year as it began to consider hosting a huge, clean industry. BrightSource Energy, developer of the proposed $2.7-billion Hidden Hills solar power plant 230 miles northeast of Los Angeles, promised a bounty of jobs and a windfall in tax receipts. In a county that issued just six building permits in 2011, Inyo officials first estimated that property taxes from the facility would boost the general fund 17%.

But upon closer inspection, the picture didn't seem so rosy.

An economic consultant hired by the county found that property tax revenue would be a fraction of the customary amount because portions of the plant qualifiy for a solar tax exclusion. Fewer than 10 local workers would land permanent positions ? and just 5% of the construction jobs would be filled by county residents. And construction workers are likely to spend their money across the nearby state line, in Nevada.

Worse, the project would cost the county $11 million to $12 million during the 30-month construction phase, with much of the money going to upgrade a historic two-lane road to the plant. Once the plant begins operation, the county estimates taxpayers will foot the bill for nearly $2 million a year in additional public safety and other services.

Two of California's other Mojave Desert counties, Riverside and San Bernardino, have made similar discoveries. Like Inyo, they are now pushing back against solar developers, asking them to cover the costs of servicing the new industry.

"Southern California is going to become the home to the state's ability to meet its solar goals," said Gerry Newcombe, public works director for San Bernardino County. "That's great, but where are the benefits to the county?"

Desert counties also are anticipating costly shifts in land use, including the conversion of taxable private property into habitat for endangered species. Solar developers are required to buy land to offset the loss of habitat caused by their projects. Once the property is acquired, it cannot be developed, which reduces its potential for tax revenue.

Two of the largest solar plants in the world are under construction in San Bernardino County. But county officials are not sure if revenue from the projects will offset the cost of additional fire and safety services, which analysts say will amount to millions of dollars a year.

For example, the $2.2-billion Ivanpah solar project at the county's eastern border has agreed to pay $377,000 annually, but that may not be enough to cover the county's new costs related to the plant. The county doesn't know how much solar plants will drain from its budget because the projects are being planned and approved too quickly for adequate analysis, officials say.

"We really support private development and generating jobs," Newcombe said. "On the other hand, I am concerned that it's going too fast. I don't know that we've had a chance to appreciate the long-term impacts."

The county is also worried because most of the land inside its borders is owned by the federal government, and up to 1 million acres of that ? nearly 8% of the county ? could be set aside for solar development, removing it from public access and recreational opportunities, Newcombe said.

Counties that object to the pace of development, however, have been scolded for standing in the way of progress. Not only is renewable energy a priority of the Obama administration, it is also the darling of California's chief executive.

Gov. Jerry Brown has vowed to "crush" opponents of solar projects. At the launch of a solar farm near Sacramento, the governor pledged: "It's not easy. There are gonna be screw-ups. There are gonna be bankruptcies. There'll be indictments and there'll be deaths. But we're gonna keep going ? and nothing's gonna stop me."

Counties have little say because the state controls planning and licensing of large-scale projects. The California Energy Commission issues the permits for utility-scale solar farms, and counties depend on the commission's staff to look out for their interests.

To the extent that California counties are pushing back against industrial solar, the rebellion began in Riverside County more than a year ago.

Some 20 utility-scale solar farms are proposed in the eastern stretch of the county on 118,000 acres of federal land along the Interstate 10 corridor between Desert Center and Blythe.

The Riverside County Board of Supervisors considered charging companies a franchise fee to offset the effects on roads and public services and to compensate for the loss of recreation and tourism access to the 185 square miles of federal land. Local officials saw it as a matter of fairness. Public utilities pay 2% of gross receipts to the county, for example.

"The solar companies are the beneficiaries of huge government loans, tax credits and, most critically for me, property tax exemptions, at the expense of taxpayers," said county Supervisor John Benoit, referring to a variety of taxpayer-supported loans and grants available to large solar projects as part of the Obama administration's renewable energy initiative. "I came to the conclusion that my taxpayers need to get something back."

Source: http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/fJiNcquMJUQ/la-me-solar-counties-20121125,0,1915579.story

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GOP opposition to diplomat Rice begins to crack

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Republican opposition to U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice as the next secretary of state began to crack Sunday as Sen. John McCain said she was "not the problem" in the White House's handling of the Sept. 11 attack in Libya and suggested he could be persuaded to swing behind her possible nomination.

McCain's comments provide an opening for the Obama administration, which struggled mightily in the weeks leading up to the Nov. 6 election to tamp down speculation of a cover-up involving the attack against the U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi. The assault killed four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador to Libya.

