Amendment co-sponsored by Mississippi Rep. Steven Palazzo ...

WASHINGTON - Congressman Steven Palazzo, R-Biloxi, along with Louisiana Representatives Bill Cassidy and Cedric Richmond, and Michael Grimm of New York, announced passage of an amendment to the FY14 Homeland Security Appropriations bill today that would delay scheduled increases to flood insurance rates due to kick in on coastal residents later this year.

The amendment blocks the implementation of Section 207 of the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act.

Palazzo introduced similar legislation earlier this year. Today's amendment passed overwhelmingly by a vote of 281-146 and had the support of the National Association of Realtors, the American Bankers Association, and the National Association of Home Builders.

"The passage of this amendment is an enormous victory for the Mississippi Gulf Coastm" said Palazzo. "Thousands of people who built back after Hurricane Katrina and those now building back after Hurricane Sandy are facing steep flood insurance rate increases under current law.

"While we must ensure the flood insurance program remains fiscally solvent, we must do so in a compassionate way that doesn't penalize those who have followed the rules. This amendment would provide time for FEMA to study the affordability of flood insurance program changes, providing much-needed relief for homeowners and businesses across the Gulf Coast."

The Biggert-Waters Act, which was meant to overhaul the in-debt program and make it self-sufficient, was signed into law last July.

The act ends flood insurance subsidies to homeowners by 2014 and generally increases premiums as flood insurance risk maps are updated.

The new rates are meant to reflect true flood risk, but many have argued the price hikes will devastate property owners. There has been national debate over how to handle the increases.

"The reforms under the Biggert-Waters Act have created flood insurance rates which could destroy south Louisiana homes," Cassidy said. "They would also be devastating for coastal communities around the country.

"This amendment will block those rate increases and give us time to carefully modify the Biggert-Waters Act. It is important to have a self-sustaining flood insurance program. However, it must account for the flood protections throughout south Louisiana that make massive flood insurance rates unnecessary. I will lead in making sure that occurs."

According to Grimm, "There are Staten Islanders who have lost everything in Superstorm Sandy, with years to go before their lives return to normal. Now they are up against a tremendous flood insurance rate hike that will only victimize them further. By delaying the rate hikes mandated by Section 207 of Biggert-Waters, we can provide a window of respite for many struggling to rebuild, while Congress works toward a solution that eases the burden on homeowners and keeps flood insurance affordable for those who need it most."

See a copy of the amendment here: Cassidy Palazzo Grimm AMD.pdf

And a background document here: Biggert Waters Background.pdf

Source: http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/06/amendment_co-sponsored_by_rep.html

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Rim Play, Corner 3-Pointers Will Likely Dicate These NBA Finals

.

MIAMI ? One of the most intriguing aspects of this year?s Finals matchup is that the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs have never really played each other.

Gregg Popovich sat his stars in their Nov. 29 meeting and Erik Spoelstra sat his on March 31. So there?s really no head-to-head data to look at in previewing the series.

The two teams played once last season, but both Manu Ginobili and Dwyane Wade missed that one. Besides, both of these teams have evolved quite a bit in the 16 months since that game.

The Heat have fully embraced their pace-and-space style, which elevated them to the No. 1 offense in the league. The Spurs, meanwhile, took a good look at their defensive numbers and figured out how to get back to being a top-three D. At the same time, the Heat regressed a few points per 100 possessions defensively and the Spurs did the same offensively.

Still, they were two of the three teams? Oklahoma City was the other ? that ranked in the top 10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency in the regular season. And we?ve now got a matchup of the best offensive team and the best defensive team of the playoffs.

Heat pace and efficiency

	Pace	Rank	OffRtg	Rank	DefRtg	Rank	NetRtg	Rank
Reg. Season	93.0	23	110.3	1	100.5	7	+9.9	2
Playoffs	89.2	14	108.4	1	97.6	4	+10.8	2

Spurs pace and efficiency

	Pace	Rank	OffRtg	Rank	DefRtg	Rank	NetRtg	Rank
Reg. Season	96.4	6	105.9	7	99.2	3	+6.8	3
Playoffs	92.2	8	106.5	2	95.4	1	+11.1	1

The most efficient shots on the floor are at the rim and from the corners. And a deeper look into the numbers shows that both teams are strong, both offensively and defensively, from those spots. It?s as if both coaches know what they?re doing.

