Mashable: Facebook Now Follows Mobile Users Everywhere

Good news for advertisers, but maybe not-so-great news for users concerned about their personal data: Starting Monday, Facebook will use data it gleans from users for its new ad network, Atlas, which it will serve up ads on non-Facebook sites based on what Facebook knows about you.

Atlas is a former Microsoft property that Facebook bought last year for around $100 millionthat Facebook has now rebuilt from the ground up. Atlas is distinct from Audience Network, a mobile ad network Facebook introduced in April that was aimed at app developers.

In contrast, Atlas is a sort of alternative to Google's AdWords, which will let advertisers follow users across the web and mobile devices. For instance, Atlas advertiser Pepsi could use Atlas to advertise one of its products on a sports site or a game app that is unaffiliated with Facebook.

In a blog post announcing the new network, Erik Johnson, head of Atlas, wrote that the network addresses a major limitation of cookies, the industry's vehicle for tracking users and serving ads on desktop.

"Cookies don’t work on mobile, are becoming less accurate in demographic targeting and can’t easily or accurately measure the customer purchase funnel across browsers and devices or into the offline world," he wrote. The blog presents Atlas as the solution since it uses "people-based marketing."

While the move might discomfit some users who are suspicious about how Facebook employs their personal data, it presents a new option for advertisers and an alternative to Google. The pitch would be even more intriguing if Twitter joins the network. Re/code reports that Facebook has talked to Twitter about such a move and "the idea remains a possibility."

Boy Scouts Clean Up Cater's Lake Rain Garden

Thanks to Boy Scout Troop 84 out of Central Presbyterian Church, the rain garden at Cater’s Lake Park is looking great and functioning properly. Rain gardens are built to collect rainwater, allowing it to slowly permeate into the ground. This prevents the stormwater runoff from flowing on the surface of the ground, picking up pollutants as it travels. By directing the water into the ground, the Cater’s Lake rain garden diverts pollutants such as goose waste, lawn clippings, and oil from going into the lake.

Troop 84, led by Senior Patrol Leader Alec Merlo, began their recent working by raking the area. Too much organic matter in a rain garden will give the soil the ability to hold water longer – and the goal is for water to be able to percolate down. Once the leaves were out, the boys rearranged river rocks to better direct water from the road to the garden. Several of the older boys worked by the water to dig sediment out of a downhill drain so that water could flow in an underground pipe. They used the sediment they dug out to reinforce an eroding pathway.

Three boys helped plant native asters and pink muhly grass, plants that are well suited for their new home in the rain garden. To finish it off, the boys spread a fresh layer of mulch for moisture control and to protect the soil from erosion. 

This project was coordinated by Rachel Herold with Anderson County Stormwater Partners, a regional consortium of Clemson Extension’s Carolina Clear program. Mandy Baker, stormwater inspector for the City of Anderson, provided additional support.

US Spent $780 Million so Far on ISIS War

The cost of the US-led war against the Islamic State (Isis) militant group has totalled at least $780m, according to a new estimate, as US drones and warplanes continued to attack Isis positions in Iraq and Syria on Monday.

The US defense secretary, Chuck Hagel, said on Friday that the US military is spending up to $10m a day and is likely to request more money from Congress to fund a war whose duration is uncertain. In August, before the US expanded strikes against Isis into Syria, the Pentagon estimated its daily war costs at $7.5m and has yet to provide a more precise estimate.

The Center on Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA), a thinktank influential with the Pentagon, estimated on Monday that the air war has already cost between $780m and $930m between 8 August, when it began, and 24 September.

Congress has not voted on going to war, outside of authorizing the military to train a proxy Syrian rebel ground force, and will not do so until after the November midterm elections at earliest.

The CSBA priced out estimates running a gamut of options proposed by politicians, retired military officers and pundits for escalating the war. What it called a “moderate level of air operations”, involving 2,000 “deployed ground forces” – a level slightly higher than the 1,600 ostensibly non-combat security and “advisory” US forces in Iraq now – would total as much as $320m each month and $3.8bn annually.

Should the US deploy a ground force of 25,000 US troops, as advocated by Iraq surge architect Frederick Kagan, annual costs would run “as high as $13bn to $22bn”. An air campaign with a higher operational tempo and a 5,000-troop deployment would cost between $350m and $570m per month and $4.2bn to $6.8bn each year.

Thanks to Boy Scout Troop 84 out of Central Presbyterian Church, the rain garden at Cater’s Lake Park in  is looking great and functioning properly. Rain gardens are built to collect rainwater, allowing it to slowly permeate into the ground. This prevents the stormwater runoff from flowing on the surface of the ground, picking up pollutants as it travels. By directing the water into the ground, the Cater’s Lake rain garden diverts pollutants such as goose waste, lawn clippings, and oil from going into the lake.

