Sunday, June 23, 2013

By meeting privacy board, Obama seeks to reassure public on spying

By Steve Holland

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - By meeting a privacy oversight board on Friday, President Barack Obama sought to reassure Americans worried about losing their privacy after revelations that the U.S. government engaged in a vast monitoring of phone and Internet data.

In the White House Situation Room, Obama met with members of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board for about an hour.

"He committed to providing them with access to all the materials they would need to fulfill their oversight and advisory functions," said a White House official.

The meeting was described by the official as a candid conversation about the dual imperatives of safeguarding U.S. national security and protecting the privacy and civil liberties of American citizens.

The five-person independent agency that has been largely dormant since 2008 and held its first full-fledged meeting on Wednesday after the Senate confirmed David Medine as its chairman last month.

Obama is scrambling to show Americans he has credibility on the issue after coming under fire for the scope of surveillance conducted by the National Security Agency, which was revealed in a series of disclosures by former government contractor Edward Snowden.

The watchdog board's purpose is to review actions the government takes to protect national security, while balancing those steps with the need to protect privacy and civil liberties.

Obama, in an interview with PBS anchor Charlie Rose broadcast on Monday, strongly defended the surveillance program as necessary to protect against the possibility of attacks, but said he wanted to ensure Americans retained their right to privacy.

His approval rating has dropped in some opinion polls, with the fallout over the surveillance program cited as a reason.

Privacy advocates have argued the surveillance activities infringe on Americans' civil liberties, and say the oversight is insufficient.

The Obama administration and high-profile lawmakers have defended the program as a vital national security tool that is vigorously overseen by the administration, Congress and a special court.

'FURTHER QUESTIONS WARRANTED'

Medine told Reuters on Wednesday the board was aiming to hold a public event around July 9 to get legal insight from experts, academics and advocates.

"Based on what we've learned so far, the board believes further questions are warranted," said Medine, who previously was a partner at the law firm WilmerHale and served as an associate director at the Federal Trade Commission.

The White House announced steps to try to reveal more information about steps taken by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, the secretive court that oversees requests for surveillance warrants against suspected foreign threats inside the United States.

At Obama's direction, his homeland security adviser, Lisa Monaco, asked the director of national intelligence on Thursday to review FISA court opinions and filings relevant to the NSA programs and determine what additional information the government could reveal about them.

The effort "builds on the administration's ongoing effort to declassify a significant amount of information regarding these programs," the White House said in a statement.

(Additional reporting by Alina Selyukh; Editing by Peter Cooney and Eric Walsh)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-meet-privacy-oversight-board-try-reassure-public-100155723.html

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Life after Kinect: PrimeSense's plans for a post-Microsoft future

Life after Kinect PrimeSense's plans for a postMicrosoft future

When PrimeSense founder Aviad Maizels put a prototype of a 3D sensor on a chip in front of Microsoft in 2006, he had no idea it would lead to the biggest turning point in the Israeli startup's history. Four years later, its partnership with the Redmond giant resulted in Kinect, the motion-sensing camera that made headlines around the world. In 2013, however, Microsoft unveiled an all-new Kinect, the result of years of entirely in-house development -- without PrimeSense's assistance. As fate would have it, the company returned to its chip-making origins a year ago, creating a new product called Capri, a cheaper, lower-power and tinier version of its 3D system-on-a-chip; so tiny, in fact, that it's designed to be embedded inside tablets, laptops, thin displays and smartphones. With 3D use cases that go far beyond Dance Central, the Capri is the latest sign that PrimeSense is ready to break free from its video game roots.

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Source: Wikipedia, Wikipedia, Openni, Wired UK, PrimeSense, Calcalist (Google Translate)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/21/life-after-kinect-primesense-post-microsoft/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Friday, January 25, 2013

NTSB: 787 probe far from complete

1 hr.

