Apple to Add Siri to Computers This Fall

Siri, Apple's popular digital voice assistant, could be coming to MacBooks this fall.

The rumor is being fueled by news the United States Patent and Trademark Office has released a patent application for the desktop version of Siri for MacBook.

Siri first appeared and became popular in 2011 on the iPhone 4S, with the "S" standing for "Siri."

Apple is finding ways for Siri to become more a useful digital voice assistant to its wider customer base.

The recent patent called the "Intelligent Digital Assistant" describes how Siri can be useful for Mac users.

The Siri application can dwell in the dock or in the Mac background. It can be activated by either by voice or gesture.

United Way Group to Distribute School Supplies Friday

The African American Leadership Council of United Way of Anderson County will be giving out school supplies to students on Friday at the Jim Ed Rice Center located on Jefferson Ave in Anderson.

The supplies will be handed out on a first come, first serve basis beginning at 10 am and will be distributed until they are gone. For more information, contact United Way at 226-3438.

Gov. Candidate Ervin Calls for End to Personal Income Tax

Independent gubernatorial candidate Tom Ervin wants to end South Carolina's personal income tax and increase the minimum wage in the state.

Ervin's plans are mentioned in a 30-second ad he is releasing Monday to stations across the state.

Ervin says South Carolina can offset the minimum wage increase with small business tax credits. He also says the state must stand tall for the port in Charleston.

The former Republican legislator and judge has already spent $1.4 million of his own money on his bid for governor. He briefly planned to enter the Republican primary and challenge Gov. Nikki Haley before dropping out and pursuing an independent bid to win the governor's office.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2014/08/10/3611817/sc-governors-candidate-ervin-releases.html?sp=/99/132/312/169/#storylink=cpy

Graham Warns U.S. At-Risk from ISIL

Republican leaders took to the Sunday talk show circuit to criticize what they see as a weak response by the Obama administration to the crisis in Iraq, making the case that the emboldened militant group ISIL is also a threat to the United States. 

On "Fox News Sunday," Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) accused Obama of having no game plan for handling ISIL and simply attempting to avoid "a bad news story." 

"So Mr. President, you have never once spoken directly to the American people about the threat we face from being attacked from Syria, now Iraq," said Graham. "What is your strategy to stop these people from attacking the homeland? They have expressed a desire to do so."

"[Obama is] trying to avoid a bad news story on his watch," he said.

On NBC's ""Meet the Press," Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) echoed Graham's points, saying that ISIL is "more powerful now than al Qaeda was on 9/11" and that Obama is "a weak leader" for doing too little.  

"We see this coming," said King. "For the president to say we're doing airstrikes, we're not doing anything else. We're not going to use American combat troops, not going to do this, not going to do that. What kind of leadership is that? You should never let the enemy know what you're going to do."

"What a weak leader," said King. "Can you imagine Winston Churchill or Franklin Roosevelt or Harry Truman [not taking action]?"

President Obama, who once called ISIL a "jayvee team," seems to recognize that there was an initial miscalculation of ISIL's strength, but it's not clear how the administration is compensating for that misreading.

"There is no doubt that their advance, their movement over the last several months has been more rapid than the intelligence estimates and I think the expectations of policy makers both in and outside of Iraq," Obama said on Saturday. "Part of that is not a full appreciation of the full degree to which the Iraq security forces, when they are far away from Baghdad, did not have the incentive or capacity to hold ground against an aggressive adversary."

Virginia Boasts Fastest Internet; Alaska Slowest

Virginia offers the fastest internet service in the country while the residents of Alaska get the slowest internet speed. Sadly, California does not feature among the fastest internet access states. The report “State of the Internet”, published by Akamai Technologies, would come as a surprise for many. The color-coded map shows the internet speeds in all the regions.

Internet users in the northeastern states enjoy fast internet speed. Residents in Arkansas, Alaska, Kentucky and Montana browse the web at nearly half the speed provided to internet users in Virginia.

The map provided by Broadview Networks shows average internet speed of 13.7 megabytes per second in Virginia. The internet speed in Delaware, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Washington D.C is also among the fastest in the country.

California ranks at number 20 in the report with average internet speed of 10.9 Mbps. The internet users in Delaware and Massachusetts enjoy an average internet speed of 13.1 Mbps.

The “State of the Internet” report released by Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Akamai Technologies also provides information about DDos attacks, Mobile Connectivity and IPv6 adoption across the country.

In Rhode Island, 55 percent users get above 10 Mbps speed, followed by Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The internet speed for users has improved by 61 percent year-on-year in Rhode Island. Michigan has also witnessed 101% improvement in the number of users getting above 10 Mbps speed.

