How immigration reform might also spur young Americans to study math, science

Measures in immigration reform legislation would channel fees from high-skilled visas into investments for American students to delve into science, technology, engineering, and math.

By David Grant,?Staff writer / June 8, 2013

Sen. Orrin G. Hatch, R-Utah, confers with Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, right, and Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., left, as the Senate Judiciary Committee meets to address immigration reform on Capitol Hill. Sen. Hatch's amendment would provide for more STEM teachers for K-12, encourage an emphasis on computer science, and improve community-college and worker-training programs.

J. Scott Applewhite/AP

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Tucked into immigration reform legislation in both chambers of Congress are little-noticed measures that could pump hundreds of millions of dollars into cultivating a new generation of American students interested in science, technology, engineering, and math (or STEM). Such a move could help shore up what much of corporate America and many lawmakers see as a glaring deficiency in the nation?s long-term economic competitiveness.

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The bills offer at least $200 million per year (but perhaps as much as $700 million, advocates say) by channeling fees from high-skilled visas into investments in STEM education and job training.

Specifically, legislators would increase the fee that employers pay to sponsor high-skilled temporary workers (visas known as H-1Bs) and direct $1,000 of that bump toward a special ?STEM fund.? The fund would also be supported by an additional $1,000 cost to employers looking to sponsor H-1B workers for permanent residence in the United States.

While some argue that it may be counterproductive to boost H-1B visas, few disagree with the premise of more STEM education. Lawmakers and advocates say this funding plan forces companies that decry a shortage of US-born STEM workers to put their money where their mouth is.

It allows the US to ?look at the short-term job openings and the short-term needs, but use that as a mechanism to generate funding to address the long-term issue,? says Peter Zamora, director of federal relations for the Council of Chief State School Officers, a group of top state education policymakers. ?That?s what?s going to make it sustainable.?

The Senate is scheduled to take up comprehensive immigration reform, including this provision, next week, when lawmakers will begin the process of amending the bill on the Senate floor. Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D) of Nevada has vowed to pass the bill before adjourning for the Fourth of July holiday.

The idea for the fund has been heavily influenced by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R) of Utah, whose bipartisan bill aimed at reforming high-skilled immigration was added to the Senate?s comprehensive measure during the Judiciary Committee?s amendment process.

Senator Hatch?s amendment, which serves as the basis for the House provision as well, would send 95 percent of the funding to state governments to recruit more STEM teachers for K-12, encourage an emphasis on computer science, and improve community-college and worker-training programs, among other initiatives.

To be sure, the federal government provides more support for basic research into STEM fields than even the largest-possible STEM fund could put forward. Currently, the National Science Foundation offers nearly $6 billion for advanced research, about a quarter of all federal funding for such research.

But with that money largely funding advanced research at institutions of higher learning, the STEM fund could be ?game-changing money? for K-12, especially if the fund is at the higher end of estimates, says Dave Saba, chief operating officer of the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI). He notes that groups like his match state funds with private dollars, leveraging public investment even further.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/dfBvPR6Ptzo/How-immigration-reform-might-also-spur-young-Americans-to-study-math-science

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Sony Xperia Tablet Z Review: Sony Finally Gets One (Mostly) Right

In a time when tablets are becoming increasing similar, it's rare that you pick up a device and have one of those, "Whoa!" moments. You relish them when they come, because it means that creativity and innovation still exist in a world of look-alikes. After years of trying and failing with Android tablets, Sony has finally delivered one of those moments.

What Is It?

It's Sony's latest (and definitely greatest) attempt at making a tablet. The company has had some near-hits, like the Xperia Tablet S, and some colossal, bone-breaking failures, like the Sony Tablet P. But finally, at long last, Sony got it together and built itself one excellent piece of hardware. It's of the 10-inch, Android Jelly Bean (4.1, not 4.2) variety. It's got a 1080p screen, Qualcomm's quad-core 1.5 GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, two 2GB of RAM, a micro SD card slot, an IR blaster, and oh yeah, it's freaking waterproof! It can stay in up to three feet of water for up to half an hour. Movie time and bath time, together at last.

