WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A White House-backed bill to overhaul the U.S. immigration system got a boost on Tuesday when the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office concluded that the measure would cut federal budget deficits and boost the U.S. economy.
The CBO analysis came as the Senate fended off amendments by the bill's opponents that would have delayed for an unspecified amount of time provisions to legalize up to 11 million undocumented immigrants and allow them to gain citizenship within 13 years.
But House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner raised new doubts about the bill's prospect in his chamber, where many Republicans oppose the "pathway to citizenship" for illegal immigrants that President Barack Obama and his fellow Democrats have made a central feature of the sweeping measure.
The bill could pass the Democratic-led Senate by the end of this month.
According to the CBO, which assesses the cost and economic impact of legislation pending in Congress, the Senate bill would "boost economic output" and significantly reduce federal budget deficits over the next 20 years.
The White House embraced the CBO analysis, which was a rare bit of upbeat news after recent scandals over Internal Revenue Service handling of conservative groups' requests for tax-exempt status and disclosures of widespread government surveillance of telephone and Internet records.
"The Congressional Budget Office ... made clear that passage of the immigration bill would not only reduce the deficit, it would increase economic growth for years to come," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said in a statement.
One outspoken critic of the Senate immigration bill, Republican Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, attacked the CBO findings, however, saying they failed to take into account longer-term costs related to the 11 million becoming legal residents and eventually qualifying for "Medicaid, food stamps and cash welfare."
BOEHNER SURPRISE
Boehner made a surprise announcement on Tuesday when he told reporters he would only allow consideration of immigration bills backed by most of the 234 Republicans in the 435-member chamber.
"I don't see any way of bringing an immigration bill to the floor that doesn't have a majority support of Republicans," Boehner said after a closed-door meeting with his caucus.
Previously, Boehner had only said he would await Senate passage of a bill before deciding what course the House would take on an issue at the top of Obama's legislative agenda this year.
Many Democrats had hoped Boehner would advance a bill like the Senate's - one containing the pathway to citizenship - and that it could pass the House with the combined backing of most of the 201 House Democrats and some Republicans.
But the House Judiciary Committee worked on Tuesday not on pathways to citizenship for illegal immigrants but on a Republican proposal to clamp down on them.
It would do so by allowing state and local law enforcement officers to get involved in immigration enforcement, an activity now conducted by federal agents. It would also let states and localities enact and enforce their own immigration laws, as long as they were consistent with federal laws.
"We can't just be fixated on securing the (Southwestern) border," Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte said. He added that the Republican-backed bill would strengthen federal enforcement of immigration laws while ensuring "that where the federal government fails to act, states can pick up the slack."
Representative John Conyers, the senior Democrat on the committee, called the bill "extreme and heinous." He likened it to an Arizona state law he said had resulted in "widespread racial profiling and unconstitutional arrests."
Some Democrats said they were hopeful Boehner would back off his new requirement that any immigration bill be supported by a majority of House Republicans, just as he did in the past year on such issues as tax hikes on the wealthy, the U.S. debt limit, disaster relief and renewal of a landmark bill to curb domestic violence against women.
"Boehner is trying to maximize his leverage so he can get a bill that is as conservative as possible," one Democratic aide said.
SPLIT ON BORDER SECURITY
In the Senate, a split over how to strengthen border security has slowed action on the measure sponsored by a bipartisan "Gang of Eight."
Many Senate Republicans do not believe the bill's provisions to tighten security along the border with Mexico go far enough.
Senator John Hoeven of North Dakota said he and some fellow Republicans were making progress on a compromise amendment that could be unveiled as early as Wednesday to deal with border security.
Boehner echoed complaints by many Republicans about the Senate bill, saying he believed the measure "is weak on border security."
Once the Senate passes its bipartisan bill, there may be pressure on Boehner to bring it or a similar measure up for a vote in his chamber, even if most House Republicans oppose it.
"The political winds will be much different after the Senate passes its bill," the Democratic aide said, especially if there is an overwhelming bipartisan tally.
The Republican Party urged its members to embrace comprehensive immigration reform after last year's election, which saw 71 percent of Hispanics, members of the fast-growing voting bloc, support Obama's re-election.
(Additional reporting by David Lawder and Rachelle Younglai; Editing by Peter Cooney)
The Reimann Hypothesis, which deals with the distribution of prime numbers, was first put forth by mathematician Bernhard Reimann in 1859. It has yet to be fully proven and remains one of the most important unproven theories in mathematics. It's so important that the Cray Mathematics Institute is even offering a $1 million purse to whoever solves it.
The Zeta Primes, an Austrian indie rock duo comprised of Charles Harm and Bene Unterberger, take a crack at unraveling this 154 year old numerical riddle in their awesome musical short, Doors, and discover more than than they could ever have imagined.
ENNISKILLEN, Northern Ireland (AP) ? The leaders of major industrial nations including the U.S. and Russia say they are united in wanting a negotiated and peaceful end to the Syrian civil war that will produce a government "under a top leadership that inspires public confidence."
The declaration at the end of the two-day Group of Eight summit Tuesday seeks to narrow the ground between Russia and Western leaders on starting peace talks in Geneva that could end with the ouster of Bashar Assad from power.
Russia refused to back a declaration that made such a goal explicit.
Tuesday's G-8 declaration says participants in any peace talks must agree to expel al-Qaida-linked fighters from Syria. It also commits a further $1.5 billion in aid for Syrian refugees. It condemns human rights abuses committed by government forces and rebels alike.
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Back-to-back explosions at chemical plants only miles apart along the Mississippi River have given pause to those who live in the shadows of America?s dirtiest industries.
