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Saturday, June 29, 2013
Friday, June 28, 2013
Best Practices to Grow Your Consulting Business - Tip # 11 - Focus ...
[unable to retrieve full-text content]Consulting Best Practices to Grow Your business include Focusing your time where it builds your business.
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Hurricane Sandy's 44th NYC victim lay undetected for months
NEW YORK (AP) ? In the chaotic days after Superstorm Sandy, an army of aid workers streamed onto the flood-ravaged Rockaway Peninsula looking for anyone who needed help. Health workers and National Guard troops went door to door. City inspectors checked thousands of dwellings for damage. Seaside neighborhoods teemed with utility crews, Red Cross trucks and crews clearing debris.
Yet, even as the months dragged by, nobody thought to look inside the tiny construction trailer rusting away in a junk-filled lot at the corner of Beach 40th Street and Rockaway Beach Boulevard.
If they had, they would have found the body of Keith Lancaster, a quiet handyman who appeared to have been using the trailer as a home the night Sandy sent 5 feet of water churning through the neighborhood.
It took until April 5 before an acquaintance finally went to check on the 62-year-old's whereabouts and found his partially skeletonized remains. His body lay near a calendar that hadn't been turned since October and prescription pill bottles last refilled in the fall.
New York City's medical examiner announced this week that Lancaster had drowned, making him the 44th person ruled to have died in New York City because of the storm.
Neighborhood residents described Lancaster as a loner and something of a drifter, and police said he had never been reported missing. No one stepped forward to claim his body from the city morgue, either, after he was finally discovered this spring. He was buried in a potter's field on an island in Long Island Sound, the medical examiner's office said. A police missing-person squad is still trying to identify any relatives.
But in life, he was well liked by some of the people who saw him sweeping sidewalks around the vacant lot where he sometimes slept.
"When we first moved here, he weeded our entire backyard," said Gerald Sylvester, 55, a retired transit worker who lives in a small bungalow just feet from the trailer where Lancaster died.
Sylvester and his wife, Carrie Vaughan, 60, said Lancaster also mended their fence and once fixed an outdoor light at their house ? but he always refused any money for his help. He wouldn't take any food, either, when they offered, and politely declined their invitations to come inside, explaining he didn't like to go into people's houses.
"He didn't talk a lot, but if he knew you, you could have a decent conversation," said Vaughan. "He was very nice. A gentleman at all times."
She said it wasn't entirely clear where he was living. Lancaster, who the family said looked slightly frail, told her he didn't want to settle in one place.
As the storm approached and the neighborhood evacuated, Sylvester said he went looking for Lancaster to see if he wanted to leave with the family, but never found him.
After the Oct. 29 storm, many neighborhood residents were unable to return to their homes. Even today, some buildings remain empty or under repair. Vaughan and Sylvester were away for two months, living in a FEMA-funded apartment, before they came back.
The lot where Lancaster's trailer sat has been vacant for many years and, at just 15 feet wide, is easy to miss. Someone passing by would probably assume, wrongly, that it is the side yard of one of the bungalows that sit next door.
The company that owns the plot, the Master Sheet Co., hasn't paid any property taxes on the parcel for years, according to city records, and it wasn't clear whether anyone associated with the business was aware someone was living on the property. A lawyer for the owners, Robert Rosenblatt, said Wednesday that he wasn't immediately able to reach his clients.
New York City's Office of Emergency Management didn't respond Wednesday to inquiries about the efforts the city had made to locate and identify storm victims, and why they failed to reveal Lancaster's death for so long. The mayor's office also didn't respond to an inquiry.
The lot where Lancaster died remained filled with junk this week, including an old office chair, plastic crates and bottles and stuffed animals. The trailer ? barely big enough to stand in ? is itself filled with trash.
Vaughan said that when her family returned home, she wondered what had become of Lancaster, but never suspected that he had been killed or that his body was in the trailer, which sits on cinder blocks just a few feet from her home.
"He was like a fixture of the community. We were wondering what happened to him," said Vaughan. "We would've taken him with us."
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/body-nyc-storm-victim-lay-undetected-months-065513402.html
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Boat noise stops fish finding home
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Public release date: 28-Jun-2013[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Hannah Johnson
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0044-117-928-8896
University of Bristol
Sophie Holles, a PhD researcher at the University of Bristol and one of the study's authors, said: "Natural underwater sound is used by many animals to find suitable habitat, and traffic noise is one of the most widespread pollutants. If settlement is disrupted by boat traffic, the resilience of habitats like reefs could be affected."
Sound travels better underwater than in air and reefs are naturally noisy places: fish and invertebrates produce feeding and territorial sounds while wind, waves and currents create other background noise. Boats can be found around all coastal environments where people live and the noise they make spreads far and wide.
Co-author, Dr Steve Simpson, a marine biologist at the University of Exeter, said: "Boat noise may scare fish, affecting their ecology. Since one in five people in the world rely on fish as their major source of protein, regulating traffic noise in important fisheries areas could help marine communities and the people that depend on them."
The study used controlled field experiments with settlement stage coral reef fish larvae. Larvae in a long plastic tube could decide to swim towards or away from a speaker playing back different sounds. In ambient noise equal numbers of fish were found in each section of the tube and in reef noise most fish swam towards the sound. But when boat noise was played along with reef noise more fish swam away from the sound than in reef noise alone.
Co-author, Dr Andy Radford from the University of Bristol, said: "This is the first indication that noise pollution can affect orientation behaviour during the critical settlement stage. Growing evidence for the impact of noise on fish suggests that consideration should be given to the regulation of human activities in protected areas."
The research is published today in Marine Ecology Progress Series.
###
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Paper
>'Boat noise disrupts orientation behaviour in a coral reef fish' by Sophie Holles, Stephen D. Simpson, Andrew N. Radford, Laetitia Berten and David Lecchini in Marine Ecology Progress Series
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Public release date: 28-Jun-2013[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Hannah Johnson
hannah.johnson@bristol.ac.uk
0044-117-928-8896
University of Bristol
Sophie Holles, a PhD researcher at the University of Bristol and one of the study's authors, said: "Natural underwater sound is used by many animals to find suitable habitat, and traffic noise is one of the most widespread pollutants. If settlement is disrupted by boat traffic, the resilience of habitats like reefs could be affected."
