Friday, May 31, 2013

Leave the American people outside alone - off the record:


Tinker:

Off the record means keeping secrets away from the American people, that the people intrusted with running the American government is trying to do so in private. Away from the madding crowd, that of course is the insiders way of doing business, rubbing oneanother back off the record. Why! Because the way the crowd goes, so goes the game. That is the way the American game is won, playing to the fancy of the maddened crowd.

It is not what you know, but rather who you know, so stop feeling confused about the way the United States Government is run, because the US Government is being run corruptly long before we were born.

 And you should realize then that the people letting that happen is just as guilty of the self same corruption that the madding crowd profess to hate.

 Playing to the maddened crowd is the real insanity that everyone inherited, not that other bull talk people hide behind so not to get caught.

You were not born that way America, that insanity was taught to you. God Bless America.
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http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/05/30/holder-runs-into-roadblocks-on-off-record-meetings-on-scandals/

Fox News, other media outlets refuse off-record meeting with Holder


Published May 30, 2013
FoxNews.com

Fox News joined several other major media outlets Thursday in refusing to send a representative to a meeting with Attorney General Eric Holder on the department's surveillance of reporters if Holder continues to insist that the session be off the record.

Michael Clemente, Fox News' executive vice president, decided that Fox News will not attend the off-record talks. Fox News had been invited to a Friday session at the Department of Justice headquarters in Washington.

With the decision, the two news outlets known to have been targeted by the Justice Department for surveillance -- the other being the Associated Press -- are now declining to participate in the first phase of Holder's internal review over the controversy. Several other outlets are also refusing to attend.

Both the Associated Press and Fox News had their phone records pulled by the Justice Department, in the course of two separate leak investigations. The department went a step further in the Fox News case, seizing the personal emails of correspondent James Rosen, while accusing him of being a criminal "co-conspirator" in the application for the search warrant.

Holder, who agreed to conduct a review of DOJ guidelines over investigations that involve journalists, had set up meetings with members of the media for Thursday and Friday. He ran into immediate resistance, though, after calling for the meetings to be off the record, meaning the discussions would not be reportable.

AP media relations manager Erin Madigan White said that if the session is not on the record, the news cooperative will offer its views in an open letter on how Justice Department regulations should be updated.

If the AP's meeting with the attorney general is on the record, AP Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll will attend, White said. She said AP expects its attorneys to be included in any planned meetings between the attorney general's office and media lawyers on the legal specifics.

New York Times Executive Editor Jill Abramson said in a statement: "It isn't appropriate for us to attend an off the record meeting with the attorney general. Our Washington bureau is aggressively covering the department's handling of leak investigations at this time."

The Huffington Post also announced it would not attend the meeting at DOJ headquarters. CNN similarly said it would not attend an off-record meeting, but would agree to go if the attorney general made the session on the record. On Thursday afternoon, CBS News made the same call.

"CBS News does not plan to participate in the off-the-record meeting with Attorney General Eric Holder. We would be willing to consider an on-the-record discussion," CBS News spokeswoman Sonya McNair said. 

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Ann Romney: Public feels ‘breach of trust’ amid White House controversies

By Adele Hampton - 05/30/13
Ann Romney said Thursday that there had been a “breach of trust” between the American public and the government, citing three controversies that have placed the White House on the defensive.

 "I think it's hard, what the country's going through right now," Romney, the wife of 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, said on CBS’s “This Morning.”  "I think there's this breach of trust that we as all Americans feel right now with our government."
The White House has faced tough criticism in recent weeks over the Internal Revenue Service’s targeting of Tea Party groups, the Justice Department’s (DOJ) seizure of journalists’ phone records in separate probes of national security leaks, and persistent questions over the September terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya."If we look at the three scandals that are going on right now — and in particular I saw the polling numbers with how people are upset with the IRS scandal — we have to have trust in our government," Romney added. "We have to believe they're doing the right for us, and when we feel like they're breaking our trust, it's deeply troubling."

 Congress is expected to resume hearings on the IRS and DOJ matters after the Memorial Day recess, and Republicans are pressing the State Department for more answers on Benghazi.
More from The Hill: ♦ GOP chairmen want IG probe of Sebelius calls on ObamaCare ♦ HillTube video: A tough few months to implement ObamaCare ♦ Attorney General Holder on the ropes ♦ Dem wants to move Memorial Day, eliminate three-day weekend ♦ Obama says he has no 'patience' for climate skeptics ♦ Senate vote on nuclear option would be close ♦ HillTube video: Harry Reid prepares for nuclear option
Polls, though, show the president’s approval ratings holding steady despite the controversies.

 The former Massachusetts first lady also reflected on the 2012 race and said the campaign process added to the disconnect between the public and their elected leaders.

 "Just the process of trying to vet someone, the opposition or even in your own party when you're competing, there's so much negative involved. And it's really hard, and it's hard for the American people to sort through it. How do they know who's telling the truth?” she said.

 "And that's what I'm talking about, this breach of trust that's going on. Who do we trust? Who do we believe? Where do we turn to know what's really true?"

