attentional cocci

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Does Sweden have a racial profiling problem?

A police campaign to catch illegal immigrants in the Stockholm subway has spurred debate over racial profiling, after the stops ensnared non-white Swedish citizens.

By Sven Hultberg Carlsson,?Contributor / April 2, 2013

A recent campaign by Stockholm police to crack down on illegal immigrants by racial profiling at the city's subway turnstiles has formed the backdrop to a reignited debate about racism, as Sweden struggles to match a welcoming refugee policy with the task of deporting those who are refused.

Skip to next paragraph

' + google_ads[0].line2 + '
' + google_ads[0].line3 + '

'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; google_adtest = "on"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // -->

Under Swedish law, foreigners are required to carry their passport at all times, and can only be asked for them by police if there is a reasonable suspicion that they have committed a crime.

But despite that restriction, police in the Swedish capital reportedly began conducting stops this year of subway commuters they "suspected of being in Sweden illegally" in an effort to crack down on illegal immigration.

"I had a ticket to be in the subway," Gonzalo Munos, a Swede whose parents are from Chile, told Swedish Television after a police officer had asked him in English to see his ID in the subway. "He said 'I would like to see your passport, you are suspected of being in Sweden illegally.'"

Several parties in parliament have decried the reported police methods as illegal. "We know that there is structural racism in Sweden," says Christina H?j Larsen, spokesperson on migration issues for the opposition Left Party. "When the police do these things on political orders, they amplify discrimination."

In the Stockholm subway, Inspector Larsson with the city police, who declined to give her first name, says she has not been ordered to target illegal immigrants. But, she admits, "we do perform ID checks on people suspected of crimes."

And the subway ID checks follow explicit instructions from Justice Minister Beatrice Ask of the Moderate Party to "markedly increase" the number of deportations, a priority for the government over the past five years.

Immigration crackdown

Increasing the number of deportations and streamlining the administrative process surrounding them has been a priority for Sweden's center-right government over the past five years. In that time, the number of police ID checks on foreigners inside the country's borders has gone up tenfold ? from just over 1,000 per year in Stockholm in 2007 to nearly 12,000 last year.?

With the police's subway presence now on the public's radar, even police officers have expressed concerns over a waste of resources, and of racial profiling.

Minister Ask told Swedish Radio she isn't worried by accounts of profiling by appearance, and said in parliament that anyone who has been refused asylum or residence permit must leave Sweden for the country's system of regulated immigration to work.

"If we are to maintain a migration policy which from a European perspective is one of the most humane, and one of the smartest, those who are denied the right to stay in Sweden have to leave," says Johan Pehrson, migration spokesperson for another government coalition party, the Liberals.

Still, the public backlash has caused the police to rethink their approach. In March, the unit responsible for around half of the ID checks on foreigners in Stockholm in January ? the city's border police ? announced it would stop checking IDs in the subway.

'Blonde and blue-eyed'

The backlash has also sparked a wider debate on the status of illegal immigrants and racial prejudice.

Author Jonas Hassen Khemiri, son of a Tunisian father and Swedish mother, suggested in daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter that he and Ask "swap skin" to experience other forms of discrimination ? he as a female politician and she as a non-white Swede.

In response, Ask told Swedish Television she did understand and condemned oppression on the basis of skin color, citing a stint as an exchange student in the 1970s in Akron, Ohio, where her host family was African-American.

And in an interview with daily Dagens Nyheter, Sweden's Migration Minister Tobias Billstr?m said those who hide refused asylum seekers from authorities aren't "at all blonde and blue-eyed" but rather are "countrymen" of the migrants who exploit them as labor.

Outrage followed, with Twitter users showing their discontent with a customized hashtag. "Not blonde and blue-eyed. Tobias Billstr?m can never be my minister," read a tweet from journalist Maria Georgieva.

