Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/301174817?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Thursday, April 25, 2013
HTC One gets updated with camera and audio enchancements in Europe
While a significant update at over 200MB, the Android version remains the same
Owners of the international version of the HTC One are reporting that an OTA update is currently being pushed to devices in Europe. The new software version is 1.29.401.12, which makes improvements to the phone's camera, audio, and system stability, among other things. Thanks to a screenshot posted by hamdir on XDA Developers, we have the change log and update size.
HTC Zoe gets sound quality improvements, and the camera gets 'parameter fine-tuning.' The Beats Audio 'sound experience' has been improved, and the One gets location service updates. System stability and miscellaneous improvements, along with bug fixes, round out this software update.
If any HTC One users are getting the update, hit the comments and let us know if these improvements are noticeable. A screen shot of the change log and update size can be found after the break.
Source: XDA
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/wpDWIo-CcJ4/story01.htm
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BBC iPlayer radio app finally starts broadcasting on Android and Kindle devices (video)
While the iPhone didn't even have a built-in FM radio to replace, Android hardware from all the major players has started to forgo the radio tuner in the last few years. Fortunately, Beeb listeners (at least) can finally access the iPlayer radio app, which has made the leap across from iOS. Not only will you be able to install it on your Android smartphone, but also Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet series. The new app doesn't use Flash, given its absence on most up-to-date versions of Google's mobile OS, instead using HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) to deliver your weekly doses of Doctor Who.
Meanwhile, the radio app's design has been given a rethink for its Android debut, following the design and navigation notions of Google's homemade apps and hopefully making sense to any seasoned Android 4.0 user. The BBC's Executive Producer James Simcock explains exactly what's been done differently at the source, but if you're not a "reading" kind of... reader, there's a trailer after the break.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets
Source: BBC, BBC iPlayer radio (Google Play)
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Women Are Earning Greater Share of STEM Degrees, but Doctorates Remain Gender-Skewed
In 2008, for the first time, U.S. women earned more doctorates in biology than men did. But advanced degrees in other core disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) remain stubbornly gender-imbalanced. In chemistry, for instance, women now garner 49 percent of bachelor's degrees but only 39 percent of Ph.D.s. What dissuades so many from further study?
Possible explanations include gender bias, the prospect of short-term postdoctoral jobs that complicate child rearing, and a lack of role models. Female STEM professors are slowly increasing in number, however. ?It seems like many of the indicators are pointing toward parity, but at different scales and different rates,? says science education professor Adam V. Maltese of Indiana University Bloomington, adding that fields such as engineering have a long way to go. ?That's not going to happen overnight, not in the next decade, and maybe not for the next 20 or 25 years.?
SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN ONLINE
Read more about gender and science education at ScientificAmerican.com/may2013/graphic-science
Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=24fc964fee878900c712ea58a52c7dc3
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High-nutrition and disease-resistant purple and yellow-fleshed potato clones obtained
Apr. 24, 2013 ? The Basque Institute for Agricultural Research and Development, Neiker-Tecnalia, has created four new potato clones which are characterised by their high antioxidant content, their good production both in size and number of tubers, as well as by their resistance to the usual diseases of this crop. The clones were obtained by natural methods through crossing varieties from South America with commercial varieties used in Europe. The result was three clones of the purple-fleshed potato and one with a markedly yellow flesh. The attractiveness and nutritional value of these types of potato make them a product highly regarded by professionals in gastronomy and by the public in general.
The work of creating the clones is part of the Potato Genetic Enhancement Programme drawn up by Neiker-Tecnalia. The research was led by agricultural engineer Ms Raquel L?pez, being the basis for her PhD thesis, and was presented at the University of the Basque Country. The aim of this specialist was to find potatoes which brought together the features of the South American varieties (their colour, resistance to pathogens and their nutritional and organoleptic properties) with those of the commercial varieties employed in our latitudes and characterized by their high productivity.
The Neiker-Tecnalia researchers brought 37 varieties from the Centro Internacional de la Papa, based in Peru. These native South American varieties were crossed in the greenhouse with commercial varieties, using natural procedures. The selection of and crossing between individuals with the best traits has given rise to the four clones mentioned. For the moment, these involve advanced clones and not commercial varieties, as they are not registered at the Spanish Office for Plant Varieties (OEVV in the Spanish acronym) or the European Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO). The process of registering is a long one, lasting about 15 years.
The varieties imported from Peru have a very low productivity in our latitudes, both in size and the number of tubers. Nevertheless, with the process of crossing and selection, the final clones having acceptable productivity has been achieved.
Nutritional value and resistant to pathogens
The four clones obtained are characterised by the high presence of antioxidants compounds, making them very attractive from a nutritional perspective. The three purple-flesh clones contain a large quantity of anthocyanins ? a highly appreciated pigment in the preparation of high added value foods ?, while the yellow flesh variety have carotenes ? essential chemical components for the diet ? and in greater quantities than in the usual commercial varieties.
Resistance to diseases is another of the achievements. The four clones show certain resistance to the pathogens analysed, such as the potato virus Y, as well as the Pectobacterium atrosepticum bacteria, which weaken the vegetable and considerably undermine its production.
