Amid Gun Debate, Giffords Returns to Capitol to Honor Staff Member

Stephen Crowley/The New York Times Former Representative Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly, met with Senators Pat Toomey, Republican of Pennsylvania, and Joe Manchin III, Democrat of West Virginia, sponsors of a background check amendment to gun safety legislation, on Capitol Hill Tuesday.

As the Senate prepares to start voting on gun safety measures this week, one of Congress’s most visible symbols of gun violence appeared in the Capitol on Tuesday to help rally support for her cause.

Gabrielle Giffords, the former Arizona congresswoman who was shot in the head at a constituent event in Tucson, came for a series of meetings with senators to lobby for stricter gun laws and to attend a dedication ceremony to honor one of her staff members, Gabriel Zimmerman, who was killed in the 2011 shooting.

The timing of the ceremony was coincidental. But the event nonetheless was a powerful reminder of how personal the issue of gun control is for some, and how deeply it divides people.

The House speaker, John A. Boehner, an opponent of legislation to tighten gun restrictions, led the event honoring Mr. Zimmerman. He broke down in tears as he told the crowd of several hundred who gathered in the newly christened Gabriel Zimmerman Meeting Room, “It is a stirring tribute and, I think, a fitting one too.”

But he made no mention of the gun debate that has split his colleagues.

Mark E. Kelly, who is Ms. Giffords’s husband and has become a leading gun control advocate, was not so circumspect. “Gabby and I have obviously gotten very involved in the current discussion about whether everyone should have a background check before buying a firearm,” he said.

“In the realm of that discussion,” he continued, “some people say that a good guy with a gun can stop a bad guy with a gun. I always remind people that there was a good guy with a gun at the Safeway that morning. But in the chaotic 15 seconds that unfolded where 33 rounds were shot, he didn’t have any time to react.”

Ms. Giffords, who still struggles to speak because of her injuries, made some short comments. Mr. Kelly, who explained to the crowd how his wife had asked him to speak for her, said that some days were easier than others.

Ms. Giffords, smiling, chimed in, “Good ones, bad ones.”

TouchRetouch Erases Photo Flubs

Why do we spot problems in a photo when it’s too late, as in “I don’t recall seeing that trash can in the park flower bed.” The TouchRetouch app for Apple and Android products lets you remove that trash can - or a facial blemish, or telephone pole â€" that has ruined your composition.

Certainly there are other touch-up apps, and even some more powerful ones, but TouchRetouch is a winning combination of inexpensive and easy, and it does a respectable job.

The app, which is 99 cents for full versions (there is a free Android version with ads and fewer tools), removes unwanted elements in much the same way as Photoshop does, using a brush, eraser, clone tool or lasso. Don’t worry if those words are foreign to you, the app has two videos that explain what the tools are and how to use them.

Basically, you start by picking one of the tools and using your finger on the touch screen to draw over the unwanted element. A great feature of this app is that when you are drawing, a small window appears to show you what is being obscured by your finger.

Once highlighted, hit a button and the program tries to remove the offending trash can (or whatever) and fill in with the proper background.

In use, the app did an uneven job, sometimes making an amazing adjustment, and other times making a smudgy mess. This is a problem faced by even with the most sophisticated photo editing software, but with TouchRetouch, because you are drawing with an imprecise finger, the problems are a little more apparent.

One small gripe: You have to buy different versions for the iPhone and iPad, requiring two purchases, while for Android there is only one.

Q&A: Printing Windows 7 Contacts

Q.

I am using Windows 7. Is there a way to print out a hard copy of my Contacts list

A.

Printing your Windows Contacts list to create a paper backup copy is certainly possible. One method is to go to the Start menu to All Programs and select Windows Contacts. You can also just type “contacts” (without the quotation marks) into the Search box at the bottom of the Start menu and press the Enter key. Open Contacts and you should see icons or a list of all the names in your Contacts file.

If you just want to print certain contacts, select the names you want to use and click Print in the window’s toolbar. If you do not see the Print option, make sure the Contacts window is open to its full width. To print all the contacts, press Ctrl+A on the keyboard to select all the names; after you click the Print command in the toolbar, you can also choose All Contacts in the “Print range” area of the box to grab them all.

In the “Print Style” area of the Print dialog box, you can select one of three designs for your hard-copy list: Memo, Business Card and Phone List. The three print styles take up varying amounts of paper, from Memo (which includes the most information from the contact file) to Phone List (which displays just telephone numbers). You may want to try out all the formats on a sample contact to see which one you like best.

The Early Word: Unveiled

In Today’s Times

• The immigration legislation that is expected to be unveiled Tuesday is likely to ignite a battle between those who want citizenship for the nation’s illegal immigrants and those who view such an approach as amnesty, Ashley Parker reports. The biggest test will come for Republicans who support the bill but will have to convince their skeptical colleagues that the legislation is not a reward for people who broke the law.

• Lawmakers are considering changes to their plan to expand background checks for gun buyers as they continue to struggle for support, Jennifer Steinhauer reports.

•  Over the weekend his first grandchild, a girl, was born, and next week his presidential library and museum will be dedicated. Former President George W. Bush is having a good couple of weeks, Peter Baker writes.

 Happenings in Washington

• President Obama and Sheik Muhammad bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, will have a working lunch in the private dining room of the White House.

• Later, Mr. Obama will greet Brad Keselowski to honor his Nascar Sprint Cup Series championship.

The Early Word: Unveiled

In Today’s Times

• The immigration legislation that is expected to be unveiled Tuesday is likely to ignite a battle between those who want citizenship for the nation’s illegal immigrants and those who view such an approach as amnesty, Ashley Parker reports. The biggest test will come for Republicans who support the bill but will have to convince their skeptical colleagues that the legislation is not a reward for people who broke the law.

• Lawmakers are considering changes to their plan to expand background checks for gun buyers as they continue to struggle for support, Jennifer Steinhauer reports.

•  Over the weekend his first grandchild, a girl, was born, and next week his presidential library and museum will be dedicated. Former President George W. Bush is having a good couple of weeks, Peter Baker writes.

 Happenings in Washington

• President Obama and Sheik Muhammad bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, will have a working lunch in the private dining room of the White House.

• Later, Mr. Obama will greet Brad Keselowski to honor his Nascar Sprint Cup Series championship.