On Thursday, an explosion at a chemical plant in Geismar, La., owned by Williams Cos. Inc. led to two deaths and injuries ? some serious ? to dozens of others. Then late Friday, another explosion at a chemical plant just a few miles away in Donaldsonville claimed one life and injured eight people after a nitrogen tank exploded during an offload.
"The incident involved the rupture of an inert nitrogen vessel during the off-loading of nitrogen," a news release from the company, CF Industries, said. "There was no fire or chemical release nor is there any threat or hazard posed to the community."
RECOMMENDED: Think you know the US? Take our geography quiz.
Hundreds of industrial plants, many that either produce or consume poisonous and explosive chemicals, line rivers and bayous throughout the South, but in few places as heavily as around New Orleans and the Mississippi River.
Some 311 chemical manufacturers employing 15,727 people currently exist in the parishes that line the Mississippi from Baton Rouge to its mouth. That number excludes the large numbers of oil refineries and plastics manufacturers in the area.
To be sure, locals welcome jobs that pay an average of more than $40,000 a year. But explosions like the ones that roiled the river this week remind many of the dangers, both to human life and the environment, such jobs bring.
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The explosions this week are ?an example of what it's like to live along a massive petrochemical corridor," Marylee Orr, executive director of the Baton Rouge-based Louisiana Environmental Action Network, told the Associated Press. "It poses a risk to the workers first and then to the community that lives right along the front line."
The explosions also highlight a toxic paradox of one of America?s few examples of economic boom as low natural gas prices and welcoming state regulations spur development in areas already dominated by industrial activity.
The Mississippi River?s span between New Orleans and Baton Rouge ? where the twin explosions occurred Thursday and Friday ? is one example. The other is the petro-corridors hugging the Gulf Coast south of Houston.
Louisiana alone has welcomed more than $30 billion in industrial investment in the last two years. The state?s unemployment rate is 6.5 percent, a full percentage point lower than the 7.5 percent national average.
Some critics say Southerners and Republican leadership in many of the affected states have only themselves to blame for welcoming what some call ?dirty industries.? But it?s also true that the US economy would likely struggle without such industries, and that the sacrifices by Southern states to take on such potentially dangerous plants benefits the US as a whole, including other regions.
Moreover, chemical plants are actually safer than the average industry, reporting a fatality rate of 1.9 workers per 100,000 compared to the national average of about 3 fatalities per 100,000 workers. The industry had 25 fatalities across the country in 2011.
Yet as incidents ranging from the Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010 to the explosion at a fertilizer plant in the small town of West, Texas earlier this year, make clear, such accidents have the potential to wreak broader havoc, beyond loss of life. Many Americans are taking notice, especially since some studies have shown that one in three Americans are vulnerable to exposure to a chemical explosion or major release of toxins.
?When polled, over 70 percent of the population thinks we need better regulation of toxic chemicals,? John Deans and Richard Moore wrote last year in The Nation magazine. ?National security experts have said for at least a decade that these ?pre-positioned weapons of mass destruction? are a weak link in our critical infrastructure. Workers in dangerous facilities want a safer place to work. Communities on train and truck routes to and from these facilities want to be safe, as do communities near the plants themselves.?
In large part because of the economic benefits, as well as the relatively safe working conditions, many Louisianans take a live-and-let-live attitude toward the looming petro-plants that form imposing rural skylines.
"For the most part, day to day, month to month, year to year, you don't really think about? the dangers, Ascension Parish Councilman Travis Turner told the Associated Press. "Everybody knows somebody ? a brother or cousin or uncle ? who works at a plant. When something happened, everybody is worried about the worst case scenario, like? the recent explosions.
The US Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating both explosions. So far, there?s no evidence of foul play or terrorism in either blast, police authorities say.
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June 14, 2013 ? When petroleum companies abandon an oil well, more than half the reservoir's oil is usually left behind as too difficult to recover. Now, however, much of the residual oil can be recovered with the help of nanoparticles and a simple law of physics.
Oil to be recovered is confined in tiny pores within rock, often sandstone. Often the natural pressure in a reservoir is so high that the oil flows upwards when drilling reaches the rocks containing the oil.
Less oil without water
In order to maintain the pressure within a reservoir, oil companies have learned to displace the produced oil by injecting water. This water forces out the oil located in areas near the injection point. The actual injection point may be hundreds or even thousands of metres away from the production well.
Eventually, however, water injection loses its effect. Once the oil from all the easily reached pores has been recovered, water begins emerging from the production well instead of oil, at which point the petroleum engineers have had little choice but to shut down the well.
The petroleum industry and research community have been working for decades on various solutions to increase recovery rates. One group of researchers at the Centre for Integrated Petroleum Research (CIPR) in Bergen, collaborating with researchers in China, has developed a new method for recovering more oil from wells -- and not just more, far more.
The Chinese scientists had already succeeded in recovering a sensational 15 per cent of the residual oil in their test reservoir when they formed a collaboration with the CIPR researchers to find out what had actually taken place down in the reservoir. Now the Norwegian partner in the collaboration has succeeded in recovering up to 50 per cent of the oil remaining in North Sea rock samples.
Nano-scale traffic jams
Water in an oil reservoir flows much like the water in a river, accelerating in narrow stretches and slowing where the path widens.
When water is pumped into a reservoir, the pressure difference forces the water away from the injection well and towards the production well through the tiny rock pores. These pores are all interconnected by very narrow tunnel-like passages, and the water accelerates as it squeezes its way through these.
The new method is based on infusing the injection water with particles that are considerably smaller than the tunnel diameters. When the particle-enhanced water reaches a tunnel opening, it will accelerate faster than the particles, leaving the particles behind to accumulate and plug the tunnel entrance, ultimately sealing the tunnel.
This forces the following water to take other paths through the rock's pores and passages -- and in some of these there is oil, which is forced out with the water flow. The result is more oil extracted from the production well and higher profits for the petroleum companies.