At issue is Rice's account ? as the administration's representative on the Sunday talk shows Sept. 16 ? that the violence was the spontaneous result of a mob angered by an anti-Muslim video posted on YouTube. She said she relied on talking points provided by the intelligence community that were later discredited.

"I think she deserves the ability and the opportunity to explain herself and her position," McCain, R-Ariz., told "Fox News Sunday." ''But she's not the problem. The problem is the president of the United States" who misled the public on terrorist involvement.

McCain's remarks were in contrast to his previous stance that Rice wasn't qualified to replace Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is expected to step down soon as the top U.S. diplomat, and that he would do "whatever is necessary" to block Rice's possible nomination.

Rice is widely seen as Obama's first choice for the job as secretary of State. As the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, McCain would have considerable sway in the Senate's screening of Rice.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, McCain's close friend and colleague on the committee, told ABC "This Week" he still suspects the White House intentionally glossed over obvious terrorist links in the attack to keep voters from questioning Obama's handling of national security.

But instead of repeating his prior assertion that he was "dead set" against a Rice promotion, Graham suggested he looked forward to hearing her out. If Rice were nominated, "there will be a lot of questions asked of her about this event and others," said Graham, R-S.C.

The subtle shift in GOP tenor on Rice could be the result of internal grumblings on how far to take party opposition. Democrats picked up extra seats in the election to maintain their narrow majority, making it that much harder for the remaining 45 Republicans to block the president's nominees.

One senior GOP Senate aide said Sunday that Republicans hadn't united against Rice and were not convinced that she was worth going after.

"There's a definite sense within the caucus that you have to be conservative about where you put your firepower," said the aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak publicly on internal GOP deliberations. "The question is whether the caucus is prepared to filibuster her, and I'm not sure we were."

Intelligence officials have said they knew immediately that the Sept. 11 incident was a terrorist attack and suspected that the local al-Qaida branch was involved. But they also initially believed that the attack may have grown spontaneously from a protest against the film.

Unclassified talking points provided to Rice and other administration officials in the days following the attack omitted references to terrorists and al-Qaida because intelligence officials said the information was tenuous and could tip their hand in the investigation. The administration also didn't want to prejudice a criminal investigation.

Rice said she used those talking points in Sept. 16 interviews in defending the administration's protection of overseas diplomats, saying "clusters of extremists" had "hijacked" film protests. Officials say it wasn't until after Rice spoke that intelligence agencies adjusted the assessment to clarify that the attack was not spontaneous or related to a protest.

Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee and a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said Rice should have reviewed the raw classified intelligence and not just relied on unclassified talking points provided to her.

Graham said he remains unconvinced that Rice was relying solely on information provided to her by intelligence agencies. But Graham said he is most concerns with the broader administration's handling of the matter.

"This is about four dead Americans," he said on "This Week" on ABC. "This is about a national security failure. We need a focused look at what happened here."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gop-opposition-diplomat-rice-begins-crack-155718014--politics.html

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PFT: Vick still out but getting better

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How bad was Thursday night?s loss by the Jets?? Fireman Ed left at halftime and deleted his Twitter account.

Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia says the impact of the very big Vince Wilfork comes from ?little things? that don?t show up on the stats sheet.

Bills DE Shawne Merriman is becoming more confident.

The Dolphins are considering various upgrades to their 25-year-old stadium.

The 17 rookies on the Browns? roster are learning about the Pittsburgh rivalry.

Bengals TE Jermaine Gresham is fueling his team?s recent run.

Ravens RB Ray Rice has only two 100-yard games this season, and he has averaged only 55.6 yards over the last five games.

The Steelers? home field will get ripped up on Saturday, with?four high-school games being played there.

Colts interim coach Bruce Arians calls Sunday?s visit from the Bills a playoff game; ?We have to take that approach because Buffalo is taking that approach,? Arians said.? ?They?re do-or-die, we better be do-or-die. That?s been our mindset all week.?

Titans RB Chris Johnson was happy to have a week off, but he ?wouldn?t have minded to keep on going,? given his recent run of success.

Jaguars QB Chad Henne knows that a key to getting the starting job beyond 2012 is to get the team?s first home win of the season on Sunday.

Texans coach Gary Kubiak didn?t regard getting kicked in the nuts to be a sufficient excuse for QB Matt Schaub?s failure to make the throw; ?He didn?t like that,? Kubiak said of Schaub.

Raiders FB Marcel Reece is finally getting the stats, but he?d prefer to be getting the wins.