Sweden's shifting demographics

OECD figures show?a steady increase in Sweden's foreign-born population between 2000 and 2010, jumping from about 8 percent of the population to nearly 12 percent. ?In 2010, nearly 80,000 foreigners immigrated to Sweden: a number comparable to neighboring Norway but significantly higher than in Denmark and Finland. In 2010 and 2011 the annual number of asylum seekers in Sweden sat between those of the more populous United Kingdom and Germany? although?only a third?of the 36,000 asylum applications handled by the Swedish Migration Board last year were granted.

By the end of 2011, around 15 percent of Sweden's population was born abroad, an increase of nearly two percent since five years ago, with Finland as the most common country of origin followed by Iraq and Poland.

Such figures, or exaggerations of them, have made up the core rhetoric of the Sweden Democrats, a nationalist party in parliament since 2010 that formed from racist movements during the 1990s.

Ms. H?j Larsen of the Left Party sees the police's turnstile presence as a tangible result of the debate on immigration issues shifting in recent years.

"As a Dane, I saw the same developments there a number of years ago. The xenophobic party isn't welcomed into party politics as such, but others begin to adopt its ideas and rhetoric. What arises is a clearer distinction between 'us' and 'them'. I did not like that in Denmark, and I do not like it here."

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/Lj9je4ToHm4/Does-Sweden-have-a-racial-profiling-problem

free pancakes at ihop martina navratilova high school shooting ohio school shooting sean young arrested matt kenseth bridge to nowhere

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Snapshot: Bald Manisha Koirala, fighting cancer, tweets happy photos

Sponsored link: Flats & Villas in Chennai

Bollywood actress Manisha Koirala, undergoing treatment for ovarian cancer in New York, tweeted these photos of her, with her head covered in turban and a hat. She let her well wishers know that she wasn't giving in to cancer. She looked cheerful in both photos and she posed with family and friends.

Known for her roles in 'Saudagar', 'Bombay' and 'Lajja', Manisha, 42, has been diagnosed with cancer. She is dealing with chemotherapy bravely. She will be in the US for six months. Her parents and brother are with her.

She tweeted that she's exercising, eating healthy, reading inspiring books, being with family and friends, watching fun films, meditating and praying.

(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest)

Source: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/snapshot-bald-manisha-koirala-fighting-cancer-tweets-happy-photos/382393-66.html

NASA asteroid cruise ship Asteroid 2012 DA14 Reeva Steenkamp rubio Affenpinscher

Arkansas' GOP-led Legislature passes voter ID law

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) ? Arkansas legislators passed a law Monday requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls, overriding Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe's veto of the bill, which he called an expensive solution to a non-existent problem.

The Republican-led state House voted 52-45, largely along party lines, to complete an override that started in the GOP-controlled Senate on a 21-12 vote last week. Only a simple majority was needed in each chamber.

"We are trying to protect the integrity of one of the most fundamental rights we have here in America," said state Rep. Stephen Meeks, a Republican from Greenbrier and the bill's House sponsor. House Speaker Davy Carter, a Cabot Republican who did not vote for the bill when it passed the House last month, supported the override.

The governor, who last week called the bill "an expensive solution in search of a problem," told reporters earlier Monday he had talked with some lawmakers to explain his veto, but had not urged them to vote against an override.

"He made his case as to why he thought it wasn't going to be good for Arkansas, but they have the final say and they've had that say," Beebe spokesman Matt DeCample said after the vote.

Rep. John Walker, a Little Rock Democrat and noted civil rights lawyer, warned lawmakers to "not go back on history" by enacting the requirement. Critics of such voter ID laws say the type of in-person voter fraud they are meant to prevent is extremely rare, and that the laws are really designed to make it harder to vote for certain groups that tend to back Democrats, including minorities, students and the elderly. Black lawmakers in Arkansas have compared the new voter ID law to poll taxes used in the Jim Crow era.

"I dare say you'll find any of your colleagues in this body of my color who will support this. It doesn't matter what their leanings are. What you're doing in effect is saying we don't care about what you think, we're going to do this anyway," said Rep. John Walker, D-Little Rock, who is black. "If you have the majority of course that's what you can do, but do you really uniformly to a person by party disrespect us so much?"