U.S. safety regulators are nowhere near finishing an investigation into a battery fire on the Boeing Co 787 Dreamliner, a top official said on Thursday, raising the prospect of a prolonged grounding for the plane.?

Deborah Hersman, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, made clear that investigators have found a series of "symptoms" in the battery damaged in a Jan.?7 fire in Boston, but not the underlying cause of the problem.?

"We are early in our investigation, we have a lot of activities to undertake," Hersman told a news conference.?

"This is an unprecedented event. We are very concerned. We do not expect to see fire events on board aircraft. This is a very serious air safety concern."?

She rebuffed multiple questions on how long the investigation would take, making clear it could be weeks or more. She also would not say when the 787 would fly again, which is in the hands of the Federal Aviation Administration.?

Boeing and its regulators have said they do not know when the 787 will fly again. It has been grounded worldwide since a plane by All Nippon Airways made an emergency landing in Japan on Jan. 16 after a battery incident, which Hersman said may or may not have been a fire.?

That emergency landing came after a fire occurred on a Japan Airlines Co Ltd 787 on the tarmac in Boston.?

Boeing was not immediately available to comment on the latest NTSB statement. France's Thales, which makes the 787 battery system, declined to comment.?

The NTSB and its Japanese equivalent are working together on their probes, though Hersman again insisted the work was still in the early stages.?

"It is really very hard to tell at this point how long this investigation will take. We have all hands on deck," Hersman said. "We're working as hard as we can to identify what the failure mode is here and what corrective actions need to be taken."?

Series of delays
The 787 program was already years behind schedule before last week's grounding, which means Boeing cannot deliver newly manufactured planes to customers.?

That means customers like United Continental Holdings Inc.?may have to wait even longer for planes on order. The company's United Airlines already flies six Dreamliners.?

"History teaches us that all new aircraft types have issues and the 787 is no different," United Continental Chairman and Chief Executive Jeff Smisek said during the carrier's earnings conference call. "We continue to have confidence in the aircraft and in Boeing's ability to fix the issues, just as they have done on every other new aircraft model they've produced."?

Smisek said Thursday the carrier still expects to take delivery of two more 787s in the second half of the year.?

Boeing has already delivered 50 of the 787s. Around half have been in operation in Japan, but airlines in India, South America, Poland, Qatar and Ethiopia are also flying the planes, as is U.S. carrier United.?

The grounding of the Dreamliner, an advanced carbon-composite plane with a list price of $207 million, has already forced hundreds of flight cancellations worldwide.?

Competition from Airbus
The head of Boeing's European rival Airbus said it would study the 787 Dreamliner design review and make any changes to its future A350 jetliner that may be needed as a result of the U.S. findings.?

"We believe so far we have a robust design, however we will draw the lessons from the 787," Airbus Chief Executive Fabrice Bregier told Reuters Television at the World Economic Forum in Davos.?

"We will look at the recommendations and guidelines of the FAA and if by chance we need to change it we have plenty of time because this aircraft, the 350, will be delivered to our first customers not before the second half of 2014 ? so it is not a challenge and it is not a burden for us."?

Billed as Europe's response to the Dreamliner, the A350 is due to enter service next year using lithium-ion batteries but without the same reliance on electrical systems as the 787, something Airbus says will put less burden on the batteries.?

However, Airbus has so far declined to comment on how it would tackle a battery fire if one did break out on board.?

Additional reporting by Karen Jacobs in Atlanta, Tim Hepher in Paris and Axel Threlfall in Davos.

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/ntsb-787-probe-far-complete-1C8104258

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U.S. to lift ban on women in front-line combat jobs

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military will formally end its ban on women serving in front-line combat roles, officials said on Wednesday, in a move that could open thousands of fighting jobs to female service members for the first time.

The move knocks down another societal barrier in the U.S. armed forces, after the Pentagon in 2011 scrapped its "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military.

U.S. defense officials said the decision to end the ban had been taken by outgoing U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and individual military services would have until 2016 to seek exemptions if they believed any combat roles should remain closed to women.

