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Source: http://www.sunad.com/index.php?tier=1&article_id=28671
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14 hours ago
Steve Marcus / Reuters
Carpenters work on new homes at a residential construction site in the west side of the Las Vegas Valley in Las Vegas in April. Housing starts have fallen to a 10-month low.
WASHINGTON - Housing starts and permits for future home construction unexpectedly fell in June, but the decline in activity was likely to be short-lived against the backdrop of bullish sentiment among home builders.
The Commerce Department said on Wednesday that housing starts dropped 9.9 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 836,000 units. That was the lowest level since August last year.
Economists, who had expected groundbreaking to rise to a 959,000-unit rate, shrugged off the decline and said wet weather in many parts of the country had dampened activity. They noted that much of the drop was in the volatile multifamily segment.
"It looks like it's weather-related," said Sam Bullard, a senior economist at Wells Fargo Securities in Charlotte, N.C. "On the surface it doesn't look good, but we are confident that starts activity is still going to climb higher in the months to come."
Permits to build homes fell 7.5 percent last month to a 911,000-unit pace. Economist had expected permits to rise to a 1-million unit pace.
Though it was the second straight month of declines in permits, they remained ahead of starts. Economists said this, together with upbeat homebuilder confidence, suggested groundbreaking activity will bounce back in July and through the remainder of this year.
Sentiment among single-family home builders hit a 7-1/2 year high in July, a report showed on Monday, amid optimism over current and future home sales.
Mortgage rates still low
There was little to suggest that a recent spike in mortgage rates was restraining home building activity, economists said, pointing to the improving builder confidence.
"New home supply and housing completions remain low, home prices are rising and, despite the recent rise, mortgage rates remain low," said John Ryding, chief economist at RDQ Economics in New York. "To us, this all points to housing activity adding to growth in the second half of the year."
Housing's recovery is being aided by still-low mortgage rates engineered by the Federal Reserve's accommodative monetary policy and steady employment gains.
Mortgage rates increased in recent weeks after the Fed expressed its desire to start cutting back on its bond purchases later this year. The monthly $85 billion in bond purchases have been holding down interest rates.
Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Wednesday the central bank still expected to start scaling back its massive asset purchase program later this year, but left open the option of changing that plan in either direction if the economic outlook shifted.
The U.S. stock market rose as Bernanke's comments led markets to believe the central bank's plans to pull its monetary stimulus were not set in stone. The U.S. dollar gained ground while Treasury securities prices slipped.
Bernanke offered an upbeat assessment of the housing market's prospects.
"Housing activity and prices seem likely to continue to recover, notwithstanding the recent increases in mortgage rates, but it will be important to monitor developments in this sector carefully," Bernanke told lawmakers.
Last month, groundbreaking for single-family homes, the largest segment of the market, slipped 0.8 percent to its lowest level since last November 2012. Starts for multi-family homes declined 26.2 percent to a 245,000-unit rate.
Starts were down in all four regions in June, with big declines in the Northeast, South and the Midwest.
Weak groundbreaking suggested a smaller boost to both second and third quarter gross domestic product from residential construction. Second-quarter GDP estimates are ranging between 0.5 percent and 1 percent.
The economy grew at a 1.8 percent annual pace in the first three months of the year.
Permits for multi-family homes fell 21.4 percent last month. But permits for single-family homes rose 0.6 percent to a their highest since May 2008.
More business news:
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Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters.
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BALTIMORE -- A reliance on industry to provide information about facilities that handle dangerous chemicals might have contributed to the Homeland Security Department?s failure to regulate the site of a major explosion in Texas earlier this year, a DHS official suggested Wednesday.
?It is absolutely a shared responsibility,? David Wulf, director of the department?s infrastructure security compliance division, told Global Security Newswire. ?Facilities that are in the business of dealing with ? high-risk chemicals ? have an obligation to do that reporting, just as I have an obligation to file our taxes with the IRS.
?The IRS doesn?t necessarily come out and look for us,? he added. ?At the same time, we?re committed to doing all we can to get word out? that these reporting requirements exist, he said.
During formal remarks at a chemical-sector security conference, Wulf said DHS officials have ?a pretty high degree of certainty that we have reached facilities that are members of the national trade associations? and informed them of their responsibility to comply with federal Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards, which require companies to submit site security plans if they handle a significant amount of dangerous chemicals.
He noted, however, that it appears that the West, Texas, fertilizer plant that exploded in April -- killing 14 and leveling nearby homes and businesses ?--was not a member of such a trade group.
Since the incident, Wulf said, the department has ?doubled down? on its efforts to reach facilities that qualify for regulation. It recently exchanged lists of known facilities with state agencies in Texas in an effort to identify sites known to the state but not to the federal department and vice versa. DHS officials have also renewed efforts to compare notes about relevant facilities with other federal agencies involved with chemical-safety regulation, such as the Environmental Protection Agency, Wulf said.
