Border security amendment offered in Senate

WASHINGTON (AP) ? An agreement to vastly increase fencing, patrols and high-tech monitoring along the U.S.-Mexico border was formally unveiled in the Senate Friday, providing powerful momentum to a far-reaching immigration bill backed by the White House.

With the border security amendment finalized, the immigration legislation immediately picked up an additional likely Republican supporter: Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who signed on as a co-sponsor of the amendment.

"This amendment will put to rest any remaining credible concerns about the border, about border security," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said on the Senate floor as he filed the measure and announced procedural steps to bring it to a vote early next week. "The opposition of a small group is not going to stop this bill from moving forward," Reid said.

The deal doubling Border Patrol agents and adding hundreds of miles of fencing along the Southwest border had already won support from four other undecided Republican senators who are now likely to back the immigration bill when it comes to a final vote next week. The legislation opening the door to citizenship for millions now appears within reach of securing the broad bipartisan majority that its authors say is needed to ensure serious consideration by the GOP-controlled House.

However, the outcome there remains far from certain because many conservatives are opposed to offering citizenship to people who came to this country illegally.

"We really have tried to secure the border in a way that we hope can get bipartisan support and that Americans want," Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., an author of the amendment, told The Associated Press in a phone interview Friday. "We're hopeful to have a good bipartisan majority."

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said on Fox News Channel Friday that "if there's anyone who still will argue that the border is not secure after this, then border security is not their reason for opposing a path to citizenship for the people who are in this country illegally."

"Is it more than I would have recommended? Honestly, yes," McCain said. "But we've got to give people confidence."

Hoeven developed the amendment along with Republican Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, in consultation with McCain, Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and other members of the so-called Gang of Eight senators who wrote the immigration bill. It prevents immigrants now here illegally from attaining permanent resident status until a series of steps have been taken to secure the border.

These include doubling the Border Patrol with 20,000 new agents, 18 new unmanned surveillance drones, 350 miles of new pedestrian fencing to add to 350 miles already in place and an array of fixed and mobile devices to maintain vigilance, including high-tech tools such as infrared ground sensors and airborne radar.

The new provisions would be put in place over a decade, in line with the 10-year path to a permanent resident green card that the bill sets out for immigrants here illegally. During that time, the immigrants could live and work legally in a provisional status.

Hoeven said the 10-year cost of the border security amendment included $25 billion for the additional Border Patrol agents, $3 billion for fencing and $3.2 billion for other measures.

It's "border security on steroids," said Corker, who along with Hoeven had been uncommitted on the immigration bill. Both are now prepared to support it, assuming their amendment is adopted. Sens. Dean Heller, R-Nev., and Mark Kirk, R-Ill., also announced their support for the deal Thursday.

White House press secretary Jay Carney said the border deal "would constitute a breakthrough" on immigration. "We're pleased that Republicans and Democrats continue to work together toward comprehensive immigration reform," he said.

The deal on border security came together quickly over the past several days after talks had bogged down over Republicans' insistence that green cards be made conditional on catching or turning back 90 percent of would-be border crossers. Schumer, other Democrats and Obama himself rejected this trigger, which they feared could delay the path to citizenship for years. Obama made his objections known in a phone call to Schumer from Air Force One during his trip to Europe for the Group of Eight summit earlier in the week, according to a Senate aide who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations.

The breakthrough came when the Congressional Budget Office released a report Tuesday finding that the bill would cut billions of dollars from the deficit. Schumer's top immigration aide, Leon Fresco, had the idea of devoting some of those billions to a dramatic border buildup.

Graham, who helped run interference between Corker and Hoeven and Democrats in the group, said that with the budget office finding in hand, he sat down with Schumer and Corker and said, "OK, let's go big."

The idea immediately appealed to the left and the right.

For Republicans, it provided concrete assurances that the bill would aim to achieve a secure border. For Democrats, it offered goals that, if dramatic, were achievable and measurable.

Still, not everyone was won over.

Shortly before Corker and Hoeven went to the Senate floor to announce their agreement Thursday afternoon, five leading Republican opponents of the bill held a news conference to denounce the deal as little more than an empty promise.