Sound travels better underwater than in air and reefs are naturally noisy places: fish and invertebrates produce feeding and territorial sounds while wind, waves and currents create other background noise. Boats can be found around all coastal environments where people live and the noise they make spreads far and wide.
Co-author, Dr Steve Simpson, a marine biologist at the University of Exeter, said: "Boat noise may scare fish, affecting their ecology. Since one in five people in the world rely on fish as their major source of protein, regulating traffic noise in important fisheries areas could help marine communities and the people that depend on them."
The study used controlled field experiments with settlement stage coral reef fish larvae. Larvae in a long plastic tube could decide to swim towards or away from a speaker playing back different sounds. In ambient noise equal numbers of fish were found in each section of the tube and in reef noise most fish swam towards the sound. But when boat noise was played along with reef noise more fish swam away from the sound than in reef noise alone.
Co-author, Dr Andy Radford from the University of Bristol, said: "This is the first indication that noise pollution can affect orientation behaviour during the critical settlement stage. Growing evidence for the impact of noise on fish suggests that consideration should be given to the regulation of human activities in protected areas."
The research is published today in Marine Ecology Progress Series.
###
Notes to editors
Paper
>'Boat noise disrupts orientation behaviour in a coral reef fish' by Sophie Holles, Stephen D. Simpson, Andrew N. Radford, Laetitia Berten and David Lecchini in Marine Ecology Progress Series
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-06/uob-bns062813.php
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Texas governor may revive abortion proposal
By Corrie MacLaggan
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - A marathon speech by a Texas Democrat temporarily frustrated a Republican drive for new state abortion restrictions, but political sources predicted on Wednesday that anti-abortion Governor Rick Perry would quickly revive the proposal.
Senator Wendy Davis, a single mother by the age of 19 who now is a rising star of the Democratic party, drew national attention when she spoke for more than 10 hours to block a measure that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
Her filibuster of the Republican supermajority in the Texas legislature was hailed by women's groups and abortion rights advocates, and streamed live on some national media websites.
Republicans managed to stop her about two hours ahead of the midnight end to the special legislative session citing parliamentary procedures, but they were unable to complete voting on the abortion bill before the deadline.
"I pledge to Texas one thing: this fight is far from over," David Dewhurst, the anti-abortion Republican Lieutenant Governor who presides over the Senate, posted on Twitter Wednesday.
Texas Republican political strategist Matt Mackowiak predicted that Perry will call lawmakers back for another special session to pass the abortion bill.
"An abortion bill passed both houses. The votes are there. There's no question the votes are there," he said.
The abortion restrictions passed the House earlier in the week and a version of the proposal that did not include the ban after 20 weeks of pregnancy passed the Senate.
If the measure ultimately passes, Texas would be the 13th state to impose a ban on abortions after 20 weeks and by far the most populous. In addition, the legislation would set strict health standards for abortion clinics and restrict the use of drugs to end pregnancy.
Republican backers said the regulation of abortion clinics would protect women's health and that the ban on late-term abortions would protect fetuses, based on disputed research that suggests fetuses feel pain by 20 weeks of development.
Opponents said it would force nearly all Texas abortion clinics to close or be rebuilt.
"We know this isn't the end of the fight to protect women's access to health care in Texas." said Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund.
Davis whittled away chunks of time by reading testimony and messages from women and others decrying the legislation, reciting previously suggested changes to the bill and tapping into her own past as a single mother at 19.
She said the bill would have choked off her own access to a local Planned Parenthood clinic.
"I was a poor, uninsured woman, whose only care was provided through that facility. It was my medical home," said Davis, 50, several hours into her speech.
NATIONWIDE DEBATE
The U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion nationwide in 1973, but conservative states have enacted laws in recent years that seek to place restrictions on the procedure, especially on abortions performed late in pregnancy.
Twelve states have passed 20-week bans, including two states where the bans take effect later this year, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights. Courts have blocked the bans in three of the 12 states - Arizona, Georgia and Idaho.
Earlier this month, the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill banning abortions 20 weeks after fertilization. The measure is extremely unlikely to become law because Democrats control the U.S. Senate and the White House.
The Texas proposal would allow exemptions for abortions to save a woman's life, and in cases of severe fetal abnormalities.
"In Texas, we value all life, and we've worked to cultivate a culture that supports the birth of every child," Perry said.
The abortion debate simmers elsewhere in the United States.
North Dakota's only abortion clinic filed a federal challenge on Tuesday to a new state law, the most restrictive in the country, that would ban procedures to end pregnancy once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, as early as six weeks.
A Philadelphia jury last month convicted abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell of murdering three babies during abortions at a clinic in a high-profile case that focused national attention on late term abortions.
(Reporting by Eric Johnson and Corrie MacLaggan; Editing by Greg McCune and Chris Reesea)
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Thursday, June 27, 2013
Pa. Senate readies unusual session on liquor bills
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) -- Pennsylvania's Republican senators have been meeting privately for several hours as they prepare for an unusual floor session to consider legislation that could allow private store operators to sell wine and liquor in Pennsylvania.
The impending Wednesday session is a sign of the growing desperation among Republican majority leaders to reach a consensus on issues that are important to Gov. Tom Corbett.
Lawmakers are planning to meet all week to wrap up a new budget and other business before leaving Harrisburg for the summer.
Normally, Senate Republican leaders don't bring a bill to the chamber's floor unless the Republican majority approves of it and they've ensured it'll pass.
However, Senate Republicans are split over legislation on wine and liquor sales being sought by House Republicans and Corbett. Democrats oppose it.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pa-senate-readies-unusual-session-202330250.html
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Zimmerman trial: Joke by defense is a bust
Zimmerman trial joke: A defense attorney for George Zimmerman started the trial with a 'knock, knock' joke. It didn't go so well.
George Zimmerman (2nd from r.) stands with his defense team, Mark O'Mara (l.), Don West, and Lorna Truett, during his trial in Seminole circuit court in Sanford, Fla., on Tuesday. Mr. Zimmerman has been charged with second-degree murder for the 2012 shooting death of Trayvon Martin.
