Jeb Bush takes tough approach to immigration reform in new book

MIAMI (Reuters) - In a new book published on Tuesday former Florida Governor Jeb Bush seeks to claim the middle ground on the hot topic of immigration reform, proposing residency for undocumented immigrants but tough conditions for citizenship.

Bush's plan advocates against allowing undocumented immigrants to obtain citizenship unless they return to their country of origin first, according to an advance copy of the book "Immigration Wars: Forging an American Solution."

"It is absolutely vital to the integrity of our immigration system that actions have consequences - in this case, that those who have violated the laws can remain but cannot obtain the cherished fruits of citizenship," he writes in the book which was co-authored with conservative attorney Clint Bolick.

"To do otherwise would signal once again that people who circumvent the system can still obtain the full benefits of American citizenship. It must be a basic prerequisite for citizenship to respect the rule of law."

Bush's position surprised some immigration advocates, as well as fellow Republicans, who had expected him to come out with more lenient proposals.

"I'm surprised and very disappointed," said Cheryl Little, director of Americans for Immigrant Justice, a Miami-based immigrant advocacy group. "It was my impression that Governor Bush has long been a champion of fair and humane immigration reform."

Instead of citizenship, Bush, 60, argues that immigrants who came to the United States illegally could apply for permanent legal residency, as long as they pay a fine and perform community service, as well as paying back taxes and learning English.

Under the Bush plan, undocumented immigrants would be able earn U.S. citizenship only if they return to their home countries and apply through regular legal channels. They would also face a three- or 10-year bar depending on how long they had been in the United States illegally.

Bush makes an exception for young undocumented immigrants, known as DREAMers, who were brought to the United States by their parents before the age of 18. Under his plan they would be given residency with the ability to apply for citizenship after five years.

Bush's position puts him slightly to the right of Republican Senator Marco Rubio from Miami, one of eight senators pushing for bipartisan immigration reform. Rubio has advocated giving immigrants a more direct pathway to citizenship without being forced to leave the United States, albeit also with strict conditions.

Speaking to reporters in Washington on Monday, Rubio said he had received a copy of the book last week from his longtime political mentor but had not had time to read it.

"I just exchanged emails with him congratulating him on the book and I haven't had a chance to talk to him in depth on why he's adopted this new position," Rubio said.

"To permanently say you are going to have millions of people who can never apply for citizenship, hasn't really worked well for other countries that have tried it," Rubio added.

Bush has never previously endorsed a specific package of proposals on immigration reform, though he has on occasion sounded favorable to more generous terms for creating a pathway to citizenship.

Bush has long stressed the need for the Republican party to reach out to immigrants generally and the fast-growing number of Hispanics and Asians in particular, "not just for the good of the country but for the party's survival."

Bush's position has not changed, said his spokesperson, Jaryn Emhof. "The book does not prohibit individuals here illegally from ever earning citizenship," she said.

Emhof noted a study published last month by the Pew Hispanic Center that found only 36 percent of Mexicans eligible for citizenship had availed themselves of that option. Mexican immigrants account for 6.1 million - about 55 percent - of the estimated 11.1 million in the United States as of 2011, it pointed out.

"Not all immigrants want citizenship. They want to come out of the shadows, want to live here legally, and they want respect," she said.

While immigration advocates may not be happy with some of his proposals, Bush spends much of the 270-page book published by Simon & Schuster lauding immigrants.

The main purpose of the book, write the authors, is to lay out an economic case for an improved system of legal immigration, pointing out that the current U.S. birth rate is not keeping pace with the demands of the Social Security system due to a declining worker-to-beneficiary ratio.

Far from being a burden, immigrants fuel economic growth, business entrepreneurship and cultural vibrancy, they argue.

Bush uses the book's preface to explain his own personal ties to the immigration issue, describing how he fell in love "at first sight" when he met his Mexican wife of 38 years.

"Thanks to my wife I became bicultural and bilingual, and my life is better for it," he writes.

(Additional reporting by Richard Cowan in Washington; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/jeb-bush-takes-tough-approach-immigration-reform-book-053828920.html

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Can't buy happiness? 7 personal finance myths

Christina Couch , Bankrate ? ? ? 22 hrs.

Think you're financially savvy? When it comes to their personal finances, people carry around notions all their lives that may or may not be valid. For example, you've heard that money can't buy you love, but can it buy happiness? Most people believe that it can't -- but science may prove them wrong.

Here are seven personal finance myths that happen to be everyday beliefs about the way we consider and handle money. Many of these myths fool even the smartest of savers. The latest research will help you discern the facts and see through the smoke.

