RIM CEO Thorsten Heins just announced that Research in Motion is no longer known as "RIM," and will be simply known as "BlackBerry" going forward. "We have reinvented the company, and we want to represent this in our brand," Heins said. The company's new tagline, as seen above, is "One brand. One promise." Of course, given that RIM BlackBerry only makes BlackBerry devices, that's the logic there.
"We have transformed ourselves inside and out, and we have defined a revision, a dedication to the boundless opportunities in mobile computing," Heins added. "Our customers use BlackBerry. Our employees work for BlackBerry, and our shareholders are owners of BlackBerry. From today on, we are BlackBerry everywhere in the world," he said. The company's stock ticker is also reflecting the new name (it's now "BBRY"), so the change is being reflected literally everywhere.
After a couple of weeks in beta, Koushik Dutta -- aka Koush -- has released his Carbon backup app on Google Play. The app uses Android's built-in backup feature to sync apps -- and crucially, app data -- to the SD card or cloud storage. If you're rooted, you just need the app itself. If not, there's an accompanying desktop app that can help you sync an unrooted phone.
A word of warning for Motorola users -- the app isn't available for Moto devices due to a bug in these phones which prevents Android's backup features from working correctly. A manual download link is provided on the Play Store listing for those running custom ROMs, or anyone who just wants to try anyway.
Carbon comes in two flavors -- there's a free version, which offers an basic ad-supported service. Then there's an ad-free premium version, which costs $4.99 and adds in more advanced stuff like Android-to-Android sync and cloud storage sync.
Both apps are available for phones running Android 4.0 or above -- hit the Google Play link above to grab the basic version, or head over here for the premium version.
A federal court judge rejected an NCAA motion on Tuesday that would have prevented players in an antitrust suit from advancing their lawsuit in a hope of pursuing a cut of TV money, according to an ESPN.com report.
The NCAA had hoped to thwart efforts by former UCLA basketball star Ed O'Bannon and other college basketball and football players to claim a share of the revenues from live television broadcasts. Originally, the suit had included just rebroadcast revenues.
The motion from the NCAA was based on a procedural objection regarding the amending of the lawsuit last year. Judge Claudia Wilken has now set a hearing on the merits of the motion for June 20.
A statement from NCAA general counsel Donald Remy read as follows:
"Although our motion to strike was denied, the judge has signaled skepticism on plaintiff's class-certification motion and recognized the plaintiffs' radical change in their theory of the case. This is a step in the right direction toward allowing the NCAA to further demonstrate why this case is wrong on the law and that plaintiffs have failed to demonstrate that this case satisfies the criteria for class litigation."
The lawsuit began in 2009, with O'Bannon among the number of former college basketball and football players challenging the NCAA's licensing of their images for a share of the revenue.
From Tom Farrey of ESPN.com:
In the event that the plaintiffs prevail, [lead counsel Michael] Hausfeld has set up a mechanism for players to collect licensing revenues. The Former College Athletes Association (FCAA) would negotiate licenses with the NCAA, member colleges, video game and media companies, according to Jon King, a former Hausfeld LLC lawyer who worked on the case.
The case would go to trial in 2014, per ESPN.
For more college basketball news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnCBB on Twitter, subscribe to our RSS Feed and subscribe to our College Basketball Newsletter. You can follow Jeff Borzello on Twitter here: @jeffborzello
" } callFBApi = function() { var accessToken; var uid; CBSi.injectJS('//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1', 'facebook-jssdk'); FB.init({ appId : '297742330311988', oauth : true }); FB.login(function(response) { if (response.authResponse) { uid = response.authResponse.userID; accessToken = response.authResponse.accessToken; //CBSi.log("== FB APP DATA ==", response); FB.api('/me', function(social) { //CBSi.log("== FB USER DATA ==", social); log_in_socially(social.name, social.username, 'fb'); }); } }); }; log_in_socially = function(dn, userid, site) { $.ajax({ url: "/data/common/livefyre/lf_social_login", dataType: 'json', data: { lfdn: dn, lfuser: userid, ssite: site } }).done(function(profile) { //CBSi.log("== Social Login ==",profile,site); if (profile.error) { //CBSi.log("Social login failed with error: ", profile); return null; } else { document.cookie = "lf_social_login="+ profile.socialsess +"; expires=0; path=/"; profile.socialsess = '1'; userObj = profile; doLivefyreAuth(profile); } }); }; callTwitterApi = function() { window.open('/common/livefyre/V3/via_twitter','twitterOauth','width=600,height=500,menu=0,status=0'); }; function doLivefyreAuth(cval) { //console.log("== Attempting LF Login ==",cval); var isLoggedIn = 1; if (cval) { try { fyre.conv.login(cval.token); } catch (e) { isLoggedIn = 0; } } } changeDOM = function() { // DOM hacks. Change the UI for the dropdown box //console.log("== Running Dom Hacks =="); if (isLoggedIn == 1){ //console.log("== Checking Match =="); if (hasProfile == 0) { CBSi.log("== adding get comment link =="); // They need a screen name //$('.lf_auth_section a.lf_user_loggedout').html('Get a Screen Name to Comment').addClass('loginLink'); $('.fyre .fyre-user-loggedout').hide(); $('#getScreenName').show(); var screenNameContent = 'Get a Screen Name to Comment'; $('#getScreenName').html(screenNameContent); } else { if (typeof userObj.profile.profile_url != 'undefined'){ if (userObj.profile.profile_url) { //CBSi.log("== adding login profile links =="); $('.fyre .fyre-box-wrapper a.fyre-user-profile-link').attr('href',userObj.profile.profile_url); $('li.fyre-edit-profile-link').html('Edit Profile'); } } } } changedDom = 1; //console.log("== finished dom hacks =="); }; function updateCommentCounts(element,count){ //CBSi.log("== updating comment counts =="); if (count > 1){ $(element).html('' + count + ' ??| ?Comments'); $(element).show(); } else{ $(element).html('' + count + ' ??| ?Comment'); $(element).show(); } } function removeLfError(){ $('#cbsLfError').remove(); } var authDelegate = new fyre.conv.RemoteAuthDelegate(); authDelegate.login = function (handlers){ if (isLoggedIn Please log in above to post a comment.'); handlers.failure(); } else{ removeLfError(); handlers.success(); } }; function updateAuthorLinks(){ $('.fyre-comment-username').each(function() { $(this).click(function() { window.location.href = $(this).attr('href'); }); }); $('.fyre-comment-author').each(function() { $(this).click(function() { window.location.href = $(this).attr('href'); }); }); } $(document).ready( function () { // Log in the user if we got a token for them // Change the DOM after login since things get re-rendered //console.log("== LF Calling Load =="); var conv = fyre.conv.load({"network": "cbssports.fyre.co", 'strings': customStrings, authDelegate: authDelegate}, lf_config, function(widget) { //console.log("== LF in Load =="); widget.on('initialRenderComplete', function () { //console.log("== LF Render Complete =="); $('#lf_comments_label').show(); loggedin = readCookie('pid'); CBSi.log(loggedin); if ((typeof loggedin == "string") && (loggedin.match(/^L:/))) { isLoggedIn = 1; if (typeof userObj.token != 'undefined'){ if (userObj.token) { hasProfile = 1; doLivefyreAuth(userObj); } } changeDOM(); } updateCommentCounts('.commentsBubble',$('.fyre-stream-stats .fyre-comment-count span').html()); updateAuthorLinks(); }); widget.on('userLoggedIn', function () { //CBSi.log("== LF Logging In User =="); changeDOM(); removeLfError(); }); widget.on('userLoggedOut', function () { //CBSi.log("== LF Logging Out User =="); document.cookie = "lf_social_login=; expires=0; path=/" }); widget.on('commentCountUpdated', function (countData) { //CBSi.log("== LF Comment Added =="); updateCommentCounts('.commentsBubble',countData); }); widget.on('commentPosted', function (countData) { updateAuthorLinks(); }); }); });
Microsoft is pinching CIOs by not providing an easy way to run the just released Microsoft Office 2013 on anything except Windows RT. With little cross-platform integration, Microsoft is creating an opening for vendors that have a more clear path for accessing documents on a mobile device.
