Saturday, June 29, 2013

U.S. charges Chinese wind company with stealing trade secrets

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Chinese wind turbine maker Sinovel Wind Group Co and two of its employees were charged with stealing trade secrets from U.S.-based AMSC by the Department of Justice (DoJ) on Thursday.

A federal grand jury in the Western District of Wisconsin returned an indictment leveling theft charges on Sinovel, two of its employees and a former employee of AMSC, a Devens, Massachusetts-based company that provided wind turbine design, engineering services and power electronics and controls to Sinovel. Authorities said the theft allegedly cost AMSC $800 million. (http://r.reuters.com/jud39t)

Sinovel officials were not immediately available for comment.

In 2011, AMSC, which mainly supplies electrical systems used in wind turbines, filed several lawsuits in China against Sinovel alleging the illegal use of AMSC's intellectual property.

AMSC, which was formerly known as American Superconductor Corp, said at the time it wanted to recover more than $1.2 billion in damages.

"The fact that Sinovel has exported stolen American intellectual property from China back into the United States - less than 40 miles from our global headquarters - shows not only a blatant disrespect for intellectual property but a disregard for international trade law," AMSC Chief Executive Officer Daniel McGahn said.

AMSC called on President Barack Obama's administration and Congress to re-evaluate the U.S. trade relationship with China.

AMSC said that, over the past two years, more than 500 staff worldwide have lost their jobs following Sinovel's "egregious and unlawful behavior."

The defendants indicted include Su Liying, the deputy director of Sinovel's Research and Development Department, Zhao Haichun, a technology manager for Sinovel and Dejan Karabasevic, a former AMSC employee.

Sinovel, once AMSC's largest customer, contracted with an AMSC employee in Austria to get the software designed for Sinovel's turbines.

"The Sinovel case is a classic example of the growing insider threat facing our nation's corporations and their intellectual property," said FBI Executive Assistant Director Richard McFeely.

AMSC shares were up as much as 7 percent in extended trading.

(Reporting by Thyagaraju Adinarayan and Nichola Groom; Editing by David Gregorio and Andre Grenon)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-charges-chinese-wind-company-stealing-trade-secrets-114343443.html

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'Far more' UK shale gas resources

Osborne: "Local communities should get, for example, at least ?100,000 for every fracking well that is created"

UK shale gas resources may be far greater than previously thought, a report for the government says.

The British Geological Survey estimates there may be 1,300 trillion cubic feet of shale gas present in the north of England - double previous estimates.

Meanwhile the government has announced measures to enable shale gas drilling as part of its infrastructure plans.

Energy Minister Michael Fallon described shale gas as "an exciting new energy resource".

The BGS said its estimate for shale gas resources in the Bowland Basin region, which stretches from Cheshire to Yorkshire, represented potential resources, but "not the gas that might be possible to extract".

"Shale gas clearly has potential in Britain but it will require geological and engineering expertise, investment and protection of the environment," it said.

Drilling companies have previously estimated that they may be able to extract around 10% of this gas - equivalent to around 130 trillion cubic feet.

'Early days'

If the estimates are proved correct, that would still suggest recoverable reserves of shale gas far in excess of the three trillion cubic feet of gas currently consumed in the UK each year.

Shale gas is extracted through "fracking" - the controversial process of freeing trapped gas by pumping in a mixture of water, sand and chemicals.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

The truly massive shale gas resource of the north of England may bring tax revenues and possibly - not definitely - lead to lower bills, but it won't help the environment.

This week the government's climate change advisers warned that the UK was failing to keep pace with legally binding cuts in the CO2 emissions that are disrupting the climate.

The Environment Agency warns that if we want to keep burning gas we will have to rely on unproven technology to capture the carbon emissions in order to meet climate change targets.

It also warns that gas escaping from fractured wells may increase climatic disruption.

Meanwhile the International Energy Agency warns that the world can only burn a third of its existing fossil fuel reserves without a serious risk of de-stabilising the climate.

Shale gas plans will meet local environmental opposition too.

The process has helped boost the domestic energy industry in the US in recent years, where oil production has risen and gas prices have plummeted.