Gary W. Green/Orlando Sentinel/AP
EnlargeGeorge Zimmerman was fed up with "punks" getting away with crime and shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin "because he wanted to," not because he had to, prosecutors argued Monday, while the neighborhood watch volunteer's attorney said the killing was self-defense against a young man who was slamming Zimmerman's head against the pavement.
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The prosecution began opening statements in the long-awaited murder trial with shocking language, repeating obscenities Zimmerman uttered while talking to a police dispatcher moments before the deadly confrontation.
The defense opened with a knock-knock joke about the difficulty of picking a jury for a case that stirred nationwide debate over racial profiling, vigilantism and Florida's expansive laws on the use of deadly force.
"Knock. Knock," said defense attorney Don West.
"Who is there?"
"George Zimmerman."
"George Zimmerman who?"
"All right, good. You're on the jury."
The courtroom was silent. He later apologized for the poor delivery.
Zimmerman, 29, could get life in prison if convicted of second-degree murder for gunning down Martin on Feb. 26, 2012, as the unarmed black teenager, wearing a hoodie on a dark, rainy night, walked from a convenience store through the gated townhouse community where he was staying.
The case took on racial dimensions after Martin's family claimed that Zimmerman had racially profiled Martin and that police were dragging their feet in bringing charges. Zimmerman, whose mother is Hispanic and whose father is white, has denied the confrontation had anything to do with race.
Prosecutor John Guy's first words to the jury recounted what Zimmerman told a dispatcher in a call shortly after spotting Martin: "F------ punks. These a-------. They always get away."
Zimmerman was profiling Martin as he followed him, Guy said. He said Zimmerman viewed the teen "as someone about to a commit a crime in his neighborhood."
"And he acted on it. That's why we're here," the prosecutor said.
Zimmerman didn't have to shoot Martin, Guy said. "He shot him for the worst of all reasons: because he wanted to," he said.
The prosecutor portrayed the watch captain as a vigilante, saying, "Zimmerman thought it was his right to rid his neighborhood of anyone who did not belong."
West told jurors a different story: Martin sucker-punched Zimmerman and then pounded the neighborhood watch volunteer's head against the concrete sidewalk, and that's when Zimmerman opened fire.
Showing the jury photos of a bloodied and bruised Zimmerman, the defense attorney said, "He had just taken tremendous blows to his face, tremendous blows to his head."
West said the story that Martin was unarmed is untrue: "Trayvon Martin armed himself with a concrete sidewalk and used it to smash George Zimmerman's head."
Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/yJY2OHb8ODM/Zimmerman-trial-Joke-by-defense-is-a-bust
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Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Microsoft demos Lego Mindstorms EV3 platform using Surface-controlled robot
Robot toys aren't what you'd normally expect from Microsoft's developer-focused Build conference, but that's just what the company served up today. In a chat about developer tools, Microsoft's VP of Web Services Antoine Leblond demoed a version of Lego Education's unreleased Mindstorms EV3 platform using -- what else? -- a brick-built robot and a Surface tablet. Citing the Win RT APIs that let users interact with device-specific protocols (i.e., USB, Bluetooth, etc.) Leblond was able to stream live video of his face, using a separate Windows tablet, to the tank-like franken-toy. All whimsy aside, this MS / Lego collaboration's less about giving kids a neat, remote spying tool and more about making programming fun and approachable. You know, STEM stuff. And we're all for it.
Filed under: Robots, Software, Microsoft
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/o9jUKd62AA0/
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Weight loss's effect on heart disease risks
June 25, 2013 ? A landmark study investigating the long-term effects of weight loss on the risks of cardiovascular disease among patients with Type 2 diabetes has now concluded, with significant results to be published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Conducted at the University of Pittsburgh and at clinical facilities throughout the United States, the multicenter clinical trial investigated the effects of an intensive lifestyle intervention program, intended to achieve and maintain weight loss in overweight or obese people with Type 2 diabetes, on rates of cardiovascular disease. Begun in 2001, the trial enrolled more than 5,000 people at 16 clinical centers across the United States and is the longest intervention study of its type ever undertaken for patients with diabetes.
John Jakicic, chair and professor in the Department of Health and Physical Activity in Pitt's School of Education and Director of the Physical Activity and Weight Management Research Center, served as principal investigator for the University of Pittsburgh's role in the study. He, along with colleagues throughout the University, is among the researchers comprising the national Look AHEAD (Action for Health in Diabetes) Research Group, which carried out the study and authored the New England Journal of Medicine paper.
Among the study's main findings is that weight loss among members of the study's Intensive Lifestyle Intervention group, provided with a program of weight management and increased physical activity, resulted in no difference in heart attacks and strokes when compared with the study's control group, the Diabetes Support and Education group, which was provided with only general health information and social support.
The effect of the intervention program on weight loss, however, was significant: Participants in the intervention group lost 8.7 percent of their initial body weight after one year of the study versus 0.7 percent among the control group's members; the intervention group also maintained a greater weight loss, 6 percent of their initial weight, versus 3.5 percent for the control group, at the study's conclusion.
The Look AHEAD study is the first to achieve such sustained weight loss. A weight loss of 5 percent or more in short-term studies is considered to be clinically significant and has been shown to improve control of blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, and other risk factors. Comparable weight loss can also help prevent the development of Type 2 diabetes in overweight and obese adults.
"While the findings from the Look AHEAD study did not support that engagement in a weight- loss intervention was effective for reducing the onset of cardiovascular disease incidence or mortality, this does not mean that overweight adults with diabetes should not lose weight and become more physically active," said Jakicic. "Rather, there is an overwhelming amount of evidence from this study to date that has shown that weight loss and physical activity were associated with numerous other health benefits.
"These include improving physical function and quality of life, reduction in risk factors such as lipids and blood pressure with less reliance on medication, better diabetes control with less reliance on medication, improved sleep, psychological and emotional health benefits, and many others," Jakicic said. "Thus, adults with diabetes can begin to realize many of these health benefits with even modest reductions in body weight and modest increases in physical activity."
