Roads, rail top targets as government seeks economy boost through infrastructure

By William James

LONDON (Reuters) - The government promised on Thursday to upgrade roads and carry out what it said was the biggest rail investment in more than 100 years in a strategy to get the economy growing while keeping spending tight.

A day after Chancellor George Osborne announced the latest round of budget cuts, his deputy, Danny Alexander, detailed 100 billion pounds in capital investment plans, calling them "the most comprehensive, ambitious and long-lasting" ever.

Britain's economy is still struggling to generate growth to help narrow one of Europe's biggest budget deficits. Living standards suffered their biggest drop in a generation at the start of 2013, data showed on Thursday.

Alexander said 28 billion pounds would be spent by the government on improving roads from 2014 to 2020 - including enough cash to resurface 21,000 miles - and that it would support 30 billion pounds in rail investments.

A long-awaited announcement of a guaranteed electricity price for renewable energy investors was aimed at making investments in technologies such as wind power and biomass more attractive and less risky to private operators.

The government also announced a guarantee to help build a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point in the south-west of England, for which French utility group EDF won planning permission in March.

The overall spending plan put some flesh on the bones of 300 billion pounds in capital spending commitments set out until 2020. Thursday's announcement was not a new injection of cash; the significance was in the details of where it would be spent.

The Conservative party, which dominates the ruling coalition, wants to persuade voters it is not just focused on spending cuts as it prepares for the 2015 general election. Its tough austerity drive has been criticised by the International Monetary Fund while two of the three main credit rating agencies have downgraded Britain's prized triple-A status.

Leading economic think-tank the Institute for Fiscal Studies said the capital spending plans showed net public sector investment falling as a percentage of gross domestic product, from 1.6 percent in 2014/15 to 1.5 percent in 2015/16 and dropping further thereafter.

"We are hardly entering a new era of massive infrastructure investment," said IFS Director Paul Johnson.

The government's plans also accounted for 15 billion pounds income from the sale of assets such as its portfolio of student loans as well as unused land and property.

PRIVATE INVESTMENT

Much of Thursday's announcement was aimed at drawing in private sector investment, a key tenet of Conservative plans to get maximum economic benefit out of scarce public cash.

But it did not clear up doubts about how quickly Britain could start to get new projects up and running.

"The construction industry and the broader economy will be disappointed in today's announcement as we will only see an economic boost when the shovels hit the ground on these projects," said Nick Prior, head of infrastructure at business advisory firm Deloitte.

The opposition Labour party, which has called for more short-term spending to revive the economy but has been wary about committing itself to increased borrowing, said no investment had been brought forward to 2013 or 2014.

"When is the government going to pull its finger out and actually start to build some of these things?" said Chris Leslie, a Labour spokesman for economic issues.

The government also promised an injection of 3 billion pounds into building new affordable housing - enough, it said, for 165,000 new homes - along with a 12-year rent guarantee to encourage private housing associations to build new projects.

Alexander said 16 billion pounds from 2015 onwards had been earmarked for rail expenditure, including the government's flagship high-speed rail project, designed to improve links between London, the Midlands and the north of the country.

On Wednesday, Britain's transport secretary said the cost of the rail project had risen by almost 10 billion pounds, highlighting the pitfalls of long-term capital projects.

(Additional reporting by William Schomberg and Rosalba O'Brien Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/government-pledges-invest-roads-boost-power-101016515.html

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Aaron Swartz has been posthumously inducted into the Internet Society's Hall Of Fame this year.

Aaron Swartz has been posthumously inducted into the Internet Society's Hall Of Fame this year. You can read a full list of new members here.

Source: http://gizmodo.com/aaron-swartz-has-been-posthumously-inducted-into-the-in-595063128

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BlackBerry launches Secure Work Space platform on Android

A secure area to keep all enterprise apps, data and communication safe without a VPN

Following up on its goal to have the products released by the end of June, BlackBerry has just put its Secure Work Space apps into the Play Store. The pair of apps -- "Secure Work Space for BES10" and "Work Space Manager for BES10" -- together let enterprise network administrators control corporate data on users devices and keep it safe. The app provides an alternative launcher that gives access to a completely sandboxed set of enterprise apps such as email, calendar, contacts and a secure browser. These apps and their associated data can be controlled by the BlackBerry Enterprise Service (BES) administrator just like any other BlackBerry can, which is a huge step in the right direction for BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) programs.

Although they won't do you much good until your company has set up your device (and its back-end) to use the service, both of the apps are now showing as available for download in the Play Store. Now is the time to go talk to IT at your place of work to see if they can get you set up.