One Democrat, Rep. Fred Love of Little Rock, was listed as voting for the override, but he said planned to file a letter with House clerk stating that he intended to vote against it. The letter wouldn't change the official vote count.

"I think SB2 is bad policy for Arkansas and historically have suppressed voting in minority communities; especially African Americans," Love, who chairs the Legislative Black Caucus, told The Associated Press in an email after the vote. "So this was definitely a mistake."

Sen. Bryan King, who sponsored the bill in the Senate, said after Monday's vote that he was relieved by the results.

"This bill has had the most debate about it, it's had the most scrutiny of any bill this session," the Republican from Green Forest said. "It's going to become the law of the land here in Arkansas, and that's a great thing. An overwhelming majority of Arkansans support it."

The new law will require Arkansas to provide a free photo ID to voters who don't have one and will cost the state an estimated $300,000. The requirement won't take effect until there is funding for the IDs or until January, whichever occurs last.

Rita Sklar, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas, called the override a "terrible shame" and said the group is prepared to sue to block its enforcement.

"At this point, it looks like we're going to court to defend those disenfranchised by this bill," Sklar said.

While Arkansas poll workers must ask for identification under current law, voters don't have to show it to cast a ballot. Under the new law, voters who don't show photo identification can cast provisional ballots. Those ballots would be counted only if voters provide ID to county election officials or, before noon on the Monday following an election, sign an affidavit stating they are indigent or have a religious objection to being photographed.

Arkansas is among 19 states where proposals to enact voter ID laws or strengthen existing requirements have been introduced this year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Republicans have been pushing for similar laws in other states, although the measures have faced court challenges. Voter ID laws in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania have been blocked. Similar restrictions by Texas and South Carolina have been rejected by the federal government under the Voting Rights Act, and Mississippi is waiting for federal approval of its photo ID law.

Four states ? Georgia, Indiana, Kansas and Tennessee ? have similarly strict photo ID requirement laws in effect. Virginia will also have a strict photo ID requirement for voters in effect July 2014 under a measure signed into law last week by Gov. Bob McDonnell.

Arkansas Republicans had pushed for voter ID requirements for years, but the measure failed to reach the governor's desk under Democratic majorities. Republicans last November won control of the Legislature for the first time in 138 years and have enjoyed a number of successes, including the passage of stricter anti-abortion laws and broader gun rights.

___

Follow Andrew DeMillo on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ademillo

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-04-01-Arkansas-Voter%20ID/id-ebd86e8fe8f747389899f07cfc467b09

marlins park marbury v. madison 2013 lincoln mkz burger king mary j blige google project glass google goggles one tree hill

Tips To Make Social Media Marketing Easier - Network Marketing ...

Monday, April 1st, 2013 at 3:17 am ?

Social media marketing is one of the best Internet marketing techniques in terms of benefit per dollar spent. However, a number of those who own businesses don?t know how to craft a campaign, target a specific market, and how to best use their budget for marketing. Keep reading for some helpful insight into the marketing world of social media.

Invite all the people you associate with to your social media page when you use social media marketing. This can increase the awareness for your business so that you can get on the map.

Don?t fear asking for assistance with social media marketing. This will help you to tap into the expertise of some of the best designers and consultants in the business. They can be expensive though, so you may have to spend a considerable amount of money if you choose this path.

TIP! Allow your customers to follow you on a variety of social networks. Many people utilize these sites regularly, so allowing them to view your content via social media outlets is a wonderful idea.

You can use YouTube as an effective tool in marketing your products and services. Make video blogs or issue updates concerning new products. Post these on your blog and on YouTube and you will get more exposure.

You should take advantage of the advertising options available on any social media communities you have a business page on. This will be an inexpensive way to advertise and it also uses relevant keywords that help market your products. Such targeted ads are available on Facebook and Myspace and can help you reach the appropriate audiences.