Panetta is expected to announce the decision formally on Thursday. It will come after 11 years of non-stop war that has seen 84 women killed as a result of hostile action in the unpopular, costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The military services will have until May 15 to submit a plan on how they will comply by 2016.

Women have represented around 2 percent of the U.S. casualties of in Iraq and Afghanistan and some 12 percent - or 300,000 - of those deployed in the war efforts in the past 11 years, in which there were often no clearly defined front lines, and where deadly guerrilla tactics have included roadside bombs that kill and maim indiscriminately.

Women serve in combat roles for the armed forces of a few developed nations, including Canada and Israel, but officials say demand from women for such jobs in NATO nations is very low. In 2010, Britain decided after a review that it would not change rules excluding women from infantry or combat teams.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which filed a suit in November seeking to force the Pentagon to end the ban on women in combat, applauded the planned move, which will overturn a 1994 policy preventing women from serving in small front-line combat units.

The outgoing head of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, Democratic Senator Patty Murray from Washington, and Democratic Senator Carl Levin of Michigan, the head of the Senate Armed Services Committee, also voiced approval.

"This is an historic step for equality and for recognizing the role women have, and will continue to play, in the defense of our nation," Murray said. Levin said it reflected the "reality of 21st century military operations."

'HISTORIC MOMENT'

A plan for implementing the decision will have to be approved by the defense secretary and notified to Congress. The plan will guide how quickly the new combat jobs open up and whether the services will seek exemptions to keep some closed.

Senator Jim Inhofe, a Republican from Oklahoma, questioned the extent to which women would ultimately gain access to front-line combat, saying he doubted there would be a "broad opening."

Michael O'Hanlon, a defense analyst at the Brookings Institution in Washington, noted that integrating women was "a very delicate matter." He called for the Pentagon to take a gradual approach, perhaps starting with special forces.

Former female service members cheered the move.

Anu Bhagwati, a former Marine captain and head of the Service Women's Action Network, said her decision to leave the Marine Corps in 2004 was partly due to the combat exclusion policy.

"I know countless women whose careers have been stunted by combat exclusion in all the branches," said Bhagwati, who called the decision an "historic moment."

"I didn't expect it to come so soon," she said.

The move comes nearly a year after the Pentagon unveiled a policy that opened 14,000 new jobs to women but still prohibited them from serving in infantry, armor and special operations units whose main function was to engage in frontline combat.

For Panetta, it will add to his legacy as a secretary who oversaw the end of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and pushed the process to end discrimination against women.

Asked last year why women who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan conducting security details and house-to-house searches were still being formally barred from combat positions, Pentagon officials said the services wanted to see how they performed in the new positions before opening up further.

(Additional reporting by Eric Johnson in Chicago, Marty Graham in San Diego and David Brunnstrom in Washington; Editing by Sandra Maler and David Brunnstrom)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-lift-ban-women-front-line-combat-jobs-003720946.html

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Apple?s Mac Problem

apple-gallery10_1470400bNews came today that Apple's Mac sales are down 21% year-over-year and 16% for the quarter. While 4.1 million Macs sold in Q1 2013 is nothing to sneeze at, it's still nearly a quarter year-over-year loss, which makes investors nervous.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/4ob8K00-7uo/

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Saturday, January 5, 2013

Bulls Defeat Heat, 96-89: Carlos Boozer Leads Chicago To Rebound Edge Over Miami (VIDEO/PHOTOS)

  • LeBron James,Nate Robinson

    Miami Heat's LeBron James (6) is unable to stop Chicago Bulls' Nate Robinson (2) from scoring two points during the second half of a NBA basketball game in Miami, Friday, Jan. 4, 2013. The Bulls won 96-89. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