In a statement, the Department of Energy and Climate Change said: "Though it is early days for shale in the UK, it has the potential to contribute to the UK's energy security, increase inward investment and growth."

The government has unveiled a package of reforms to encourage development in the industry.

They include new planning guidelines to make the process of approving new drilling sites more streamlined, and a consultation on tax incentives to encourage exploration.

Communities affected by shale gas drilling are also expected to receive ?100,000 in "community benefits" and 1% of production revenues, should sites start producing gas.

"Shale gas represents an exciting new potential energy resource for the UK, and could play an important part in our energy mix," said Energy Minister Michael Fallon

"Development must be done in partnership with local people. We welcome the commitments from industry on community benefits.

"This will provide a welcome boost for communities who will host shale exploration and production as well as offering strong assurances that operators will engage with them and work to the highest health, safety and environmental standards."

He said communities hosting shale gas drilling could benefit from cheaper bills, regeneration schemes and new community facilities like playgrounds and sports halls.

The incentives are designed to overcome significant scepticism surrounding the process of fracking, which has generated environmental concerns.

Critics argue that it can cause earth tremors and pollute water supplies, and that shale gas wells could blight the countryside and affect house prices.

They also want investment in green energy sources, rather than fossil fuels.

Power warning

The report for the government comes as energy regulator Ofgem warned that the risks of power blackouts has increased because excess capacity in the power industry has fallen in the UK.

The watchdog has twice warned in recent months that the amount of spare power is shrinking, partly due to some gas generators being taken out of service.

Centrica has already withdrawn two of its gas plants from operation. In April, SSE confirmed that it too would mothball gas plants and put off investments in new ones.

Adam Scorer, of the lobby group Consumer Futures, said: "Projections of ever-tighter capacity margins understandably raise fears of higher electricity prices.

"Government and regulator need to agree on the most realistic capacity scenarios, the least-cost ways of reducing demand and, where necessary, of incentivising new generation capacity."

Announcing further details of the government's spending review to parliament, Treasury Secretary Danny Alexander said the government had agreed "strike prices" in an effort to boost investment in renewable forms of energy.

The prices mean the government will guarantee to pay a certain price for energy generated through on-shore and off-shore wind, tidal, wave, bio-mass and solar power.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23069499#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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No, Children of 1990, Computers Are Not the Devil

Computers may be ubiquitous now but in 1990 they were just beginning to enter the mainstream. And like any revolutionary technology, the desktop computer was viewed with more than a little skepticism by the average American. Luckily, David Neil of PBS's Newton's Apple was there to explain to a group of dubious high schoolers that computers are not inherently evil. And he brought a two story exhibit to help illustrate.

In 1990, we still had a foot in the stone age. You've got to remember that high school students then lived before the Internet. They used tapes and CDs, tablets were still just very small tables, and the average cell phone looked like this:

No, Children of 1990, Computers Are Not the Devil

And since computers were still primarily "something my mom uses at work," kids didn't have the native experience with electronics that many do now. That's where How Computers Work: A Journey Into The Walk-Through Computer comes in. This educational short produced by The Computer Museum aims to demystify the inner workings of the desktop computer. By explaining it in a way that even their parents could understand.

Source: http://gizmodo.com/no-children-of-1990-computers-are-not-the-devil-597933666

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junkyard charterer: Menopause: What It Is and Ways to Manage It ...

What is menopause? Menopause is the cessation of a woman?s monthly blood flow. If a woman has not experienced menstrual flow for 12 consecutive months, she is menopausal.

Except in the case of surgery, chemotherapy or specific medical conditions that interfere with regular hormonal functions, menopause occurs at the end of a process, which may last from months to years. During the process, periods may become irregular but not stop and a woman may intermittently experience other symptoms of menopause. When a woman is experiencing symptoms but has not yet been without periods for 12 consecutive months, she is peri-menopausal. A woman may become peri-menopausal as early as her thirties or as late as her fifties.