The Homeland Security Department had previously attempted such information sharing with the EPA Risk Management Program several years ago when the CFATS program was just getting under way, according to Wulf. The initial effort was largely unsuccessful due to technical differences between the two agencies? databases. However, this time around, the department has launched a more advanced information-technology program aimed making the exchange more useful.
The move appears aimed at addressing concerns that the Texas facility was not on the Homeland Security Department?s radar, even though other regulatory agencies were aware the facility had been handling significant quantities of dangerous chemicals.
A risk-management plan filed with the Environmental Protection Agency said the facility possessed up to 54,000 pounds of toxic anhydrous ammonia -- more than five times the CFATS threshold of 10,000 pounds. In addition, the plant last year reported to the Texas State Health Services Department that it possessed 270 tons of explosive ammonium nitrate -- more than 1,000 times the CFATS reporting threshold of 400 pounds.
On Thursday, Joan O'Hara, deputy chief counsel to the House Homeland Security Committee, told conference attendees the panel would host a hearing to further examine why the DHS program has not reached certain "outlier" facilities such as the Texas plant.
The West, Texas, incident has been the focus of the latest criticism directed at the DHS program. Prior to the incident, the initiative had faced more than a year?s worth of congressional scrutiny pertaining to a leaked internal memo that revealed a litany of management problems, including a failure to conduct onsite inspections and approve facility security plans.
On Wednesday, Wulf, who co-authored the memo, sought to portray the CFATS program as one that had ?turned a corner.? He noted that as of last July, the program had given preliminary approval to only 50 site-security plans, conducted only 10 inspections and had not granted final approval to a single site-security plan since it was first authorized by Congress in 2007. One year later, the department has provided preliminary approval for ?upwards of 500? site-security plans, has conducted more than 50 inspections and has granted final approval for 160 site-security plans.
The program has also completed 90 of 95 ?action items? that the internal memo had identified as needed to get the program back on track, Wulf said.
Labor and environmental groups argue, however, that even if it runs smoothly, the DHS program lacks the legal teeth needed to ensure that domestic chemical security is adequate. They note that the law authorizing the program does not allow the department to require any specific security improvements and argue that the Environmental Protection Agency should use its own authorities under the Clean Air Act to craft more stringent rules.
In recent weeks, Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) has also pushed for stronger EPA action on chemical security. Boxer, who has oversight authority over the agency as chairwoman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, has offered harsh criticism over what she says is an inadequate response to the Texas tragedy.
Republicans and major industry groups have long opposed further EPA involvement in the chemical security arena, arguing that the agency?s existing regulations -- along with those of the Homeland Security Department, Occupational Health and Safety Administration and various state agencies -- are sufficient.
Source: http://www.nti.org/gsn/article/dhs-official-reliance-industry-may-have-led-texas-oversight-lapse/
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NASHVILLE ? Randy Travis has suffered a stroke Wednesday evening and is in surgery at an unidentified Texas hospital, his publicist said.
The 54-year-old suffered the stroke while being treated for congestive heart failure for a viral illness.
Travis was undergoing surgery Wednesday night to relieve pressure on his brain, the Associated Press said.
He was also listed in critical condition.
Doctors said Travis had been in good health until three weeks before he was put in the hospital, which happened Sunday.
Source: http://grandview.fox4kc.com/news/news/251003-randy-travis-suffers-stroke-texas-hospital
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May 30, 2013 ? Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have found that a naturally occurring protein secreted only in discrete areas of the mammalian brain may act as a Valium-like brake on certain types of epileptic seizures.
The protein is known as diazepam binding inhibitor, or DBI. It calms the rhythms of a key brain circuit and so could prove valuable in developing novel, less side-effect-prone therapies not only for epilepsy but possibly for anxiety and sleep disorders, too. The researchers' discoveries will be published May 30 in Neuron.
"This is one of the most exciting findings we have had in many years," said John Huguenard, PhD, professor of neurology and neurological sciences and the study's senior author. "Our results show for the first time that a nucleus deep in the middle of the brain generates a small protein product, or peptide, that acts just like benzodiazepines." This drug class includes not only the anti-anxiety compound Valium (generic name diazepam), first marketed in 1965, but its predecessor Librium, discovered in 1955, and the more recently developed sleep aid Halcyon.
Valium, which is notoriously addictive, prone to abuse and dangerous at high doses, was an early drug treatment for epilepsy, but it has fallen out of use for this purpose because its efficacy quickly wears off and because newer, better anti-epileptic drugs have come along.
For decades, DBI has also been known to researchers under a different name: ACBP. In fact, it is found in every cell of the body, where it is an intracellular transporter of a metabolite called acyl-CoA. "But in a very specific and very important brain circuit that we've been studying for many years, DBI not only leaves the cells that made it but is -- or undergoes further processing to become -- a natural anti-epileptic compound," Huguenard said. "In this circuit, DBI or one of its peptide fragments acts just like Valium biochemically and produces the same neurological effect."
