An ocean exploration team led by Swedish researcher Peter Lindberg has found what some are suggesting is a crashed flying saucer. Lindberg's team, which has had success in the past recovering sunken ships and cargo, was using sonar to look for the century-old wreck of a ship that went down carrying several cases of a super-rare champagne. Instead, the team discovered what it claims is a mysterious round object that might (or might not) be extraterrestrial.
Lindberg explained to local media that his crew discovered, on the 300-foot-deep ocean floor between Finland and Sweden, "a large circle, about 60 feet in diameter. You see a lot of weird stuff in this job, but during my 18 years as a professional I have never seen anything like this. The shape is completely round."
Adding to the mystery at the bottom of the Gulf of Bothnia, Lindberg said he saw evidence of scars or marks disturbing the environment nearby, suggesting the object somehow moved across the ocean floor to where his team found it.
It's not clear what to make of this report, or the video of the sonar scan that shows the object, but Swedish tabloids and Internet UFO buffs have had a field day. Some suggest the object is a flying saucer of extraterrestrial origin (and the seafloor scars were dug up when it crashed), though of all the things that might create a round sonar signature, that seems to be among the more outlandish. [10 Alien Encounters Debunked]
It might be a natural feature formation, or possibly a sunken, round man-made object.
Lindberg's claim that the object "is perfectly round" may or may not be accurate; while it looks round from the information so far, the resolution of the sonar image was not high enough to verify that it is indeed round. And while the lines that appear to be leading to (or from) the feature may suggest some sort of movement, it's also possible they have nothing to do with the object. [UFO Battles Captured on Video? Not Likely]
Lindberg himself did not offer an extraterrestrial origin, though he did speculate it might be a "new Stonehenge."
This is not the first time a sunken object has been presented as the solution to a mystery. Take, for example, the famous underwater mystery of the "Bimini Road," a rock formation in the Caribbean near the Bahamas that resembles a road or wall. Many New Agers and conspiracy theorists claimed the rocks are too perfectly shaped to be natural, and either were made by an unknown civilization or are possibly a relic from the lost city of Atlantis.
In fact, geologists have identified the blocks as unusually shaped, but perfectly natural, weathered beach rock.
It's also worth noting that UFOs may not be saucer-shaped. The famous "flying saucer" description of the first UFOhas since been revealed as a reporting error.
Lindberg said his team has neither the interest nor the resources to further investigate the anomaly. Deep ocean research is time-consuming and expensive. If the object were indeed a flying saucer, recovering it could potentially be worth millions or billions of dollars. If it's a natural formation, on the other hand, it would probably be a waste of time and money.
It's not clear what to make of this report, or the video of the sonar scan that shows the object, but Swedish tabloids and Internet UFO buffs have had a field day. Some suggest the object is a flying saucer of extraterrestrial origin (and the seafloor scars were dug up when it crashed), though of all the things that might create a round sonar signature, that seems to be among the more outlandish. [10 Alien Encounters Debunked]
It might be a natural feature formation, or possibly a sunken, round man-made object.
Lindberg's claim that the object "is perfectly round" may or may not be accurate; while it looks round from the information so far, the resolution of the sonar image was not high enough to verify that it is indeed round. And while the lines that appear to be leading to (or from) the feature may suggest some sort of movement, it's also possible they have nothing to do with the object. [UFO Battles Captured on Video? Not Likely]
Lindberg himself did not offer an extraterrestrial origin, though he did speculate it might be a "new Stonehenge."
This is not the first time a sunken object has been presented as the solution to a mystery. Take, for example, the famous underwater mystery of the "Bimini Road," a rock formation in the Caribbean near the Bahamas that resembles a road or wall. Many New Agers and conspiracy theorists claimed the rocks are too perfectly shaped to be natural, and either were made by an unknown civilization or are possibly a relic from the lost city of Atlantis.
In fact, geologists have identified the blocks as unusually shaped, but perfectly natural, weathered beach rock.
It's also worth noting that UFOs may not be saucer-shaped. The famous "flying saucer" description of the first UFOhas since been revealed as a reporting error.