What are symptoms of menopause? Symptoms of menopause fall into five broad categories:

1) Changes in blood vessel dilation and constriction. This blood vessel activity causes hot ?flashes? and sleep irregularities. Hot flashes are not related to the internal temperature of the body but rather to the temperature of the skin. There are various theories about why, during menopause, women?s skin temperatures may rise periodically as much as 7 degrees. One of the most intriguing theories is that women who experience hot flashes have a very narrow comfort zone ? that zone where they are neither sweating nor chilled. Estrogen seems to widen that zone; conversely lower estrogen narrows the zone. (Studies conducted by Dr. Robert R. Freedman and colleagues, Wayne State Univ., Detroit). Hot flashes contribute to sleep irregularities.

2) Urinary/genital tract changes. Women may experience thinning, drying, itching and bleeding in the vaginal area sometimes associated with pain on intercourse. Another issue may be urinary frequency, urgency or incontinence.

3) Bone changes. Changes in the bones may result in osteopenia (pre-osteoporosis), osteoporosis, joint and muscle pain or back pain.

4) Skin and soft tissue changes. Skin may thin as part of menopause or lose elasticity and breasts may become smaller. These changes are associated with the loss in estrogen that accompanies menopause.

5) Psychological/mood changes. Changes in mood may include irritability and depression or be accompanied by fatigue and memory loss.

How can menopausal discomforts be moderated? Not all women experience menopausal discomfort at a level that it requires therapy. How women experience menopause, a natural stage in the lifecycle of a woman, is in part a matter of genetics, in part a matter of general health and nutrition and in part a matter of culture. There has been great interest lately in the fact that Asian women typically do not engage in hormone replacement therapy or consume dairy products and yet have virtually no osteoporosis as they age and progress through menopause.

1) Self-care. Ideally a self-care program begins well in advance of menopause. Preferably it is a lifelong project. It is never too late to begin, however. Self-care includes good nutrition, effective and regular exercise and mood maintenance.

Good nutrition means the appropriate balance of carbohydrate, protein and fats. Carbohydrates and fats should be of the types that promote health, that is, complex carbohydrates low on the glycemic index and mono-unsaturated and poly-unsaturated fats with the correct balance of omega 3s and omega 6s. For vitamins and minerals, eat a wide range of vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains and beans daily. Maintain the proper Ph balance in the body by limiting dairy products except for probiotics like yogurt. Eliminate simple sugars from the diet as much as possible and focus on getting adequate fiber in the diet.

Establish a daily exercise routine that includes weight bearing exercise, stretching and low-impact aerobic activity. Maintain a healthy weight. Maintain mood with proven techniques like focused breathing, meditation, a gratitude journal, meaningful activity and significant, satisfying relationships.

2) Nutritional approaches. There is a wide range of nutritional alternatives to HRT, often combined with a program of supplementation and /or herbal therapies as well as with the self-care techniques mentioned above. While some sources indicate these alternatives are not clinically proven, they have nonetheless been effective for many women.

Nutritional approaches may include plant estrogens, such as those found in soy products as well as oats, cashews, almonds, alfalfa, apples and flaxseeds. Magnesium can also help to reduce hot flashes. Magnesium is found in soy products and in whole grains and beans. Sufficient dietary fiber can help to reduce irritability. Essential fatty acids can alleviate symptoms of aging, including a reduction in skin elasticity and they can help with dryness in the vaginal region. They also act as natural hormone supplements. Multivitamin/mineral supplements should be chosen with particular attention to their magnesium content. In addition, vitamin E can have a significant impact on vaginal dryness and hot flashes. A variety of herbs have been used, among them, wild yam (for hot flashes), alfalfa, sarsaparilla, motherwort (vaginal dryness), valerian root (promotes sleep), ginseng and black cohosh. Dong quai has been used for centuries in China to provide relief for menopausal symptoms.

3) Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). HRT has been the most common therapy for the symptoms of menopause in the United States. It is particularly effective for hot flashes, virtually eliminating them shortly after therapy is begun. It has long been considered effective in protecting against osteoporosis because of the effect of estrogen in strengthening bone and enhancing calcification.