The study sought to determine whether weight loss achieved with a lifestyle program would help individuals with diabetes live longer and develop less cardiovascular disease. While short-term studies had shown that weight loss improved control of blood sugar and mitigated risk factors for heart disease and stroke in overweight and obese individuals with Type 2 diabetes, the longer-term effects of weight loss were not well studied. In particular, it was unknown whether weight loss achieved with a lifestyle intervention alone could reduce the risk of heart disease in people with Type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 is the most common form of diabetes, affecting approximately 25 million Americans over the age of 20. Complications of Type 2 diabetes include heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure, blindness, kidney disease, the nervous system disease known as neuropathy, and amputations. The total cost of Type 2 diabetes in 2012 was estimated to be $245 billion. This disease, for which there is no cure but which involves ongoing treatment, can be managed with diet, physical activity including regular exercise equal to at least 30 minutes of brisk walking each day, modest weight loss, and a variety of medications. The Look AHEAD study has shown that these lifestyle factors are effective for improving the management of Type 2 diabetes.
Study participants were individuals between 45 and 75 years of age with Type 2 diabetes and a body-mass index of 25 or greater. Sixty percent of the study participants were women, while 37 percent were from ethnic and racial minority groups.
The University of Pittsburgh's General Clinical Research Center and Clinical Translational Research Center served as participating clinical sites, with researchers here recruiting more than 330 participants over a three-year span. Jakicic credited the Division of Endocrinology within the Department of Medicine and the Department of Psychiatry in Pitt's School of Medicine, and the Department of Epidemiology in Pitt's Graduate School of Public Health, with the success of the local clinical trials.
Participants were assigned randomly to the Intensive Lifestyle Intervention group or the Diabetes Support and Education group. Members of the Intensive Lifestyle Intervention group were enrolled in a weight management program that provided individual and group support for making changes in eating behaviors and engaging in physical activity. The intervention program focused on home-based, functional activities including helping participants balance, climb stairs, and get out of a chair, among other examples. Diabetes Support and Education group members received what Jakicic called "usual care, with some very infrequent support on general health topics that were not related to diet, physical activity, or weight loss."
Participants were required to have their own health care providers manage their diabetes and other conditions. Look AHEAD did not provide medical care, but it did assist participants in finding a health care provider if they did not have one.
The Look AHEAD study was intended to run for 13.5 years, the maximum length of time researchers had determined might be required to see a difference in heart disease between two groups. After 11 years, however, the Look AHEAD Data and Safety Monitoring Board, an independent monitoring board that provides recommendations to the National Institutes of Health, reviewed the data the study had collected and determined that Look AHEAD could reach the definite conclusion that there were no differences in cardiovascular disease rates between the study's two groups.
Speculating on the failure of weight loss to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, researchers suggested that even greater weight loss may be necessary to reduce cardiovascular risk in diabetes patients who are overweight or obese. They also suggested that by providing participants in both groups, and their health care providers, with annual feedback on the participants' blood pressure, lipids, and blood sugar control, the cardiovascular disease risks for all experiment participants may have been reduced at a comparable rate.
The paper is titled "Cardiovascular Effects of Intensive Lifestyle Intervention in Type 2 Diabetes." It appeared online in the New England Journal of Medicine today, June 24, 2013. Research conducted at the University of Pittsburgh's General Clinical Research Center and Clinical Translational Research Center was funded by a Clinical and Translational Science Award and a National Institutes of Health grant.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/glhgqGmNABs/130625074205.htm
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Another Way to a Clear View
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Poll: Hong Kongers would not back extradition of Edward Snowden
About 50 percent say the NSA whistle-blower should not be surrendered, 17.6 percent said he should be turned over, and a third aren't sure yet, according to poll published today.
A TV screen shows the news of Edward Snowden, a former CIA employee who leaked top-secret documents about sweeping US surveillance programs, in the underground train in Hong Kong Sunday.
Kin Cheung/AP
EnlargeBy a 3-to-1 margin, Hong Kongers do not want their government to hand over NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden if Washington demands his extradition.
Skip to next paragraph Peter FordBeijing Bureau Chief
Peter Ford is The Christian Science Monitor?s Beijing Bureau Chief. He covers news and features throughout China and also makes reporting trips to Japan and the Korean peninsula.
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Whether it is because they support Mr. Snowden?s free-speech and privacy agendas, or because they are upset by his claims that the US National Security Agency has been hacking into Hong Kong?s computer network, 49.9 percent of people asked in a poll published here?Sunday?said he should not be surrendered. Another 17.6 percent said he should be turned over. A third of respondents had not made up their minds.
?Nobody welcomes a fugitive, but now he is here we have to safeguard his rights,? said Freddy Chu, a young privacy activist, as he brandished a photo of Snowden at a small rally in support of the American in central Hong Kong?on Saturday.
Snowden is believed to be in hiding somewhere in Hong Kong, from where he divulged his identity to The Guardian newspaper a week ago. Since then, in an interview with the South China Morning Post, he has accused the NSA of hacking into the backbone of Hong Kong?s Internet system.?
?He is welcome to Hong Kong,? said another demonstrator, James Hon, as he helped hold up a banner belonging to the League in Defense of Hong Kong?s Freedoms. ?He is upholding our core values ? freedom of expression and privacy. He is a brother.??
Snowden?s presence here puts the former British colony in a difficult spot, potentially subject to pressure from both Washington and Beijing. For the time being, the United States has not lodged an extradition request and Chinese officials have not tipped their hand about what they think should happen to Snowden. But many Hong Kongers are uncomfortable.?
That may explain the low turnout at Saturday?s demonstration outside the US consulate. Persistent rain did not help, but few people here see Snowden?s fate as very important to their own lives.?
Still, his suggestions that the NSA has been hacking in Hong Kong have won him a measure of sympathy. ?When we learned that they had hacked into our Internet hub at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, all of us with a computer felt we had been targeted,? said Yves Azemar, a French expatriate dealer in rare books.?
Snowden?s presence here also draws international attention to Hong Kong?s unique status as a ?special administrative region? of China, where the rules are very different from the mainland.?