Researcher Raquel L?pez highlights the importance of taking into account the clones achieved. ?It is beneficial for European producers to have varieties of purple flesh potato that are adapted to the climatological conditions of this continent. Moreover, these varieties incorporate natural antioxidant compounds, which are nutritionally and visually attractive, both for restaurant professionals and for end consumers?.
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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/i5mIBlRVxmw/130424081058.htm
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Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Verizon expanding San Francisco Innovation Center, currently working on cross-carrier HD Voice support
2011 sure doesn't feel like that long ago, but it's evidently long enough for Verizon to realize that demand for innovation is booming in Silicon Valley. Not quite two years after the company cracked open the doors to its San Francisco-based Innovation Center, it's already looking to expand. During a briefing today at its other Innovation Center -- the one located just outside of Boston -- we were told that plans are underway to expand the SF facility. Presently, the Waltham, Mass. center is the vaster of the two, and it's Verizon's goal to stretch the California edition to (roughly) match the original location.
We were also told that the company has looked at a variety of other cities where potential Innovation Centers could be planted, and while "three to four" undisclosed metropolises are in play, the company wants to nail the execution of its first two before hastily expanding into new locales. According to Praveen Atreya, director of Verizon's Innovation Program, there's just too much involved in the incubation and launch process to not devote the proper amount of manpower to it. In other words, there's more to launching a product than just design and manufacturing; a lot of TLC goes on in order to make something have a successful shelf life.
Filed under: Cellphones, Networking, Mobile, Verizon
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Tax-free Internet shopping jeopardized by bill
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Tax-free shopping on the Internet could be in jeopardy under a bill making its way through the Senate.
The bill would empower states to require online retailers to collect state and local sales taxes for purchases made over the Internet. The sales taxes would be sent to the states where a shopper lives.
Under current law, states can only require stores to collect sales taxes if the store has a physical presence in the state. As a result, many online sales are essentially tax-free, giving Internet retailers a big advantage over brick-and-mortar stores.
The Senate voted 74 to 20 Monday to take up the bill. If that level of support continues, the Senate could pass the bill as early as this week.
Supporters say the bill is about fairness for businesses and lost revenue for states. Opponents say it would impose complicated regulations on retailers and doesn't have enough protections for small businesses. Businesses with less than $1 million a year in online sales would be exempt.
"While local, community-based stores and shops compete for customers on many levels, including service and selection, they cannot compete on sales tax," said Matthew Shay, president and CEO of the National Retail Federation. "Congress needs to address this disparity."
And, he added, "Despite what the opponents say this is not a new tax."
In many states, shoppers are required to pay unpaid sales tax when they file their state income tax returns. However, states complain that few people comply.
"I do know about three people that comply with that," said Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., the bill's main sponsor.
President Barack Obama supports the bill. His administration says it would help restore needed funding for education, police and firefighters, roads and bridges and health care.
But the bill's fate is uncertain in the House, where some Republicans regard it as a tax increase. Heritage Action for America, the activist arm of the conservative Heritage Foundation, opposes the bill and will count the vote in its legislative scorecard.
"It is going to make online businesses the tax collectors for the nation," said Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H. "It really tramples on the decision New Hampshire has made not to have a sales tax."
Many of the nation's governors ? Republicans and Democrats ? have been lobbying the federal government for years for the authority to collect sales taxes from online sales, said Dan Crippen, executive director of the National Governors Association. Those efforts intensified when state tax revenues took a hit from the recession and the slow economic recovery.
"It's a matter of equity for businesses," Crippen said. "It's a matter of revenue for states."
The issue is getting bigger for states as more people make purchases online. Last year, Internet sales in the U.S. totaled $226 billion, up nearly 16 percent from the previous year, according to Commerce Department estimates.
The bill pits brick-and-mortar stores like Wal-Mart against online services such as eBay. Amazon.com, which initially fought efforts in some states to make it collect sales taxes, supports it too. Amazon and Best Buy have joined a group of retailers called the Marketplace Fairness Coalition to lobby on behalf of the bill.
"Amazon.com has long supported a simplified nationwide approach that is evenhandedly applied and applicable to all but the smallest-volume sellers," Paul Misener, Amazon's vice president of global public policy, said in a recent letter to senators.
On the other side, eBay has been rallying customers to oppose the bill.
"I hope you agree that imposing unnecessary tax burdens on small online businesses is a bad idea," eBay President and CEO John Donahoe said in a letter to customers. "Join us in letting your members of Congress know they should protect small online businesses, not potentially put them out of business."
The bill is also opposed by senators from states that have no sales tax, including Sens. Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore.
Baucus said the bill would require relatively small Internet retailers to comply with sales tax laws in thousands of jurisdictions.
"This legislation doesn't help businesses expand and grow and hire more employees," Baucus said. "Instead, it forces small businesses to hire expensive lawyers and accountants to deal with the burdensome paperwork and added complexity of tax rules and filings across multiple states."
But Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said the bill requires participating states to make it relatively easy for Internet retailers to comply. States must provide free computer software to help retailers calculate sales taxes, based on where shoppers live. States must also establish a single entity to receive Internet sales tax revenue, so retailers don't have to send them to individual counties or cities.
"We're way beyond the quill pen and ledger days," Durbin said. "Thanks to computers and thanks to software it is not that complex."