Your social media profile can be used to bring customers to your retail store or to direct them to your products online. You can post news and announcements about discounts, openings of new stores or other information that may be of interest to your readers. Offer special discounts or coupons exclusively through your Facebook or other social networking page. There must be a benefit that comes with liking you through Facebook.

TIP! Have you consumers fill up surveys about their habits when it comes to social networking. If your customers are on social networks for more than one hour per day, you need to create a brand page.

Always update your business Facebook page for the most effective social media marketing. Your customers want to know what is new and prefer to read fresh content. So share things like blog posts or site updates as soon as they go up. This will increase the number of people who will see your blog.

If you are using social media as a marketing tool, provide some good incentives, but do not be pushy. Possible clientele don?t like pushy salesmen. Use a sale or another incentive about once every week at a particular time so people know what to expect. That way, customers get discounts but do not feel pressured or spammed.

It?s important that you respond to questions and comments promptly if you want to use social media marketing successfully. You need to become a comment hawk to ensure that you?re not missing anything. Get in the habit of checking out the comments first after you log in.

TIP! When it comes to social media marketing, you need to integrate keyword ads that are relevant to your business. This can be another good strategy to use to get more people to come to your social media pages.

If you upload video to YouTube, take advantage of the description field. Include links to your website, and an option to share the video on the most popular social networking sites. It?s better to get YouTube members to subscribe to you on Twitter or Facebook, since they will share the videos that they like.

Contests and giveaways are a proven strategy for pulling people to your product on Facebook. You can give away free product at little cost to your company. It?s good for marketing yourself, as well as giving back to your fans and customers.

Make sure you respond to any question or comment left on your social media page. Try to check your page at least twice-daily so that responses are left for too long. Set up an email alert to let you know about notifications as they come in. But be careful here. Whatever you write will be public and will appear to everyone. There?s no taking it back!

TIP! Sure, you?re focused on driving business to your site and making money, but you shouldn?t be singlemindedly focused on that goal. You need to develop a relationship with your readers, so place an emphasis on communication.

Social media is an effective way to expand your exposure online. In addition, a business can benefit when users of social media post reviews on products all over the net, or they post other information that is related to the business. It is up to you to inspire your readers to pass on your message. You can do this by offering incentives, such as free products. Competitions to see who can draw in the most visitors can also be profitable.

Allow customers to rate, comment and sort your items. By having these social media tools on your site, your consumers have the ability to participate in what you are trying to promote.

When you begin social media networking, patience is of the essence. People should trust what you?re doing and whatever it is you are trying to sell. Relax and try to gain the trust of one person at a time. Be patient and soon you will see an increase in customers.

TIP! Educate yourself on social networking itself. Even if you use Facebook or Twitter already, establishing a professional social media presence is very different from personal social media use.

This article should prove invaluable in getting your marketing plan launched using social media. A good social media campaign can boost your sales and increase your popularity.

I am always happy to help anyone that needs it. Simply reach out and Email Me, and I?ll respond and help you.

Tired of not making money online? Click Here Now to learn about the system and why you should join our team. It can mean the difference between real success like I?m seeing, and not seeing any results!

Thanks and peace,
Chris

PS? Click here to watch a video about the easiest, fastest system I now use to get leads and build my online business.

Monday, April 1, 2013

Louisville continues to bask in basketball success

In this photo released by the University of Louisville, injured Louisville guard Kevin Ware lies in a hospital bed holding the NCAA Regional Championship trophy flanked by coach Rick Pitino, left, and former Louisville assistant coach Richard Pitino, Monday, April 1, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. Ware broke his leg in the first half of Sunday's Midwest Regional final when he landed awkwardly after trying to contest a 3-point shot, breaking his leg in two places. He was taken off the court on a stretcher as his stunned teammates openly wept. His teammates went on to defeat Duke 85-63 to reach their second straight Final Four. (AP Photo/University of Louisville, Kenny Klein)