Design

Oh, hello, gorgeous. Simply put, when you first pick up Xperia Tablet Z, you'll think, "There's no way this thing actually turns on or does anything." It just feels impossibly thin and light. At 0.27 inches (6.9 millimeters), it is the thinnest tablet in the world (the iPad Mini is 7.2 millimeters, for comparison). At 17.46 ounces (495 grams), it's the lightest full-sized tablet we've seen (the current generation iPad is 23.35 ounces). Not only that, it's perfectly balanced. You can comfortably hold it one-handed in landscape mode. It's even thinner than the Samsung Galaxy S4 (see above), which is one of the thinnest phones out there.

The tablet is almost a perfect rectangle, with just barely rounded corners. The back is a matte, brushed plastic, that has an excellent grip to it. It's not going to accidentally slide off your lap on the subway. Sony also did something pretty ingenius with the speakers, too. A lot of tablets stick the speaker holes on the bottom-edge of the tablet, where your lap will muffle them if it's resting on your legs, or they stick the holes on the sides, where your hands will muffle them if you're holding it. Sony put the speakers on the two bottom corners (when holding it landscape), but it put the holes for the speakers on the bottom and the sides, so even if you're covering two of the holes the sound can come out through the other two. Smart, though we still definitely prefer the front-facing speakers on Google's Nexus 10.

On the side, it shares the same nubby buttons as the Xperia ZL phone, but while they were kind of ugly on the phone, they're perfectly pleasant on the tablet. They're easy to find, and easy to press. Down on the bottom there are two panels behind sealed doors. One is for the micro SD card slot, and the other is for the micro USB / micro HDMI port, which you can use to change your tablet and/or stream HD video to your TV. There's also an 8MP rear facing camera, which we would encourage you to ignore.

Using It

The Xperia Tablet Z is running Sony's custom skin on top of Android. On the plus side, the tablet version of this skin is extremely intuitive to use. Dedicated buttons for Google Now, Voice Search, adding apps/widgets, and the remote control are all very easy to understand. Sony also put in some power management tools that gives you standby times to the tune of many days. Essentially, it turns off your data connection when the screen is off, but you can whitelist apps (like Gmail, for example) so you get important notifications. It's very nicely done.

Sony did, however, put more than a dozen of its own apps on the tablet, many of which are either inferior replacements of the standard Android apps (Sony's Album < Android's Gallery), or services you really don't need (Wi-Fi Checker? Consumers were clamoring for that?). It managed to build a remote control app that works better than any we've used, but it failed to integrate a guide to what's on, like HTC and Samsung did. Sony has an app for that, but it's only compatible with networked devices. Not very helpful.

In terms of day to day usage, we generally threw it in a backpack (usually with no protection) and it was light and thin enough that we literally forgot it was there multiple times and tossed our bag around more roughly than we would have. After a week of such abuse the tablet doesn't have a scratch on it, though we'd definitely still recommend getting a case. We also verified the waterproof claims, taking it into the shower with us and then leaving it submerged in a bath while a video played. One of the Tablet Z's slick tricks is that the touchscreen will actually work reasonably well when wet. You couldn't game with it like that, but it was good enough for controlling basic functions.

Like

On the hardware side of things, it's really almost all like. The lightness and thinness really are killer features, and the thing just feels amazing to hold. The 1080p screen with Sony's Mobile Bravia Engine 2 produces some of the most vibrant, and yet most accurate colors we've ever seen on a tablet, especially for things like flowers and landscapes. Battery life was fantastic with Stamina Mode enabled. HD games (such as Dead Trigger) played extremely well, without so much as a hitch.

We absolutely love the waterproof element. It's not a gimmick. It actually makes us feel safe using it pretty much anywhere, in virtually any condition. Because it's dust-proof, too, this is the only tablet we'd want to take with us to the beach, a construction site, or, y'know, Burning Man. A micro HDMI port and an IR blaster are features all tablets should have, and what's not to like about a micro SD card slot?

No Like

While Sony's skin looks very good, it really slows things down. There is noticeable jutter when swiping through home screens, and apps are simply slower to launch than they should be. This is clearly bad optimization, because when we installed Nova Launcher everything got silky smooth. The Snapdragon S4 Pro is an excellent processor (though not as good as the more recent Snapdragon 600 and the upcoming 800), and it should tear through your homescreens with no problems at all, especially since the introduction of Project Butter in stock Jelly Bean (Android 4.1). Speaking of Android 4.1, why is this tablet launching with a version of Android that's a year old? 4.2 has been out since November. Totally unacceptable, and Sony doesn't have the best track record with speedy updates, either.