  • Carlos Boozer,Chris Bosh, Shane Battier

    Miami Heat players Chris Bosh and Shane Battier (31) chases the ball after they blocked a shot by Chicago Bulls Carlos Boozer (5) during the second half of a NBA basketball game in Miami, Friday, Jan. 4, 2013. The Bulls won 96-89. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

  • Carlos Boozer,Chris Bosh

    Miami Heat player Chris Bosh (1) tries to defend as Chicago Bulls' Carlos Boozer (5) drives to the basketball during the second half of a NBA basketball game in Miami, Friday, Jan. 4, 2013. The Bulls won 96-89. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

  • LeBron James

    Miami Heat player LeBron James reacts after officials ruled he step out of bounds while stealing a Chicago Bulls' ball during the second half of a NBA basketball game in Miami, Friday, Jan. 4, 2013. The Bulls won 96-89. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

  • CARLOS BOOZER

    Chicago Bulls player Carlos Boozer reacts after the Miami Heat were charged with an offensive foul during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Miami, Friday, Jan. 4, 2013. The Bulls won 96-89. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

  • LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Taj Gibson

    MiamI Heat player LeBron James (6) watches as Chris Bosh (1) blocks a shot by Chicago Bulls' Taj Gibson (22) during the second half of a NBA basketball game in Miami, Friday, Jan. 4, 2013. The Bulls won 96-89. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

  • CARLOS BOOZER

    Chicago Bulls' Carlos Boozer looks for a ball during the second half of a NBA basketball game in Miami, Friday, Jan. 4, 2013 against the Miami Heat. The Bulls won 96-89. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

  • LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Taj Gibson

    Miami Heat player LeBron James (6) watches as Chris Bosh (1) blocks a shot by Chicago Bulls' Taj Gibson (22) during the second half of a NBA basketball game in Miami, Friday, Jan. 4, 2013. The Bulls won 96-89. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

  • Dwayne Wade, Luoi Deng

    Miami Heat player Dwyane Wade (3) falls backwards as Chicago Bulls' Luol Deng (9) goes up for two points during the second half of a NBA basketball game in Miami, Friday, Jan. 4, 2013. The Bulls won 96-89. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

  • Carlos Boozer,Chris Bosh

    Chicago Bulls player Carlos and Miami Heat player Chris Bosh battle for a ball during the second half of a NBA basketball game in Miami, Friday, Jan. 4, 2013. The Bulls won 96-89. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

  • LeBron James

    MiamI Heat's LeBron James reacts after the Heat fouled a Chicago Bulls player during the second half of a NBA basketball game in Miami, Friday, Jan. 4, 2013. The Bulls won 96-89. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

  • Nate Robinson

    Chicago Bulls player Nate Robinson (2) celebrates as the Bulls defeat the Miami Heat 96-89 during a NBA basketball game in Miami, Friday, Jan. 4, 2013. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

  • Nate Robinson

    Chicago Bulls player Nate Robinson (2) celebrates as the Bulls defeat the Miami Heat 96-89 during a NBA basketball game in Miami, Friday, Jan. 4, 2013. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

  • CARLOS BOOZER, LEBRON JAMES

    Chicago Bulls' Carlos Booze (5) blocks Miami Heat's LeBron James (6) during the first half of a NBA basketball game in Miami, Friday, Jan. 4, 2013. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

  • Tom Thibodeau

    Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau during the first half of a NBA basketball game in Miami, Friday, Jan. 4, 2013 against the Chicago Bulls. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

  • Jimmy Butler, Dwyane Wade

    Chicago Bulls Jimmy Butler (21) forces Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade (3) to pass the ball during the first half of a NBA basketball game in Miami, Friday, Jan. 4, 2013. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

  • Dwayne Wade

    Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade (3) slams the ball into the basket for two points during the first half of a NBA basketball game in Miami, Friday, Jan. 4, 2013 against the Chicago Bulls. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