?This is a golden opportunity for Hong Kong to explain to the world ? that we still enjoy judicial autonomy,? says Alan Leong, a legislator and head of the pro-democracy Civic Party. ?It?s a chance to say how proud we are that Snowden chose Hong Kong as a refuge.??
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Kerry: US wants no confrontation with Russia
JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) ? Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday that the United States is not looking for a confrontation with Russia, where admitted NSA leaker Edward Snowden is believed to be hiding.
Speaking at a news conference in Saudi Arabia, Kerry said it's true that the United States does not have an extradition treaty with Russia but called on Moscow to comply with common law practices between countries where fugitives are concerned.
"There are standards of behavior between sovereign nations. There is common law," Kerry said. "There is respect for rule of law and we would simply call on our friends in Russia to respect the fact that a partner nation ? a co-member of the permanent five of the United Nations ? has made a normal request under legal systems."
Russia's foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, earlier Tuesday bluntly rejected U.S. demands for Snowden, saying the American hadn't crossed the Russian border.
Lavrov insisted that Russia had nothing to do with him or his travel plans.
Washington does not need a fight with Moscow at a time when U.S.-Russian relations are strained over Syria. Kerry and Lavrov are to meet next week at a Southeast Asia security conference in Brunei.
Kerry, however, said the U.S. continues to hope that if Snowden is in Russia, that Moscow would turn him over to American authorities. He noted that in the past two years, the U.S. transferred seven people to Russia at Moscow's request. Kerry said the U.S. did so "without any clamor, without any rancor, without any arguments."
Kerry said, "I would simply appeal for calm and reasonableness. We would hope that Russia would not side with someone who is a fugitive' from justice."
"They certainly can allow him to be subject to the laws and our constitution of which he is a citizen of, and that's what we call on him to do. We're not looking for a confrontation," Kerry said. "We are not ordering anybody."
"We don't need to raise the level of confrontation over something that's frankly as basic and normal as this," he said.
Snowden is a former CIA employee who later was hired as a contractor for the NSA. In that job, he gained access to documents that he gave to newspapers the Guardian and The Washington Post to expose what he contends are privacy violations by an authoritarian government.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kerry-us-wants-no-confrontation-russia-132516403.html
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Monday, June 24, 2013
Australia takes the hint, postpones plans for PRISM-style snooping
Here's some good news for anyone who considers Australia a haven from pernicious surveillance laws. The antipodean government has decided to postpone plans to force phone and internet companies to retain two years' worth of personal data after a scrutiny committee demanded changes. While it's not a total win for privacy fans, the legislation will now be re-examined after elections scheduled for September 14th -- with the Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus saying that the government will now "await further advice," before amending the prospective law.
Filed under: Internet
Source: Reuters
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/xape3PL9-SY/
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'Nerdy' mold needs breaking to recruit women into computer science
June 24, 2013 ? The 'computer nerd' is a well-known stereotype in our modern society. While this stereotype is inaccurate, it still has a chilling effect on women pursuing a qualification in computer science, according to a new paper by Sapna Cheryan from the University of Washington in the US, and colleagues. However, when this image is downplayed in the print media, women express more interest in further education in computer science. The work is published online in Springer's journal, Sex Roles.
Despite years of effort, it has proven difficult to recruit women into many fields that are perceived to be masculine and male-dominated, including computer science. The image of a lone computer scientist, concerned only with technology, is in stark contrast to a more people-oriented or traditionally feminine image. Understanding what prevents women from entering computer science is key to achieving gender parity in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Cheryan and team sought to prove that the shortage of women in computer science and other scientific fields is not only due to a lack of interest in the subject matter on the part of women. In a first study, 293 college students from two US West Coast universities were asked to provide descriptions of computer science majors. The authors wanted to discover what the stereotypical computer scientist looks like in students' minds.
Both women and men spontaneously offered an image of computer scientists as technology-oriented, intensely focused on computers, intelligent and socially unskilled. These characteristics contrast with the female gender role, and are inconsistent with how many women see themselves.
The way a social group is represented in the media also influences how people think about that group and their relation to it. In a second study, the researchers manipulated the students' images of a computer scientist, using fabricated newspaper articles, to examine the influence of these media on women's interest in entering the field. A total of 54 students read articles about computer science majors that described these students as either fitting, or not fitting, the current stereotype. Students were then asked to rate their interest in computer science.
Exposure to a newspaper article claiming that computer science majors no longer fit current preconceived notions increased women's interest in majoring in computer science. These results were in comparison to those of exposure to a newspaper article claiming that computer science majors do indeed reflect the stereotype. Men, however, were unaffected by how computer science majors were represented.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Springer Science+Business Media.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- Sapna Cheryan, Victoria C. Plaut, Caitlin Handron, Lauren Hudson. The Stereotypical Computer Scientist: Gendered Media Representations as a Barrier to Inclusion for Women. Sex Roles, 2013; DOI: 10.1007/s11199-013-0296-x
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
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U.S. justices agree to hear abortion clinic protester challenge
By Lawrence Hurley
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to consider a challenge to a Massachusetts law that ensures access for patients at clinics that offer abortions.
Anti-abortion protesters challenged the law, saying it violated their constitutional rights, including their right to freedom of speech, by preventing them from standing on the sidewalk and speaking to those entering clinics.
The case concerns a 2007 law that amended an existing statute that restricted conduct outside abortion clinics by introducing a blanket 35-feet (11-meter) no-entry zone that only allowed patients, staff, passers-by and emergency services to enter.
The protesters say the exemption makes the law unconstitutional under the free speech guarantees of the First Amendment because the government is choosing one set of beliefs over another.
Lawyers for the state of Massachusetts dismissed that claim, saying the law was enacted purely to deal with a potential public safety problem.
Oral arguments and a ruling are expected in the court's next term, which begins in October and ends in June 2014.
The case is McCullen v. Coakley, U.S. Supreme Court, No. 12-1168.