Other endogenous (internally produced) substances have been shown to cause effects similar to psychoactive drugs. In 1974, endogenous proteins called endorphins, with biochemical activity and painkilling properties similar to that of opiates, were isolated. A more recently identified set of substances, the endocannabinoids, mimic the memory-, appetite- and analgesia-regulating actions of the psychoactive components of cannabis, or marijuana.
DBI binds to receptors that sit on nerve-cell surfaces and are responsive to a tiny but important chemical messenger, or neurotransmitter, called GABA. The roughly one-fifth of all nerve cells in the brain that are inhibitory mainly do their job by secreting GABA, which binds to receptors on nearby nerve cells, rendering those cells temporarily unable to fire any electrical signals of their own.
Benzodiazepine drugs enhance GABA-induced inhibition by binding to a different site on GABA receptors from the one GABA binds to. That changes the receptor's shape, making it hyper-responsive to GABA. These receptors come in many different types and subtypes, not all of which are responsive to benzodiazepines. DBI binds to the same spot to which benzodiazepines bind on benzodiazepine-responsive GABA receptors. But until now, exactly what this means has remained unclear.
Huguenard, along with postdoctoral scholar and lead author Catherine Christian, PhD, and several Stanford colleagues zeroed in on DBI's function in the thalamus, a deep-brain structure that serves as a relay station for sensory information, and which previous studies in the Huguenard lab have implicated on the initiation of seizures. The researchers used single-nerve-cell-recording techniques to show that within a GABA-secreting nerve-cell cluster called the thalamic reticular nucleus, DBI has the same inhibition-boosting effect on benzodiazepine-responsive GABA receptors as do benzodiazepines. Using bioengineered mice in which those receptors' benzodiazepine-binding site was defective, they showed that DBI lost its effect, which Huguenard and Christian suggested makes these mice seizure-prone.
In another seizure-prone mouse strain in which that site is intact but the gene for DBI is missing, the scientists saw diminished inhibitory activity on the part of benzodiazepine-responsive GABA receptors. Re-introducing the DBI gene to the brains of these mice via a sophisticated laboratory technique restored the strength of the GABA-induced inhibition. In normal mice, a compound known to block the benzodiazepine-binding site weakened these same receptors' inhibitory activity in the thalamic reticular nucleus, even in the absence of any administered benzodiazepines. This suggested that some naturally occurring benzodiazepine-like substance was being displaced from the benzodiazepine-binding site by the drug. In DBI-gene-lacking mice, the blocking agent had no effect at all.
Huguenard's team also showed that DBI has the same inhibition-enhancing effect on nerve cells in an adjacent thalamic region -- but also that, importantly, no DBI is naturally generated in or near this region; in the corticothalamic circuit, at least, DBI appears to be released only in the thalamic reticular nucleus. So, the actions of DBI on GABA receptors appear to be tightly controlled to occur only in specific brain areas.
Huguenard doesn't know yet whether it is DBI per se, or one of its peptide fragments (and if so which one), that is exerting the active inhibitory role. But, he said, by finding out exactly which cells are releasing DBI under what biochemical circumstances, it may someday be possible to develop agents that could jump-start and boost its activity in epileptic patients at the very onset of seizures, effectively nipping them in the bud.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/TIX0jA6geHw/130530132429.htm
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By Genevra Pittman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - More babies born via cesarean section grow up to be heavy kids and teens than those delivered vaginally, according to a new study of more than 10,000 UK infants. Eleven-year-olds delivered by C-section, for example, were 83 percent more likely to be overweight or obese than??
Source: http://rss.news.yahoo.com/rss/weightloss
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Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/DwNe_gXxSbE/
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While you?re never guaranteed to find one that is truly unbiased, a fee-based financial advisor is one that earns his or her income solely based on the fee you pay them, not on commissions from any products they suggest to you, Hamm writes.
A woman counts her US dollar bills at a money changer in Jakarta. If a financial advisor works on a commission, that means their income is somewhat reliant upon people signing up to buy specific financial products, Hamm writes.
Beawiharta/Reuters/File
EnlargeIt?s easy to find lots of personal finance information online. Most of the time, it?s easy to see how it applies to your life. Frugality tips, for example, are very easy to incorporate into day-to-day living and see exactly how they?re saving you money.
Skip to next paragraph Trent HammThe Simple Dollar is a blog for those of us who need both cents and sense: people fighting debt and bad spending habits while building a financially secure future and still affording a latte or two. Our busy lives are crazy enough without having to compare five hundred mutual funds ? we just want simple ways to manage our finances and save a little money.
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When you start moving beyond that and start looking at things like insurance and investments, it starts to get less clear, for two reasons.
First of all,?everyone exists in a different personal finance situation.?It?s easy to apply most frugality tips to anyone?s life without knowing exactly how their finances are because, well, they work for everyone.
When it comes to questions about specific insurance policies, how to save for future education expenses, and how to save for retirement,?you can?t simply take every piece of advice out there at face value. Different solutions work better for different people in different situations, and without someone laying out their full financial plan on the table, it?s basically impossible to say what the best choice is.?