Elastic nanoparticles
The particles that are used are typically 100 nanometres in diameter, or 100 times smaller than the 10-micron-wide tunnels.
The Bergen and Beijing researchers have tested a variety of particle sizes and types to find those best suited for plugging the rock pores, which turned out to be elastic nanoparticles made of polymer threads that retract into coils. The particles are made from commercial polyacrylamide such as that used in water treatment plants. Nanoparticles in solid form such as silica were less effective.
China first with field studies
The idea for this method of oil recovery came from the two Chinese researchers Bo Peng and Ming yuan Li who completed their doctorates in Bergen 10 and 20 years ago, respectively. The University of Bergen and China University of Petroleum in Beijing have been cooperating for over a decade on petroleum research, and this laid the foundation for collaboration on understanding and refining the particle method.
Field studies in China not only yielded more oil, but also demonstrated that the nanoparticles indeed formed plugs that subsequently dissolved during the water injection process. Nanoparticles were found in the production well 500 metres away.
"The Chinese were the first to use these particles in field studies," says Arne Skauge, Director of CIPR. "The studies showed that they work, but there were still many unanswered questions about how and why. At CIPR we began to categorise the particles' size, variation in size, and structure."
At first it was not known if the particles could be used in seawater, since the Chinese had done their trials with river water and onshore oilfields. Trials in Bergen using rock samples from the North Sea showed that the nanoparticles also work in seawater and help to recover an average of 20?30 per cent, and up to 50 per cent, more residual oil.
Looking to field test
Now the Bergen researchers want to test out the method large-scale.
"We'd like to try it in the North Sea and are in contact with Statoil, but we are certainly not the only ones hoping for a chance. We are competing with many promising methods for raising recovery rates," explains Mr Skauge. "That is why we may well test the method onshore in other regions, such as the Middle East. Several actors from there have contacted us after reading our published papers."
Still questions unanswered
In the meantime the researchers will be learning as much as they can about particles and pores.
"We are working hard to understand why the particles work well in some rock types and more marginally in others," says Kristine Spildo, project manager at CIPR. "This is critical for determining which North Sea fields are best suited to the method."
Director James Cameron addresses middle school students and other onlookers in Woods Hole, Mass., at a ceremony in which he donated his submarine, the Deepsea Challenger, to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on June 14, 2013. Cameron piloted the craft to the Challenger Deep, which is 35,787 feet (almost 11,000 meters) beneath the ocean.
By Douglas Main, LiveScience
WOODS HOLE, Mass. ? When James Cameron was about 12, he saw the Alvin submersible on the cover of National Geographic and was absolutely captivated by the vehicle's ability to transport ordinary humans to the seafloor. Alvin helped inspire Cameron to pursue a life of exploration and, several decades later, to build his own sub ? the Deepsea Challenger ? and pilot it by himself to the deepest part of the world's oceans.
Cameron visited the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) Friday, a bastion of marine science here on Cape Cod that operates Alvin (still kicking nearly 50 years after being built). But it was no ordinary visit ? Cameron came to donate the Deepsea Challenger, which will now be housed where Alvin used to reside. "What's surreal about this situation ? is that it all comes full circle," Cameron said at a ceremony celebrating his gift of the sub to the institution.
Cameron and a team of collaborators in the United States and Australia designed the submarine over the course of seven years. It has many unique features that set it apart from any submersible in the world, such as its unique lighting systems and compact, powerful batteries, whose innovative design will be used in other crafts to further explore the ocean, said Susan Avery, WHOI's president.
"Put some gas in it and go and have some fun, but be back by midnight," Cameron joked as he officially handed off the sub.
Inspiring kids A large group of curious scientists and residents gathered to hear Cameron, who addressed students from the town's Chatham Middle School. He encouraged them to pursue their passion, just as he did after being inspired in part by Alvin, one of the world's first deep-ocean submersibles. "Follow your curiosity and the things that interest you," he told the students. "The important thing to remember is that some of them may seem impossible," he said. "But you can set yourself down a path to get there and do the impossible."
Cameron fielded questions from the students, including one he'd never got before: Could the craft survive in space? He said it probably couldn't because it is designed to withstand crushing pressures, and not the lack of pressure. "I always love kids' questions," Cameron told LiveScience. "One thing they don't ask is why you did this. For a kid it seems natural to get in a submarine and explore the bottom of the ocean."
The stop here in Woods Hole is the end of a cross-country tour for Cameron with the submarine, during which he's brought it to different cities for students and kids to see. A large part of the inspiration for the trip was to get kids excited about science, Cameron said.
Rob Childs drove the truck that hauled the Deepsea Challenger across the country. He said Cameron's people called him out of the blue shortly before the tour. Childs never knew that the ocean's deep trenches take up an area the size of North America, a fact that Cameron likes to mention to show how little the ocean has been explored. "I've got a whole new outlook," Childs said. "Who'd have thought there was such a large area we haven't explored?" [Video: James Cameron's Dive to Earths' Deepest Spot]
The penultimate stop of the trek took place in Washington, D.C., where Cameron testified before a Senate subcommittee on the importance of funding for ocean exploration. While he received encouraging responses from Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., his appeals didn't result in any concrete results, due to a lack of funds. "Funding for ocean exploration continues to decrease," he told LiveScience at the event today. "We've still got some educating to do."
Visitors to WHOI got to see the green submersible, and a replica of the relatively tiny compartment Cameron crammed into during his 12-hour voyage to the Challenger Deep, which is 35,787 feet (almost 11,000 meters) beneath the ocean surface in the Mariana Trench.
New species Cameron's dive returned with a small sample of sediments from the ocean bottom. It would have been much more, but a malfunction dumped out most of the collected sediment as the sub surfaced. Nevertheless, the expedition has so far turned up 68 new species, mostly microbes, he said.