Read more: http://thehill.com/video/in-the-news/302489-ann-romney-americans-feel-breach-of-trust-after-wh-scandals#ixzz2UnxwBJEx
Follow us: @thehill on Twitter | TheHill on Facebook
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Coaches vote to stay at 8 SEC games


Updated: May 30, 2013, 12:48 AM ET
By Chris Low |

Video: SEC meetings Day 2
Chris Low and Edward Aschoff wrap up Day 2 at the SEC spring meetings.Tags: Spring meetings
DESTIN, Fla. -- The short-term answer for the SEC is to keep the number of conference games at eight, but coaches and athletic directors agreed Wednesday that a move to nine is probably inevitable.



SEC blog

SEC ESPN.com's Chris Low and Edward Aschoff write about all things SEC football in the conference blog.
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The head coaches voted 13-1 to stay at eight conference games. The only coach voting for nine conference games was Alabama's Nick Saban.

 Larry Templeton, who has headed up scheduling during the SEC's transition to 14 schools, said a rotation has been approved through 2026 that would include eight conference games with six divisional opponents, one permanent cross-divisional opponent and one rotating cross-divisional opponent.

 That rotation will begin in 2014, but the question becomes: How long will that format remain in place?

 "Personally, I think we'll end up moving to nine (conference) games eventually," Florida coach Will Muschamp said. "My personal opinion (is) you create an SEC Network, at the end of the day, it's going to be driven by the dollar, and having those games is going to be important, and having enough quality games on television promoting a nine-game SEC regular season, in my opinion, will eventually happen."

 SEC commissioner Mike Slive said it's doubtful the 2014 schedule will be finalized this week at the SEC spring meetings. He's declined to weigh in on whether he's in favor of going to nine conference games. But he didn't hold back on the importance of SEC schools upgrading their nonconference schedules.

 "I don't want us playing four games that mean less," Slive said. "I made that very clear."

 Alabama's Bill Battle and Tennessee's Dave Hart were two athletic directors who said they anticipate the SEC going to nine conference games at some point.

 But Battle said it's even more important that SEC schools play at least 10 "good" games.

 "Our fan experience needs to improve, and the way to improve fan experience is to put on more good games," he said.

 South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier suggested that the financial reward of playing nine conference games probably would be too lucrative for the league to pass up down the road. Still, he likes the idea of being able to schedule attractive nonconference games.

 The Gamecocks are one of four teams in the SEC that play in-state rivalry games against nonconference foes every year. They face Clemson on an annual basis, while Florida plays Florida State, Georgia plays Georgia Tech and Kentucky plays Louisville.

 "Anything can happen when television starts telling you what to do," Spurrier said. "But my thought is this: Would television people rather televise Texas-Texas A&M or Texas A&M-Kentucky? The conference games are supposed to be bigger. They're not necessarily bigger than some rivalry games. It's important to play your conference opponents. It's important to play other people out of conference, too."
LSU Tradition is giving way, hopefully, to a fairer and right way to pick a champion.
” -- LSU coach Les Miles, on his desire
to abolish the SEC's permanent
cross-divisional opponent
Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said creating another week of games where the SEC goes 7-7 against itself would not be good for the league.

 "For Kentucky, I don't know if that's in the best interest for Kentucky to play a nine-game schedule and I think there are some opinions in the room that a lot of people don't believe it's in the best interest of their school to play name games," Stoops said. "... Well, if you do the math, 50 percent of our league just lost a game going into the year no matter what. So that's not good. For people like myself that are trying to build a team, maybe that's not in our best interest."

 One of the chief debates regarding scheduling is whether to do away with permanent cross-divisional opponents. LSU has been leading the charge to do so. Its permanent opponent from the East every year is Florida.

 LSU coach Les Miles has been pushing for a format that would include six divisional opponents and two rotating opponents from the other division.

 "The hard thing is tradition, and the hard thing is financial considerations," Miles said. "But if you get back to how college football has changed, (Oklahoma) is not playing Nebraska. Nebraska is now in the Big Ten. Colorado is suddenly in the Pac-12. You're looking at a recent addition to our conference, Texas A&M, and they don't play Texas anymore.

 "So tradition is giving way, hopefully, to a fairer and right way to pick a champion."

 Spurrier quipped that all schedules aren't created equal.

 "One thing I think we all have to realize is that nobody said it's going to always be fair," Spurrier said. "We all know last year that Georgia did not play the top three on the Western side -- Alabama, LSU or Texas A&M. But a lot of people don't know that Alabama didn't play the top three on the Eastern side -- us, Florida or Georgia. Those are the two that won the division.

 "Pepper Rogers one time said that a coach is as good as his players and his schedule."
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http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/9325510/gordon-gee-ohio-state-president-takes-shots-notre-dame-catholics

Gordon Gee rips ND, Catholics

Updated: May 30, 2013, 2:22 PM ET
Associated Press


Associated Press


COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The president of Ohio State University said Notre Dame was never invited to join the Big Ten because the university's priests are not good partners, joking that "those damn Catholics" can't be trusted, according to a recording of a meeting he attended late last year.