Looking to save some coin on your tech purchases? Of course you are! In this roundup, we'll run down a list of the freshest frugal buys, hand-picked with the help of the folks at Slickdeals. You'll want to act fast, though, as many of these offerings won't stick around long.
Today's collection of discounted tech links runs the gamut from home entertainment wares to Ultrabooks and ends up at Barnes & Noble's tablet. A 55-inch 3D HDTV from LG and that Nook HD+ are tempting options on their own, but there's a whole lot more to peruse on the other side of the jump.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Laptops, Tablets
Source: Slickdeals
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D-batteries haven't been in your stereo since the late 1980s, so why are they still in your flashlight? It's the 21st century, our batteries are smaller and our bulbs are brighter. So stop lugging around that unwieldy hunk of aluminum (no matter how tough it makes you feel) and pick up this 1000-lumen submersible spotlight.
The replacement for your D-cell Maglite from Olight.
People that don't naturally posses cat-like night vision.
The M3X is shaped like a normal torch light but much skinnier than similar-length Mag Lights, measuring just 2.5 inches in diameter. That's due to the fact that the Triton runs on a trio of R123A batteries (with an optional grip extension to use four). It can also be adapted to run Li-on 18650s. Both ends of the aluminum body have a scalloped rim, allowing it to securely stand on either end. The CREE XM-L2 LED bulb outputs 700 lumens using the standard R123A battery configuration but can be increased to a full 1000 lumens using the added casing adapter.
It's a flashlight people, seriously. Click the power button located on the back end of the torch to turn it on, twist the front bezel for a lower output mode, twist it right to engage high output. Twist it left, then quickly right to start the emergency hazard strobe.
This light has a big, beautiful beam bright enough to illuminate a wall 50 feet away in broad daylight and a maximum range of about 1,700 feet at night. You normally won't have much call for seeing that far, but it's nice to know you can when investigating whether its racoons or a mountain lion that's prowling out on the edge of your property.
The integrated belt clip is perpetually digging into my palm and seems rather redundant since the product comes with a belt-mountable carrying pouch.
From the right angle, this thing almost looks like a lightsaber.
Ok, look, I know $80 sounds like a lot of money for a flashlight. It is. But look at it this way. A standard 4 D-cell Maglite will set you back about $20 at Cheaper than Dirt, a quarter of the price of the M3X, while Duracell alkaline Ds retail for $12 / 8-pack over at Walmart. And if you don't already have a set of R123A's, a starter pack runs $30 at Amazon. At those rates, you'd have to run through just 10 sets of batteries?5 pack's worth?to recoup the initial higher outlay (15 sets or 8 packs if you needed the battery set too). And plus, for that extra up-front cost, you're getting a torch with ten times the Maglite's output (122 lumens) at a quarter of the weight (9 oz vs 36 oz) that can go underwater.
Source: http://gizmodo.com/m3x-triton-lightning-review-a-svelt-tactical-led-flas-487617076
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Much like how three (or four) of the major US carriers will be getting the HTC One, China's three carriers will also be receiving the same treatment, according to the country's official device approval database. The three flavors are known as 802w, 802t and 802d, each heading to China Unicom (WCDMA), China Mobile (TD-SCDMA) and China Telecom (CDMA), respectively. For the record, the European version we have is 801n, so perhaps the third digit represents the number of SIM slots featured on the device.
This is certainly the case for the 802w. Earlier today, a Sina Weibo user posted the above photo of said phone with its back cover -- between the two plastic lines -- removed, thus exposing not only its two SIM card slots but also a microSD slot just below the camera. It's worth noting that the European version of the One doesn't come with a removable back cover, let alone a secondary SIM slot or a microSD slot; but at least it has LTE, right? Since Sina Weibo requires you to login before letting you see the post, we've got the full picture for you after the break.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HTC
Via: Engadget Chinese
Source: Sina Weibo (login required)
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/njkuorAvMX0/
Imitation-vintage photos are all the rage, but what is the trend taking away from images that are actually old?
?Searching for Sugar Man?
Malik Bendjelloul /Sony Pictures Classics
EnlargeThe footage of the sky, blotchy with clouds, is grainy and sepia-toned, telltale signs of old film. Or so it seems.
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The scene, which appears in the 2013 Oscar-winning documentary ?Searching for Sugar Man,? was actually shot on an iPhone camera. And the dreamy, vintage effect? It was created by an application called 8mm Vintage Camera, which adds filters to video footage to mimic, in the words of its creators, ?the beauty and magic? of old movies.
?Sugar Man? director Malik Bendjelloul, whose film follows the story of a 1970s American folk musician who becomes an unlikely sensation in apartheid South Africa, shot most of his film on real 8mm film. But when he ran out of money with only a few scenes remaining, he turned to the $1.99 iPhone app to complete the final shots.
?It looks like real film, it really does ? you can?t tell the difference,? he told CNN.