Miami offense vs. San Antonio defense

The No. 1 offense in the league led the league by shooting 68.2 percent from the restricted area and led the league with 309 corner 3-pointers (3.8 per game).

LeBron James and Wade were the guys attacking the rim. The MVP led the league with 411 baskets in the restricted area, while Wade was tied for eighth with 311. And though they?ve faced two great rim protectors ? Joakim Noah and Roy Hibbert ? in the last two rounds, they rank first and fifth in the postseason.

Shane Battier and Ray Allen were the guys shooting from the corners. Battier led the league with 88 corner threes, while Allen ranked eighth with 63. And though they?ve faced the two teams ? Chicago and Indiana ? who allowed the fewest corner threes in the regular season, the Heat have still hit 48 of them (3.0 per game) in the playoffs, with Allen (15), Battier (11), Norris Cole (7) and Chris Bosh (6) making up most of that total.

The Spurs ranked fourth by allowing their opponents to shoot just 57.4 percent in the restricted area in the regular season. And when Tim Duncan and Tiago Splitter were on the floor together, opponents shot just 50.9 percent in the restricted area (just slightly higher than the 50.8 percent that Indiana opponents shot when Hibbert and David West were on the floor). Neither Duncan nor Splitter is the individual deterrent that the 7-foot-2 Hibbert is, but they protect the rim well.

The Spurs allowed just 156 corner threes in the regular season, the seventh fewest in the league, and have allowed just 1.9 per game in the playoffs.

As they were in Game 7 on Monday, trips to the free throw line are also a key component to the Heat?s offense. But the Spurs ranked second in opponent free throw rate, allowing just 24 free throws per 100 field goal attempts. The Pacers liked to talk a lot about defending without fouling, but the Spurs really do it.

The numbers favor the Spurs? defense against the Heat?s offense. But James has been on the floor for only 39 of the 4,673 minutes (0.8 percent) the Spurs have played this season. And he has the ability to make a great defense look bad.

San Antonio offense vs. Miami defense

Like the Heat (and Thunder), the Spurs shoot the ball well from everywhere. They ranked fifth in field goal percentage from the restricted area, fifth from elsewhere in the paint, second from mid-range, sixth from the corners and seventh on threes from above the break.

Though they didn?t finish at the rim as well as the Heat did, the Spurs took a greater percentage of their shots from the restricted area than Miami. Splitter (274), Duncan (229) and Tony Parker (229) all ranked in the top 40 in buckets at the basket and all shot them at a percentage much higher than the league average (59.4 percent).

San Antonio ranked third in corner threes, with Danny Green (second with 73) and Kawhi Leonard (18th with 52) ranking in the top 20 for individuals.

The Heat ranked sixth in defending the restricted area and second in defending corner threes. They also ranked fourth in forcing turnovers, while the Spurs ranked 10th in taking care of the ball.

Lineups

The Eastern Conference finals showed how important a bench can be. Over the seven games, the Pacers were a plus-46 with all of their starters on the floor, but a minus-74 whenever one or more of them rested.

The Spurs? depth has been critical. In the playoffs, they?re just a plus-11 in 134 minutes with their starting lineup on the floor, scoring less than a point per possession.

All other San Antonio lineups are a plus-131 in 562 minutes, scoring an efficient 108 points per 100 possessions. The Spurs have been particularly lethal (115.5) in 132 minutes with Matt Bonner and Ginobili on the floor together.

Miami?s reserves have been nearly as important. Its starters are a plus-53 in 234 playoff minutes together, strong on both ends of the floor. But the Heat suffer little drop-off when they go to their bench. All other Miami lineups are a plus-100 in 538 minutes in the postseason, scoring 109 points per 100 possessions and allowing just 99.

