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...

Read More

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...

Read More

CHINA: The Dirty Secret of Pricing Luxury Goods in China

The Dirty Secret of Pricing Luxury Goods in ChinaThe dirty little secret among luxury-goods companies: they overcharge customers in China. http://on.wsj.com/14eCVhIListed 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=vi...

Read More

Uruguay: Glow-in-the-Dark Lamb

Glow-in-the-Dark LambA 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/ReutersRead more:http://blogs.wsj.com/photojournal/2013/04/25/glow-in-the-dark-lamb/?mod=e...

Read More

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=ansnew...

Read More

....

...

Read More

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...

Read More

US: CAUGHT

Boston bombings: 'CAPTURED!!! The hunt is over,' police sayRead more:http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2013/04/19/live-blog-police-action-in-bost...

Read More

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...

Read More

US: An empty metropolis of Boston

 An empty metropolis: Bostonians share photos of deserted streetsThe 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-stre...

Read More

Suit: Phrase Mocking Asians on NJ CVS Photo Tix

NJ woman of Korean descent files suit against CVS after phrase mocking Asians on photo stubBELMAR, 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...

Read More

Worst smartphone on the planet?

BlackBerry Disputes Report on Z10 PhoneBlackBerry 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”...

Read More

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

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

Read More

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 ...

Read More

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...

Read More

US: The jobs crisis for younger workers

The jobs crisis for younger workersCommentary: New college grads can’t get a breakWASHINGTON (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...

Read More

US: Gun control bill clears first hurdle in Senate

Gun control bill clears first hurdle in SenateCongress 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...

Read More

US: Credit Report Errors Can Hurt Your Interview Chances

Credit Report Errors Can Hurt Your Interview ChancesThese 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...

Read More

The Two Words She Never Wants to Hear Him Say

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...

Read More

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...

Read More

Hyundai Unveils 'E4U' Personal Mobility Vehicle

Hyundai Unveils 'E4U' Personal Mobility VehicleHyundai 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...

Read More

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...

Read More

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

Why US Jobs Market Is Going to Get a Lot WorseWeak 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...

Read More

UK: Margaret Thatcher dies

Margaret Thatcher dies; transformed BritainLONDON–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...

Read More

US: Millionaires Got $80 Million in Jobless Aid

Millionaires Got $80 Million in Jobless Aid in RecessionThe 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...

Read More

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...

Read More

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...

Read More

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...

Read More

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

North Korea not backing up threats with military movesThe 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...

Read More