Budgeting is the best way to save money
A study by researchers from Brigham Young University and Emory University shows that consumers who shopped with a spending limit spent up to 50 percent more on a single item than consumers without a budget.

Jeff Larson, the study's co-author and an assistant professor of marketing at Brigham Young, says when consumers set a budget for a specific item, they oftentimes limit their searches to items priced close to the budget's upper limit. If given $1,000 for a flat-screen TV, for instance, consumers are likely to limit their selection to televisions priced between $800 and $1,000 before looking at each TV's features.

"We don't claim that this indicates that you shouldn't ever budget, that budgeting is overall a bad thing," Larson says.

The effect is only present when shopping for single items. "Aggregate budgets" used for multiple products, such as groceries, generally help the user save money, Larson says.

He adds that consumers can potentially reverse the effect by limiting their selection based on qualities and features before looking at price.

"Instead of saying 'I'm willing up to spend $1,000 on a TV,' you say 'I want a 42-inch TV,'" he says.

More earnings mean more wealth
"The more people earn, the more they tend to spend," says Stephen Goldbart, co-author of the book "Affluence Intelligence" and co-founder of the Money, Meaning & Choices Institute, a San Francisco-based company that provides advisory services for wealthy clients. "As people acquire more money, they almost immediately start purchasing things that they've felt they've always wanted rather than thinking about what percentages that they should put away and the consequences of changing their spending habits."

This may explain why lottery winners are more likely to go bankrupt as those who didn't stumble into thousands, according to researchers from the University of Kentucky, the University of Pittsburgh and Vanderbilt Law School. Or why 78 percent of NFL players are bankrupt or under financial stress within two years of retiring and 60 percent of NBA athletes are broke within five years of leaving pro sports, according to data from Sports Illustrated.

To ensure that higher earnings translate into higher net worth, Goldbart says, "Be conscious as a consumer. (Ask yourself:) 'Is the purchase or spending of my money aligned with my values and moving me in the direction I want and need to go?'"

Higher degrees mean bigger salaries
A college degree pays off for almost everyone. Research from Georgetown University shows that the average college graduate earns nearly $1 million more than the typical high school graduate over a lifetime. For those with higher degrees, the discrepancy becomes greater. The average doctoral degree holder earns nearly $1 million more than those with four-year degrees and nearly $2 million more than high school grads.

"In general, (a bachelor's degree) will lead to higher earnings," says Stephen Rose, senior economist at Georgetown's Center on Education and the Workforce and co-author of "The College Payoff" study. But there are exceptions. According to Rose's research, a very select few professions, including postal service mail carriers and electricians, had no statistically significant pay hike between the bachelor's and high school diploma levels. In professions such as editing, those with a master's degree statistically earn less than workers with only a bachelor's.

Rose is quick to point out that those cases are few and far between. "The data is pretty overwhelming that higher degrees lead to higher earnings in the labor force," he says.

Money can't buy happiness
The truth is, money is correlated to happiness, particularly for low- and middle-income earners. Research from Princeton University shows that as test subjects increased their incomes, their overall life outlook improved as well. Regardless of economic class, jumps in salary and happiness increased at the same rate, meaning that a 20 percent increase in salary resulted in the same amount of overall happiness for both low-income and high-income people.

Income increases also improved subjects' "emotional well-being" -- the quality of their day-to-day existences -- up until they reached the $75,000 mark. Earnings above $75,000 did nothing to improve subjects' daily attitudes. As income dropped below $75,000, test subjects also reported more stress and less happiness.

Research from the University of California, Berkeley also suggests that money may influence happiness, but it's not the most important factor. A series of four studies all show that the amount of respect and social influence a person wields has a significantly larger impact on their happiness level than their earnings.

Financial aid alwaysgoes to the neediest
While many federal and state aid programs are need-based, meaning that they go to families with the highest financial need, colleges and outside organizations also offer merit-based aid, which can go to families of all economic levels. According to data from the College Board (as analyzed by The New York Times), some schools, such as Hodges University in Naples, Fla., and Mississippi College in Clinton, Miss., award merit aid to more than half of their freshmen class. Students can get an estimate on how much merit aid they may qualify for by using the net-price calculator located on their school's website.

Dan Davenport, director of student financial aid services for the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho, adds that financial need is relative. "(Families) can't determine their need by their neighbor saying, 'Oh I already filled out the (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), and I didn't have need, so I know that you won't have need.'"

As financial need is determined by weighing a family's income and assets against its college costs, even high-income families may qualify for need-based aid at pricey institutions.

One formula determines your credit score
Not so, says Gail Cunningham, spokes woman for the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, the largest network of nonprofit credit counseling agencies in the country.