Following the Women?s Health Initiative Study (WHI) of the National Institutes of Health, halted in July 2002, HRT has become controversial, however. Although hormone replacement has been proved to offer many benefits, including reduced osteoporosis, there are also greater risks associated with it, including breast cancer. Patients and physicians must make the decision about HRT together, based on individual medical situations. Not only is there a decision about whether or not to use HRT but what kind of HRT: unopposed estrogen (estrogen alone), estrogen and progestin, or one or both of those hormones administered along with testosterone. Among the other things a physician will consider with his/her patient is genetic history and age. There are also differences between women with an intact uterus and women without a uterus. While breast cancer is a greater risk for the first, osteoporosis may be a greater risk for the latter. Recent reports suggest that extended use of unopposed estrogen in women who have had a hysterectomy may even reduce breast cancer, although it poses unacceptably high cancer risks to women who have not had a hysterectomy. In the latter case if used, estrogen will probably be accompanied by progestin. There has been recent interest in bioidentical hormone replacement therapies, that is, estrogen and progestin that duplicate the hormones in a woman?s body (as opposed to equine hormonal products). Studies are promising but not yet advanced enough for certainty.

Special issues. Among particular issues that may confront women in relation to the significant physical change that menopause represents are fibroids and osteoporosis. Fibroids are primarily associated with peri-menopause, that is, the time before menopause, which is marked by twelve consecutive months in which there is no menstruation. While osteopenia may begin during the peri-menopausal time, osteoporosis is associated more strongly with menopause and aging.

1) Fibroids. Fibroids are (usually benign) tumors, generally located in the uterus or uterine wall. They may range in size from less than an inch to larger than a grapefruit. Size is often explained by relating it to pregnancy, i.e., eight weeks or twelve weeks. No one is certain exactly what causes fibroids, although generally they shrink after menopause, so estrogen levels may be a factor.

Women are most likely to have fibroids if they are of childbearing age, are African-American, are obese and / or have not had children. Fibroids have been linked to an under active thyroid, so thyroid testing, treatment and monitoring should certainly be part of a preventive reproductive health program. Most women do not experience symptoms. If there are symptoms, they are most likely to include heavy bleeding or painful periods, bleeding between periods, frequent urination, pain during sex, lower back pain, reproductive problems, or a feeling of fullness or swelling in the lower abdomen. Treatments include drugs (pain relievers or medications to reduce the size of the fibroids), surgery (myomectomy, hysterectomy, endometrial ablation, myolisis); and uterine fibroid embolization (UFE). Myomectomy removes the fibroid but leaves the healthy uterine tissue. Hysterectomy removes the entire uterus. Endometrial ablation removes the endometrial lining of the uterus, which relieves heavy bleeding. In myolisis, an electrical needle is inserted into the uterus through a small incision in the abdomen to destroy the blood vessels feeding the fibroid. UFE is a treatment that cuts off the blood supply to the uterus and the fibroids so they shrink. It is becoming an alternative to hysterectomy and myomectomy. Which of these treatments is used must be determined in consultation with a physician. The clinical evidence supporting natural treatments for fibroids is scarce. For the most part, natural treatments are preventive or treat the symptoms but do not address the fibroids themselves once they are in place.

There are some reports that eating less red meat and pork reduces fibroids and some women have reported success with becoming vegetarian. Include raw nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables in the diet as well as foods high in germanium, that is, garlic, shiitake mushrooms and onions that help improve tissue oxygenation. Avoid caffeine, which has been implicated in fibrocystitis. Recommended nutritional supplements include vitamins A, B-complex, C, K and bioflavonoids. Recommended botanical herbs include chaste tree, ginger, cranesbill, shepherd?s purse, ragwort, blue cohosh and false unicorn as well as ginseng, rhubarb, cinnamon and sargassum seaweed in various combinations. These treatments and appropriate combinations must be discussed with a naturopath.

2) Osteopenia, Osteoporosis. Bone constantly reforms throughout our lives. Cells called osteoclasts reabsorb bone material while cells called osteoblasts generate new bone material. As people age, the process of reabsorbing bone material outstrips the process of generating new bone material.