___
Follow Stephen Ohlemacher on Twitter: http://twitter.com/stephenatap
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/tax-free-internet-shopping-jeopardized-bill-063037401--finance.html
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Tuesday, April 23, 2013
3 murder charges against Pa. abortion doc tossed
PHILADELPHIA (AP) ? A judge has thrown out some of the murder charges against a Philadelphia abortion provider involving babies allegedly born alive.
Common pleas court Judge Jeffrey Minehart dismissed three first-degree murder charges Tuesday against Dr. Kermit Gosnell. Minehart has not explained the reasoning behind his ruling.
Prosecutors have argued that the babies were viable and Gosnell and his staff cut them in the back of the neck to kill them.
Defense lawyer Jack McMahon had argued Tuesday "there is not one piece .... of objective, scientific evidence that anyone was born alive" at Gosnell's clinic.
Gosnell still faces charges that he killed a patient and four other babies allegedly born alive.
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Iran to meet U.N. nuclear watchdog in May: Iranian media
DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran and officials from the United Nations nuclear watchdog will hold a new round of talks over Iran's disputed nuclear program on May 21 in Vienna, Iranian media reported on Monday.
The Mehr and ISNA news agencies gave no further details in their reports. The International Atomic Energy Agency press had no immediate comment. Last week, a diplomatic source told Reuters that a meeting in May was a possibility, but that no date had yet been fixed.
It would be the 10th round of negotiations between the two sides since early 2012, so far without a deal that would enable the U.N. watchdog to resume its long-stalled investigation of Iran's nuclear facilities.
The IAEA wants inspectors to restart a long-stalled investigation into suspected atomic bomb research by the Islamic Republic.
The IAEA-Iran talks are separate from, but still closely linked to, broader diplomatic negotiations between Tehran and six world powers aimed at resolving the decade-old dispute peacefully and preventing a new Middle East war.
Iran denies Western allegations that it is seeking to develop the capability to build nuclear weapons, saying its atomic activities are aimed at generating electricity. But its refusal to curb sensitive nuclear work that can have both civilian and military purposes, and its lack of openness with IAEA inspectors, have drawn United Nations and Western sanctions.
The last round of IAEA-Iran negotiations, in February, yielded no breakthrough.
(Reporting by Yeganeh Torbati in Dubai and Fredrik Dahl in Vienna; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iran-u-n-nuclear-watchdog-hold-round-talks-082314738.html
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The Ressence Type 3 Is The Liquid-Filled Watch Of The Future
Because I like sharing cool watches with you guys I decided to share this cool watch with you guys. It's called the Ressence Type 3 and it's actually a liquid-filled mechanical watch with a nearly featureless face. Each of those dials - registers in the parlance - look like they are seamlessly embedded in the face surface and the watch, being suspended in synthetic oil, has no crown and is wound automatically.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/iXa2jNnyszI/
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Google Earth gets Leap Motion support, lets you explore the planet with touch-free control
How are you celebrating Earth Day? If you're one of 10,000 Leap Motion devs with an early unit, you could very well be exploring Mount Everest or venturing through the Amazon, just by waving your hands. Google's Earth app, which has reportedly been downloaded more than a billion times, just scored a refresh today -- version 7.1 -- delivering Leap Motion gesture control to your desktop. Both the free and paid versions now support touch-free navigation through the USB desktop device, which is expected in stores next month. The update, however, available for Windows, Mac and Linux, is yours for the taking now.
Filed under: Peripherals, Google
Source: Leap Motion (YouTube), Google Enterprise Blog
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Monday, April 22, 2013
Iron Man mouse fuels your hot-rod red obsession, is all about the next mission
Whether you're looking to instill fear in the hearts of enemies at LAN, or just want to edit spreadsheets in style, this Iron Man mouse will do everything a normal mouse can... just cooler. To capitalize on hype for the third installment of the superhero film franchise, Japanese company e-blue (aka E-3LUE) has released this gold and hot-rod red peripheral with Tony Stark's blessing (read: under official Marvel license). Two AAA batteries power the wireless mouse (some say an Arc reactor was too expensive, and fictional), which has a resolution of 1000 dpi and, most importantly, light-up eyes. For 699 Chinese yuan (roughly $113), you also get a "Proof that Tony Stark has a heart" presentation case to show it off in. We're not sure whether e-blue's mouse with make it over to the States, but instead of worrying about that, check out the Iron Man 3 trailer below to inject some excitement into Monday morning. Can we have a War Machine version now, please?
[Image Credit: PCPOP]
Filed under: Peripherals
Via: Engadget Chinese
Source: e-blue
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Sunday, April 21, 2013
?Airbnb For Bikes' Startup Spinlister Returns From The Deadpool, Now With New Management
If you're a big fan of bikes and Airbnb-type sharing economy startups like me, you might have been disappointed to learn that Liquid (n?e Spinlister), the peer-to-peer bike rental startup, was shut down a few months ago. The service, which launched in New York City last Spring, had just opened up to the general public a few months before being put on hiatus.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/59b2zrPZH7o/
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Marriage Adventures | Refine Us
The following is a guest post from our friend Carrie Starr.??Carrie and her husband Erv teach business together at Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester, NY. ?They are authors of brand new book: Marriage Adventures. The Secret to an Extraordinary Life Together. ?