  • Udonis Haslem, LeBron James Richard Hamilton

    MiamI Heat players Udonis Haslem ((40) and LeBron James (6) block Chicago Bulls' Richard Hamilton (32) during the first half of a NBA basketball game in Miami, Friday, Jan. 4, 2013. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

  • LeBron James, Luoi Deng, Carlos Boozer

    Miami Heat's LeBron James (6) along with Chicago Bulls players Carlos Boozer (5) and Luoi Deng (9) watch as James scores two points during the first half of a NBA basketball game in Miami, Friday, Jan. 4, 2013. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

  • Carlos Boozer, LeBron James, Jimmy Butler

    Chicago Bulls players Jimmy Butler (21) and Carlos Boozer (5) try to block Miami Heat's LeBron James (6) during the first half of a NBA basketball game in Miami, Friday, Jan. 4, 2013. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

  • Erik Spoelstra

    Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra yells instructions to his team during the first half of a NBA basketball game in Miami, Friday, Jan. 4, 2013 against the Chicago Bulls. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

  • LeBron James, Luoi Deng, Carlos Boozer

    Miami Heat's LeBron James (6) slides in between Chicago Bulls players Carlos Boozer (5) and Luoi Deng (9) for a two point shot during the first half of a NBA basketball game in Miami, Friday, Jan. 4, 2013. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

  • Joakim Noah, Chris Bosh

    Chicago Bulls' Joakim Noah (13) applies pressure as Miami Heat's Chris Bosh (1) looks to pass the ball during the first half of a NBA basketball game in Miami, Friday, Jan. 4, 2013. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

  • Chicago Bulls v Miami Heat

    MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 04: LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat shoots a free throw during a game against the Chicago Bulls at American Airlines Arena on January 4, 2013 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

  • Chicago Bulls v Miami Heat

    MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 04: Norris Cole #30 of the Miami Heat drives to the basket during a game against the Chicago Bulls at American Airlines Arena on January 4, 2013 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

  • Chicago Bulls v Miami Heat

    MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 04: Nate Robinson #2 of the Chicago Bulls shoots over Shane Battier #31 of the Miami Heat during a game at AmericanAirlines Arena on January 4, 2013 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

  • Chicago Bulls v Miami Heat

    MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 04: Dwyane Wade #3 of the Miami Heat drives past Nate Robinson #2 of the Chicago Bulls during a game at AmericanAirlines Arena on January 4, 2013 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

  • Chicago Bulls v Miami Heat

    MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 04: Nate Robinson #2 and Kirk Hinrich #12 of the Chicago Bulls celebrate during a game against the Miami Heat at AmericanAirlines Arena on January 4, 2013 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

  • Chicago Bulls v Miami Heat

    MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 04: LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat dunks during a game against the Chicago Bulls at American Airlines Arena on January 4, 2013 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

  • Chicago Bulls v Miami Heat

    MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 04: Nate Robinson #2 of the Chicago Bulls and Ray Allen #34 of the Miami Heat react to a play during a game at AmericanAirlines Arena on January 4, 2013 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

  • Chicago Bulls v Miami Heat

    MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 04: LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat dunks during a game against the Chicago Bulls at American Airlines Arena on January 4, 2013 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

  • Chicago Bulls v Miami Heat

    MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 04: LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat guards Luol Deng #9 of the Chicago Bulls during a game at AmericanAirlines Arena on January 4, 2013 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

  • Chicago Bulls v Miami Heat

    MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 04: Dwyane Wade #3 of the Miami Heat drives past Nate Robinson #2 of the Chicago Bulls during a game at AmericanAirlines Arena on January 4, 2013 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

  • Chicago Bulls v Miami Heat

    MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 04: Dwyane Wade #3 and LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat high five during a game against the Chicago Bulls at AmericanAirlines Arena on January 4, 2013 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

  • Chicago Bulls v Miami Heat

    MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 04: Carlos Boozer #5 of the Chicago Bulls yells during a game against the Miami Heat at AmericanAirlines Arena on January 4, 2013 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