Lindberg said his team has neither the interest nor the resources to further investigate the anomaly. Deep ocean research is time-consuming and expensive. If the object were indeed a flying saucer, recovering it could potentially be worth millions or billions of dollars. If it's a natural formation, on the other hand, it would probably be a waste of time and money.
by Benjamin Radford taken from http://www.space.com/12475-ufo-ocean-floor.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+spaceheadlines+%28SPACE.com+Headline+Feed%29&utm_content=My+Yahoo
Monday, 1 August 2011
Brain waves can cut braking distances
Tapping into drivers' brain signals can cut braking distances and avoid car crashes, according to scientists.
Researchers at the Berlin Institute for Technology attached electrodes to the scalps of volunteers inside a driving simulator. The system detected the intention to brake, and cut more than 3m (10ft) off stopping distances, the team report in the Journal of Neural Engineering.
The team's next aim is to check the system in a series of road tests.
The 18 volunteers were asked to keep 20m (66ft) behind the simulated car in front, which braked sharply at random intervals.
Scientists used a technique called electroencephalograhy (EEG) to analyse the drivers' brain signals.
The system was able to pinpoint the intention to brake 13 hundredths of a second before the driver applied pressure to the brakes.
The team reported that at a speed of 100km/h (65m/h) the braking distance was reduced by 3.66 meters (12 feet).
Computer scientist Stefan Haufe told BBC News: "We know that any intention is generated in the brain. So it's no wonder that such things are visible in the brain.
"We were surprised it is so predictive. That is the thing!"
Lead investigator Benjamin Blankertz added: "It's quite easily explained by the fact that we can tap the driver's intention at the source of the build up of intention in the brain.
"It's a longer process, from the very first upcoming cognitive processes and intention building, until finally the muscles start the movement."
The volunteers also had the muscle tension in their lower legs analysed to detect the first signs of leg motion before they released the accelerator and pushed the brake pedal.
This data enabled the scientists to analyse the EEG information to determine which parts of the brain are key to braking. They improved the detection system accordingly.
'Point of no return' The Institute of Physics says this is the first time that EEG has been used to assist in braking.
The technique is, however, already used to help paralysed people control computers, prosthetic limbs and wheelchairs.
The researchers are planning to conduct road trials of their system to test its viability out of the lab.
But Benjamin Blankertz stressed that he suspects there may be some way to go before EEG can be used as a safety aid in real driving situations, not least because it requires the driver to wear a plastic cap with 64 electrodes covered in conductive gel.
The technology uses an EEG cap and 64 electrodes The paper also mentions that wearers of EEG caps have to keep fairly still which is not always possible while driving, particularly when executing an emergency stop.
Dr Blankertz also said more work needs to be done on avoiding false alarms - to avoid the possibility that the machine could misread a drivers' brain signals and brake unnecessarily.
He said: "We need to investigate intention-building and decision-taking and self-initiated movement.
"Some recent research suggests that the outcome of free choices can be predicted from brain activity before the experimental subject is consciously aware of their intention.
"A technology that would make possible real time prediction of future decisions could be used to investigate how this relates to the so-called point of no return.
The team ultimately hopes to work with the automotive industry to combine their EEG technique with radar and laser systems that are used in some commercially available crash-avoidance systems, which detect obstacles such as walls, traffic signals and other vehicles.
Woman aims to make longest bra chain
An Australia woman said she wants to create the world's longest chain of bras to raise awareness of breast cancer and the need for research funding.
Leanne Martel, of Wyandra and the mother-of-two leading the effort, said she wants to beat the world record of 166,625 bras, set in Bundaberg, Australia and raise at least $1,600 each for the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Chicks in Pink and Think Pink, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported Friday.
"It would be a good record to beat in such a small community," Martel said. "Everyone is just getting behind me now which is really good."
She said donated bras have been arriving from all over the country.
"I've got bras coming from the Gold Coast, Brisbane ... everyone is supporting this cause," she said. "Travelers that are going through at the moment are just stopping and they'll put a bra on the fence."
Leanne Martel, of Wyandra and the mother-of-two leading the effort, said she wants to beat the world record of 166,625 bras, set in Bundaberg, Australia and raise at least $1,600 each for the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Chicks in Pink and Think Pink, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported Friday.
"It would be a good record to beat in such a small community," Martel said. "Everyone is just getting behind me now which is really good."
She said donated bras have been arriving from all over the country.
