College tuition costs: Hold 'em down or else, Obama says

College tuition costs could determine how much federal aid colleges and universities get, President Obama says in a speech at the University of Michigan. College tuition costs rose 7 percent at the university this year.?

President Barack?Obama's?goal of making higher education affordable came with a strong message to universities Friday: Hold down?tuition?or risk losing federal student aid money.

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During a speech at the University of Michigan,?Obama?said students who attend colleges and universities that slow down what he called skyrocketing?tuition?costs will get more federal student aid. If students attend schools that don't keep costs down, the institutions won't get as much aid.

"I'm telling Congress we should steer federal campus-based aid to those colleges that keep?tuition?affordable, provide good value, serve their students well,"?Obama?said. "We are putting colleges on notice _ you can't keep _ you can't assume that you'll just jack up?tuition?every single year. ... We should push colleges to do better. "

The federal aid _ in the form of grants, work study and loans _ goes to the student, who then passes it back to the university. U-M took in $136 million in federal student aid in 2010-11.

Michigan's universities have been steadily increasing?tuition?for the past decade, including an average raise of nearly 7 percent for this year.

University leaders said they needed to increase?tuition?in large part because of cuts in state aid. Universities lost 22 percent of their state funding this school year, but that cut was rolled back to 15 percent if they kepttuition?increases under 7.1 percent.

During his speech,?Obama?said?tuition?is steadily increasing in states across the nation.

"So we're challenging states: Take responsibility as well on this issue," he said. "What we're doing is, today we're going to launch a Race to the Top for college affordability. We're telling the states, if you can find new ways to bring down the cost of college and make it easier for more students to graduate, we'll help you do it. "

Michigan university officials praised?Obama's?remarks on the need for states to increase funding.

"If the state does its part, universities should be challenged," U-M President Mary Sue Coleman said. Said Michigan State University President Lou Anna Simon: "Now is the time for the federal and state governments, along with colleges and universities, to step up to the plate to ensure that we can continue to offer a world-class education _ one that will maintain our nation's and our state's competitiveness in a changing global economy _ at an affordable price."

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder's spokeswoman Geralyn Lasher said the state cannot keep spending money it doesn't have and using accounting gimmicks and one-time fixes to get a budget passed.

"As a result, many areas of the budget had to be cut, including funding to higher education, in order to put Michigan's fiscal house in order," she said. Some critics of university spending said a loss in state aid isn't the only reason for the?tuition?increases.

"There's a lot of highly paid people there who keep getting raises," said Mark Ickles, 47, of Ypsilanti, Mich., whose daughter is a freshman at MSU. "I think there's a lot more fat there, and they've got a lot of money sitting in reserve accounts they could use to keep costs down."

Katie Taylor graduated from U-M in 2008 with a master's degree in social work. Even with federal grants and scholarships, the out-of-state student from North Carolina ended her college years with $150,000 in debt. She said she appreciates?Obama's?efforts to ensure that parents and students really understand how much college is going to cost.

Ella Weber, 19, a U-M student from East Lansing, Mich., said she fears the trickle-down effect could result in U-M's inability to provide as much financial aid as students need.

"I have a lot of student loans, and I would have like to hear more about where he's going to get the money for these programs," said Weber. "It's pretty scary, but the university here does a pretty good job of offering grants and aid. This might end up being more of a financial burden on all students."

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/ipzQg44Zf2w/College-tuition-costs-Hold-em-down-or-else-Obama-says

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St. Louis hosts 1st big parade on Iraq War's end (AP)

ST. LOUIS ? Since the Iraq War ended there has been little fanfare for the veterans returning home. No ticker-tape parades. No massive, flag-waving public celebrations.

So, two friends from St. Louis decided to change that. They sought donations, launched a Facebook page, met with the mayor and mapped a route. On Saturday, hundreds of veterans are expected to march in downtown St. Louis in the nation's first big welcome home parade since the last troops left Iraq in December.

"It struck me that there was this debate going on as to whether there should or shouldn't be a parade," said Tom Appelbaum, one of the organizers. "Instead of waiting around for somebody somewhere to say, `Yes, let's have a parade,' we said, `Let's just do it.'"

Appelbaum, a 46-year-old lawyer, and Craig Schneider, a 41-year-old school technology coordinator, said they were puzzled by the lack of celebrations marking the war's end. But, they wondered, if St. Louis could host thousands of people for a parade after their beloved Cardinals won the World Series, why couldn't there be a party for the troops who put their lives on the line?