Call for Papers Power/Religion: A Revanche of Reaction or a Metaphor of Revolution?
Venues: Helsinki (University of Helsinki) St Petersburg (European University at St Petersburg and Russian Christian Academy for Humanities) Date: September 10?15, 2013
Paper proposals due May 1, 2013 After a short-lived belief in the secularization of societies, religion has returned to the political arena with a vengeance. It is one of the most controversial but also determining political issues in today?s world. The majority of contemporary wars and terrorist attacks are religiously laden. The age of theocracies is by no means over. European secular countries are trying to tackle with the issue of religious symbols in the public sphere. Religious words such as blasphemy have reappeared in political vocabulary. While the Lutheran State-Church is reduced to insignificance, in Orthodox countries the Church and the State have entered into a mutual partnership legitimizing each other?s power claims against secular reformists. Overtly secular intellectuals in the West have turned to religious discourses in their quest for tools of cultural and political criticism in order to fight capitalism and neoliberal hegemony. Not Marx or Lenin but the Apostle Paul and Thomas M?ntzer are leading revolutionary figures today.
But is religion a reactionary force or does it involve revolutionary potentiality? Or is religion, particularly the Abrahamic religions, fundamentally twofold, originally based on a revolutionary event but developed into a power system of the Church. Or is the very power of the Church based on the fidelity to the revolutionary event in its origin? What about religious doctrines? In the Epistle to the Romans, the Apostle Paul proclaims that every person should be subject to the governing authorities (Romans 13), while in the same letter he observes that we are ?not under law but under grace? (Romans 6:14). Further, in Acts 5:29 we may read the Apostles? collective reply to the high priest who charged them not to preach in the name of Christ: ?We must obey God rather than men.? Indeed, does not religion open up a transcendent dimension of freedom within the immanence of political order? Or is it precisely this transcendent dimension of freedom ? but also that of secrecy (arcana) ? that is needed in order to legitimize clerical and political power? Presumably, there is no definitive answer to these questions, for it is quite obvious that we have to take into account historical contexts: it is probable that same religious principles that empower revolutionary militants can be used by the established Churches in order to suppress them. Or is it? This two-day conference addresses these and related questions. Papers may deal with perennial, historical or contemporary issues. Both theoretical and empirical approaches are welcome.
Schedule Tuesday September 10 Arrival at Helsinki 19:00 Get together party / dinner Wednesday September 11 Venue: Collegium for Advanced Studies (University of Helsinki) 9:15 ? 11:45 five papers 11:45 ? 13:15 lunch 13:15 ? 15:45 five papers 19:00 Departure from Helsinki (Ferry to St Petersburg) Thursday September 12 9:30: Arrival at St Petersburg 14:00 ? 17:30 five papers 19:00 Dinner Friday September 13 10:00 ? 12:30 five papers 12:30 Lunch 14:00 ? 17:30 special section for additional Russian participants (in Russian) 19:00 Dinner Saturday September 14 Sightseeing 20:00 Departure from St Petersburg (Ferry to Helsinki) Sunday September 15 8:30 Return to Helsinki
Paper Proposals Researchers interested in presenting a paper at the conference are asked to send an abstract of no more than 300 words by the 1st of May 2013 to the following email addresses: mika.ojakangas@jyu.fi power.religion2013@gmail.com NOTE: The conference will take place in Helsinki and St Petersburg. Those participants who wish to participate in the sessions in both cities are recommended to use the opportunity to purchase a visa free cruise / hotel package to St Petersburg including two nights on board (St Peter Line / Princess Maria, Helsinki ? St Petersburg ? Helsinki) and two nights? accommodation in a hotel (four stars) in St Petersburg. The price of the cruise / hotel package is about 250-300?. If you are interested in the package, please contact Mika Ojakangas (mika.ojakangas@jyu.fi) before the 1st of April. See also http://www.ferrycenter.fi/index.php?1422? Looking forward to receiving your paper proposals,
Roland Boer (University of Newcastle, Australia) Sergey Kozin (Russian Christian Academy of the Humanities) Mika Ojakangas (University of Jyv?skyl?, Finland)
Sponsors: Subjectivity, Historicity, and Communality Research Group (Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies, University of Helsinki) Academy of Finland (Faculty of Theology, University of Helsinki) European University at St Petersburg (http://www.eu.spb.ru/) Russian Christian Academy for Humanities (http://rhga.ru/) Religion and Political Thought Project (Australian Research Council)
This is the fifth conference to be held in the ?Religion and Radicalism? series. To date, we have had: Copenhagen: September 2010 Taipei: September 2011 Newcastle: October 2012 Herrnhut: March 2013 A five-volume series, under the title of Religion and Radicalism, will gather the articles from this international series of conferences.
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Side by side, leading Democratic and Republican senators pledged Monday to propel far-reaching immigration legislation through the Senate by summer providing a possible path to citizenship for an estimated 11 million people now in the U.S. illegally.
