NBA's Jason Collins comes out as gay

NBA's Jason Collins comes out as gay 

(CNN) -- It's the biggest move of his career and it's off the court.Jason Collins, who played with the NBA's Washington Wizards this season, has disclosed that he is gay, making him the first active openly homosexual athlete in the four major American pro team sports. The center, who is now a free agent, made the disclosure in a column appearing in the upcoming issue of Sports Illustrated."Jason Collins has forever changed the face of sports," said the Human Rights Campaign, a civil rights group fighting for gay rights.It likened the announcement to Jackie Robinson, the first African-American to play in major league baseball in the modern era.

"At a time when millions are reflecting on the life and legacy of Jackie Robinson, Jason Collins is a hero for our own times."Collins played with six NBA teams over the past 12 seasons -- Along with the Wizards, they are the Boston Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves, New Jersey Nets, Atlanta Hawks, and Memphis Grizzlies. NBA Commissioner David Stern said Collins is widely respected in the league."We are proud he has assumed the leadership mantle on this very important issue," he said in a statement.He played his college ball at Stanford University. Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former President Bill Clinton and Stanford alumna, wrote on Twitter that she is "very proud of my friend Jason Collins for having the strength & courage to be the first openly gay player in the NBA."Bill Clinton called the announcement an "important moment for professional sports and in the history of the LGBT community."

Read more:

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/29/sport/collins-gay/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

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US consumers keep spending despite reduced pay

US consumers keep spending despite reduced pay 

WASHINGTON (AP) — This year got off to a sour start for U.S. workers: Their pay, already gasping to keep pace with inflation, was suddenly shrunk by a Social Security tax increase.

Which raised a worrisome question: Would consumers stop spending and further slow the economy? Nope. Not yet, anyway.

On Friday, the government said consumers spent 3.2 percent more on an annual basis in the January-March quarter than in the previous quarter — the biggest jump in two years. It highlighted a broader improvement in Americans’ financial health that is blunting the impact of the tax increase and raising hopes for more sustainable growth.

Consumers have shed debt. Gasoline has gotten cheaper. Rising home values and record stock prices have restored household wealth to its pre-recession high. And employers are steadily adding jobs, which means more people have money to spend.

‘‘No one should write off the consumer simply because of the 2 percentage-point increase in payroll taxes,’’ says Bernard Baumohl, chief economist at the Economic Outlook Group. ‘‘Overall household finances are in the best shape in more than five years.’’

Certainly, spending weakened toward the end of the January-March quarter. Spending at retailers fell in March by 0.4 percent, the worst showing in nine months. And more spending on utilities accounted for up to one-fourth of the increase in consumer spending in the January-March quarter, according to JPMorgan Chase economist Michael Feroli, because of colder weather.

Higher spending on utilities isn’t a barometer of consumer confidence the way spending on household goods, such as new appliances or furniture, would be.

Americans also saved less in the first quarter, lowering the savings rate to 2.6 percent from 3.9 percent in 2012. Economists say that was likely a temporary response to the higher Social Security tax, and most expect the savings rate to rise back to last year’s level. That could limit spending.

But several longer-term trends are likely to push in the other direction, economists say, and help sustain consumer spending.

Read more:

http://www.boston.com/business/personal-finance/living-longer/2013/04/29/consumers-keep-spending-despite-reduced-pay/FLa9mQ5vg9Eqr1UHfg11vO/story.html

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CHINA: The Dirty Secret of Pricing Luxury Goods in China

The Dirty Secret of Pricing Luxury Goods in China

The dirty little secret among luxury-goods companies: they overcharge customers in China. http://on.wsj.com/14eCVhI

Listed prices of luxury sedans in China are 64% more expensive than similar vehicles sold in the U.S.

Read more:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324474004578444090260265834.html?mod=e2fb#articleTabs=video

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Uruguay: Glow-in-the-Dark Lamb

Glow-in-the-Dark Lamb

A genetically altered lamb glows under ultraviolet light in this picture taken April 5 and released Wednesday by the Animal Reproduction Institute Uruguay (IRAUy). According to IRAUy, this is the first time transgenic lambs have been produced in Latin America. Photo by Javier Calvelo/IRAUy/Reuters

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http://blogs.wsj.com/photojournal/2013/04/25/glow-in-the-dark-lamb/?mod=e2fb

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Nearly 100 killed in Bangladesh factory collapse

Nearly 100 killed in Bangladesh factory collapse 

Rescuers searched all morning for survivors trapped in rubble after a garment factory near Dhaka, Bangladesh, collapsed. One shop owner said his store supplied Wal-Mart.