Cameron's dive also turned up microbial mats ? strange-looking, filament-like clumps of microorganisms ? on the seafloor. Researchers have speculated that a similar setup could have sparked the chemical steps that led to the development of life on Earth, Cameron said. The dive also revealed the presence of giant single-celled amoebas called xenophyophores ? bizarre creatures that are among the biggest cells known to humans ? near the Challenger Deep.??
It's the end of a long road for Cameron, but only the beginning for Woods Hole, which will use the sub for ocean exploration and to guide construction of new submersibles. Cameron will be focusing on making the "Avatar 2" and "Avatar 3" films in the next few years, but he plans to go back to the deep sea eventually.
"It's been an amazing journey," Cameron said.
EmailDouglas Main or follow him onTwitterorGoogle+. Follow us @livescience, Facebook or Google+. Article originally on LiveScience.com .
Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The biggest problem for those of us unlucky enough to have lost our jobs, is to stay in control of debts. It is difficult enough when employed, with the stream of bills and loan repayments to deal with, but with no regular income, the task seems impossible. Thankfully, there are unsecured loans for the unemployed, which can help greatly in dealing with this particular problem.
Usually, getting loan approval depends on meeting a short list of criteria. Arguably the most significant of that list is having a reliable source of income. So, getting approval with no job is obviously going to be very difficult.
cash loans, payday cash advance loans, fast payday cash loans,
The idea behind these unsecured loans are similar to the idea behind student loans, where the lack of income is excused in the faith that an income will be earned in the future. Until then, the repayment schedule is long-term, ensuring that the size of the repayments is kept low. But there are some negatives to take note of.
The Pros
The key issue for the unemployed is in finding a way to manage the debts to be paid. The most effective way to do this is to get fast cash injections to take care of pressing debts immediately. This is where unsecured loans for the unemployed come into play.
Ranging from $1,000 to $25,000, qualification is achieved by those who tick all of the usual boxes (age, residency status) but have no regular income to speak of. Once these basic criteria are met, then getting approval with no job is made simpler.
Other positive aspects are the fact that there is no credit check carried out, and no need for documents to be provided. Also, there is no need for any collateral to be provided, which makes these unsecured loans much more accessible. And with repayments stretched over as many as 10 years, the repayments can be kept to a minimum.
The Cons
With a limit of $25,000 set by lenders, it is clear that unsecured loans for the unemployed are not enough to deal with all of the debt that an applicant may have, particularly a mortgage. However, it is certainly enough to deal with much of it. This means that, while monthly obligations may be reduced, there will always be other debts to stay on top of too.
Since there is no source of income at the time of taking out the loan, the lender is taking a risk. As a result, the interest charged on the loan is quite high, and if the term of the loan is 10 years, that means a lot of interest is paid over the period. Of course, even being able to get approval with no job is a key positive, but the extra expense is a compromise that must be accepted.
For example, a loan of $20,000 over 5 years may require monthly repayments of $375, while that is lowered to $185 over 10 years. But the amount of interest paid is around $1,500 and $2,000 respectively, so the cost of the longer-term unsecured loan is higher.
Where to Get One
Generally speaking, the best place to find an unsecured loan for the unemployed is over the Internet, where online lenders offer loans at more competitive interest rates than traditional lending institutions. While the cost can be high in any case, it is possible to save between 1% and 2% on loans that are secured online.
However, as is to be expected when getting loan approval with no job, the compromise is designed to protect the lenders against making significant losses. But the fact that a loan is approved is a major boost, so the extra cost is generally worth it.
And with these unsecured loans available, the worry that comes with facing debts without a job is lessened dramatically.
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Threatening skies appear over Barrington, Ill. as severe weather approaches the Suburbs of Chicago on Wednesday, June 12, 2013. (AP Photo/Daily Herald, Bob Chwedyk) MANDATORY CREDIT; MAGS OUT, TV OUT
Threatening skies appear over Barrington, Ill. as severe weather approaches the Suburbs of Chicago on Wednesday, June 12, 2013. (AP Photo/Daily Herald, Bob Chwedyk) MANDATORY CREDIT; MAGS OUT, TV OUT
Nancy Barkema, foreground, helps clean up her brother-in-law's farm in Alexander, Iowa, after a tornado was reported in the area on Wednesday June 12, 1013 in Alexander and Belmond. (AP Photo/The Des Moines Register, Bryon Houlgrave)
Diane Barkema, left, hugs her step daughter, Angie Hickman after their farm was damaged in rural Alexander, Iowa, after a tornado struck the area on Wednesday, June 12, 2013 n rural Alexander, Iowa. Authorities are receiving reports of homes and businesses "completely damaged" by severe weather and multiple tornadoes in northern Iowa.(AP Photo/The Globe Gazette, Arian Schuessler)
Massive thunderstorms that swept through the Midwest are pushing toward the Mid-Atlantic states. Meteorologists warn that the line of storms could launch a weather event called a derecho, which is a straight-line wind storm spanning at least 240 miles. Here's a snapshot of what is happening, state by state:
ILLINOIS
National Weather Service authorities reported several small tornadoes and quarter-size hail as severe weather moved across northern Illinois. Meanwhile, airlines canceled more than 120 flights at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. Wednesday night's White Sox game was postponed, along with Northwestern University classes and finals scheduled on its Chicago and Evanston campuses. Game 1 of the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup series was played at the United Center. Power outages: About 34,000 in northern Illinois.
INDIANA
Several northern Indiana counties remain under severe weather warnings. The strongest storms spanned from Gary to Fort Wayne. About a dozen flights were canceled at Indianapolis International Airport, most of them in and out of Chicago. Power outages: About 30,000 in northwest Indiana.
