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Saturday, December 31, 2011
BumpWatch: Jessica Simpson?s Lunch Break
A beaming Jessica Simpson takes fianc? Eric Johnson -- and her baby bump! -- to lunch Tuesday in Brentwood, Calif.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Miami Returning $83,000 In Shapiro Donations
CORAL GABLES, Fla. ? The University of Miami is giving back $83,000 it says it received "directly and indirectly" from Nevin Shapiro, the former Hurricanes booster and convicted Ponzi scheme architect whose claims of giving athletes and recruits extra benefits for nearly a decade sparked an NCAA investigation.
Court records show the agreement between the school and bankruptcy trustee Joel Tabas was filed last week. Once the agreement becomes finalized, Miami would have 14 days to make payment to Tabas, who is overseeing the effort to recoup money that Shapiro's investors lost.
"The agreement was the result of a lengthy negotiation process and brings closure to the University's obligations in the bankruptcy case," Miami's general counsel office said in a statement, and Tabas affirmed that to be the case in an e-mail to The Associated Press.
The NCAA said in August that eight players would be suspended for either one, four or six games ? most got only one-game bans ? and that they and four others would have to pay back what they received from Shapiro, who claimed to give extra benefits to 72 players and football recruits during his time as a booster, along with contributions to the university's athletic department.
As a condition of the agreement, once it becomes final, the trustee "releases the University and the Athletes from any and all claims, counterclaims ... whether liability be direct or indirect." In short, that means the value of the gifts past and present players received from Shapiro will likely not be pursued by the trustee.
"This amount includes payment of $3,000 in penalties levied by the NCAA on 11 current student-athletes who received improper benefits from Mr. Shapiro," the university's statement said.
Shapiro said he gave athletes money, cars, yacht rides and other benefits from 2002 through 2010. He is serving a 20-year prison term for overseeing a $930 million Ponzi scheme, and involuntary bankruptcy proceedings to recover at least some of the money his investors lost were initiated in 2009. When he was sentenced, federal officials said his grocery-distribution scam led to investor losses of at least $80 million.
The NCAA is expected to levy sanctions against Miami when its inquiry into the school's compliance practices concludes. Miami's football team did not make itself eligible for selection to a bowl game this season, a self-imposed penalty related to the NCAA investigation.
Previous court records show that Miami agreed in July 2010 ? more than a year before the full extent of Shapiro's claims were unveiled in a Yahoo Sports reports ? to repay $130,307 from debtors also involved in the bankruptcy proceedings.
According to the latest court documents, Tabas found "additional potential claims against the University and certain University prior and current athletes" after that settlement. The documents also show that the school and the trustee had some dispute about the new claims, but adds that the school believes resolving the matter is "in the best interests of all parties."
There is no known timetable for the completion of the NCAA inquiry.
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Chinese Stocks Under Attack By Short-Sellers And Management Alike
Small-cap Chinese companies continue to leave a sour taste in the mouth of investors as uncertainty remains rampant over the validity of their financials and auditing practices. As the reverse merger scandal placed into question the sector as a whole, money has flowed out of these small-cap companies at a rapid pace. Not only has this hurt equity holders, but has deterred others from venturing further. It's also made it possible for a few otherwise unlikely scenarios to occur.
Perhaps one of the more interesting situations was the controversy over Harbin Electric (HRBN) which waged a war of trust between the company and short-seller firm Citron Research. In the most unlikely of scenarios, Citron had come out with a research piece asserting fraud at Harbin that proceeded to cut the share price in half within a day. Soon after, the company announced a buyout of the company?s stock that sent the market soaring the opposite direction but coming nowhere near the buyout price. Over the next few months, even with much affirmation by the company, the share price only ever so slowly gained confidence in the buyout?s reality despite continued protest from Citron. Eventually, the buyout occurred and the company was taken private.
In another ongoing instance, we see the case of China Advanced Construction Materials Group, Inc (CADC). Also hit hard under the sentiment over Chinese reverse mergers, this company with a book value double the current share price, has managed to entertain and pass a buyout offer from the CEO to acquire the company for $2.65/share. With a book value of $4.89/sh according to Yahoo Finance, many would decry this as being far from fair. Yet even after its announcement, the reaction by the investor public was but mildly responsive. Shares at one point managed to trade back down to $1.50 despite the ongoing buyout procedures. One could easily blame the board of directors' poor handling of the offer for allowing this to occur. However, in another sense, with the amount of time given for the market to react, the market's poor reception to the idea can be seen as proof enough that the buyout was the best offer available.
For many shareholders in such Chinese companies, these situations are proving to be disappointing at best. Many had bought shares at much higher prices before these companies had fallen out of favor. Practices that wouldn?t normally be tolerated had the sentiment been different are leaving these small-cap investors vulnerable from two sides: Bears (as was the case with HRBN) and Management (as is the opportunistic case for CADC).
Many of these companies continue to remain severely undervalued from the sense of book value. As most Chinese reverse mergers had listed onto the US market to raise capital (witnessed by the number that committed at least one shelf offering), there is the ongoing threat of why a wealthy CEO wouldn?t pursue a buyout at such low prices that investors are willing to place on the companies.