Check out their blog:?www.marriageadventures.org.
Follow them on Twitter:
Carrie: @adventurecarrie
Erv: @profstarr
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +?
Our marriage was doomed from the start.
Between the two of us, our parents have been married six different times.? The odds were stacked against us.
Fresh out of college, we believed our marriage could be different. We wanted our first marriage to be our only marriage, despite the flawed blueprint we?d received.
Working with college students, we?ve found that most young adults feel the same way.? They want their first marriage to be their only marriage.
They don?t want to become another divorce statistic.
Relationships are risky.
Each of us longs for adventure.? We want to beat the odds and experience something extraordinary.
We know that adventures require risk.
Marriage is the most risky relationship of all.
When we commit to someone for the rest of our lives, we make ourselves vulnerable.? We could be hurt, betrayed, or abandoned.
Yet through marriage, we also open ourselves up to the?greatest possibility for adventure.
Experiencing lifelong intimacy with another person is a thrilling opportunity.
We believed it was worth the risk.
We want to help other couples take the leap toward marriage equipped to survive the adventure.
The dangers are real. The risks are high. And the rewards are incredible.
By living a bold life of adventure in our communication, our finances, and our physical intimacy, most observers of our marriage think we are still on our honeymoon.
This summer, we will celebrate our 20th anniversary!
Our new book, Marriage Adventures is our adventure story. From the moment we first met to our cross-country camping honeymoon to our Alaskan anniversary, we share the secrets of our extraordinary life together with courage and transparency.
We invite you to join us on our journey and discover how to make your marriage the adventure of a lifetime!
Source: http://www.refineus.org/2013/04/marriage-adventures/
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Saturday, April 20, 2013
One Today by Google launches to support non-profit organisations
Google's limited pilot program brings people and non-profit projects together through the act of giving $1 a day
Google's latest efforts to change the world have been unveiled, with the launch of the One Today app. The app, currently limited to the U.S and only to Android users, is designed to highlight non-profit organizations and their work and allow you to support them through giving $1. Each day a new project is highlighted with a new opportunity to donate. As with so many other Google projects, you will need to request an invite to take part, so if you're interested hit up the source link below. You will need a Google Wallet account to donate, but if you get in and take a look at this, be sure to jump into the comments below and let us know what you think.
Source: One Today by Google
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/0qkpKkLmXs8/story01.htm
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Fascinating rhythm: The brain's 'slow waves'
Thursday, April 18, 2013
New findings clarify where and how the brain's "slow waves" originate. These rhythmic signal pulses, which sweep through the brain during deep sleep at the rate of about one cycle per second, are assumed to play a role in processes such as consolidation of memory. For the first time, researchers have shown conclusively that slow waves start in the cerebral cortex, the part of the brain responsible for cognitive functions. They also found that such a wave can be set in motion by a tiny cluster of neurons.
"The brain is a rhythm machine, producing all kinds of rhythms all the time," says Prof. Arthur Konnerth of the Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM). "These are clocks that help to keep many parts of the brain on the same page." One such timekeeper produces the so-called slow waves of deep sleep, which are thought to be involved in transmuting fragments of a day's experience and learning into lasting memory. They can be observed in very early stages of development, and they may be disrupted in diseases such as Alzheimer's.
Previous studies, relying mainly on electrical measurements, have lacked the spatial resolution to map the initiation and propagation of slow waves precisely. But using light, Konnerth's Munich-based team ? in collaboration with researchers at Stanford and the University of Mainz ? could both stimulate slow waves and observe them in unprecedented detail. One key result confirmed that the slow waves originate only in the cortex, ruling out other long-standing hypotheses. "The second major finding," Konnerth says, "was that out of the billions of cells in the brain, it takes not more than a local cluster of fifty to one hundred neurons in a deep layer of the cortex, called layer 5, to make a wave that extends over the entire brain."
New light on a fundamental neural mechanism
Despite considerable investigation of the brain's slow waves, definitive answers about the underlying circuit mechanism have remained elusive. Where is the pacemaker for this rhythm? Where do the waves start, and where do they stop? This study ? based on optical probing of intact brains of live mice under anesthesia ? now provides the basis for a detailed, comprehensive view.
"We implemented an optogenetic approach combined with optical detection of neuronal activity to explore causal features of these slow oscillations, or Up-Down state transitions, that represent the dominating network rhythm in sleep," explains Prof. Albrecht Stroh of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. Optogenetics is a novel technique that enabled the researchers to insert light-sensitive channels into specific kinds of neurons, to make them responsive to light stimulation. This allowed for selective and spatially defined stimulation of small numbers of cortical and thalamic neurons.
Access to the brain via optical fibers allowed for both microscopic recording and direct stimulation of neurons. Flashes of light near the mouse's eyes were also used to stimulate neurons in the visual cortex. By recording the flux of calcium ions, a chemical signal that can serve as a more spatially precise readout of the electric activity, the researchers made the slow waves visible. They also correlated optical recordings with more conventional electrical measurements. As a result, it was possible to watch individual wave fronts spread ? like ripples from a rock thrown into a quiet lake ? first through the cortex and then through other brain structures.