IOWA
Weather service officials say two tornadoes touched down in northern Iowa, near Hampton in Franklin County. Another tornado was reported near Belmond in nearby Wright County. Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management officials say at least two businesses and a home were completely destroyed, but there were no reports of injuries or deaths. Power outages: About 1,400 in northern Iowa, near Mason City.
MICHIGAN
The National Weather Service in Grand Rapids has issued a severe thunderstorm and flash flood watches for parts of southwest Michigan and counties near the Indiana state line. Officials say 1 to 3 inches of rain could be dumped on parts of southwest Michigan within a couple of hours.
MINNESOTA
A storm dumped heavy rain to parts of southern Minnesota on Wednesday morning, including nearly 3.25 inches at Hutchinson airfield. Hail and wind gusts of up to 65 mph were also reported.
OHIO
Storms were causing minor outages late Wednesday in the Buckeye State. FirstEnergy Corp, which covers Cincinnati, Columbus and Akron, reported 627 customers were without power. An emergency management official in Morrow County told The Columbus Dispatch late Wednesday that there were reports of two possible tornadoes in the central Ohio county. Downed trees were blocking some area roads, but there were no reports of injuries.
PENNSYLVANIA
The entire state of Pennsylvania remains under a flood watch through Thursday. Weather service officials say the greatest flooding risk is in the northern portion of the state, while the worst thunderstorms are expected in southern areas. Officials say a standby worker was added at the emergency operations center in Harrisburg and officials had ensured two National Guard helicopters were ready if needed for water rescues.
WISCONSIN
A partial roof collapse at a Wal-Mart in Lake Delton left two employees with minor injuries as heavy rain and high winds spread across southern Wisconsin. Street flooding was reported in parts of the village of Boscobel in Grant County.
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Silent Still Scrip, Reboot and Resume Rate Topic:
#1 ? MRLunchBox?
Posted Today, 07:51 PM
Greetings,
I'm a noob when it comes to batch files and scripts etc but can somewhat piece together what I need. Basic batch files I can easiliy do, however.
I created a batch file that will install about 7 applications.
Two of the applications require a reboot (Embassy Security Center (wave which needs to run as a domain uesr) and Single Sign On). 1 could use a reboot if needed.
My issue is that the 2 that require the reboot kind of kill each other off. Meaning if its pending the reboot the second app that requires the reboot never starts or starts but fails somewhere after starting. I moved all applications around and still have the same issue.
So here is my scenario. The laptop was just imaged, joined to the domain etc. The batch file will be used by the tech to update the image and install additional applications.
What I would like is for the batch file to install XX applications reboot and contine to the rest. This would meet the requirement of one app needing the reboot.
We dont use SCCM here so I can use a task in our imaging process.
The batch file needs to be run by a doman user preferably the initial tech usng run as admin to run it vs a service account. I guess I can move the program so that after the reboot the application that need to be insall can be install using a local admin or a non domain account.
I'm willing to try any step, ie. using the run once registry key, converting to powershell etc.
Thank you for your time
color 0A @echo off mode con:cols=90 lines=40 Echo. Echo. This utility will perform the following actions Echo. Echo. 1 Stop Windows Firewall to Prevent issues with Installation Echo. Echo. 2. Patch Link Client Upgrade and point to new Server Echo. Echo. 3. AMP Client Upgrade Echo. Echo. 4. Install Lync 2013 Echo. Echo. 5. Install WebSense (Blue Coat is no longer used) Echo. Echo. 6. Activate Windows and Office Echo. Echo. 7. Install WAVE and TDMRemoteConfig Echo. Echo. 8. Install Single Sign On Echo. Echo. 9. Install Cisco VPN and add the Profile Echo. Echo. Reboot to complete the instllation of the application that require it Echo. Echo. Echo. Once the above have completed the job will Auto Reboot the Workstaion Echo. Echo. Echo. Echo. Press A to Start Echo. Press B to Quit and exit Echo. Echo. Echo. set /p choice=Select your choise to Start= Echo. if not '%choice%'=='' set choice=%choice:~0,1% if '%choice%'=='A' goto Start_Job if '%choice%'=='B' goto Exit if '%choice%'=='a' goto Start_Job if '%choice%'=='b' goto Exit Echo. Echo. "%choice%" is not a valid (answer/command) Echo. Echo. Echo. :Exit Exit :Start_Job REM *************************************** REM *************************************** REM ******* P R E P W O R K REM *************************************** REM *************************************** REM The following folders are being created Echo. Echo. Echo. Setup Folder Created at Echo. C:\Windows\TEMP\Workstation_Setup MD C:\Windows\TEMP\Workstation_Setup ping -n 2 127.0.0.1>nul MD C:\Windows\TEMP\Workstation_Setup\WAVE-2-7 ping -n 2 127.0.0.1>nul MD C:\Windows\TEMP\Workstation_Setup\Lync-2013\ ping -n 2 127.0.0.1>nul MD C:\Windows\TEMP\Workstation_Setup\Cisco-VPN\ ping -n 2 127.0.0.1>nul REM Ths is where the SSO GD Logo will be copied later MD C:\ProgramData\GD-Logo ping -n 2 127.0.0.1>nul REM The following are being downloaded REM Copy Lumension Agent to local Machine Echo. XCOPY \\SERVER\InfrastructureSoftware\PatchLink\Win7-64Bit\LMAgentx64.msi C:\Windows\TEMP\Workstation_Setup\ /Q /Y ping -n 3 127.0.0.1>nul Echo. Lumension Was Downloaded Echo. REM Copy AMP Agent Re-instal to local machine XCOPY \\SERVER\InfrastructureSoftware\AMP\Windows_32_and_64_Bit_Version_11.5_Re-install.exe C:\Windows\TEMP\Workstation_Setup\ /Q /Y ping -n 3 127.0.0.1>nul Echo. AMP Was Downloaded Echo. REM Copy AMP Un-Install Agent to local Machine REM XCOPY \\SERVER\InfrastructureSoftware\AMP\Windows_32_and_64_Bit_Version_11.5_Un-install.exe C:\Windows\TEMP\Workstation_Setup\ /Q /Y REM ping -n 3 127.0.0.1>nul REM Copy AMP Install Agent to local Machine REM XCOPY \\SERVER\InfrastructureSoftware\AMP\Windows_32_and_64_Bit_Version_11.5_Install.exe C:\Windows\TEMP\Workstation_Setup\ /Q /Y REM ping -n 3 127.0.0.1>nul REM Copy Lync 2013 to Local Machine XCOPY \\SERVER\e$\Software\Microsoft\Lync2013_X86_Win7\*.