Stocks advance, on track for third day of gains

Reuters ? ? ? 3 hrs.

U.S. stocks edged higher on Thursday, pointing to a third straight day of gains in the wake of some strong economic data, though a further advance may be limited with major averages near multi-year highs.

While some data released Thursday were rosy, a read on economic growth was weaker than expected, and analysts said a pullback may be in store a day after major equity indexes posted their biggest daily advance since early January.

Over the past two sessions, the S&P 500 has gained 1.9 percent, rising back above the closely watched level of 1,500. The Dow Jones industrial average moved within striking distance of an all-time high.

"The market is looking choppy, and I think investors should use this as an opportunity to sell into strength," said Matt McCormick, a money manager at Cincinnati-based Bahl & Gaynor. "This seems like an environment where someone should be conservative instead of aggressive."

The U.S. economy grew 0.1 percent in the fourth quarter, a weaker pace than expected, although a slightly better performance in exports and fewer imports led the government to scratch an earlier estimate of an economic contraction.

Separately, the number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week, while the February Chicago Purchasing Managers Index unexpectedly rose to an 11-month high.

While equity markets suffered steep losses earlier in the week on concerns over European debt, they have since recovered, with the gains fueled by strong data and recent comments by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke that showed continued support for the Fed's economic stimulus policy.

"Growth is still anemic and there are still issues with Europe. People seem to be ignoring the signs that would otherwise give them cause for concern," said McCormick, who helps oversee $8.2 billion in assets.

The Dow Jones industrial average was up 27.27 points, or 0.19 percent, at 14,102.64. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was up 5.13 points, or 0.34 percent, at 1,521.12. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 13.75 points, or 0.43 percent, at 3,176.01.

The benchmark S&P 500 has gained 1.4 percent in February, the Dow is up 1.7 percent and the Nasdaq has added 1 percent.

J.C. Penney Co Inc slumped 18 percent to $17.32 as the S&P's biggest decliner after the department store reported a steep drop in sales on Wednesday. Groupon Inc also slumped on weak revenue, with the stock off 25 percent at $4.50.

Mylan Inc jumped 6.5 percent to $30.45 on the Nasdaq after the generic drugmaker posted a 25 percent rise in fourth-quarter profit.

Investors were keeping an eye on the debate in Washington over sequestration - U.S. government budget cuts that will take effect starting on Friday if lawmakers fail to reach an agreement on spending and taxes. President Barack Obama and Republican congressional leaders arranged to hold last-ditch talks to prevent the cuts, but expectations were low that any deal would be produced.

With 93 percent of the S&P 500 companies having reported results so far, 69.5 percent have beaten profit expectations, compared with a 62 percent average since 1994 and 65 percent over the past four quarters, according to Thomson Reuters data.

Fourth-quarter earnings for S&P 500 companies are estimated to have risen 6.2 percent, according to the data, above a 1.9 percent forecast at the start of the earnings season.

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/stocks-advance-track-third-day-gains-1C8613347

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Father of Newtown victim: Ban assault weapons

Neil Heslin, the father of a six-year-old boy who was slain in the Sandy Hook massacre in Newtown, Conn., on Dec. 14, holds a picture of himself with his son Jesse and wipes his eye while testifying on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, before the Senate Judiciary Committee on the Assault Weapons Ban of 2013. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Neil Heslin, the father of a six-year-old boy who was slain in the Sandy Hook massacre in Newtown, Conn., on Dec. 14, holds a picture of himself with his son Jesse and wipes his eye while testifying on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, before the Senate Judiciary Committee on the Assault Weapons Ban of 2013. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Donna Soto, mother of slain Sandy Hook Elementary teacher Victoria Soto, holds here phone with a photo of her daughter on it while she listens to testimony on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, during the Senate Judiciary Committee on the Assault Weapons Ban of 2013. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Democratic Sen. Brian Frosh (standing left) discusses a Maryland gun-control bill with Sen. E.J. Pipkin (standing right), R-Cecil, on Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013 in the state Senate in Annapolis, Md. (AP Photo/Brian Witte)

Neil Heslin, the father of a six-year-old boy who was slain in the Sandy Hook massacre in Newtown, Conn., on Dec. 14, holds a picture of himself with his son Jesse and wipes his eye while testifying on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, before the Senate Judiciary Committee on the Assault Weapons Ban of 2013. At left is Carlee Soto, sister of slain Sandy Hook Elementary teacher Victoria Soto. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? After weeks of arguing constitutional fine points and citing rival statistics, senators wrangling over gun control saw and heard the anguish of a bereft father.

Neil Heslin, whose 6-year-old son, Jesse, was among those cut down at a Connecticut elementary school in December, asked the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday to ban assault weapons like the one that killed his child.

"I'm not here for the sympathy or the pat on the back," Heslin, a 50-year-old construction worker, told the senators, weeping openly during much of his hushed 11-minute testimony. "I'm here to speak up for my son."

At his side were photos: of his son as a baby, of them both taken on Father's Day, six months before Jesse was among 20 first-graders and six administrators killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. That massacre has hoisted gun control to a primary political issue this year, though the outcome remains uncertain.

The hearing's focus was legislation by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., to ban assault weapons and ammunition magazines carrying more than 10 rounds. A Bushmaster assault weapon was used at Newtown by the attacker, Adam Lanza, whose body was found with 30-round magazines.

Feinstein said such a firearm "tears peoples' bodies apart. I don't know why as a matter of public policy we can't say they don't belong.'"

Republicans had several answers. They argued her proposal would violate the Second Amendment's right to bear arms and take firearms from law-abiding citizens, and said current laws aimed at keeping guns from criminals are not fully enforced.

"The best way to prevent crazy people" from getting firearms is to better enforce the existing federal background check system, said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

That system is designed to prevent criminals, people with mental problems and others from obtaining guns. It only applies to weapons sold by federally licensed dealers, and expanding that system to nearly all gun transactions is the central proposal in President Barack Obama's package of gun restrictions he unveiled last month, along with bans on assault weapons and large-capacity magazines.

As if to underscore the hurdles Obama's plan faces on Capitol Hill, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., told reporters Wednesday that he opposed universal background checks like the president wants and predicted it would not be part of his chamber's gun legislation. He wants the current federal background check system strengthened, improving how states provide it with mental health information about citizens and cracking down on illegal gun trafficking.

At the same time, election results from Tuesday highlighted gun control's potency as a political issue. Illinois state Rep. Robin Kelly won a House Democratic primary in the state after a political committee favoring firearms curbs financed by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Independence USA, spent more than $2 million on ads for her. Kelly's opponent had opposed an assault weapons ban.