The app?s cameo in the acclaimed documentary is perhaps the pinnacle in the rise of a now-ubiquitous trend: the faux-vintage image.
Supersaturated, with blown-out highlights and vignetted and torn edges, these photos and videos are no longer the product of aging Polaroid cameras or Kodachrome film, but rather smart-phone photo filter apps. The most popular of these, Instagram, has some 90 million active users and was bought by Facebook in April 2012 for $1 billion.
Not everyone, however, has been content to chalk up the popularity of the so-called Instagram effect to its compelling aesthetic. Rather, some media experts say, it?s a signpost of a generation trying to put down an anchor in the constantly flowing digital world.
?Adding these filters [to photos] is a way of simulating value and worth,? says social media theorist Nathan Jurgenson, ?because real old photos have stood the test of time and have a sense of importance as a result.?
After all, he says, taking photos was once limited to the number of exposures on a roll of film. Now, anyone with a cellphone can take and upload endless images to social media sites. Using a faux filter is a way to stand out.
But as ?Sugar Man? demonstrates, faux-vintage photography isn?t just for amateurs. In 2011, for instance, New York Times photographer Damon Winter won third place in an international competition for a photo series of an American Army battalion in Afghanistan ? all of them shot on his iPhone using the photo filter app Hipstamatic.
Similar to the typewriter font in Microsoft Word, or a Kindle case with the image of a book cover on it, photo filter apps offer an echo of an era when media had a slower, more physical presence in our lives. And they imbue our experiences with a sense of history, Mr. Jurgenson says.
The only problem is, they aren?t real.
Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/5483q44B64o/Faux-filters-wash-out-history
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Trial subjects who ate olive oil versus other kinds of fats felt more full and had higher blood levels of serotonin. Christopher Intagliata reports.
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Olive oil is thought to be healthy because it's mostly monounsaturated fat. But cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil may have an extra benefit: it appears to be more filling than other fats. That's according to research presented at a German symposium on fat. [Peter Schieberle et al, Identification of satiating compounds in dietary fats and optimization of low-fat foods by adding satiating lipoid compounds (page 55)]
Researchers started by feeding 120 volunteers a daily, 18-ounce serving of low-fat yogurt. But mixed in the yogurt were either three tablespoons of either extra-virgin olive oil, canola oil, butter, or lard. Turns out volunteers in the olive oil group reported feeling more full during the three-month study period. And they had larger concentrations of serotonin in their blood?a signal of satiety.
The researchers say extra-virgin olive oil contains aromatic compounds that block the absorption of glucose from the blood, delaying the recurrence of hunger. Indeed, study subjects who ate yogurt with just olive oil extract consumed fewer calories over a three-month period than those who ate plain yogurt. And they finished the trial with less body fat too. Which leads these researchers to conclude that olive oil extract could be key to creating a better low-fat snack: tastes great, more filling.
?Christopher Intagliata
[The above text is a transcript of this podcast]
Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=99e1e25ad950eef69b4f2288be8bda89
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By Herb Weisbaum, TODAY contributor
Congress will get another chance to limit checking account overdraft fees that continue to annoy customers and produce billions of dollars in revenue each year for banks and credit unions.
Reps. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., and Maxine Waters, D-Calif., have introduced a bill that would limit the cost of overdraft fees and prohibit practices that increase the likelihood customers will overdraw their accounts.
?It protects banking customers from overdraft practices that the courts have found to be unfair, misleading, deceptive or fraudulent,? Maloney said. ?And at a time when some many are still struggling, it will help to put an end to those unexpected $35 charges for a cup of coffee.?
Consumer groups believe the Overdraft Protection Act of 2013 would solve a lot of problems.
?It?s very clear that banks are gouging customers with incredibly high and outrageous overdraft fees that are not related to their cost,? said Ed Mierzwinski, consumer program director at U.S. PIRG. ?The idea of a $35 fee for the privilege of overdrawing your account is good for the banks, but not for the consumer.?
According to a new report from Moebs Services, an economic research firm, financial institutions in the U.S. earned $32 billion in overdraft revenue last year, an increase of $400 million (or 1.3 percent) from 2011.
?Overdrafts have evolved from an ad hoc courtesy into a routinely administered, very high-cost, very short-term credit product,? said Rebecca Borne, senior policy counsel with the Center for Responsible Lending.
The nation?s bankers oppose the bill. They don?t believe it?s needed and they warn that more government regulation would only limit consumer choice.
?History has shown that when the government intervenes in how private markets price their services, there are unintended consequences that usually are adverse to consumers,? said Nessa Feddis, senior counsel at the American Bankers Association.
Key provisions of the bill
The Overdraft Protection Act would limit overdraft coverage fees in various ways. It would: ?
The bill would also ban the practice of posting checking account transactions in a way that maximizes overdraft fees. Some financial institutions routinely clear debits from highest to lowest dollar amount.
?That?s a big problem,? said Linda Sherry, director of national priorities at Consumer Action. ?If you had one large check and several smaller debit card charges hit on the same day, they?ll clear the big check first. That drains a lot of money out of your account and could cause more of the little things to bounce. And the key here is you can be charged for each overdraft item, debits, checks or ATM withdrawals.?