The effort got help with donations from two corporations with St. Louis connections ? $10,000 from Anheuser-Busch and $7,500 from the Mayflower moving company. Individual donations have boosted the project's total budget to about $35,000. By comparison, more than $5 million was spent two decades ago on New York's welcome-home parade for Gulf War veterans who helped drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait.

Ticker-tape salutes to returning troops are part of the American culture, including parades in many cities honoring veterans of World War I and World War II.

Since the end of the latest Iraq War, there have only been small events at military posts, gatherings of families at airports and a low-key appearance by President Barack Obama at Fort Bragg, N.C., a base that endured more than 200 deaths from fighting in the war.

"Many communities across the country are finding ways to recognize the service and sacrifice of our troops and their families," said Maj. Chris Perrine, a spokesman for the Defense Department. "We are certainly encouraged by that and grateful for it."

Celebrating the end of the Iraq War isn't as simple as the outpourings after the world wars, said Wayne Fields, professor of English and American Culture Studies at Washington University in St. Louis. With 91,000 troops still fighting the war on terrorism in Afghanistan, many Iraq veterans could be redeployed ? suggesting to some that it's premature to celebrate their homecoming.

"We're not celebrating the end of a war the way we were with V-E Day or V-J Day (after World War II)," Fields said. "Part of what this is trying to do is recognize the special service of those who were there even though we can't declare a victory over a clearly identified enemy."

In May 2003, President George W. Bush landed on an aircraft carrier to hail the end of major combat operations in Iraq. Behind him during that speech was a banner that read, "Mission Accomplished," yet U.S. troops remained in Iraq for 8 1/2 more years.

Even some of the festivities in St. Louis will serve as a reminder that Bush launched the Iraq War as part of the larger war on terror following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

As part of the weekend, a "Reading of the Fallen" will begin at 9:11 p.m. Friday at Soldiers Memorial downtown. It will continue until the names of the approximate 6,500 Americans killed since the attacks are read.

"Veterans have sacrificed so much for the safety and well-being of St. Louisans," Mayor Francis Slay said. "This is a chance to demonstrate our appreciation for them."

City officials agreed to waive permit fees and allow use of streets for the parade from the heart of downtown along Market Street to Union Station, the former train station that is now a shopping center and hotel. A "Resource Village" will be set up there that will include food, music and entertainment but will also connect returning vets with organizations to help ease transition to civilian life.

Organizers expect about 100 parade entries ? floats, marching bands, first-responders, veterans groups. Appelbaum said that while the parade marks the end of the Iraq War, any military personnel involved in post-Sept. 11 conflicts are welcome.

Appelbaum has no idea how many people will turn out to cheer on the troops but said response has been overwhelming despite the lack of any substantial marketing.

"It's significant that this is strictly a grassroots effort, and coming out of the heartland of the U.S., I think it really says something," he said.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120127/ap_on_re_us/us_iraq_war_parade

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Panetta cites key intelligence on bin Laden raid (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is acknowledging publicly for the first time that a Pakistani doctor provided key information to the U.S. in advance of the successful Navy SEAL assault on Osama bin Laden's compound last May.

Panetta told CBS's "60 Minutes," in a profile to be broadcast on Sunday, that Shakil Afridi helped provide intelligence for the raid on bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

Afridi ran a vaccination program for the CIA to collect DNA and verify bin Laden's presence in the compound. He has since been charged by Pakistan with treason. Panetta said he is "very concerned" for the doctor.

Panetta also told "60 Minutes" that he remains convinced that someone in the Pakistani government "must have had some sense" that a person of interest was in the compound. He added that he has no proof that Pakistan knew it was bin Laden.

The Pakistani government had hoped to resolve the Afridi matter quietly, once media attention died down, perhaps releasing him to U.S. custody, according to two Pakistani officials. They requested anonymity because the investigation into charges the doctor behaved treasonously was ongoing.

___

AP Intelligence Writer Kimberly Dozier contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120128/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_panetta_pakistan

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Grammy-winning composer Clare Fischer dead at 83

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Clare Fischer, a Grammy-winning composer who wrote scores for television and movies and worked with legendary musicians like Dizzy Gillespie, has died. He was 83.

Fischer died Thursday at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank after suffering a heart attack two weeks ago, family spokeswoman Claris Sayadian-Dodge said.

An uncommonly versatile musician, Fischer worked as a composer, arranger, conductor and pianist for more than 60 years.

He is best known for his arrangements for Prince, Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, Branford Marsalis, Raphael Saadiq, Usher and Brandy.

Nominated for a Grammy 11 times in the Best Instrumental Arrangement category, Fischer won in 1986 for his album "Free Fall" and in 1981 for "Salsa Picante plus 2+2."