  • Chicago Bulls v Miami Heat

    MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 04: Carlos Boozer #5 and Jimmy Butler #21 of the Chicago Bulls celebrate during a game against the Miami Heat at AmericanAirlines Arena on January 4, 2013 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

  • Chicago Bulls v Miami Heat

    MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 04: LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat looks on during a game against the Chicago Bulls at AmericanAirlines Arena on January 4, 2013 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

  • Chicago Bulls v Miami Heat

    MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 04: ( Editors Note: This images has been converted to black and white) LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat looks on during a game against the Chicago Bulls at AmericanAirlines Arena on January 4, 2013 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

  • Chicago Bulls v Miami Heat

    MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 04: Taj Gibson #22 of the Chicago Bulls is fouled by Chris Bosh #1 of the Miami Heat during a game at AmericanAirlines Arena on January 4, 2013 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

  • Chicago Bulls v Miami Heat

    MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 04: Joakim Noah #13 of the Chicago Bulls reacts to a play during a game against the Miami Heat at AmericanAirlines Arena on January 4, 2013 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

  • Chicago Bulls v Miami Heat

    MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 04: Carlos Boozer #5 of the Chicago Bulls reacts to a three point play during a game against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena on January 4, 2013 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

  • Chicago Bulls v Miami Heat

    MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 04: Carlos Boozer #5 of the Chicago Bulls reacts to a three point play during a game against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena on January 4, 2013 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

  • Chicago Bulls v Miami Heat

    MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 04: LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat passes over Luol Deng #9 of the Chicago Bulls during a game at AmericanAirlines Arena on January 4, 2013 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

  • Chicago Bulls v Miami Heat

    MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 04: Dwyane Wade #3 and LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat warm up during a game against the Chicago Bulls at AmericanAirlines Arena on January 4, 2013 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

  • Chicago Bulls v Miami Heat

    MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 04: LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat posts up Richard Hamilton #32 of the Chicago Bulls during a game at AmericanAirlines Arena on January 4, 2013 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

  • Chicago Bulls v Miami Heat

    MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 04: LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat looks on during a game against the Chicago Bulls at AmericanAirlines Arena on January 4, 2013 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

  • Chicago Bulls v Miami Heat

    MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 04: Chris Bosh #1 of the Miami Heat and Joakim Noah #13 of the Chicago Bulls fight for position during a game at AmericanAirlines Arena on January 4, 2013 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

  • Chicago Bulls v Miami Heat

    MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 04: Chris Bosh #1 of the Miami Heat and Joakim Noah #13 of the Chicago Bulls fight for a jump ball during a game at AmericanAirlines Arena on January 4, 2013 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

  • Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/05/bulls-heat-carlos-boozer-rebounds_n_2413618.html

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    Unloved Congress unfazed by public's disapproval

    Roger L. Wollenberg / Getty Images

    House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Speaker of the House John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell speak to the media at the White House on Nov. 16, 2012.

    By Carrie Dann, NBC News

    Four months ago, the United States Congress had a gloomy approval rating of just 12 percent.?And that was before most Americans had ever heard of a "fiscal cliff."?

    The last NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll to measure congressional approval (August), showed that a whopping 82 percent of Americans disapproved of the job Congress was doing, an all-time record for the history of the survey.

    By some estimates, Congress' approval rating could now -- after an ugly fiscal cliff fight and the brewing storm over aid to Hurricane Sandy victims -- be nearly within the margin of, well, zilch.?

    Big policy losers in tax deal: deficit reduction and 'certainty'

    So is Congress doomed to forever be the branch of government eating alone in the proverbial cafeteria of public opinion? And can it go any lower?

    For the last four years, no more than one-in-three adults has given Congress a thumbs up, according to the poll. And it's been longer than a decade since more?than half of Americans approved of their representative government on Capitol Hill.