"I've got bras coming from the Gold Coast, Brisbane ... everyone is supporting this cause," she said. "Travelers that are going through at the moment are just stopping and they'll put a bra on the fence."
'Strange smell' forces US plane to land in Cuba
A United Airlines jetliner carrying 135 passengers from Washington to a Mexican beach resort made an unplanned landing in Cuba on Sunday after a strange odour was detected on board.
United Airlines Flight 831 left Dulles airport in the morning and was bound for Cancun but instead diverted to Havana around noon after "the crew noticed an unfamiliar smell in the cabin," airline spokesman Charles Hobart said in a statement.
"In an abundance of caution, the pilots decided to land the aircraft at the nearest available airport," he said. "The plane landed routinely and safely in Havana and we are working to re-accommodate our customers."
Gloria Berbena, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Interests Section, which Washington maintains in Havana instead of an embassy since the two nations do not have full diplomatic relations, said a second plane arrived from the United States later on Sunday and flew out with the passengers.
Berbena did not know whether they continued to Cancun or returned to the United States, or whether the original aircraft was still in Cuba. U.S. diplomats on the island were in close contact with their Cuban counterparts on the matter, she said.
Cuban airport and government officials had no immediate comment.
"We have nothing to inform," said an operator who answered the phone at the airport.
No United aircraft could be seen on Sunday evening from roads around the airport.
Although the United States and Cuba are bitter Cold War foes, Cuba has a tradition of hospitality and is a signatory to international aviation accords.
On the day of the 9/11 attacks in New York and Washington, Havana offered to let the United States use its landing fields because U.S. airports were in a state of chaos. Washington did not take Cuba up on the offer.
There are frequent charter flights back and forth between the two countries and a terminal in Havana is dedicated to receiving planes from the United States
taken from http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/strange-smell-forces-us-plane-to-land-in-cuba-123414
United Airlines Flight 831 left Dulles airport in the morning and was bound for Cancun but instead diverted to Havana around noon after "the crew noticed an unfamiliar smell in the cabin," airline spokesman Charles Hobart said in a statement.
"In an abundance of caution, the pilots decided to land the aircraft at the nearest available airport," he said. "The plane landed routinely and safely in Havana and we are working to re-accommodate our customers."
Gloria Berbena, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Interests Section, which Washington maintains in Havana instead of an embassy since the two nations do not have full diplomatic relations, said a second plane arrived from the United States later on Sunday and flew out with the passengers.
Berbena did not know whether they continued to Cancun or returned to the United States, or whether the original aircraft was still in Cuba. U.S. diplomats on the island were in close contact with their Cuban counterparts on the matter, she said.
Cuban airport and government officials had no immediate comment.
"We have nothing to inform," said an operator who answered the phone at the airport.
No United aircraft could be seen on Sunday evening from roads around the airport.
Although the United States and Cuba are bitter Cold War foes, Cuba has a tradition of hospitality and is a signatory to international aviation accords.
On the day of the 9/11 attacks in New York and Washington, Havana offered to let the United States use its landing fields because U.S. airports were in a state of chaos. Washington did not take Cuba up on the offer.
There are frequent charter flights back and forth between the two countries and a terminal in Havana is dedicated to receiving planes from the United States
taken from http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/strange-smell-forces-us-plane-to-land-in-cuba-123414
MPs set to quiz James Murdoch again
The culture, media and sport select committee will write to Mr Murdoch, chairman of News International, and three of his former employees to ask about previous evidence they gave regarding hacking.
That trio – Colin Myler, Tom Crone and Jon Chapman – have all made recent statements questioning Mr Murdoch’s insistence that he was unaware of any claims that the practice was carried out by more than one solo reporter.
Tom Watson, the Labour backbencher who sits on the committee, had wanted to recall Mr Murdoch immediately. But the MPs agreed to send further letters to the individuals asking for more detailed answers.
“If they do dispute some of the evidence that James Murdoch has given to us then I think it’s very possible we may wish to call James Murdoch back to address that particular point,” said John Whittingdale, chairman of the committee.
The PCC was castigated for accepting a claim by News International, parent of the News of the World, that only one reporter was responsible for phone hacking despite reports in The Guardian in 2009 that it was far more widespread.