A new picture begins to emerge: Not only is it possible for a tiny local cluster of neurons to initiate a slow wave that will spread far and wide, recruiting multiple regions of the brain into a single event ? this appears to be typical. "In spontaneous conditions," Konnerth says, "as it happens with you and me and everyone else every night in deep sleep, every part of the cortex can be an initiation site." Furthermore, a surprisingly simple communication protocol can be seen in the slow wave rhythm. During each one-second cycle a single neuron cluster sends its signal and all others are silenced, as if they are taking turns bathing the brain in fragments of experience or learning, building blocks of memory. The researchers view these findings as a step toward a better understanding of learning and memory formation, a topic Konnerth's group is investigating with funding from the European Research Council. They also are testing how the slow waves behave during disease.
###
Making Waves: Initiation and Propagation of Corticothalamic Ca2+ Waves In Vivo Albrecht Stroh, Helmuth Adelsberger, Alexander Groh, Charlotta Ruehlmann, Sebastian Fischer, Anja Schierloh, Karl Deisseroth, and Arthur Konnerth.
Neuron 77, 1136-1150, March 20, 2013,
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2013.01.031
Technische Universitaet Muenchen: http://www.tum.de
Thanks to Technische Universitaet Muenchen 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/127805/Fascinating_rhythm__The_brain_s__slow_waves_
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Friday, April 19, 2013
Insights on political risk help TCW fund surpass peers
By Sam Forgione
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The TCW emerging markets bond team has always sought investment opportunities in economic and political upheaval, a strategy that has led to double-digit returns for its fund's investors.
"When the perception of risk is greater than reality, we look to get involved," said Penny Foley, who manages the TCW Emerging Markets Income Fund with David Robbins.
When Cyprus was flirting with default on its debt in March, Foley slightly increased the TCW Emerging Markets Income Fund's stake in dollar-denominated Russian bank bonds.
Russia had about $30 billion to $40 billion in cross-border loans to Cypriot companies tied to Moscow and about $12 billion on deposit with Cypriot banks at the end of last year.
Worries had spread that both insured and uninsured Cypriot depositors would face a haircut following an initial tax levy, but Foley correctly anticipated that the proposal would be modified and that the country's $13 billion bailout would protect insured depositors.
The bet is paying off. Prices on Russian bank securities have increased since Foley's move, with the yield on bonds from VTB, the nation's No. 2 bank, dropping to 7.1 percent from 7.6 percent. Moreover, about $50 million in new cash has flowed into Russian bond funds since Cyprus reached a bailout deal, according to EPFR Global.
The investment strategy at the fund has become one of the most closely watched in the industry. Its annualized return of 13.9 percent over the past five years has beaten results from the benchmark JP Morgan EMBI Global Diversified index by more than 4 percentage points and made it the top performer of its group, according to Lipper.
Small wonder that TCW has also drawn the attention of investors. The fund has grown from $149 million in assets when Foley and Robbins began managing it in December 2009 to its current size of about $7.6 billion.
Los Angeles-based TCW had more than $138 billion in assets at the end of last year.
"The guys at TCW have been around a long time and do a very good job," said Raymond Zucaro, managing principal and portfolio manager at SW Asset Management LLC, which specializes in emerging market corporate bonds.
GOING CORPORATE
Despite political and economic risks, the TCW team says emerging market corporate debt offers advantages over government bonds this year. Its fund has 47 percent of its assets in corporate bonds.
Prices on corporate bonds are more compelling over the next 12 months, Robbins said, as yields on government debt with investment-grade ratings have fallen amid global growth concerns.
Indeed, political risk has become less heated this year after events such as the election of Chinese President Xi Jinping and a decline in Russian political protests, but North Korea remains "acute" because of its nuclear program, Robbins said.
Robbins said emerging market corporates benefited from the "hyper-aggressive" easy money policies of the world's major central banks, which are flooding the global financial system with liquidity.
"The global economy has been rebalancing for the past several years, with a greater and greater share of global GDP and global GDP growth emanating from emerging economies," he said. "This process is ongoing, if not entirely smooth."
The shift from export-led to domestic-led growth in emerging markets will take time and play out differently from country to country, he added. Robbins said China's first-quarter gross domestic product was "disappointing," but still showed the fastest growth among major economies.
Robbins and Foley lead a team of five analysts covering sovereign risk and four focusing on corporate credit. Before investing, they consider 40 different criteria in 75 different countries, from a bond's yields to an economy's debt ratios.
EYE ON GOVERNMENT
TCW still has exposure in emerging market government debt, albeit lower than in recent years. The team cut the fund's stake in Venezuelan government bonds and the country's state-owned oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela SA, after the death of President Hugo Chavez on March 5, given the political uncertainty facing the nation.
Venezuelan bonds account for just over 4.5 percent of the fund's holdings, down from 7 percent or 8 percent in 2010. The fund has reaped large profits from PDVSA bonds as yields have fallen to between 8 percent and 9 percent from more than 16 percent in 2010.
The reduced stake in PDVSA bonds came ahead of some political unrest, including post-election street violence on Monday [nL2N0D32PM]. The company's debt prices have fallen, and the yield on PDVSA's 7-year bonds, for instance, has risen nearly 1.5 percentage points in the past week.