The senators acknowledged pitfalls that have doomed such efforts in the past, but they suggested that November's elections ? with Hispanics voting heavily for President Barack Obama and other Democrats ? could make this time different.
Passage of the emotionally charged legislation by the Democratic-controlled Senate is far from assured, and a taller hurdle could come later in the House, which is dominated by conservative Republicans who've shown little interest in immigration overhaul. Obama will lay out his own proposals Tuesday, most of which mirror the Senate plans.
Besides the citizenship provision, including new qualifications, the Senate measure would increase border security, allow more temporary workers to stay and crack down on employers who would hire illegal immigrants. The plans are still short on detail, and all the senators conceded that months of tedious and politically treacherous negotiations lie ahead.
But with a re-elected Obama pledging his commitment, the lawmakers argued that six years after the last sustained congressional effort at an immigration overhaul came up short in the Senate, chances for approval this year are much better.
"Other bipartisan groups of senators have stood in the same spot before, trumpeting similar proposals," said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. "But we believe this will be the year Congress finally gets it done. The politics on this issue have been turned upside down," Schumer said, arguing that polls show more support than ever for immigration changes and political risk in opposing it.
"Elections. Elections," said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. "The Republican Party is losing the support of our Hispanic citizens. And we realize that there are many issues on which we think we are in agreement with our Hispanic citizens, but this is a pre-eminent issue with those citizens."
Obama got 71 percent of the Latino vote in November compared to 27 percent for Republican Mitt Romney.
The president will endorse the Senate process during an event in Las Vegas Tuesday, administration officials said. He will outline a similar vision for overhauling the nation's immigration laws, drawing on the immigration "blueprint" he first released in 2011.
The blueprint focuses on four key areas: a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million illegal immigrants in the U.S., improved border security, an overhaul of the legal immigration system and making it easier for businesses to verify the legal status of workers.
Seeking to ramp up pressure on lawmakers, the White House has prepared formal immigration legislation that it could sent to Capitol Hill should the Senate process stall, administration officials said. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss internal strategy.
Like the president's blueprint, the Senate proposals also call for a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants already here. But lawmakers want the creation of that pathway to be contingent upon securing the border and better tracking of people in the U.S. on visas.
The Senate's five-page framework also calls for overhauling the legal immigration system, including awarding green cards to immigrants who obtain certain advanced degrees from American universities, creating an effective high-tech employment verification system to ensure that employers do not hire illegal immigrants in the future and allowing more low-skill and agricultural workers.
In a sign of the challenges ahead, the proposals immediately got a cool reaction from Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
"This effort is too important to be written in a back room and sent to the floor with a take-it-or-leave it approach," McConnell said. "It needs to be done on a bipartisan basis and include ideas from both sides of the aisle."
Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., said on the Senate floor, "No one should expect members of the Senate are just going to rubber-stamp what a group has met and decided."
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said he was concerned about the proposed path to citizenship.
"To allow those who came here illegally to be placed on such a path is both inconsistent with rule of law and profoundly unfair to the millions of legal immigrants who waited years, if not decades, to come to America legally," said Cruz.
A year after Border Patrol apprehensions of illegal border crossers plunged to the lowest levels in nearly 40 years agents have seen a slight increase in arrests, according to Border Patrol arrest data obtained by The Associated Press. In the budget year that ended in September, Border Patrol agents arrested 356,873 would-be border crossers along the Mexican border. In fiscal year 2011, agents along the Mexican border made 327,577 arrests.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., applauded the framework and said, "I will do everything in my power to get a bill across the finish line."
Pressures from outside groups from business to organized labor to immigrants themselves will be immense, even as lawmakers warily eye voters for their reaction.
Besides McCain and Schumer, the senators endorsing the new principles Monday were Democrats Dick Durbin of Illinois, Robert Menendez of New Jersey and Michael Bennet of Colorado and Republicans Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Marco Rubio of Florida and Jeff Flake of Arizona.
Several of them have worked for years on the issue. McCain collaborated with the late Democratic Sen. Edward M. Kennedy on the comprehensive immigration legislation pushed by then-President George W. Bush that failed in 2007.
The group claims a notable newcomer in Rubio, a potential 2016 presidential candidate whose conservative bona fides may help smooth the way for support among conservatives wary of anything that smacks of amnesty. Rubio has been working with the group while also detailing his own similar immigration proposals to selected media, getting a generally positive reaction from conservative media.
"There are 11 million human beings in this country today that are undocumented. That's not something that anyone is happy about; that's not something that anyone wanted to see happen, but that is what happened. And we have an obligation and the need to address the reality of the situation that we face," Rubio said Monday.
As the group turns to the work of writing legislation, which they hope to see come to a vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee in March, there may be most disagreement over the path to staying in the U.S. legally. In order to satisfy the concerns of Rubio and other Republicans, the senators are calling for the completion of steps on border security and oversight of those here on visas before taking major steps forward on the path to citizenship.
Even then, those here illegally would have to pass background checks and pay fines and taxes in order to qualify for a "probationary legal status" that would allow them to live and work here ? and not qualify for federal benefits ? before being able to apply for permanent residency, a critical step toward citizenship. Once they are allowed to apply they would do so behind everyone else already in line for a green card within the current immigration system.
That could be a highly cumbersome process, but how to make it more workable is being left to future negotiations. The senators envision a more streamlined process toward citizenship for immigrants brought here as children, and for agricultural workers.
Outside groups including Latino advocacy organizations, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and organized labor were quick to praise the emerging framework. But some also sounded notes of caution.
Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, questioned a proposal by the Senate group to require illegal immigrants to provide proof of employment before they can gain legal status. Trumka said it could exclude millions of workers "who cannot prove employment because they have been forced to work off the clock or have no employer by virtue of being independent contractors."
Deepak Bhargava, executive director of the Center for Community Change, questioned the process being set out for the path to citizenship. "If the details are not done correctly, the path to citizenship can take far longer than it is reasonable. There is real concern about those details," he said.
___
Associated Press writers Julie Pace and Luis Alonso Lugo contributed to this report.
Why some immigrants get citizenshipPublic release date: 30-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Sarah McDonnell s_mcd@mit.edu 617-253-8923 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Study: Country of origin a 'massive disadvantage' for some immigrants, regardless of qualifications
CAMBRIDGE, MA -- For immigrants, the path to citizenship in many countries is filled with hurdles: finding a job, learning the language, passing exams. But for some people, the biggest obstacle of all may be one they cannot help: their country of origin.