Here?s a quick look at a few reverse merger companies in terms of market capitalization (12/26/11), net tangible assets (most recent quarter), and insider ownership (according to Yahoo Finance):
| Company | Market Cap | NTA | Insider% |
|---|---|---|---|
| China Automotive Systems (CAAS) | $100.5 M | $163.4 M | 73.94% |
| Fushi Copperweld (FSIN) | $293.8 M | $369.6 M | 44.98% |
| Feihe International (ADY) | $55.5 M | $183.9 M | 51.15% |
| Yuhe International (YUII) | $15.2 M | $113.2 M | 39.32% |
| Yongye International (YONG) | $196.6 M | $277.0 M | 22.18% |
| Zhongpin (HOGS) | $323.3 M | $407.6 M | 37.07% |
| Skystar Bio Pharmaceutical (SKBI) | $20.1 M | $79.4 M | 19.90% |
| SmartHeat (HEAT) | $13.0 M | $118.4 M | 37.29% |
| China Natural Gas (CHNG) | $41.4 M | $189.8 M | 28.99% |
| China Marine Food Group (CMFO) | $38.3 M | $104.6 M | 60.12% |
| China Sky One Medical (CSKI) | $20.1 M | $106.1 M | 37.12% |
Additional note: In perhaps an astonishing vote of confidence in the board?s ability to keep management under check, Fushi Copperweld (FSIN) successfully rejected a buyout offer by the CEO on December 5, 2011. Perhaps there?s hope yet for shareholders who have already so little trust in the companies they hold.
Disclosure: I am long CMFO.
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Thursday, December 29, 2011
U.S. to give states $300 million for child health coverage (Reuters)
(Reuters) ? Nearly $300 million in bonus payments have been awarded to 23 states for providing health coverage for children, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said on Wednesday.
To qualify for the bonuses, states needed to surpass a specified enrollment target under the Medicaid program for low-income Americans and adopt procedures that make it easier for children to enroll and retain coverage under Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
The performance bonus payments are designed help offset costs states incur when they enroll lower income children in Medicaid. They are funded under the 2009 Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act.
Since CHIP was reauthorized in 2009, the number of children with insurance has risen by 1.2 million, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The 23 states eligible for performance bonuses are: Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.
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Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Healthy Hollywood: Get Movin' Monday - Be On The Run Like Heidi Klum! (omg!)
Fitness trends may come and go, but running is here to stay! Hitting the road for exercise is a simple way to get your heart-pumping and tone your overall body. After all, running doesn't require a pricey gym membership - all you need is a good pair of sneakers and apparel (decent weather - a plus) and you're off and running.
Heidi Klum, Reese Witherspoon, Josh Duhamel, and Fergie are just a few of the celebrities who have a huge passion for running and are often spotted out for a jog in their neighborhood. If you're looking for a new exercise routine in 2012, why not give running a go - it's been a favorite form of exercise for years. "It is hard to come up with a good excuse for missing your run. In terms of fitness benefits, running is a fundamental exercise that builds core strength and aerobic endurance, while burning calories and trimming excess fat. Running conditions your body to better perform than almost any other sport or fitness activity," reveals Carson Caprara, a product line manager at Brooks.
PLAY IT NOW: Access Hollywood Live: Billy Bush & Heidi Klum?s Most Candid Moments!
The most important gear to invest in is running shoes. "There are hundreds of shoes to chose from, and likely only a handful that will work perfectly for your individual needs. As a result, I can't stress enough the importance of having an expert look at your foot type and recommend a selection of shoes that are designed for you. Once you have narrowed it down to a couple of shoes, base your selection on the shoe that feels most comfortable on your foot. You should not feel any major pressure points or immediate irritation," adds Carson.
So, if you're thinking of finding your soulmate in 2012 - the experts at Brooks share with Healthy Hollywood 3 basic tips to get you started.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Heidi Klum & Seal
1. It all starts with proper equipment. It is important to find a pair of running shoes that work efficiently with your foot mechanics and provide an enjoyable running experience that keeps you excited to get back on the road for your next run. There are many great retail stores around the country that can provide a basic foot analysis and provide a recommendation for the proper footwear for you.
2. Start Slow! The fastest route to a running injury comes from attempting too much, too soon. If this is your first time running, start with a walk/jog routine and progressively reduce the amount of walk time until you can run 3 miles or more at once. It is also a good rule of thumb to not increase your running mileage by more than 15% per week. Listen to your body; if you feel overly fatigued take an extra day off before your next run.
3. Stretch and add core strength exercise to your routine. Stretch for a minimum of 5 minutes before and after your run. This will help speed recovery, reduce the risk of injury, and improve overall performance. It is also a good idea to add push-ups, sit-ups and other core strength exercises to your weekly regimen.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Funky Fitness Fads From Hollywood
For more information on running shoes, head to www.brooksrunning.com
Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Heidi Klum: From Supermodel To Super Mom
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Running a country? There's an app for that, almost (AP)
LONDON ? Britain's government says experts are considering developing a bespoke iPad app that would deliver key data straight to Prime Minister David Cameron's tablet computer.
Officials said Wednesday that the idea is being discussed, though Cameron's Downing Street office declined to comment on the details.
The Times of London newspaper reported the app could include statistics and information from government departments, real time news and Twitter updates.
Cameron has previously discussed his affection for his iPad, but acknowledged he needed "a little bit of help from someone in IT" to set up the gadget.
The British chief has frequently championed the country's technology sector and hailed the so-called Silicon Roundabout cluster of digital companies in east London.
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Tuesday, December 27, 2011
For Sale: Chaparral 2135 Sports Cuddy
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Source: sportcruisers.apolloduck.co.uk --- Monday, December 26, 2011
The Chaparral 2135 Sports Cuddy is a great boat for the odd overnight stay The cockpit is large and the cuddy headroom is class winning for its size and style ... ...