 At the December meeting of the school's Athletic Council, Gordon Gee also took shots at schools in the Southeastern Conference and the University of Louisville, according to the recording, obtained by The Associated Press under a public records request.

 The university called the statements inappropriate and said Gee is undergoing a "remediation plan" because of the remarks.

 Gee apologized in a statement released to the AP.

 "The comments I made were just plain wrong, and in no way do they reflect what the university stands for," he said. "They were a poor attempt at humor and entirely inappropriate."

 Gee, who has taken heat previously for uncouth remarks, told members of the council that he negotiated with Notre Dame officials during his first term at Ohio State, which began more than two decades ago.
“ The fathers are holy on Sunday, and they're holy hell on the rest of the week. You just can't trust those damn Catholics on a Thursday or a Friday, and so, literally, I can say that.
” -- Ohio State president Gordon Gee, speaking at a December meeting of the school's athletic council
"The fathers are holy on Sunday, and they're holy hell on the rest of the week," Gee said to laughter at the Dec. 5 meeting attended by Athletic Director Gene Smith and several other athletic department members, along with professors and students.

 "You just can't trust those damn Catholics on a Thursday or a Friday, and so, literally, I can say that," said Gee, a Mormon.

 The Big Ten had for years courted Notre Dame, but the school resisted, seeking to retain its independent status in college football. The school announced in September that it would join the Atlantic Coast Conference in all sports except football. It also agreed to play five football games each year against ACC teams.

 In the recording, Gee referred specifically to dealing with the Rev. Ned Joyce, Notre Dame's longtime chief financial officer, who died in 2004.

 "Father Joyce was one of those people who ran the university for many, many years," Gee said.

 Gee said the Atlantic Coast Conference added Notre Dame at a time when it was feeling vulnerable.

 "Notre Dame wanted to have its cake and eat it, too," Gee said, according to the recording and a copy of the meeting's minutes.

 Gee was introduced by Athletic Council then-chairman Charlie Wilson, and Gee's name and introduction are included in written minutes of the meeting. Gee's comments drew laughter, at times loud, occasionally nervous, but no rebukes, according to the audio.

 The Athletic Council meets monthly during the fall, winter and spring and makes recommendations on athletic policy including ticket prices. December's meeting was at Ohio Stadium.

 Ohio State trustees learned of "certain offensive statements" by Gee in January, met with the president at length and created the remediation plan for Gee to "address his behavior," board president Robert Schottenstein said in a statement.
“ You tell the SEC when they can learn to read and write, then they can figure out what we're doing.
” --Gee, when asked how to respond to SEC fans who say the Big Ten can't count because it now has 14 members
"These statements were inappropriate, were not presidential in nature and do not comport with the core values of the University," Schottenstein said.

 Gee has gotten in trouble for his offhand remarks, most recently during a memorabilia-for-cash and tattoos scandal that cost football coach Jim Tressel his job. Tressel had known about allegations that players were trading game paraphernalia for money and tattoos but didn't tell the university in violation of his contract and NCAA regulations.

 Gee was asked in March 2011 whether he had considered firing Tressel. He responded: "No, are you kidding? Let me just be very clear: I'm just hopeful the coach doesn't dismiss me." Tressel stepped down three months later.

 In November 2010, Gee boasted that Ohio State's football schedule didn't include teams on par with the "Little Sisters of the Poor." An apologetic Gee later sent a personal check to the real Little Sisters of the Poor in northwest Ohio and followed up with a visit to the nuns months later.

 Last year, Gee apologized for comparing the problem of coordinating the school's many divisions to the Polish army, an off-the-cuff remark that a Polish-American group called a "slanderous" display of bigotry and ignorance.

 Gee has one of the highest-profile resumes of any college president in recent history. He has held the top job at West Virginia University, the University of Colorado, Brown University and Vanderbilt University. He was Ohio State president from 1990 to 1997, and returned in 2007. He earns about $1.9 million annually in base pay, deferred and performance compensation and retirement benefits.

 He is a prolific fundraiser and is leading a $2.5 billion campaign at Ohio State. He is omnipresent on campus, attending everything from faculty awards events to dormitory pizza parties. He is known for his bow ties - he has hundreds - and his horn-rimmed glasses.

 During his comments to the Athletic Council, Gee also questioned the academic integrity of schools in the Southeastern Conference, and the University of Louisville.

 The top goal of Big Ten presidents is to "make certain that we have institutions of like-minded academic integrity," Gee said. "So you won't see us adding Louisville," a member of the Big East conference that is also joining the ACC.

 After a pause followed by laughter from the audience, Gee added that the Big Ten wouldn't add the University of Kentucky, either.

 During the meeting, Gee also said he thought it was a mistake not to include Missouri and Kansas in earlier Big Ten expansion plans. Missouri has since joined the SEC.

 "You tell the SEC when they can learn to read and write, then they can figure out what we're doing," Gee said, when asked by a questioner how to respond to SEC fans who say the Big Ten can't count because it now has 14 members.

 Gee noted he was chairman of the SEC during his time as Vanderbilt University chancellor. He also told his audience that speculation about the SEC "remains right here," according to the recording.