(Corrects unit of measurement in third paragraph)
(Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Howard Goller, Will Dunham and Bill Trott)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-justices-agree-hear-abortion-clinic-protester-challenge-134435609.html
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Sunday, June 23, 2013
Driver dies in 24 Hours of Le Mans race
The No.95 Aston Martin Vantage GTE, driven by Allan Simonsen of Denmerk is seen after his crash. The No.95 Aston Martin Vantage GTE, driven by Simonsen exited the track at high speed at the "Tertre Rouge" corner on his fourth lap of the race, he died after due to his injuries. Le Mans, France, Saturday, June 22, 2013. (AP Photo)
The No.95 Aston Martin Vantage GTE, driven by Allan Simonsen of Denmerk is seen after his crash. The No.95 Aston Martin Vantage GTE, driven by Simonsen exited the track at high speed at the "Tertre Rouge" corner on his fourth lap of the race, he died after due to his injuries. Le Mans, France, Saturday, June 22, 2013. (AP Photo)
FILE - Danish Driver Allan Simonsen, left, is seen during a parade on the eve of the 90th 24-hour Le Mans endurance race, in Le Mans, western France, in this Friday, June 21, 2013 photo. The No.95 Aston Martin Vantage GTE, driven by Simonsen, exited the track at high speed at the "Tertre Rouge" corner on his fourth lap of the race, He died after due to his injuries, Saturday, June 22, 2013.(AP Photo/Michel Spingler, File)
FILE - Danish Driver Allan Simonsen, left, is seen during a parade on the eve of the 90th 24-hour Le Mans endurance race, in Le Mans, western France, in this Friday, June 21, 2013 photo. The No.95 Aston Martin Vantage GTE, driven by Simonsen, exited the track at high speed at the "Tertre Rouge" corner on his fourth lap of the race, He died after due to his injuries, Saturday, June 22, 2013.(AP Photo/Michel Spingler, File)
The Aston Martin Vantage GTE driven by Allan Simonsen of Denmark, is seen in action during the 90th 24-hour Le Mans endurance race, in Le Mans, western France, Saturday, June 22, 2013. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler)
Allan Simonsen's death after a spinout cast a pall over the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The race still had more than 23? hours to go, but there was no call to stop it on Saturday after the first driver fatality in 16 years.
Simonsen's partner Carina, the mother to their daughter born last year, made sure of that.
It was her "specific request" that Simonsen's team, Aston Martin Racing, continue the world's most renowned endurance race in honor of the Dane.
Just 10 minutes into the race, Simonsen spun and skidded into the barrier at the Tertre Rouge corner where cars typically reach speeds of up to 105 mph. The 34-year-old Simonsen was taken to a hospital, where he died of his injuries, race organizers said.
The violence of the impact showed as a tire from Simonsen's car rolled on the track while a door hung wide open. The race was held up for nearly an hour to repair the guard rail.
"Tragically, and despite the best efforts of the emergency services in attendance, Allan's injuries proved fatal," Aston Martin said in a statement.
Simonsen's death marked the first driver fatality since 1997 when Sebastien Enjolras was killed in pre-qualifying. The last driver fatality during the race was Jo Gartner in 1986.
Simonsen was participating for the seventh time at the endurance race, which is won by the team that completes the most laps in 24 hours with up to three drivers alternating. He finished second in the GT2 class at Le Mans three years ago. He clocked the fastest time in qualifying on Thursday in the GTE-Am class.
Jean Todt, the FIA president, and Pierre Fillon, president of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest which organizes the race, paid tribute to Simonsen.
"Allan was an extremely talented and experienced sportscar driver who had raced in every corner of the world and was highly respected by his peers and his team," they said in a joint statement. "For many in endurance racing, Allan was above all a good friend who displayed his passion for racing on and off the track. His loss will be felt by the FIA, the ACO and the greater motorsport family."
Simonsen and Danish co-drivers Kristian Poulsen and Christoffer Nygaard were leading the GTE-Am class in the world endurance championship after topping their category at Silverstone in April and finishing second in Spa-Francorchamps last month.
"Aston Martin Racing will not make any further comment until the precise circumstances of the accident have been determined," Simonsen's team said.
Toyota Racing team president Yoshiaki Kinoshita expressed his condolences, along with drivers from around the world.
Formula One driver Jenson Button tweeted: "Allan Simonsen RIP. Such a tragic loss. A true fighter & a true racer. Safety is something we need 2 improve on in Motorsport."
IndyCar Series leader Helio Castroneves tweeted: "Very sad to know about the fatal accident of Allan Simonsen on Le Mans today. Praying for him and (his) family."
Another IndyCar driver Tony Kanaan tweeted: "Such a tragic news on the passing of @AllanSimonsen. Sad day in motorsports again. Thoughts and prayers are with his family."
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Super full moon shines brightly this weekend
LOS ANGELES (AP) ? A "supermoon" rises this weekend.
The biggest and brightest full moon of the year graces the sky early Sunday as our celestial neighbor swings closer to Earth than usual.
While the moon will appear 14 percent larger normal, skywatchers won't be able to notice the difference with the naked eye. Still, astronomers say it's worth looking up and appreciating the cosmos.
"It gets people out there looking at the moon, and might make a few more people aware that there's interesting stuff going on in the night sky," Geoff Chester of the U.S. Naval Observatory said in an email.
Some viewers may think the supermoon looks more dazzling but it's actually an optical illusion. The moon looms larger on the horizon next to trees and buildings.
The moon will come within 222,000 miles of Earth and turn full around 7:30 a.m. EDT, making it the best time to view.
As in any supermoon event, high tides are forecast because of the moon's proximity, but the effect is expected to be small.
Forget about the myths that swirl every time a supermoon appears. There's no link to higher crime or bizarre behavior. Scientists say that's just lunacy.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/super-full-moon-shines-brightly-weekend-163728260.html
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PFT: Jaguars ink No. 2 overall pick Joeckel
APBills WR Marquise Goodman draws inspiration from his younger brother.
Part of the reason that LB Alonzo Highsmith Jr. signed with the Dolphins was to be close to his brother, a University of Miami senior also named Alonzo Highsmith Jr.
Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com points out the problems Patriots players drafted out of Florida in 2011 have experienced and wonders if Bill Belichick put too much stock in his friendship with Urban Meyer.
Jets assistant coaches Dennis Thurman and Tim McDonald have enjoyed a long friendship.
A look at the fight for roster spots and playing time in the Ravens backfield.