Louisville student Asaad Ali, a senior, signs a poster of support for injured Cardinals basketball player Kevin Ware in the Student Activities Center in Louisville, Ky., on Monday, April 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Gary Graves)

Louisville's Peyton Siva, left, and Chane Behanan, celebrate following their 85-63 win over Duke in the Midwest Regional final in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 31, 2013, in Indianapolis. Behanan was wearing the jersey of teammate Kevin Ware (5) who was injured during the game. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Louisville's Russ Smith (2), Gorgui Dieng (10) and Montrezl Harrell, right, react after guard Kevin Ware suffered a lower right leg injury during the first half of the Midwest Regional final against Duke in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 31, 2013, in Indianapolis. Ware had to be taken off the court on a stretcher. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Trainers check on Louisville guard Kevin Ware (5) after an injury during the first half of the Midwest Regional final against Duke in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 31, 2013, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) ? One by one, students walked slowly past the food court in the Student Activities Center on the Louisville campus and waited their turns to sign the makeshift 3-by-5 foot poster of injured basketball player Kevin Ware.

'We stand behind you, Kevin! Get Well soon (hash)5!' the poster read.

Meant as a tribute to Ware, it could also have been a giant get well card for a school torn between despair for his devastating injury and excitement for one of the best sports days in school history.

Ware broke his right leg in two places Sunday, a horrifying injury that inspired the Cardinals to beat Duke and earn their second consecutive trip to the Final Four. Hours later, the Louisville women's team upset defending champion Baylor and 6-foot-8 Brittney Griner.

Still, amid the celebration, students, faculty and fans couldn't get Ware out of their minds ? and they didn't seem to want to.

"It was hard to look at," freshman Ishmail Wheeler said of Ware's injury after signing the poster. "I felt for him."

All around the city, fans expressed their mixed emotions.

Steve Stober scrolled news of the Cardinals' win and Ware's injury on the digital sign outside his business, Stober's Tax Services in Old Louisville.

The messages included "Final Four Baby!" ''Go Cardinals!" and "Pray 4 Kevin Ware," interspersed with the business phone number. Similar messages congratulating Louisville went up last year when the Cardinals also made the Final Four.

"We take our basketball seriously here," said Stober, who added that even though this is his busiest season with tax day, April 15, rapidly approaching, he'll be watching the Cardinals take on the Wichita State Shockers come Saturday.

"These things don't normally meet up very well," Stober said. "But I'll get to do them both."

Ware had surgery late Sunday and remained at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis on Monday. Cardinals coach Rick Pitino and his son, Richard, stayed in Indiana with Ware, keeping the Midwest Regional championship trophy in the room.

He could return to Louisville on Tuesday and Pitino has expressed a desire for Ware to accompany the team to Atlanta, site of the Final Four and Ware's hometown. It's unclear, however, if Ware will be medically cleared to make the trip. He said on Facebook that "the first step is always the hardest one to take"

University President James Ramsey, who was sitting seven rows behind the Louisville bench when Ware was hurt, said during a news conference Monday that "it was a great day to be a Cardinal," but added that it was "heartbreaking" to see Ware break his right leg in the first half while trying to block a shot by Duke's Tyler Thornton.

Ramsey said Ware will get the best medical care and rehabilitation the university can offer.

"It was just an empty feeling," Ramsey said. "All of the sudden, the game wasn't important."

The grief-stricken Cardinals played that way for a few minutes after Ware was wheeled out of Lucas Oil Stadium on a stretcher, his leg covered. But Louisville regrouped to take the lead at halftime and then pulled away from the Blue Devils in the second half to earn their way into the national semifinal.

The win triggered a celebration on campus, where students hollered out of windows and honked horns while driving around the university. The big party was downtown Louisville, on Broadway, where students and fans tied up traffic for hours. Louisville city officials reported few incidents.

That didn't mean it was totally tame.

