E-Cigarettes: 5 Burning Legal Issues - Law and Daily Life - FindLaw

E-cigarettes are selling like inhalable hotcakes since their approval in the United States, but these "safe" cigarettes still face challenges from state and federal laws.

These nicotine-vapor devices are currently regulated similar to other tobacco products, but there are some hot legal differences.

Here are five legal issues affecting e-cigarettes:

1. FDA Can't Control Sales.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tried to get e-cigarettes regulated as "medical devices," which would have placed the FDA in control of where they could be sold. But the FDA's attempt failed after a federal appellate decision in 2010.

Although the federal government can regulate the marketing of e-cigarettes under the same laws that govern other tobacco products, the standards are much lower than for medical devices under the FDA.

2. Flavored Cigarette Ban.

In 2009 the FDA was successful in placing a ban on flavored cigarettes (excluding menthol) sold in the United States.

This ban has not been lifted, and yet e-cigarettes, like the ones sold by Blu, are currently available with flavor cartridges like Pina Colada and Java Jolt.

3. Who's Verifying 'Therapeutic' Claims?

An American Cancer Society group approached the FDA in 2013 and asked them to re-evaluate the use of electronic cigarettes as "tobacco cessation tools," reports PC Magazine.

Nicotine gum and patches have claims that are regulated by the FDA under their drug/medical device rules. But companies that sell electronic cigarettes may be hyping their therapeutic benefits without any oversight.

4. Indoor Smoking Bans.

The common myth is that electronic cigarettes are exempted from a slew of state and local indoor smoking ordinances. But in states like New Jersey, smoking e-cigarettes inside a public place is illegal.

Remember also that each business can choose to enforce stronger policies on e-smoking, even barring smoking outside as well as inside their stores.

5. Potential Health, Safety Risks.

As many regulators have been astute to point out, the long term health effects of e-cigarettes is still widely unknown.

Depending on which electronic smoke you decide to purchase, it may very well blow up in your face, literally.

Related Resources:

Source: http://blogs.findlaw.com/law_and_life/2013/06/e-cigarettes-5-burning-legal-issues.html

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Seeking a Syria consensus despite US-Russia divide

ENNISKILLEN, Northern Ireland (AP) ? Hunting for a glimmer of common ground, the leaders of major economic powers are declaring themselves dedicated to a political solution to Syria's bloody civil war, even as President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin stake out diametrically opposite stands on which side deserves military support.

Ahead of a Group of Eight joint statement on Syria to be issued Tuesday, the U.S. remained committed to Obama's recent decision to arm the rebels and Russia did not budge from its weapons sales to President Bashar Assad's regime.

Yet even as Obama found common ground among European allies against Putin at a G-8 summit in Northern Ireland, the U.S. president also struggled to convince some of those same allies to join him in sending armaments to the Syrian opposition.

Syria, where at least 93,000 people have been killed in the conflict, has emerged as one of the intractable issues at the G-8 in Northern Ireland, where leaders of eight of the wealthiest economies gathered at a gleaming lakeside golf resort to hash over trade, tax and foreign policy challenges.

"Of course, our opinions do not coincide, but all of us have the intention to stop the violence in Syria, to stop the growth of victims, and to solve the situation peacefully," Putin said after meeting for two hours with Obama. "We agreed to push the parties to the negotiations table."

"We do have differing perspectives on the problem," Obama concurred. "But we share an interest in reducing the violence; securing chemical weapons and ensuring that they're neither used nor are they subject to proliferation; and that we want to try to resolve the issue through political means, if possible."

In an interview on PBS that was taped Sunday and aired late Monday, Obama was much blunter, and pessimistic.

"What's been clear is that Assad, at this point ? in part, because of his support from Iran and from Russia ? believes that he does not have to engage in a political transition, believes that he can continue to simply violently suppress over half of the population," Obama told interviewer Charlie Rose. "And as long as he's got that mindset, it's going to be very difficult to resolve the situation there."

Even so, Obama in the interview portrayed himself as a reluctant participant in the civil war.

"We know what it's like to rush into a war in the Middle East without having thought it through," he said in obvious reference to the war in Iraq.

British officials said Cameron was looking for consensus among the G-8 members on five areas of potential agreement that could win Russian support, including securing chemical weapons, pursuing extremists and creating an executive authority for Syria after it undergoes a political transition.