While we liked the colors on the screen, the blacks are more like grays, and the whites can skew a bit orange. It's also not as bright as other high-end Android tablets (though it was good enough for a bright day), and it's not as high-resolution as the Nexus 10 or the latest iPad, though it's by no means bad. While we praised the implementation of the speakers, the sound is really tinny and just generally crappy. Sony should just buy speaker components from a company that knows how to make good speakers. Y'know, like Sony. Oh... that's weird.

Should I Buy It?

Gripes aside, this is our favorite tablet we've used in a long time. The $500 price point, gives us a bit of pause, though. It's more expensive than the Nexus 10, but it has better guts and performs better (once you get away from the home screen). It's cheaper than the latest iPad, though, and while it doesn't have quite as many tablet optimized apps, that gap is a lot smaller now, and the Xperia Tablet Z's form factor is more impressive than any other tablet out there. Hands down.

While we've really come to value smaller tablets like the Nexus 7 for their portability, watching movies and reading websites is certainly a more pleasurable experience on a 10-inch tablet, and the waterproof/dustproof specs are very tempting. We wish the guts and the software were a little more current, but for the majority of consumers, this is an excellent tablet, and if you've got 500 bucks to spend, there are certainly worse ways to spend it. [Sony]

Sony Xperia Tablet Z Specs

? Network: Wi-Fi
? OS: Android 4.1 with Sony's UI
? CPU: 1.5 GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro
? Screen: 10.1-inch 1920x1200 TFT LCD (224PPI)
? RAM: 2GB
? Storage: 16GB or 32GB + micro SD up to 64GB
? Camera: 8MP rear / 2MP front
? Battery: 6000 mAh
? Dimensions: 10.47 x 6.77 x 0.27 inches
? Weight: 17.46 ounces
? Price: $500 for 16GB version / $600 for 32GB

Source: http://gizmodo.com/sony-xperia-tablet-z-review-sony-finally-gets-one-mos-511601498

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Parliamentarians say Huawei-BT deal exposes flawed security controls

By Paul Sandle and Brenda Goh

LONDON (Reuters) - China's Huawei Technologies Co Ltd should not have been allowed to become embedded in Britain's critical network infrastructure without the knowledge and scrutiny of ministers, parliamentarians said on Thursday.

The Chinese company has a multi-billion pound deal to supply equipment to BT Group Plc, Britain's largest telecoms operator, stretching back to 2005.

It also supplies O2 (part of Spain's Telefonica SA), EE (owned by France Telecom SA and Deutsche Tekekom AG) and TalkTalk.

BT told government officials of Huawei's interest in the contract two years before it was awarded, but the officials did not inform ministers until 2006, a decision that "shocked" parliamentarians, a report from the parliamentary intelligence and security committee said.

"Such a sensitive decision, with potentially damaging ramifications, should have been put in the hands of ministers," the committee said.

"The failure ... to consult ministers seems to indicate a complacency which was extraordinary given the seriousness of the issue," it added, describing the lapse as "unacceptable".

It said a lack of clarity around procedures, responsibility and powers relating to the awarding of contracts meant national security issues risked being overlooked.

The report comes amid mounting concerns on both sides of the Atlantic over the potential security threat stemming from Huawei's access to communication infrastructure.

Huawei, founded in 1987 by Ren Zhengfei, a former officer of the People's Liberation Army, has raised security concerns from countries including the United States and Australia about alleged links between the company and the Chinese state.

ALLEGED LINKS

"China is suspected of being one of the main perpetrators of state-sponsored attacks ... focused on espionage and the acquisition of information," the report said.

"In this context, the alleged links between Huawei and the Chinese state are concerning, as they generate suspicion as to whether Huawei's intentions are strictly commercial or are more political."

The company has denied it has links with the Chinese government or military and has said it receives no financial support from the Chinese government, the report noted.

The Joint Intelligence Committee - the UK's senior intelligence watchdog - also warned that in the event of a cyber attack, it "would be very difficult to detect or prevent and could enable the Chinese to intercept covertly or disrupt traffic passing through Huawei-supplied networks".

In a response to the report, ministers expressed strong support for inward investment from China, calling Huawei a "long-term valued investor in the UK."

"It is a personal priority of mine to increase trade links between the UK and China and I cannot emphasise enough that the UK is open to Chinese investment," said Chancellor George Osborne.

Huawei said in a statement it had worked closely with the British government and its customers over the last 12 years.