Source: http://sportcruisers.apolloduck.co.uk/feature.phtml?id=218264
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Samsung purchases Sony's stake in LCD business alliance ...
South Korean consumer electronics giant Samsung will be working hand in hand with Sony after the former purchased the latter?s shares of S-LCD, turning this joint venture into its wholly-owned subsidiary. This agreement will see Samsung pick up all of Sony?s shares of S-LCD Corporation (?S-LCD?), where around $935 million is paid to Sony by Samsung. A new strategic agreement is also drawn up so that the competitiveness of both companies will be increased, and Sony and Samsung are able to forge a new future thanks to cooperative engineering efforts that are focused on LCD panel technology.
What does Sony gain from this joint venture? They can cash out on their S-LCD shares, while securing a flexible and steady supply of LCD panels from Samsung, where it will be based on market prices, and they do shed the headache of operating a manufacturing facility, which can end up being rather costly in the end as well. As for Samsung, whole ownership of S-LCD would hopefully translate to increased flexibility, speed and efficiency in panel production and business operations. Don?t you just love win-win situation? [Press Release]
Source: http://www.ubergizmo.com/2011/12/samsung-sony-lcd-joint-venture/
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Monday, December 26, 2011
HEINEKEN USA Appoints Jeffrey Colbert as Region Vice President Sales, Central Region
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Sunday, December 25, 2011
Kotaku_JAPAN: ? #ktkjp ??? ?Android?????????????????????? Android???????????????????? ???APP???? #TABROID http://t.co/TfmFx0Rz
? ??? ?Android?????????????????????? Android???????????????????? ???APP???? Source: http://twitter.com/Kotaku_JAPAN/statuses/150552566302908417
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France recommends removal of risky breast implants
Dr. Maurice Mimoun, a plastic surgeon at the St Louis hospital, holds silicone gel breast implants made by French company Poly Implant Prothese, or PIP, that he removed from a patient because of concerns that they are unsafe, Paris, Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2011. French health authorities are considering whether to suggest that an estimated 30,000 women in France get their breast implants removed, amid warnings by leading doctors about risks of rupture and possible cancer risks. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Dr. Maurice Mimoun, a plastic surgeon at the St Louis hospital, holds silicone gel breast implants made by French company Poly Implant Prothese, or PIP, that he removed from a patient because of concerns that they are unsafe, Paris, Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2011. French health authorities are considering whether to suggest that an estimated 30,000 women in France get their breast implants removed, amid warnings by leading doctors about risks of rupture and possible cancer risks. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
PARIS (AP) ? Tens of thousands of women with risky, French-made breast implants should have them removed at the state's expense, the health minister recommended Friday, adding that such removals were "preventive" and not urgent.
While implants made by Poly Implant Prothese, or PIP, have not been linked to an increased incidence of cancer, the risk that they could rupture and leak a questionable type of silicone gel has been shown, Xavier Bertrand said in a statement.
"As a preventive measure not of an urgent nature, (French authorities) recommend that the removal of these implants, even those not showing signs of deterioration, be proposed," the statement said. It added that the costs of removal would be footed by France's national health care system ? presumably solely for French patients.
Some 30,000 of women in France, Britain, Italy, Spain, Portugal and other countries in Europe and South America have had implants made by PIP. Health authorities in those countries have been following the French decision closely and could make similar recommendations, too. The implants in question were not sold in the U.S.
Women who have had their implants burst and leading French plastic surgeons had been urging the government to act. The death last month of a woman who had the implants and developed a rare cancer catalyzed worries.
About 2,000 Frenchwomen given pre-filled silicone gel implants made by PIP have filed legal complaints against the company, based in southern France. Investigators say it saved euro1 million ($1.3 million) a year by using industrial silicone instead of more expensive silicone meant for medical use.
The French government ordered a halt to production of the implants last year and the company is being liquidated.
The main concern of doctors and patients is the uncertainty surrounding the risks of the silicone used.
"I don't know what might be inside of me," said Annie Mesnil, 62, who had a breast removed after cancer in 1999, and was given a PIP implant.
After the product was recalled last year, a mammogram and ultrasound did not reveal any problem with her implant. But she had it removed anyway, at her own expense, out of fear. When her surgeon took it out and studied it, "he discovered it had already burst."
Health officials from several European countries held a conference call Wednesday to discuss the implants.
The health council of Italy's health ministry held an emergency session Thursday to discuss the pending French decision, and asked hospitals to track down women who received silicone implants made by PIP. The ministry estimates that about 4,000 PIP implants are in use in Italy.
The ministry's health council also said the national health system would pay to have the implants removed if medical conditions required it, such as if they ruptured.
While saying there was no proof of any greater cancer risk among women with PIP implants, the council suggested that women with the implants contact their surgeons because there's a "greater probability of rupture and inflammatory reaction."
British health authorities say they see no reason so far to have the French-made implants systematically removed, and have said that there is not enough evidence of a link between silicone implants and cancer.
In the U.S., concerns about silicone gel implants in general led to a 14-year ban on their use. Silicone implants were brought back to the market in the U.S. 2006 after research ruled out cancer, lupus and some other concerns.
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Saturday, December 24, 2011
Ways To Select Florida Golf Courses For Amateurs
For everybody who is pondering over becoming familiar with the way to take part in golf, you could reflect on this within florida golf courses. The grounds for this is due to the fact that most of the time, the climate in this land is often times very moderate. This means that florida golf might be a great deal of fun, and you may also have an opportunity to benefit from the wonderful climate Florida could provide. Consequently, this is one of the best location to be taught the way to compete in golf, for the reason that you would continuously be comfy, a mind-set that would ensure it is very effortless for you to benefit from the hobby.