But despite their shared belief that Assad must leave power, the U.S., Britain and France were also showing cracks in their unity. Britain and France appear unwilling ? at least for now ? to join President Barack Obama in arming the Syrian rebels, a step the U.S. president reluctantly finalized last week.

Ben Rhodes, Obama's deputy national security adviser, downplayed those differences, saying the Syrian opposition could be strengthened either politically, through humanitarian aid or as a military force.

"Different nations are going to feed into that process in different ways," he said.

The G-8 leaders capped the day Monday with a dinner at a lakeside lodge, where Syria was to be the main subject as they dined on Kilkeel crab, prawn and avocado salad, followed by roast fillet and braised shin of Kettyle beef with violet artichokes. Dessert was Bushmills whiskey custard.

The sensitive Syria discussions unfolded in the midst of awkward revelations that the British eavesdropping agency GCHQ tapped into the communications of foreign diplomats during the 2009 Group of 20 summit in London, including those of Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev. That report, in the newspaper The Guardian, came on the heels of reports about the high-tech surveillance methods and record-gathering employed by the National Security Agency in the United States.

While the disclosures added a layer of controversy to the summit, U.S. officials said heads of state at a summit like the G-8 are perfectly aware that such spying goes on. As for the issue coming up in talks with Putin, deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes told reporters, "It was a non-event at this meeting."

Indeed, in his interview with PBS, Obama made it clear such eavesdropping is commonplace, and tried to distinguish it from the cyber-hacking his administration has accused China of carrying out.

"There is a big difference between China wanting to figure out how can they find out what my talking points are when I'm meeting with the Japanese, which is standard fare, and we try to prevent them from penetrating that, and they try to get that information," he said. "There's a big difference between that and a hacker directly connected with the Chinese government or the Chinese military breaking into Apple's software systems to see if they can obtain the designs for the latest Apple product. That's theft."

It was a remarkably direct accusation coming just a week after Obama met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in a desert resort in California.

"We had a very blunt conversation about cybersecurity," Obama said of his talks with Xi.

With Putin, Obama also tried to emphasize their areas of cooperation, including an extension of a 1992 agreement designed to curtail the spread of nuclear weapons. The agreement resolved Russian concerns that the original post-Soviet pact, named after Senate sponsors Democrat Sam Nunn and Republican Richard Lugar, was too intrusive in securing material from Russia. Rhodes said the deal allows both countries to cooperate on nuclear security in the U.S. and Russia, but also in other countries. Obama is likely to draw attention to the deal in a speech Wednesday in Berlin.

Still, relations between Obama and Putin have never been warm. Rhodes called the encounter between the two "businesslike," one made even more stilted through translation.

Obama tried to leaven their joint appearance before reporters at the end of their talks by observing that "we compared notes on President Putin's expertise in judo and my declining skills in basketball. And we both agreed that as you get older it takes more time to recover."

Putin, through an interpreter, replied, "The President wants to relax me with his statement of age."

___

Associated Press writers Cassandra Vinograd and Julie Pace in Northern Ireland contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/seeking-syria-consensus-despite-us-russia-divide-045915737.html

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Solar Impulse touches down in Washington

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653377/s/2d5ca26c/l/0Lvideo0Bmsnbc0Bmsn0N0Cid0C52221979/story01.htm

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Safety review of bone growth product ushers in new era of data sharing

Public release date: 17-Jun-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Karen N. Peart
karen.peart@yale.edu
203-432-1326
Yale University

A Yale project involving the independent review of a bone growth product's safety has yielded results*, which are published in the June 18 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The findings are part of the Yale University Open Data Access (YODA) Project's novel partnership with Medtronic, Inc., to study and release all of the company's clinical trial research data on recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2).

"This marks the completion of YODA's first initiative and ushers in a new standard of transparency in clinical research," said team leader Harlan M. Krumholz, M.D., the Harold H. Hines Professor of Medicine (cardiology) and director of the Yale Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation. Krumholz and his colleagues co-authored an editorial on the project in the same issue of Annals of Internal Medicine containing the results.

The YODA Project seeks to address the problem of unpublished and selectively published clinical evidence. Medtronic is the first drug or medical device company to contract with YODA and allow access to all of its clinical trial data for independent reanalysis.

