A two-thirds majority also can override any gubernatorial veto. But that's not likely to happen much, if at all. California governors possess extraordinary power to reward and punish.But Democratic legislators do feel a responsibility an obligation to push their liberal constituents' agendas while they have an opportunity. The electorate did, after all, arm them with these supermajorities. Why squander the power?This doesn't mean raising taxes immediately after voters approved Gov. Jerry Brown's Proposition 30. In fact, Steinberg quickly stomped on one Democratic senator, Ted Lieu of Torrance, after Lieu proposed tripling the vehicle license fee back to its former level.Steinberg has been widely quoted as observing: "The voters do not want us to burst out of the gate to raise more taxes.""We get the overreach warning," he told senators at their swearing-in last week. "We acknowledge it."But he also said this, which hasn't been much quoted:"Frankly, I think you can focus too much on overreach because there is an equally compelling da -1584 moncler 2013 new women jackets red html- nger. It is the danger of being so cautious, so worried about creating controversy that we fail to take advantage of unprecedented opportunities."Power is by definition fleeting. Misuse it and you'll lose. Fail to use it and it withers away."Steinberg told a story conservatives might call it a "bleeding heart" tale about visiting a "dental fair" after the last legislative session. Volunteer dentists were caring for poor people. In 2009, the Legislature stripped them of Medi-Cal dental coverage while trying to close a $42-billion budget deficit."What I saw I will never forget," the Senate leader said. "Endless lines . Working Californians, many of them . They had gone years without any dental care and needed surgery for dental abscesses, needed a root canal, people who had lost their teeth and wanted reconstructive surgeries so that they could go out and apply for a job with pride."Restoring dental care for the poor is the type of spending-reach that Democrats probably will and should attempt.Steinberg and Assembly Speaker John A. P rez (D-Los Angeles) were both happy-talking as the Legislature convened."We have eliminated the structural deficit that has plagued California for years," Perez told Assembly colleagues, a bit premature in announcing an end to red ink. He added that legislators were in position "to pursue the long-term investments and planning that will usher in the next great era of California's history."Steinberg said: "One difficult era is ending in California, and now a new and better era is beginning."That optimism is a reflection of a gradually improving California economy and a recent report by nonpartisan Legislative Analyst Mac Taylor, the Legislature's fiscal guru. He projected a relatively minor deficit of $1.9 billion for the next budget year, down from nearly $13 billion a year ago.

A two-thirds majority also can override any gubernatorial veto. But that's not likely to happen much, if at all. California governors possess extraordinary power to reward and punish.But Democratic legislators do feel a responsibility an obligation to push their liberal constituents' agendas while they have an opportunity. The electorate did, after all, arm them with these supermajorities. Why squander the power?This doesn't mean raising taxes immediately after voters approved Gov. Jerry Brown's Proposition 30. In fact, Steinberg quickly stomped on one Democratic senator, Ted Lieu of Torrance, after Lieu proposed tripling the vehicle license fee back to its former level.Steinberg has been widely quoted as observing: "The voters do not want us to burst out of the gate to raise more taxes.""We get the overreach warning," he told senators at their swearing-in last week. "We acknowledge it."But he also said this, which hasn't been much quoted:"Frankly, I think you can focus too much on overreach because there is an equally compelling da -1584 moncler 2013 new women jackets red html- nger. It is the danger of being so cautious, so worried about creating controversy that we fail to take advantage of unprecedented opportunities."Power is by definition fleeting. Misuse it and you'll lose. Fail to use it and it withers away."Steinberg told a story conservatives might call it a "bleeding heart" tale about visiting a "dental fair" after the last legislative session. Volunteer dentists were caring for poor people. In 2009, the Legislature stripped them of Medi-Cal dental coverage while trying to close a $42-billion budget deficit."What I saw I will never forget," the Senate leader said. "Endless lines . Working Californians, many of them . They had gone years without any dental care and needed surgery for dental abscesses, needed a root canal, people who had lost their teeth and wanted reconstructive surgeries so that they could go out and apply for a job with pride."Restoring dental care for the poor is the type of spending-reach that Democrats probably will and should attempt.Steinberg and Assembly Speaker John A. P rez (D-Los Angeles) were both happy-talking as the Legislature convened."We have eliminated the structural deficit that has plagued California for years," Perez told Assembly colleagues, a bit premature in announcing an end to red ink. He added that legislators were in position "to pursue the long-term investments and planning that will usher in the next great era of California's history."Steinberg said: "One difficult era is ending in California, and now a new and better era is beginning."That optimism is a reflection of a gradually improving California economy and a recent report by nonpartisan Legislative Analyst Mac Taylor, the Legislature's fiscal guru. He projected a relatively minor deficit of $1.9 billion for the next budget year, down from nearly $13 billion a year ago.