It helps that James, averaging 41.2 minutes per game in the postseason, has been part of a lot of those bench units. And the Heat?s minutes with James on the bench in this series will be critical.

Any foul trouble could be an issue for either team as well. But it?s not like fans of either squad will need to close their eyes when they go to the bench, as Pacers fans surely did over the last month.

Prediction

With the best pick-and-roll point guard in the league and plenty of perimeter shooting, the Spurs have the perfect offense to make the Heat pay for their aggressive D. And history tells us that when a great offense goes against a great defense, the great defense has the advantage more often.

Spurs in 6.

Category: 2013 NBA Finals: Spurs-Heat / Tags: , Danny Green, Dwyane Wade, Erik Spoelstra, Gregg Popovich, Indiana Pacers, John Schuhmann, LeBron James, Manu Ginobili, Matt Bonner, Miami Heat, Ray Allen, san antonio spurs, Shane Battier, Tiago Splitter, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker / 3 Comments /

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Source: http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2013/06/05/rim-play-corner-3-pointers-will-likely-dicate-these-nba-finals/

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HTC One 'mini' leaks with 4.3-inch 720p display and UltraPixel camera

HTC One mini? HTC M4? Whichever moniker you want to give it, that appears to be what we see above. Shown in a bunch of photos on Estonian site Delfi.ee the 4.3-inch device seems to corroborate much of what we've heard already. Beyond the (slightly) smaller 720p display, the site also claims there's a dual-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB internal storage and a 4-megapixel shooter complete with UltraPixel technology. That's all we've got to go on for now, but it seems 4.3-inch, really is the new small.

[Thanks, Oliver]

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HTC

Comments

Source: Delfi.ee

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/8m7WSKGUi3k/

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Would-be one-hit wonder wows 'AGT' judges

TV

Craig Berman TODAY contributor

14 hours ago

NBC / NBC

"America's Got Talent" judges Howard Stern and Heidi Klum were moved by Tone the Chief Rocka's performance.

There are those on ?America?s Got Talent? with dreams of winning the million-dollar prize. There are those who handle poisonous snakes and eat hot peppers in what appears to be some sort of death wish.

And then there?s Tone the Chief Rocka, the last act to take the stage on Tuesday?s season premiere. What was his ambition?

?I want to be a one-hit wonder!? he said.

Not the biggest dream in the world, but as Howard Stern told him before he began, sometimes one hit song is enough to retire on. And a few notes into Tone's original song, ?Booty,? it was clear that this act had the best potential for reality TV flash-in-the-pan musical success since the great ?Great? Larry Platt debuted ?Pants on the Ground? on ?American Idol? in 2010.

Howard led the four judges to their feet to dance. Nick Cannon shook his rear end at the camera and cheered. The crowd jumped to their feet. And all four judges passed him on to the next round.

?You struck a chord with the audience. You struck a chord, I bet, with America,? Howard said. ?I don?t think you have another hit in you. I think you are a one-hit wonder, and I love it.?

The two new judges, Heidi Klum and Mel B, were equally impressed.

?What can I say? All of our B-double-O-T-I?s, they were all itchy," Heidi said.

(Cue the brief pause as everyone wondered where she was going with that, and how she could spell the word wrong when Tone had just sang it, letter by letter, for 90 seconds.)

?They were all itching to dance,? she clarified.

Mel B. felt the same tingling. ?Not only do I have the biggest booty on this panel -- and proud of it -- I love it,? said the former Spice Girl.

That earned Tone a ticket to Las Vegas, gave everyone in the audience an earworm and started the clock ticking on his 15 minutes of fame.

Also notable were a number of acts that weren?t what they seemed.

Special Head looked so annoying that Howard Stern X?d him before he got a chance to finish his routine. The judge wound up having to take that back, as the street performer wound up appearing to levitate his way right to Vegas.

Catapult was the best of the dance acts to take the stage, combining modern movement and illusion to illustrate a diamond caper. They were closely followed by Hype, a trio who said they made up their ?Singing in the Rain? routine in a day, which made Howie Mandel question their seriousness, but if that claim is correct they set the bar very high for what might happen with a whole 72 hours of effort.