A PCC report in November 2009, four months after the scandal was revealed, cleared the Sunday tabloid while reprimanding The Guardian for its reporting. As the true scale of events unfolded, showing that thousands of people may have been targeted by many journalists, MPs called the report a whitewash.
Meanwhile Louise Mensch, a Tory member of the DCMS committee, apologised to Piers Morgan after using parliamentary privilege to link the former editor of the Mirror and News of the World to the scandal.
In a letter to John Whittingdale, the chairman of the Commons culture select committee, Ms Mensch admitted that she had made an error on July 19 by saying that Mr Morgan had been “open about personally hacking phones” in his memoirs.
It emerged on Thursday that the phone number of Sara Payne, mother of murdered schoolgirl Sarah Payne – who was befriended by the News of the World – was among the documents of Glenn Mulcaire, the private investigator.
Mr Mulcaire’s lawyers on Friday issued a statement saying he “acted on the instructions of others”, adding “any suggestion that he acted in such matters unilaterally is untrue”.
By Jim Pickard and Ben Fenton taken from http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b02d2564-ba06-11e0-b7a9-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1TmFtdL5e
That trio – Colin Myler, Tom Crone and Jon Chapman – have all made recent statements questioning Mr Murdoch’s insistence that he was unaware of any claims that the practice was carried out by more than one solo reporter.
Tom Watson, the Labour backbencher who sits on the committee, had wanted to recall Mr Murdoch immediately. But the MPs agreed to send further letters to the individuals asking for more detailed answers.
“If they do dispute some of the evidence that James Murdoch has given to us then I think it’s very possible we may wish to call James Murdoch back to address that particular point,” said John Whittingdale, chairman of the committee.
Mirror and Sun fined for contempt
The Daily Mirror has been fined £50,000 and the Sun £18,000 after the newspapers were found guilty of contempt of court for articles relating to the death of Jo Yeates, the Bristol landscape architect, writes Jane Croft.
High Court judges ruled that the articles had “created substantial risks to the course of justice”.
Ms Yeates disappeared last December and her body was discovered on Christmas day. The coverage in the Sun and Mirror concentrated on her landlord Christopher Jefferies who was under arrest at the time.
Mr Jefferies was later released without charge. The judges noted: “As a matter of fact and reality he is innocent. He is not facing trial, and he will never face trial.”
Vincent Tabak, a neighbour, has since pleaded guilty to Ms Yeates’ manslaughter but has denied murder on the basis of diminished responsibility.
Meanwhile it emerged that Baroness Buscombe is to step down as chairman of the Press Complaints Commission, a role in which she has been heavily criticised for failing to deal with the scandal. The Daily Mirror has been fined £50,000 and the Sun £18,000 after the newspapers were found guilty of contempt of court for articles relating to the death of Jo Yeates, the Bristol landscape architect, writes Jane Croft.
High Court judges ruled that the articles had “created substantial risks to the course of justice”.
Ms Yeates disappeared last December and her body was discovered on Christmas day. The coverage in the Sun and Mirror concentrated on her landlord Christopher Jefferies who was under arrest at the time.
Mr Jefferies was later released without charge. The judges noted: “As a matter of fact and reality he is innocent. He is not facing trial, and he will never face trial.”
Vincent Tabak, a neighbour, has since pleaded guilty to Ms Yeates’ manslaughter but has denied murder on the basis of diminished responsibility.
The PCC was castigated for accepting a claim by News International, parent of the News of the World, that only one reporter was responsible for phone hacking despite reports in The Guardian in 2009 that it was far more widespread.
A PCC report in November 2009, four months after the scandal was revealed, cleared the Sunday tabloid while reprimanding The Guardian for its reporting. As the true scale of events unfolded, showing that thousands of people may have been targeted by many journalists, MPs called the report a whitewash.
Meanwhile Louise Mensch, a Tory member of the DCMS committee, apologised to Piers Morgan after using parliamentary privilege to link the former editor of the Mirror and News of the World to the scandal.
In a letter to John Whittingdale, the chairman of the Commons culture select committee, Ms Mensch admitted that she had made an error on July 19 by saying that Mr Morgan had been “open about personally hacking phones” in his memoirs.