Read more:

http://news.msn.com/world/nearly-100-killed-in-bangladesh-factory-collapse?ocid=ansnews11

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Boston lockdown: the new normal?

Boston lockdown: the new normal?

The unprecedented manhunt in Boston that concluded successfully Friday night earned law enforcement authorities the gratitude of the nation.

But as relief replaces fear, the debate about what this episode means for the future is already beginning. And one of the most unsettling questions is whether the violence-related lockdown of a major U.S. city — an extraordinary moment in American history — sets a life-altering precedent.

There are already worries that the effort to protect the people of Boston contained an element of overreaction. Local authorities told the city and nearby suburbs to “shelter in place” throughout the day and into the evening. They closed businesses, shuttered government buildings and suspended all public transportation in the metro area.

That decision concerned some political leaders and policy experts.

Read more:

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/04/boston-bombing-lockdown-suspect-search-90364.html

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US: CAUGHT

Boston bombings: 'CAPTURED!!! The hunt is over,' police say

Read more:

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2013/04/19/live-blog-police-action-in-boston/

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US: WHERE IS HE? MANHUNT FOR 2ND BOMB SUSPECT

 Bombing manhunt locks down Boston

(CNN) -- One suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings is dead. The other -- his brother -- was on the run Friday, pursued by an army of law enforcement officials whose manhunt virtually shut down the city.

A man identified by several sources as Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, died after an overnight shootout with police. He's the man described Thursday by the FBI as black-capped Suspect No. 1 in the attacks Monday that killed three.

His brother, Dzhokar Tsarnaev, apparently escaped -- leading police to throw a huge dragnet around the region. In photos released by the FBI of the bombing suspects, the younger brother is seen wearing a white cap. The agency called him Suspect No. 2.

 

Read more:

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/19/us/boston-area-violence/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

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US: An empty metropolis of Boston

 An empty metropolis: Bostonians share photos of deserted streets

The streets of Boston, Mass., were deserted today due to a widespread lockdown as police hunt for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings. Photos of the empty city have been pouring in via social media.

See the slidesow:

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/04/19/17826502-an-empty-metropolis-bostonians-share-photos-of-deserted-streets

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Suit: Phrase Mocking Asians on NJ CVS Photo Tix

NJ woman of Korean descent files suit against CVS after phrase mocking Asians on photo stub

BELMAR, N.J. (AP) -- A woman of Korean descent who claims a worker at a CVS in southern New Jersey used a phrase mocking Asians to identify her on a store receipt has filed a federal discrimination suit against the pharmacy chain, according to her lawyer.  Attorney Susan Chana Lask said her client, Hyun Lee, was picking up photos Feb. 7 at a CVS in Egg Harbor City when Lee noticed an employee had identified her as "Ching Chong Lee" on the ticket. Lee said through her attorney that she complained to CVS customer relations and was allegedly told the worker would be "counseled and trained."

"Store counseling cannot correct intolerable discrimination," Lask said in a written statement, adding they were demanding the worker be fired. CVS Caremark Corp. spokesman Mike DeAngelis said the company does not comment on pending litigation but has a firm non-discrimination policy.

Read more:

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/suit-phrase-mocking-asians-nj-153656348.html

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Worst smartphone on the planet?

BlackBerry Disputes Report on Z10 Phone

BlackBerry contends that a securities analyst’s report about its latest phone is not only wrong, it’s so wrong that it should be investigated by securities regulators.

The report, issued on Thursday by Detwiler Fenton & Company in Boston, said that BlackBerry’s new Z10 phone is being returned by shoppers at an above-average rate. In a statement on Friday, BlackBerry called the analysis “false and misleading” and suggested that it was an attempt to manipulate the company’s share price. Furthermore, it said it would ask the Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate the report.

“These materially false and misleading comments about device return rates in the United States harm BlackBerry and our shareholders,” Steven E. Zipperstein, the company’s chief legal officer, said in a statement. “Everyone is entitled to their opinion about the merits of the many competing products in the smartphone industry, but when false statements of material fact are deliberately purveyed for the purpose of influencing the markets, a red line has been crossed.”