That's one conclusion of a methodologically innovative study of European immigrants suggesting that, other qualifications being equal, migrants from certain countries may be roughly 40 percent less likely than others to gain citizenship.
Even if an immigrant has obtained a good education and job, and solid language skills, simply being from the wrong country can be a "massive disadvantage," says Jens Hainmueller, an associate professor of political science at MIT and a co-author of the study, along with Dominik Hangartner of the London School of Economics and Political Science.
"By far the most decisive factor in the applicants of immigrants is their country of origin," Hainmueller says.
However, there is good news for immigrants: The study also suggests that such biases against people from particular nations tend to shift over time, and often occur due to temporary social circumstances, such as the number of immigrants arriving from one country at a particular moment.
"The results suggest that interactions with immigrant groups can really remove prejudice over time," Hainmueller says.
Citizens speaking at the ballot box
The study's findings are based on voting from 1970 to 2003 in Switzerland, where many municipalities used direct referendums in which local citizens voted on citizenship applications an unusual approach among European countries. In particular, immigrants from Turkey and the former Yugoslavia fared worse in the voting than applicants from other countries. The results are in a paper "Who Gets a Swiss Passport? A Natural Experiment in Immigrant Discrimination" published in the latest issue of the American Political Science Review.
The use of voting data allowed Hainmueller and Hangartner to circumvent problems that may occur when studying attitudes toward immigration in other ways. While public opinion surveys about immigration may be useful, not all respondents reveal their true views to pollsters, especially if they think those opinions might seem controversial. But the Swiss data reflect "people who are just voting their true preferences, what they really think about this," Hainmueller says. "And the outcome really mattered to people."
Moreover, the detailed descriptions of the immigrants on their applications allowed Hainmueller and Hangartner to construct close matches between applicants, finding cases in which, for instance, characteristics such as the level of education or type of job were equal, but the country of origin differed.
All told, the researchers studied 2,429 naturalization cases in 44 municipalities. The overall rejection rate for applicants was 37 percent but for Turkish and Yugoslavian immigrants, that increased to more than 50 percent, an increase of about 40 percent compared to the overall rate. By contrast, for immigrants applying for citizenship from central or eastern Europe, Asia, or other non-European countries, the rejection rate never topped 45 percent, while immigrants from southern Europe fared better than the average applicant.
To an extent, the researchers believe, this bias reflects the presence of a straightforward anti-immigrant sentiment among many voters; in municipalities where Switzerland's leading anti-immigration party was popular, voters were three times as likely to reject Turkish or Yugoslav naturalization applications, compared to the municipalities where the anti-immigration party was least popular. "It has much to do with stereotypes and prejudice," Hainmueller says.
However, Hainmueller says, the voting results do not reflect an immutable Swiss bias against Turks or Yugoslavs. The source of the prejudice, the researchers believe, is partly due to the volume of immigration from the countries in question. The dynamic, Hainmueller says, represents a kind of "threat mechanism" in which some Swiss citizens become concerned that having too many immigrants from one particular country at one time will disrupt the social order.
"As the immigrant groups got larger, particularly in the 1990s when there was a lot of immigration from Turkey and Yugoslavia, the country of origin-based discrimination increased dramatically," Hainmueller says. "Turks were doing all right [in naturalization votes] in the 1970s and 1980s when there were not as many around." In the 1960s and 1970s, a larger proportion of immigrants to Switzerland were Italian, and in turn, Italians fared worse in naturalization votes in the 1970s.
But over time, Hainmueller suggests, immigrants from any given country become more accepted in their new land, because "people get used to them, and recognize their contribution to society."
Power to the people?
While the study focused on Switzerland, Hainmueller suggests that the results, with proper caution, may apply to other countries as well.
As Hainmueller notes, the precise constellation of political forces and social conditions that affects sentiment about immigrants varies in every country. However, he adds, survey evidence whatever its limitations does show similar levels of anti-immigrant sentiment across many European countries.
"It's a big topic that, in particular, right-wing parties are using to drum up support now," Hainmueller says. "We see this in France, Denmark, Austria and other countries. If in these countries, people were given the opportunity to vote on these applications, it does strike me as plausible that the results could look similar."
Hainmueller thinks the immigration issue also bears on the question of when direct democracy should be used, as opposed to indirect democratic mechanisms.
"I think the results suggest that the [impact] of direct democracy can be very substantial for these immigrants," Hainmueller says. "On the one hand, this seems like a very legitimate way of deciding policies: Let the people vote. On the other hand, there is a serious cost for minorities if the majority decides based on preferences which might be discriminatory."
To pursue the issue further, Hainmueller and Hangartner have conducted a follow-up study of immigration applications in Switzerland after 2003, when power to approve naturalization petitions was handed back to local legislators; their initial findings suggest that elected representatives are significantly more likely to approve citizenship applications.
###
Written by Peter Dizikes, MIT News Office
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Why some immigrants get citizenshipPublic release date: 30-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Sarah McDonnell s_mcd@mit.edu 617-253-8923 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Study: Country of origin a 'massive disadvantage' for some immigrants, regardless of qualifications
CAMBRIDGE, MA -- For immigrants, the path to citizenship in many countries is filled with hurdles: finding a job, learning the language, passing exams. But for some people, the biggest obstacle of all may be one they cannot help: their country of origin.
That's one conclusion of a methodologically innovative study of European immigrants suggesting that, other qualifications being equal, migrants from certain countries may be roughly 40 percent less likely than others to gain citizenship.
Even if an immigrant has obtained a good education and job, and solid language skills, simply being from the wrong country can be a "massive disadvantage," says Jens Hainmueller, an associate professor of political science at MIT and a co-author of the study, along with Dominik Hangartner of the London School of Economics and Political Science.
"By far the most decisive factor in the applicants of immigrants is their country of origin," Hainmueller says.
However, there is good news for immigrants: The study also suggests that such biases against people from particular nations tend to shift over time, and often occur due to temporary social circumstances, such as the number of immigrants arriving from one country at a particular moment.
"The results suggest that interactions with immigrant groups can really remove prejudice over time," Hainmueller says.
Citizens speaking at the ballot box
The study's findings are based on voting from 1970 to 2003 in Switzerland, where many municipalities used direct referendums in which local citizens voted on citizenship applications an unusual approach among European countries. In particular, immigrants from Turkey and the former Yugoslavia fared worse in the voting than applicants from other countries. The results are in a paper "Who Gets a Swiss Passport? A Natural Experiment in Immigrant Discrimination" published in the latest issue of the American Political Science Review.