 Gee took a swipe at Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delaney, one of the most powerful leaders in college athletics, when he answered a question about preserving Ohio State's financial interests in light of Big Ten revenue-sharing plans.

 "No one admires Jim Delaney more than I do - I chaired the committee that brought him here," Gee said. "Jim is very aggressive, and we need to make certain he keeps his hands out of our pockets while we support him."
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http://espn.go.com/college-football/

Jon Bostic, Teddy Bridgewater

Area Of Focus

Targeting on defense, the selection committee and the schedule were all topics of discussion at the SEC meetings. Day 2 » Hits on defense » Playoff makeup » Eight games ... for now » Blog »
AP Photo/Bill Haber
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http://www.dandydon.com/
Dandy Don's LSU Sports Report

The LSU baseball team practiced yesterday in preparation for this weekend’s regional, and from what I understand Jacoby Jones and Mark Laird were both taking swings. Jones is reportedly cleared to play Friday and is expected to return to his starting second base position. Whether Laird is recovered enough to see significant action this weekend is still questionable, but Coach Mainieri did say that he’s hopeful of Laird being on the active roster. Laird’s speed is his biggest asset, and if his ankle doesn't allow him to run at 100% than Coach Mainieri could have a tough decision to make by 4 p.m. today regarding whether to include Laird on the limited active roster or instead go with an additional pitcher like Hunter Newman who could prove useful should LSU face the maximum of five games in the tournament.

All four teams in the Baton Rouge Regional will practice today at the Box and the practices will be open to the public.

 Here’s the day’s practice schedule:

10:00 - 11:15 LSU
11:30 - 12:45  ULL
1:00 - 2:15 SHSU
2:30 - 3:45 Jackson State

In LSU football news, it is looking more and more likely that LSU will play Wisconsin to open the 2014 season. According to multiple reports, the working plan is for the two teams to meet in Houston’s Reliant Stadium next year (2014), and then meet at Green Bay's Lambeau Field some time between 2016-18, with 2017 being the likeliest year. LSU Athletic director Joe Alleva has reportedly said that nothing has been finalized yet, but that a deal is getting close. Neutral-site games have become big business in college football because they usually carry a very big payout. According to CBSSports.com, the average payout for each team in these types of game is $3 to $4 million.

With the start of the 2013 football season 93 days away, today we’ll continue our jersey countdown by looking at a special former Tiger who wore No. 93 – Chad Lavalais. Lavalais is originally from Marksville, La. and wore No. 93 for LSU as a defensive tackle from 2000 to 2003. Lavalais was a member of the 2003 national championship team, a first-team All American and All-SEC pick, and the 2003 National Defensive Player of the Year. With quick feet and a non-stop motor, Lavalais spent a lot of time in the opposing team’s backfield, and was in many respects the anchor of a Tiger defense that will go down in history as one of the school’s best ever. After graduating from LSU, Lavalais went on to play two years for the Atlanta Falcons.

Another special former Tiger who wore No. 93 is Bennie Logan, although many of us remember him most as No. 18 since he was chosen by his teammates to wear that prestigious number last year as a senior. As most of you know, Logan was selected in the 3rd round of the 2013 NFL draft by the Eagles as the 67th overall pick.

On a related note, several of you have asked me who I expect to see wear No. 18 this year, and that's a great question. My two guesses at this point would be Alfred Blue or Craig Loston, but there are several other candidates.


In softball news, hats off to LSU sophomore outfielder A.J. Andrews and senior pitcher Rachele Fico for being named Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-Americans. The last time the LSU softball team had two All-Americans in the same season was in 2007 when Leslie Klein and Killian Roessner accomplished the feat.

Lastly, just wanted to let you know that I updated our Ticket Exchange and Where Are They Now pages last night.

 Reader comments: Athlon Sports asked that I let you know that they are giving away 10 free copies of their SEC 2013 College Football Preview magazine (the LSU Tigers cover edition), as a way to say "thanks" to LSU fans. From now through June 8 you can use this link to enter a random drawing to receive a free copy.

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http://lsufootball.net/ 

LSU Football - Geaux Tigers!!!

Baseball Video Interviews - T-P: Paul Mainieri | Alex Bregman | Ryan Eades | Mark Laird | Aaron Nola
LSU Sports Baseball: Three Tigers named Louisville Slugger All-Americans

Shreveport Times *1 Baseball: Guilbeau - Chris Cotton enjoys career week for LSU

Times Picayune Video (5 min, 44 sec): Mike Slive supports new NCAA ejection rule for targeted hits

CBS SportsLine Blog Texas A&M-South Carolina, Arkansas-Missouri are SEC rivalries in 2014

Sport Techie Interview with ESPN Sports Science host John Brenkus

ESPN Drug testing in SEC hot topic

Times Picayune SEC coaches vote 13-1 for 8-game league schedule, but it's only the beginning

Chattanooga Times SEC looking ahead to football playoff
Birmingham News Slive: College football must pay attention to NFL player safety rules

USA Today Deadline approaching for playoff committee nominations, Les Miles' suggestion

Times Picayune Q and A with ESPN executive Justin Connolly on the SEC Network | Video (8 min)

The Advocate Questions, answers regarding the upcoming SEC Network

NFL News Video (42 sec): Matt Flynn is ready to start for Oakland
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Posted by at No comments:

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Change from the way life is might not be possible;

Tinker:

If life is a static thing people trying to change the social life that they live might not be possible, so just what is their struggle for change all about then?