As part of this project, YODA is releasing two independent reviews of all clinical studies of Medtronic's rhBMP-2 and making the Medtronic data available to people pursuing scientific questions. The YODA team selected the Oregon Evidence-based Practice Center at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Oregon, and the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination at the University of York, United Kingdom to conduct the reviews after an open competition.

These review organizations are also publishing academic papers on their findings in the Annals of Internal Medicine. An editorial in the same issue by the YODA team expresses the hope that this project marks a major step toward a cultural shift in thinking about data sharing. According to the YODA team, publication of the rhBMP-2 reviews is "an historic moment in the emerging era of open science."

"This project demonstrates what is possible when industry and academia work together for the common good, seeking to change assumptions about what is possible and to reset expectations about how best to serve society's interests," said Krumholz, who is also a professor of investigative medicine and public health, and is director of the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program.

"Open science and data sharing will create scientific enterprise that is better able to meet the needs of the public and is a sign of a company that is willing to compete in science rather than marketing," Krumholz added. "Let's hope that others adopt a similar approach."

###

Other authors on the YODA editorial include Joseph S. Ross, M.D., Cary P. Gross, M.D., Ezekiel J. Emanuel, M.D., Beth Hodshon, Jessica D. Ritchie, Jeffrey B. Low, and Richard Lehman, M.D.

*To obtain results of the independent studies please contact Angela Collom at Annals of Internal Medicine: ACollom@mail.acponline.org Office: 215-351-2653.

Citation: Annals of Internal Medicine

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

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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.

Public release date: 17-Jun-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Karen N. Peart
karen.peart@yale.edu
203-432-1326
Yale University

A Yale project involving the independent review of a bone growth product's safety has yielded results*, which are published in the June 18 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The findings are part of the Yale University Open Data Access (YODA) Project's novel partnership with Medtronic, Inc., to study and release all of the company's clinical trial research data on recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2).

"This marks the completion of YODA's first initiative and ushers in a new standard of transparency in clinical research," said team leader Harlan M. Krumholz, M.D., the Harold H. Hines Professor of Medicine (cardiology) and director of the Yale Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation. Krumholz and his colleagues co-authored an editorial on the project in the same issue of Annals of Internal Medicine containing the results.

The YODA Project seeks to address the problem of unpublished and selectively published clinical evidence. Medtronic is the first drug or medical device company to contract with YODA and allow access to all of its clinical trial data for independent reanalysis.

As part of this project, YODA is releasing two independent reviews of all clinical studies of Medtronic's rhBMP-2 and making the Medtronic data available to people pursuing scientific questions. The YODA team selected the Oregon Evidence-based Practice Center at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Oregon, and the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination at the University of York, United Kingdom to conduct the reviews after an open competition.

These review organizations are also publishing academic papers on their findings in the Annals of Internal Medicine. An editorial in the same issue by the YODA team expresses the hope that this project marks a major step toward a cultural shift in thinking about data sharing. According to the YODA team, publication of the rhBMP-2 reviews is "an historic moment in the emerging era of open science."

"This project demonstrates what is possible when industry and academia work together for the common good, seeking to change assumptions about what is possible and to reset expectations about how best to serve society's interests," said Krumholz, who is also a professor of investigative medicine and public health, and is director of the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program.

"Open science and data sharing will create scientific enterprise that is better able to meet the needs of the public and is a sign of a company that is willing to compete in science rather than marketing," Krumholz added. "Let's hope that others adopt a similar approach."

###

Other authors on the YODA editorial include Joseph S. Ross, M.D., Cary P. Gross, M.D., Ezekiel J. Emanuel, M.D., Beth Hodshon, Jessica D. Ritchie, Jeffrey B. Low, and Richard Lehman, M.D.

*To obtain results of the independent studies please contact Angela Collom at Annals of Internal Medicine: ACollom@mail.acponline.org Office: 215-351-2653.

Citation: Annals of Internal Medicine

---

[ | 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/yu-sro061113.php

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E-Cigarettes: 5 Burning Legal Issues - Law and Daily Life - FindLaw

E-cigarettes are selling like inhalable hotcakes since their approval in the United States, but these "safe" cigarettes still face challenges from state and federal laws.