The Senate Judiciary panel could begin writing gun legislation Thursday, but that seems all but certain to slip to next week.

At the Senate hearing, spectators dabbed tears from their cheeks as Heslin described his last morning with his son, including getting a final hug as he dropped him off at school. The hearing room was packed with relatives and neighbors of victims of Newtown, as well as people affected by other shootings at Aurora, Colo., and Virginia Tech.

"It's all going to be OK," Heslin says his son told him. "And it wasn't OK."

Dr. William Begg, an emergency room doctor who treated some Newtown casualties, described assault weapons wounds. Begg noted that the coroner's report said each child had three to 11 bullet wounds.

"They had such horrific injuries to their little bodies," said Begg. He said an assault weapons bullet "opens up" and does not travel in a straight line, adding, "That's not a survivable injury."

The hearing featured heated exchanges, such as when Graham pressed Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn about the government's prosecution of only a handful of the roughly 80,000 people annually who fail background checks after falsely stating they qualify for guns.

"I want to stop 76,000 people from buying guns illegally," Walsh said, defending the background check system and heatedly interrupting Graham, a Senate rarity.

Former Rep. Sandy Adams, R-Fla., once a law enforcement officer, told the senators they have an opportunity to take effective action against gun violence. She has favored expanding the availability of mental health information to the authorities and opposes taking guns from people.

"It is not time for feel-good legislation so you can say you did something," she said.

That drew an angry objection from Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., who said, "This is not feel-good legislation."

Feinstein's bill ? and most of Obama's guns agenda ? will have to overcome opposition from the National Rifle Association, which has long kept lawmakers from enacting gun restrictions.

Another hurdle is uncertain support from moderate Democrats.

Feinstein's measure has 21 co-sponsors, all Democrats. Including herself, it is sponsored by eight of the 10 Judiciary panel Democrats ? precarious for a committee where Democrats outnumber Republicans 10-8. Among those who haven't co-sponsored the measure is Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., who did not attend Wednesday's session.

Her bill would ban future sales of assault weapons and magazines carrying more than 10 rounds of ammunition, exempting those that already exist. It specifically bans 157 firearms but excludes 2,258 others in an effort to avoid barring hunting and sporting weapons.

Meanwhile, the House Education and Workforce Committee debated ways to keep students safe, such as the NRA proposal for more armed guards at schools.

"Two thousand kids die each year in automobiles each year," said Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tenn., comparing that number with the comparatively few children who die in schools. "Schools are safe places and for the most part they really are."

Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., said school safety is linked to firearms, saying, "Turning schools into armed fortresses is not the answer."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-02-27-Gun%20Control-Congress/id-d072108084014725a6df653924f263c4

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Old Salem Farm to Host Big Horse Show This Fall - Chappaqua Patch

The renowned equestrian event ? the American Gold Cup ? is coming to Northern Westchester for the second year in a row. The annual horse show will be held at Old Salem Farm in North Salem.?

It is expected to draw?10,000 visitors, 600 horses and bring $6 million in revenue to the local economy, Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino said.

The?American?Gold?Cup, which will be broadcast by NBC, is scheduled to take place from?Sept. 11 to Sept. 15.?The competition serves as a qualifier for the?World Cup finals.

"It's a true honor for the stable and for the owners, the Hakim family, to have the American Gold Cup here,"?Old Salem Farm's?head trainer and American Gold Cup organizer Frank Madden said.

He said the sport of show jumping requires passion and everyone at Old Salem Farm is also passionate about hosting the American Gold Cup.

The iconic equestrian events will also feature two-time Olympic?Gold?Medalist McLain Ward, who was born in Mount Kisco but grew up in North Salem.?

"This community not only wants to embrace events like this, but it?s where it belongs,? Ward said. "This venue is first class. We are thrilled to be here."

In 2012, the North American Riders Group voted both Old Salem Farm and the American Gold Cup as?among the "Top 25" equestrian shows in North America. The farm?s recently underwent a $30 million renovation.?

The American Gold Cup has selected the ASPCA and JustWorld International, which helps to provide?basic education, nutrition, health, hygiene and vocational programs for children all over the globe, as this year?s?charitable partners.

"Many people don't know we were founded to protect horses," said Valerie Angeli, senior director of equine and special?projects for the ASPCA, which was founded in?1866.

The American Gold Cup will be broadcast on NBC Sports Network on Sept. 22 at 4:30 p.m.?

Source: http://chappaqua.patch.com/articles/old-salem-farm-to-host-renowned-horse-show-in-september-9f1570d8

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California facing doctor drought in wake of U.S. health care reform

California has been preparing for drastic changes to our medical system since the approval of the Affordable Care Act, expected to launch in 2014.

But alongside the benefits, the state also faces the challenge of making the implementation work, and some experts worry that our already overpacked system may collapse. According to the Los Angeles Times, the California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF) has proposed possible solutions to address the concern of flooding the system, but, as in any democracy, not everyone agrees on what is going to work.

Among such topics is the redefining of who can provide health care, which would expand the field of primary healthcare physicians to include physician assistants, nurse practitioners, pharmacists and optometrists. This would allow relief to the underserved counties that lack physicians. The CHCF is also calling for incentives to relieve recent MD graduates of school finances by serving such counties for their first three years in residency.

Critics of these ideas insist that expanding primary physicianship will both endanger patient safety and increase costs. Under-experienced workers tend to ?order more tests and prescribe more antibiotics.?

Put simply, these incentives will take years to create more coverage for depreciated counties?years that we don?t have.

Anyone who has visited an urgent care can testify that the total amount of time spent with the doctor is equivalent to the time it takes us to change one?s underwear. Most of the leg work is done by the nurses. I have seen plenty of physicians enter a patient?s room with a computer, arriving to a diagnosis after entering symptoms into their software.

I?m pretty sure this work can be extended to the professions previously listed above. It?s not like we are asking them to perform brain surgery.

According to a report from California Watch, implementation of the ACA may have unforeseen costs which unfortunately may come at the expense of our state?s children.

The report identifies a focus of concern toward a bill passed in November of 2012 that would abandon the California Healthy Families insurance program, which insures children whose family income is too high for Medicaid but too low for private insurance. The proposal was approved through the Brown administration as a budget cut to improve revenue by saving up to $72 million per year. The bill will affect 870,000 children currently enrolled in Medi-Cal.

That bill was to be effective in January 2013 but was delayed to March due to reports of possible physician abandonment. It is expected to be implemented in four phases, ending in August.

The current debate with Medi-Cal is whether or not most physicians will reject potential patients due to extremely low reimbursement rates?almost 50 percent less than Medicare. So healthcare providers will gladly accept older patients, who are covered by Medicare, over children who cannot possibly provide healthcare for themselves, all because they are guaranteed a paycheck? Unfortunate, but seemingly the case.