For everybody who is searching for Florida golf courses being a beginner, you will discover numerous conditions that you have to keep in mind. Firstly, you must try and find the Florida golf courses that are fashioned exclusively for amateurs. You?ll find a ton of Florida golf courses within this territory, but not all of them are made to someone who is barely getting down to be trained on the way to participate in Florida golf. A few of them are built for experts, and this implies that if you elect to employ them for learning purposes, you might become very frustrated.
Aside from that, you might additionally notice that commonly, the Florida golf courses will encompass services to assist people with learning golf quicker. In particular, many Florida golf courses made for amateurs would have teachers that are licensed to instruct individuals that are only beginning to learn the pastime. This means that when you employ such Florida golf courses rather than the ones built for experts, you would be prone to feel the experience to be a whole lot better overall. This additionally ensures that you?d use up less time being instructed at the way to participate in Florida golf, and you?d instead being to like the pastime.
One more would-be advantage of such florida golf courses may be the fact that they won?t force you to expend as much money the much more sophisticated Florida golf courses. That is largely as a consequence of the fact that as a student, you really do not need to employ specific gear that?s offered in pro golf courses. This means that although you don?t retain much cash to spend, this will not be an issue. You could effortlessly be taught the way to participate in golf whenever you employ such Florida golf courses rather than the ones meant for experts.
Overall, for anyone who is being instructed at the way to participate in the pastime, locating proper Florida golf courses may be a thing that ought to be pondered seriously. It is vital that you go for the Florida golf courses which are tailored to your individual requirements, rather than locating the ones that you imagine would provide a greater challenge. Like with all things during life, being instructed at the way to participate in Florida golf is a thing that ought to be prepared in stages if you?re to turn out to be skilled at. For unsurpassed outcomes, it is simpler and easier to begin with the rudimentary Florida golf courses and then progress to the more complex ones as your aptitude base amplifies.
Source: http://www.newportalano.com/ways-to-select-florida-golf-courses-for-amateurs
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Friday, December 23, 2011
ANIMALNewYork: Shitty City in Florida Tries To Rain On NYC?s Tourist Parade http://t.co/brfduZsg
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RIM Calls Report of BlackBerry 10 Flaws 'Uninformed' (NewsFactor)
Struggling manufacturer Research In Motion is standing by its initial statement about the delayed release of BlackBerry 10, following a published report that the operating system is too flawed to release.
"RIM made a strategic decision to launch BlackBerry 10 devices with a new, LTE-based dual-core chip set architecture," the company said in an e-mail Thursday. "As explained on our earnings call, the broad engineering impact of this decision and certain other factors significantly influenced the anticipated timing for the BlackBerry 10 devices. The anonymous claim suggesting otherwise is inaccurate and uninformed."
RIM Co-CEO Mike Lazaridis said in an earnings call earlier this month that the release of BlackBerry 10 won't be ready in the first half of 2012 because dual-core, long-term evolution chipsets to give the devices 4G data speeds would not be available in time.
Trashed, Anonymously
However, Boy Genius Report, citing an unnamed source described as a high-level RIM employee, reported Thursday that the delay is because "RIM is simply pushing this out as long as they can for one reason, they don't have a working product yet."
BGR's source also said that looking at the current operating system used in RIM PlayBook tablets offers some insight into problems with e-mail and BlackBerry messaging that may affect phones using the upgrade, and that "there's no room for a fourth ecosystem" of independently developed apps after Apple's iOS, Google's Android and Microsoft's Windows Phone 7.
But RIM said it "will not launch BlackBerry 10 devices until we know they are ready, and we believe this new chip set architecture is required to deliver the world class user experience that our customers will expect. Any suggestion to the contrary is simply false. "
In other BlackBerry news, Comwave, which makes an application allowing free voice over Internet protocol long-distance calls to dozens of countries, announced a version for the platform.
The app had previously been available for Apple's iPhone, and a version for phones powered by Google's Android operating system was announced earlier in the week. After registering for the service at Comwave's Web site for an annual fee of $30, BlackBerry users can download the app for free from the BlackBerry App World and call people in 57 countries without long-distance charges.
'Cheaper Than Skype'
The service is not unlimited, though. It includes 250 minutes per month for one year. Both Comwave and RIM are based in Canada. The company also created the ePhone app for BlackBerry's PlayBook tablet. Comwave promises that its rates for overage are cheaper than video-calling service Skype.
"With consumers loving our iPhone and Android apps, a BlackBerry version was a natural progression," said Yuval Barzakay, president and CEO, in a press statement.
But while added VOIP capability may increase the appeal of BlackBerry devices at a time when they are losing ground to Android and iOS, analysts see a new operating system as Priority One.
"I don't think apps, no matter how popular, will help RIM in the short term," said J.D. Power and Associates wireless tech analyst Kirk Parsons. "They need an updated OS platform badly and the longer they wait the harder it will be to regain share."
In October, comScore said RIM dropped 5 percent in market share during the previous three months, to 19.7 percent of the market, as Android rose 5.6 points to lead with 43.7 percent.
Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/software/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20111222/tc_nf/81495
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Thursday, December 22, 2011
Jaime King at the 16th Annual GQ 'Men Of The Year' Party at Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles, California - November 17, 2011
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Saturday, December 17, 2011
Job market brightens as unemployment claims sink
In this Dec. 12, 2011 photo, people wait to talk with potential employers at a job fair sponsored by National Career Fairs, in New York. The number of people seeking unemployment aid dropped to its lowest level since May 2008 last week, a hopeful sign that layoffs are declining and hiring may pick up. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
In this Dec. 12, 2011 photo, people wait to talk with potential employers at a job fair sponsored by National Career Fairs, in New York. The number of people seeking unemployment aid dropped to its lowest level since May 2008 last week, a hopeful sign that layoffs are declining and hiring may pick up. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
In this Dec. 12, 2011 photo, Stephen Rutkowski, a chiropractor from Greenwich, Conn., waits in line to attend a job fair sponsored by National Career Fairs, in New York. The number of people seeking unemployment aid dropped to its lowest level since May 2008 last week, a hopeful sign that layoffs are declining and hiring may pick up. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? The outlook for the job market is looking brighter.
Far fewer people are seeking unemployment benefits than just three months ago ? a sign that layoffs are falling sharply.
The number of people applying for benefits fell last week to 366,000, the fewest since May 2008. If the number stayed that low consistently, it would likely signal that hiring is strong enough to lower unemployment.
The unemployment rate is now 8.6 percent. The last time applications were this low, the rate was 5.4 percent.
The big question is whether fewer layoffs will translate into robust hiring. It hasn't happened yet, even though job growth has increased in recent months.
The four-week average of weekly unemployment applications, which smooths out fluctuations, dropped last week to 387,750. That's the lowest four-week since July 2008. The four-week average has declined in 10 of the past 12 weeks.
"Labor market conditions have taken a turn for the better in recent weeks," Michael Gapen, an economist at Barclays Capital, said in a note to clients. "Payroll growth should improve in the coming months."
Separately, the prices companies pay for factory and farm goods rose 0.3 percent last month. The figure was pushed up by higher food and pharmaceutical prices. But energy prices barely rose, keeping inflation in check.
In the 12 months ending in November, wholesale prices have increased 5.7 percent, the Labor Department said Thursday. It's the smallest year-over-year increase since March.
The department's producer price index measures price changes before they reach consumers.
A mixed picture of manufacturing emerged from other reports Thursday. Factory output fell in November for the first time in seven months, according to the Federal Reserve. Manufacturers made fewer cars, electronics and appliances.
But some economists noted that auto sales rose in November, suggesting that production will rebound.
And the Federal Reserve Banks of Philadelphia and New York said manufacturing expanded in their regions. Manufacturing has been a key source of growth this year.
Still, the U.S. manufacturing sector could weaken in 2012. Growth is slowing in Asia. Europe is likely already in recession. And U.S. companies are reducing their investment in machinery and other large equipment.
The downward trend in applications suggests that companies are cutting fewer workers as the economy picks up. It also comes as Congress is wrangling over whether to extend emergency unemployment benefits, which are set to expire at the end of this year.
Growth may top 3 percent in the final three months of this year, according to many economists. That would be up from 2 percent in the July-September quarter.
Other recent reports suggest the job market is improving a bit. In the past three months, net job gains have averaged 143,000 a month. That compares with an average of 84,000 in the previous three months.
In November, employers added 120,000 jobs, and the unemployment rate fell to 8.6 percent from 9 percent. That was the lowest unemployment rate in 2? years. But about half that decline occurred because many of the unemployed gave up looking for work. When people stop looking for a job, they're no longer counted as unemployed.
Employers posted fewer jobs in October than in the previous month, the government said Tuesday, though the decline was modest.
Job openings have risen by about 35 percent since the recession officially ended in June 2009. But they're still about 25 percent below pre-recession levels.
More than 7.4 million people are receiving unemployment benefits, according to Thursday's report. About 2 million will lose their benefits by mid-February if the emergency program expires.
Lawmakers differ over how long benefits should last. The House passed a Republican bill Tuesday that would renew emergency aid but reduce the maximum duration to 59 weeks from the current 99 weeks.
Democrats want to keep the full 99 weeks. The measure is part of broader legislation in the Democratic-led Senate that would also extend a Social Security tax cut.
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Children's leukemia risk tied to father's smoking: study (Reuters)
(Reuters) ? Children whose fathers smoked around the time of their conception have at least a 15 percent higher risk of developing the most common form of childhood cancer, a type of leukemia, according to an Australian study.
Although the findings, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, credit multiple factors in children developing acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the study follows others that have also found an increased risk.
"Study results suggest that heavier paternal smoking around the time of conception is a risk factor for childhood ALL," wrote researchers led by Elizabeth Milne at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research in Australia.
Although ALL is the most common childhood cancer, it is still rare, affecting about three to five children out of every 100,000.
The researchers surveyed the families of nearly 300 children with ALL, asking about the smoking habits of both parents. They also compared these families to those of more than 800 children of similar ages who did not have leukemia.
The mothers' smoking behavior had no impact on the children's risk of developing the cancer, but children whose fathers smoked at all around the time of their conception were 15 percent more likely to develop leukemia.
Those whose fathers smoked at least 20 cigarettes per day around that same time were 44 percent more likely to be diagnosed with the disease.
Of nine earlier reports the researchers used in their comparison with the current study, six also found an increased risk.
"The importance of tobacco exposure and children's cancers has been overlooked until recently," said Patricia Buffler, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who was not involved in the study.
She added that since tobacco is full of toxins, including carcinogens, it was not unlikely that there could be damage in the cells that produce sperm.