These nicotine-vapor devices are currently regulated similar to other tobacco products, but there are some hot legal differences.

Here are five legal issues affecting e-cigarettes:

1. FDA Can't Control Sales.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tried to get e-cigarettes regulated as "medical devices," which would have placed the FDA in control of where they could be sold. But the FDA's attempt failed after a federal appellate decision in 2010.

Although the federal government can regulate the marketing of e-cigarettes under the same laws that govern other tobacco products, the standards are much lower than for medical devices under the FDA.

2. Flavored Cigarette Ban.

In 2009 the FDA was successful in placing a ban on flavored cigarettes (excluding menthol) sold in the United States.

This ban has not been lifted, and yet e-cigarettes, like the ones sold by Blu, are currently available with flavor cartridges like Pina Colada and Java Jolt.

3. Who's Verifying 'Therapeutic' Claims?

An American Cancer Society group approached the FDA in 2013 and asked them to re-evaluate the use of electronic cigarettes as "tobacco cessation tools," reports PC Magazine.

Nicotine gum and patches have claims that are regulated by the FDA under their drug/medical device rules. But companies that sell electronic cigarettes may be hyping their therapeutic benefits without any oversight.

4. Indoor Smoking Bans.

The common myth is that electronic cigarettes are exempted from a slew of state and local indoor smoking ordinances. But in states like New Jersey, smoking e-cigarettes inside a public place is illegal.

Remember also that each business can choose to enforce stronger policies on e-smoking, even barring smoking outside as well as inside their stores.

5. Potential Health, Safety Risks.

As many regulators have been astute to point out, the long term health effects of e-cigarettes is still widely unknown.

Depending on which electronic smoke you decide to purchase, it may very well blow up in your face, literally.

Related Resources:

Source: http://blogs.findlaw.com/law_and_life/2013/06/e-cigarettes-5-burning-legal-issues.html

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White House: US respects Iran election results

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Offering praise for Iranians and reproaching their government, the Obama administration said Saturday it respected the results of a presidential election conducted under restrictive conditions.

Shortly after moderate cleric Hasan Rowhani was declared the winner, White House spokesman Jay Carney said the U.S. congratulated Iranians for their courage in voting. He said Iranians were determined to make their voices heard despite the limitations the ruling government imposed on the political process.

The election "took place against the backdrop of a lack of transparency, censorship of the media, Internet, and text messages, and an intimidating security environment that limited freedom of expression and assembly," Carney said in a statement. He added that despite those obstacles, "the Iranian people were determined to act to shape their future."

Secretary of State John Kerry also lauded the Iranian people and added: "President-elect Rowhani pledged repeatedly during his campaign to restore and expand freedoms for all Iranians. In the months ahead, he has the opportunity to keep his promises to the Iranian people."

The stunning surge in Friday's election behind Rowhani, a former nuclear negotiator, was perceived by supporters as a rebuke to hard-line policies that have left Iran diplomatically and economically isolated. The U.S. and other nations have used penalties to undercut Tehran's disputed nuclear program.

Iran's ruling clerics barred more prominent reform candidates from the ballot, leaving a group of mostly staunch loyalists to the Islamic establishment. Iran's opposition settled on Rowhani as the least objectionable, making the 64-year-old cleric the de facto candidate for reform-minded Iranians.

"It is our hope that the Iranian government will heed the will of the Iranian people and make responsible choices that create a better future for all Iranians," Carney said. Signaling that the election has not changed the administration's stance, Carney said the U.S. is still willing to engage Tehran directly to find a diplomatic solution to concerns about Iran's nuclear program.

The U.S. has been ramping up efforts geared toward persuading Iran to prove its nuclear program is peaceful. The U.S. believes Iran is working to develop nuclear weapons, a charge that Iran denies.

But the strict limitations the regime placed on who could compete in the election dampened U.S. hopes that a postelection Iran would pursue a different course. Kerry said last month he wasn't optimistic that the election would produce any change in Iran's nuclear ambitions, a topic he revisited in his statement after the election.