* C:\Windows\TEMP\Workstation_Setup\Lync-2013\ /E/Q /Y ping -n 5 127.0.0.1>nul Echo. Lync Was Downloaded Echo. REM Copy WAVE to Local Machine XCOPY \\SERVER\GeneralSoftware\WAVE\WAVE_Embassy_Security_Center_2.7\64BIT_20101221_ESCTDM64_TDM_02.07.00.043b\*.* C:\Windows\TEMP\Workstation_Setup\WAVE-2-7\ /e /Q /Y ping -n 5 127.0.0.1>nul Echo. WAVE Was Downloaded Echo. REM Copy WebSense to Local Machine XCOPY \\SERVER\InfrastructureSoftware\WebSense_Remote_Filtering_Agent\Win_64Bit\WebsenseEndpoint_64bit.exe C:\Windows\TEMP\Workstation_Setup\ /Q /Y ping -n 3 127.0.0.1>nul Echo. WebSense Was Downloaded Echo. REM Copy TDMRemoteConfig to Local Machine XCOPY \\SERVER\ClientConfiguration\TDMremoteConfig64.msi C:\Windows\TEMP\Workstation_Setup\ /Q /Y ping -n 3 127.0.0.1>nul Echo. TDM Remote Config Was Downloaded Echo. REM Copy Single Sign On app and Logo XCOPY "\\SERVER\sso$\OneSign Agent 4.7.000.10\OneSignAgentx64.msi" C:\Windows\TEMP\Workstation_Setup\ /Q /Y ping -n 3 127.0.0.1>nul XCOPY "\\SERVER\sso$\GD-Logo.BMP" C:\Windows\TEMP\Workstation_Setup\ /Q /Y ping -n 3 127.0.0.1>nul Echo. Single Sign On and GD Logo were Downloaded REM Copy Cisco VPN and Profile XCOPY "\\SERVER\Cisco_VPN$\*.*" C:\Windows\TEMP\Workstation_Setup\Cisco-VPN\ /q /y Echo. Cisco VPN was Downloaded ping -n 3 127.0.0.1>nul REM *************************************** REM *************************************** REM ******* I N S T A L L REM *************************************** REM *************************************** REM Stop Windows Firewall Service sc stop MpsSvc ping -n 2 127.0.0.1>nul Echo. Windows Firewall Stopped Echo. REM Windows and Office Re-Activation REM Windows Activation REG ADD HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CURRENTCONTROLSET\CONTROL\CLASS\{4D36E967-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318} /v UPPERFILTERS /t REG_MULTI_SZ /d PartMgr /f ping -n 2 127.0.0.1>nul cscript //b "c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs" /ipk OUR-KEY ping -n 2 127.0.0.1>nul cscript //b "c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs" /ato ping -n 2 127.0.0.1>nul Echo. REM Office Activation REM First modify registry to allow activation of Office REG ADD HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CURRENTCONTROLSET\CONTROL\CLASS\{4D36E967-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318} /v UPPERFILTERS /t REG_MULTI_SZ /d PartMgr /f ping -n 2 127.0.0.1>nul cscript //b "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office14\ospp.vbs" /inpkey:OUR-KEY ping -n 2 127.0.0.1>nul cscript //b "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office14\ospp.vbs" /act ping -n 2 127.0.0.1>nul Echo. Windows and Office were activated Echo. Echo. REM Patch Link Install Echo. Staring Patch Link clinet upgrade C:\Windows\System32\msiexec.exe /i "C:\Windows\Temp\Workstation_Setup\LMAgentx64.msi" /quiet /norestart SERVERIPADDRESS="OUR SERVER ping -n 15 127.0.0.1>nul Echo. Lumension was re-installed Echo. Echo. REM AMP Re-install Echo. Starting AMP clinet upgrade C:\Windows\TEMP\Workstation_Setup\Windows_32_and_64_Bit_Version_11.5_Re-install.exe ping -n 15 127.0.0.1>nul Echo. AMP was Re-installed Echo. Echo. REM Install WebSense Echo. Starting WebSene client Install C:\Windows\TEMP\Workstation_Setup\WebsenseEndpoint_64bit.exe /v"/quiet /norestart WSCONTEXT=OUR NUMBER" ping -n 15 127.0.0.1>nul Echo. WebSense was Installed Echo. Echo. REM Lync 2013 Install Echo. Starting Lync 2013 Install C:\Windows\TEMP\Workstation_Setup\Lync-2013\setup.exe /adminfile "C:\Windows\TEMP\Workstation_Setup\Lync-2013\Lync_2013_x86.MSP" /config "C:\Windows\TEMP\Workstation_Setup\Lync-2013\lync.ww\config.xml" ping -n 15 127.0.0.1>nul Echo. Lync 2013 was Installed Echo. Echo. REM INSTALL WAVE (Require Reboot) Echo. Starting WAVE Security Center Install C:\Windows\TEMP\Workstation_Setup\WAVE-2-7\installer.exe -silent -install ping -n 30 127.0.0.1>nul Echo. WAVE was Installed Echo. Echo. REM Install TDMRemoteConfig Echo. Starting TDMRemoteConfig Install C:\Windows\System32\msiexec.exe /i C:\Windows\TEMP\Workstation_Setup\TDMremoteConfig64.msi /QB /NORESTART ping -n 30 127.0.0.1>nul Echo. TDM Recmote Config was Installed Echo. Echo. REM Install Cisco VPN and Copy Profile Echo. Starting Cisco VPN Install C:\Windows\System32\msiexec.exe /I C:\Windows\TEMP\Workstation_Setup\Cisco-VPN\vpnclient_setup.MSI /QB /norestart ping -n 15 127.0.0.1>nul Echo. Cisco VPN was installed and Profile imported Echo. ECho. REM Install Single Sign On and copy Logo to folder ( Requires Reboot) Echo. Starting Single Sing On Install C:\Windows\System32\msiexec.exe /I C:\TEMP\SSO\OneSignAgentx64.msi IPTXPRIMSERVER="https://OUR-SERVER.com/sso/servlet/messagerouter" AGENTTYPE="1" /qn /NORESTART ping -n 15 127.0.0.1>nul Reg Add HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WoW6432Node\SSOProvider\CoBranding /v LogoImage /t REG_SZ /d C:\ProgramData\Logo\Logo.BMP ping -n 15 127.0.0.1>nul XCOPY C:\Windows\TEMP\Workstation_Setup\Logo.BMP C:\ProgramData\Logo\ /Q /Y SSO was installed, Logo Copied and registry modified Echo. Echo. REM *************************************** REM *************************************** REM ******* C L E A N U P REM *************************************** REM *************************************** REM Delete the downloaded applications Del RD C:\Windows\TEMP\Workstation_Setup /s /q shutdown /r /f /t 30