Will Bengals LB James Harrison outplay Jarvis Jones, his replacement on the Steelers roster, during the 2013 season?
What can the Browns do to cut down on QB Brandon Weeden getting passes knocked down at the line?
Age won?t be a problem for the Steelers defensive backs, according to the Steelers defensive backs.
Texans DE J.J. Watt got to know about helicopters during his visit to Afghanistan.
Previewing Year Two for Colts QB Andrew Luck.
Jaguars K Josh Scobee taught Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com about the technique needed to be a placekicker.
A video look at the progress made by Titans QB Jake Locker.
The Broncos are trying to keep expectations from going to anyone?s head.
An offseason with coach Andy Reid has left Chiefs QB Chase Daniel confident about the year to come.
Said Raiders RB Darren McFadden, ?Things are going very well with the offensive line. As far as the blitz pick up, the calls the offensive line is making. I feel like we?re meshing very well.?
CB Steve Williams could make an immediate impact in the Chargers secondary.
Ten things to know about Cowboys DB Will Allen.
Giants DT Marvin Austin has been playing the drums with children as part of a program called School of Rock.
A newly released biography tries to paint a picture of Eagles coach Chip Kelly.
Taking stock of the left defensive end spot for the Redskins.
Bears QB Jay Cutler is turning the clock back to the 80s for a fundraiser.
QB Thaddeus Lewis is confident about his chances of making the Lions.
Packers TE D.J. Williams likes to both work hard and play hard.
How much does it matter where on the depth chart the Vikings place DT Sharrif Floyd?
Osi Umenyiora thinks the younger Falcons defensive ends are developing quickly.
Undrafted rookie S Robert Lester hopes to make a mark with the Panthers.
Contrary to an internet report, Saints QB Drew Brees didn?t break his legs in a car accident.
Buccaneers rookies have spent time with local members of the military recently.
The Cardinals say they are reloading rather than rebuilding.
The Rams opened the NFL?s first Youth Training Academy.
Achilles injuries are piling up for the 49ers.
Looking back at general managers through the years for the Seahawks.
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Wing walker, pilot die in crash at Ohio air show
CINCINNATI (AP) ? A plane carrying a wing walker crashed Saturday at an air show and exploded into flames, killing the pilot and stunt walker instantly, authorities said.
The crash happened at around 12:45 p.m. at the Vectren Air Show at Dayton International Airport. No spectators were hurt.
A video posted on WHIO-TV shows the plane turn upside-down as the performer sits on top of the wing. The plane then tilts and crashes to the ground, exploding into flames as spectators screamed.
Ian Hoyt, 20, an aviation photographer and licensed pilot from Findlay, was at the show with his girlfriend. He told The Associated Press he was taking photos as the plane passed by and had just raised his camera to take another shot.
"Then I realized they were too low and too slow. And before I knew it, they hit the ground," he said.
He couldn't tell exactly what happened, but it appeared that the plane stalled and didn't have enough air speed, he said.
"I'm still shaking," Hoyt said. He said he had been excited to see the show because he'd never seen the scheduled performer ? wing walker Jane Wicker ? in action.
The names of those killed weren't immediately released, but a schedule on the event's website and the announcer at the show said Wicker was performing.
Airport spokeswoman Linda Hughes and Ohio State Highway Patrol Lt. Anne Ralston confirmed the deaths to the AP.
The show was canceled for the rest of the day, but organizers said events would resume Sunday. The National Transportation Safety Board said it is investigating the crash.
Another spectator, Shawn Warwick of New Knoxville, told the Dayton Daily News that he was watching the flight through binoculars.
"I noticed it was upside-down really close to the ground. She was sitting on the bottom of the plane," he said. "I saw it just go right into the ground and explode."
Wicker's website says she responded to a classified ad from the Flying Circus Airshow in Bealeton, Va., in 1990, for a wing-walking position, thinking it would be fun. Her full-time job was as a budget analyst for the Federal Aviation Administration, according to her website.
She told WDTN-TV in an interview this week that her signature move was hanging underneath the plane's wing by her feet and sitting on the bottom of the airplane while it's upside-down.
"I'm never nervous or scared because I know if I do everything as I usually do, everything's going to be just fine," she told the station.
Wicker wrote on her website that she had never had any close calls.
"What you see us do out there is after an enormous amount of practice and fine tuning, not to mention the airplane goes through microscopic care. It is a managed risk and that is what keeps us alive," she wrote.
In 2007, veteran stunt pilot Jim LeRoy was killed at the Dayton show when his biplane slammed into the runway while performing loop-to-loops and caught fire.
Organizers were presenting a trimmed-down show and expected smaller crowds at Dayton after the Air Force Thunderbirds and other military participants pulled out this year because of federal budget cuts.
The air show, one of the country's oldest, usually draws around 70,000 people and has a $3.2 million impact on the local economy. Without military aircraft and support, the show expected attendance to be off 30 percent or more.
___
Thomas reported from Philadelphia.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wing-walker-pilot-die-crash-ohio-air-show-191655523.html
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Video: Get to know the Sons of Ben
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Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/21134540/vp/52279846#52279846
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PFT: RGIII changing directions without complications
APCoaches always will be tempted to take risks when the reward is winning.? Successful coaches find themselves having far greater license to do it.
For Patriots coach Bill Belichick, three Super Bowl wins in four years and the ongoing presence of one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history have empowered him to take chances.? After all, Belichick isn?t and for the foreseeable future won?t be on the hot seat.
And if he?d ever get fired by the Patriots, someone else would be willing to hire him immediately.
Hints of a greater willingness to embrace risk came in 2007, with the drafting of safety Brandon Meriweather in round one, and the trade that brought receiver Randy Moss to New England from Oakland.? Meriweather kicked an opponent in the head during an on-field fight at the University of Miami, and Moss?s tombstone will (or at least should) read, ?I played when I wanted to play.?
The habit accelerated in 2010, with the two-tight-end dice-roll on Rob Gronkowski (round two; back problems) and Aaron Hernandez (round four; failed drug tests).? Both looked great through their first two seasons.