"We, along with our international partners, remain ready to engage directly with the Iranian government," Kerry said. "We hope they will honor their international obligations to the rest of the world in order to reach a diplomatic solution that will fully address the international community's concerns about Iran's nuclear program."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/white-house-us-respects-iran-election-results-190857699.html

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Iranians count on president-elect Rohani to bring change

By Zahra Hosseinian

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iranian president-elect Hassan Rohani, who won a landslide victory promising better relations abroad and more freedom at home, on Sunday paid his first visit since the vote to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who will ultimately decide the pace of any change.

Rohani, a mid-ranking Shi'ite cleric, is an Islamic Republic insider who has held senior political and military posts since the 1979 Islamic revolution and maintained a good rapport with Khamenei, Iran's most powerful man.

Iranian media reported that Khamenei congratulated Rohani, wished him success, and gave him "the necessary guidance".

Rohani's trouncing of his hardline rivals, who miscalculated the public mood and failed to overcome factional differences and field a single candidate, received a cautious welcome in Washington, although Israel warned against "wishful thinking" about Iran's future direction.

While no reformer himself, Rohani gained the backing of the politically sidelined but still popular leaders of the reform movement. His call for an end to an "era of extremism" won over many voters tired of the economic crises and crackdowns on free speech that marked Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency.

However, Rohani's surprise win - taking just over 50 percent of the vote - is not expected quickly to resolve Tehran's nuclear stand-off with the West or break its commitment to backing President Bashar al-Assad in Syria's civil war.

U.S. President Barack Obama's chief of staff Denis McDonough said: "If he (Rohani) is interested in, as he has said in his campaign, mending Iran's relations with the rest of the world, there is an opportunity to do that."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has urged ever tighter sanctions and has threatened military force to stop Iran getting nuclear weapons, said: "The international community must not give in to wishful thinking or temptation and loosen the pressure on Iran for it to stop its nuclear programme."

KNOWN IN THE WEST

Rohani's win goes some way to repairing the legitimacy of the Islamic Republic, punctured four years ago when dozens were killed in protests after an election that reformists said was rigged, and may help pragmatic voices silenced since then to re-emerge.

Known in the West as Iran's main nuclear negotiator in 2003-05, Rohani immediately sought to build bridges, expressing approval of the street parties that welcomed his election but also having talks with the conservative speaker of parliament.

"With their celebrations last night, the Iranian people showed they are hopeful about the future and, God willing, morals and moderation will govern the country," he told Iranian television.

Whether Rohani succeeds in ushering in change, or the next four years yield the same stalemate that marked the 1997-2005 presidency of reformist Mohammad Khatami, will hinge on his ability to balance the demands and expectations of the people with the interests of those who hold the main levers of power.

Rohani may have an advantage that Khatami, director of the national library before becoming president, never enjoyed.

"Rohani is the ultimate regime insider. In contrast to Khatami, who held no governmental position when he was catapulted into the presidency, Rohani has never been out of power or Khamenei's good graces," said Ali Vaez, Iran analyst at the International Crisis Group.

"Also, Rohani is a centrist politician, with a unique bridge-building ability. He is unlikely to alienate competing power centres, who can stymie his reforms."

One big pointer will be whether Rohani pushes for the release of Mirhossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi, the leading reformists held under house arrest since 2011. That demand was a constant chant of Rohani supporters at his campaign rallies and on the streets of Tehran and elsewhere overnight.

"This will in my view be the first real test of how sincere this election has been. Then we will know the calibre of Mr Rohani," said Ali Ansari, professor at St. Andrew's University in Scotland.

"Much depends on the political will of the fractured elite and the willingness of Khamenei to pull back. There is some anxiety that the powers that be, having got their 'popular election', will now settle back into their comfort zones."

FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT

Despite similarities between Khatami's and Rohani's upset election victories, the political realities "are fundamentally different", said Yasmin Alem, a U.S.-based Iran expert.

"The supreme leader is more powerful, the Revolutionary Guards are more influential, and the conservatives are more in control. However, Rohani is a crafty statesman and stands a better chance ... of navigating Iran's political minefield."

Rohani himself called for patience soon after his win was announced on Saturday. "The country's problems won't be solved overnight and this needs to happen gradually and with consultation with experts," he told the state news agency IRNA.

But Rohani, whose conciliatory style contrasts with the confrontational populism of Ahmadinejad, said there was a new chance "in the international arena for ... those who truly respect democracy and cooperation and free negotiation".