Osteopenia and the more advanced osteoporosis represent an imbalance in reabsorbtion / bone generation in which osteoclasts are more active than osteoblasts, a situation caused by a reduction in estrogen. Estrogen has an important role in the strengthening and calcification of bone. A drop in estrogen at the time of menopause may also be associated with a decreased ability of the body to absorb calcium efficiently. One of the problems in how the news of the Women?s Health Initiative was brought to the public was that the increased risk of breast cancer demonstrated in some segments of the study were highlighted and other aspects of the health risks associated with aging and with menopause obscured. There is a feeling among some specialists that as a result, women are being advised to abandon HRT, at great risk to their future health. There are reports indicating that the greater danger is osteoporotic fracture and consequent disability and confinement to nursing homes at a much younger age than might otherwise be required.

Source: http://obesitysurgery.allabout101.com/menopause-what-it-is-and-ways-to-manage-it/

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Source: http://perkinsjacob8.typepad.com/blog/2013/06/menopause-what-it-is-and-ways-to-manage-it-about-obesity-surgery.html

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Source: http://junkyard-charterer.blogspot.com/2013/06/menopause-what-it-is-and-ways-to-manage.html

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Friday, June 28, 2013

The Midas Touch: Surprising Facts in the World of Venture Capital

All Hail King Midas

All Hail King Midas

?

Venture Capitalists turn geeks into billionaires. They are the catalysts of innovation, technological advancement and job creation (originally venture-backed companies accounted for 11.87 million jobs and over $3.1 trillion in revenue in the United States, NVCA 2010). The energy shot behind every sleep deprived genius. The strategic beholders of over $176.7 billion in committed capital (NVCA, 2011). King Midas to over 3500 lucky startups in 2011 (NVCA), venture capitalists are indeed mighty, magical forces to be reckoned with.

After much research, I stumbled upon a few surprising facts:

You don?t have be an engineer

The most common undergraduate degree was in economics (21 percent), followed by business administration (16 percent) and mechanical or electrical engineering (13 percent).?Forty-nine percent of those surveyed had MBAs, making it the most prevalent degree. (NVCA 2011)

Venture Capital is Risky Business (*which you probably know, but it?s nice to see stats)

Success stats: ?It is estimated that 40 percent of venture backed companies fail; 40 percent return moderate amounts of capital; and only 20 percent or less produce high returns. (NVCA)

This is a Man?s World

Women represent less than 10 percent of high-level venture capitalists, and they have been leaving the industry at twice the rate of men, according to Gatekeepers of Venture Growth: The Role and Participation of Women in the Venture Capital Industry.??The study is the latest report of the Diana Project, a multi-year, multi-university study of women business owners and business growth opportunities (Kauffman)

Diversity is a Struggle

According to NVCA research in 2011, 87 percent of venture capitalists were Caucasian, nine percent were Asian, two percent were African American or Latino, and two percent were of mixed race. It?s getting better though! Venture professionals who have been in the industry fewer than five years showed greater diversity: 77 percent were Caucasian, 17 percent were Asian, three percent were African American or Latino and three percent were of mixed race.

(NVCA and Dow Jones VentureSource 2011 Venture Census Data)

Stanford and Harvard Sweep the Board

In 2011, Stanford and Harvard led the pack with 10 percent of the VC industry (each), ?University of Pennsylvania was a close second with 8 percent, University of California ? Berkeley (five percent), MIT (four percent) and Duke, Northwestern, University of Michigan, Yale, and Columbia (each at three percent).

Why Does This Matter?

It?s in a venture capital firm?s best interest to make the greater returns from their investment, but without enough diversity (according to the stats), costly perspectives, high potential entrepreneurs and most importantly, many monster returns, are left unmet. Women receive just 4.2% of venture capital funding (Stanford University The Clayman Institute) even though women are starting new companies at a rate?1.5 times higher?than the national average (whitehouse.gov ?Women in America?), own 40 percent of private businesses in the United States ?(Center for Women?s Business Research) and it?s been shown that having a board of at least 33% of women leads to higher returns. (HBR)

Why Does This Happen?