Milne agreed, noting: "Sperm containing DNA (damage) can still reach and fertilize an ovum, which may lead to disease in the offspring."
But she added that the study did not prove that DNA damage in the sperm caused ALL in the children, since the disease was likely to be caused by a number of factors.
Other environmental factors tied to a greater chance of developing childhood leukemia are ionizing radiation such as x-rays, and the mother's exposure to paint or pesticides while pregnant. SOURCE: http://bit.ly/snq3sL
(Reporting from New York by Kerry Grens at Reuters Health; editing by Elaine Lies)
Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/health/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111215/hl_nm/us_leukemia
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Friday, December 16, 2011
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
India wants websites to screen derogatory content (AP)
NEW DELHI ? India's top telecommunications official said Tuesday that Internet giants such as Facebook and Google have ignored his demands to screen derogatory material from their sites, so the government would have to act on its own.
The dispute highlights India's continuing difficulty in balancing the Internet culture of freewheeling discourse with its homegrown religious and political sensitivities. Government officials are upset about Web pages that are insulting to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, ruling Congress party leader Sonia Gandhi and major religious figures.
Kapil Sibal, India's telecommunications minister, said he spoke repeatedly with officials from major Internet companies over the past three months and asked them to come up with a voluntary framework to keep offensive material off the Internet.
"This is a matter of great concern to us. We have to take care of the sensibility of our people," he said.
In a meeting Monday, the Internet companies told him there was nothing they could do, he said, so the government would formulate a policy on its own. He declined to specify what that policy would be.
"We are seeking their cooperation, and if somebody is not willing to cooperate on incendiary material like this, it is the duty of government to think of steps that we need to take," he said. "We don't want to interfere in freedom of the press, but this kind of material should not be allowed."
Indian media reports said that during the meeting Monday, Sibal specifically told officials from Google, Facebook, Yahoo and Microsoft about posts that were insulting to Singh, Gandhi and religious leaders.
Facebook said in a statement Tuesday it would remove content that "is hateful, threatening, incites violence or contains nudity."
"We recognize the government's interest in minimizing the amount of abusive content that is available online and will continue to engage with the Indian authorities as they debate this important issue," the company said.
Google said it removes content that violates local law and its own standards.
"But when content is legal and doesn't violate our policies, we won't remove it just because it's controversial, as we believe that people's differing views, so long as they're legal, should be respected and protected," Google said in a statement.
One person with knowledge of the meeting Monday told The Associated Press that the demand was sparked by a Facebook page about Sonia Gandhi. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks.
Facebook has three pages titled "I hate Sonia Gandhi," two titled "We hate Sonia Gandhi," and one titled "Manmohan Singh is a puppet of Sonia Gandhi." India has more than 25 million Facebook users.
Before his news conference Tuesday, Sibal showed reporters Web illustrations showing Singh and Gandhi in compromising positions as well as a site showing pigs running through Islam's holy city of Mecca, a clear insult to Muslims.
"I believe that no reasonable person aware of these sensibilities of large sections of communities in this country and aware of community standards as they are applicable in India would wish to see this content in the public domain," he said.
Sibal said the Internet companies had told him that they were applying U.S. standards to their sites, and he objected, saying that they needed to be sensitive to Indian sensibilities.
Rajesh Chharia, president of the Internet Service Providers Association of India, said Internet companies need to be mindful of concerns over national security and national sensitivities.
"I am not favoring censorship ? self-regulation is the best censorship available to our system," he said. "We should not do anything which should harm the peace of the country."
India has had conflicts with technology companies in the past over information access, and Sibal said Tuesday that many of the companies have been reluctant to hand over data the government has asked for related to terrorists.
Last year, India threatened to ban the popular corporate email and messenger services on Blackberry devices amid security concerns over access to encrypted information. The government later backed down.
The Indian government has made 68 requests to Google this year to remove content, according to Google. The government has also expressed concerns that Google Earth could be used by terrorists to examine targets in preparation for an attack.
___
Ravi Nessman can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/ravinessman
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Monday, December 5, 2011
San Jose's $100,000 pension club is rapidly growing (San Jose Mercury News)
Cambodian court to question ex-Khmer Rouge leaders (AP)
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia ? Three senior leaders of Cambodia's brutal Khmer Rouge regime will be questioned for the first time at a U.N.-backed tribunal over their roles in the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million people when their movement held power in the 1970s.
The long-awaited trial began late last month with opening statements, and on Monday the court is to focus on charges involving the forced movement of people and crimes against humanity.
After the Khmer Rouge captured Phnom Penh in 1975 they began moving an estimated 1 million people from the capital into the countryside in an effort to create a communist agrarian utopia.
The defendants are accused of crimes against humanity, genocide, religious persecution, homicide and torture.
All have denied wrongdoing.
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Sunday, December 4, 2011
Senate backs military custody for terror suspects (Reuters)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? The Senate on Thursday voted in favor of a requirement that captured terrorism suspects, including those detained in the United States, be held in military custody.
The proposed legislation mandates that suspected members of al Qaeda and other militant groups be detained by the U.S. military instead of the U.S. criminal court system. American citizens, however, are exempted from the mandatory military detention requirement.
The Democratic-controlled Senate voted 55-45 to reject an attempt by Senator Dianne Feinstein to limit the military custody requirement to suspects captured outside the United States.
The detainee provisions, which are opposed by the Obama administration, are part of a defense bill that is expected to pass the Senate on Thursday or Friday. The House of Representatives has passed similar legislation.