What part of their life are they trying to change, or whatever they are calling their efforts to be different all about.

Looking at the smiles and laughter of the quote "educated TV personalities on television" talking and feeling like they are different than the generations of people before them. Discussing and bloviating about their life today is becoming a curious experience for me listening to them now.

These social advancement that they seem to believe in and have been practicing, don't hold up to further investigation. Just what do we as a society have to brag so much about, may I dare to ask?

The laughter seem to be just as self serving as ever before. the rich has theirs and the poor doesn't. What change are they talking about?

Just where are we going to go as a society and what are they really talking about, what change, because what is better then the life that we already have. Feeling healthy smelling the fresh cut grass under the open blue sky in the open air?

The lavish excess of the rich people basking in television celebrity as the poor press against the secure window pane. Might not be the kind of change that the 2013 new society of the rich and famous elites want.

Because they must have read or known about what happen in the French Revolution (French: Révolution française; 1789–1799)

Somehow I seem to think that the rich and famous who have their money now all safely tucked away in their personal safe places, don't realize themselves that the money they are saving now could in a flash devalue down to very little value for what they will need also tomorrow. That because of who they are now will make them worse off  to the very dangerous mob of people that will be looking for bloodshed.

As I see our American stock market keep climbing higher and higher, pushed skyward by Ben Bernanke run American Government Federal Reserve Bank, The American stock market seems to be seeking the 20,000 high mark before the insiders start selling off.

My perception is whispering to me that this next America's economic fall is going to be the most fierce blow to the American people in my life time, and all of American past history.

That when the American people finally find out how the Washington DC leaders have abused their trust running the country's government. That the TV's will be turn off and millions and millions of some very serious trouble people will be at the Washington DC door steps demanding satisfactions.

That the television show that we the people have been looking at all these past years everyday will be over with.
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http://www.cnbc.com/id/38818154

Is the Dollar Dying? Why US Currency Is in Danger

 Published: Thursday, 14 Feb 2013

By: CNBC.com Senior Writer





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The U.S dollar is shrinking as a percentage of the world's currency supply, raising concerns that the greenback is about to see its long run as the world's premier denomination come to an end.

When compared to its peers, the dollar has drifted to a 15-year low, according to the International Monetary Fund, indicating that more countries are willing to use other currencies to do business.


While the American currency still reigns supreme -- it constitutes $3.72 trillion, or 62 percent, of the $6 trillion in allocated foreign exchange holdings by the world's central banks -- the Japanese yen, Swiss franc and what the IMF classifies as "other currencies" such as the Chinese yuan are gaining.

(Read More: Hedge Funds Reap Billions on Yen Bets)

"Generally speaking, it is not believed by the vast majority that the American dollar will be overthrown," Dick Bove, vice president of equity research at Rafferty Capital Markets, said in a note. "But it will be, and this defrocking may occur in as short a period as five to 10 years."
Read more...http://www.cnbc.com/id/38818154
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http://www.cnbc.com/id/100770053

The Fed vs. Congress: Who Is Enabling Whom?

 Published: Tuesday, 28 May 2013

By: Senior Editor, CNBC.com





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Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke
The dominant narrative about economic policy has it that the Federal Reserve's easy money policies are enabling congressional intransigence and partisanship. But this might be exactly backward.

Ironically, the story line is helped along by Ben Bernanke, who often appears to be scolding Congress for poor fiscal stewardship. The idea is that if Congress could "get its act together" then the Fed wouldn't need to provide "extraordinary" accommodative policies. This has crepted into the statements of the Federal Open Market Committee, which has stated point blank that "fiscal policy is restraining economic growth."

But if you squint hard enough, you can see this as an attempt at policy shirking. The Fed would like Congress to take responsibility for economic policy through fiscal accommodation—that is, bigger short-term deficits—which would allow the Fed to back off from monetary accommodation.

Which is to say, the Fed would like to ease up on monetary accommodation but fears that Congress seems unlikely to implement fiscal policy that won't restrain growth. To put it differently, if Congress were to "get its act together" and provide fiscal relief to the economy, the Fed likely would respond by tightening.

That means that the dominant narrative may have things backward. Instead of Fed policy enabling congressional bungling, it's Congress that is enabling Fed policy. A Congress that was less divided along partisan lines and dedicated to stimulating the economy might trigger a tightening reaction by the Fed.