The company did not offer any information to substantiate Mr. Zipperstein’s suggestion that the report was knowingly false and a deliberate attempt at stock manipulation. Adam Emery, a spokesman for BlackBerry, declined to elaborate.

Anne Buckley, the general counsel and chief compliance officer at Detwiler Fenton, said that the investment house stood by its findings.

“We are confident in our research methodology and we welcome any regulatory inquiry,” she said in a statement. “Detwiler Fenton is not the only research provider publishing similar reports regarding customer reactions, sales and returns of the BlackBerry Z10.”

The statement added that neither the analyst nor any officer or director of the firm held any financial interest in BlackBerry.

The report at the center of the dispute varied from other skeptical assessments of BlackBerry in claiming that dissatisfied Z10 owners are returning the phones in large numbers.

Read more:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/13/business/global/blackberry-disputes-report-on-z10-phone.html?_r=0

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US: How to be a New York local: 11 tips for faking it

How to be a New York local: 11 tips for faking it

New York: It's the city that gave the world Martin Scorsese, the Ramones and proper bagels (thanks, local tap water). While most visitors will never experience all its boroughs -- indeed, they'll likely fail to go south of Houston Street -- there are certain characteristics that will land you in good stead from Chelsea to Coney Island, or at least stop New Yorkers from urging you to get on your tractor and ride back to Iowa. Memorize them and begin your deception.

Read more:

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/04/08/travel/nyc-fake-local/index.html

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US: Explosions rock Boston Marathon, several injured

Explosions rock Boston Marathon, several injured

 

A pair of explosions rocked the finish line at the Boston Marathon on Monday afternoon, injuring at least a half-dozen people, a CNN producer at the scene said.The blasts occurred a few seconds apart, shrouding downtown Boston's Copley Square in smoke. Paramedics were treating several victims at the scene, and police ordered onlookers to back away from the area, CNN Producer Matt Frucci reported.The explosions occurred about 2:45 p.m., about an hour after the first runners had crossed the finish line, Frucci said.

Read more:

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/15/us/boston-marathon-explosions/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

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US: Biracial, lesbian contestant a trailblazer in Miss South Carolina pageant

Biracial, lesbian contestant a trailblazer in Miss South Carolina pageant

 

(CNN) – At 7, Analouisa Valencia was crowned Palmetto Princess in Spartanburg, South Carolina. She relished it - and like a lot of little girls, she dreamed of becoming Miss America  one day.

In a few months, Valencia, now 19, will take the stage for the Miss South Carolina contest, hoping for victory and a chance to compete for the coveted national title.

But she's no ordinary contestant. She will mark a first in her conservative home state.

Valencia's father is from Mexico; her mother, an African-American. Valencia came out as a lesbian when she was in the ninth grade and took her girlfriend Tamyra Bell to her high school prom.

She was already shredding stereotypes of beauty pageants because she's biracial. But a lesbian beauty pageant contestant from South Carolina?

"I just really wanted to be an advocate for equality for everyone this year," she says on the phone before heading off to classes at Spartanburg Community College. She eventually wants to earn a business degree at the University of South Carolina.

Her participation in the Miss South Carolina contest is in part a human rights campaign: she is promoting rights for people with special needs (she coaches Special Olympics gymnasts), for racial minorities, for gay people.

She has already thought about her answers if the judges question her on this score. She will be perfectly open and honest about who she is, about their opinions."I want to show the judges who I really am," she says. "I want to show them how passionate I am about my platform, how passionate I am for being an advocate for equality."

South Carolina ranks low nationally on LGBT rights. It bans same-sex marriage, does not afford employment, housing or hate-crime protections for LGBT people and has unconstitutional sodomy laws still on the books.

For Valencia to make a run for Miss South Carolina is "courageous," says Ryan Wilson, the executive director of the South Carolina Equality Coalition, a statewide LGBT civil rights group.

"I think it takes a lot of courage for any young person to live openly and authentically. We are extremely proud of Analouisa," Wilson says.

He says beauty pageant contestants can be stereotyped, but they can often afford young women a chance to show leadership.