The use of voting data allowed Hainmueller and Hangartner to circumvent problems that may occur when studying attitudes toward immigration in other ways. While public opinion surveys about immigration may be useful, not all respondents reveal their true views to pollsters, especially if they think those opinions might seem controversial. But the Swiss data reflect "people who are just voting their true preferences, what they really think about this," Hainmueller says. "And the outcome really mattered to people."
Moreover, the detailed descriptions of the immigrants on their applications allowed Hainmueller and Hangartner to construct close matches between applicants, finding cases in which, for instance, characteristics such as the level of education or type of job were equal, but the country of origin differed.
All told, the researchers studied 2,429 naturalization cases in 44 municipalities. The overall rejection rate for applicants was 37 percent but for Turkish and Yugoslavian immigrants, that increased to more than 50 percent, an increase of about 40 percent compared to the overall rate. By contrast, for immigrants applying for citizenship from central or eastern Europe, Asia, or other non-European countries, the rejection rate never topped 45 percent, while immigrants from southern Europe fared better than the average applicant.
To an extent, the researchers believe, this bias reflects the presence of a straightforward anti-immigrant sentiment among many voters; in municipalities where Switzerland's leading anti-immigration party was popular, voters were three times as likely to reject Turkish or Yugoslav naturalization applications, compared to the municipalities where the anti-immigration party was least popular. "It has much to do with stereotypes and prejudice," Hainmueller says.
However, Hainmueller says, the voting results do not reflect an immutable Swiss bias against Turks or Yugoslavs. The source of the prejudice, the researchers believe, is partly due to the volume of immigration from the countries in question. The dynamic, Hainmueller says, represents a kind of "threat mechanism" in which some Swiss citizens become concerned that having too many immigrants from one particular country at one time will disrupt the social order.
"As the immigrant groups got larger, particularly in the 1990s when there was a lot of immigration from Turkey and Yugoslavia, the country of origin-based discrimination increased dramatically," Hainmueller says. "Turks were doing all right [in naturalization votes] in the 1970s and 1980s when there were not as many around." In the 1960s and 1970s, a larger proportion of immigrants to Switzerland were Italian, and in turn, Italians fared worse in naturalization votes in the 1970s.
But over time, Hainmueller suggests, immigrants from any given country become more accepted in their new land, because "people get used to them, and recognize their contribution to society."
Power to the people?
While the study focused on Switzerland, Hainmueller suggests that the results, with proper caution, may apply to other countries as well.
As Hainmueller notes, the precise constellation of political forces and social conditions that affects sentiment about immigrants varies in every country. However, he adds, survey evidence whatever its limitations does show similar levels of anti-immigrant sentiment across many European countries.
"It's a big topic that, in particular, right-wing parties are using to drum up support now," Hainmueller says. "We see this in France, Denmark, Austria and other countries. If in these countries, people were given the opportunity to vote on these applications, it does strike me as plausible that the results could look similar."
Hainmueller thinks the immigration issue also bears on the question of when direct democracy should be used, as opposed to indirect democratic mechanisms.
"I think the results suggest that the [impact] of direct democracy can be very substantial for these immigrants," Hainmueller says. "On the one hand, this seems like a very legitimate way of deciding policies: Let the people vote. On the other hand, there is a serious cost for minorities if the majority decides based on preferences which might be discriminatory."
To pursue the issue further, Hainmueller and Hangartner have conducted a follow-up study of immigration applications in Switzerland after 2003, when power to approve naturalization petitions was handed back to local legislators; their initial findings suggest that elected representatives are significantly more likely to approve citizenship applications.
###
Written by Peter Dizikes, MIT News Office
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Jan. 28, 2013 ? Red coloration -- historically seen as costly in vertebrates -- might represent some physiological benefit after all, according to research published in the journal Physiological and Biochemical Zoology.
Pheomelanin, which is responsible for red hair and freckles in humans and orange and chestnut coloration in other animals, is known to increase the damage to skin cells and melanoma risk when present in large amounts. Furthermore, its creation involves the consumption of glutathione, a beneficial antioxidant.
In an attempt to unearth the factors favoring the evolution of pheomelanin in spite of its costs, Ismael Galv?n and Anders P. M?ller of the University of Paris-Sud examined the survival from one breeding season to the next of a wild European population of barn swallows, as well as the annual survival rates of 58 species of American birds.
A recent hypothesis claims that the consumption of cysteine (a component of glutathione) that occurs when pheomelanin is produced can be beneficial under conditions of low stress. Cysteine, which is mainly acquired through diet, can be toxic at high levels, so the production of pheomelanin may help to sequester excess quantities of this amino acid.
Galv?n and M?ller measured birds' blood levels of uric acid and analyzed the coloration of their chestnut throat feathers (an indication of pheomelanin content). When they compared birds that had similar uric acid levels (and therefore similar capacities to excrete excess amino acids), they found that both the European barn swallows and the American birds with larger amounts of pheomelanin in their feathers survived better.
This study is the first to propose that the costs/benefits of pheomelanin may depend on prevailing environmental conditions, and its results suggest that the production of this pigment may even be beneficial in some circumstances. Given that all higher vertebrates, including humans, present pheomelanin in skin, pelage, and plumage, Galv?n and M?ller's findings increase the scant current knowledge on the physiological consequences of pheomelanin and open new avenues for research that will help us understand the evolution of pigmentation.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Chicago Press Journals.
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Journal Reference:
Ismael Galv?n, Anders P. M?ller. Pheomelanin-Based Plumage Coloration Predicts Survival Rates in Birds. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology, 2013; : 000 DOI: 10.1086/668871
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A fast thinking 9-year-old Illinois girl was able to help guide her mother to safety after the woman suffered a diabetic attack while driving at speeds of up to 70 mph.
Jennifer Sheridan, 42, was driving her daughter Aleksandra to McDonald's in Frankfort, Ill., after the two had attended a high school basketball game on the evening of Jan. 18. Sheridan, who has type 2 diabetes, had a diabetic attack when her blood sugar suddenly dropped. She told ABCNews.com that she was not aware of what was happening.
"I was still conscious, and talking, my daughter said. I don't remember any of that," Sheridan said. "We went through, she says, a red light, and then I know I kept saying, 'We have to stop.' That was in my mind, but it wasn't clicking."
Sheridan said that they passed her house and the McDonald's. Aleksandra was screaming and crying during the wayward drive, which she says must have lasted 15 to 20 minutes, but kept talking to her mother.