Once differences in the legislation are worked out, the bill will be sent to President Barack Obama, who has threatened to veto it.
The debate is part of a long battle between Obama, a Democrat, and some lawmakers over whether terror suspects should be prosecuted as "enemy combatants" before military commissions, or as criminal suspects in federal courts.
The Obama administration has sought to prosecute terror suspects in civilian as well as military courts.
Republicans and some Democrats have urged that only military courts be used, and Congress repeatedly has voted to limit transfers of detainees from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to the United States.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and FBI director Robert Mueller, as well as intelligence officials, have written to Congress to express their opposition to mandatory military custody for terrorism suspects.
The legislation contains waiver provisions giving the executive branch the right to place a prisoner in the U.S. criminal court system if it is in the interest of national security.
Law enforcement officials, including Mueller, have argued that this procedure is too awkward, noting the waiver has to come from the U.S. defense secretary in consultation with the secretary of state and the director of national intelligence, presumably while an investigation is ongoing.
Feinstein, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, argued against the proposed strictures on handling of terror suspects, noting that ordinary criminal courts had produced lengthy sentences for convicted terror suspects.
"I just had a hard time, knowing, why if it's not broke, we need to fix it," she said.
But Republican Senator Kelly Ayotte warned al Qaeda might send others to attack the United States if it thought that suspects captured on U.S. soil would not go into military custody.
"In our country we need the authority in the first instance to hold those individuals in military custody," she said.
Otherwise, "we're laying out a welcome mat, to say, that if you make it to America, you won't be held in military custody," Ayotte said.
Jeh Johnson, Defense Department general counsel, said on Thursday the detainee provisions would actually hinder the pursuit of terrorism suspects.
"Al Qaeda is a more decentralized organization than it was 10 years ago and that the threat will continue to evolve in ways that we can't entirely anticipate ... we urge our friends in Congress to not take away our counterterrorism options," Johnson said at an American Bar Association conference.
(Additional reporting by Tabassum Zakaria; Editing by Missy Ryan and Paul Simao)
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Saturday, December 3, 2011
Measles outbreaks on the rise across Europe
LONDON (AP) ? After years of decline, measles is on the rise in Europe, according to a new report released Thursday.
As of October, European health officials reported more than 26,000 measles cases this year and nine deaths. That's a threefold increase in cases from the same time period in 2007, said the World Health Organization.
France accounted for about 14,000 cases, mainly in children older than five and in young adults.
Other big outbreaks of the highly-contagious disease have been identified in Spain, Romania, Macedonia, and Uzbekistan. So far, measles has killed nine people in Europe and hospitalized thousands of others. The report was published Thursday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"We are seeing a surge of cases much larger than we've seen in the past five or six years," said Rebecca Martin, immunization program manager for WHO's Europe office in Copenhagen. Measles cases had been dropping for years, but began to increase sharply in late 2009.
Martin said the epidemic was fueled mainly by low vaccination rates and noted about half the cases were in people older than 15.
"Over the years, people who haven't been vaccinated are now giving the virus a big opportunity to spread," Martin said.
The report said overall vaccination rates in Europe were high, but still didn't meet the 95 percent target needed to stop outbreaks. Of the people who got measles, about half weren't vaccinated and the vaccination histories of many of the others was unknown.
More cases in Europe have also meant spillover elsewhere. The U.S. has 205 cases this year ? the most in a decade ? and virtually all are linked to other regions, including 20 cases from Europe. Because North America has so little measles, every imported case requires a thorough investigation and response costing tens of thousands of dollars, Martin said.
The U.S. normally only has about 50 cases a year. In May, international health officials posted an alert urging travelers everywhere to get vaccinated before flying overseas.
Measles is highly contagious and up to 90 percent of people exposed to an infected person get sick, experts say. The virus spreads easily through the air, and in closed rooms, infected droplets can linger for up to two hours after the sick person leaves.
It causes a fever, runny nose, cough and a rash all over the body. The disease kills about one to two children for every 1,000 it infects, and can also cause pregnant women to have a miscarriage or premature birth.
In 2008, there were about 164,000 measles deaths worldwide. More than 95 percent of those deaths were in poor countries.
Health officials say controlling measles outbreaks in Europe is still being compromised because of ignorance of the disease's severity and skepticism about the vaccine.
The measles shot was tainted by now discredited research published by Andrew Wakefield in 1998 suggesting a possible link between autism and the vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella. Parents abandoned the vaccine in droves and suspicion about its safety still lingers, even though repeated studies have shown no connection.
Unlike in the U.S., where most states require children to be vaccinated against measles before starting school, no such regulations exist in most of Europe.
Spain and Switzerland exclude unvaccinated children from school during measles outbreaks, but don't otherwise insist on vaccination. In France and Britain, parents are advised to have their children immunized if they haven't received the measles shot, but there is no penalty for not doing so.
WHO's Martin said Europe's measles epidemic appeared to be on the decline. She said France and Switzerland were planning to offer the measles vaccine to older age groups in the future.
She warned people who skipped the shot that measles is not a mild disease.
"It's a dangerous decision not to get vaccinated," she said. "One death is too many when we have an effective vaccine."
____
AP Medical Writer Mike Stobbe contributed to this report from Atlanta.