More: BlackBerry

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/Dy2xYi4-3G8/story01.htm

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Congress Not Likely To Pass Sweeping Climate Legislation

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Source: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=195272190&ft=1&f=1007

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Brother iPrint&Scan (for iPhone)

Brother iPrint&Scan (for iPhone) lets users of Brother WiFi printers and MFPs print photos, documents, and Web pages from their iOS mobile devices, and scan documents and photos to them as well. This free app worked smoothly in my testing, and is worth downloading by any iPhone (or iPad, or iPod touch) user who has occasion to print to a Brother wireless printer.

I tested Brother iPrint&Scan on an iPhone 5. I also used it with an iPad 2; although the layout was a little different on the iPad, its features, functions, and performance were basically the same.

For the app to print, your iPhone needs to be on the same WiFi network as your Brother printer. To confirm this, or select a printer, open a document (say, a photo), and in the preview you'll see a gear icon that will take you to Print Settings. From there, you can select a printer (if one isn't already chosen).

Brother iPrint&Scan has two main sections?Print, and Scan?that you can toggle between with buttons on the bottom bar. When you go to Print, you see a vertical menu with 5 sections: Photo Albums; Documents; Web Page; Clipboard; and Camera.

Print Functions
You can print any photo in your iPhone's photo albums. Print settings with 3 MFPs from the Brother MFC-9000 series were limited to Paper Size (letter, A4, and legal), Copies, and Printer. Pictures printed out full size on letter-size paper, which generally was pleasing, though some lower-res images were stretched to fit the page, with a notable degradation in quality. (You can't print to a smaller?say, 4-by-6?image size on letter-sized paper.)

Under the Documents tab, the app provides 3 document printing options: iCloud; iTunes File Sharing, and Print History from Other Apps. If you scan to iCloud from this app, the documents will remain accessible for you to print from the cloud as well. You can transfer files from your computer through iTunes File Sharing to a folder for later retrieval and printout. You can print Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files up to 10MB or 20 pages.

Unlike some print apps such as Epson iPrint 2.0 (for iPhone) , there are no dedicated menu items that let you print documents or photos directly from cloud-based services such as DropBox and Evernote, you can open the service's iPhone app, locate and open the document, and if it has an option to Print from Brother iPrint&Scan, you can do so. The document will then remain accessible in Print History from Other Apps.

Touching the Web Page tab opens a browser set to the Google homepage within the app. You can conduct searches or enter URLs, and then preview and print out the pages you wish to. From a Bookmark icon at the bottom bar of the browser, you can access your History, which includes documents you've opened as well as Web pages. You can also add bookmarks, which appear as loose items below your History folder.

I tried to open the Web page for my DropBox account in iPrint&Scan to print from there, but although I could access DropBox documents this way, they would not preview or print. I was able to print from the DropBox iPhone app by opening a document and choosing iPrint&Scan from the printing choices.

With Clipboard, you can access and print out the most recent text or image you've copied. With Camera, you can snap a photo with your iPhone's camera and instantly print it.

Scanning
With scanning, you can choose the Brother MFP to use, the scan type?Color, Color (Fast), and Black & White?and the document size, in 6 sizes ranging from 2.4 by 3.5 inches up to legal. After you scan a document, you have choices as to what to do with it: Save to Photo Albums; Email as JPEG; Email as PDF; Save to iCloud as JPEG; Save to iCloud as PDF; or Open Using Another App. These are a good selection of scanning choices, similar to those offered with Samsung Mobile Print (for iPhone) . Some manufacturers' printing apps, such as Lexmark Mobile Printing (for iPhone), lack the ability to scan altogether.

At the top right of the main menu's screen is an information (i) button. This gives you the usual "About" information, as well as a link to the Solutions page on Brother's Web site from which you can select your printer model, and access an FAQ on the app (there are also versions for Android and Windows Phone). That said, this process takes you out of the app, and there's no built-in Help feature.

Brother iPrint&Scan (for iPhone) is a useful free app for users of Brother WiFi printers and MFPs. It offers printing from, and scanning to, iOS mobile devices; printing of Web pages and clipboard text; the ability to print documents uploaded from a computer to iCloud, and to print from cloud apps such as DropBox and Evernote (though you can't open these apps directly from within iPrint&Scan).