Ten-year-old Anna Christine looked like a bundle of nerves, but stood out as the early leader among the child acts. Marty Brown looked for all of the world like comic relief with his backstage banter, but turned out to be quite the country crooner. Angela Hoover made the most of her 90 seconds of comedy.

The scariest act of the night was David Weathers, who poked a large rattlesnake until it lunged at him and popped a balloon that he was holding in his mouth. He avoided being bitten for what he said would have been the fourth time, and also moved on.

?I know this is wrong but I want to see you again, so it?s a 'yes,'? Heidi said.

How many men have dreamed of hearing those words from her?

See another batch of hopefuls take the "America's Got Talent" stage next Tuesday at 9 p.m. on NBC.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/would-be-one-hit-wonder-wows-americas-got-talent-judges-6C10206114

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Bergeron scores in 2nd OT to give Bruins 2-1 win

Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask drops to the ice for the puck, against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Eastern Conference finals, in Boston on Wednesday, June 5, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask drops to the ice for the puck, against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Eastern Conference finals, in Boston on Wednesday, June 5, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Chris Kunitz (14) is congratulated by teammates after his goal against the Boston Bruins during the second period in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Eastern Conference finals, in Boston on Wednesday, June 5, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Richard Donohue, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority officer wounded during the shootout with the Boston Marathon bombing suspects, waves a "Boston Strong" banner as his wife, Kimberly, raises her arms during ceremonies prior to Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs between the Boston Bruins and the Pittsburgh Penguins, in Boston on Wednesday, June 5, 2013. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Boston Bruins left wing Milan Lucic, top rear, is upended by Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Deryk Engelland (5), and falls onto goalie Tomas Vokoun during overtime in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Eastern Conference finals, in Boston on Wednesday, June 5, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Boston Bruins center Chris Kelly (23) tries to get the stick on the puck as Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Tomas Vokoun (92) raises his glove to make a save during overtime in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Eastern Conference finals, in Boston on Wednesday, June 5, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

BOSTON (AP) ? Blowout or double-overtime thriller, the result is the same for the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference finals: a victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins and a chance to sweep the No. 1 seed out of the playoffs.

Patrice Bergeron redirected a pass from Brad Marchand into the net at 15:19 of the second overtime on Wednesday night to lead Boston to a 2-1 victory over Pittsburgh and a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

With a victory in Game 4 at home on Friday, the 2010 Stanley Cup champions would earn a chance to play for a second title in three years.

"I'm pretty tired, but it's rewarding when you get the results," said Bergeron, who had a bruise under his right eye and a cut on his nose. "We found a way, I guess. That's the only way you've got to look at it. It wasn't necessarily our best effort in the first 60 (minutes). We said we had to find a way somehow, and we did in the second overtime."

Tuukka Rask stopped 53 shots for the Bruins. David Krejci scored on the Bruins' first shot of the game, just 102 seconds in, and Tomas Vokoun held them scoreless for 93 minutes, 37 seconds before Bergeron scored on Boston's last.

"It was very long, very tiring. But we came out with the win," Marchand said. "We're obviously very happy, but we've still got a lot of work to do. They're going to come out harder the next game."

Vokoun made 38 saves for the Penguins one game after he was yanked from the net after giving up three quick goals in the first period. After Krejci, who leads the playoffs in scoring with nine goals and 12 assists, made it 1-0, Chris Kunitz tied it in the second period.

It was 1-1 after two periods, and it stayed that way through two more. But 4:41 before the second overtime would expire, Marchand grabbed the puck along the left-wing boards and centered it, where Bergeron redirected it past Vokoun and into the net.

That set off a celebration in Boston ? the first for the Bruins at home after they won the first two games of the series in Pittsburgh 3-0 and 6-1.

"Five periods is pretty exhausting, as you can see," Bruins coach Claude Julien said. "Even though this is a great game, it's pretty exhausting. I'm looking forward to going home and going to bed."