    After intense pressure, the House vote on some emergency aid for areas hardest hit by Hurricane Sandy will be held on Friday. NBC's Kelly O'Donnell reports.

    Experts say that because the ratings have been so poor for so long, members are no longer fazed by the public's overall disapproval. They note that the lambasting of Congress as a whole has minimal effects on individual races, especially when candidates run against the status quo of the very body they're trying to join.

    Some 90 percent of lawmakers who ran for re-election in 2012 will be coming right back to Capitol Hill for the 113th Congress.?

    "Nobody ever votes on Congress as a whole, they vote on individual members," says Jack Pitney, professor at Claremont McKenna College in California. "The message that most lawmakers give their constituents is 'I'm great, it's these other bozos who are the problem.'"

    For the most part, that pitch works.

    'Everybody has something to hate'
    In the August NBC/WSJ poll, even though only about one-in-ten Americans approved of Congress, four times as many said that their own representatives deserved re-election.

    Apart from keeping the same lawmakers they seem bent on throwing out, the public has also sent mixed signals on whether or not it wants a government divided between two parties.

    For more than 20 of the last 30 years, the White House has been controlled by a different party than one or both houses of Congress.

    Boehner likely to be reelected speaker, but there could be drama

    With Congress frequently butting heads with the president -- particularly on budgetary matters that could have real and unpleasant consequences for American taxpayers -- it's not easy for lawmakers to compete for a "Miss Congeniality" trophy.

    "These fights, combined with difficult economic times, leave the public to understandably think very poorly of the Congress," says Thomas Mann, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute and the co-author of a recent book on political dysfunction.

    "I don't think it's destined to always be that way, but when you have a war going on between the two major parties, not just during campaign season but throughout the governing season, then it's not surprising for Congress to get these kind of ratings," Mann said.?

    House Republicans are under the public microscope after apparently delaying action on a Hurricane Sandy relief package.

    Making matters worse for Congress:?the issues at stake often involve spending cuts and federal program changes likely to affect voters directly -- many of them negatively.

    "We have an enormous deficit and the only steps that we can take to reduce the deficit are painful and unpopular," says Pitney. "Plus, you have split party control, so everybody has something to hate."

    Public wants unity
    In a model divided government, the Congress would serve -- at least in principle -- to cancel the most partisan priorities from the executive branch in favor of centrist ideals.

    But with that rosy idea of balance often replaced by inaction and gridlock, polling suggests that the country may be shifting toward a preference for unity.

    A recent Gallup survey showed that the number of Americans who said they want to see divided government is at record lows, with just 23 percent favoring a president and a Congress from different parties.

    What the fiscal deal means for you

    That's a finding that Brock McCleary, the former deputy executive director of the National Republican Congressional Committee and founder of the survey firm Harper Polling, has seen replicated in polls throughout various House districts.

    "Our assumption was voters would want one branch of government as a nice check and balance on the other one and think that as long as everyone's tapping the brakes on one another it's probably better for the country," he said. "But we would go and look at polling and find that wasn't actually the case. Very few people were telling pollsters that's what they wanted."

    But, McCleary added, that sentiment didn't translate into change in the two most recent elections in 2010 and 2012, which resulted in a Republican House despite a fairly decisive re-election for a Democratic president.

    Rep. John Yarmuth, D-Ky., joins Chris Cillizza to talk about Tuesday night's fiscal cliff negotiations and how the House closed session on a sour note.

    "There's a disconnect there," he said.

    With divided government in place for at least the next two years, and with the vast majority up for re-election likely to return each year -- Congress's best hope may ultimately depend on the economy that each party aims to improve. But in the immediate future, those prospects look bleak.

    "People generally need to feel as though the country is back on the right track," said McCleary. "Until that turns around it, sliding approval numbers are a fact of life for American politicians."

    Source: http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/03/16309992-unloved-for-so-long-congress-not-fazed-by-publics-disapproval?lite

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