While women now comprise a growing share of the college-educated workforce, only 14 percent of engineers are women. (U.S. Joint Economic Committee 2012). ?It?s not like people are making an effort to exclude people, but I see very little diversity in the candidate pool,? says Aileen Lee, a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers(NYT). She says this could reflect the different educational paths men and women follow in high school and college: men, for a variety of reasons, are more likely to pursue computer science and engineering degrees and subsequently rise through start-up or management ranks.

Given the stats, Mrs. Lee?s (who has an undergraduate degree in engineering and MBA) comment seems misguided, (The most common undergraduate degree was in economics (21 percent), followed by business administration (16 percent) and mechanical or electrical engineering (13 percent).( Women now earn more than 50 percent of all bachelor?s and master?s degrees and nearly half of all doctorate-level degrees) ?However she brings up a valid starting point to this lack of diversity.

The Funnel

While and engineering degree may not be an excuse, 49% of VC?s have an MBA, but women make up only 33%. This discrepancy slices away at a hefty fraction when we consider that a strong majority of startup investments are made in technology, a field lacking female founders (this is where Lee?s argument hits home). Only 3 percent of technology companies are founded by women and outside of legal and marketing positions, women are nearly absent (Kauffman).

The Chicken or the Egg?

Given the bio?s of the Midas list, the common ways to become a VC firm are 1.To become an entrepreneur in residence or 2.Investment Banking/Consulting 3. Start your own fund or become and Angel. ?Venture funds are created when a group of wealthy investors come together to take huge risks with a long term potential to multiply their pot. If women are still only earning 77 cents for every dollar a man earns, then it makes sense that 1. Men are more likely to have more money 2. Men appear to be ?better? with their money 3. Men are more likely to look to other men to join the firm.

Note: I try to speak with data, but please do argue against me if you disagree!

Thoughts?

What do you think about this lack of diversity? (note:? I focused primarily on women). Do you think we need more women in Venture Capital? How should we go about solving this problem?

Sources:

  1. http://www.kauffman.org/research-and-policy/gatekeepers-of-venture-growth.aspx
  2. http://www.dowjones.com/privatemarkets/.
  3. http://www.nvca.org.
  4. http://www.forbes.com/sites/connieguglielmo/2012/06/07/silicon-valley-venture-capital-firms-say-they-welcome-more-women/4/
  5. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/18/technology/18women.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all&
  6. http://www.forbes.com/sites/lesliebradshaw/2012/01/10/how-women-are-getting-left-out-of-the-venture-capital-game/
  7. http://www.jec.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?a=Files.Serve&File_id=6aaa7e1f-9586-47be-82e7-326f47658320

Source: http://www.trueventurestec.com/2013/06/27/the-midas-touch-surprising-facts-in-the-world-of-venture-capital/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-midas-touch-surprising-facts-in-the-world-of-venture-capital

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CNN bringing 'Crossfire' back on the air

FILE - In this March 16, 2013 file photo, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich apears during the 40th annual Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Md. CNN is bringing its political show "Crossfire" back on the air this fall with Newt Gingrich as one of the combatants. The original political talk show on cable news aired on CNN from 1982 until 2005. The new version will air on weekdays, although CNN said Wednesday, June 26, that the show has no time slot yet. Gingrich, the former House speaker and presidential candidate, is one of two hosts "from the right" matched against two liberal voices. Conservative commentator S. E. Cupp, who also works at The Blaze, is Gingrich's conservative partner. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, file)

FILE - In this March 16, 2013 file photo, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich apears during the 40th annual Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Md. CNN is bringing its political show "Crossfire" back on the air this fall with Newt Gingrich as one of the combatants. The original political talk show on cable news aired on CNN from 1982 until 2005. The new version will air on weekdays, although CNN said Wednesday, June 26, that the show has no time slot yet. Gingrich, the former House speaker and presidential candidate, is one of two hosts "from the right" matched against two liberal voices. Conservative commentator S. E. Cupp, who also works at The Blaze, is Gingrich's conservative partner. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, file)

NEW YORK (AP) ? CNN said Wednesday that it is bringing the political debate show "Crossfire" back on the air this fall with Newt Gingrich as one of the combatants.