(Reporting by Sam Forgione; Editing by Jennifer Ablan, Chelsea Emery and Lisa Von Ahn)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/insights-political-risk-help-tcw-fund-surpass-peers-174305713--sector.html
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Reports of tornado touching down in Melancthon Township
Dufferin OPP are investigating a possible tornado in Melancthon Township during the Thursday dinner hour.
Const. Paul Nancekivell said they had reports of a tornado near the 4th Line and north of County Road 17, just north of Shelburne, at 5:37 p.m.
?We've yet to confirm it, but we've got severe hail and rain out there now. I can't see across the road,? he said, as his power flickered.
There have been no reports of injuries.
Nancekivell said hydro lines were also down across the 4th Line in the same area, and a barn had collapsed along what would be considered the the path of the tornado.
?The people have said their barn has collapsed and they're waiting it out in the basement,? he said.
Sgt. Kelly Daniels of the Nottawasaga OPP said she had heard reports of three sightings of a tornado in the area at the time Nancekivell described.
?
Source: http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/2013/04/18/reports-of-tornado-touching-down-in-melancthon-township
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Thursday, April 18, 2013
Facebook Home For Android Will Be Available To International Users Today
If you like outside the United States, have the prerequisite hardware, and have been absolutely dying for a chance to (officially) take Facebook Home for a spin, today is your lucky day. Speaking at the D: Dive Into Mobile conference in New York, Facebook VP of mobile engineering Corey Ondrejka confirmed that Facebook Home will begin its international rollout later today.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/RWajr5h-JLA/
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Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Jobless rate rises, pay growth at record low
By Olesya Dmitracova and David Milliken
LONDON (Reuters) - The unemployment rate rose in February and pay excluding bonuses posted the smallest increase on record, suggesting that cracks are starting to show in the so far surprisingly resilient labour market.
The Office for National Statistics said on Wednesday that the main jobless rate rose to 7.9 percent in the three months ending in February - the highest rate since the three months to August 2012, when it was also 7.9 percent.
The Bank of England, meanwhile, indicated that it remained some way from giving the UK's flatling economy additional help to create jobs.
Minutes of the bank's April policy meeting showed it remained split this month on whether to restart asset purchases to boost economic growth, with no sign that divisions between policymakers are narrowing.
The euro hit a one-month high against sterling after the jobs data put pressure on the British currency.
"A lot of the froth and really good news we had over the last year on jobs is becoming exhausted, which shouldn't be a surprise when there is not much growth around," said Alan Clarke, economist at Scotiabank.
Britain's employment growth in the past year has puzzled policymakers and raised questions over how much longer its relative strength can be sustained without a pick-up in the economy.
One way employers have been able to keep staff is by limiting pay rises.
The ONS said average weekly earnings growth including bonuses slowed to 0.8 percent in the three months through February compared with a year earlier. Excluding bonuses, pay grew by 1.0 percent - the smallest rise since records began in 2001.
The ONS said the annual growth in weekly wages excluding bonuses has been below price inflation since late 2009, squeezing vital consumer spending.
Worries about inflation are also weighing on central bankers.
Those opposed to more asset purchases this month said for the first time that they were concerned more stimulus could exacerbate a recent upward drift in inflation expectations, as well as weaken sterling further.
In another sign of pessimism, the Bank minutes said that the Funding for Lending Scheme - which the authorities launched in the middle of last year to boost bank lending - was having only a small impact so far on increasing lending and had a diminishing impact on improving credit conditions.
Policymakers said they were open to expanding it further.
In the meantime, prospects for many jobseekers look precarious.
Although the number of people claiming jobless benefit fell by 7,000 last month, the number of those without a job on the wider ILO measure grew by 70,000 in the three months ending in February to 2.563 million.
(Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/jobless-claimant-count-posts-surprise-fall-march-084535679--business.html
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FBI shares first image of Boston bomb
BOSTON (AP) ? Federal agents zeroed in Tuesday on how the Boston Marathon bombing was carried out ? with kitchen pressure cookers packed with explosives, nails and other lethal shrapnel ? but said they still didn't know who did it and why.
An intelligence bulletin issued to law enforcement and released late Tuesday included a picture of a mangled pressure cooker and a torn black bag the FBI said were part of a bomb.
The FBI and other law enforcement agencies repeatedly pleaded for members of the public to come forward with photos, videos or anything suspicious they might have seen or heard.
"The range of suspects and motives remains wide open," Richard DesLauriers, FBI agent in charge in Boston, said at a news conference. He vowed to "go to the ends of the Earth to identify the subject or subjects who are responsible for this despicable crime."
President Barack Obama branded the attack an act of terrorism but said officials don't know "whether it was planned and executed by a terrorist organization, foreign or domestic, or was the act of a malevolent individual."
Scores of victims remained in hospitals, many with grievous injuries, a day after the twin explosions near the marathon's finish line killed three people, wounded more than 170 and reawakened fears of terrorism. A 9-year-old girl and 10-year-old boy were among 17 victims listed in critical condition.
Heightening jitters in Washington, where security already had been tightened after the bombing, a letter addressed to a senator and poisoned with ricin or a similarly toxic substance was intercepted at a mail facility outside the capital, lawmakers said.
There was no immediate indication the episode was related to the Boston attack. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the letter was sent to Republican Sen. Roger Wicker, of Mississippi.