Read more:

http://inamerica.blogs.cnn.com/2013/04/11/biracial-lesbian-contestant-a-trailblazer-in-miss-south-carolina-pageant/

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US: The jobs crisis for younger workers

The jobs crisis for younger workers

Commentary: New college grads can’t get a break

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — Another half million Americans left the labor force in March, and the labor force participation rate for people aged 20 to 24 declined by six-tenths of a percent, compared to two-tenths of a percent for the labor force as a whole.

Young people have the lowest labor force participation rate — the fraction of Americans employed or looking for work — since 1972. They are hurting.

So it was disappointing to hear Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman, a New York Times columnist, tell David Stockman on last Sunday’s ABC news program “This Week” that the gradual decline in the labor force participation rate is caused by the aging of the workforce.

“About half of the decline in labor force participation that we’ve seen is, in fact, just demographics…. The fact of the matter is it’s not just people hitting 65 but people often tend to retire before then so the numbers are not that bad,” Krugman said. 

 Wrong, Mr. Krugman. Americans 65 and over, and 55 and over, are doing far better than the rest of the labor force. Labor Department data show that the labor force participation rate is not declining due to an aging population — older folks are staying in. It’s declining due to young people dropping out.

Youth unemployment is a serious matter, and not just for the young.

A society that doesn’t offer young people work opportunities will spend more on payments for income support. It will see more crime, as young people “hang out” on the streets. Hard-won college degrees will atrophy. The vaunted American work ethic admired by Alexis de Tocqueville will slowly wither.

Read more:

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-jobs-crisis-for-younger-workers-2013-04-12

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US: Gun control bill clears first hurdle in Senate

Gun control bill clears first hurdle in Senate

Congress hasn't approved sweeping gun restrictions since enacting an assault weapons ban 19 years ago, a prohibition that lawmakers failed to renew a decade later.

WASHINGTON — With teary-eyed relatives of the Newtown school massacre watching, gun control supporters in the Senate won the first showdown over how to respond to the December shootings in Connecticut, defeating an effort by conservatives to derail firearms restrictions before debate could even start.

The 68-31 roll call gave an early burst of momentum to efforts by President Barack Obama and lawmakers to push fresh gun curbs through Congress. The National Rifle Association, along with many Republicans and some moderate Democrats, say the proposals go too far, and the road to congressional approval of major restrictions remains rocky.

"The hard work starts now," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said after the vote. As he spoke, relatives of Newtown victims watching from the visitors' gallery above the Senate floor wiped away tears and held hands, and some seemed to pray.

The vote came four months after a gunman killed 20 first-graders and six staffers at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, spurring Obama and legislators to attempt to address firearms violence. Congress hasn't approved sweeping gun restrictions since enacting an assault weapons ban 19 years ago, a prohibition that lawmakers failed to renew a decade later.

Read more:

http://news.msn.com/us/gun-control-bill-clears-first-hurdle-in-senate

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US: Credit Report Errors Can Hurt Your Interview Chances

Credit Report Errors Can Hurt Your Interview Chances

These days, just getting invited for a job interview can be a big deal. However, many employers are using background checking, including credit checks, on prospective employees before the interview. Depending on the candidate's criminal history, background and credit, the employer may rule them out before they have had the chance to sit down and talk.

It's frightening to think that your job chances can hinge on what information an employer receives about you from a background-check company or a credit-reporting agency. What's even more disturbing is that according to a recent report from the Federal Trade Commission, there are widespread errors on consumer credit reports – errors that could prevent good people from getting hired.

The report revealed that an alarming 42 million credit reports contain errors that negatively impact consumer credit ratings. This isn't the first time that the credit reporting system has been under scrutiny. In 2004, the National Association of Public Interest Research Groups found that a staggering 79 percent of credit reports contain errors. If that wasn't enough to raise eyebrows, the news program, 60 Minutes aired a scathing report about how common these errors are and how difficult they are to be removed.

Read more:

http://www.manhattanjobs.com/articles/article.asp?id=12177

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The Two Words She Never Wants to Hear Him Say

"Calm down."

Are there any words in the English language as infuriating? Just ask a woman. On the surface, they seem harmless enough: A gentle reminder to take a deep breath, relax, and gain perspective before a relationship issue snowballs. Problem is, when a woman hears these two words from a man, the effects are anything but conciliatory. "Men are generally conditioned to take control in a heightened situation so when woman is upset, they may reach for the phrase 'calm down' in an effort to pacify her without realizing that they're making a bad situation worse," says Paul Hokemeyer, Ph.D., a New York City based licensed marriage and family therapist. Here's why a guy should never utter those two little words and how to deal if he does.  