A report in November 2012 by Health Net, which currently covers 86,000 people under Healthy Families, gave notice to the state, stating ?it can?t say how many of its doctors will continue to see children after they are moved from the better-paying Healthy Families program to Medi-Cal.?

Unfortunately, the constant bickering most conceivably boils down to loss of money. At its most obvious (insurance companies) to its most disappointing (the workforce), everyone is scared of taking a pay decrease that will benefit millions of Californians.

But it may not have to come to that.

A report released by the Institute of Medicine found that the U.S. health care system wastes $750 billion each year. ABC News reported that this money could have provided health insurance for 150 million Americans. Reports like these can help aid waste expenditure so the multi-trillion dollar health care system won?t lose a precious penny.

I?m sure the great thinkers of America can figure out a way to make this system?which already functions in most other developed nations?work. The future of health care in California might just depend on it.

Source: http://www.dailytitan.com/2013/02/california-facing-doctor-drought-in-wake-of-u-s-health-care-reform/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=california-facing-doctor-drought-in-wake-of-u-s-health-care-reform

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Egypt balloon crash kills 18, mostly foreign tourists

CAIRO (Reuters) - At least 18 people, most of them Asian and European tourists, were killed when a hot air balloon crashed on Tuesday near the ancient Egyptian town of Luxor following a mid-air gas explosion, officials said.

The balloon came down in farmland a few kilometers (miles) from the Valley of the Kings and pharaonic temples that draw tourists to Luxor. Rescue workers gathered the remains of the dead from the field where the charred remains of the balloon, gas canisters and other pieces of burnt wreckage landed.

One Egyptian was also killed, Health Minister Mohamed Mostafa Hamed told Reuters, listing the others killed as tourists from Japan, China, France, Britain and Hungary. Earlier, officials had said all the dead were tourists.

The pilot survived by jumping from the basket when it was 10-15 meters (yards) from the ground, said Ahmed Aboud, head of an association representing Luxor balloon operators. Two other survivors, both British, were being treated at Luxor hospital, said Mohamed Mustafa, a doctor at Luxor hospital. The fatalities were caused by burns and by the impact, he said.

"We believe a small number of British nationals are involved in an incident in Luxor this morning," Britain's Foreign Office said in an emailed statement. The Japanese embassy in Cairo said it believed four Japanese had been aboard and had sent staff to Luxor to confirm. France's foreign ministry said two French citizens had been killed.

Aboud said the blast had happened in the pipe linking the gas canisters to the burner. He said that it was an accident.

Transport accidents are frequent in Egypt. Dozens of children were killed in November when the bus they were on collided with a train. Accidents affecting foreign tourists are fewer, but are not unusual. Five Germans were killed in December in a bus crash near a Red Sea resort.

Konny Matthews, assistant manager of Luxor's Al Moudira hotel, said she heard an explosion at about 7 a.m. (0500 GMT). "It was a huge bang. It was a frightening bang, even though it was several kilometers away from the hotel," she said by phone. "Some of my employees said that their homes were shaking."

The balloon crashed on the west bank of the Nile river, where many of the major historical sites are located.

U.S. photographer Christopher Michel, who was on board another balloon, told Britain's Sky News television that the balloon was one of eight flying at the time.

"We heard a loud explosion behind us. I looked back and saw lots of smoke. It wasn't immediately clear that it was a balloon," he said.

Hot air ballooning at dawn is popular with tourists, who are a mainstay of the Egyptian economy, although visitor numbers have fallen sharply since a 2011 uprising that toppled veteran President Hosni Mubarak. Two years of political instability have kept away many foreign tourists.

Tourism accounted for more than a 10th of Egypt's gross domestic product before the revolt. In 2010, about 14.7 million visitors came to Egypt, but this slumped to 9.8 million people the next year.

The civil aviation minister said a committee from the ministry was heading to Luxor to investigate the incident, the state news agency reported. The minister along with other officials from the ministry also went to Luxor.

The governor of Luxor ordered an immediate halt to all ballooning, the state-run al-Ahram newspaper reported.

(Additional reporting by Shaimaa Fayed in Cairo, Michael Holden and Estelle Shirbon in London and Vicky Buffery in Paris; Editing by Louise Ireland)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hot-air-balloon-carrying-20-tourists-crashes-egypt-063653885.html

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Guilty Verdict In Slaying Of K-Zoo Antiques Dealer ? CBS Detroit

KALAMAZOO (WWJ/AP) - A jury has found a man guilty on all counts in the robbery and slaying of a 74-year-old Kalamazoo antiques dealer. A second suspect awaits trial.

Deliberations began Friday and ended Tuesday when the Kalamazoo County Circuit Court jury found 21-year-old Antonio Livingston guilty of first-degree murder, first-degree home invasion and assault with intent to rob.

The murder conviction carries an automatic penalty of life in prison without parole. Sentencing is March 25.

Prosecutors say Livingston was present when John Aguilar beat Robert Medema to death in August in his home. ?A 16-year-old runaway, who?d been staying with Aguilar, testified that Aguilar and Livingston had told her to watch for Medema the day of his death ? but said she didn?t know they?d planned to kill him.

Livingston testified he thought he and Aguilar were just going to pick up items for a garage sale. He said Aguilar told him to go through a window into Medema?s house, but that he never thought a crime would occur.

Aguilar is scheduled to go on trial in April.

(TM and ? Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

?

Source: http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2013/02/26/guilty-verdict-in-slaying-of-k-zoo-antiques-dealer/

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Mid-2013 expansion for Internet names targeted

FILE- In this Wednesday June 13, 2012, file photo, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, ICANN, President and Chief Executive Rod Beckstrom, speaks on expanding the number of domain name suffixes during a press conference in London. Hundreds of Internet address suffixes to rival ?.com? should be available for people and businesses to use by the end of the year, the head of an Internet oversight agency said Monday Feb. 25, 2013. The initial ones, expected in mid-2013, will likely be in Chinese and other languages besides English, said Fadi Chehade, CEO of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. (AP Photo/Tim Hales, File)

FILE- In this Wednesday June 13, 2012, file photo, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, ICANN, President and Chief Executive Rod Beckstrom, speaks on expanding the number of domain name suffixes during a press conference in London. Hundreds of Internet address suffixes to rival ?.com? should be available for people and businesses to use by the end of the year, the head of an Internet oversight agency said Monday Feb. 25, 2013. The initial ones, expected in mid-2013, will likely be in Chinese and other languages besides English, said Fadi Chehade, CEO of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. (AP Photo/Tim Hales, File)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Hundreds of Internet address suffixes to rival ".com" should be available for people and businesses to use by the end of the year, the head of an Internet oversight agency said Monday.