"We believe the report will prompt governments and the communications industry to require ever-higher standards on this important global topic to further reduce the security risks and enable better and safer networks for consumers," a Huawei spokesman said.

He said that prior to BT's selection of Huawei in 2005, it was subject to a comprehensive audit which took two years to complete. "Since then, BT has continued to conduct a thorough annual evaluation of Huawei," he said.

A BT spokesman said the report recognised BT had taken measures to ensure its infrastructure was secure. "Security is at the heart of BT and it will continue to be so in the future," he said.

(This story changes headline to focus on flawed controls, not BT contract)

(Editing by David Holmes and David Goodman)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/parliamentarians-huaweis-bt-contract-raises-security-concern-140254260.html

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Xbox One must go online every day, will play used games | VG247

Fri, Jun 07, 2013 | 05:11 BST

Microsoft has broken its Xbox One silence to answer the most burning questions. Yes: you need to be online every day. No: the Kinect won?t record you. Maybe: you can have some used games.

At A Glance

The Xbox One needs to check-in online every day. If it doesn?t establish a connection, you won?t be able to play games, although you can still watch on-disc movies.

If you log into your Xbox Live profile from another Xbox One, you?ll have access to all your content ? but you?ll need to go online once every hour at minimum.

Games licensing will be tied to consoles, and third-party publishers may charge a fee for activating used games at their discretion.

Renting and loaning games will not be available at launch. Microsoft is working with publishers to make it happen.

Kinect won?t record you while the console is in stand-by mode, and won?t share your data without permission.

You cna give your games away to your friends as gifts ? but only once.

In a series of Xbox Wire posts, Microsoft has put paid to various misconceptions about the Xbox One ? and confirmed other details. The first of these is that the console will need to go online every single day if you want to keep gaming. Microsoft justified this decision by pointing out the many advantages of a networked console, and said it is preparing for a ?connected future?.

?While a persistent connection is not required, Xbox One is designed to verify if system, application or game updates are needed and to see if you have acquired new games, or resold, traded in, or given your game to a friend. Games that are designed to take advantage of the cloud may require a connection,? the platform holder said.

?With Xbox One you can game offline for up to 24 hours on your primary console, or one hour if you are logged on to a separate console accessing your library. Offline gaming is not possible after these prescribed times until you re-establish a connection, but you can still watch live TV and enjoy Blu-ray and DVD movies.?

Microsoft recommends a minimum broadband Internet speed of 1.5Mbps, which it rates well below Akami?s estimated average global Internet speed of 2.9 Mbps, and says is possible on mobile broadband.

Licensing, DRM and trade-ins

You?ll notice that one of the things the Xbox One does during its daily Internet check-ins is determine whether you?ve traded a game in; the console does indeed employ a licensing system for games.

?In our role as a game publisher, Microsoft Studios will enable you to give your games to friends or trade in your Xbox One games at participating retailers. Third party publishers may opt in or out of supporting game resale and may set up business terms or transfer fees with retailers,? Microsoft confirmed.

?Microsoft does not receive any compensation as part of this. In addition, third party publishers can enable you to give games to friends. Loaning or renting games won?t be available at launch, but we are exploring the possibilities with our partners.?

The licensing system has benefits; anybody using your console can access anything you?ve purchased for it, whether you or they are logged in, and you can also access any of your content on other Xbox One consoles ? say, at a friend?s house ? just by logging into your online profile.

Another interesting point of the licensing system is that it will allow you to give your games away to friends ? but with some tight restrictions, assuming publishers allow it.

?Xbox One is designed so game publishers can enable you to give your disc-based games to your friends. There are no fees charged as part of these transfers. There are two requirements: you can only give them to people who have been on your friends list for at least 30 days and each game can only be given once.?

Kinect ? always on, but not watching

Finally, Microsoft addressed concerns over Kinect?s erie always-on listening, and the fact that it is theoretically capable of reporting whether you are watching a commercial, for example.

?You are in control of what Kinect can see and hear: By design, you will determine how responsive and personalized your Xbox One is to you and your family during setup,? Microsoft said.

?When Xbox One is on and you?re simply having a conversation in your living room, your conversation is not being recorded or uploaded.

?You are in control of when Kinect sensing is On, Off or Paused: If you don?t want the Kinect sensor on while playing games or enjoying your entertainment, you can pause Kinect. To turn off your Xbox One, just say ?Xbox Off.? When the system is off, it?s only listening for the single voice command ? ?Xbox On,? and you can even turn that feature off too.