Though Brother iPrint&Scan's print functions are basic (similar to AirPrint), it provides a nice set of scanning choices. Though the app lacks a built-in Help feature, it does provide a link to Brother's Solution's page, from which you can access the Help page for your printer and an FAQ for the app. It's well worth downloading by any iPhone user who uses a Brother printer or MFP.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/FgfGc6BuNPo/0,2817,2420968,00.asp

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Rumors swirl as Kate Middleton heads into royal baby seclusion

Kate Middleton last solo public appearance before the birth of her royal baby was Thursday. Speculation about the baby's name and Kate's plans for delivery are running rampant.

By Belinda Goldsmith,?Reuters / June 15, 2013

Kate Middleton, formally known as Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, shares a joke with her husband, Prince William (r.), and his brother, Prince Harry, after the Trooping the Colour ceremony yesterday. William and Harry wore their military uniforms for the event while Kate wore an impeccably tailored coat over her baby bump. The royal baby is due next month.

Paul Hacket / Reuters

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Speculation about baby names, hair color, and hypnosis swirled around Kate Middleton, Britain's Duchess of?Cambridge, during her last solo public appearance before she gives birth to a royal heir.

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British glossy magazine?Grazia?reported the duchess has considered using hypno-birth for a delivery expected next month. In hypno-birthing, women use a form of self-hypnosis to control pain by learning techniques to boost production of pain-relieving hormones.

Bookmakers said bets favored the duchess joining the growing band of women dubbed "too posh to push" by opting for a c-section rather than a natural birth.

The royal family has declined to give any details on plans for the first child of?Prince?William?and?Kate Middleton, 31, who have been officially known as the Duke and Duchess of?Cambridge?since their marriage in April 2011.

A royal spokeswoman said she was aware of rising speculation about the birth but declined to confirm or deny any details for the baby who will be the third in line to the British throne after?Prince?Charles and his oldest son?William.

"This is a happy occasion and there is lot of speculation about what the duchess might and might not do but this really is a private matter," the spokeswoman said.

Royal watchers expect the baby to be born at?St Mary's Hospital?in central?London?where Princess?Dianagave birth to?William, who turns 31 next week, and his brother?Prince?Harry.

The duchess was under scrutiny for any hints about the baby during her last solo public engagement on Thursday when she launched Princess Cruises' new 3,600-passenger vessel?Royal Princess?inSouthampton?on England's south coast.

BABY TALK

Wearing a black hat and Dalmatian print coat, the duchess was careful to give nothing away after a slip in March when she accepted a teddy saying: "Thank you, I'll take this for my d.."

Rupert Adams?from bookmaker?William?Hill?said this dropped "d" led to such wide speculation that the baby was a girl that it suspended all bets on gender just weeks later while rival bookmaker Paddy Power paid out on bets that it was girl.

Bets on names have continued to roll in with Alexandra the clear favorite followed by?Diana, after?PrinceWilliam's mother who died in a car crash in 1997, and then?Elizabeth.

Alexandra has a history in the royal family with Princess Alexandra, 76, a cousin of Queen?Elizabeth?and Queen Victoria's son?Edward VII?married to Alexandra of?Denmark?in 1863.

The favorite boy's name is George and the favored date for the birth is July 17.

"We are seeing lots of small bets from over 100 countries. The Aussies and Canadians particularly love this," said Adams.

Rory Scott from Paddy Power said people were also putting money on more obscure bets, such as the baby's future career, university, and hair color with brown favored over ginger.

"You combine the royal family with betting and you have two of the favorite pastimes in Britain," Scott said.

Both bookmakers found gamblers expected the duchess to opt for a caesarian instead of natural birth with one in four babies now delivered this way in the UK, up from 12 percent in 1990.

The focus on how the duchess gives birth has drawn her, unwittingly, into the complex web of childbirth politics where campaigners of different birthing methods battle for supremacy.

The Blissful Birth website which deals with hypno-birthing said a number of hypno-birthing practitioners have "spun" speculation about the duchess using hypno-birthing into suggestions that she was considering their particular approach.

But the website's founder?Heidi Woodgate, urged these practitioners to stop the race for recognition.

"Quite frankly, whether my customers are royalty, celebrities or normal everyday women, the focus should be on their birth story, not the particular hypno-birthing programme they used," Woodgate wrote in a blog on the website.

(Editing by Paul Casciato)

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/TzPLTq5pEJY/Rumors-swirl-as-Kate-Middleton-heads-into-royal-baby-seclusion

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What we learned when we sent a female reporter shopping for a ...

• 

With all the latest political controversy and looming legislation over gun ownership and Second Amendment rights, it is no wonder many Americans are making the important decision to invest in a gun.? In fact, there have been 72,005,482 background checks for gun purchases since President Barack Obama took office in 2008, according to FBI data.

