April 16, 2007

I.R.S. Audits Middle Class More Often, More Quickly http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/16/business/16tax.html?ei=5065&en=46360e71c5daec75&ex=1177300800&partner=MYWAY&pagewanted=print

Since 2000, authorities at the Internal Revenue Service have nearly tripled audits of tax returns filed by people making $25,000 to $100,000 as part of a broad change in audit strategy. Audits of these middle-class taxpayers rose to nearly 436,000 last year, up from about 147,000 returns in 2000. For these 61 million individuals and married couples, who make up nearly half of all taxpayers, the odds of being audited rose from 1 in 377 to 1 in 140. For taxpayers with incomes above $100,000 the odds of being audited in 2006 were 1 in 59; above $1 million, the odds increased to 1 in 16. People in lower income brackets — those reporting incomes below $25,000 — faced a 1 in 94 chance of being audited. The increased focus on the middle class is part of a broad I.R.S. strategy to deal with a major reduction in the ranks of the tax police as the population continues to grow and Congress has made the tax system ever more complex. The I.R.S. has fewer than 13,000 revenue agents, down from more than 17,000 at the peak in 1988. The core of the new strategy is to audit more individuals and businesses, even if the examinations are more cursory. Without more audits, I.R.S. executive say, people may behave as if no one is watching. The I.R.S. more than doubled the number of individual tax returns audited from 2000 to 2006, increasing from nearly 618,000 audits to nearly 1.3 million. Middle-class Americans most likely to have their tax returns examined under the new strategy are those who own a business, even a side business, or are landlords or have investment income.

Study: More than 1 in 2 Americans now receives income from government programs http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0416/p01s04-usec.html

Almost 53% of Americans now receive significant income from government programs, according to an analysis by Gary Shilling, an economist in Springfield, N.J. That's up from 49.4 percent in 2000 and far above the 28.3 percent of Americans in 1950. If the trend continues, the percentage could rise within ten years to pass 55 percent, where it stood in 1980. The aging baby-boomer generation is poised to receive big payments from Social Security and government healthcare programs. Mr. Shilling's analysis found that about 1 in 5 Americans hold a government job or a job reliant on federal spending. A similar number receive Social Security or a government pension. About 19 million others get food stamps, 2 million get subsidized housing, and 5 million get education grants. For all these categories, Mr. Shilling counted dependents as well as the direct recipients of government income. The Congressional Budget Office, in a long-range forecast prepared in 2005, outlined a baseline scenario in which entitlement programs push federal spending to 25.3 percent of GDP by mid-century, up from about 18.4 percent today. That number could go higher still if medical inflation doesn't edge downward. One challenge for the nation is to define what is wise spending and what is not. Some government largess is showered more on the well-to-do than the needy. By giving a tax break for the interest homeowners pay on their mortgage, for example, the government is effectively spending money to encourage homeownership. But the deduction is far more valuable to people in higher tax brackets than low ones.

Mother defies deportation in US church sanctuary http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Mother_defies_deportation_in_US_chu_04162007.html

For eight months now, Elvira Arellano has defied a deportation order and taken sanctuary inside a streetfront Chicago church. While Arellano has restricted herself to a 25-by-100 foot (eight-by-30 meter) lot which houses the church, its offices and the parsonage, her US-born son has traveled across the country and even to Mexico as an emissary lobbying to keep his mother in the country. There are at least 3.1 million children like eight-year-old Saulito Arellano who are US citizens but could lose one or more undocumented parents at any moment to an immigration raid, according to a 2006 report issued by the Pew Hispanic Center. And the clergy is increasingly coming to their aid. Churches in more than a dozen cities across the country are expected to unveil their illegal immigrant sanctuaries at the end of the month. They will each provide refuge to at least one family facing deportation proceedings which have children who are US-citizens by birth. Like most illegal immigrants, Arellano lived a quiet life and avoided trouble while working with false papers as a cleaning woman at Chicago's O'Hare airport.