#2 ? allen2?
Group:Members
Posts:1,744
Joined:13-January 06
Posted Today, 11:30 PM
There are lot of ways of doing this kind of install but unless, you want/need the tech to stay behind the computer when the install is processing, you could avoid the login thing using autologin feature with local admin account. Then i think the easiest way would to add a run item (yes run not runonce) in "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run" and set it to launch the local batch. The local batch would check (using "if exist") and set flag (using files) for each app install so resuming would work and you could insert reboot in the batch. The last action of the batch would be to remove itself from the registry run key and remove autologin(if used).
This post has been edited by allen2: Today, 11:31 PM
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Sprint complaints aside, Dish and Clearwire are ready to make a deal
Despite Sprint's continued protest against Dish's cash offer to acquire as much of Clearwire as possible at $4.40 per share, Clearwire looks to be nearing a decision to accept it. Sources familiar with the matter tell The Wall Street Journal that the special committee at Clearwire assigned with assessing the current offer from Dish will advise the rest of the company's board to push back a Thursday shareholder vote in order to accept Dish's cash offer for the company. Previous arguments from Sprint that the deal is not in the best interest of the company nor is it legally possible given the governance structure demands from Dish (which call for board member appointments as a term) still remain, adding to the confusion. Sprint claims that its previous agreements with Clearwire, and a restructuring of the company in 2008, conflict strongly with the demands Dish has on its offer.
Dish and Clearwire don't seem to be bothered by the potential structural issues of the deal, and have explained as such to Sprint previously. If Clearwire is to accept Dish's offer -- whether it be with revised governance terms or not -- it would have to be for at least 25-percent of the company to make any meaningful difference for Dish's plans to block Sprint's buyout of Clearwire. Sprint needs a majority of the minority shareholders to approve its plan to buyout the rest (49.5-percent) of the company it doesn't already own, something that simply won't happen if Dish controls that majority share.
Let's also remember that Dish and SoftBank are on their final round of offers to try and buy out Sprint in the coming weeks as well, which adds another angle to this whole discussion. Next week is shaping up to be a major decision week for these four companies, with lots of money getting ready to change hands if everything goes Sprint's way.
NEW YORK (AP) ? There's little wonder why George Orwell's novel "1984" is seeing a resurgence in sales.
More than half of Americans polled in a survey released Thursday said they agreed with the statement "We are really in the era of Big Brother."
The survey from the University of Southern California was conducted last year, before recent revelations of large-scale, secret government surveillance programs. Yet it still found that some 35 percent of respondents agreed that "There is no privacy, get over it."
A growing number of Internet users said they are concerned about the government checking on their online activities, according to the survey. But even more people were worried about businesses doing the same.
The USC Annenberg School's Center for the Digital Future has polled more than 2,000 U.S. households about their Internet and technology use each year, with the exception of 2011, since 1999.
Forty-three percent of Internet users said they are concerned about the government checking what they do online, up from 38 percent in 2010. But 57 percent said they were worried about private companies doing the same thing ? up from 48 percent in the earlier study.
A 2012 survey by the Pew Research Center found that almost three-quarters of Americans are concerned that businesses are collecting too much information about people like them, while 64 percent had the same worry about the government.
In addition to their views on privacy, the most recent report also found that 86 percent of Americans are online, up from 82 percent in 2010. That's the highest level in the study's history and further evidence of how central the Internet has become in American's lives, especially in the age of mobile devices.
"We find that people almost never lose their mobile phone," said Jeff Cole, author of the study and director of the center. "They can drop it in the gutter, have it stolen but leave it on the table at a restaurant ? most of us don't even get through the front door before noticing it."
More than half of the Internet users surveyed said they go online using a mobile device, up from a third who said the same thing in 2010. As expected, texting is becoming increasingly important for people of all ages ? 82 percent of mobile phone users text, up from 62 percent in 2010 and 31 percent in 2007.