Born in Durand, Mich., Fischer got his start playing piano and writing jazz-inspired arrangements for the group The Hi-Lo's, an a capella quartet popular in the 1950s.

He worked as the arranger on Gillespie's "Jazz Portrait of Duke Ellington."

Fischer recorded 51 albums over his lifetime with his son Brent Fischer. The music ranges in style from jazz to salsa to symphonies.

"Clare Fischer was a major influence on my harmonic concept," Herbie Hancock is quoted as saying on Fischer's website.

"(Fischer) and Bill Evans, and Ravel and Gil Evans, finally. You know, that's where it really came from. Almost all of the harmony that I play can be traced to one of those four people and whoever their influences were," Hancock said.

Clare Fischer is survived by his wife, Donna; sons Lee and Brent; daughter Tahlia; and three grandchildren.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-01-27-Obit-Fischer/id-ea56c6da274f4b59ad304461d7696cbf

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Notebak Anti-Theft

When your laptop goes missing, your first reaction may be blind, unreasoning panic. If the laptop has Notebak Anti-Theft ($29.95/year direct) installed, though, you can relax a bit. That is, as long as you've configured the product correctly for maximum security. Notebak offers a wide variety of features to help you protect and recover your laptop and the data that it holds.

During installation you define a password for connecting with the Notebak Web portal, along with a separate secret key which can't be the same as the password. To make remote requests of the client installed on the laptop you'll need to enter this secret key.

To open the local Notebak client on the laptop itself you can either double-click its icon or press Shift+Ctrl+V. If desired you can set Notebak for stealth mode, hiding the icon. In that case, the special keystroke becomes the only way to open Notebak.

Lock and Alarm
Any time you have to leave your laptop unattended, you really should lock Windows, so nobody can even look at what you've been doing. Notebak can't do that for you, since it can't tell that you've walked away. However, it can lock automatically if a thief closes the lid or unplugs the power in preparation for running off with the laptop.

From the local client you can choose several alarm and lock options. Just setting it to sound the alarm if the laptop is unplugged or the lid closed won't help you much, since the thief can just click a big on-screen button to turn Notebak off. Instead, set it to sound the alarm and lock the computer. You can choose from a dozen alarm sounds.

As with Laptop Superhero ($29.99/year direct, 2.5 stars) and LaptopSentry 3.1 ($9.99 direct, 2.5 stars), Notebak's alarm could be silenced by plugging headphones (or even a simple audio jack) into the headphone socket. The startled thief probably won't think of this ploy.

Serious Lockdown
The DigitaLabel feature goes way beyond merely invoking Windows's computer lock. When active, it displays a big notice on the laptop screen before Windows ever boots, saying "REWARD FOR RETURN." The notice contains a unique identifier along with Notebak's Web address. An honest user can report the find using the unique ID, without ever receiving your personal connection information. As the owner, you can bypass that screen by typing in a four-digit code that you'll find by logging in to the Notebak Web portal.

Naturally I tried to break through this protection, to somehow gain access without entering the four-digit code. I couldn't do it. The product includes advice to foil a thief who wants to reformat the drive, though of course there's no hope if the thief physically extracts the drive and installs it in another computer.

When a good Samaritan reports finding a lost laptop, the recovery process is flexible. If you want to pay a reward, Notebak will negotiate with the finder. They can set up a meeting or have the finder ship them the laptop (at your expense). You (and the finder) can remain anonymous. The point is to give you the best a chance at recovery.

For maximum security, you can set DigitaLabel so it's always active. That means each time you restart or unlock the computer for your own use, you'll need to enter that four-digit code. You can also set it to activate any time the laptop's location is outside a user-defined geofence (more about geofencing shortly).

At a minimum, the company recommends you set DigiaLabel to turn on automatically if the laptop hasn't connected to the Internet for a full day. Like the offline lock feature in Laptop Superhero, this helps ensure that a thief can't totally foil Notebak by isolating it from your remote commands.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/NnEnW6uOuJA/0,2817,2399391,00.asp

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US defender Ream gives up honeymoon for EPL move

By STUART CONDIE

AP Sports Writer

Associated Press Sports

updated 11:21 a.m. ET Jan. 26, 2012

LONDON (AP) -Sun and sand in Tahiti or the gray skies of northwest England? For United States defender Tim Ream, there was only one choice.

Contacted by English Premier League club Bolton the day after his wedding, the 24-year-old Ream canceled his honeymoon on the Pacific island and headed east instead.

Ream convinced Bolton manager Owen Coyle of his worth while training in December with Bolton's squad and eventually completed a transfer from Major League Soccer's New York Red Bulls on Thursday.