"She says she kept telling me different things, that I was going too fast, or too slow," Sheridan said.
While the car was still moving, Sheridan's husband called. She said that Aleksandra was on phone screaming that they were going off the road.
Her car eventually veered to the right, through a small ditch and a group of trees. At that point Aleksandra turned the car off, preventing the still moving car from hitting a tree.
Luckily, both mother and daughter were unharmed. Once the car was off, Aleksandra slowly fed her mother a chocolate bar that was in the car's cup holder.
"Once we were stopped and she could focus, she fed me," Sheridan said. "She said, 'I kept just giving little pieces so you wouldn't choke.'"
Police and the fire department were called to the scene by a passerby who saw the incident. The story also caught local media attention from WBBM-TV and Fox News.
Sheridan says the next thing she actually remembers was being in the ambulance. Police who arrived on the scene congratulated Aleksandra, and even gave her a yellow duck toy, which they call the "Golden Duck Award for Heroes."
This is not the first time Aleksandra has come to her mom's aid when she had a diabetic attack. Two years ago, while they were in their home, the girl called 911 when she found her mother on the kitchen floor.
Sheridan said that she is now using an insulin pump, which is designed to eliminate lows in blood sugar in diabetics. She said that she will soon be on the list for a new pancreas. With a daughter and a 16-year-old son with cerebral palsy, she says she needs to be in top form. For now, she's happy that both she and Aleksandra are unscathed.
"Every day, I wake up and think, 'Yes!'" she said.
Russia is gradually losing hope that Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad can cling to power, and sees his chances fading with each passing day, former President and current Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev says.
In a wide-ranging weekend interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria, the West got its first good look at Mr. Medvedev ? once regarded as the best hope for beleagued Russian liberals ? since he vacated the presidency almost a year ago.
Most of his remarks stuck closely to Kremlin talking points. But his views on Syria are bound to be parsed by Russia-watchers for signs of change in Russia's longstanding pro-Assad stance.
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Here, Medvedev offered just a glimpse of deepening pessimism in the Kremlin and a sense that opportunities to broker a peace in Syria's civil war ? if there ever were any ? lie broken in the past.
"President Assad made a mistake in carrying out political reforms," early in the now nearly 2-year-old uprising against him, which the UN estimates has killed more than 60,000 people, Medvedev said, according to a transcript released by Russian state media of portions of the interview not aired by CNN.
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"He had to do everything much more quickly, attracting to his side part of the moderate opposition, which was ready to sit with him at the same table. This is a considerable mistake, maybe a fatal one.... I think that with every day, with every week, with every month, the chances of him surviving are becoming less and less. But ... it should be decided by the Syrian people," he said.
He added that the only path to peace involves negotiations between all the warring parties. Russia's main difference with the West, even as it has sometimes hinted at mounting disappointment with Mr. Assad, has been its insistence that the Assad regime must be a party to any talks.
"If you exclude someone, then the civil war will continue, and the war is already under way. And in it, in my view, both sides are responsible ? the Syrian authorities and the opposition ? which, by the way is largely represented by Islamic radicals," Medvedev said.
Many Russian experts argue that Medvedev was a failed president who rarely delivered on his promises and then stepped down in favor of Vladimir Putin without a fight. They argue that he is no longer relevant.
"Why would anyone listen to him, really?" says Andrei Piontkovsky, an analyst with the official Institute of Systems Analysis and a frequent Kremlin critic.
"For the rest of his life Medvedev will be doing his best to prove that he was not publicly humiliated when he gave up his post for Putin. He's just an unhappy person, who should be ignored," he says.
But others point out that Medvedev is still very important because he's Russia's only living ex-president, and as prime minister he is the constitutional next-in-line should anything happen to Putin.
The interview was conducted at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where Medvedev was leading a Russian delegation whose main task appeared to be stemming the damage done to Russia's international image by last year's perceived crackdown on anti-Kremlin protesters, and a series of anti-foreigner measures which include compelling NGOs with outside funding to self-declare as "foreign agents," and a new definition of "treason" that could hit almost any Russian who works with a foreign organization.
But Medvedev offered little insight into Moscow's official thinking as relations between Russia and the West plunge to their lowest temperature since the end of the cold war. He offered a tepid defense of the Kremlin's recent ban on US citizens adopting Russian orphans, and insisted that he was just being a good team player when he agreed to vacate the presidency last September in favor of Vladimir Putin.
And he failed to offer any fresh thinking on the growing controversy over the fate of whistle-blowing lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who allegedly uncovered a vast scam to embezzle $230 million in taxes paid by his employer, Hermitage Capital, was arrested by the very officials he had accused, and subsequently died in prison, his body covered with signs of violence.
The implications of the Magnitsky case, exhaustively researched by investigators working for Hermitage Capital, have rocked the foundations of East-West trust with the clear suggestion that the Russian government harbors and abets organized criminals within its ranks.
Last month President Barack Obama signed the Magnitsky Act, a US law that names dozens of Russian officials allegedly involved in Mr. Magnitsky's fate, and mandates visa and economic sanctions against them.
Medvedev ? following Putin's example ? chose to treat the Magnitsky issue solely as a case of a poor fellow who died under unclear circumstances in a Russian jail. Yet when he was president, Medvedev was handed a report by his own Kremlin human rights commission that laid out the full story in stark detail.
"I'll tell you. I'm sincerely sorry for Sergei Magnitsky as I would be so for any person who passed away behind bars," he told Mr. Zakaria.
"And Russian law enforcement needs to investigate fully what happened in that prison, why he died and who is to be held responsible. [But] speaking of the activities of the late Mr. Magnitsky, my assessment is quite different. It is not impossible that they came across corruption, because corruption is abundant. But he was never a corruption fighter," Medvedev said.
If one of your New Year's resolutions is to buy a home this summer, early in the year is the perfect time to get started.
Shopping for a home, a neighborhood and the financing to make it all possible can take time.
Sometimes you hit a glitch, such as an error on a credit report, or an agent who doesn't seem to understand that $300,000 doesn't mean $450,000.
Sometimes you just get tired of driving through neighborhoods you sort of like, only to find out you can't afford even the least expensive houses. Or you're convinced that if you see one more kitchen remodel with black granite countertops and untouched professional-grade appliances, you'll lose it.
Instead, space it out. Give yourself six months between now and the day you're ready to make an offer, and take a few steps each month. Then you'll have a six-month homebuyer countdown.