Officials found that the bombs in Boston consisted of explosives put in ordinary 1.6-gallon pressure cookers, one with shards of metal and ball bearings, the other with nails, according to a person close to the investigation who spoke on condition of anonymity because the probe was still going on. The bombs were stuffed into black duffel bags and left on the ground, the person said.
DesLauriers confirmed that investigators had found pieces of black nylon from a bag or backpack and fragments of BBs and nails, possibly contained in a pressure cooker. He said the items were sent to the FBI laboratory at Quantico, Va., for analysis.
The FBI said it is looking at what Boston television station WHDH said are photos sent by a viewer that show the scene right before and after the bombs went off. The photo shows something next to a mailbox that appears to be a bag, but it's unclear what the significance is.
"We're taking a look at hundreds of photos, and that's one of them," FBI spokesman Jason Pack said.
Investigators said they haven't determined what was used to set off the explosives.
Pressure cooker explosives have been used in international terrorism and have been recommended for lone-wolf operatives by al-Qaida's branch in Yemen.
But information on how to make the bombs is readily found online, and U.S. officials said Americans should not rush to judgment in linking the attack to overseas terrorists.
DesLauriers said there had been no claim of responsibility for the attack.
He urged people to come forward with anything suspicious, such as hearing someone express an interest in explosives or a desire to attack the marathon, seeing someone carrying a dark heavy bag at the race or hearing mysterious explosions recently.
"Someone knows who did this," the FBI agent said.
The bombs exploded 10 or more seconds apart, tearing off victims' limbs and spattering streets with blood, instantly turning the festive race into a hellish scene of confusion, horror and heroics.
The blasts killed 8-year-old Martin Richard, of Boston and 29-year-old Krystle Campbell, of Medford. The Shenyang Evening News, a state-run Chinese newspaper, identified the third victim as Lu Lingzi. She was a graduate student at Boston University.
Doctors who treated the wounded corroborated reports that the bombs were packed with shrapnel intended to cause mayhem.
"We've removed BBs, and we've removed nails from kids. One of the sickest things for me was just to see nails sticking out of a little girl's body," said Dr. David Mooney, director of the trauma center at Boston Children's Hospital.
At Massachusetts General Hospital, all four amputations performed there were above the knee, with no hope of saving more of the legs, said Dr. George Velmahos, chief of trauma surgery.
"It wasn't a hard decision to make," he said. "We just completed the ugly job that the bomb did."
Obama plans to visit Boston on Thursday to attend an interfaith service in honor of the victims. He has traveled four times to cities reeling from mass violence, most recently in December after the schoolhouse shooting in Newtown, Conn.
In the wake of the attack, security was stepped up around the White House and across the country. Police massed at federal buildings and transit centers in the nation's capital, critical response teams deployed in New York City and security officers with bomb-sniffing dogs spread through Chicago's Union Station.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said that the stepped-up security was a precaution and that there was no evidence the bombings were part of a wider plot.
Pressure cooker explosives have been used in Afghanistan, India, Nepal and Pakistan, according to a July 2010 intelligence report by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security. One of the three devices used in the May 2010 Times Square attempted bombing was a pressure cooker, the report said.
"Placed carefully, such devices provide little or no indication of an impending attack," the report said.
The Pakistani Taliban, which claimed responsibility for the 2010 attempt in Times Square, has denied any part in the Boston Marathon attack.
Al-Qaida's branch in Yemen gave a detailed description of how to make a bomb using a pressure cooker in a 2010 issue of Inspire, its English-language online publication aimed at would-be terrorists acting alone.
In a chapter titled "Make a bomb in the kitchen of your mom," it says "the pressurized cooker is the most effective method" for making a simple bomb, and it provides directions.
The tightly sealed pot makes easier-to-obtain but weaker explosives faster and stronger, amplifying the blast and the carnage.
Naser Jason Abdo, a former U.S. soldier, was sentenced to life in prison last year after being convicted of planning to use a pair of bombs made from pressure cookers in an attack on a Texas restaurant frequented by soldiers from Fort Hood. He was found with the Inspire article.
Investigators in the Boston bombing also are combing surveillance tapes from businesses around the finish line and asking travelers at Logan Airport to share any photos or video that might help.
"This is probably one of the most photographed areas in the country yesterday," said Boston police Commissioner Edward Davis. He said two security sweeps of the marathon route had been conducted before the bombing.
Boston police and firefighter unions announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to arrests.
___
Sullivan reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Steve LeBlanc, Bridget Murphy, Rodrique Ngowi and Meghan Barr in Boston; Julie Pace and Lara Jakes in Washington; Paisley Dodds in London; Lee Keath in Cairo; and Marilynn Marchione in Milwaukee contributed to this report along with investigative researcher Randy Herschaft in New York.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pressure-cooker-bombs-suspected-boston-blast-014502296--spt.html
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The 2013 Pulitzer Prize-Winning Images of the Syrian Civil War
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Paper-thin skin patch collects vitals: E-health made easier and more comfortable
Apr. 16, 2013 ? The future of health care could be found in a tiny, paper-thin skin patch that collects vital information. The Bio-patch sensor developed by researchers at Stockholm's KTH Royal Institute of Technology is inexpensive, versatile and, best of all, comfortable to wear.