Banks say customers want the biggest transactions paid first because they tend to be the most important, like the rent or mortgage payment. But a survey by the Pew Charitable Trusts shows just the opposite.
?Almost 90 percent of the people in our survey said they were somewhat or very concerned about bank reordering practices,? said Susan Weinstock, director of Pew?s Safe Checking in the Electronic Age Project.
Credit unions are also concerned about any new regulatory burden.
"This legislation seems to address a problem that doesn't exist in the credit union system," said Ryan Donovan, senior vice president of legislative affairs at the Credit Union National Association. "Because we are owned by our members, we are not out to abuse them."
Donovan believes the issue of overdraft charges is better handled by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rather than Congress.
Getting rid of customer confusion
If you try to make a point-of-sale payment with your debit card or withdraw money from an ATM when you don?t have enough money in your checking account, the transaction will be declined ? unless you?ve signed up for overdraft coverage.
In that case, the bank or credit union will process the transaction and charge you an overdraft fee.
Consumer advocates believe many people don?t understand how this opt-in system works. A Pew study, which the banks challenge, found that 54 percent of the customers who had overdrawn their accounts said they did not realize they had signed up for an overdraft service that cost money.
?This just shows there is a very high level of confusion about how this works and why better consumer protections are needed,? Weinstock told me.?
The banking industry insists customers are not confused. Feddis at the American Bankers Association said all the terms are spelled out before anyone signs up for the service.
?Customers receive a one-page consumer-friendly form that explains the price of the overdraft coverage, that there are better and cheaper options and the requirement to affirmatively opt in,? Feddis said. ?And in the event they didn?t understand it, they will when the first overdraft charge occurs and they can opt out at any time.?
It doesn?t have to be this way. Since August of 2010, Bank of America has eliminated overdraft coverage on point-of-sale debit card payments. If there?s not enough money in the account, the transaction will be declined.
?We elected to eliminate that source of frustration for our customer and we think it was the right thing to do,? said Andrew Plepler, Bank of America?s global corporate social responsibility executive. ?The feedback has been very positive. There are a lot fewer complaints about overdrafts.?
Plepler said they had expected customers to be upset when their transactions were denied. But that hasn?t happened. He believes the benefit of avoiding a surprise overcharge fee outweighs any short-term inconvenience of being unable to make a purchase or withdrawal.
?There?s certainly been a revenue hit for the bank,? he told me, ?but we?re in the right place for the long term.?
The bottom line
This is Rep. Maloney?s second attempt to rein in overdraft charges. She could not get a similar bill passed last session and it?s clear this Congress is not in the mood to upset business. Yet, she remains confident.
?It?s common sense, it?s reasonable and it?s fair,? she said. ?It?s time to put an end to these deceptive practices.??
More information
Pew Factsheet:?The Need to Address Excessive Bank Overdraft Fees
Pew Factsheet:?The Need for Transparent and Fair Bank Deposit and Withdrawal Processing
Center for Responsible Lending: Overdraft "Protection" A Racket; Not a Service
American Bankers Association:?Overdraft Protection Services
Herb Weisbaum is The ConsumerMan. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter or visit The ConsumerMan website.
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Source: http://lifeinc.today.com/_news/2013/03/20/17388792-lawmakers-target-unfair-overdraft-charges?lite
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Henry Bromell dies: The award-winning TV director and writer on 'Homeland,' Henry Bromell also worked on "Northern Exposure," ''Chicago Hope," ''Rubicon" and "Brotherhood."
Henry Bromell, TV producer of Homeland.
Showtime
EnlargeHenry Bromell, an Emmy Award-winning executive producer for the TV series "Homeland," has died, a representative said Tuesday. He was 66.
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Bromell died Monday at a Los Angeles area hospital, Peter Benedek, his longtime agent and friend, said Tuesday.
The cause of death could not be confirmed.
Last year, Bromell shared in Emmy and Golden Globe best-drama awards for Showtime's "Homeland." In 1992, he won a Humanitas Prize, given to work that meaningfully explores the human condition, for the TV drama "I'll Fly Away."
Bromell was "an immensely talented and prolific" writer and producer, Showtime said in a statement. His other TV credits included "Northern Exposure," ''Chicago Hope," ''Rubicon" and "Brotherhood."
"Henry was a profoundly decent and generous man. A great writer and a great friend," ''Homeland" executive producers Alex Gansa and Howard Gordon said in a statement. "Everybody here at 'Homeland' is grieving, and we will miss him beyond words."
On Showtime's Homeland Facebook page, this message was posted:
"We are deeply saddened at the loss of our dear friend Henry Bromell, who has been a part of the SHOWTIME family for over a decade. Henry was an immensely talented and prolific writer, director and showrunner, and his work on BROTHERHOOD and HOMELAND was nothing short of brilliant. His passion, warmth, humor and generosity will be greatly missed. Our hearts and thoughts go out to his wife and family."