"In short, I think this amendment is designed to pass the bill but not to fix the bill," Sen. David Vitter, R-La., said.

About 10 Republicans have indicated they will vote for the bill, far more than enough to ensure it will have the 60 votes required to overcome any attempted filibuster by last-ditch opponents. Democrats control 54 seats, and party aides have said they do not expect any defections.

In addition to the border security components and eventual citizenship for the estimated 11 million people living here illegally, the immigration bill would create new work visa programs and expand existing ones to allow tens of thousands of workers into the country to work in high- and low-skilled jobs.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/border-security-amendment-offered-senate-181120237.html

Microsoft Tropical Storm Isaac amber portwood Phyllis Diller Darla Moore newsweek Tony Scott

Gandolfini mourned in NJ's 'Sopranos' towns

ELIZABETH, N.J. (AP) ? A bag of uncooked ziti in the driveway, a "reserved" sign at the ice cream parlor booth where the series abruptly ended, and a framed photo at a strip club were among the tributes paid to James Gandolfini in the northern New Jersey communities where his TV character Tony Soprano lived, loved and whacked people.

The star of the HBO series about a mob boss with anxiety issues and a midlife crisis died Wednesday night in Italy of an apparent heart attack.

In neighborhoods where "The Sopranos" was shot, Gandolfini was recalled Thursday with mixed emotions: a global star who made their communities famous, but sometimes at the expense of their reputations.

Vito Mazza, who was busily preparing for an Italian-American festival in Elizabeth this weekend, said the actor had local credibility.

"He was as Jersey as it gets, through and through," he said.

The "Sopranos" star was born and raised in New Jersey and attended Rutgers University. His character has become an indelible part of the state's global image, as much a part of New Jersey culture as tolled highways, smokestacks and crooked politicians.

Pete Canu, a limousine fleet owner who was sipping coffee in an Elizabeth butcher shop Thursday morning, said Tony Soprano was very realistic.

"He had frailties and failings; he was human, aside from all that gangster crap," Canu said. "A lot of people were offended by it. They say it makes it look like all Italian-Americans are mobsters, but people know we're not. We're just hardworking people who get up every day and do our jobs and provide for our families. It was just a TV show."

But the butcher shop's owner, John Sacco, said "The Sopranos" spread negative stereotypes about Italian-Americans far and wide.

He said when he went to a dentist in Florida and when he revealed he was from New Jersey, someone in the office said, "Oh, the place with all the mobsters!"

"It didn't show us in a real great light," he said.

At Satin Dolls, the real-life Lodi strip club that served as the fictional Bada Bing club in the show, employees put a framed photo of Gandolfini where he frequently sat, calling it "the boss's seat."

"It's like we lost a member of the family," spokesman Bill Pepe said. "Everybody is shocked."

Paul Pereira, of Lodi, stopped to put flowers on a sign in front of the club. He said the show gave a more nuanced picture of people involved in or somehow connected to the mob.

"It showed that these are real people, family people," Pereira said. "You notice that every episode ended with him with his family."

Thursday afternoon, a workman outside the club climbed a ladder and changed the club's marquee from "Bartenders Wanted" to "Thank You, Jimmy; Farewell Boss."

At Green Hill, the West Orange nursing home where scenes involving Tony's ailing mother were shot, executive director Toni Lynn Davis said the residents loved the show. Several even got hired as extras, and the show's payments helped buy a giant flat-screen TV on which they watched the show each week.

"They said it was their weekly vocabulary lesson," Davis said. "They learned all those new swear words."

She said the show has become part of the fabric of New Jersey.

"There are definitely parts of New Jersey that are very close to what was depicted," she said. "You can't go anywhere in New Jersey and not hear that the Sopranos was shot there. They went all over."

The house where Tony Soprano lived is in North Caldwell, and fans were stopping by to show their respects to Gandolfini. Michael Primamore, who lives nearby and whose family runs an auto repair business, left a bag of dried ziti next to the candles that sprouted in the driveway.