The initial ones, expected in mid-2013, will likely be in Chinese and other languages besides English, said Fadi Chehade, CEO of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers.

That will be followed within weeks by English suffixes that do not have competing bidders. Although the specific names won't be announced until late April, they will come from a pool of single-bidder proposals ? among them, ".aetna," ''.cadillac" and other brand names sought by companies, regional monikers such as ".vegas" and ".quebec" and generic suffixes such as ".like" and ".vacation."

Many proposed suffixes, such as ".app," ''.music" and ".tech," will likely take longer, however, because multiple groups have submitted bids to run them and must work out disputes.

ICANN is overseeing the largest expansion of the Internet address system since its creation in the 1980s. Last year, nearly 2,000 businesses and groups submitted bids for about 1,400 different names. Proponents of the new suffixes are hoping the expansion will lead to online neighborhoods of businesses and groups around specific geographic areas or industries. And with easy-to-remember ".com" names long taken, they hope to offer Internet newcomers more choices.

In preparation for that expansion, Chehade said Monday that businesses and other trademark holders will be able to declare names they want protected, starting March 26, for an annual fee of up to $150 per name. IBM Corp. and Deloitte will run that system, known as the Trademark Clearinghouse.

Trademark holders will have a chance to register names ending in one of the new suffixes before registration opens to the general public. If a company chooses not to register the name right away, the Trademark Clearinghouse will notify the company when someone else tries to do so. The system, however, will not block that name from going through, and parties must work out disputes themselves, such as through arbitration.

Still to be determined is whether the system will cover variations such as misspellings or the use of a trademark as part of a longer suffix, as in "iPhoneCases." In an interview with The Associated Press, Chehade said ICANN did not want to restrict free speech or other legitimate uses.

From a technical standpoint, computers don't really care what the names are, as long as they match to a numeric Internet address that computers need to send email and locate websites.

From a business and cultural standpoint, however, the names have come to mean much more. Names are central to many companies' branding. And the Internet feels less global when Chinese, Arabic and Russian speakers have to use English characters as part of their Internet address.

ICANN received more than 100 proposals for names in other languages, the bulk of them for the Chinese equivalent of words such as "company" and "online." ICANN's board had agreed to review those first.

Proposals for about a thousand English suffixes have only one bidder, so those would be next in line. In making its recommendations, ICANN is considering the bidder's financial and technical capabilities, as well as any objections raised by the public.

Chehade said ICANN's initial recommendations are expected in late April, after which the winning bidders will work out operational and contractual details. The first of the new names are expected to be activated within months, with additional ones coming at a rate of about 20 a week.

For suffixes with multiple bidders, there is no deadline for which parties must reach agreement. ICANN plans to ultimately hold an auction if competing bidders cannot reach a compromise.

Meanwhile, ICANN said Monday that it would spread its operations to three locations around the world to cover all time zones. Headquarters will remain in Los Angeles, with hubs expected in Singapore and Istanbul, Turkey, by mid-2013. In an interview from Singapore, Chehade said the change would help ICANN avoid hiring a U.S.-centric staff as the Internet address system expands to accommodate users worldwide.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-02-25-Beyond%20Dot-Com/id-b389a4ac462d4ba8aacd81fc558fa68d

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Romney to give first postelection interview to Fox

FILE - In this Sunday, Jan. 6, 2008, file photo, Republican presidential hopeful former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks with Chris Wallace on FOX News Sunday in Manchester, N.H. Wallace said on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, that he has landed the first post-election interview with Romney and his wife, Ann. The interview will air on his show next week (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

FILE - In this Sunday, Jan. 6, 2008, file photo, Republican presidential hopeful former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks with Chris Wallace on FOX News Sunday in Manchester, N.H. Wallace said on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, that he has landed the first post-election interview with Romney and his wife, Ann. The interview will air on his show next week (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Fox's Chris Wallace has landed the first postelection interview with defeated Republican nominee Mitt Romney and his wife, Ann.

Wallace said on "Fox News Sunday" that the interview will air on his show next week. Additional portions will be on Fox News Channel the next day. Wallace says he'll ask Romney how he has dealt with the defeat, what he plans to do and his thoughts about President Barack Obama's second-term agenda.

Fox News spokeswoman Ashley Nerz says the interview will be taped this week in southern California, where Romney has spent much of his time since the election.

Romney has also said he will speak March 15 to the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, an annual event that draws leading Republican voices.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-02-24-US-TV-Fox-Romney/id-dea3b6d29b25449ea06ede58537c8993

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Chinese 'Dubai' turns into deserted island

AFP - It was billed as China's Dubai: a cluster of sail-shaped skyscrapers on a man-made island surrounded by tropical sea, the epitome of an unprecedented property boom that transformed skylines across the country.

But prices on Phoenix Island, off the palm-tree lined streets of the resort city of Sanya, have plummeted in recent months, exposing the hidden fragilities of China's growing but sometimes unbalanced economy.

A "seven star" hotel is under construction on the wave-lapped oval, which the provincial tourism authority proclaims as a "fierce competitor" for the title of "eighth wonder of the modern world".

But the island stands quiet aside from a few orange-jacketed cleaning staff, with undisturbed seaside swimming pools reflecting rows of pristine white towers, and a row of Porsches one of the few signs of habitation.

Chinese manufacturers once snapped up its luxury apartments, but with profits falling as a result of the global downturn many owners need to offload properties urgently and raise cash to repay business loans, estate agents said.

Now apartments on Phoenix Island which reached the dizzying heights of 150,000 yuan per square metre ($2,200 per square foot) in 2010 are on offer for just 70,000 yuan, said Sun Zhe, a local estate agent.

"I just got a call from a businessman desperate to sell," Sun told AFP, brandishing his mobile phone as he whizzed over a bridge to the futuristic development on a electric golf cart.

"Whether it's toys or clothes, the export market is bad... property owners need capital quickly, and want to sell their apartments right away," he said. "They are really feeling the effect of the financial crisis."

Official figures showed an almost eight percent increase in China's total exports last year, but sales to Europe fell by almost four percent with the continent mired in a debt crisis and recession.

At the same time rising wages in China mean that producers of clothes, toys and other low-end goods are seeing their margins squeezed as other emerging economies compete to become the world's centre for cheap manufacturing.

For years Chinese business owners, faced with limited investment options and low returns from deposits in state-run banks, have used property as a store of value, pushing prices up even higher in the good times but creating the risk of a crash in the bad.

"China had a lending boom... and so if people are using property as a place to stash their cash, they had more cash to stash," said Patrick Chanovec, a professor at Beijing's Tsinghua university.