Read more:

http://shine.yahoo.com/love-sex/the-two-words-she-never-wants-to-hear-a-man-say-154917769.html

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US: Why Canada Can Avoid Banking Crises and U.S. Can’t

Why Canada Can Avoid Banking Crises and U.S. Can’t 

Since 1790, the United States has suffered 16 banking crises. Canada has experienced zero—not even during the Great Depression.

It turns out Canada can thank the French for their stable system, according to a paper by Columbia University’s Charles Calomiris, presented at the Atlanta Fed’s 2013 Financial Markets Conference.

When it became a British colony, the majority of Canada’s population was of French origin — and the French inhabitants hated the British government.

So to keep the colony firmly within the Empire, British policymakers steered toward a government structure that would limit the power of the French-majority while also giving Canada more and more self-government. The eventual result was a highly-centralized federal government which controlled economic policy making and had built-in buffers for banker interests against populist forces, the paper argues.

That anti-populist political system — known in political science as liberal constitutionalism or liberal democracy — is a key ingredient in Canada’s stable banking track record, Mr. Calomiris contends in his paper, which is a summary of a much longer book he’s written with Stephen Haber due out in September. That’s because this kind of political system makes it difficult for political majorities to gain control of the banking system for their own purposes, the authors contend.

Populist democracies like the U.S., on the other hand, tend to create dysfunctional banking systems because a majority of citizens gain control over banking regulation that steers credit to themselves and to their friends at the expense of the citizens that are excluded from the banking system, he said.

The contrast between the U.S. and Canada was part of Mr. Calomiris broader argument that dysfunctional banking systems — which are by far the norm rather than the exception around the world — are the result of political factors.

“Whether societies have dysfunctional banking systems is really not a technical issue at all. It’s a political issue,” Mr. Calomiris said at the conference, introducing his premise as “we do know how to avoid dysfunctional banking but that we make political choices – you might even say consciously” not to have functional banking systems for most of the modern era in most countries of the world.

Read more:

http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2013/04/09/why-canada-can-avoid-banking-crises-and-u-s-cant/?mod=e2fb

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Hyundai Unveils 'E4U' Personal Mobility Vehicle

Hyundai Unveils 'E4U' Personal Mobility Vehicle

Hyundai Motor Co unveiled March 28, 2013, the "E4U" personal mobility vehicle at Seoul Motor Show 2013, which opens for the public from March 29 to April 7, 2013.

The E4U is a concept vehicle that can be actually driven and was designed by the company's Advanced Design Department. The initial letter "E" represents "egg," "evolution," "ecology," etc. It can be moved in any direction with a motor that rotates only in one direction.

Instead of tires, the vehicle uses a rotating semispherical part (like the lower half of a ball). When the part is vertical to the ground (with the apex of the semisphere touching the ground) and rotating in the horizontal direction, a force is generated to spin the vehicle.

To prevent the vehicle from spinning, it has two safety wheels on the rear side. At this point, the vehicle does not move even though the semispherical part is spinning because of the frictional force generated by the safety wheels. So, the wheels function like the tail rotor of a helicopter.

On the other hand, when the semispherical part is tilted, it becomes possible to move the vehicle because the rotative force is transmitted to the ground.

The semispherical part rotates counterclockwise. And the direction of travel can be controlled by using the feet placed on the part to tilt it.

To move forward, the left foot is used to tilt the semispherical part so that the left side of it contacts the ground and kicks the ground backward. As a result of its reaction force, the vehicle moves forward. Likewise, when the right foot is used to tilt the semispherical part, the right side of it contacts the ground and kicks the ground forward, moving the vehicle backward. To turn right and left, the semispherical part needs to be tilted forward and backward, respectively.

Read more:

http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20130402/274491/

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North Korea warns foreigners in South

 

(CNN) -- North Korea issued its latest dispatch of ominous rhetoric Tuesday, telling foreigners in South Korea they should take steps to secure shelter or evacuation to protect themselves in the event of a conflict on the Korean Peninsula. The unnerving message came as Japan set up missile defenses in Tokyo, and North Korean workers failed to turn up for work in the industrial complex jointly operated by North and South Korea. In the statement published by state-run media Tuesday, the North's Korea Asia-Pacific Peace Committee reiterated accusations that Washington and Seoul were seeking to provoke a war with Pyongyang. "Once a war is ignited on the peninsula, it will be an all-out war," the committee said, adding that North Korea doesn't want foreigners in South Korea to "fall victim" to a conflict. 