___
Online:
CDC report:www.cdc.gov/mmwr/
(This version CORRECTS Corrects number of cases in U.S. to 205, not 250)
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W3i Announces $10 Million Marketing Fund For Indie Game Developers
W3i, a monetization and distribution network for mobile app developers, is announcing the launch of a new $10 million "AppX Game Developer Marketing Fund" at this week's AppNation conference in San Francisco. The fund will provide developers with a suite of free services that offer production support, analytics and user acquisition channel analysis, all of which are designed to help indie developers compete with today's "AAA" gaming giants.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/4xBk0TkfGlo/
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Friday, December 2, 2011
Infinity Blade II cuts above any other game available on Apple?s iDevices (Appolicious)
The most anticipated game of the year for Apple?s iDevices will literally give players a workout. In terms of graphics, gameplay and story, Infinity Blade II - which is out now - is the fittest game to date for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.
Earlier this week, Infinity Blade II developer ChAIR and publisher Epic Games released a list of ?finger workouts? players could do to prepare for the release of the game.
Little did we know that the video wasn?t a joke ? Infinity Blade II is about four times the size of its predecessor, and that?s a whole lot of finger-swiping swordplay.
The original Infinity Blade made a huge splash on the iPhone and iPad when it was released, in very large part because it showed off the power of Apple?s devices (and Epic?s Unreal Engine 3 graphics software) in a very real and surprising way. Infinity Blade is gorgeous. It looks amazing, and what?s more, it looks amazing on a telephone. That was kind of mind-blowing in 2010, and Infinity Blade set a visual standard for games on the platform.
Sequel even more cutting edge, especially on iPhone 4S and iPad 2
Infinity Blade II is one of the first games optimized for the iPhone 4S and leverages the extent of Apple?s new A5 dual-core processor, which is available only in the latest-generation iPhones and the iPad 2. And once again, ChAIR and Epic have set the standard for mobile gaming in terms of graphics. Infinity Blade II is stunning and huge, taking what was started with its predecessor and adding more of everything. Huge, sweeping vistas. Massive structures. Imposing enemies with tons more animations. Visually, Infinity Blade II is beautiful and sets a new high-water mark for graphics among mobile games.
Fans of the original game will definitely want to download Infinity II ?right away. And while the game understandably performs the best on the iPhone 4S and iPad 2, it is still a worthy download on older devices. The game is compatible with the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, the third and fourth generation iPod Touches and both iPads. Apple?s iOS 3.2 software or above also needs to be installed on the device.
Much deeper gameplay
In terms of gameplay, players who loved Infinity Blade will find even more to love in Infinity Blade II. Everything that made Infinity Blade interesting ? namely, its fairly tight touch controls and often-intense sword-dueling action ? is back and made bigger and better than before.
The primary thrust of the game is still sword-to-sword action against a single opponent, although ChAIR has added a few new abilities to the mix. As in the original, you take on opponents in Infinity Blade and avoid their attacks either by dodging them with a pair of left and right buttons, blocking with a shield or parrying by swiping at the screen in the opposite direction of the enemy attack. But instead of being limited to a sword and shield, you can now carry a pair of weapons, one in each hand. That limits your blocking ability, obviously, but adds to your ability to chain together massive combos as you slice away at your opponent. You can also opt for a big two-handed weapon that?s quite a bit slower, but much more powerful.
The biggest criticism leveled against the first Infinity Blade was how repetitive the title could be. Sword fights were interesting, but often boiled down to memorization of an enemy?s attack patterns. Over-reliance on the dodge button could take quite a bit of the challenge out of the game, with every fight boiling down to ?dodge, dodge, attack.? ChAIR has adjusted things in Infinity Blade II to lessen that ability and make fights more difficult and deadly. Your dodging ability is limited by a stamina meter now, and overusing the dodge causes your character to tire and start taking glancing blows as he tires and fails to get out of the way, which can really add up over time. The touch controls in general are much more responsive this time out.
Also remaining from the original but with lots of additional depth is the big reliance on finding and purchasing new weapons, armor and items, as well as new abilities, to increase your character?s stats. ChAIR has added new elements to this system ? like gems you can buy to give your weapons special effects ? but at its core, the system remains the same and will give fans of collecting everything a lot to do.
A focus on story
But the biggest addition to Infinity Blade II, and perhaps the most welcome, is the addition of a coherent and interesting story. Plot was fairly minimal in Infinity Blade, with a few elements coming to the fore over time but with most of it just being tidbits divined by the player. The goal was to kill a creature known as the God-King, and while the whole story mixed fantasy with a bit of science fiction, all it really did was leave a whole lot of questions about what the heck was going on.
This time, ChAIR has added more to the world while keeping things subtle. You learn a little bit more about why you?re doomed to fight duels endlessly (even if you?re killed), and it adds a new drive to the game that goes beyond just enjoying the fights and collecting all the equipment that you can.
But Infinity Blade II doesn?t stray far from the path that its predecessor created, and that?s mostly a good thing. The one complaint about the original?s repetitive nature has mostly been answered here with a lot more content: a bigger game with more enemies and more to discover. The core of the game remains relatively simple, though, and those few players who didn?t get into the original probably won?t get much out of the sequel.
For the legions of sword-wielding Infinity Blade fans, however, this sequel is pretty close to perfection. It continues to look great and offers more of everything that made Infinity Blade a hit, with even more polish. Expect to spend quite a bit of time swiping away at your phone after you download this one.
Tasty: A huge new Infinity Blade adventure that offers a much deeper experience
Bummer: Some (very) slight framerate issues even on the iPad 2
Cool: Dual swords, giant axes and a coherent story ? plus more awesome graphics
Rating: 5 out of 5 bars
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