"At some point they want to get their money out, then you find out if there are really people who are willing to pay those high prices."

Phoenix Island is part of Hainan, a Belgium-sized province in the South China Sea that saw the biggest property price increases in China after a 2008 government stimulus flooded the economy with credit.

Eager buyers camped out in tents on city streets as prices shot up by more than 50 percent in one year.

But tightened policies on access to credit and multiple house purchases have since knocked values in favoured second home locations, even while prices in major cities they have rallied in recent months.

Real estate is a pillar of the Chinese economy, accounting for almost 14 percent of GDP last year and supporting the massive construction sector, making policy makers anxious to avoid a major collapse of the property bubble.

At the same time ordinary Chinese who cannot afford to buy a home have been frustrated by high housing costs for years.

With anger over graft also mounting state media have carried several reports in recent weeks about corrupt officials' property holdings, including a policeman who used a fake identity card to buy at least 192 dwellings.

Hainan's tropical shores are said to be a hotspot for purchases by well-connected bureaucrats, but estate agents denied they were rushing to sell off apartments for fear of a crackdown.

Officials only account for around 20 percent of owners, they said -- while doubting any new regulations would be properly enforced. "There are always different rules for people with connections," said one agent, asking to remain anonymous.

It is an example of the multiple competing interests the authorities have to balance, leaving them treading a difficult line, with sometimes unforeseen consequences.

On the other side of Hainan, the Seaview Auspicious Gardens, boasts beachside villas accessed by artificial rivers and a private library containing 100,000 books, prices have fallen by a third from a high of 12,000 yuan per square metre in the last year, and a third of the flats remain unsold.

Yang Qiong has a thankless task as one of its saleswomen.

"Before the government restrictions we would sell out a development like this in just five months," she lamented.

Source: http://www.france24.com/en/20130224-chinese-dubai-turns-deserted-island

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UK downgrade pressures reluctant Osborne to change course

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's finance minister insisted on Saturday he would not change course after the loss of the country's 'AAA' credit rating but George Osborne is facing pressure to do just that as his bet on austerity falters ahead of the 2015 election.

Moody's dealt Britain its first sovereign rating downgrade on Friday, saying the $2.5 trillion economy faced years more sluggish growth and debt would continue to rise until 2016.

Economically the one-notch cut will have limited importance -- most of Europe, Japan and the United States have already suffered the same fate and Britain continues to borrow at historically low rates.

But politically it is toxic for Osborne who has repeatedly vowed to protect the top credit rating since the 2010 election campaign. The downgrade exposes him to opponents who say his failure to deliver economic growth is driving Prime Minister David Cameron towards electoral defeat.

Osborne said on Saturday the move by Moody's showed he was right to focus on restoring Britain to fiscal health, arguing that only by doing that will the conditions for growth be restored.

"I am absolutely determined to make sure we deal with our problems, to make sure that Britain stays the course, to make sure that it doesn't take from this credit rating the wrong message which is we should go and borrow a lot more," the 41-year-old Chancellor of the Exchequer said.

"I'm absolutely clear we're not going to do that."

For investors, the downgrade underscores Britain's predicament: a debt-ridden, stagnating economy which has kept bond yields low in large part thanks to the Bank of England becoming the world's biggest investor in UK government debt by buying it with newly printed money.

"Osborne no longer has any place to hide or anyone to blame," said David Blanchflower, who served on the Bank of England's interest rate setting committee from 2006 to 2009.

He said the minister should "stand up, be a man and accept responsibility for the worst recovery in 100 years" and, in a message on Twitter, suggested a swift cut to value-added tax, a labor tax holiday for workers under 25 and incentives for investment and hiring to kick start growth.

Osborne can take comfort from Moody's confidence that his austerity plan would eventually "reverse the UK's debt trajectory".

A Treasury official noted Moody's had given the UK's credit rating a stable outlook, meaning little chance of a further downgrade in the next 12-18 months. When the United States and France were downgraded, their outlooks remained negative.

But whether growth will return forcefully long enough before the 2015 election to allow voters to appreciate it is now highly uncertain.

Sterling fell by almost a cent to around $1.5160 after the downgrade, just off Thursday's fresh 2-1/2-year low. Analysts said they expected it to fall further on Monday.

Some of the Conservatives' Liberal Democrat coalition partners questioned the political judgment of attaching so much importance to Britain's AAA rating.

"This is a self-inflicted injury for George Osborne," said Matthew Oakeshott, a former Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman. "To be fair, he was very green in 2009 ... He foolishly erected triple-A status as a virility symbol."

"BLEEDING THE PATIENT"

Cameron, who led his Conservative Party back to office as part of a coalition government after 13 years out of power, risks another year of stagnation and giving his opponents and open goal to aim at.

The Labor Party - which left the biggest peacetime deficit when it lost the 2010 election - called for Osborne's head.

"The medicine is not working so the Chancellor says increase the dose - that's crazy economics. It is like an 18th-century doctor bleeding a patient as they get sicker and sicker," said Ed Balls, the party's main spokesman on finance issues.

But people close to Britain's most powerful two politicians say they are completely aligned. Osborne led Cameron's bid for leadership of the Conservatives and ran the 2010 election campaign. There is little or no chance of him being sacrificed or being forced into a humiliating policy U-turn which would wreck his career.

"Osborne has lots of critics, both inside and outside the party, who are now going to be emboldened by this, but there is no coherent alternative," said Tim Montgomerie, editor of the influential ConservativeHome website.

Though Labor is about 10 percentage points ahead of Conservative Party in polls, surveys show voters trust Cameron and Osborne more than Labor's leader Ed Miliband.

TIME FOR A TWEAK?

Osborne originally gambled that by slashing spending, growth rates of between 2 and 3 percent would kick in from 2013.

But with Britain's banks still recovering from the financial crisis and many of its main trading partners in Europe stuck in recession, his debt targets will be missed. His room for more spending is limited as he tries to avoid pushing up yields on Britain's 1.29 trillion pounds ($1.97 trillion) of debt.

With government spending so restricted, many investors' hopes lie with the Bank of England. Its governor, Mervyn King, this month voted to restart government-bond buying. Although in the minority, his change of heart suggested the bank may be closer than expected to pursuing more stimulus.

If Osborne slows his debt reduction plans, he could upset bond investors and throw his deficit targets further off course.

"We should stick to the plan," said Kwasi Kwarteng, a Conservative lawmaker. "The prime minister would not want to be seen to be panicking, and he's committed to keeping George Osborne where he is."

"But we do also need to look at growth," said Kwarteng, who suggested cutting corporation tax and red tape.