Read more:  

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/09/world/asia/koreas-tensions/index.html

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US: Why US Jobs Market Is Going to Get a Lot Worse

Why US Jobs Market Is Going to Get a Lot Worse

Weak U.S. jobs data on Friday confirmed the worst trading week this year for European and U.S. stocks, and now analysts are warning that investors should brace for further trouble ahead as fiscal tightening begins to take its toll. Friday's jobs report came in well below expectations, raising concerns that the recovery in the world's largest economy is weakening. March's participation rate was at its lowest since 1979, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Just 88,000 jobs were added to the economy last month, although the unemployment rate fell to 7.6 percent from 7.7 percent in February.

"In the labor market, at least, we see a real risk of even worse news down the line," Ian Shepherdson, chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomic Advisors said in a research note on Monday. Weakening labor demand, not rising layoffs, is the key problem with the U.S. economy, according to Shepherdson. The weakening demand is mostly coming from smaller firms that are below the radar of the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) survey, which reflects national factory activity. The National Federation of Small Business job survey has done a decent job in foreshadowing movements in payrolls in recent years, according to Shepherdson, and it's this report—due to be released on Tuesday—that's warning of troubled waters ahead, he said.

Read more:

http://www.cnbc.com/id/100622802

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UK: Margaret Thatcher dies

Margaret Thatcher dies; transformed Britain

LONDON–Margaret Thatcher, the former British prime minister who became one of the most influential global leaders of the postwar period, died on Monday, three decades after her championing of free-market economics and individual choice transformed Britain’s economy and her vigorous foreign policy played a key role in the end of the Cold War.

“It is with great sadness that Mark and Carol Thatcher announced that their mother, Baroness Thatcher, died peacefully following a stroke this morning,” said Thatcher’s spokesman, Timothy Bell. She was 87.

Queen Elizabeth II and U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron immediately issued tributes, with Mr. Cameron saying: “We have lost a great leader, a great prime minister and a great Briton.” Mr. Cameron planned to cut short a trip across Europe and was due to return to London on Monday afternoon.

Read more:

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/margaret-thatcher-dies-transformed-britain-2013-04-08

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US: Millionaires Got $80 Million in Jobless Aid

Millionaires Got $80 Million in Jobless Aid in Recession

The U.S. government paid almost $80 million in unemployment benefits during the worst of the economic downturn to households that made more than $1 million, including a record $29.9 million in 2010, tax records show.

Almost 3,200 households -- about 20 percent of them from New York -- that reported adjusted gross income of more than $1 million received jobless-insurance payments averaging $12,600 in 2010, the latest year for which figures are available, according to IRS data compiled by Bloomberg. Those payments outpaced the total incomes for about 25 million U.S. households.

The $80 million represents less than 0.01 percent of this year's $845 billion projected deficit. Yet the unemployment aid to millionaire households underscores the lack of means-testing in some federal aid programs as the Labor Department reports new jobless figures today. The aid also is a reminder of the difficulty of reining in spending.

"So many people are taking advantage of government support that they probably feel like, why shouldn't they take advantage of it, too?" said George Walper Jr., president of the Spectrem Group, a Chicago-based market-research and consulting firm that tracks the number of households worth more than $1 million.

Lawmakers have repeatedly tried to end or limit benefits to high-income households. A January report by the Congressional Research Service found at least five such efforts.

The House of Representatives passed legislation in December 2011 as part of a jobs bill that would have taxed unemployment benefits at 100 percent for single filers with adjusted gross incomes exceeding $1 million or married filers reporting $2 million in income. The provision wasn't included in the bill signed by President Barack Obama.

Read more:

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/millionaires-got-80-million-jobless-000001735.html

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Pentagon: It only takes once

North Korea warns 'moment of explosion' nears

(CNN) -- North Korea stirred up fresh unease in Northeast Asia early Thursday, threatening attacks by a "smaller, lighter and diversified" nuclear force and warning, "The moment of explosion is approaching fast." The new threat came after the North Koreans locked South Korean workers out of a joint factory complex and announced plans to restart a nuclear reactor it shut down five years ago. 