He is survived by his wife, Sarah, and sons William and Jake, Benedek said.
Funeral plans were not immediately announced.
___
Lynn Elber can be reached at lelber(at)ap.org and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/lynnelber
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
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Public release date: 19-Mar-2013
Share ] Contact: Lisa Merkl
lkmerkl@uh.edu
713-743-8192
University of Houston
HOUSTON, March 19, 2013 The University of Houston College of Optometry (UHCO) was in the spotlight with three of its educators recently taking top honors from the Texas Optometric Association (TOA).
At the association's 113th annual convention, Kevin Gee, O.D., assumed the presidency of the organization, Nancy George, O.D., received the William D. Pittman Leadership Award and Pat Segu, O.D., was awarded 2013 Educator of the Year. All three are UHCO graduates now on faculty.
Gee, a 2002 graduate, is an assistant clinical professor and serves as director of the University Eye Institute's Sports Vision Performance Center. A nationally renowned lecturer in sports vision, Gee served in numerous positions within TOA before becoming the association's 2013-14 president. He also has a successful private practice in Missouri City, Texas, and serves as the vision consultant for the Houston Astros.
George, a 1981 graduate, is a clinical associate professor and serves as the director of UHCO's La Nueva Casa de Amigos Eye Clinic. This neighborhood-based satellite health care clinic provides eye and vision care at reduced cost to thousands within the Houston community. George has been involved in Houston and statewide politics most of her adult life, earning her the Pittman award, named for a longtime advocacy leader in the TOA.
Segu, a 1992 graduate and clinical associate professor, is director of the Good Neighbor Eye Clinic, an outreach program that also serves as a training arena for fourth-year optometry students. Segu received the TOA Educator of the Year award for her diligence and commitment to both the profession and her students. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, serves on the advisory board of the Eye Care for Kids Foundation and is a member of Prevent Blindness Texas' Houston branch.
###
About the University of Houston
The University of Houston is a Carnegie-designated Tier One public research university recognized by The Princeton Review as one of the nation's best colleges for undergraduate education. UH serves the globally competitive Houston and Gulf Coast Region by providing world-class faculty, experiential learning and strategic industry partnerships. Located in the nation's fourth-largest city, UH serves more than 39,500 students in the most ethnically and culturally diverse region in the country. For more information about UH, visit the university's newsroom at http://www.uh.edu/news-events/.
About the UH College of Optometry
Since 1952, the University of Houston College of Optometry (UHCO) has educated and trained optometrists to provide the highest quality vision care. One of only 20 optometry schools in the country, UHCO offers a variety of degree programs, including Doctor of Optometry (O.D.), a combined Doctor of Optometry/Doctor of Philosophy (O.D./Ph.D.), Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.). UHCO serves an average of 36,000 patients a year through The University Eye Institute and its satellite clinics.
To receive UH science news via e-mail, sign up for UH-SciNews at http://www.uh.edu/news-events/mailing-lists/sciencelistserv/index.php. For more information about UH, visit the university's newsroom at http://www.uh.edu/news-events/.
For additional news alerts about UH, follow us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/UHNewsEvents and Twitter at http://twitter.com/UH_News.
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 19-Mar-2013 Share ] Contact: Lisa Merkl
lkmerkl@uh.edu
713-743-8192
University of Houston
HOUSTON, March 19, 2013 The University of Houston College of Optometry (UHCO) was in the spotlight with three of its educators recently taking top honors from the Texas Optometric Association (TOA).
At the association's 113th annual convention, Kevin Gee, O.D., assumed the presidency of the organization, Nancy George, O.D., received the William D. Pittman Leadership Award and Pat Segu, O.D., was awarded 2013 Educator of the Year. All three are UHCO graduates now on faculty.
Gee, a 2002 graduate, is an assistant clinical professor and serves as director of the University Eye Institute's Sports Vision Performance Center. A nationally renowned lecturer in sports vision, Gee served in numerous positions within TOA before becoming the association's 2013-14 president. He also has a successful private practice in Missouri City, Texas, and serves as the vision consultant for the Houston Astros.
George, a 1981 graduate, is a clinical associate professor and serves as the director of UHCO's La Nueva Casa de Amigos Eye Clinic. This neighborhood-based satellite health care clinic provides eye and vision care at reduced cost to thousands within the Houston community. George has been involved in Houston and statewide politics most of her adult life, earning her the Pittman award, named for a longtime advocacy leader in the TOA.
Segu, a 1992 graduate and clinical associate professor, is director of the Good Neighbor Eye Clinic, an outreach program that also serves as a training arena for fourth-year optometry students. Segu received the TOA Educator of the Year award for her diligence and commitment to both the profession and her students. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, serves on the advisory board of the Eye Care for Kids Foundation and is a member of Prevent Blindness Texas' Houston branch.