Chiefs WR Dexter McCluster delivered Thanksgiving dinner to an elderly fan, and in return she gave him the business.

Broncos LB Von Miller is conjuring comparisons to Hall of Famer Derrick Thomas.

With Chargers LT Jared Gaither on IR, it?s time for undrafted free agent Mike Harris to step up.

Giants QB Eli Manning has a history of performing well after the bye week.? (So did Andy Reid.)

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is in ?awe? of Robert Griffin III.? (No one currently is in awe of the Cowboys.)

Redskins WR Pierre Gar?on ?suffered no setbacks? after a five-catch, 93-yard performance against Dallas.

With Eagles RB LeSean McCoy likely out, seventh-round rookie Bryce Brown is expected to get the bulk of the carries on Monday night.

Lions defensive end Willie Young loves fishing.? (He?ll have time to do plenty of it in January.)

Lost in the poor performance of the Bears? offensive line on Monday night is the fact that the Bears? defensive line wasn?t every good, either.

The unexpectedly good recovery of Vikings RB Adrian Peterson has left RB Toby Gerhart unexpectedly out of the mix for touches.

When the Packers face Detroit on December 9, Cory Uttech of Sheboygan will be the first non-player to perform the Lambeau Leap during a game.? (And then Ndamukong Suh will kick him in the crotch.)

Buccaneers DT Gerald McCoy calls rookie S Mark Barron ?a silent killer.?? (Barron likely has used the phrase ?silent but deadly? in reference to McCoy at some point this season.)

Saints safeties Roman Harper and Malcolm Jenkins are trying to forget what Vernon Davis did to them the last time they faced San Francisco.

After being shredded by LaRod Stephen-Howling, the Falcons are hoping for better run support against the Muscle Hamster.

The Panthers get another chance to prove they?re ready for primetime.? (Or to prove they?re not.)

The 49ers? kick and punt coverage units have improved significantly in recent weeks.

Coach Jeff Fisher realizes something has to give when the Rams, who haven?t won in five straight games, face an Arizona team that has lost six straight.

Cardinals defensive coordinator Ray Horton said that the intended message of the reduced use of S Adrian Wilson was ?do your job and do your job well.?

The Seahawks emerge from the bye week healthy and rested and ready for the stretch run.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/11/24/michael-vick-ruled-out-but-getting-better-lesean-mccoy-still-ailing/related/

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Black Friday creeps into Thursday

Dora Hurtado waits in line at a Pembroke Pines, Fla. Toys-R-Us store, late Friday, Nov. 22, 2012. While stores typically open in the wee hours of the morning on the day after Thanksgiving known as Black Friday, openings have crept earlier and earlier over the past few years. Now, stores from Wal-Mart to Toys R Us are opening their doors on Thanksgiving evening, hoping Americans will be willing to shop soon after they finish their pumpkin pie. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

Dora Hurtado waits in line at a Pembroke Pines, Fla. Toys-R-Us store, late Friday, Nov. 22, 2012. While stores typically open in the wee hours of the morning on the day after Thanksgiving known as Black Friday, openings have crept earlier and earlier over the past few years. Now, stores from Wal-Mart to Toys R Us are opening their doors on Thanksgiving evening, hoping Americans will be willing to shop soon after they finish their pumpkin pie. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

Michael Walsh waits in in line at a Target store in Colma, Calif., Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012. Walsh was the first person in line, showing up at about 6am Thursday morning. Stores typically open in the wee hours of the morning on the day after Thanksgiving known as Black Friday, named for the period when stores traditionally turn a profit for the year. But Black Friday openings have crept earlier and earlier over the past few years. Now, stores from Wal-Mart to Toys R Us are opening their doors on Thanksgiving evening, hoping Americans will be willing to shop soon after they finish their pumpkin pie. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Aaron Rodrigues waits in a line at Best Buy in the Van Nuys section of Los Angeles on Thur. Nov.22,2012. While stores typically open in the wee hours of the morning on the day after Thanksgiving known as Black Friday, openings have crept earlier and earlier over the past few years. Now, stores from Wal-Mart to Toys R Us are opening their doors on Thanksgiving evening, hoping Americans will be willing to shop soon after they finish their pumpkin pie. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