Meanwhile, the United States announced it was sending ballistic missile defenses to Guam, a Pacific territory that's home to U.S. naval and air bases. "The moment of explosion is approaching fast. No one can say a war will break out in Korea or not and whether it will break out today or tomorrow," North Korea's state news agency KCNA declared in its latest broadside.

 "The responsibility for this grave situation entirely rests with the U.S. administration and military warmongers keen to encroach upon the DPRK's sovereignty and bring down its dignified social system with brigandish logic."

Read more:

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/03/world/asia/koreas-tensions/index.html

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US:Obama will give up portion of his salary

Obama will give up portion of his salary

(CNN) - President Barack Obama will put 5% of his paycheck back into the federal government's coffers in a show of unity with furloughed federal workers, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Wednesday.

Obama, whose $400,000 annual salary is set in law and can't officially be changed, will write a check made out to the U.S. treasury every month beginning in April. Since the mandatory across-the-board spending cuts went into effect March 1, his payment for last month will be paid retroactively.

"The President has decided that to share in the sacrifice being made by public servants across the federal government that are affected by the sequester, he will contribute a portion of his salary back to the Treasury," Carney said in a statement. "He instructed his staff he wanted to do this when the sequester took effect."

Read more:

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/04/03/obama-will-give-up-portion-of-his-salary/?hpt=hp_c2

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Geeks Leading a Fashion Revolution?

Whether it’s PeeWee Herman or Urkel, the media and fashion businesses have had a limited grasp on what’s often referred to as “geek” or “nerd chic.” In its September issue, Women’s Wear Daily devoted three pages to “the new nerd.” Bulky, over-sized suits in bold colors and mismatched prints, cropped pants, clunky heels, jangly accessories and those giant, ugly twee glasses dominated.

Within the tech world itself, the old meme is that men dress in ill-fitting mom jeans (“Jeans highlighting the flat curvature of the 40+ buttocks, according to the Urban Dictionary”) or cargo pants; movie, comic and/or insider tech joke t-shirts or hoodies; and ugly shoes or flip flops. For women it’s… Well, pretty much same.

But for some reason, 2012 is the year of noticing how geeks actually dress. Or more importantly how some present themselves and how others think they should be presented. While the stereotype of badly clothed programmers still occasionally rings true, the new zeitgeist isn’t accurate either. Tech, after all, is broad and many people in it are creatives. There has to be a spark of originality somewhere.

Not long ago, the New York Times spotlighted a handful of Silicon Valley women in “Techies Break a Fashion Taboo.” Unfortunately, it was one of the dullest pieces I’ve ever read about getting dressed. The women profiled were mostly Chanel, Oscar de la Renta and Jimmy Choo-wearing executives with King Kong salaries. They were presented as proof that someone fashionable could also be taken seriously, in fact that their sense to style was a near act of rebellion in a sea of khakis. Is the tech world that regressive?

Read more:

http://news.dice.com/2012/09/06/nerd-chic-not-what-they-think/

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U.S.: North Korea not backing up threats with military moves

North Korea not backing up threats with military moves

The White House on Monday denied provoking North Korea with unusual military maneuvers while playing down the seriousness of the Stalinist regime’s threats, saying in effect that Pyongyang has been all talk and no action.

“I would note that—despite the harsh rhetoric we’re hearing from Pyongyang—we are not seeing changes to the North Korean military posture, such as large-scale mobilizations and positioning of forces,” press secretary Jay Carney told reporters at his daily briefing. "We haven’t seen action to back up the rhetoric.”

Carney denied that the U.S. response to weeks of escalating rhetoric from North Korea has intensified rather than defused the standoff.

The U.S. has beefed up its missile defenses and flown nuclear-capable B-2 and B-52 bombers over the Korean Peninsula. B-2 stealth bombers even dropped dummy munitions during military exercises with South Korea.

Asked if such actions were making matters worse, Carney replied, "Not at all."

The spokesman insisted the U.S. response has been prudent and designed "to reassure our allies, demonstrate our resolve to the North, and reduce pressure on Seoul to take unilateral action."

He added, "We believe this has reduced the chance of miscalculation and provocation."

Read more:

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/u-north-korea-not-backing-threats-military-moves-185342098--politics.html

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