Lowcountry Swamp Selling Carbon Credits to California

A black water swamp in South Carolina owned by the Audubon Society is helping companies in California meet their carbon emission goals to ease global warming.

About 5,200 acres of the 17,000-acre Francis Beidler Forest, Audubon Center and Sanctuary near Harleyville have been registered with California's cap and trade program as carbon offsets in a program that also brings dollars to preserve the South Carolina landscape.

In cap and trade, the government issues permits allowing companies to emit a certain amount of greenhouse gases but giving them flexibility how they comply. They can trade emissions permits with each other and, in California, can purchase credits to offset as much as 8 percent of their emissions.

The offset credits can be purchased from registered projects that prevent greenhouse emissions. In the case of the Beidler Forest, it is land that will remain the same and the carbon stored in the trees will never enter the atmosphere through burning or a change in land use.

More than 5,500 acres at the forest about 40 miles northwest of Charleston is covered by a conservation easement, a legally binding document meaning it can never be developed. The forest has 1,800 acres of virgin cypress and tupelo black water swamp, considered the largest tract of its type in the nation.

Scientists surveyed the forest and verified the offset area contains 450,000 metric tons of carbon that have been registered as credits.

Full Story Here

Read more here: http://www.islandpacket.com/2014/08/10/3250696/audubon-forest-in-sc-sells-carbon.html#storylink=cpy

GNews: Manufacturing Still Important in Palmetto State

Economic activity in America’s manufacturing sector rose for the 13th consecutive month in June, according to the Institute for Supply Management. Manufacturing jobs were on the upswing as well, rising for the 11th straight month.

Despite the sector’s employment growth, however, manufacturing jobs appear unlikely to reach the relative share of total U.S. jobs they once held.

But count South Carolina among the 10 states where manufacturing still matters.

Those are among the findings of 24/7 Wall St., a Delaware corporation set up to run a financial news and opinion operation with content delivered over the Internet.

Using figures published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis for 2013, 24/7 Wall St. found manufacturing accounted for 17.3 percent of South Carolina’s state GDP last year.

The state was a top manufacturer of both durable and nondurable goods, with each contributing 9.8 percent and 7.5 percent to the state’s output, respectively.

Much of the state’s durable goods output came from motor vehicle and parts manufacturing, which accounted for nearly $4 billion, or about 2.2 percent, of state GDP in 2012, 24/7 Wall St. said. That was more than all but a handful of states.

Major auto industry companies in the state include Michelin and BMW. Additionally, South Carolina was among the nation’s largest plastics and rubber manufacturers, with the industry accounting for nearly $3 billion, or 1.7 percent, of state GDP in 2012, more than in any other state, 24/7 Wall St. said.

“The Southeast is a very attractive place to do business,” Chad Moutray, chief economist at the National Association of Manufacturers, told 24/7 Wall St. “Investment is really flowing into the Southeast. And I think that’s really helping to drive a lot of additional manufacturing growth and employment.”

S.C. Show Slight Dip in Uninsured

The number of uninsured South Carolina residents has dropped about 10 percent in the past year, according to a new survey.

A Gallup survey estimated the state's uninsured rate at 16.8 percent in June, down from 18.7 percent in 2013. If the estimate holds up for the rest of the year and is confirmed by government data, it would be the lowest uninsured rate in the state in many years.

"We had hovered around 20 percent for far too long," said Sue Berkowitz, director of the South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center. "It's going in the right direction but it can go a whole lot further."

The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index survey of almost 89,000 people nationally showed all 50 states with shrinking numbers of uninsured. States that expanded their Medicaid programs under the Affordable Care Act and opted to run their own online insurance marketplaces saw even bigger reductions.

President Barack Obama and advocates of the 2010 health care law say the survey is one of several showing the law has made a dent in uninsured rates.

"Millions of people have gained coverage because of the ACA, and millions more could if the remaining states did the right thing and expanded Medicaid," White House spokeswoman Kaelan Richards said.

States that have expanded Medicaid and created their own marketplaces for residents to shop for private health insurance — key pieces of the Affordable Care Act — lowered their uninsured rate by 25 percent on average, according to the Gallup survey. States that did one or neither of those things saw an average reduction of 12 percent.

South Carolina did not expand Medicaid eligibility to more lower-income adults and did not create its own online marketplace. Instead, it uses the federal government's marketplace, HealthCare.gov.

About 146,000 people in South Carolina found health insurance on HealthCare.gov during the six-month open enrollment period, according to federal data released in May.