In 2011, Belichick took risk-taking to a higher level, using a third-round pick on much-maligned quarterback Ryan Mallett and then, after the lockout, sending mid-round picks to the Redskins and Bengals, respectively, for defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth and receiver Chad Ochocinco.? That same year, the Pats spent a fifth-round pick on Marcus Cannon, an offensive lineman who was diagnosed with cancer in the weeks preceding the draft.
In 2012, a seventh-round flier was taken on cornerback Alfonzo Dennard, who was charged with assaulting a police officer only days before the draft.? During the 2012 season, Belichick traded for cornerback Aqib Talib, a former first-rounder who had more than a few off-field predicaments in Tampa.
Then came the unexpected (but in hindsight brilliant) waiver claim on tight end Jake Ballard (ACL) and, most recently, a trade for running back LeGarrette Blount and the decision to bring Tebowmania to town.
It?s not that Belichick is harboring reputed bad guys.? Instead, he?s generally buying low ? whether due to injures, health problems, off-field issues, or perceived distractions from a nationwide army of fanatics and the overly zealous media horde trying to serve them.
In some cases, Belichick?s willingness to take risks has worked.? In other cases, it hasn?t.? For some players, it worked initially but then went the other way.
Regardless, Belichick has opted to take risks because he?s far more focused on cementing a legacy than keeping his job.? While it has yet to deliver a fourth Super Bowl win, there?s no reason to change, because he won?t be on the hot seat any time soon, if ever.
Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/06/21/rg3-changing-directions-no-complications/related/
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Saturday, June 22, 2013
10 States That are Maxxed Out on Credit Cards - Mint
Even if you make your payments on time every month, you can still damage your credit score in a major way by using too much of the credit available to you.
The credit utilization ratio, a measure of your total revolving credit balance divided by your total revolving credit limits, makes up roughly 30% of your credit score, which means it?s no small part of what lenders look at when considering what interest rate and terms to give you on your mortgage, car loan or other credit cards.
If you want to see where your utilization stands in comparison to the national averages, you can use the free Credit Report Card.
We decided to use data from the Experian-Oliver Wyman Market Intelligence Reports and Experian?s IntelliView tool to examine which parts of the U.S. are closest to their credit limits.
[Related Article: Can you Really Get Your Credit Score for Free?]
We took the average bankcard balance per consumer in each state and divided it by the average bankcard limit in each state for the first quarter of 2013, the most recent data available.
To be fair, these states aren?t maxxed out on their credit cards, but they may be doing damage to their scores nevertheless.
?In most scoring models, the credit utilization ratio represents approximately 30% of your credit score. That makes it a critical issue, but most people aren?t exactly clear as to what it is,? says Credit.com Co-Founder and Chairman Adam Levin.
He adds, ?Though there isn?t an exact code, the rule of thumb is that consumers who use less than 10% of their available credit tend to be those with the highest credit scores.?
All 50 states had a credit utilization ratio that was above the recommended 10% or less, and the states with the highest ratios all fell between the 20% and 30% range, meaning many residents may be damaging their credit by putting too much on their plastic.
[Related Article: 7 Money Habits That Can Make or Break You]
Alan Ikemura, Senior Product Manager of Experian Decision Sciences, says the good news is that bankcard utilization ratios are generally on the decline.
?We?re actually seeing the utilization ratio going down overall,? he says. ?Except for the deep subprime groups, which had an average utilization ratio of 80.9% in 2012 and 81.7% in 2013.?
It?s not uncommon for subprime groups to have high utilization ratios, Ikemura says.
Many of these groups are close to being tapped out on their credit lines, which is a signal to lenders that they are a riskier borrower than those with lower utilization ratios.
[Related Article: How to Pay Off a Mountain of Credit Card Debt]
Here are the top 10 states with the highest bankcard utilization ratios.
10. Louisiana
Average Balance: $3,503
Average Limit: $16,257
Average Utilization: 21.55%
Louisiana comes in last on our list, with a decently low average balance per consumer. The Bayou state could benefit from asking their credit card issuers to up their limits though ? a tactic that can lower your utilization without forcing you to cut spending.
9. Texas
Average Balance: $4,072
Average Limit: $18,857
Average Utilization: 21.59%
The saying goes that ?everything?s bigger in Texas? and that must be true of the state?s credit cards too, as the Lone Star state has the highest average limit of all of the states on our list. The high credit limit doesn?t mean that Texans aren?t spending though, as they also have the third highest balance.
8. South Carolina
Average Balance: $3,786
Average Limit: $17,351
Average Utilization: 21.82%
7. Oklahoma
Average Balance: $3,579
Average Limit: $16,396
Average Utilization: 21.83%
6. Arkansas
Average Balance: $3,469
Average Limit: $15,751
Average Utilization: 22.02%
Arkansas takes the prize for lowest average balance of any state that made our list. Perhaps residents of the Natural state could use a new credit card, which can add to their overall limit and decrease their utilization ratio.
5. Nevada
Average Balance: $3,999
Average Limit: $18,047
Average Utilization: 22.16%
4. Alabama
Average Balance: $3,618
Average Limit: $16,085
Average Utilization: 22.49%
3. Georgia
Average Balance: $4,246
Average Limit: $18,520
Average Utilization: 22.93%
Though Texas took the highest average limit of all the states on our list, Georgia wasn?t far behind. The state could try to skim more money off their monthly expenses to cut their utilization ratio.
2. Mississippi
Average Balance: $3,384
Average Limit: $14,644
Average Utilization: 23.11%
Though this state comes in second in our rankings, its residents aren?t charging more dollars, on average, than any other state on our list. The high utilization ratio in Mississippi is due primarily to the fact that its average limit per consumer is very low.
1. Alaska
Average Balance: $4,563
Average Limit: $16,453
Average Utilization: 27.73%
While all of the other states in our rankings stayed below a 25% utilization ratio, Alaska broke that barrier.
This should come as no surprise to those who pay attention to Alaskans? personal finances. The 49th state has recently topped lists of the highest credit card balances and highest revolving account debt.
Note: The U.S. territories were excluded from this ranking.
Source: http://www.mint.com/blog/credit/10-states-that-are-maxxed-out-on-credit-cards-0613/
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