Business lobby the Confederation of British Industry has called for more investment on infrastructure and housing to be funded by more cuts in day-to-day spending. It also expects the government to guarantee more private-sector projects.

Osborne has a chance in his annual budget next month to deliver such tweaks to policy. ($1 = 0.6551 British pounds)

(Additional reporting by Mohammed Abbas and William Schomberg. Editing by Mike Peacock)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/uk-downgrade-pressures-reluctant-osborne-change-course-175116752.html

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Lenovo outs three Android tablets, the 7-inch A1000 and A3000, and the 10-inch S6000 (hands-on)

Mobile World Congress might be the world's premier smartphone show, but that doesn't mean you won't find a bunch of tablets on display. In fact, that's pretty much all Lenovo is showing -- that, and the K900 phone, which you've already seen. All told, the company is introducing three new tabs, all of which run Android Jelly Bean, and fall into the budget / mid-range category. At the highest end is the S6000, which really isn't "high-end," per se, given that it has a 10-inch, 1,280 x 800 IPS display and a quad-core MediaTek's 8389 / 8125 processor, clocked at 1.2GHz. The tablet, which measures 8.6mm (0.34 inch) thick and weighs in at 560 grams (1.23 pounds), is rated for eight hours of battery life, and there's an optional HSPA+ radio too.

Similarly, the 7-inch A3000 (pictured above) has a 1.2GHz quad-core MTK processor, IPS display and optional HSPA+ , but its resolution is a lower 1,024 x 600. Though it's smaller, it's also a tad thicker, at 11mm (0.43 inch). Finally, at the entry level, there's the A1000, a 7-inch tablet with a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and Dolby Digital Plus audio (it's being marketed toward music enthusiasts as well as first-time buyers). Both models have microSD expansion, but the A3000 supports cards up to 64GB, while the A1000 can only handle 32. (The A1000 maxes out at 16GB of built-in storage, by the way.)

The tablets will all be available sometime in Q2, with worldwide availability (yes, that includes the US). We won't find out prices until later, but we do expect to see these on display here at MWC, so stay tuned for the usual hands-on treatment.

Gallery: Lenovo A1000

Gallery: Lenovo A3000

Gallery: Lenovo S6000

Filed under: Tablets, Lenovo

Comments

Source: Lenovo

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/24/lenovo-a1000-a3000-s6000/

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Mercury may have harbored an ancient magma ocean

Friday, February 22, 2013

By analyzing Mercury's rocky surface, scientists have been able to partially reconstruct the planet's history over billions of years. Now, drawing upon the chemical composition of rock features on the planet's surface, scientists at MIT have proposed that Mercury may have harbored a large, roiling ocean of magma very early in its history, shortly after its formation about 4.5 billion years ago.

The scientists analyzed data gathered by MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging), a NASA probe that has orbited the planet since March 2011. Later that year, a group of scientists analyzed X-ray fluorescence data from the probe, and identified two distinct compositions of rocks on the planet's surface. The discovery unearthed a planetary puzzle: What geological processes could have given rise to such distinct surface compositions?

To answer that question, the MIT team used the compositional data to recreate the two rock types in the lab, and subjected each synthetic rock to high temperatures and pressures to simulate various geological processes. From their experiments, the scientists came up with only one phenomenon to explain the two compositions: a vast magma ocean that created two different layers of crystals, solidified, then eventually remelted into magma that then erupted onto Mercury's surface.

"The thing that's really amazing on Mercury is, this didn't happen yesterday," says Timothy Grove, a professor of geology at MIT. "The crust is probably more than 4 billion years old, so this magma ocean is a really ancient feature."

Grove, along with postdoc Bernard Charlier and Maria Zuber, the E.A. Griswold Professor of Geophysics and Planetary Science and now MIT's vice president for research, published the results in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters.

Making Mercury's rocks

MESSENGER entered Mercury's orbit during a period of intense solar-flare activity; as the solar system's innermost planet, Mercury takes the brunt of the sun's rays. The rocks on its surface reflect an intense fluorescent spectrum that scientists can measure with X-ray spectrometers to determine the chemical composition of surface materials.

As the spacecraft orbited the planet, an onboard X-ray spectrometer measured the X-ray radiation generated by Mercury's surface. In September 2011, the MESSENGER science team parsed these energy spectra into peaks, with each peak signifying a certain chemical element in the rocks. From this research, the group identified two main rock types on Mercury's surface.

Grove, Charlier and Zuber set out to find an explanation for the differences in rock compositions. The team translated the chemical element ratios into the corresponding building blocks that make up rocks, such as magnesium oxide, silicon dioxide and aluminum oxide. The researchers then consulted what Grove refers to as a "pantry of oxides" ? finely powdered chemicals ? to recreate the rocks in the lab.

"We just mix these together in the right proportions and we've got a synthetic copy of what's on the surface of Mercury," Grove says.

Crystals in the melt

The researchers then melted the samples of synthetic rock in a furnace, cranking the heat up and down to simulate geological processes that would cause crystals ? and eventually rocks ? to form in the melt.

"You can tell what would happen as the melt cools and crystals form and change the chemical composition of the remaining melted rock," Grove says. "The leftover melt changes composition."

After cooling the samples, the researchers picked out tiny crystals and melt pockets for analysis. The scientists initially looked for scenarios in which both original rock compositions might be related. For example, both rock types may have come from one region: One rock may have crystallized more than the other, creating distinct but related compositions.

But Grove found the two compositions were too different to have originated from the same region, and instead may have come from two separate regions within the planet. The easiest explanation for what created these distinct regions, Grove says, is a large magma ocean, which over time likely formed different compositions of crystals as it solidified. This molten ocean eventually remelted, spewing lava onto the surface of the planet in massive volcanic eruptions.

Grove estimates that this magma ocean likely existed very early in Mercury's existence ? possibly within the first 1 million to 10 million years ? and may have been created from the violent processes that formed the planet. As the solar nebula condensed, bits and pieces collided into larger chunks to form tiny, and then larger, planets. That process of colliding and accreting may produce enough energy to completely melt the planet ? a scenario that would make an early magma ocean very feasible.

"The acquisition of data by spacecraft must be combined with laboratory experiments," Charlier says. "Although these data are valuable by themselves, experimental studies on these compositions enable scientists to reach the next level in the interpretation of planetary evolution."

###

Massachusetts Institute of Technology: http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice

Thanks to Massachusetts Institute of Technology for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/126966/Mercury_may_have_harbored_an_ancient_magma_ocean

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Latin American Herald Tribune - NATO May Keep Up to 12,000 Troops in Afghanistan After 2014

BRUSSELS NATO is considering maintaining a residual force of 8,000-12,000 troops in Afghanistan after the end of 2014, the Afghan defense minister said on Friday.The details of the plan are still under discussion, Bismullah Khan Mohammadi told reporters after a NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels.Pentagon chief Leon Panetta declined to discuss numbers, but stressed that any residual force would include troops from other NATO members as well as from the United States.His comments came a...