He said the show accurately reflected the experiences of his and other Italian-American families who settled in Newark before moving to the suburbs.

"The show was full of so many northern New Jersey Italian expressions, if you weren't raised in that world, you wouldn't get some parts of it," he said. "The show reached me on a personal level in so many ways."

Several North Caldwell residents recalled seeing and meeting cast members.

"They were great people, very personable," said Chris Masi, who said he met Gandolfini. "They would come up and give you a hug. They put us on the map. It meant a lot."

Fans also gathered at Holsten's, the Bloomfield ice cream parlor where the show's famous cut-to-black last scene was shot.

"I'm sad he died," said Fred O'Neil of Montclair, who, like Gandolfini, is 51. "I can't believe it. It makes me think of my own mortality."

Primamore said his reaction to Gandolfini's death was a lot like what Tony Soprano's would have been: "It's a tragedy. What are you gonna do?"

___

Associated Press writers David Porter in North Caldwell, N.J., Julio Cortez in Bloomfield, N.J., and Katie Zezima in West Orange, N.J. contributed to this report.

___

Wayne Parry can be reached at http://twitter.com/WayneParryAC

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gandolfini-mourned-njs-sopranos-towns-133116230.html

Girls Hbo Golden Globes homeland homeland Miss America 2013 Aaron Swartz Gangster Squad

Lake row: Youths pen Tanzania, Malawi Presidents to 'desist from ...

By Nyasa Times Reporter

June 20, 2013 ????? 15 Comments

?Email This Post

Youth and Society, an advocate for peace, justice and peoples? rights?has called?upon the leadership and politicians of Malawi and Tanzania?to refrain from making inflammatory and irresponsible statements that would frustrate the peaceful process of resolving the dispute.

?We wish?to express our growing dismay over the on-going lake dispute between Malawi and Tanzania specifically in view of the recent developments that threaten the peaceful mediation process in which Tanzania intends to deploy two passenger ships on the disputed Lake?Malawi.

?As Youth advocates, we shall protest against any illicit intention by any government or politician to frustrate the peaceful mediation process,? the grouping said in a petition signed by Chairperson Charles Kajoloweka and Board member Emily Mkamanga.

Malawi claims sovereignty over the entire Lake Malawi, Africa?s third largest, based on the Helgoland Treaty, a colonial relic, while Tanzania claims under international law it is entitled to over 50 percent of the Lake known as Lake Nyasa in Tanzania.

Kajoloweka: Resolve the lake row amicably

The border row is more than 40 years old and resurfaced after Malawi discovered oil in the Lake.

The Mzuzu based group made their impassioned plea in a two-paged petition dated June 20, 2013 addressed to Malawian president Dr. Joyce Banda and her Tanzanian counterpart Jakaya Kikwete and copied to?the Chairman?SADC?forum for retired Heads of State?former Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano.

The Youths and Society group observed that the lake Border row?is gradually becoming a political campaign issue in Malawi and Tanzania in view of the Elections to be held in 2014 and 2015 respectively.

?The?leadership of the two countries needs to rise above mere party politics and swallow their pride and put the interest of the people first.?As young people?will not hesitate to voice out against any attempt by any leadership or institution to deliberately thwart the dialogue path?bearing in mind a long peaceful co-existence that continue to exist?between the two countries,? reads part of the petition.

The grouping also asked the two Presidents?to desist from any act of provocation and unnecessary political hypocrisy to ruin the ongoing peaceful process.

?We urge?the two leaders??to vest trust and confidence in the integrity of the on-going mediation process and believe that the matter would be handled with professionalism and objectivity.

?It must be clearly stated that any attempt to dismiss or frustrate the dialogue and mediation processes sends unnecessary message of a growing conflict and indeed speculation of war among the citizens of the two countries,? they said.

In its submission to the Southern African Development Community?s Forum of Former African Heads of State Malawi said the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) or legal instruments addressing trans-boundary watercourses are invalid arguing that the Anglo ?German treaty of 1890 on which most borders in Africa are based has the overall authority.