Shoppers wait in line for the 8 p.m. opening of the Times Square Toys-R-Us store in the lead-up to Black Friday, November 22, 2012, in New York. While stores typically open in the wee hours of the morning on the day after Thanksgiving known as Black Friday, openings have crept earlier and earlier over the past few years. Now, stores from Wal-Mart to Toys R Us are opening their doors on Thanksgiving evening, hoping Americans will be willing to shop soon after they finish their pumpkin pie. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Shoppers wait in line for the 8 p.m. opening of the Times Square Toys-R-Us store in the lead-up to Black Friday, November 22, 2012, in New York. While stores typically open in the wee hours of the morning on the day after Thanksgiving known as Black Friday, openings have crept earlier and earlier over the past few years. Now, stores from Wal-Mart to Toys R Us are opening their doors on Thanksgiving evening, hoping Americans will be willing to shop soon after they finish their pumpkin pie. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

NEW YORK (AP) ? The nation's shoppers on Thursday put down the turkey to take advantage of Thanksgiving deals.

Stores typically open in the wee hours of the morning on the day after Thanksgiving that's named Black Friday because that's when stores traditionally turn a profit for the year. But Black Friday openings have crept earlier and earlier over the past few years. Now, stores from Target to Toys R Us are opening their doors on Thanksgiving evening, hoping Americans will be willing to shop soon after they finish their pumpkin pie.

Target Corp. opened its doors at 9 p.m. on the holiday, three hours earlier than last year. Sears, which didn't open on Thanksgiving last year, opened at 8 p.m. on Thursday through 10 p.m. on Black Friday. Toys R Us opened at 8 p.m., an hour earlier than last year. And others such as Macy's Inc. are opening at midnight on Black Friday.

Retailers are hoping that the Thanksgiving openings will draw shoppers who prefer to head to stores after their turkey dinner rather than braving the crowds early the next morning. Overall, about 17 percent of shoppers plan to take advantage of Thanksgiving hours, according to a International Council of Shopping Centers-Goldman Sachs survey of 1,000 consumers.

Michael Prothero, 19, and Kenny Fullenlove, 20, even were willing to miss Thanksgiving dinner altogether for deals. They started camping out on Monday night outside a Best Buy store in Toledo, Ohio, which was slated to open at midnight. The friends, who were waiting to get 40-inch televisions, videogames and a tablet computer, came early to make sure they got the deals advertised by Best Buy, even though the next person in line didn't arrive until almost 24 hours later.

"Better safe than sorry," Prothero said.

The Thanksgiving hours are an effort by stores to make shopping more convenient for Americans, who still face economic uncertainty. Many shoppers are worried about high unemployment and a package of tax increases and spending cuts known as the "fiscal cliff" that will take effect in January unless Congress passes a budget deal by then. At the same time, Americans have grown more comfortable shopping on websites such as Amazon.com, where they can get cheaper prices and buy from the comfort of their home or office cubicle.

That has put pressure on brick-and-mortar stores, which can make up to 40 percent of their annual revenue during the two-month holiday shopping season, to compete. That's becoming more difficult: the National Retail Federation, an industry trade group, estimates that overall sales in November and December will rise 4.1 percent this year to $586.1 billion, or about flat with last year's growth. But the online part of that is expected to rise 15 percent to $68.4 billion, according to Forrester Research.

As a result, brick-and-mortar retailers are trying everything they can to lure consumers into stores by making shopping as easy as possible. In addition to expanding their hours into Thanksgiving, many are offering free layaways and shipping, matching the cheaper prices of online rivals and updating their mobile shopping apps with more information.

"Every retailer wants to beat everyone else," said C. Britt Beemer, chairman of America's Research Group, a research firm based in Charleston, S.C. "Shoppers love it."

Indeed, there were 11 shoppers in a four-tent encampment outside a Best Buy store near Ann Arbor, Mich. The purpose of their wait? A $179 40-inch Toshiba LCD television is worth missing Thanksgiving dinner at home.

Jackie Berg, 26, of Ann Arbor, arrived first with her stepson and a friend Wednesday afternoon, seeking three of the televisions. The deal makes the TVs $240 less than their normal price, so Berg says that she'll save more than $700.

It's her first time camping out for the specials, and she's not sure she will do it again. Relatives will bring her some holiday dinner, but she'll miss eating her dad's stuffing right as he cooks it.

"We'll miss the actual being there with family, but we'll have the rest of the weekend for that," she said.

Carey Maguire, 33, and her sister Caitlyn Maguire, 21, showed up at Target in East Harlem neighborhood of New York City at 7 p.m. Their goal was to buy several Nooks, which were on sale for $49. But while waiting in line they were also using their iPhone to do some online buying at rival stores.

"If you're going to spend, I want to make it worth it," said Caitlyn Maguire, a college student, who spent a total of $175 on Amazon.com, Best Buy and Radio Shack during her two-hour wait.