"It got really crazy," said Louisville freshman Ronnie Lucciano, pulling out his cell phone to show video and stills of the revelry. "Folks started burning tires," Lucciano said, referring to cars doing burnouts, "and that's when the helicopters started coming, shining their lights to keep folks under control."

On Monday, the antics had calmed down, but the excitement remained high.

Anticipation will no doubt build by Saturday when Louisville's men (33-5) face ninth-seeded Wichita State at the Georgia Dome. A year after losing to rival Kentucky at the Final Four in New Orleans and watching the Wildcats go on to win their eighth national championship, the Cardinals have rolled over opponents this postseason and are favored to bring the title back to the Bluegrass State again.

Louisville has thrived behind guards Russ Smith and Peyton Siva, center Gorgui Dieng and stifling pressure defense that has keyed three NCAA tournament wins of 20-plus points. That has fans here closer to realizing the dream of the city's first national championship since 1986 and eager to stoke the flames of a rivalry with Kentucky, which failed to make the tournament this year and lost in the first round of the NIT.

"It's always been that, but now it's picked up, obviously, with back-to-back Final Fours and Kentucky winning the national championship last year," Louisville coach Rick Pitino said. "It means a lot in our state."

The Cardinals women's team held on to beat Baylor and the imposing Griner 82-81 in Oklahoma City Sunday, but still has to get through second-seeded Tennessee on Tuesday to give Louisville teams in the men's and women's Final Four simultaneously for the first time. On Monday, they were basking in a sea of praise and congratulations ? including a postgame locker room visit from Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Kevin Durant, who posed for pictures with the Cardinals.

Men's point guard "Peyton Siva texted me last night, and he's like, Coach P is going to text you," said Cardinals forward and Louisville native Monique Reid. "I mean, that was pretty cool getting a great game from them, and they played an awesome game, too.

"It was just really exciting, and everybody from high school was texting me. I'm the hometown kid, and I know everybody is really excited, and my dad was crying on the phone. It was very good."

On campus, students were especially proud to wear Cardinals red and black. It was hard to find anyone not wearing the combination in the student center.

A memorable year that began with Louisville's football team upsetting Florida in the Sugar Bowl just gets better.

"It's just unbelievable with the men and women winning," said senior Asaad Ali, who attended the game in Indianapolis. "The men winning was special, but what the women did sealed the day for us. It was bittersweet because of Ware and the moment, but it was a great day."

___

AP Sports Writer Jeff Latzke in Oklahoma City, Staff Writer Brett Barrouquere and Freelancer Writer Josh Abner in Louisville contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-04-01-NCAA-Louisville%20Hoops%20City/id-e33557f2672b4d20b082f5446b001eff

kim kardashian anderson cooper adrian peterson chicago bears netflix george h w bush Belk

Rubio: Reports of immigration deal 'premature'

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Even with one of the largest hurdles to an immigration overhaul overcome, optimistic lawmakers on Sunday cautioned they had not finished work on a bill that would provide a path to citizenship for 11 million illegal immigrants.

The AFL-CIO and the pro-business U.S. Chamber of Commerce reached a deal late Friday that would allow tens of thousands of low-skill workers into the country to fill jobs in construction, restaurants and hotels. Yet despite the unusual agreement between the two powerful lobbying groups, lawmakers from both parties conceded that the negotiations were not finished.

"With the agreement between business and labor, every major policy issue has been resolved," said Sen. Chuck Schumer, the New York Democrat who brokered the labor-business deal.

But it hasn't taken the form of a bill and the eight senators searching for a compromise haven't met about the potential breakthrough.

"We haven't signed off," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

"There are a few details yet. But conceptually, we have an agreement between business and labor, between ourselves that has to be drafted," he added.

Yet just before lawmakers began appearing on Sunday shows, Sen. Marco Rubio warned he was not ready to lend his name ? and political clout ? to such a deal without hashing out the details.