The Daily Caller decided to send this reporter to gun stores in the D.C.-Metro area to document purchasing a handgun? from a female?s perspective, recording what recommendations I received and why, as well as how I was treated.

My proposal was simple: I am a young female looking for a handgun for home defense, with the ability to be used for concealed carry down the road, and willing to spend $500 to $600.

There were a few things every gun store recommended. First, each gun store discussed the basic factors one should consider when purchasing a handgun: functionality, reliability, ease of use and weight.? Based upon these factors, the recommendation by every gun store for a weapon compatible for both home defense and concealed carry was 9mm caliber handguns.? The overall consensus was that 9mm handguns are superior for personal defense because there is less recoil, they allow for accurate follow-up shots and the ammunition is equal to the effectiveness of that of a .45 or .40 caliber pistol.? It is also a compact pistol, so it is easily able to be used for concealed carry.

Additionally, the larger the gun, the more velocity of the round.? This equates to a more deadly projectile and that is particularly important for home defense purposes.

As you would expect with a larger gun, the magazine holds more ammunition ? usually between 10 and 18 rounds ? as compared to a .380, which while easier to conceal, typically holds fewer rounds.? As one employee stated to me, ?For home defense purposes, it?s not worth it.? It?s a gun you buy in order to scare people, but unless you have just the right shot, it will not be deadly.?

Put another way, an employee urged me to consider my end game.

?It?s all about your end game. If your end game is to conceal carry, go smaller to begin with it. Otherwise, you?ll end up buying two,? an employee at Nova Armament, LLC. advised.

Gun Store Experience

The more gun stores I went to, the more I noticed a pattern beginning to develop: the employees that were truly customer-oriented would take me through a similar process when showing me handguns.? First, they would have me grip the gun so I could see how it fit with my hand, as well as try to ascertain how secure my grip was.? A gun for the purposes of home or personal defense will be used in high-stress situations and it is crucial that you are able to quickly, securely and comfortably grip the handgun.? Secondly, they would see how I handled the slide-spring stiffness.? This is obviously critical in the operation of a handgun, so it is important that one feels comfortable with the effort needed to exert to cycle the slide of the handgun.? Additionally, particularly with many 9mm pistols, the size of the slides is relatively small and so there is less gripping area.? This is something to consider especially if you have larger hands.

All of these are simple actions you can take within a gun store when deciding which handgun is best for you.? One store I went to did not even bother to have me go through these routines though, so it is important you are proactive or chose another gun store.

The frequent suggestion was to keep things simple ? choose a gun that is simple to operate and maintain.

?For home defense, it?s about rack and bang. Keep it simple.?

The Recommended Guns

Glocks were the most frequent recommendation ? particularly Glock 17, 19 and 26 models.? They are all 9mm and marketed as purpose built, highly reliable and accurate guns.? Employees tout the fact that the pistols have been put through a range of torture tests and remain unaffected.? They are also low maintenance and do not require frequent cleanings.? The Glock 17, 19, and 26 have magazine capacities of 17, 15 and 10 rounds, respectively.? For any of these three models of Glocks, the price ranged from $525 to $599.

One store recommended the Walther PPQ M2 (Police Pistol Quick Defense) 9mm or Walther PPS (Police Pistol Slim) 9mm over the Glock models.? I am a petite female, so these two guns were specifically recommended to me because they are slightly smaller, slimmer and weigh less than most Glock models.? The suggestion was that for concealed carry ? especially in a holster ? it would be less bulky.? The features specifically touted to me about these Walther models were an ambidextrous magazine release button and the three-dot combat sights.? The PPQ model comes with a magazine that holds 15 rounds, while the PPS model can only hold magazines of 6, 7 or 8 rounds.? The PPS model offers considerably less rounds than the Glock models, but is easier to conceal.? The price ranged from $599 to $699 for these two models.

As an alternative to the Glock, multiple stores showed me the Smith & Wesson M&P9.? This gun holds 17 rounds and has a longer sight radius than the Glock 19.? It is also marketed as simple to operate and maintain.? But overall, if asked to compare to the Glock models, most employees use the old adage, ?It?s Chevy versus Ford.?? I was advised that it really boils down to the grip and which gun I felt more comfortable with.