There are actually dozens of different scoring models, but "FICO is usually credited with being the granddaddy of them all," she says.

Many lenders use the FICO scoring model, but some organizations have their own formulas. Credit bureaus also have multiple methods of calculating your score. While most scoring models yield similar results, a study by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau shows that there was a "meaningful difference" for 1 in 5 consumers between different credit-scoring formulas, which could translate to a better or worse interest rate on a mortgage, auto loan or credit card offer.

What scoring models have in common, Cunningham says, is that they're all based on information in your credit report, making it crucial to ensure that each of your reports from all three credit bureaus are error-free. Scoring models also use similar basic factors such as payment history and debt-to-credit ratio to calculate your creditworthiness. Instead of focusing on score, Cunningham says consumers should work on managing credit responsibly.

You're financially prepared
You may be, but there's a good chance that your neighbor isn't. A study by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling shows that 39 percent of U.S. adults don't have any savings outside of funds in retirement plans. The same percentage also carries credit card debt from month to month. What's more troubling than what we know about spending habits is what the U.S. public doesn't know. The NFCC study also says that more than 1 in 5 adults have no idea how much they spend on housing, food and entertainment, and more than 2 in 5 give themselves a grade of C, D or F when it comes to personal finance literacy.

"Most people simply do not financially plan," says Goldbart of the Money, Meaning & Choices Institute. "We tend to deal with money by looking in the rear-view. 'Oh I see what I did;' nothing about what I am doing or what I could be doing."

Before creating a financial plan, Goldbart advises consumers to evaluate their core values about spending, saving and sharing money, and then devise a plan that's aligned with those beliefs.

? 2013 Bankrate, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/cant-buy-happiness-truth-behind-7-personal-finance-myths-1C8601858

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Scientists discover how to shutdown cancer's powerful master protein

Mar. 3, 2013 ? The powerful master regulatory transcription factor called Bcl6 is key to the survival of a majority of aggressive lymphomas, which arise from the B-cells of the immune system. The protein has long been considered too complex to target with a drug since it is also crucial to the healthy functioning of many immune cells in the body, not just B cells gone bad.

But now, in the journal Nature Immunology, researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College report that it is possible to shut down Bcl6 in the cancer, known as diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), while not affecting its vital function in T cells and macrophages that are needed to support a healthy immune system.

"The finding comes as a very welcome surprise," says the study's lead investigator, Dr. Ari Melnick, Gebroe Family Professor of Hematology/Oncology and director of the Raymond and Beverly Sackler Center for Biomedical and Physical Sciences at Weill Cornell.

"This means the drugs we have developed against Bcl6 are more likely to be significantly less toxic and safer for patients with this cancer than we realized," says Dr. Melnick, who is also a hematologist-oncologist at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

If Bcl6 is completely inhibited, patients might suffer from systemic inflammation and atherosclerosis. Weill Cornell researchers conducted this new study to help clarify possible risks, as well as to understand how Bcl6 controls the various aspects of the immune system.

DLBCL is the most common subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma -- the seventh most frequently diagnosed cancer -- and many of these patients are resistant to currently available treatments.

"Scientists have been searching for the right answer to treat this difficult lymphoma, which, after initial treatment, can be at high risk of relapse and resistant to current therapies," Dr. Melnick says. "Believing that Bcl6 could not be targeted, some researchers have been testing alternative therapeutic approaches. This study strongly supports the notion of using Bcl6-targeting drugs."

In fact, the findings in this study were inspired from preclinical testing of two Bcl6-targeting agents that Dr. Melnick and his Weill Cornell colleagues have developed to treat DLBCLs. These experimental drugs are RI-BPI, a peptide mimic, and the small molecule agent 79-6.

Dr. Melnick says the discovery that a master regulatory transcription factor can be targeted offers implications beyond just treating DLBCL. Recent studies from Dr. Melnick and others have revealed that Bcl6 plays a key role in the most aggressive forms of acute leukemia, as well as certain solid tumors.

Transcription factors are responsible for either inhibiting or promoting the expression of genes, and master regulatory transcription factors are the equivalent of the CPU of a computer -- their actions regulate thousands of genes in different kinds of cells. For example, Bcl6 can control the type of immune cell that develops in the bone marrow -- playing many roles in the development of B cells, T cells, macrophages and other cells -- including a primary and essential role in enabling B-cells to generate specific antibodies against pathogens.

"When cells lose control of Bcl6, lymphomas develop in the immune system. Lymphomas are 'addicted' to Bcl6, and therefore Bcl6 inhibitors powerfully and quickly destroy lymphoma cells," Dr. Melnick says.