"Reports that the bipartisan group of eight senators have agreed on a legislative proposal are premature," said Rubio, a Florida Republican who is among the lawmakers working on legislation.

Rubio, a Cuban-American who is weighing a presidential bid in 2016, is a leading figure inside his party. Lawmakers will be closely watching any deal for his approval and his skepticism about the process did little to encourage optimism.

Rubio, who is the group's emissary to conservatives, called the agreement "a starting point" but said 92 senators from 43 states haven't yet been involved in the process.

The detente between the nation's leading labor federation and the powerful business lobbying group still needs senators' approval, including a nod from Sen. John McCain, the Arizona Republican whose previous efforts came up short.

"I think we're on track. . But as Sen. Rubio correctly says, we have said we will not come to final agreement till we look at all of the legislative language and he's correctly pointing out that that language hasn't been fully drafted," Schumer said.

Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., also noted the significance of the truce between labor and business but added that this wasn't yet complete.

"That doesn't mean we've crossed every 'i' or dotted every 't,' or vice versa," said Flake, who is among the eight lawmakers working on the deal.

Schumer negotiated the deal between AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka and Chamber of Commerce head Tom Donohue during a late-Friday phone call. Under the compromise, the government would create a new "W'' visa for low-skill workers who would earn wages paid to Americans or the prevailing wages for the industry they're working in, whichever is higher. The Labor Department would determine prevailing wage based on customary rates in specific localities, so that it would vary from city to city.

The proposed measure would secure the border, crack down on employers, improve legal immigration and create a 13-year pathway to citizenship for the millions of illegal immigrants already here.

It's a major second-term priority of President Barack Obama's and would usher in the most dramatic changes to the faltering U.S. immigration system in more than two decades.

"This is a legacy item for him. There is no doubt in my mind that he wants to pass comprehensive immigration reform," said David Axelrod, a longtime political confidant of Obama.

During the last week, an immigration deal seemed doomed. But the breakthrough late Friday restarted the talks.

Ultimately the new "W'' visa program would be capped at 200,000 workers a year, but the number of visas would fluctuate, depending on unemployment rates, job openings, employer demand and data collected by a new federal bureau being pushed by labor groups as an objective monitor of the market, according to an official involved with the talks who also spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of a formal announcement.

A "safety valve" would allow employers to exceed the cap, the official said, if they could show need and pay premium wages, but any additional workers brought in would be subtracted from the next year's cap.

The workers could move from employer to employer and would be able to petition for permanent residency and ultimately seek U.S. citizenship. Neither is possible for temporary workers now.

"As to the 11 million (illegal immigrants), they'll have a pathway to citizenship, but it will be earned, it will be long, and it will be hard, and I think it is fair," Graham said.

The new program would fill needs employers say they have that are not currently met by U.S. immigration programs. Most industries don't have a good way to hire a steady supply of foreign workers because there's one temporary visa program for low-wage nonagricultural workers but it's capped at 66,000 visas per year and is only supposed to be used for seasonal or temporary jobs.

Separately, the new immigration bill also is expected to offer many more visas for high-tech workers, new visas for agriculture workers, and provisions allowing some agriculture workers already in the U.S. a speedier path to citizenship than that provided to other illegal immigrants, in an effort to create a stable agricultural workforce.

Schumer, Flake and Axelrod appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press." Graham was interviewed on CNN's "State of the Union."

___

Associated Press writer Erica Werner contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/rubio-reports-immigration-deal-premature-144123665--politics.html

nick lachey chevy volt christina hendricks lifelock camp david hawaii weather the jerk

Hayden Panettiere Rocks a Super Skimpy Bikini!

Hayden Panettiere spends Easter at the beach! Plus, check out more pics of your favorite stars on the scene!

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/star-snapshots-celebrity-photo-gallery-2012/1-b-450006?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Astar-snapshots-celebrity-photo-gallery-2012-450006

touch nitrous oxide rihanna thug life tattoo arizona governor patrick witt leprosy tampa bay buccaneers