From its first moments to its last, "The Voice" struck a perfectly pitched emotional chord in this season's final performance  Monday night, highlighting music's power to access pain and sorrow, to heal and to uplift.Friday's heartbreaking tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, never far from our thoughts in the intervening days, was directly addressed in the show's initial moments. The coaches, contestants and hosts gathered onstage amongst flickering candles to sing a tribute 's "Hallelujah" -- to those killed. They held small placards with the names and ages of th -1625 moncler 2013 new men jackets black html- e victims. So many 6s and 7s. As much as we've read about and tried to absorb the incomprehensible loss or avoided the news and tried to process its essence without its details the solemn song, and those simple signs, brought it home. And it brought the rest of the evening into sharp relief. After a quick look back at the journeys of the three remaining singers, Nicholas David, Terry McDermott and Cassadee Pope, which offered us a moment to bolt for the tissue box and get ourselves back together, the competition resumed. It was, as predicted, the "most competitive finale we've had yet," and one that, as noted, was anyone's game. It was also a music-packed night, with each singer singing a total of three songs: one new, one a reprise of a song with which he or she had previously had a "breakout" moment, and a duet with the contestant's coach.Nicholas David brought us all some much-needed joy with a medley of ' "Great Balls of Fire" and 's "Fire." With flames leaping out of his piano and adding sparkle to his glittery gold sport coat, David's high-energy performance -- with a few kicks that Blake Shelton predicted might get him a call from the Rockettes -- earned him a standing ovation from the three male coaches. "Your fire tonight burned this house down," David's coach, CeeLo Green, said.David also reprised his take on Bill Withers' "Lean on Me" and turned in a dazzlingly bizarre duet with Green on Wild Cherry's "Play that Funky Music," complete with a cage dancer, aerialists and a dancing mini CeeLo whose name, we learned, was Milo.Cassadee Pope, clad in a gorgeously glimmering mirrored gown, led with a reprise of coach Blake Shelton's sad and soaring hit "Over You," which seemed to hold a new meaning. Shelton called it an "appropriate" song for the moment. "America's heart is heavy right now," he said, "and that's about healing.... It somehow starts the healing process. That's what music does and can do."She followed up with a rocking duet of 's "," in which Shelton generously granted her most of the spotlight, and then capped the performances off with 's "Cry." "For every great moment that you've had on this show, and you've had a lot of them, I've never heard you sing as good as you did tonight," Shelton told her. Pope's Team Blake teammate, Terry McDermott, kicked off his performances by dueting with Shelton on 's "Dude Looks Like a Lady," with what warned us was "a familiar face on guitar." But you might have been too distracted by Adam Levine's bare torso not to mention his tight jeans, long-haired wig and glasses to focus on his face for long. Or you may have been marveling at McDermott's clean, clear, crisp vocals, which were on display as well on his two subsequent songs: Mr. Mister's "Broken Wings," his adorable son Liam's favorite song, which McDermott tried to de-'80s, and a reprise on Foreigner's "I Want to Know What Love Is" that was a marked improvement from the way he had sung it earlier in the season.  "Every time you get onstage something epic happens," Shelton told him after "Broken Wings." "You make these classic rock songs sound new again....And nobody's been able to do that except you." Any of these three singers is worthy of wearing "The Voice" crown. We'll find out which of them takes it tonight. Who would you like to see win?