6 months out: Start a financial file
If you haven't bought a house in the last few years, you're in for a rude surprise. To get financing, buyers have to provide a lot more paperwork these days, says Ron Phipps, principal with Warwick, R.I.-based Phipps Realty and past president of the National Association of Realtors.
Start a pre-qualification file, he recommends. Whether you'll use your computer scanner or a plain manila folder, include your 1099s, pay stubs (at least your last three), copies of your last three tax returns, and a list of your liabilities and assets.
While some experts advise waiting until you're about three months out, the six-month mark can be a good time to get yourself vetted for financing, too. If you qualify, it gives you an idea of how large a loan you can get (as opposed to how much you can comfortably afford). And if any problems pop up, you should have time to fix them.
Whether you want to be pre-qualified (less stringent) or preapproved (more rigorous), at this point is up to you. "The transition from pre-qualified to preapproved is fairly quick," Phipps says.
6 months out: Research mortgage options
Especially if you're a first-time buyer, this is a good time to get advice, says Katie Severance, co-author of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Selling Your Home." "First-time buyers don't know what goes into a mortgage payment, and that can be very valuable."
This can be a good time to look at what a point either way will mean in terms of your loan. And you can also calculate the difference between options such as a 15- or 30-year mortgage, she says.
Look at what a house will cost you each month -- not only what goes into the note (besides the principal and interest), but the costs of ongoing homeownership, she says.
Examine how much you can comfortably afford each month, and what price range that will equal, Severance advises. "Very often, what the lender says you can afford is different than what you thought you could afford."
One more factor: If you're selling a house, find out if the lender will require you to close on that transaction before you buy, she says. And what are your options if the timing doesn't work the way you planned?
6 months out: Check your credit, look at fees
"Take stock of the financial resources you'll need to close a transaction," says Eric Tyson, author of "Home Buying for Dummies."
How much will you need for a down payment? Closing costs? Fees and other expenses? "And if you talk with mortgage people, they can certainly help you with those numbers," he says.
At this stage, you still have six months to put away additional savings, if you need it.
How much of a down payment will you likely need? What are closing costs in your area? If you know what you'll need, you have at least six months to make sure you have enough.
Pull your credit reports. (You can get them free at AnnualCreditReport.com.)
And, unless you have little or no credit, don't open any new accounts until after you close on your new home. When you apply for new credit, it can shave a few points from your credit score for the next year.
Few or no accounts on your credit report? Talk to a few different lenders about your options. Also, the National Foundation for Credit Counseling has certified housing counselors who can offer advice.
6 months out: Let the search begin
Scout communities. "I would encourage people to cast a fairly broad net in the beginning," Tyson says. "Go out and actually see what's on the market and consider different areas."
Attend a few open houses. You're in "the tire-kicking stage," says Phipps. "Talk to people at open houses, and ask what's going on in the market. Inquire about housing trends (like energy efficiency or green building) in the area, mass transit, schools or anything you find particularly important," he advises.
Begin compiling information on agents. At this point, you can keep it casual. "I would start looking at the Web to see what's out there," Phipps says.
You can also take it a step further if you're ready. "I personally would interview a couple of them to see that I'm getting what I need."
5 months out: Draft your 'wish list'
By now you've seen a few homes, both in person and online. So what appeals and what doesn't?
Phipps eschews calling it a "wish list." Today's buyers, he says, are becoming "more strategic" and more deliberate.
So put pen to paper and actually write down what's vital to you.
Quality of life is especially important to buyers these days, he says. That can be anything from commuting times to the true caliber of the local schools. (No, they're not all "excellent.")
If you're like most buyers, you'll revisit and revise the list a few times before you buy.
4 months out: Narrow your search
By now, you may be focusing on specific neighborhoods or areas. At this point, you can study comparables to get an idea of prices and features, Phipps says. If you find something you really like, "don't hesitate to make an offer," Phipps says.
On the other hand, if you find out that your search has stalled or you're not seeing anything you like, it might be time to revise your search, he says. One big question: Are you being realistic? You may need to consider different areas or revise your list of criteria.
And deep-six any deadlines or duress, Phipps says. "You shouldn't feel pressured."
3 months out: The homestretch
Get that financing finalized. If you haven't gotten your financing in place, now's the time. You have a few months to correct any mistakes. Plus, walking through the door with your own financing at the ready makes you a lot more attractive to sellers.
Hire an agent. "Get someone on your team who's working exclusively for you," says Severance.
Get your agent to put you on "automated email," she says. That way, when something that meets your needs hits the multiple listing service, it will be instantly forwarded to you.
Review that criteria list. Square footage, condition and location are critical at this stage, Severance says. Rank them, realizing that when you sacrifice one, you often get more of another.
1 month out: Pick a winner, recheck finances
At this point, you have identified a couple of good prospects, Phipps says. You should have a good idea of what's common in those areas, as far as prices and amenities.
It's also a good time to double-check your financial records. One recent new twist with regard to financing: Lenders want to see where almost every penny you're using comes from. So if you get a gift or a loan from Mom or Dad, you'll need a letter (and likely a few copies of their bank statements), to support it, says Phipps.
Any four-figure cash deposits to your account? Be prepared to explain them with paperwork, he says.
Now is the time to factor the cost of insurance. "Some properties have a CLUE (Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange) score," Phipps says. It's basically a house's record when it comes to insurance claims. While not all homes have them, if your prospective home does, you want to see it, he says.
Last but not least: The offer
These days, offers are typically more than just a dollar figure.
Offers should be written, Severance says, and should include not only the price you're offering, but the terms (for instance, the fact that you're already qualified for financing or how quickly you can close).
Some buyers like to include a personal note to the seller, she says. To some sellers, it doesn't matter, Severance says, while to others, that personal touch can make the difference.
OCALA, Fla., Jan. 27, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- An Ocala pet wellness veterinarian wishes to spread the word about his hospital's partnership with an after-hours emergency facility. Town & Country Animal Hospital refers emergency cases that occur outside of its normal operating hours to PETS (Pet Emergency Treatment Services). "We are proud to be associated with this advanced after-hours emergency care center," says Kelly Culbertson, DVM. "We want our patients to receive a high standard of emergency veterinary care as quickly as they can possibly get it. Our referral relationship with PETS helps to ensure that this will happen."
PETS is an organization of local veterinarians in cooperation with the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. The centrally-located clinic offers emergency care from 5pm to 8am on weekdays, and around the clock on weekends, to meet the needs of pets that require immediate attention when most veterinary centers are closed.