Malawi also questioned the legitimacy of the 1890 treaty could have grave consequences for regional stability saying even countries such as Kenya and Tanzania, DRC and Tanzania, Tanzania and Zambia, Ivory Coast and Togo and boundaries in the Lake Chad are based on the same treaty.

Malawi made its official submission in January 2013 in the Mozambican Capital Maputo to the African Forum for Former Heads of State and Governments, which Former Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano heads and is tasked with the mediation process on the Malawi/Tanzania Lake Border row.

While Tanzania submitted its official submission in February 2013 and reiterated that, it will not go to war with its neighbor Malawi over the much publicized and controversial lake border row saying it is pleased with the mediation process.

Source: http://www.nyasatimes.com/2013/06/20/lake-row-youths-pen-tanzania-malawi-presidents-to-desist-from-political-hypocrisy/

ohio primary cell phone jammer g8 summit netanyahu aipac vanessa minnillo super tuesday

Finding The Perfect Post-Divorce Relationship | Catholic Match Blog

In one of my favorite movies, When Harry Met Sally, Sally says to her friend who?s trying to set her up with a guy who?s not in good health, ?Are you saying I should marry this guy because he?s about to die?? Her friend replies, ?At least you could say you were married.?

Oh, that dangling carrot, marriage. We chase after it for good reason. Marriage is a wonderful, beautiful thing. Something God created for us to find happiness within.

For people who have been through a divorce, the value that dangling carrot has is ten times it?s normal worth. Having the opportunity to get remarried after going through a divorce and the annulment process makes a significant statement. Not only does remarriage eliminate the loneliness felt in the post-divorce years and bring back the joy of being in love and having a companion in life, but it makes an important statement to others. It means, Hey everybody, I?m still loveable. Hey everybody, I?m not a total failure. See, I am attractive?after all.

So, in looking for a new relationship that will be good, holy, and permanent, it?s important to have those very conditions at the forefront of your search, instead of coupling up with just anyone who will fill that relationship need.

During the month of May this year, Pope Francis gave a wonderful morning homily that we can easily apply to the unhealthy practice of getting into a relationship, just for the sake of being with someone. He touched upon the need to detach from anything that got in the way of our relationship with Christ, which could be a romantic relationship.?So many people jump into a relationship without taking the time to make sure it is one that moves the two of you toward God.?

We all are familiar with the parable of the rich young man in the New Testament who walked away from Jesus because he could not let go of his possessions. He followed the commandments with zeal but in the end, he was too attached to his stuff; his acoutrements, toys, baubles, bling? Whatever you want to call it, he just couldn?t let go of it.

This same mentality can be present in a relationship you get into if your goal is solely proving to yourself and others that you are still loveable and attractive. The relationship becomes the thing you must have and once you have it, you can?t let go of it, otherwise, you have yet another failed relationship.

This is how bigger mistakes are made on down the road; by clinging to the new relationship as a prized possession, not taking into consideration that it is distancing you from God. And that will never make you happy.

Here are some indicators that your relationship is something you?re clinging to for the wrong reasons:

- If you tell everyone the two of you are in love but know you aren?t.
- If your significant other asks you to do things that go against your morals (sleeping together, moving in together, etc.)
- If you?re not on the same page regarding contraception, having children, practicing your faith, etc.
- If you?re already engaged to be married, but do not have a decree of nullity (annulment). This, in particular, places undue pressure on you as a couple, your families, and the tribunal because they are expected to perform to your standards and cough up a decree of nullity within your specific time frame, or you will go get married somewhere else. I can?t think of a worse start to a marriage.

In his homily, the pope indicated how having a fascination with the temporary things in life rather than accepting God?s time which is ?definitive? will lead us away from Him and on a path of discontent. This directly relates to believing that a relationship (temporary) is your primary goal instead of believing God?s plans will bring you happiness and lead you to heaven (permanent).

Having gone through the divorce, annulment, dating, and remarriage experience, myself, I encourage you to ask God what He wants for you as you search for the right relationship and don?t settle for less than what you know is right for you. In the end, if you do your part, your relationship will be happy and fruitful because your priorities and morals match up and your hearts are at peace.