Dollar at Near Record Low Vs. Euro http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070416/dollar.html?.v=3

The dollar gave up more ground to the euro, which climbed to within one cent of its all-time high, and the pound neared $2 Monday. Movement against the dollar could drive up the price of exports and tighten the pinch for travelers to Europe just as the tourist season approaches. Supported by crackling economic growth, falling jobless figures and interest rates much lower than those in Britain and the United States, the 13-nation euro bought $1.3549 by afternoon in Europe after climbing as high as $1.3576 -- its highest point since January 2005 and near its record of $1.3667 from December 2004. The British pound rose to $1.9938, a 14-year high, on unexpectedly higher prices for manufactured goods and news that the sizzling housing market was not cooling off. Analysts said they expected the currency to cross the $2 mark this week. It later fell back to $1.9920, still less than a penny off of $2 barrier. That compared with $1.9870 on Friday in New York. The dollar rose to 119.54 Japanese yen from 119.06 yen late Friday after officials from the Group of Seven wealthiest nations did not press Japan to raise its own interest rates to buoy its currency at a weekend meeting. Worries about the U.S. trade and budget deficits were a key factor in the euro's surge to its all-time high in 2004, but those worries were submerged over the past two years by the Federal Reserve's campaign of interest rate increases. The Fed has left rates unchanged over recent months, with markets watching U.S. data closely for pointers as to the Fed's course.

Report: Global Internal Displacement Crisis Worsens http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-04-16-voa34.cfm

The Norwegian Refugee Council, which has just released its annual global survey, reports nearly 25 million people have been displaced by conflict and abuse in 52 countries, nearly half of them are in Africa. The report says some four million new people were internally displaced during 2006 as a result of armed conflict. This is more than twice as many as in the previous year, with the conflict between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah as well as the violence in Iraq accounting for almost half of the new displacements. Sudan tops the list with five million internally displaced. Colombia is second with almost four million. The report says Iraq was bumped up from fifth position to third, followed by Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The report says more people are currently forced to flee their homes in Iraq than in any other country in the world. It warns the current wave of displacement leads to increased separation and could result in a permanent redrawing of the ethnic and religious map of Iraq.The report says the failure of governments to protect their citizens lies at the heart of this huge problem of displacement. It says displacement can no longer be seen as a mere by-product of war. Results of its survey show civilians are increasingly and deliberately targeted by government and rebel forces as a tactic of war.

Sadr Bloc Quits Iraqi Government http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-04-16-voa7.cfm

Radical Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's political movement has ordered its six ministers to withdraw from the ruling coalition. At a news conference in Baghdad Monday, lawmaker Nassar al-Rubaie said the group was pulling out of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's unity government to press a demand for a timetable for a U.S. troop withdrawal. Meanwhile, thousands of Iraqis protested Monday in the southern oil city of Basra to demand the resignation of a provincial governor. Governor Mohammed al-Waeli accuses protest organizers of being a front for his political rivals, including Sadr.

Maoists Vow to Make Nepal Republic http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-04-16-voa24.cfm

Nepal's Maoists on Monday said they would agree to a delay of nationwide elections if Nepal is declared a republic. Elections for a constituent assembly had been scheduled for June 20. The new legislators are to decide the fate of Nepal's unpopular monarchy. Speaking to reporters at a Kathmandu hotel Monday, Maoist leader Prachanda appealed for the interim parliament to declare the country a republic. A peace deal last year brought the Maoists into the political process after a decade long insurgency that claimed 14,000 lives. The former rebels agreed to enter the interim coalition government if elections were held in June. Nepal's election commission says nationwide polling can not take place that soon because of technical and security problems. The government has not set a new election date. King Gyanendra gave up absolute power last year following demonstrations organized by the political mainstream and the Maoists. Prachanda on Tuesday rejected speculation that the king would be allowed to remain as a ceremonial figure.