Troop 84, led by Senior Patrol Leader Alec Merlo, began their workday on Saturday, September 26, by raking the area. Too much organic matter in a rain garden will give the soil the ability to hold water longer – and the goal is for water to be able to percolate down. Once the leaves were out, the boys rearranged river rocks to better direct water from the road to the garden. Several of the older boys worked by the water to dig sediment out of a downhill drain so that water could flow in an underground pipe. They used the sediment they dug out to reinforce an eroding pathway. Three boys helped plant native asters and pink muhly grass, plants that are well suited for their new home in the rain garden. To finish it off, the boys spread a fresh layer of mulch for moisture control and to protect the soil from erosion.

This project was coordinated by Rachel Herold with Anderson County Stormwater Partners, a regional consortium of Clemson Extension’s Carolina Clear program. Mandy Baker, stormwater inspector for the City of Anderson, provided additional support.

SCDOT Says State Will Need $60 Billion for Roads

The South Carolina Department of Transportation is projecting that by the year 2040, South Carolina will need to spend another $70 billion on transportation needs — $60 billion of that on roads.

But the state's 2040 Multimodal Transportation Plan finds that, based on current revenue projections of only $28 billion during the period, the state will be about $1.5 billion short each year of meeting its highway needs.

The draft plan was released last month and was the topic of series of public meetings held around the state. The public comment period closed on Sept. 25.

Paying for new highways and maintaining existing ones has been a recurring topic this election year.

Full Story Here

Today is National Coffee Day; Free Samples in Some Locations

In celebration of Monday’s National Coffee Day, your morning cup of joe is on the house at Dunkin’ Donuts, Krispy Kreme and McDonald’s.

Choose your favorite spot or sample them all at participating locations throughout the Triangle and across the country.

Here are the details:

Dunkin’ Donuts: Score a medium cup of the chain’s new hot Dark Roast coffee on Monday. One per customer. Then, beginning Tuesday and continuing through Oct. 5, a medium cup of Dark Roast will be 99 cents.

Krispy Kreme: Get a free 12 oz. cup of coffee. Take your pick of the house blend, dark roast or decaf. Or pay $1 for a 12 oz. iced coffee, latte or mocha. And that includes the Pumpkin Spice latte.

McDonald’s: Monday is your final day to pick up a free small cup of coffee at participating McDonald’s restaurants during breakfast hours. It’s also your last chance to enter to win one of two “McCafe” prize packs I’m giving away to Centsible Saver blog readers. Each prize pack contains a $15 McDonald’s gift card and assorted other McCafe goodies. To enter, email me at adunn@newsobserver.com, telling me how you would spend your $15 gift card. Be sure to put “McCafe giveaway” in the subject line and include your name and mailing address. One entry per person. The deadline is noon Monday, Sept. 29, so hurry. I’ll pick two winners at random and announce their names on the blog.

U.S. Pounds ISIS Targets Overnight

US-led forces launched air strikes overnight on territory controlled by Islamic State (Isis) in northern and eastern Syria while the Syrian army continued bombing areas in the west, according to a group monitoring the war.

The US has been carrying out strikes in Iraq against the militant group since last month and in Syria since last week with the help of Arab allies. It aims to destroy the bases and forces of the al-Qaida offshoot that has captured large areas of both countries.

The raids hit Isis in the northern Syrian town of Manbij, said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which gathers information from sources in Syria.

Manbij sits between Aleppo city in the west and Kobani on the northern border with Turkey, which Isis has been trying to capture from Kurdish forces, forcing tens of thousands of Syrian Kurds to flee over the frontier.

Syria’s army also carried out air raids in Aleppo province overnight, targeting areas east of Aleppo city with barrel bombs and other projectiles, the Observatory said. The army also carried out air strikes in Hama in western Syria.

Forces loyal to Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, have been battling Islamist fighters around Aleppo, which is held by a number of groups in Syria’s war

In eastern Syria, US-led forces bombed a gas plant controlled by Islamic State outside Deir al-Zor city, wounding several of the militant group’s fighters, the Observatory said.

The US has said it wants strikes to target oil facilities held by Islamic State to try to stem a source of revenues for the group.

The raid hit Kuniko gas plant, which feeds a power station in Homs that provides several provinces with electricity and powers oil fields generators, the Observatory said.

US-led warplanes also hit areas of Hasaka city in the north-east and the outskirts of the Isis stronghold of Raqqa city in the north.

Postal Worker Refuses to Leave Package with Bear

A British Columbia man said a postal worker who failed to deliver a package to his porch left behind a note explaining why -- "Bear at door."