It is the first time all season that Pittsburgh has lost three consecutive games. The good news for the Penguins: The last of three teams to blow a 3-0 lead in an NHL playoff series was Boston, which lost four in a row to Philadelphia in the 2010 Eastern Conference semifinals.

"We threw it at them tonight and didn't get the win," Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said. "But it's a race to four and they are not there yet."

After two Boston blowouts, the Penguins matched the Bruins and even outshot them 39-25 in regulation ? including a third period in which Pittsburgh held a 14-4 advantage despite two Boston power plays. The Bruins didn't muster a shot in the final 7? minutes of regulation.

But they had the better chances in overtime, including Nathan Horton's breakaway that Vokoun turned aside just 2:21 in, and another shot by Horton that went off the right post with 12:25 on the clock.

Pittsburgh forced Rask to make a save with 5 minutes left in the first OT, when Craig Adams tried to poke home a rebound.

"I think the whole game we felt really comfortable with our play," said Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, who has yet to record a goal or assist in the series. "I think we felt like it was just a matter of time before we were going to get it. Unfortunately, they ... hung around and got one at the end."

The Bruins scored just 102 seconds into the game when Krejci circled around the net and took a slap shot that caromed in off Pittsburgh defenseman Matt Niskanen. But the Penguins tied it in the second ? the first time in the series, other than 0-0, that they have been even ? when Kunitz one-timed a pass from defenseman Paul Martin over Rask's right shoulder.

Pittsburgh went 0-for-6 on power plays ? including two in overtime. Boston was 0-for-5.

NOTES: Boston is 4-1 in playoff overtime this year. Pittsburgh is 2-2. ... Bruins F Gregory Campbell blocked a shot with his midsection on a power play late in the second period. He remained on the ice for a few seconds before struggling to his feet, then limped around for more than 30 seconds before Boston could clear the zone and he could get off the ice. Fans chanted his name. ... The Bruins honored Richard "Dic" Donohue as an honorary banner captain before the game. Donohue is a transit police officer who was shot during the Boston Marathon bomber manhunt. ... Penguins F Jarome Iginla, a key trade-deadline acquisition who turned down a deal to the Bruins, was dropped to the third line. ... Krejci has 29 goals and 39 assists for 68 points in 74 career playoff games. ... Pittsburgh had won its last six games in Boston, all in the regular season.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-06-06-Penguins-Bruins/id-a1556a23fab64c47a7a69566f9b9d82f

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The Key Salary Negotiation Tactic That Works

If you are going to be asking for a raise anytime soon, you better come to the bargaining table prepared and informed, new research suggests.

That research found that having a specific number in mind when negotiating everything from salary to major purchases is more effective than negotiating with a round number.

"What we discovered is there is a big difference in what most people think is a good strategy when negotiating and what research shows is a good strategy," said Malia Mason, the Gantcher Associate Professor of Business at Columbia Business School. "Negotiators should remember that in this case, zeros really do add nothing to the bargaining table."

[A Surprising Negotiation Tactic That Works]

To prove this, researchers Mason and Daniel Ames along with doctoral students Alice Lee and Elizabeth Wiley of Columbia Business School split a group of more than 1,200 respondents into two negotiation groups. One of those groups was asked to negotiate using a round number like $5,000 while the other group was asked to negotiate using a specific number like $5,015.

Negotiators who had that specific number in mind were thought to be more educated about the value of the negotiation. That in turn led to more concessions because the opposite negotiating party felt there was less wiggle room in the negotiation.

"The practical application of these findings ? signaling that you are informed and using a precise number ? can be used in any negotiation situation?to imply you've done your homework," Mason said.

The research was a part of the paper "Precise Offers Are Potent Anchors: Conciliatory Counteroffers and Attributions of Knowledge in Negotiations," which will be published in the upcoming issue of the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.

This story was provided by BusinessNewsDaily, a sister site to LiveScience. Follow David Mielach on Twitter @D_M89?.?Follow us?@bndarticles,?Facebook?or?Google+. Originally published?on BusinessNewsDaily.

Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/key-salary-negotiation-tactic-works-101629689.html

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