Nigeria's Ruling Party Wins Majority of States in Regional Elections
http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-04-16-voa23.cfm

Partial results from Nigeria's state and legislative elections indicate the ruling party has won victories in 20 of 36 states. Meanwhile, in the most densely populated state of Lagos, opposition candidates were victorious. Babatunde Fashola of the opposition Action Congress party won a decisive victory in the race for governor. State governors can potentially have a significant impact on Nigerians' lives - controlling millions of dollars of oil revenue dispersed from the federal government for spending on services like health and education. The Niger Delta experienced some of the worst voting-day violence. Police say most of the violence was between rival supporters attempting to steal ballot boxes and ballot papers. The European Union had declined to send a team of election observers to the Niger Delta states over security fears.This weekend's elections are seen as a litmus test for presidential elections on Saturday, when President Olusegun Obasanjo will have to step down after completing his maximum two consecutive terms in office.

US firms to make biofuel from beef, poultry by-products http://rawstory.com/news/afp/US_firms_to_make_biofuel_from_beef__04162007.html

ConocoPhillips and Tyson Foods are joining forces to make diesel fuel from animal byproducts. The project announced Monday will produce "the next generation of renewable diesel fuel," to help supplement petroleum-based diesel fuel supplies, the companies said in a statement. "The alliance plans to use beef, pork and poultry by-product fat to create a transportation fuel," the statement said. "This fuel will contribute to America's energy security and help to address climate change concerns." The companies revealed they have been collaborating over the past year "on ways to leverage Tyson's advanced knowledge in protein chemistry and production with ConocoPhillips' processing and marketing expertise." Tyson, one of the world's largest meat producers, will make capital improvements this summer in order to begin pre-processing animal fat from some of its North American rendering facilities later in the year. ConocoPhillips, a Houston, Texas-based oil and gas group, will make the necessary capital expenditures to enable it to produce the fuel at several of its refineries. "The finished product will be renewable diesel fuel mixtures that meet all federal standards for ultralow-sulfur diesel," the joint statement said. The project is expected to produce as much as 175 million gallons (661 million liters) per year of renewable diesel.

New Robot Eyes Humans with Human-Like Eyes

http://www.livescience.com/technology/070416_mit_robot.html

MIT researchers recently demonstrated the capabilities of a robot named Domo which can identify objects, reach for them and place them on shelves. Domo can sense its surroundings using a pair of video cameras for eyes; they are connected to 12 computers. The cameras are built into remarkably human-looking eyeballs. Domo has been designed to tune into unexpected motion, allowing it to function within human environments. It is especially sensitive to human faces, which is necessary for social interaction. When Domo spots motion resembling a human face, the robot locks on it. A robot capable of Domo's tasks may serve many useful purposes for the elderly or mobility-impaired, especially in light of aging Baby Boomers. Domo also has the ability to sense touch, necessary for safe interaction with humans. Springs in its arms, hands and neck can sense force, allowing it to respond appropriately. Pushing its hand will make it move in the direction of the push. Original funding for Domo came from NASA, and the project is now supported by Toyota, which could apply such a robot for assembly line production. Intelligent robots could work together with people to make workers more productive and save manufacturing jobs from being sent overseas, Edsinger said. The name "Domo" was inspired by the Japanese phrase, domo arigato [thank you very much], and also by the Styx song, "Mr. Roboto."

'Chocolate is four times more exciting than kissing' http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23392788-details/'Chocolate+is+four+times+more+exciting+than+kissing'/article.do

The volunteers, all in their 20s, took part in the experiment in an area designed to look like a place of work to create the impression of an office romance. Each had electrodes attached to their scalps and wore heart monitors as they popped a piece of dark chocolate on their tongue and, without chewing, indicated when it started to melt. The young lovers then had to kiss each other in the same way they would normally - while researchers in white coats and carrying clipboards "studied their monitors". As part of the controlled experiment, measurements of heart and brain activity were also taken when there was no external stimulation of the senses. The study revealed that, at the point chocolate melts in the mouth, all regions of the brain receive a boost far more intense and longer lasting than the excitement produced by kissing. The chunks of chocolate also made the heart beat faster. For some of the 12 volunteers, the number of beats per minute more than doubled from a resting rate of 60 to as much as 140. Kissing also set hearts racing but the effect was shorter-lasting. Although woman are generally considered to be bigger chocoholics than men - and bigger romantics - both sexes showed the same responses in the tests. Only one volunteer bucked the trend - a 21-year-old man who had recently met his 24-year-old girlfriend.