That's what Scott Sumner, the word's most famous expounder of the nominal-growth targeting Market Monetarist school of economics, seems to be saying in his recent post.
Despite the current round of austerity, growth this year (partly due to QE3) is so strong that the Fed is considering tightening monetary policy. Now let me emphasize that I don't think growth is very strong this year, and I oppose tightening monetary policy. But it doesn't matter what I think, and I'm not even sure it matters what Bernanke thinks. It matters what the Fed thinks. And if they are strongly considering tightening monetary policy under current conditions, just imagine what they'd be doing if Congress was actually doing fiscal stimulus right now!
Shorter Sumner: Fiscal stimulus would crowd out monetary stimulus.


Would this be a good thing or a bad thing? The answer depends on whether you think an accommodative monetary policy or an accommodative fiscal policy would be more effective at strengthening the economy. 

It's important to note here that we're not talking about anything mechanical. Higher levels of deficit spending do not automatically "push up interest rates." The Fed sets short term rates, and long term rates follow the expected path of short term rates. Rates rise and monetary policy tightens either because the Fed sets rates higher or the market expects to set rates higher.

(Read More: Wagging the Dog: Why the Fed Fears Wall Street)
http://www.cnbc.com/id/100770053
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Tinker:

Just think of the possibility of a 3D manufacturing printer printing consumer products, cutting out 90 percent of the worlds workforce  manufacturing consumer goods.

Changing how many people can get a job manufacturing consumer goods down to only a very few people, is something that our society better think very long and hard about.
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http://www.livescience.com/34551-3d-printing.html
Live Science

3D Printing: What a 3D Printer Is and How It Works

Jeremy Hsu, LiveScience Contributor
Date: 21 May 2013 Time: 12:57 PM ET



3D Printers MIT
An array of additive manufacturing devices at MIT. The U.S. hopes such technology can give a boost to its manufacturing sector.
 CREDIT: 2010, Courtesy of Neil Gershenfeld, Center for Bits & Atoms, MIT
A 3D printer cannot make any object on demand like the "Star Trek" replicators of science fiction. But a growing array of 3D printing machines has already begun to revolutionize the business of making things in the real world.

 3D printers work by following a computer's digital instructions to "print" an object using materials such as plastic, ceramics and metal. The printing process involves building up an object one layer at a time until it's complete. For instance, some 3D printers squirt out a stream of heated, semi-liquid plastic that solidifies as the printer's head moves around to create the outline of each layer within the object.
MIT 3D printing
One of the 3-D printers at work in the Mediated Matter group at the MIT Media Lab.
CREDIT: MIT | Melanie Gonick


 The instructions used by 3D printers often take the form of computer-aided design (CAD) files — digital blueprints for making different objects. That means a person can design an object on their computer using 3D modeling software, hook the computer up to a 3D printer, and the watch the 3D printer build the object right before his or her eyes. Read more...http://www.livescience.com/34551-3d-printing.html

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Sports
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http://espn.go.com/blog/ncfnation/post/_/id/79197/badgers-lsu-inch-closer-toward-series

College Football Nation Blog

Badgers, LSU inch closer toward series

May, 29, 2013

By Brian Bennett | ESPN.com
The proposed series between LSU and Wisconsin is getting closer toward reality.

LSU athletic director Joe Alleva told Jeremy Fowler of CBSSports.com that the working plan now between the two schools is to play next year's season opener at Houston's Reliant Stadium. The Tigers would then travel to play the Badgers at Lambeau Field sometime between 2016 and 2018. Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez, who was scheduled to undergo a knee replacement surgery last week, has yet to comment on this latest story.

Alleva told Fowler that the likeliest date for an LSU trip to Lambeau would be 2017. But Wisconsin is already scheduled to play Virginia Tech, BYU and USF that season. Games can be moved around, of course, and the Badgers seem unlikely to play all three of those nonconference games in a year with a nine-game Big Ten schedule, anyway. Wisconsin only has one nonconference game on the books for 2016 -- Virginia Tech.

The Badgers also have four non-league opponents set up for 2014 -- Western Illinois, Bowling Green, South Florida and Washington State. But the Washington State game currently has no scheduled date, and it could get bumped back if the LSU game comes through.

The negotiations for the LSU-Wisconsin series are dragging on, but we salute the Tigers for being willing to play up north in Big Ten country, something many SEC teams shy away from. And a game at Lambeau Field will be undeniably cool, especially with such a name-brand opponent.

"I think it will be great for our fans," Alleva said.
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http://www.dandydon.com/

Dandy Don's LSU Sports Report
The LSU baseball team (52-9) is now in the No. 1 spot in four different national polls entering this week's NCAA Tournament where they are a No. 4 national seed. The four polls that have the Tigers at the top are Collegiate Baseball, USA Today, Perfect Game and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. LSU is No. 2 in this week’s Baseball America rankings.