From its first moments to its last, "The Voice" struck a perfectly pitched emotional chord in this season's final performance  Monday night, highlighting music's power to access pain and sorrow, to heal and to uplift.Friday's heartbreaking tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, never far from our thoughts in the intervening days, was directly addressed in the show's initial moments. The coaches, contestants and hosts gathered onstage amongst flickering candles to sing a tribute 's "Hallelujah" -- to those killed. They held small placards with the names and ages of th -1625 moncler 2013 new men jackets black html- e victims. So many 6s and 7s. As much as we've read about and tried to absorb the incomprehensible loss or avoided the news and tried to process its essence without its details the solemn song, and those simple signs, brought it home. And it brought the rest of the evening into sharp relief. After a quick look back at the journeys of the three remaining singers, Nicholas David, Terry McDermott and Cassadee Pope, which offered us a moment to bolt for the tissue box and get ourselves back together, the competition resumed. It was, as predicted, the "most competitive finale we've had yet," and one that, as noted, was anyone's game. It was also a music-packed night, with each singer singing a total of three songs: one new, one a reprise of a song with which he or she had previously had a "breakout" moment, and a duet with the contestant's coach.Nicholas David brought us all some much-needed joy with a medley of ' "Great Balls of Fire" and 's "Fire." With flames leaping out of his piano and adding sparkle to his glittery gold sport coat, David's high-energy performance -- with a few kicks that Blake Shelton predicted might get him a call from the Rockettes -- earned him a standing ovation from the three male coaches. "Your fire tonight burned this house down," David's coach, CeeLo Green, said.David also reprised his take on Bill Withers' "Lean on Me" and turned in a dazzlingly bizarre duet with Green on Wild Cherry's "Play that Funky Music," complete with a cage dancer, aerialists and a dancing mini CeeLo whose name, we learned, was Milo.Cassadee Pope, clad in a gorgeously glimmering mirrored gown, led with a reprise of coach Blake Shelton's sad and soaring hit "Over You," which seemed to hold a new meaning. Shelton called it an "appropriate" song for the moment. "America's heart is heavy right now," he said, "and that's about healing.... It somehow starts the healing process. That's what music does and can do."She followed up with a rocking duet of 's "," in which Shelton generously granted her most of the spotlight, and then capped the performances off with 's "Cry." "For every great moment that you've had on this show, and you've had a lot of them, I've never heard you sing as good as you did tonight," Shelton told her. Pope's Team Blake teammate, Terry McDermott, kicked off his performances by dueting with Shelton on 's "Dude Looks Like a Lady," with what warned us was "a familiar face on guitar." But you might have been too distracted by Adam Levine's bare torso not to mention his tight jeans, long-haired wig and glasses to focus on his face for long. Or you may have been marveling at McDermott's clean, clear, crisp vocals, which were on display as well on his two subsequent songs: Mr. Mister's "Broken Wings," his adorable son Liam's favorite song, which McDermott tried to de-'80s, and a reprise on Foreigner's "I Want to Know What Love Is" that was a marked improvement from the way he had sung it earlier in the season.  "Every time you get onstage something epic happens," Shelton told him after "Broken Wings." "You make these classic rock songs sound new again....And nobody's been able to do that except you." Any of these three singers is worthy of wearing "The Voice" crown. We'll find out which of them takes it tonight. Who would you like to see win?