It emerged on Thursday that the phone number of Sara Payne, mother of murdered schoolgirl Sarah Payne – who was befriended by the News of the World – was among the documents of Glenn Mulcaire, the private investigator.
Mr Mulcaire’s lawyers on Friday issued a statement saying he “acted on the instructions of others”, adding “any suggestion that he acted in such matters unilaterally is untrue”.
By Jim Pickard and Ben Fenton taken from http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b02d2564-ba06-11e0-b7a9-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1TmFtdL5e
Moody's: Neither debt plan protects USA's AAA rating
The "limited magnitude" of both debt plans put forward by congressional leaders would not put the nation's AAA credit rating back on solid footing, Moody's Investors Service announced Friday.
"Reductions of the magnitude now being proposed, if adopted, would likely lead Moody's to adopt a negative outlook on the AAA rating," the credit rating agency said in a new report. "The chances of a significant improvement in the long-term credit profile of the government coming from deficit reductions of the magnitude proposed in either plan are not high."
It added that "prolonged debt ceiling deliberations" have increased the odds of a downgrade, but that the firm is still confident policymakers will avoid a default.
"It remains our expectation that the government will continue with timely debt service," the firm said.
It also clarified that as far as it is concerned, the nation will only default if it misses an interest or principal payment on U.S. debt, not if it misses payments on other obligations like federal employee salaries or Social Security benefits.
The report also gives credence to a claim popular among Republicans: that the government has enough cash to avoid a default even past the Aug. 2 deadline set by the Treasury Department.
"If the debt limit is not raised before August 2, we believe that the Treasury would give priority to debt service payments and could thus postpone a potential debt default for a number of days," it said. "Revenues would be more than adequate for some period of time to meet those payments, although other outlays would be severely reduced as a result."
Moody's previously put the nation's top credit rating on watch for a downgrade on July 13, as lawmakers continue to fight over a deal to raise the debt limit.
While Moody's is confident it will not have to downgrade the nation's rating because of a default, it maintained that long-term debt and deficit problems will continue to weigh on the AAA mark.
As Republicans and the White House fight over the length of a debt limit increase, Moody's said it would not reaffirm the nation's AAA rating unless there is at least a six-month boost to the debt limit.
However, if the nation were to default for a short period of time, Moody's said it would knock its credit rating down to AA, under the assumption that the default would be quickly rectified and investor losses would be minimized. However, in the "extremely unlikely" situation that investors do lose on Treasury investments, a lower rating could be given.
"Reductions of the magnitude now being proposed, if adopted, would likely lead Moody's to adopt a negative outlook on the AAA rating," the credit rating agency said in a new report. "The chances of a significant improvement in the long-term credit profile of the government coming from deficit reductions of the magnitude proposed in either plan are not high."
It added that "prolonged debt ceiling deliberations" have increased the odds of a downgrade, but that the firm is still confident policymakers will avoid a default.
"It remains our expectation that the government will continue with timely debt service," the firm said.
It also clarified that as far as it is concerned, the nation will only default if it misses an interest or principal payment on U.S. debt, not if it misses payments on other obligations like federal employee salaries or Social Security benefits.
The report also gives credence to a claim popular among Republicans: that the government has enough cash to avoid a default even past the Aug. 2 deadline set by the Treasury Department.
"If the debt limit is not raised before August 2, we believe that the Treasury would give priority to debt service payments and could thus postpone a potential debt default for a number of days," it said. "Revenues would be more than adequate for some period of time to meet those payments, although other outlays would be severely reduced as a result."
Moody's previously put the nation's top credit rating on watch for a downgrade on July 13, as lawmakers continue to fight over a deal to raise the debt limit.
While Moody's is confident it will not have to downgrade the nation's rating because of a default, it maintained that long-term debt and deficit problems will continue to weigh on the AAA mark.
As Republicans and the White House fight over the length of a debt limit increase, Moody's said it would not reaffirm the nation's AAA rating unless there is at least a six-month boost to the debt limit.
However, if the nation were to default for a short period of time, Moody's said it would knock its credit rating down to AA, under the assumption that the default would be quickly rectified and investor losses would be minimized. However, in the "extremely unlikely" situation that investors do lose on Treasury investments, a lower rating could be given.