Read the full article

Source: http://dailyme.com/story/2013022300000143

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Oscars 2013: The Dos and Don'ts of Dressing for the Afterparty

Robert Katrikh Photography

Marina Monroe

The Academy Awards are finally here and, as usual, red carpet fashion continues to be among the most highly anticipated aspects of the evening.

But after the red carpet has been rolled up and every last award doled out, the fun really starts with parties thrown by the likes of Vanity Fair, InStyle and Elton John. And those on the list should remember that their post-Oscar fashion is just as important -- if not more so -- than the glamorous gowns that come before.

Oscar-night afterparties give you the chance to be edgy and fun with your sartorial choices. But there's an art to getting ready for the big night. You're not going to any old outing at the club, after all.

Below, a cheat sheet of how to get the Oscars afterparty look just right.

Afterparty Dos

- Find a designer that speaks to your style. You'll know it when you see it.

- Keep things simple. The complete look is all about balance. Gold looks fabulous with warm colors, while silver works best with cooler colors. Also, make sure your jewelry doesn?t compete with itself by wearing too much. It is usually best to base your hairstyle decision on the accessories. If you decide to wear statement earrings, pull your hair up into a chic chignon or messy bun to show off the gorgeous gems, and keep your hair straight or wavy if you wear bold baubles.

- Do a test run of your hair and makeup and photograph yourself beforehand. Remember, stick to the ?opposites attract? rule. If you decide to wear a simple gown that is more modern, go for a classic, romantic smoky eye and blush pink lip. The softness of the makeup will complement the more modern dress, and vice versa. A? simpler, classic gown calls for standout makeup and a bold lip.

- Carry a kit for last-minute wardrobe malfunctions. This includes double-stick tape, a safety pin, a needle and thread the color of your dress, oil-blotting sheets a Tide-to-go pen and Reviver clothing wipes.

- Check your outfit in different lighting to make sure it photographs well. Do you want your, uh, assets all over Instagram? Neither do we.

- Have your dress tailored. And don?t forget to bring your planned footwear with you when you go.

- Don't be afraid to go for bold colors, bright jewelry and leg-showing silhouettes. You are going to a party, after all.

?

Afterparty Don?ts

- Don?t wear anything that makes you feel self-conscious. Confidence is your biggest accessory, so if you're pulling down your hem every five seconds or making sure your cleavage isn't showing, people will notice.

- Don?t drown in your fabric. You have a body, flaunt it.

- Don?t be trashy. Play up your assets, but not in a distasteful way.

- Don?t over-accessorize. If you plan on wearing statement earrings, opt for a cocktail ring or simple bracelet instead of a necklace. You don't want to look like the Bloomingdale's accessories department.

Marina Monroe has worked in fashion over the last decade as the CEO and creative director of Stylehaus, the first-ever members-based boutique and styling service. She was recently named executive style director of The Grove in Los Angeles.

Source: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/fash-track/oscars-fashion-dos-donts-academy-423290

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Behind the Internet: The Rise and Fall of Keyboard Cat

Bad news first. Guys—Keyboard Cat is dead. The same cat you're still splicing into videos and GIF-ing as fast as your little fingers can fly is, in all likelihood, rotting 6 feet below some nondescript, Midwestern backyard. For it appears that, one night in 1987, our beloved Keyboard Cat (formerly known as Fatso) raised his paw to his keyboard, sounding one final, solemn note before slipping off into eternal, musically-inclined kitty slumber. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/MKU0_6UH_bk/behind-the-internet-the-rise-and-fall-of-keyboard-cat

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5 big U.S. banks have cut mortgage debt by $19 billion

WASHINGTON -- Five of the biggest U.S. banks have cut struggling homeowners' mortgage balances by $19 billion, part of a total $45.8 billion in relief provided under a landmark settlement over foreclosure abuses.

More than 550,000 borrowers received some form of mortgage relief between March 1 and Dec. 31, 2012, according to a report issued Thursday by Joseph Smith, the monitor of the settlement.

That translates to about $82,668 per homeowner, according to the report, which is based on the banks' own accounts of their progress. Smith said he must confirm the banks' data before they can get credit under the settlement.

The deal was struck a year ago by the federal government and 49 states with the five largest U.S. mortgage servicers: Bank of America Corp., JPMorgan Chase & Co., Citigroup Inc., Wells Fargo & Co. and Ally Financial Inc. Under the settlement, the five agreed to reduce balances on mortgages where the borrower owes more than the home is worth and to refinance some loans. The banks also are required to make foreclosure their last resort, and they can't foreclose on a homeowner who is being considered for a loan modification.

The settlement closed a painful chapter of the financial crisis when home values sank and millions edged toward foreclosure. Many companies had processed foreclosures without verifying documents.

The agreement reduces mortgage debt for only a fraction of those whose mortgages are underwater. About 11 million U.S. households are underwater, and the settlement is expected to help about a million of them.

Smith's report says $19.5 billion of the $45.8 billion in relief was in the form of short sales, in which lenders agree to accept less than what the seller owes on the mortgage. Lenders are increasingly favoring short sales rather than waiting for troubled loans to go through the foreclosure process.

Of the roughly $19 billion in reduced mortgage principal, according to the report, Bank of America had provided $13.5 billion; JPMorgan Chase, $1.8 billion; Citigroup, $1.9 billion; Wells Fargo, $1.4 billion; and Ally, $238 million.

Ally, the former financial arm of General Motors Co., now has fulfilled its obligation for the relief it is required to provide under the settlement, Smith said.

The banks provided another $2.2 billion in relief by refinancing 56,400 home loans with an average principal balance of $211,834. As a result, borrowers will save an average of about $417 in interest payments each month, the report says.

The banks also had $3.5 billion worth of loans under trial modifications as of Dec. 31. That could lead to permanent reduction in loan balances of $138,802 if the trials are completed.

"I believe we have made progress, particularly as it relates to (mortgage) relief, but I know from my regular conversations with advocates across the nation that the banks and I have much more work to do on behalf of borrowers," Smith said in a statement.

In separate settlements announced last month, 13 banks agreed to pay a combined $9.3 billion to settle federal complaints that they wrongfully foreclosed on homeowners who should have been allowed to stay in their homes. The settlements ended a review of loan files required under a 2011 action by federal agencies.