As always, I welcome your comments, questions, and disagreements at asklisa@catholicmatch.com.

Source: http://www.catholicmatch.com/blog/2013/06/finding-the-perfect-post-divorce-relationship/

2013 nissan altima masters par 3 contest google augmented reality glasses wonderlic test texas tornado fantasy baseball jared sullinger

Proposal would allow more women to come to U.S. under immigration bill (Washington Post)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/313928770?client_source=feed&format=rss

drexel dale george will obama birth certificate nick cannon lindsay lohan saturday night live snl lindsay lohan

Dotcom decries 'largest data massacre' after company deletes files

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - The founder of the outlawed Megaupload file-sharing site denounced on Thursday "the largest data massacre in the history of the internet", after a European firm wiped out private photos, videos and documents stored on servers used by the site.

Dutch firm LeaseWeb said it had in February erased 630 servers rented by Megaupload, about a year after U.S. authorities closed the site and charged its operators with facilitating online piracy, racketeering and money laundering.

"Our lawyers have repeatedly asked LeaseWeb not to delete Megaupload servers while court proceedings are pending in the U.S.," Kim Dotcom said on Twitter.

"We were never warned about the deletion," Dotcom said, adding that the loss of the files had reduced him to tears.

Dotcom, who also goes by the name Kim Schmitz, has New Zealand residency. He and his colleagues are fighting extradition to the United States.

He argues that Megaupload was merely a storage facility for online files, and should not be held accountable for the content of those files.

LeaseWeb said it had been maintaining the servers at its own expense since Megaupload was shuttered in January 2012. After the servers sat inactive for a year, and with no requests to access them, it said it had informed Megaupload that it would delete them.

"After a year of nobody showing any interest in the servers and data we considered our options ... we commenced the re-provisioning of the servers in February 2013," LeaseWeb said in a blog post.

The deleted servers represent a fraction of servers Megaupload had leased around the world to provide storage space for users who uploaded everything from family photos to pirated Hollywood films onto the file sharing site.

In North America alone, Megaupload leases 1,100 servers from Carpathia Hosting, while Cogent Communications Group Inc also provides servers.

Dotcom said he still had the support of the two companies in maintaining files on their respective servers.

U.S. internet rights groups have been fighting to preserve Megaupload files to enable users to try to regain access to content which do not contain illegally downloaded material.

Dotcom's extradition hearing has been pushed back as far as April 2014 as the case has faced multiple delays after a police raid on the flamboyant entrepreneur's mansion was deemed illegal by a New Zealand court. Dotcom is free on bail.

(Editing by Robert Birsel)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dotcom-decries-largest-data-massacre-company-deletes-files-052022224.html

Star Trek Into Darkness Heisman watch Jenny Rivera Pacquiao vs Marquez 4 pacquiao Jim DeMint Dave Brubeck

Refurb Samsung Galaxy Tab 7" 3G VZW Android Tablet for $140 + free shipping

Groupon offers the manufacturer-refurbished Samsung Galaxy Tab 2GB 7" WiFi + 3G Android Tablet for Verizon Wireless, model no. SCH-I800BKAVZW, for $139.99 with free shipping. That's $8 under the lowest total price we could find for a refurb, although we saw a refurb for $10 less in January (but that deal lacked a warranty). This tablet features a 7" 1024x600 touchscreen LCD, 2GB internal memory, 1GHz dual-core CPU, front- and rear-facing cameras, Bluetooth 3.0, microSD card slot, USB 2.0 connectivity (data sync cable is included), 3G capability via Verizon, 802.11n wireless, and Android 2.2 OS (Froyo).

A 90-day Verizon warranty applies.

Source: http://dealnews.com/Refurb-Samsung-Galaxy-Tab-7-3-G-VZW-Android-Tablet-for-140-free-shipping/760857.html?iref=rss-dealnews-recent-deals

Scary Movie 5 MTV Movie Awards 2013 masters masters leaderboard Psy Gentleman Angel Cabrera Jay Z Open Letter