 There's no doubt that this LSU team is something special, as evident not only by the team's rankings and historic 52-9 record, but also by the fact that five Tigers were named to the All-SEC first-team. The five include senior first baseman Mason Katz, senior outfielder Raph Rhymes, junior third baseman Christian Ibarra, sophomore pitcher Aaron Nola and freshman shortstop Alex Bregman. Nola was also voted SEC Pitcher of the Year and Bregman was named SEC Freshman of the Year. LSU junior second baseman JaCoby Jones was named second-team All-SEC, and Katz and Ibarra were voted to the SEC all-Defensive team. Bregman was named to the Freshman All-SEC squad. Vanderbilt’s Tony Kemp was selected 2013 SEC Baseball Player of the Year, and Vanderbilt’s Tim Corbin was voted SEC Coach of the Year. Sam Frost of Mississippi State was named SEC Baseball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The five first-team players for LSU surpass the previous school mark of four first-team all-SEC selections set in 1990. The complete 2013 All-SEC Team can be seen here. It’s beyond me how Chris Cotton did not make the cut.

 Yesterday I heard from a lot of you who are very upset that there will be no television coverage for the Baton Rouge Regional, and I feel your pain. I don’t remember the last time an LSU regional was not televised and I think it's a shame that the only video coverage of it will be online at ESPN3.com. I won’t be able to attend the games and plan on watching Friday's contest against Jackson State (2 p.m. CT) from my Mac, and I'll be tweeting in-game updates to all of you who follow DandyDonLSU on Twitter.

 A few questions that I look forward to having answered this week include: Did Jared Foster do enough to earn a permanent starting position in the postseason? Will Jacoby Jones and Mark Laird be healthy enough to play? Who will get the start on the mound against Jackson State? As for Foster, my answer would be a resounding yes. I mean, what more would he have to do to bolster his case? Foster started the last two games went a combined 4-for-6 (.666) with 1 RBI, and who can forget that incredible throw he made from right field to gun out the Vandy go-ahead runner at the plate? As for Jones and Laird, I understand that their injuries were reevaluated yesterday, but I have not heard the results. My guess would be that they will both be out for a while longer. As for who gets the start Friday, yesterday it was reported by nola.com that Ryan Eades will get the start.

 In other baseball news, former Tiger great Chad Jones pitched in front of four Major League Baseball scouts yesterday at Rummel High School, and had an impressive outing. Reportedly, Jones' fastball was in the 88-91 MPH range and his change up came in at 75-78. According to a tweet I saw, the Whitesox were “very impressed.” I know I speak for the Tiger Nation when I wish Jones the best of luck in this chapter of his amazing life.

 In football news, SportingNews released their preseason top-25 yesterday and you won’t like where they picked LSU. Citing youth and inexperience, they picked LSU to finish 16th. I understand that LSU lost an unprecedented number of outstanding Tigers to the NFL draft leaving some big holes to fill, and I realize that the 2013 schedule is brutal, but I’m not sold on the young and inexperienced argument. LSU will have a senior quarterback, three upperclassmen at running back including senior Alfred Blue, a senior at fullback in JC Copeland, four returning starters in the offensive line, and all of the team's leading receivers from last year. On the defensive side of the ball, I've got four juniors at the top of my depth chart on the defensive line, two seniors and a junior at the three linebacker spots, returning part-time starters Jalen Mills and Jalen Collins at the corners, junior Ronald Martin at free safety and senior Craig Loston at strong safety.

With 94 days until the start of football season, today we’ll continue our jersey countdown by looking at a special Tiger who wore No. 94 - Anthony “Booger” McFarland. McFarland wore No. 94 for LSU from 1995-1998 and was an All-America nose guard for the Tigers in 1998. McFarland went on to play nine seasons in the NFL, winning Super Bowl rings with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts, and is a member of the LSU Athletics Hall of Fame. McFarland came from the small town of Winnsboro, La., and learned at a young age that he had to work hard to achieve success, and his extremely strong work ethic is one thing that separated him from his peers on the football field.

 Lastly, last night I updated out Ticket Exchange page with a couple of listings including one for this weekend’s regional. If you have any tickets you'd like to sell, be sure to let me know.

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http://www.nola.com/lsu/index.ssf/2013/05/lsus_push_to_change_format_one.html


LSU's scheduling-change push is one of many SEC football issues


LSU vs. Florida
LSU is hoping to pull away from permanent, cross division opponents to escape playing Florida annually. (Photo by Brett Duke, Nola.com / The Times-Picayune )


Jim Kleinpeter, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune By Jim Kleinpeter, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
Email the author | Follow on Twitter
on May 28, 2013 at 8:01 PM, updated May 28, 2013 at 8:30 PM






Destin, Fla. - The SEC might not finish its SEC spring meetings here with a finalized 2014 schedule. But Commissioner Mike Slive is confident everyone and everything will be heard.

 "The First Amendment is alive and well," Slive cracked after the first day of meetings at the Sandestin Hilton, which brought together football and basketball coaches, athletic directors and other conference officials. There were other issues to resolve but none hanging in the air quite like the 2014 football schedule and future schedules.

 With a college football playoff coming, the SEC Network launching in one year, a nine-game conference schedule up for consideration and LSU pushing to have permanent cross-division opponents eliminated, there was, and is, plenty to hash out.

 "There are different elements of scheduling," Slive said. "How many games you play, how you play the other division, how you schedule non-conference in light of the college football playoff. Each element has to be analyzed dissected, thought about and try to make sure there are no unintended consequences."
Read more...http://www.nola.com/lsu/index.ssf/2013/05/lsus_push_to_change_format_one.html
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http://lsufootball.net/
LSU Footall - Geaux Tigers!!!