The Ruger LC9-LM received an honorable mention from one store.? If your end game is concealed carry, it is a perfect size and can easily be carried in a holster or purse.? It has a magazine capacity of 7, plus one in the chamber.? And its biggest feature is a laser sight, which makes it that much easier to accurately shoot with, particularly if you are a beginner.? Its worth noting that the Glock and Walther models offer accessory rails, so mounting a flashlight or laser is a future possibility with those guns as well.? The Ruger LC9 runs for about $515.

Additional Takeaways

Whether the gun will be used for home defense or concealed carry, every store recommended that I invest in hollow-point bullets.? These bullets expand as they penetrate a target, thus maximizing tissue damage while decreasing collateral damage.? They are expensive, so it is not advisable to use frequently at the range.? Instead, one expert suggested you have at least one magazine always loaded with these bullets and that is your designated defense magazine.? Keeping magazines loaded will not cause any harm to the springs, as it is frequent decompression ? unloading and loading ? that causes wear and tear to magazines.? Most guns come with a minimum of two magazines, but it is often recommended that one invests in multiple magazines and designate them for either training or defense purposes.? Finally, another piece of advice to consider is that the commonality of your handgun is going to work in your favor, particularly for service and accessories.

Making the decision to purchase a gun is the first step in a long but rewarding process.? It is both an important and expensive investment, so it is well worth your time to visit a few gun stores, do your own research, compare prices and visit a range before making that final purchase.? Particularly if you are a female, most gun stores will be very accommodating and helpful in explaining guns and answering questions.? When recommending local gun ranges, one store even went as far as to advise me what ranges had better reputations for treating females more professionally!? And though a trip to the range can be expensive, especially with the current ammunition shortages, it is better to spend the money at the range than purchasing an incompatible handgun.? Gun stores are overwhelming not inclined to pressure you into making any immediate purchase ? in fact, quite the opposite, as I was consistently advised to weigh my options, test out the guns at a range and return with any questions or when I was ready to make a purchase. This is a device that may ultimately save your life, so choose wisely and take your time.

Editor?s note: I was surprised that not one revolver was mentioned as an option for home-defense. The .38 Special was typically the recommendation for a first gun but Jessica wasn?t presented with that option.

Follow Jessica on Twitter

Source: http://dailycaller.com/2013/06/15/what-we-learned-when-we-sent-a-female-reporter-shopping-for-a-home-defense-handgun/

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Clinton to focus on children's, economic issues

CHICAGO (AP) ? Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Thursday she will focus much of her attention on issues promoting early childhood development, women and children and economic issues as part of the foundation created by her husband, former President Bill Clinton.

The former first lady and potential 2016 White House contender offered her most extensive description of her post-Obama administration agenda since leaving her role as the nation's top diplomat. Clinton walked out to applause on stage at a Clinton Global Initiative America meeting in Chicago, calling the Clinton Foundation "my home" for several new public policy initiatives close to her heart.

"What I think we have to be about is working together, overcoming the lines that divide us, this partisan, cultural, geographic (divide)," Clinton said. "Building on what we know works, we can take on any challenge we confront."

Clinton's speech at the start of a two-day conference touched on themes that could be part of a future Democratic presidential campaign, with the former New York senator stressing the need for private and public partnerships to tackle issues like economic and educational inequality.

"This can't just be a conversation about Washington. We all need to do our part," Clinton said. The foundation has recently been renamed the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation to reflect the family's full involvement in projects around the globe.

Clinton noted that she had visited 112 nations as President Barack Obama's secretary of state ? "I'm still jet-lagged," she joked ? and had learned several lessons during her travels around the world. Regardless of someone's circumstances or homeland, "what people wanted was a good job," she said. She also pointed to efforts in rural West Virginia to boost education and overcome poverty, saying economic inequality was "not limited to one county in West Virginia."

"There are too many places in our own country where community institutions are crumbling, social and public health indicators are cratering and jobs are coming apart and communities face the consequences," she said.

As secretary of state, Clinton promoted a number of initiatives to improve the standing of women and girls in developing nations and she said that focus would continue, both in the United States and abroad. Clinton also described efforts to bolster early childhood opportunities around the nation, a subject that Obama has pushed this year.

The former president said he was glad his spouse was joining him at the foundation "with her own priorities and projects." Clinton said he learned everything about non-governmental organization work from his spouse, who worked early in her career with the Children's Defense Fund and was active on a number of educational and health initiatives as first lady of Arkansas.

___

Clinton Global Initiative America 2013: http://www.cgiamerica.org/

___

Follow Ken Thomas at http://www.twitter.com/AP_Ken_Thomas

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/clinton-focus-childrens-economic-issues-155453354.html

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