While shoppers took advantage of the Thanksgiving deals, some workers were expected to protest the Turkey Day hours. In fact, a New York-based union-backed group of retail workers called Retail Action Project is planning protests in the Manhattan borough of New York City on Thanksgiving in front of several stores, including AnnTaylor, Forever 21 and others that are opening at midnight on Black Friday and earlier.

"It shows that the companies are not valuing their workers. They're looking to their workers to squeeze out more profits," said Carrie Gleason, director of Retail Action Project.

Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, has been one of the biggest targets of protests against holiday hours. Many of the company's stores are open 24 hours, but the company is offering early bird specials that once were reserved for Black Friday at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving instead.

The issue is part of a broader campaign against the company's treatment of workers that's being waged by a union-backed group called OUR Walmart, which includes former and current workers. The group is staging demonstrations and walkouts at hundreds of stores on Black Friday.

Mary Pat Tifft, a Wal-Mart employee in Kenosha, Wis., who is a member of OUR Walmart, started an online petition on signon.org that has about 34,000 signatures.

"This Thanksgiving, while millions of families plan to spend quality time with their loved ones, Wal-Mart associates have been told we will be stocking shelves and preparing sales starting at 8 p.m.," she wrote on the site.

But retailers say they are giving shoppers what they want. Dave Tovar, a Wal-Mart spokesman, said that the discounter learned from shoppers that they want to start shopping right after Thanksgiving dinner. Then, they want to have time to go to bed before they wake up to head back out to the stores.

Still, Tovar said that Wal-Mart works to accommodate its workers' requests for different working hours. "We spent a lot of time talking to them, trying to figure out when would be the best time for our events," he said.

Kathee Tesija, Target's executive vice president of merchandising, said Target's 9 p.m. opening struck "a perfect balance" for its customers. When asked whether it's faced any criticism from Target employees, she noted that the chain also works with workers to accommodate their needs. But, ultimately the company serves the customer.

"We thought long and hard about when the right opening time would be," she said, adding that Target "wants to make sure we are competitive."

____

Krisher contributed to this report from Toledo, Ohio and Ann Arbor, Mich.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-11-22-Black%20Thursday/id-a47ac3604c984858983801ceb3766254

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The Best Way To Choose Your Skate Shoes ? Recreation and Sports

In case you possess a skateboarding court within your locality, then skateboarding can be a enjoyable hobby to adopt and carry on for a long time. You can make fantastic good friends, stay healthful and also you will surely delight in the sport as it is extremely thrilling. If you would like to delight in mastering this sport, why not buy some affordable skate shoes for now and see simply how much fun it may get.

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When you are on a spending budget, you?ve got to create confident that you are obtaining the appropriate variety of shoes so that you get the expected advantage. The wrong gear can adversely have an effect on your efficiency and your morale, which is why you may discover how well equipped athletes are with their overall performance. Luckily skateboarding is really a sport which will not demand loads of investment for getting the appropriate type of gear.

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All you?ll need can be a excellent pair of shoes for skateboarding and also you will probably uncover them in any good departmental or super shop in your location, and ideally a retail shoe store if there is any. Once you have got enough encounter and funds, then invest inside a fantastic brand of shoes which you may trust after which you will genuinely get pleasure from this sport. There are some consistent styles that all brands stick to, so it shouldn?t be hard to spot the best high quality out there in the market place.

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These shoes possess a noticeable flat rubber sole that lets you possess a fantastic grip on the skateboard. There is also some additional padding in the shoes to ensure there?s cushioning against any doable twist or hit. When your shoes will have a very good grip of the feet, you will really feel in improved control and have additional self-confidence although that you are practicing.

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You are going to also should ensure that the good quality of these shoes is reasonably great, so do attempt to observe the stitching high quality as well as the fabric at the same time. The practice in skateboarding is usually quite rigorous plus a few blunders do really test the strength of these shoes. You will discover some very good brands which are making used of vulcanized rubber soles which are flexible and much more durable, so make an effort to buy these.

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Lastly while having new shoes from the skate warehouse, try to wear them and be confident about their fitness. When you are acquiring type an online store, then be sure in regards to the comfort level because that could directly impact you overall performance. A slightly tight shoes or a slightly loose shoe will definitely impact in most significant instances in practice sessions and competitions.

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You can visit online shops for etnies shoes and to buy altamont clothing.

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Source: http://garcia8316.typepad.com/blog/2012/11/the-best-way-to-choose-your-skate-shoes-recreation-and-sports.html

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