The former House speaker and Republican presidential candidate will be one of the four regular hosts of the program, taking the conservative side along with commentator S.E. Cupp of The Blaze. Stephanie Cutter, a former campaign spokeswoman for President Barack Obama, and Van Jones, a Yale-educated attorney and advocate for green projects, will speak from the left.

"It just feels like the right time for 'Crossfire' to be coming back," said Sam Feist, CNN's senior vice president and Washington bureau chief. The show will air weekdays but no time slot has been set.

The original aired on CNN from 1982 until 2005, and its alumni list reads like a Washington who's who ? Pat Buchanan, Robert Novak, Geraldine Ferraro, Lynn Cheney, James Carville, Paul Begala and Tucker Carlson among them. It was essentially killed by Jon Stewart.

"The Daily Show" host appeared on "Crossfire" in 2004 and got into a bitter fight with Carlson, with Stewart calling the show "partisan hackery" that did little to advance the cause of democracy. When then-CNN U.S. President Jon Klein cancelled it a few months later, he said he was essentially siding with Stewart.

But with Fox News Channel tilting right and MSNBC leaning left, there really isn't a debate program on cable TV now that is a fair fight, Feist said.

"CNN is really the only network that can have a bipartisan debate show with some level of authenticity," he said.

Each show will have a single topic and feature two of the four regular hosts, joined by two guests who are experts on the particular issue being discussed, Feist said. It will be a studio show without the audience that was used in a later incarnation of "Crossfire," he said.

New CNN chief Jeff Zucker began pushing for the show's resurrection almost since taking over this winter, saying he had long been a fan of it, Feist said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-06-26-TV-CNN-Crossfire/id-45dba2501935457d8bd9dbc3b03cc021

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Thursday, June 27, 2013

Santorum: Rubio?s support of immigration bill could hurt presidential prospects

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, who is quietly laying the groundwork for another presidential run, said on Wednesday that Republican presidential hopefuls who support the federal immigration overhaul will struggle to find support among the party's primary voters in 2016.

During an interview on the Andrea Tantaros radio show, Santorum said lawmakers like Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, a lead author of the Senate bipartisan immigration bill, would suffer "consequences" for supporting the bill if they choose to run for president.

"The issue of immigration and respecting the rule of law in this country is a very important thing for Republican voters across the country. The idea that there are Republicans in Washington, D.C., who are going to say, 'Well, the rule of law isn't that important, the idea of people coming into this country have done so illegally and we're going to basically treat them the same as people who came here legally,' is just not going to go over well in a Republican primary," Santorum said when asked specifically if Rubio's support for an immigration overhaul would hurt his chances in 2016. "I think there's going to be certainly consequences for folks who don't understand the importance of the respect for the rule of law that Republicans have."

Conservatives have criticized Rubio for his work on the immigration bill, which offers a pathway to legality for immigrants living in the country unlawfully. Rubio said on Tuesday that he plans to announce a decision on a presidential run in 2014.

When Santorum first ran for president in 2012, he won the popular vote in 11 primary and caucus elections. Although he conceded the race to Mitt Romney in April 2012, Santorum has continued to advocate for his ideas through a nonprofit group and give speeches in Iowa regularly. Santorum announced last week that he has joined EchoLight Studios, an entertainment company that produces faith-based films, as CEO.

In the interview with Tantaros, Santorum said he was "very open" to running for president again.

"The position I've taken here at this movie studio, EchoLight, has not in any way changed my thinking on running again in 2016. I'm very open to that. I think that, in fact, that some of the work that I'm doing at the movie studio is actually in concert with that," he said. "I think this is probably a good way to spend my time and energy potentially between two runs."

Santorum even took an early jab at possible Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton when asked about her handling of the attack on an American compound in Benghazi, Libya, while she was secretary of state.

"I don't think she's the right candidate for the country, and I'm hopeful that if you look at her entire record, that it precludes her," Santorum said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/news/santorum-says-rubio-support-immigration-bill-hurt-him-203058010.html

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