Geng Yang, a researcher at JRC iPack centre at KTH, says that the Bio-patch measures bioelectrical signals through the skin, gathering data on different parts of the body depending on where it is placed.
"On the chest it provides electrocardiography (ECG), on the skull it measures brainwaves (EEC), and on the forearm it can measure muscle response to stimulation from the nervous system (EMG)," he says. It also has a built-in sensor that constantly monitors body temperature.
With a wireless connection, the patient can analyse the readings in their smartphone, or send the data via internet to a healthcare professional for diagnosis.
The thinking behind Bio-patch is that health care can be moved out of the hospitals and into the home, Yang says. "Bio-patch is a step towards what is known as self-care, which is valuable especially for patients discharged after an operation, or for the elderly living unassisted," he says.
While the technology is versatile, interest has focused on the heart. "Heart diseases account for the majority of all deaths in the EU," he says.
Yang says Bio-patch can also aid detection of brain disease, by generating EMG data that helps physicians distinguish muscle changes from neurological problems.
A paper thin battery energy source in the Bio-patch helps make the patch comfortable and as small as possible, he says.
"Patient comfort will be an important success factor for the next generation of medical technology," Yang says. "All electronic components are mounted on a flexible foil, which makes it easy to attach to the skin and to wear comfortably," he says. Bio-patch is easy to attach to the skin and can be discarded after use.
Bio-patch has resulted in several publications in scientific journals and successful development of a prototype.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by KTH The Royal Institute of Technology, via AlphaGalileo.
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Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Inmates, orchestra members perform behind bars - KWQC-TV6 ...
By MICHAEL TARM
Associated Press
Associated Press
CHICAGO (AP) - Strains of classical music echoed on Sunday - not inside an august concert hall - but in a bleak Chicago jail where the mostly teenage boys await trial on charges ranging from dope dealing to murder.
The concert was part of a unique outreach that's the brainchild of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's musical director, the Italian-born Riccardo Muti, who attended the event at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center on Chicago's West Side.
The concert included half a dozen of the orchestra's members. But the center-stage performers were some 10 inmates who participated in a weeklong musical workshop at the lockup. It culminated in the Sunday concert featuring compositions the inmates wrote in collaboration with the professionals.
"This is a wonderful beginning for you and for us," Muti, 71, told the group after the 45-minute performance ended. "You will join society with the sense of harmony you learned here."
One composition began with a double bass playing a Bach cello suite. It changed direction jarringly a minute later as the teen inmates joined in rapping. One sang about his legal plight: "I hope the judge says I served my time. ... I'm praying God gets me out of this jam."
Some of the boys' parents sat in the audience, several with tears in their eyes.
When one of the organizers announced the inmates and their families will receive CD recordings of the concert, one mother buried her head in her hands.
"Oh my God, this is so special," she said aloud.
The goal of the outreach, which has included other jail visits, is to impart a wider appreciation for music and to inspire at-risk youth. It seemed to work for at least some of the teens.
"I learned more about classical music," a teen named Ricky told reporters after the concert. He was identified only by his first name because he is a juvenile charged with a crime. "I'd heard of Beethoven and Bach. I liked it."
Some of the teens taking part showed less outward enthusiasm as they performed.
But love or hate the music, the experience had to have been a welcome change of pace from both the sheer tedium and anxiety of a regimented existence inside the institution.
The center's own 2012 annual report noted that, almost daily, someone either talks about killing himself or tries. The center holds around 250 inmates in total, a few of whom aren't yet teens.
The Naples-born Muti has taken his act into prison before.
He once performed Robert Schumann's "Warum?" - which means "why" in German - in a Milan prison. The work, he explained later, was his way of asking inmates what had brought them to such misfortune.
Muti spoke philosophically to the detainees in Chicago after Sunday's concert and just before a dozen burly guards escorted the inmates-turned-musicians back to their holding cells.
"We will meet again in the future," he said. He quickly added, "Not here! But on the outside."
___
Follow Michael Tarm at www.twitter.com/mtarm
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Source: http://www.kwqc.com/story/21973854/chicago-symphony-orchestra-to-play-behind-bars
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6 strangled, 1 decapitated in Mexican resort city of Cancun
By Reuters
CANCUN, Mexico --?Six people were strangled to death and one decapitated in the southern Mexican tourist resort of Cancun on Sunday, the state's deputy attorney general said, in the latest mass killing to strike the city in the last few weeks.
Police found the bodies of the five men and two women in a shack in the outskirts of Cancun, a major tourist destination on Mexico's Caribbean coast, that has largely escaped the drug-related violence that has racked Acapulco, a faded tourist destination on the Pacific coast.
"It looks like the victims were independent drug dealers without any links to any specific cartel," said Juan Ignacio Hernandez, deputy attorney general of Quintana Roo state.
Last month six people died and five were injured after two men opened fire in a bar on the outskirts of Cancun.
In a separate incident, police on Sunday found the body of another man in Cancun who had been gagged, bound and wrapped in sheets.
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has promised to put an end to the violence that exploded after his predecessor, Felipe Calderon, launched a military-led attack on the warring cartels.
More than 70,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence in Mexico since 2007.?
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Monday, April 15, 2013
9 Awesome Gadgets (Plus One Snack) for Broke Geeks
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/ZMklPl-ueAI/
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