"I was married for all of 24 hours when I got the phone call," Ream said. "The manager asked if I'd be willing to cancel the honeymoon and come to Bolton and honeymoon here.

"As much as we were disappointed that we had to pass up the trip, I think we both knew it was in our best interests. Hopefully it shows my commitment to being here and doing well here."

Ream's wife took a little more convincing.

"I can't really repeat what she said," Ream said. "But her and I have talked and as long as we're together in whatever we do I think both of us will be happy. She wants the best for me and I just want her to be happy.

"If she says tomorrow that she wants something, then I guess I'll have to give it to her."

Ream fills the gap in Bolton's squad created by the sale of Gary Cahill to Chelsea earlier in Europe's January transfer window.

The defender becomes the second United States international in the Premier League club's squad after midfielder Stuart Holden, who joined in January 2010.

Ream signed a 3 1/2-year contract but neither Bolton nor the Red Bulls disclosed the transfer fee for a player that Coyle said Arsenal wanted to sign before the start of the current English season.

"I knew there was interest in me when I came over last year and trained for a couple of weeks, and then after Christmas time things really did start to ramp up," Ream said. "Negotiations started and that's when I knew things were getting serious.

"Even before that week I aimed to challenge myself in England and, if an opportunity arose, I wanted to come over and try to make it here."

Coyle is sure Ream has what it takes to succeed in the Premier League.

"He is a U.S. international - a player that year-on-year has progressed and got better, and he will continue to do that," Coyle said. "Tim is everything that we want in the players we are bringing to the club when we spend in the transfer market.

"He is young, has a tremendous attitude and a winning mentality."

A finalist for the MLS Rookie of the Year award in 2010, Ream was named on the MLS All-Star Team last year and has played seven times for the United States.

"This was a hard decision for me considering the fact that I enjoyed playing for the Red Bulls and was looking forward to the upcoming MLS season," Ream said. "However, after consulting with those closest to me, I decided that this was a once in a lifetime chance that I could not pass up."

Bolton is 17th in the 20-team Premier League, just a point above the relegation zone after 22 of 38 matches.

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Barca holds off Madrid rally

Pedro Rodriguez and Daniel Alves scored first-half goals, and Barcelona held off a spirited Real Madrid comeback attempt to eliminate the defending Copa del Rey champion with a 2-2 tie Wednesday night.

Do-or-die

The U.S. women's soccer team was still on the field, having dispatched rival Mexico, when Abby Wambach gathered her teammates for a little speech.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/46146013/ns/sports-soccer/

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Bachmann says she'll seek 4th term in House (AP)

MINNEAPOLIS ? Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann swept aside doubts about her political future on Wednesday, declaring less than a month after ending her presidential bid that she will seek a fourth term in Congress.

Bachmann's decision ended speculation that she might be ready to move on from the House, perhaps leveraging her popularity among some conservatives into a career in talk media. Despite her high profile, Bachmann has been only a marginal player in Congress.

"I'm looking forward to coming back and bringing a strong, powerful voice to Washington, D.C.," Bachmann said in an interview with The Associated Press. She said a formal announcement would come later.

Unless redistricting radically changes Minnesota's Republican-leaning 6th District, Bachmann figures to be a heavy favorite. Other Republican hopefuls had stood aside awaiting her decision. No Democrats have yet declared for the race.

Bachmann is a potent fundraiser who brought in $13.5 million in her last House race, but she would likely start from scratch after the presidential campaign. A campaign finance report that would show how much money she can bring to the race isn't due until the end of the month.

Ken Martin, chairman of Minnesota's Democratic-Farmer Labor Party, said the announcement wasn't a surprise. He said Democrats would attack Bachmann for being absent from the district and for missing votes in Washington during months chasing the presidential nomination.

"Anyone who thinks that they're unbeatable is fooling themselves, and particularly once you hand us these issues on a silver platter," Martin said.

Martin said he's talked with several potential candidates who were waiting for a special redistricting panel to issue new maps late next month. He said some were also waiting for Bachmann's decision.

Bachmann captured some early momentum in the chase for the GOP presidential nomination by winning the Iowa straw poll in midsummer, but she eventually faded. Bachmann said she will not be working for any GOP candidate still in the race ahead of Minnesota's caucuses Feb. 7.

Bachmann also addressed President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech. As she did on the campaign trail, Bachmann criticized Obama for "doubling down on failures that didn't work."

She said she "chose to lay everything on the line this last year" because she saw a better way.

"I know how to create jobs and I am a job creator," Bachmann said. "I do have a formula for success. I have lived that formula. ... We need that voice here in Congress."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/uscongress/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_el_ho/us_bachmann_house

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