?You are in control of your personal data: You can play games or enjoy applications that use data, such as videos, photos, facial expressions, heart rate and more, but this data will not leave your Xbox One without your explicit permission.?

Microsoft gave a few examples of where that data might be used in games, and made no mention of advertising or similar exploitation of the data.

Xbox One will launch before the end of the year. We?re hoping for a release date and pricing details at E3 next week.

Source: http://www.vg247.com/2013/06/06/xbox-one-needs-to-be-online-every-24-hours-will-support-used-games/

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Obama sees 'glimmers of functionality' in DC

PALO ALTO, Calif. (AP) ? President Barack Obama says he's starting to see some functionality in Washington but he's still not getting the cooperation he needs from Congress.

Obama tells Democratic donors that Democrats don't have a monopoly on wisdom. He says Democrats aren't overly ideological at the moment and don't think government can do everything. But he says Democrats do think government has a role to play.

Obama says the U.S. has everything going for it, but millions of people are still missing out on opportunity. He says the only way he can change that is if Americans elect members of Congress who share his optimism and are willing to compromise.

Obama spoke Thursday at a fundraiser for Senate Democrats' campaign committee at a private home. Donors paid between $2,500 and $32,400 to attend.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-sees-glimmers-functionality-dc-021507918.html

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Joan and Melissa Rivers and Palins in 'Wife Swap'

TV

Ashley Majeski TODAY contributor

18 hours ago

Getty Images file

Bristol Palin and Joan Rivers are swapping families on "Celebrity Wife Swap."

She's fox-trotted her way onto "Dancing with the Stars" (twice!) and even starred briefly on her own Lifetime reality show, but Bristol Palin still hasn't gotten her fill of reality TV.

The Palin family princess is set to star in the summer premiere episode of "Celebrity Wife Swap." Bristol, along with her 19-year-old sister, Willow (apparently Sarah was unavailable?) will swap lives with comedian Joan Rivers and her daughter, Melissa.

The Palin girls will head to the Rivers' home in Los Angeles, where, according an ABC press release, they will contend with Joan's very structured--and very on-camera--lifestyle. Bristol will have to follow the Rivers' rigid schedule and fill in for Joan as executive producer of "Fashion Police," before attempting to bring more fun to the Rivers' crazy life.

The Rivers ladies will also get a chance to experience life, Palin-style, when they head to the tiny town of Wasilla, Alaska to spend the week. There they will meet Tripp, Bristol's four-year-old son, who runs the household and is rarely disciplined. When it's time to implement rule changes, Melissa, who's mom to 12-year-old Cooper, is determined to bring structure to the Palin household, and help get the Palin girls closer to their career goals.

This episode will veer away from the typical structure of "Celebrity Wife Swap," in which two wives leave their families and spend the week living at the other woman's house and assimilating into their lifestyle. In this "double swap" episode, there are no wives (in fact, none of the stars featured are even married!) and both celebrities will have a chance to experience a different way of life.

Will the Palin girls be able to handle the Rivers' Hollywood lifestyle? Can Joan and Melissa survive the Alaska weather--and Bristol's son's reign of terror? The new season of "Celebrity Wife Swap" kicks off Sunday, June 23.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/joan-melissa-rivers-swap-lives-palin-sisters-summer-premiere-celebrity-6C10234018

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Former IRS commissioner: ?Not personally responsible? for creating the ?Be On The Lookout? list

Former IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman is sworn in prior to testifying before the Senate Finance Committee Tuesday.??

Former Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Douglas Shulman said that he was "not personally responsible" for the agency's practice of placing elevated scrutiny on conservative groups that applied for nonprofit status, but that he regrets it occurred during his tenure.

"I certainly am not personally responsible for creating a list that had inappropriate criteria on it. What I know, with the full facts that are out, is from the inspector general's report, which doesn't say I'm responsible for that," Shulman said during a Senate Finance Committee hearing Tuesday. "With that said, this happened on my watch and I very much regret that it happened on my watch."

Shulman, who served as IRS commissioner from 2008 to 2012, appeared before the Senate panel with outgoing Acting Commissioner Steven Miller and Treasury Inspector General J. Russell George on Tuesday. Both Shulman and Miller have said that the agency acted inappropriately in how it reviewed groups applying for tax-exempt status.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/former-irs-commissioner-not-personally-responsible-targeting-conservative-164324385.html

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