Cutting Edge
Cutting Edge Cutting Edge The Mars Curiosity rover recently detected on the Red Planet, but NASA won't call the findings definitive. One holdup is the issue of contamination. The trace amounts may be the result of contamination from the rover itself. The contamination issue could rear its head again should the rover or future expeditions turn up any microbes. Finding microbes on Mars would be a cause for scientific celebration, but a shows that Earth microbes could very well survive in the brutal conditions on Mars. Originally posted at December 28, 2012 12:40 PM PST By Topics: , , Tags: , , What if everything around you had the potential to generate small amounts of energy? We've seen flexible, even stick-on photovoltaic cells before, but these decal-style solars are compact and fun. In a recent in Scientific Reports, Stanford University mechanical engineering assistant professor Xiaolin Zheng and colleagues describe thin-film solar cells that can be peeled and stuck anywhere. The researchers manufactured them on a reusable silicon and silicon dioxide wafer and then stuck them on paper, plastic, and window glass. The original cell efficiency of 7.5 percent was maintained, and the manufacturing uses existing processes and materials. That Originally posted at December 28, 2012 10:16 AM PST By Topics: , , Tags: Around 2015, NASA plans to incorporate a spacesuit that amu {keyword} singly looks like the one worn by Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story -- sans the shiny laser beam. Before you laugh, know that these new digs aren't toy dressings; offers a plethora of advantages compared with the space agency's previous designs. Think of it as the baseline architecture for future NASA spacesuits. Originally posted at December 21, 2012 2:41 PM PST By Topics: , Tags: , , , , We now know that the pilotless X-47B aircraft has its sea legs. The prototype this week completed its first at-sea tests as it gets ready to take off from and land on an aircraft carrier sometime in 2013, a first in naval aviation history. That eventual flight will be the big moment for the X-47B. But the test phase that just ended is no small potatoes. It's a tricky thing for any aircraft to maneuver around the hectic, cramped, and crowded space of a carrier flight deck. In the test {keyword} phase that just December 20, 2012 8:24 AM PST By Topics: Tags: , , , Here's a robotics challenge for you: create an advanced humanoid robot in only nine months. That's what engineers at the University of Zurich's Artificial Intelligence Lab are trying to do with , a kid-style bot that's designed to help people in everyday environments. Researchers around the world are trying to create useful humanoids. One interesting aspect of Roboy is its tendon-driven locomotion system. Like Japan's humanoid, Roboy relies on artificial muscles to move; in the future, it will be covered with a soft skin. Originally posted at December 19, 2012 12:19 PM PST By Topics: Tags: , , , As of a day ago, MakerBot's Thingiverse Web site hosted the plans for a key component of an AR15 semi automatic rifle. Anyone could download for the lower receiver, and if you had a 3D printer you make one yourself. Those plans, and plans for other firearm components have now been removed from Thingiverse. You can access , and you can also find it on the Pirate Bay and elsewhere, but the printable STL files have been removed from Thingiverse, and the listing no longer turns up when you Originally posted at December 19, 2012 11:27 AM PST By Tags: , , , Braving Arctic temperatures and a brutal wind chill, a Russian Soyuz spacecraft roared to life and streaked smoothly into orbit today, carrying a veteran three-man crew on a two-day flight to the International Space Station. With commander Roman Romanenko at the controls, the Soyuz TMA-07M spacecraft climbed away from its la {keyword} unching stand at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 7:12 a.m. ET (6:12 p.m. local time), roughly the moment Earth's rotation carried the pad into the plane of the space station's orbit. Trailing a fiery jet of brilliant orange exhaust, the workhorse rocket arced December 19, 2012 5:19 AM PST By Topics: Tags: , , , , Anyone who's had surgery would probably agree that being wheeled into the operating room can prove quite the anxiety-producing ride. A London design studio has come up with a wonderfully creative way to calm young patients en route to surgery -- interactive wallpaper that turns clinical corridor walls into a magical forest to engage and distract the kids as they journey toward their procedure. The installation, called , fills about 165 feet of corridor walls in part of the Mittal Children's Medical Centre at London's . Originally posted at December 18, 2012 1:36 PM PST By Topics: , Tags: , , PARIS -- After a year doing its Apple-centric groundwork, start-up is ready to find a wider audience for its photo sync and organization service. Today, the company announced version 1.0 of its Windows software, an out-of-the-way utility that slurps photos from people's hard drives and uploads them to company's servers. There, Everpix analyzes each photo mathematically for a variety of characteristics then synchronize the files with iPhones, iPads, and the Everpix Web site. Everpix, though, isn't really about syncing files like Dropbox or Google Drive. It's also not about online photo communities such as December 18, 2012 9:07 AM PST By Topics: Tags: , , , Leap Motion, which created an innovative gesture control technology that measures users' movements to an accuracy of a hundredth of a millimeter, is expanding its developer program and releasing a new software development kit. According to Michael Buckwald, CEO of the San Francisco startup, is giving 10,000 developers free Leap units over the next two weeks in a bid to dramatically increase the number of potential applications being designed to work with the new technology. All told, 40,000 people have applied to be part of Leap Motion's developer program, in part because the number of December 18, 2012 5:00 AM PST By Topics: , , Tags: , , ie8 fix Featured Posts Internet & Media Microsoft Crave Crave Apple Most Popular 1kFacebook Likes 1kTweets 329Google Plus Shares 124 comments 124Comments Connect With CNET CNET 100 The tech, people, trends and news that shaped 2012. ie8 fix