The big surprise in the current study is that rather than functioning as a single molecular machine, Bcl6 instead seems to function more like a Swiss Army knife, using different tools to control different cell types. This multi-function paradigm could represent a general model for the functioning of other master regulatory transcription factors.

"In this analogy, the Swiss Army knife, or transcription factor, keeps most of its tools folded, opening only the one it needs in any given cell type," Dr. Melnick says. "For B cells, it might open and use the knife tool; for T cells, the cork screw; for macrophages, the scissors. The amazing thing from a medical standpoint is that this means that you only need to prevent the master regulator from using certain tools to treat cancer. You don't need to eliminate the whole knife," he says. "In fact, we show that taking out the whole knife is harmful since the transcription factor has many other vital functions that other cells in the body need."

Prior to these study results, it was not known that a master regulator could separate its functions so precisely.

"Now we know we can take out a specific tool -- to shut down a specific part of the protein -- that causes the disease we want to treat."

Researchers hope this will be a major benefit to the treatment of DLBCL and perhaps other disorders that are influenced by Bcl6 and other master regulatory transcription factors.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Weill Cornell Medical College, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Chuanxin Huang, Katerina Hatzi & Ari Melnick. Lineage-specific functions of Bcl-6 in immunity and inflammation are mediated by distinct biochemical mechanisms. Nature Immunology, 03 March 2013 DOI: 10.1038/ni.2543

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

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/lNzik40eUOM/130303154952.htm

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Rogers, founder of Motown group The Miracles, dies

FILE - This 2009 file photo, shows Bobby Rogers, a founding member of the Miracles, in Detroit. Rogers, a collaborator with Smokey Robinson, has died. Motown Museum board member Allen Rawls said Rogers died Sunday, March 3, 2013, at his home. He was 73. Rogers and The Miracles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. (AP Photo/The Detroit News, Todd McInturf) DETROIT FREE PRESS OUT; HUFFINGTON POST OUT.

FILE - This 2009 file photo, shows Bobby Rogers, a founding member of the Miracles, in Detroit. Rogers, a collaborator with Smokey Robinson, has died. Motown Museum board member Allen Rawls said Rogers died Sunday, March 3, 2013, at his home. He was 73. Rogers and The Miracles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. (AP Photo/The Detroit News, Todd McInturf) DETROIT FREE PRESS OUT; HUFFINGTON POST OUT.

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (AP) ? Bobby Rogers, a founding member of Motown group The Miracles and a collaborator with Smokey Robinson, has died. He was 73.

Motown Museum board member Allen Rawls says Rogers died Sunday morning at his home.

Rogers had been ill for several years. He lived in the Detroit suburb of Southfield.

Rogers formed the group in 1956 with cousin Claudette Rogers, Pete Moore, Ronnie White and Robinson. Their hits included "I Second That Emotion" and "The Tears of a Clown." Rogers and The Miracles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.

He shared songwriting credits with Robinson on The Temptations' "The Way You Do the Things You Do," The Contours' "First I Look at the Purse" and The Miracles' "Going to a Go-Go."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-03-03-Obit-Bobby%20Rogers/id-6ef60a7ce9254097b97944d6eddea6f6

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Pittsburgh caf? to serve up back pay to employees ? Business ...

The Point Brugge Caf?, in Pitts??burgh?s East End, must pay $37,719 to 39 workers that the U.S. Depart??ment of Labor says were stiffed by an illegal tip-pooling system.

According to DOL investigators, the caf??s tip pool was used to compensate kitchen workers such as dishwashers?employees who do not traditionally work for tips. The tip pooling pulled waiters? wages below the minimum wage.

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires employers to pay tipped personnel at least $2.13 per hour. However, the pay and tips must add up to at least $7.50 per hour to be legal.

The caf??s practice of deducting cash-drawer shortages from employees? pay also violated the FLSA.

In addition to repaying the workers, the caf? must also change its pay practices and record-keeping systems.

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Samsung's $1B bill in Apple case reduced by $450M

This undated image provided by Samsung on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013 shows the Samsung GALAXY Note 8 with a stylus. Samsung Electronics is beefing up its tablet range with a competitor to Apple?s iPad Mini that sports a pen for writing on the screen. The Korean company announced on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013 in Barcelona, Spain that the Galaxy Note 8.0 will have an 8-inch screen, putting it very close in size to the Apple?s tablet. (AP Photo/Samsung)

This undated image provided by Samsung on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013 shows the Samsung GALAXY Note 8 with a stylus. Samsung Electronics is beefing up its tablet range with a competitor to Apple?s iPad Mini that sports a pen for writing on the screen. The Korean company announced on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013 in Barcelona, Spain that the Galaxy Note 8.0 will have an 8-inch screen, putting it very close in size to the Apple?s tablet. (AP Photo/Samsung)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? A federal judge on Friday slashed nearly half of the $1 billion damage award a jury ordered Samsung Electronics to pay Apple Inc. after a high-profile trial over the rights to the design and technology running some of the world's most popular smartphones and tablet computers.