Post-election revellers were optimistic. "I am hopeful about the future, hopeful that we will have more social freedoms, more stability in Iran, better relations with other countries and hopefully a much better economy," said Hoda, 26, from Tehran.

As well as chanting "Long live Rohani!" and wishing good riddance to the current president with "Ahmadi, bye bye!", jubilant crowds did not shy from feting Mousavi, the reformist leader defeated in the election four years ago.

"Mousavi, Mousavi, congratulations on your victory!" the crowds shouted.

Pictures and videos of the celebrations showed more people wearing the green colours of Mousavi's 2009 campaign than Rohani's purple. Police stood by and even shared jokes with some people in the throng.

Others had an ironic take on the "Death to the Dictator!" chants of the huge 2009 protests, shouting "Thank-you Dictator!" for allowing a fair vote now.

(For an interactive timeline of Iran click on http://link.reuters.com/cas68t

For an interactive timeline on Iran's nuclear programme, click on http://link.reuters.com/gad76r)

(Additional reporting by Yeganeh Torbati and Marcus George; Writing by Jon Hemming; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iranians-revel-president-hails-victory-moderation-101932961.html

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AP PHOTOS: Rose, Micklelson among US Open winners

DEAR ABBY: I am 25, and my boyfriend and I have been together since high school. We have now decided to take our relationship to the next level by living together.When I brought up the idea to my mother a few months ago, she was against it. She said if I do this it will change my relationship with her. My boyfriend and I are college graduates, have good jobs and are self-supporting. If things work out between us, we will most likely be getting married next year.I am an only child and I don't want to hurt my mother or have our relationship change, but I want to be able to live my own life. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ap-photos-rose-micklelson-among-us-open-winners-003215569.html

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Draft NASA Funding Bill Cancels Asteroid Mission For Return To the Moon

First off, this nightmare that is ongoing with NASA, is NOT NASA's fault, but the fault, of the God Damn neo-cons that are running the house.
The majority of those shits are looking to keep NASA as a Job's bill. They do not care whether we go to the moon or not. THey want to spending our money on SLS which is mostly situated in neo-con districts( I note that a few dems back this as well, but they are pushing for both SLS and private space; spend, spend, spend).
So, what is insane about this? We will spend 20B for a launch vehicle that is mostly based on 60's/70's technology and design and will give us exactly ONE launch vehicle (though with several different designs). Since this vehicle will launch so infrequently, it will cost us 1.5-3B PER LAUNCH. Yes, it will cost as much or more than the shuttle did ( 1.5B per launch was the final price that we paid to send 7 ppl and 24.5 tonnes into LEO; that included the.750B per launch and then another.750B rebuilding the craft for another launch ). It is INSANE that we spend that kind of money.

So, what is the sane Alternative? The one that Obama, dems, and even the tea-party is pushing: We need PRIVATE SPACE.
If we spend less than 2B over the next 2-3 years, we can have 3 launchers that will carry 7 ppl into leo (dragon rider/f9, atlas V with either cst-100 or dreamchaser). With this, we are guaranteed that we will NEVER lose cargo or human access to space again.
BUT, it gets better. Bigelow Aerospace has a SSA with NASA that both are working on getting private space to the moon BY 2020. It will costs less than the 20B that neo-cons are trying to force on NASA. Most importantly, by allowing NASA to pursue the asteroid AND help private space, we gain:
1) multiple launch vehicles so that we never lose space access again.
2) multiple tugs/fuel depots, that will include electric tugs (suitable for moving equipment/sats) and chemical tugs (suitable for moving ppl, or starting missions to extra solar).
3) multiple space stations at various altitudes in orbit, along with friendly nations helping to fund this.
4) a lunar base by 2020, again, with friendly nations helping to fund this (by paying the private companies money to put ppl on the surface).
5) Man on Mars by 2025.
6) learning on how to move asteroids around, and hopefully, prevent a large impact on earth. In addition, this technology will then allow private space to mine other asteroids.

And if we do this smart, we will then create a COTS-SHLV, in which we hold a contest for 2 launch systems to carry a minimum of 150 tonnes to LEO, for which we give 5B each to develop it. In addition, later one, we offer up 2 competitive contracts in which company will carry a minimum of 150 tonnes to LEO for no more than.5B / launch, and they will get 2 launches/ year for 3 years. Also, whoever has the lower amount will get 3 launches/ year. IOW, you can get 50% more launches by being a GOOD low bidder (i.e. has to be realistic). You will note that we will spend 2.5B/year on sending up equipment for 3 years.