Full Story Here

Heavy Rains Lead to Floods Across Upstate

Heavy rains have led to flooding across much of the Upstate. The flood threat remains high for Sunday.  After 5-6 inches of rain fell across parts of the Upstate Saturday evening, creeks and rivers remain high.

Forecasts say more rain is possible through the day on Sunday.

If you live near a body of water remain aware of your surroundings, and if you don’t have to be out on the roads stay at home through until daylight.

Greer, Taylors and Downtown Greenville were hit hardest Saturday evening. Rain will be possible through Tuesday until our next front dries the air back out by Wednesday.

The heavy rain caused road closures around the Upstate and prompted the American Red Cross to open 2 shelters as a precaution.  The Red Cross later closed both shelters due to the lack of demand.  Volunteers said only one individual showed up for assistance.

AU Offering Student Volunteers for Service Day Aug. 23

Anderson University is seeking agencies and churches in the Anderson area who need assistance during the massive day of service called “U-serve” when more than 600 students will fan out across the area to serve the Anderson community.

The 5th annual U-Serve Community Service Day will take place on August 23 from 8:30am-noon, provides a special opportunity for Anderson University students to roll up their sleeves and make a difference in the city of Anderson and the surrounding area.

Anderson University officials are now seeking applications from area agencies to host a group of students during this service day. The application can be completed online. Call student activities at the number below to obtain the link to that form.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Student Activities Office at 864-231-2107, or email us at studentactivities@andersonuniversity.edu.

Museum to Feature Exibit of Classic Pedal Cars Tuesday

The Anderson County Museum will feature the event "Pedal Cars with Mike Cannon," Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at the museum.
 
Cannon will present some of the most impressive vehicles in his expansive pedal car collection. For many years Cannon has been collecting  these fun and colorful cars and has quite an amazing collection to show for it. He will teach visitors and potential collectors how to distinguish between a replica pedal car and the real thing. Children can experience the most coveted toy of their grandparents' generation as part of the event. Adults will have a chance to walk down memory lane to the Christmas morning when they discovered that much desired pedal car waiting for them under the tree.

The event is free and open to the public.

Fall Forecast Calls for Cool, Wet Weather in the South

As fall 2014 takes form, no relief is in sight from the historic drought and the raging wildfires in the West.

While the West undergoes another period of heat and dryness, the Southwest, South and Texas will experience a soggy end to 2014. For the Northeast, blasts of winterlike air will arrive early this fall, serving as a reminder of last winter's brutality.

As wild weather unfolds across the nation, the tropics will also ramp up, putting the eastern coast of the United States at the highest risk for a direct impact.

Polar Vortex to Return Early in the Northeast

While the fall will kick off with days of sunshine and temperatures above normal in some of the region's largest cities, including New York City and Philadelphia, the polar vortex may make its return for short, sporadic periods in September.

"The vortex could slip at times, maybe even briefly in September for the Northeast," AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Forecaster Paul Pastelok said. "There could be a significant shot of chilly air that comes across the Great Lakes region and into the interior Northeast sometime in mid- to late-September."

As conditions in northern Canada begin to set up similar to last fall, getting colder and unsettled quickly, it is likely that this pattern could become a source for colder air to make its way down at times into the United States, inducing a drop in temperatures for the interior Northeast during mid-fall.

"Temperatures will not be as extreme in November when compared to last year, but October could be an extreme month," Pastelok said.

After short-lived days of the polar vortex in September, the weather should turn a bit warmer in November as rain ramps up across areas from New York City to Boston and Portland, Maine, as well as the rest of the region.

"We will see some dry weather in the Northeast, barring any tropical systems, in September and October but in November it will get wet," Pastelok said.

Following a soaking November for Northeastern residents, El Niño will make its debut early this winter, fueling early winter snow across the area.

"December could get kind of wild due to the very active southern jet stream that is going to provide the moisture for bigger snowstorms," Pastelok said. "The Northeast could have a couple of big storms in December and early January."

Full Story Here

S.C. Consumer Spending Up Since 2009

he federal government's newly released estimate of consumer spending in South Carolina shows residents are spending more since the Great Recession officially ended five years ago.

The figures come from a new report by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis released Thursday. The figures are not adjusted for inflation.

According to the report, per capita personal spending by South Carolina residents rose almost 9 percent between 2007 and 2012, the last year figures were available. Economists say the recession began in late 2007 and ended in mid-2009.

South Carolina's per-person spending increased by 2.5 percent between 2011 and 2012, tied for fifth-lowest increase in the country.