Among other key findings:
? Thirty percent of parents said they don't monitor what their children do on social networking sites such as Facebook, while 70 percent said that they do.
? Nearly half of parents, 46 percent, said that they have their kids' passwords so they can access their account.
? People spent more time online than in any previous year of the study. On average, they were online 20.4 hours per week, up from 18.3 hours in 2010 and about nine hours in 2000.
? One percent of respondents said they visit websites with sexual content "several times a day," while 69 percent said they never do.
? Dial-up is going the way of the dodo: 83 percent said they access the Internet using a broadband connection, up from 10 percent in 2000.
? The line between work and home life is blurring. Nearly a quarter of Internet users said they "often" use the Internet at home for work-related purposes. Conversely, 18 percent said they "often" go online at work for non-work related activities. The study did not say whether these were the same people.
The 2012 poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.7 percentage points.
NEW YORK (AP) ? The projections paint an unsettling picture of New York's future: A city where by the 2050s, 800,000 people could be living in a flood zone that would cover a quarter of the land, and there could be as many 90-degree days as is now normal for Birmingham, Ala.
Facing those new projections of the effects of global warming on the nation's biggest city, Mayor Michael Bloomberg was due to talk Tuesday about what to do about risks that Superstorm Sandy brought into stark relief.
"We have to look ahead and anticipate any and all future threats, not only from hurricanes and other coastal storms but also from droughts, heavy downpours and heat waves ? many of which are likely to be longer and more intense in the years to come," an excerpt from the mayor's planned speech says.
Two top Bloomberg aides who oversaw the study underlying the speech, Seth Pinsky and Deputy Mayor Caswell Holloway, wouldn't hint Monday at what the suggestions would be, what they might cost or how they might be financed. Many key decisions likely will come after Bloomberg's third and final term ends this year.
Bloomberg said last winter the study would examine the pros and cons of building berms, dunes, levees and other coast-protection structures. But he has historically been cool to the idea of massive sea walls ? and emphatic about not suggesting that people retreat from coastal communities.
The recommendations will draw from updated predictions from the New York City Panel on Climate Change, a scientists' group convened by the city.
The average day could be 4 degrees to nearly 7 degrees hotter by mid-century, the panel estimates in data Pinsky and Holloway discussed Monday. A once-in-a-century storm would likely spur a surge 5 or more feet higher than did Sandy, which sent a record 14-foot storm tide gushing into lower Manhattan.
And with local waters a foot to 2? feet higher than they are today, 8 percent of the city's coastline could see flooding just from high tides, the group estimates. Most of that coast is in a relatively undeveloped area near a bay.
City Hall, the state government and others have released warnings over the years about climate risks. The city has required some new developments in flood zones to be elevated and has restored wetlands as natural barriers, among other steps.
"Sandy, obviously, increased the urgency of dealing with this and the need to plan and start to take concrete steps," Holloway said.
The new projections echo 2009 estimates from the climate change panel, but the timeframe for some upper-end possibilities has moved up from the 2080s to mid-century.
"The overall numbers are similar, but we have more compelling evidence now that (a more severe scenario from 2009) is looking like a more realistic possibility now," due to improved computer models and more evidence that some ice sheets are melting, said Radley Horton, a climate scientist with Columbia University's Earth Institute and a researcher with the city climate panel.
Scientists have reached a consensus on global warming, but still debate how severe the effects will be.
Meanwhile, the Federal Emergency Management Agency released revisions Monday to proposed new flood zone maps for the city. About 218,000 people and 35,000 buildings are in the current once-in-100-year flood zone, drawn in the 1980s. The new maps roughly double those numbers, though the revision shifts about 5,800 structures from a subset called the V zone ? the area expected to suffer the worst damage ? to a less stringent zone.
A roughly two-year review is expected before new maps become official. They can affect building regulations and insurance.
___
Associated Press writer Meghan Barr contributed to this report.
___
Follow Jennifer Peltz at http://twitter.com/jennpeltz
(Reuters) - French drugmaker Sanofi SA said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had approved its four-strain influenza vaccine, which is meant to provide better protection from infection than traditional three-strain flu vaccines.
The Fluzone Quadrivalent vaccine is licensed for adults, adolescents and children 6 months and older, and will be available in the upcoming 2013-2014 flu season, the company said on Monday.
The 2013 influenza season will be the first when quadrivalent influenza vaccines will be available in the United States.
Rival drugamker GlaxoSmithKline Plc in December won U.S. marketing approval for the first four-strain seasonal flu vaccine, called Fluarix Quadrivalent. The injectable vaccine, approved to immunize adults and children age 3 and older against flu virus subtypes A and B, is also slated for introduction in the 2013-14 flu season.
Three-strain flu vaccines are currently administered to help protect against the two most common A virus strains, but against just one B strain expected to be predominant in a given year.
Since 2000, however, two B virus strains have circulated to varying degrees each season, meaning patients infected with the B virus not contained in the vaccine were not immunized.
Epidemics of influenza B occur every two to four years in all age groups and are associated with pneumonia and other respiratory illnesses, Sanofi said. It added that up to 44 percent of flu-related deaths in recent years among children and adolescents were due to influenza B.
Some 226,000 people in the United States are hospitalized each year for influenza, and the number of deaths - depending on virus severity during the flu season - may range from 3,000 to 49,000, Sanofi said.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends vaccination for everyone six months of age and older in the United States.
Shares of Sanofi were down less than 0.1 percent in Paris, while Glaxo was up 0.5 percent in London.
(Reporting by Ransdell Pierson in New York; Additional reporting by Dominique Vidalon in Paris; Editing by Daniel Magnowski and Lisa Von Ahn)
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