You will note that the above spends just about the same as what the neo-cons want to spend on just building a rocket. BUT, if we do the above correctly, we will have NASA focus on just going to an asteroid, but also helping private space get BEO, and hopefully, NASA will be able to R&D new tech, such as nuke engines (we lead the world on this and our tech from the 60s is STILL ahead of what everybody else has).

With above approach, we convert NASA back into what it was before neo-cons turned them into a jobs program for themselves, get private space from being a cost center into a taxable item, and get ourselves BEO.

BUT, these god-for-saken neo-cons need to be stopped.

Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/W2ROBMoa8_Y/story01.htm

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Windows stores coming to Best Buy

Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 will be showcased in mini-stores

Microsoft will be showcasing Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 inside special mini-stores within 500 Best Buy stores around the country.?

In the announcement, Microsoft said these Windows stores will also be in 100 Best Buy store in Canada. Users can expect these mini-stores to have computers, laptops and tablets based on Windows 8, as well as a variety of handsets powered by Windows Phone 8.?

The Windows stores in Best Buy will give Microsoft another weapon to fight Apple and its super-popular Apple Stores. Apple Stores are routinely the most-profitable per square foot and Apple recently said that roughly 1 million people visit Apple Stores per day.

Microsoft has a handfull of its own stores but this should help it expand its own branded footprint without having to run an entire store. For Best Buy, the move allows the giant retailer to offer a different type of experience for users who enter its stores. I'm also sure that Microsoft gave it a lot of money for that space.?

Microsoft does need some consumer awareness, as Windows 8 is universally considered a bit of a sales disappointment and Windows Phone sales have never been anything to crow about. We've heard that Windows Phone 8 sales are up?but it kind of had nowhere to go but up. The Windows stores inside Best Buy could help boost awareness of these devices, as well as potentially provide a shot in the arm for sales.?

The Windows stores in Best Buy will have competition a few aisles over though, as Best Buy will also have Samsung Experience Shops in more than 1,400 stores. These mini-stores will show off a variety of mostly-Android-powered Samsung Galaxy smartphones and tablets.?

[Via Microsoft]

Source: http://www.thefullsignal.com/windows-phone/14940/windows-stores-coming-best-buy

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California Nuclear Plant Slated For Permanent Shut Down

The San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station at San Onofre State Beach in a 2012 photo.

David McNew/Getty Images

The San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station at San Onofre State Beach in a 2012 photo.

David McNew/Getty Images

California's San Onofre nuclear power plant will be shut down for good amid concerns as to whether it could be safely restarted after being offline since early last year due to a radiation leak.

The plant's operator, Southern California Edison, said in a statement Friday that San Onofre's twin reactors "had served the region for over 40 years" but that the 16 months of uncertainty about whether they would or wouldn't go back online "was not good for our customers, our investors or the need to plan for our region's long-term electricity needs."

SCE President Ron Litzinger said in a statement: "Looking ahead, we think that our decision to retire the units will eliminate uncertainty and facilitate orderly planning for California's energy future."

SCE has spent more than $500 million on repairs and replacement power since the plant went idle, according to The Associated Press.

The AP says about 7.4 million Californians live within 50 miles of the nuclear plant, which can power 1.4 million homes.

The Los Angeles Times reports:

"San Onofre was shuttered after a tube in the plant's replacement steam generator system leaked a small amount of radioactive steam on Jan. 31, 2012. Eight other tubes in the same reactor unit later failed pressure tests, an unprecedented number in the industry, and thousands more tubes in both of the plant's units showed signs of wear.

The wear was blamed on tube vibration caused by excessively dry and high-velocity steam and inadequate support structures, particularly in one of the plant's two units. Tube vibration and wear has been a problem at other plants, but the specific type of vibration at San Onofre had not been experienced in the industry.

Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric ? which has a 20% stake in the plant ? spent more than $780 million replacing the steam generators several years ago, which ratepayers are now repaying."

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/06/07/189536369/california-nuclear-plant-slated-for-permanent-shut-down?ft=1&f=1007

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