They could compensate borrowers whose homes were seized because of abuses such as "robo-signing," when banks automatically signed off on foreclosures without properly reviewing documents. The settlements also will help eliminate huge potential liabilities for the banks: Aurora, Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, JPMorgan Chase, MetLife Bank, Morgan Stanley, PNC Financial Services, Sovereign, SunTrust, U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo.

Source: http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2013/02/5_big_us_banks_have_cut_mortga.html

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Louisiana Bar Table championships set for March 8-10 at Cue Sports

Cue Sports, located at 527 Jackson St. in Thibodaux, Louisiana, will be hosting the Louisiana Bar Table championship from March 8-10. This annual tournament brings forth many of the best pool shooters in the Southeast, and is limited to the first 64 paid participants.

Format and details of the tournament:

Location: Cue Sports

527 Jackson St., Thibodaux, Louisiana

All skill levels can participate. There will be many prize giveaways, cash raffles, and live streaming of matches.

March 9-10 - 9-Ball

$1000 added to prize pool.

Limited to 64 player field.
100% payback tournament, with a calcutta/player auction.
Entry Fee: $40.
Play begings on Saturday at 12 p.m..
Races to 7 on both the winners and losers brackets.
Alternate breaks, rack your own.
9 ball on the break does not count in bottom pockets.

March 8 - Friday night ring game

Limited to 16 player field.
Entry fees: $100 ($90 tourney / $10 green fee).
Mathces being on Friday at 8 p.m..

For more inflation, and how to register for the tournaments, you can call Nick Arcement at (985) 387-2066, or Jason Lafleur at (985)228-4996. This event fills up quickly every year, and there will be a waiting list available.

You can also make payments by mailing them to:

Cue Sports

170 Esplanade Blvd., Thibodaux, Louisiana 70301
Attn: Louisiana Bar Table Championship

or stop by in person at Cue Sports.

Source: http://www.examiner.com/article/louisiana-bar-table-championships-set-for-march-8-10-at-cue-sports?cid=rss

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	Essential News from The Associated Press

? ?Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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T-Mobile launches prepaid GoSmart Mobile service starting at $30 a month, promises 'FreeDUM'

It's nothing we didn't see coming toward the end of last year, but T-Mobile's finally ready to make its GoSmart Mobile prepaid service officially official. As outlined during its trials, the service is offering up plans starting at $30 a month for unlimited talk and text. An extra $5 a month'll get you unlimited talk, text and web, and if you jump up to a full $45 a month, you can add 3G to the list. T-Mob's promising a service free of hidden fees and caps, or as the company puts it "No DUM caps. No DUM overages " -- you know, "FreeDUM in wireless," as it were. The GoSmart Mobile SIM kit will run you $8. More info can be found in the press release after the break.

Show full PR text

GoSmart Mobile Launches Nationwide No-Contract Wireless Service for Budget-Conscious Consumers

It is time for FreeDUM in wireless.

GoSmart Mobile today announced the nationwide launch of its no annual contract wireless service for budget-conscious consumers, ending the era of DUM[TM] hidden fees, roaming charges and overly complicated annual contracts. GoSmart, a new brand from T-Mobile USA, offers affordable, no annual contract plans on a reliable nationwide network starting at just $30 per month.

With GoSmart, wireless customers get what they need - great savings and flexibility without the hassle. For example, customers have the choice of purchasing an inexpensive SIM kit to use in their own compatible mobile phone or they can buy a low-priced GoSmart phone. In addition, all GoSmart services are offered without limits. No DUM caps. No DUM overages. Just a very affordable service for calling, texting and Web surfing.

GoSmart is available online at www.GoSmartMobile.com and at thousands of dealer stores across the nation.

"You don't need food bigger than your face, and you don't need mobile phone plans that charge you more than you can afford for services you don't want or need," said Doug Chartier, senior vice president of marketing for GoSmart. "GoSmart is one of the simplest, most budget-friendly options in wireless, with unlimited plans on a reliable nationwide network starting at $30 per month."
GoSmart's launch comes as the no annual contract market continues to grow at a steady pace, fueled by cost-conscious consumers looking to reduce what they spend each year for wireless service. The number of no annual contract customers in the United States is expected to reach 80 million by the end of 2013 and grow an average of 7.4 percent per year until 2016, according to a report from market research firm IDC.[i]

"The influx of data services, coupled with the traditional flexibility and value of no contract plans, has considerably increased consumer interest in the no annual contract wireless market" said John Weber, Associate Research Analyst at IDC. "Customers often look for unlimited service plans on a robust network, while simultaneously limiting monthly wireless expenses. GoSmart represents a viable option for consumers to consider."

Filed under: T-Mobile

Comments

Source: GoSmart Mobile

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/9j9IWx2soBM/

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Experts split on Detroit's fiscal recovery options

FILE - In this Oct. 24, 2012 file photo, a pedestrian walks in Greektown in downtown Detroit. A state-appointed review team Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013 determined Detroit is in a financial emergency, paving the way for Republican Gov. Rick Snyder to appoint an emergency manager who would need to come up with a new plan to get the city out of its fiscal crisis. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 24, 2012 file photo, a pedestrian walks in Greektown in downtown Detroit. A state-appointed review team Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013 determined Detroit is in a financial emergency, paving the way for Republican Gov. Rick Snyder to appoint an emergency manager who would need to come up with a new plan to get the city out of its fiscal crisis. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)

FILE - In this Feb. 7, 2011 file photo is the Monument to Joe Louis in Detroit. A state-appointed review team Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013 determined Detroit is in a financial emergency, paving the way for Republican Gov. Rick Snyder to appoint an emergency manager who would need to come up with a new plan to get the city out of its fiscal crisis. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)

FILE - This Oct. 24, 2012 file photo shows a graffiti-marked abandoned home north of downtown Detroit, in background. A state-appointed review team Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013 determined Detroit is in a financial emergency, paving the way for Republican Gov. Rick Snyder to appoint an emergency manager who would need to come up with a new plan to get the city out of its fiscal crisis. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)

DETROIT (AP) ? In less than a month, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder will decide whether Detroit should get an emergency manager to oversee its financial recovery.

The question may not be who can save Detroit, but how can Detroit be saved.

Options are limited. Some experts are split on what may be best: long-term restructuring with state help or cutting the city's losses now through municipal bankruptcy.

National municipal bankruptcy expert James Spiotto says Detroit would be the largest city to file for Chapter 9 protection. He said that should be "the absolute last resort."

A review team said Tuesday that Detroit is in a financial emergency with more than $14 billion in long-term liabilities, a $327 million budget deficit and cash flow issues.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-02-20-US-Detroit-Finances/id-5c7f64ab31b346a09626a5eaf7c60b35

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