Congress moving quickly on debt and spending deal
Congress is moving quickly on an agreement to avert a potentially devastating default on U.S. obligations, with legislation that mixes a record increase in the government's borrowing cap with the promise of more than $2 trillion in spending cuts.
After a tense weekend of bargaining, President Barack Obama and congressional leaders announced the agreement Sunday night, providing an instant boost to Asian financial markets and a huge dose of relief to an administration and Congress frazzled by months of partisan warfare and the chance that a default could send the still-fragile economy into recession.
The Senate seems likely to vote first on the measure while House GOP leaders work to assemble support for it. Democratic votes are certain to be needed to pass the measure in the Republican-dominated House, just as Republicans will be needed to clear the measure through the Democratic Senate. Liberal Democrats were already carping that Obama had given away too much to GOP leaders.
"Now, is this the deal I would have preferred? No," Obama said. "But this compromise does make a serious down payment on the deficit reduction we need, and gives each party a strong incentive to get a balanced plan done before the end of the year."
The still-unreleased legislation would slice more than $2 trillion from federal spending over a decade and permit the nation's $14.3 trillion borrowing cap to rise by up to $2.4 trillion, enough to keep the government afloat through the 2012 elections - a key objective for Obama, whose poll numbers have sagged as the summertime crisis dragged on.
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, telephoned Obama at mid-evening to say the agreement had been struck, then immediately began pitching the deal to his fractious rank and file.
"It isn't the greatest deal in the world, but it shows how much we've changed the terms of the debate in this town," he said on a conference call, according to GOP officials. He added the agreement was "all spending cuts. The White House bid to raise taxes has been shut down."
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was publicly noncommittal. "I look forward to reviewing the legislation with my caucus to see what level of support we can provide," Pelosi said in a written statement. But Democratic officials said she was unlikely to do anything to try to scuttle the package.
Passage seemed likely if not wholly assured. Support from Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., should guarantee Senate approval, but the House could prove more difficult because of defections from left and right alike.
"This deal trades people's livelihoods for the votes of a few unappeasable right-wing radicals, and I will not support it," said Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz.
Tea party favorite and presidential candidate Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., countered that the deal "spends too much and doesn't cut enough. ... Someone has to say no. I will."
The government presently borrows more than 40 cents of every dollar it spends, and without an infusion of borrowing authority, the government would face an unprecedented default on U.S. loans and obligations - like $23 billion worth of Social Security pension payments to retirees due Aug. 3.
The increased borrowing authority includes $400 billion that would take effect immediately and $500 billion that Obama could order unless specifically denied by Congress. That $900 billion increase in the debt cap would be matched by savings produced over the coming decade by capping spending on day-to-day agency budgets passed by Congress each year.
A special bipartisan committee would be established to find another $1.5 trillion in further spending cuts, probably taken from benefit programs like farm subsidies, Medicare and the Medicaid health care program for the poor and disabled. Republicans dismissed the idea that the panel would approve tax increases.
Any agreement by the panel would be voted on by both House and Senate - and if the panel deadlocked, automatic spending cuts would slash across much of the federal budget. Social Security, Medicaid and food stamps would be exempt from the automatic cuts, but payments to doctors, nursing homes and other Medicare providers could be trimmed, as could subsidies to insurance companies that offer an alternative to government-run Medicare.
The pact was sealed during a weekend of talks in which GOP leaders Boehner and McConnell dealt directly with the White House, especially Vice President Joe Biden. The final battle was fought over Pentagon spending cuts, with Democrats emerging with a face-saving victory for $350 billion in defense spending curbs.
But Republicans set the parameters of the debate, with Boehner successfully winning spending cuts equaling the amount of the debt increase - though the cuts phase in over time and future Congresses will have ample temptation to find ways around stringent spending caps called for in the pact.
Obama said such appropriated accounts would be left with the lowest levels of spending as a percentage of the overall economy in more than a half-century.
The measure capped a long saga: first, meetings in a Biden-led group that fell apart over revenues; then, efforts by Obama and Boehner to forge a so-called grand bargain, cutting the deficit by $4 trillion or more over a decade, including new revenues agreed to by Boehner.
In the end, the deal was a split-the-differences compromise, with plenty for both sides to dislike. House GOP defense hawks came out on the losing end. So too did Democratic liberals seeking tax increases.
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