Russia: UK must extradite tycoon http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/04/16/berezovsky.ap/

Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika said he sent a new request for Berezovsky's extradition to Britain's Home Office Monday over the exiled tycoon's call for a forcible change of power in Russia. Britain's Home Office refused to make any specific comment on Berezovsky's case Monday. In comments first published Friday in Britain's Guardian newspaper, Berezovsky said the Russian leadership could only be replaced by force and that he was in contact with Kremlin insiders who supported his vision for change. Berezovsky later issued a statement to "clarify" his words, saying he did not "advocate or support violence." He did, however, say that under Putin's government "elections are not a viable means of ensuring democratic change in Russia." London's Metropolitan Police began an investigation Friday into whether Berezovsky's comments violated any British laws. Britain's Foreign Office also said it was monitoring Berezovsky's comments. The British government granted Berezovsky refugee status in 2003, turning down an earlier Russian extradition request. Berezovsky was one of Russia's most prominent tycoons, who used their political connections to spin huge fortunes out of a massive sellout of state property in the political and economic upheaval following the Soviet collapse. Berezovsky became an influential Kremlin insider under Russia's first President Boris Yeltsin, but fell out of favor with his successor, Putin. He fled for Britain in 2000 to avoid a money laundering probe which he said was politically motivated.

Pravda: American radio icon Don Imus disgraced, fired after threat to reveal 9/11 secrets http://english.pravda.ru/opinion/columnists/89728-0

According to European reports of the events surrounding Don Imus that have gripped the United States this past week, it was during an interview with another American media personality, Tim Russert, who is the host of a television program frequently used by US War Leaders, wherein while decrying the state of care being given to American War wounded stated, "So those bastards want to keep these boys [in reference to US Soldiers] secret? Let's see how they like it if I start talking about their [in reference to US War Leaders] secrets, starting with 9/11." Unable to attack such a powerful media figure as Don Imus, directly, the US War Leaders, and as we have seen many times before, resorted to a massive media attack against him using as the reason a racial slur against a US woman's basketball team, but which has been pointed out by other media outlets was not by any means a rare occurrence for the legendary radio icon to make.

Berlin Zoo's Polar Bear Knut Is Sick http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070416/D8OHNL080.html

The zoo's veterinarian, Andre Schuele, put the 4 1/2-month old cub on antibiotics and said the Knut is "off stage to get some rest while we watch him closely." Thousands of people line up each day to see the cub, and his button-eyed face has been a fixture for newspapers, television and the Internet. Born at the zoo on Dec. 5, Knut - who was rejected by his mother and hand-raised by zookeepers - rose to fame last month thanks to television and newspaper pictures. So potent is his appeal that zoo attendance has roughly doubled to 15,000 on average daily since his debut, officials said. He has his own blog and TV show and appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair. Veterinarian Schuele did not know if Knut would be strong enough for public appearances in the next days.

Indian Moviegoers Protest Richard Gere's Public Displays of Affection http://www.voanews.com/english/Entertainment/2007-04-16-voa31.cfm

Irate fans today burned Richard Gere in effigy after he repeatedly kissed movie actress Shilpa Shetty during an AIDS awareness event in New Delhi. The 58-year-old Gere was in India to participate in a safe sex campaign directed at truck drivers. Of all nations, India has the largest number of people living with HIV. During the ceremony, Gere repeatedly kissed Shetty's hand and cheeks. Protesters say the actions, shown repeatedly on Indian television, violate standards of propriety. Thirty-one-year-old Shilpa Shetty attracted headlines earlier this year after winning Britain's "Celebrity Big Brother".