U.S. District Court Judge Lucy Koh lowered the damages awarded to Apple Inc. by $450.5 million for 14 Samsung products including some products in its hot-selling Galaxy lineup, saying jurors had not properly followed her instruction in calculating some of the damages.

She also concluded that mistakes had been made in determining when Apple had first notified Samsung about the alleged violations of patents for its trend-setting iPhone and IPad.

Koh ordered a new trial to recalculate damages for those products.

"We are pleased that the court decided to strike $450,514,650 from the jury's award," Samsung spokeswoman Lauren Restuccia said. "Samsung intends to seek further review as to the remaining award."

Apple declined to comment on the Koh's ruling.

The ruling reduced Samsung Electronics' bill to just under $599 million. The judge said the tab will probably increase after the appeals of both companies are resolved.

Apple is seeking more damages and Samsung a complete dismissal of the case in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the Washington, D.C.-based court that handles all patent appeals. The new trial to recalculate the damages could also increase the award.

Still, the ruling was the second significant setback in Koh's courtroom since the headline grabbing verdict was announced.

In December, Koh refused to order a sales ban on the products the jury found infringed Apple's patents. She said Apple failed to prove the purloined technology is what drove consumers to buy a Samsung product instead of an Apple iPhone or iPad. Samsung says that it is continues to sell only three of the two dozen products found to have infringed Apple's patents.

After a three-week trial closely followed in Silicon Valley, the jury decided that Samsung ripped off the trailblazing technology and sleek designs used by Apple to create its revolutionary iPhone and iPad. Jurors ordered Samsung to pay Apple $1.05 billion.

Apple filed another lawsuit last year accusing Samsung's newer line of products of continuing to use technology controlled by Apple. Koh has scheduled trial in that case for early next year. She has implored both companies on several occasions to settle their difference with little success.

Apple filed its patent infringement lawsuit in April 2011 and engaged legions of the country's highest-paid patent lawyers to demand $2.5 billion from its top smartphone competitor. Samsung Electronics Co. fired back with its own lawsuit seeking $399 million.

The jury found that several Samsung products illegally used such Apple creations as the "bounce-back" feature when a user scrolls to an end image, and the ability to zoom text with a tap of a finger.

Samsung has mounted an aggressive post-trial attack on the verdict, raising a number of legal issues that allege the South Korean company was treated unfairly in a federal courtroom a dozen miles from Apple's Cupertino headquarters. Samsung alleges that some of Apple's patents shouldn't have been awarded in the first place and that the jury made mistakes in calculating the damage award.

Samsung has emerged as one of Apple's biggest rivals and has overtaken it as the leading smartphone maker. Samsung's Galaxy line of phones run on Android, a mobile operating system that Google Inc. has given out for free to Samsung and other phone makers.

Apple and Samsung have filed similar lawsuits in eight other countries, including South Korea, Germany, Japan, Italy, the Netherlands, Britain, France and Australia.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-03-01-Apple-Samsung%20Trial/id-63a4b11bb84c48488cff319e041adc91

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Final movie in 'Hobbit' trilogy moves to December 2014

(Reuters) - The final installment of "The Hobbit" film trilogy will be released on December 17, 2014, five months later than planned, Warner Bros. said on Thursday.

"The Hobbit: There and Back Again" had been set to debut in July 2014. It will follow "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," which came out in December 2012, and "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug," which is scheduled to reach theaters in December 2013.

"We're excited to complete the trilogy the same way we started it, as a holiday treat for moviegoers everywhere," said Dan Fellman, president of distribution for Warner Bros., a unit of Time Warner Inc.

"The Hobbit" series is a prequel to J.R.R. Tolkien's epic fantasy "The Lord of the Rings," which director Peter Jackson made into three Oscar-winning films about a decade ago.

The first "Hobbit" film was a blockbuster with global sales of $981 million, according to the Box Office Mojo website. The trilogy is financed by Warner Bros. New Line Cinema and MGM.

(This version of the story corrects the release date of "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.")

(Reporting By Lisa Richwine; Editing by Stacey Joyce)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/final-movie-hobbit-trilogy-moves-december-2014-031147818--finance.html

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