"Unfortunately, an emergency doesn't always happen during business hours," observes Dr. Culbertson. "A crisis situation such as choking, toxin ingestion or a traumatic accident can occur any time of day or night. PETS is our answer to this need for after-hours emergency care."
Other typical pet emergency scenarios include vomiting, diarrhea, respiratory or heart problems, neurological crises, bloat, abdominal pain, and complications from a chronic illness. Town & Country Animal Hospital will automatically forward after-hours emergency calls to the PETS clinic. A full staff of assistants and technicians stand by to help the emergency vets deal with incoming cases.
While Town & Country Animal Hospital provides comprehensive emergency and critical care services, including blood transfusions, it closes at 6pm on weekdays and at 12pm on Saturdays (remaining closed on Sundays). Town & Country Animal Hospital is one of 19 area veterinary hospitals involved with the organizations since its founding in 2012. Dr. Culbertson himself helped bring the organization to fruition, and he continues to sit on its board.
His central message, however, is that pet owners realize that they have a place to turn for round-the-clock emergency care. "If your pet suffers an emergency at 2 in the morning or on a Sunday, don't panic," Dr. Culbertson says. "Contact PETS to get the immediate treatment your pet might need."
Town & Country Animal Hospital provides emergency and critical care, dental care, boarding, grooming, surgery, general wellness care and other services for pets in Ocala, Silver Springs, Marion County, Williston and Morriston.
A grown-up "Hansel & Gretel" grabbed the weekend box office title, pulling in $19 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales with its reinvention of the classic fairy tale characters as fierce bounty hunters.
"Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters" knocked last weekend's winner, low-budget horror flick "Mama," into second place. "Mama" earned $12.8 million from Friday through Sunday, according to studio estimates, followed by "Silver Linings Playbook" with $10 million.
CIA drama "Zero Dark Thirty" came in fourth with $9.8 million.
Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton star in "Hansel & Gretel" as crossbow-wielding adult siblings who travel the world to take out evil witches. MGM and Viacom Inc's Paramount Pictures produced the action comedy for about $50 million. Paramount had predicted opening weekend sales in the high-teens or low $20 million range.
Don Harris, Paramount's president of distribution, said the film performed well despite the very cold temperatures and snow that hit the eastern United States.
"We are pleased that we were on our number on a worldwide basis. It looks like we are on or exceeding our numbers, but we did get dinged with the weather on Friday," he said in an interview.
"The impact of the weather was certainly more than I had predicted."
"Mama" features Jessica Chastain as a woman forced to take care of two orphaned nieces who have been living in the woods. The $15 million production has now earned $48.6 million at U.S. and Canadian theaters through two weekends.
Chastain also stars in "Zero Dark Thirty" in an Oscar-nominated role as a dogged CIA agent searching for al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. The best picture nominee, which has sparked debate over depictions of torture, has grossed $69.9 million since its release in late December.
"Silver Linings Playbook," another Oscar contender, stars Bradley Cooper as a former mental patient trying to rebuild his life with the help of a young widow played by Jennifer Lawrence. Total sales for "Silver Linings" reached $69.46 million.
New crime thriller "Parker" finished in fifth place, taking in $7 million at domestic theaters. The film is based on a series of novels by Donald E. Westlake and stars Jason Statham as a thief seeking revenge against a crew that double-crossed him. Jennifer Lopez plays a woman who helps with his mission.
"Movie 43," a raunchy new comedy with an ensemble of Hollywood directors and stars, settled for seventh place. The film is a series of related short films about three kids scouring the Internet to find the world's most-banned movie. Stars making appearances include Huge Jackman, Seth MacFarlane, Kate Winslet and Dennis Quaid. Privately held Relativity Media produced the film for about $6 million.
"Mama" was distributed by Universal Studios, a division of Comcast Corp. Sony Corp's movie studio released "Zero Dark Thirty." "Parker" was released by independent studio FilmDistrict. The Weinstein Co distributed "Silver Linings Playbook."
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The Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM ($599.99 direct) is a telephoto lens for Canon cameras that can focus close enough to capture objects with true 1:1 magnfiication. It is adequately sharp, even at its maximum aperture, but does suffer from some optical issues in certain high-contrast situations. There are other macro lenses of similar focal lengths available for Canon cameras, including the company's own EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM?part of its top-end L series of lenses?as well as the manual focus Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T* 2/100?but both will put a bigger dent in your wallet than this relatively inexpensive lens.
The lens is rather compact when you consider its focal length, aperture, and close focus capability. It measures 4.7 by 3.1 inches (HD) and weighs about 1.3 pounds. Standard 58mm filters are supported, and the front element doesn't rotate so using a polarizing filter is possible if desired. There is a focus limiter switch on the lens, so you can set it to seek focus over its entire range, or to restrict it to close focus only. A lens hood, which will reduce the chance of flares and improve image contrast, is not included.
I used Imatest to check the sharpness of the lens when paired with the full-frame Canon EOS 6D. It just crossed the 1,800 lines per picture height barrier at f/2.8, which is what we require to define an image as sharp using a center-weighted algorithm. Stopping down to f/4 improves the score to 2,152 lines, and the lens performs at its best at f/8, where it nears 2,500 lines. Distortion is not an issue, but the lens is prone to color fringing when shooting high-contrast scenes?this can be corrected in Lightroom, but requires a little bit of work with sliders to remove the unwanted purple and green aberrations. The Zeiss Makro-Planar opens up to f/2?capturing twice the light as this lens?and is sharper at both f/2 and f/2.8. It isn't prone to color fringing, but only offers 1:2 magnification and doesn't support autofocus.
The Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM is the lesser-loved of Canon's pair of 100mm macro lenses. Its more expensive sibling, the EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, adds image stabilization and uses a more complicated optical design?but it costs $1,049. There's also the manual focus Zeiss Marko-Planar?it has a faster aperture and is impressively sharp, but costs $1,843 and only supports 1:2 magnification. The EF 100mm f/2.8 isn't the best macro lens that you can buy, but it's adequately sharp and delivers true 1:1 magnification.
More Digital Camera Reviews: ??? Canon EF 20mm f/2.8 USM ??? Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM ??? Canon TS-E 90mm f/2.8 ??? Canon EF 180mm Macro f/3.5L USM ??? Canon EF 28mm f/1.8 USM ?? more
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Microsoft is pinching CIOs by not providing an easy way to run the just released Microsoft Office 2013 on anything except Windows RT. With little cross-platform integration, Microsoft is creating an opening for vendors that have a more clear path for accessing documents on a mobile device.![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 30-Jan-2013
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