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LSU Sports Photo Gallery: Construction update, Tiger Stadium 5/28 (17 pics)

Shreveport Times *1 Full strength: Morris Claiborne says he's bigger, better

CBS SportsLine All Ole Miss' Freeze has to do is win

Knoxville News Sentinel Butch Jones didn't need a meeting to figure out the SEC

Houston Chronicle Manziel, Aggies brace for SEC's full attention

Everything Alabama Video (5 min, 8 sec): Mike Slive sums up Tuesday's SEC spring meetings

The Advocate SEC not moving fast on football scheduling

Sports Illustrated Saban continues push for nine-game SEC schedule

Opelika-Auburn News Coaches want to preserve rivalries amid debate over conference schedule
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http://www.tigerrag.com/?p=266502


SEC SPRING MEETINGS: Permanent opponents to remain

May 29, 2013   -   © 2013 Tiger Rag

SEC commissioner Mike Slive plans to keep 6-1-1 schedule format in effect for 2014 and 2015



By CODY WORSHAM
Tiger Rag Editor
Permanent opponents are here to stay — for now, at least.

 Much to the chagrin of LSU athletic director Joe Alleva and Tiger head coach Les Miles, SEC commissioner Mike Slive told reporters yesterday at the conference’s Spring Meetings in Destin that the league’s current scheduling format will remain in place in 2014 and probably 2015.

 Currently, the SEC schedules conference football games by the “6-1-1″ format: Each team plays its six divisional opponents (6) and a permanent cross-divisional opponent (1) once each, with a rotating scheduling for another cross-divisional opponent (1).

 The formula was overwhelmingly approved by SEC members at last year’s meetings, but LSU — whose permanent opponent under the format is Florida — was and remains opposed to it, arguing for a fairer “6-2″ schedule that would replace the permanent opponent with an annual rotation of two cross-divisional opponents.

 “If I had to pick, I would pick six divisional games and two rotating (games) and four to schedule as you wish,” Miles told The Advocate yesterday. “That would allow everyone to go through the conference in four years.”

 That’s a message Alleva echoes.

 “I think it’s fair that everyone has a chance to play everyone on a rotational basis,” Alleva said in the same Advocate story. “You have to play everyone in your division, but after that there should be a true rotation of all the other opponents so everyone has a fair, competitive schedule.

 “Right now it’s not fair, and it’s imbalanced. Everything I’ve been a part of in this league for five years, we voted on what’s in the best interests of the league, except football scheduling. Maybe we can change that.”
Read more...http://www.tigerrag.com/?p=266502
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http://espn.go.com/college-football/

SEC Coaches

Meeting Of The Minds

The SEC's scheduling format is safe … for now. Some coaches, however, are advocating for change. Spring meetings »Saban: Time to rethink scheduling »Podcast ListenUGA still smarting »Blog »
Zuma Press/Icon SMI

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http://espn.go.com/blog/sec/post/_/id/64766/the-makeup-of-the-selection-committee

SEC Blog

The makeup of the selection committee

May, 29, 2013

By Chris Low | ESPN.com

DESTIN, Fla. -- Schools will have until Friday to submit names to SEC commissioner Mike Slive for the College Football Playoff selection committee.
 
According to several SEC athletic directors and coaches, their preference is to have non-active coaches, athletic directors and administrators on that committee, which would be different from the selection committee for the NCAA basketball tournament. Current commissioners and athletic directors serve on the hoops committee.

However, Bill Hancock, the executive director of the College Football Playoff, said Wednesday that the working model for the selection committee doesn't necessarily rule out current athletic directors, although current conference commissioners would not be a part of the committee.

"I think past ADs, old coaches and old players, but guys who are really for the college experience, is the way to go," LSU coach Les Miles said. "They'll be able to do the job without reflection on where they're from. The problem with the current coaches and current ADs is that they all have a bias, and it’s impossible to remove it from them."

Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley said he's submitted two names, and he's keenly aware of how much scrutiny the committee will face.

"Now, there may be criticism on who they pick or how they pick them," Foley said. "That’s all going to be part of the process, and one of the goals when the names get released is that people are saying, ‘You know something? That’s a good group. Those people know what they’re doing and they’re the right people in terms of integrity.'

"It has to be a committee that can not only do the job, but is accepted publicly."
Foley's understanding is that current coaches, athletic directors and commissioners will not be part of the model.

"I just don’t see that. That may change. That’s kind of what I’ve heard," Foley said. "I don’t think they want to be in that room and be perceived as representing a league. Everybody leaves their hat at the door, and you go in and do what’s best for college football and not be perceived as representing this league or you’re the commissioner of this league or the athletic director of this school.

"Now, that may change because having some people who are currently involved in the profession would be helpful in the process. Again, that’s one guy’s opinion, and I have zero votes. Well, I have one vote. I’m not serving. I’ve already made that clear."

The hope is to have the committee members named by sometime this fall, Hancock said.
"It has to happen sooner rather than later," Foley said.

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