The Vancouver-area man posted a picture of the postal worker's delivery failure notice, which he said was left in his mailbox up the street, and the worker had checked the box marked "other" and written in "Bear at door."

"Ok, fair enough @canadapostcorp that's a decent reason to not drop the package off at my door," the man wrote on Twitter.

Canada Post tweeted at the man, asking for more information so it could investigate, but the man said he was perfectly satisfied with his service.

Anderson Needs Poll Workers for November

Elections officials are asking you to consider being a poll worker this November in Anderson County.

During elections workers set up machines and help voters cast ballots. A shortage of poll workers could mean longer waits at your precinct. Poll workers are paid for training and working on election day.

Vist here for more information. 

Anderson TD Club Announces Week Four Winners

Here are the Anderson Area Touchdown Club winners for Week #4...

Defensive:          Austin Beacham, Powdersville

Co-Offensive:     Austin Pruitt, Crescent

                           Kelly Bryant, Wren

Lineman:            Evan Vaughn, BHP

Coach:                Jeff Murdock, Crescent

Andersonville Island Cleaup Set for Saturday

The Conservation Awareness Association, in coordination with the Western Carolina Sailing Club, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Hartwell Project), Anderson County Environmental Services, and Conservation District Commissioner Capt. Leonardo Ortiz will be assisting T.L. Hanna High School's NJROTC cadets in their Andersonville Island litter cleanup project on Lake Hartwell on Saturday, starting at 10:00 a.m. 

The Western Carolina Sailing Club, located on Winding Way Road, is hosting the event and serving as the base of operations for the NJROTC cleanup project.  Anderson County Environmental Services will be supplying a dumpster and trash bags, and will be providing assistance in project coordination.   CAA members will be registering the participants immediately prior to the project starting.  Dan Merritt, president of CAA and a WCSC member, will be in charge of the support operations.  USN LCMD Smith will be in charge of the NJROTC cadets' project.  Conservation district commissioner Captain Ortiz will be overseeing and assisting in the project.

For more information, contact Captain Leonardo Ortiz at (864) 202-8634

Can Obama Get Holder Replacement Confirmed?

Confirming a new attorney general to replace Eric Holder is certain to prompt a heated political debate during a robust post-election lame-duck session of Congress – one made especially more divisive if Democrats lose the Senate’s majority.

While President Obama is not expected to name his new choice at a press conference Thursday afternoon, top names from the legal and political world already swirled as possible nominees.

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, a Democrat who had been considered by Obama earlier for the job, was headed to DC on Thursday, but he quickly said that while the position is important, “it's not one for me right now."

Some observers believe the White House will opt for a more subdued choice, one who would have an easier path in the Senate, such as the administration’s Solicitor General Don Verrilli Jr., or the No. 2 official at the Justice Department, James Cole.

A historic choice would be Preet Bharara, the high-profile U.S. attorney in New York City, as the first Asian American to the job, or as one Democrat suggested, California’s Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris, the first African American woman.

Janet Napolitano, the former Homeland Security secretary who now leads the University of California system, has long expressed a desire to run the Justice Department. Another suggestion was Mary Jo White, the current head at the Securities and Exchange Commission and a former U.S. attorney in New York.

One point is certain: The eventual nominee will face a potentially spirited confirmation battle. Republicans had long fumed over Holder’s handling of the Justice Department and they will be certain to hold the next top law enforcement official responsible.

“The relationship has been pretty scarred over the last six years,” said a Republican aide in the Senate, unauthorized to discuss the situation publicly. "I think they’ll look at it pretty closely.”

Complicating the confirmation will be the political dynamics in the post-election lame-duck session of Congress that is scheduled to begin Nov. 12.

If Republicans take the majority in the Senate, Democrats will be poised to swiftly approve the new attorney general as well as dozens of Obama’s picks for judges and administrative posts in the final weeks of the year before relinquishing control of the chamber in January.

Full Story Here

Florence Woman Settles Graduation Cheering Lawuit

A Florence County woman arrested after cheering at her daughter’s graduation despite a plea for decorum has settled a lawsuit against the school district.

The Morning News of Florence reported Wednesday (http://bit.ly/1vaQol5 ) that Shannon Goodman’s attorney Lee Herron says details of the settlement are confidential.

In 2012, Goodman was arrested for disorderly conduct during the South Florence High School graduation at the Florence Civic Center.

Police said she cheered loudly as her daughter got her diploma, even though school officials had told those present that anyone who cheered or screamed would be escorted from the building.

Goodman was acquitted of the criminal charge after a jury trial. She filed the lawsuit saying she was publicly humiliated by the arrest. Neither District 1 officials nor their attorneys had a comment.