###
About the University of Houston
The University of Houston is a Carnegie-designated Tier One public research university recognized by The Princeton Review as one of the nation's best colleges for undergraduate education. UH serves the globally competitive Houston and Gulf Coast Region by providing world-class faculty, experiential learning and strategic industry partnerships. Located in the nation's fourth-largest city, UH serves more than 39,500 students in the most ethnically and culturally diverse region in the country. For more information about UH, visit the university's newsroom at http://www.uh.edu/news-events/.
About the UH College of Optometry
Since 1952, the University of Houston College of Optometry (UHCO) has educated and trained optometrists to provide the highest quality vision care. One of only 20 optometry schools in the country, UHCO offers a variety of degree programs, including Doctor of Optometry (O.D.), a combined Doctor of Optometry/Doctor of Philosophy (O.D./Ph.D.), Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.). UHCO serves an average of 36,000 patients a year through The University Eye Institute and its satellite clinics.
To receive UH science news via e-mail, sign up for UH-SciNews at http://www.uh.edu/news-events/mailing-lists/sciencelistserv/index.php. For more information about UH, visit the university's newsroom at http://www.uh.edu/news-events/.
For additional news alerts about UH, follow us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/UHNewsEvents and Twitter at http://twitter.com/UH_News.
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/uoh-tuo031913.php
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WASHINGTON (AP) ? The sponsor of a proposed assault weapons ban says Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has told her that the ban will not be part of the initial gun control measure the Senate will debate next month.
California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein says that instead of being included in the measure, the ban will be offered as an amendment.
The decision, which was expected, means that the ban seems to stand little chance of surviving because of expected solid opposition from Republicans and likely defections from some moderate Democrats.
The ban was one of four gun control measures approved this month by the Senate Judiciary Committee. The others would expand required federal background checks for firearms buyers, increase federal penalties for illegal gun trafficking and boost school safety money.
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Mar. 19, 2013 ? A new treatment combining two hormones can reduce appetite, according to new research presented today at the Society for Endocrinology annual conference in Harrogate, UK. This early study from an internationally-renowned team at Imperial College London provides 'first in human' evidence that a combined therapy using the hormones glucagon and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) may form the basis for a new treatment for obesity and diabetes in the future.
Previous results from in animal studies showed that glucagon/GLP-1 combination might be an effective lead to combat obesity and diabetes. The hormones play key roles in regulating blood sugar. Glucagon works in opposition to insulin, preventing the storage of glucose in fat deposits and the liver, and raising blood sugar levels. GLP-1 stimulates the release of insulin to lower blood sugar and also acts at the brain to reduce appetite.
The research team, led by Professor Stephen Bloom, set out to identify whether glucagon and GLP-1 given in combination might work together to reduce appetite. In this small study, 16 human volunteers were randomly allocated to a sequence of four treatment infusions for 120 minutes, separated by at least three days, each: 1) glucagon, 2) GLP-1, 3) glucagon and GLP-1 in combination and 4) a saline infusion as a control. Double-blind crossover experiments such as these are used across clinical research to reliably identify cause and effect in a series of interventions.
The team provided the subjects with a meal at 90 minutes into each infusion, measured the amount of oxygen consumed, took blood samples to measure blood sugar and metabolic hormone levels, and took readings for pulse, blood pressure and nausea, all both at baseline and during the infusions. This provided data on energy intake (amount of food consumed), energy expenditure (oxygen used), blood sugar control, and the safety of and tolerance to the treatment.
The energy intake during the meal was 1086+/-110.1kcal for the control group vs. 879+/-94.2kcal for the hormone combination group: a significant reduction of 13% (p<0.05) which was also not seen when either hormone was given alone (glucagon: 1086+/-96.9kcal, GLP-1: 1052+/-81.3kcal; p>0.05). A non-significant trend toward increased energy expenditure was also observed in the combination and glucagon-alone groups. The infusions were tolerated safely.
The data show that the promising findings using a glucagon/GLP-1 combination in mice can be replicated in man. Appetite was significantly reduced during the combination treatment compared to the glucagon, GLP-1 alone or saline infusions. The group must now test this glucagon/GLP-1 combination treatment in more people and for longer periods of time to see if the effects can be sustained in the long term.
Professor Stephen Bloom, Head of Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism at Imperial College London said: "The hormones glucagon and GLP-1 are both used by the body to control blood sugar and metabolism, so there is great interest in utilising them to find new treatments for obesity and type 2 diabetes.
"We found that volunteers treated with a glucagon/GLP-1 combination consumed significantly less food. These data replicate our findings in animals, suggesting that a glucagon/GLP-1 combination may be a promising lead from which to develop a new treatment for obesity and diabetes.
"13% is a big reduction in food intake by anyone's standards, but our experiment is only an appetiser. An effective future treatment will need to suppress appetite in the long term, so we next aim to establish whether the effects can be sustained to lead to real weight loss."
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Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina - now Pope Francis - was not widely considered the top candidate heading into this week's conclave.
Pope Francis speaks from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, March 13. Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio who chose the name of Francis, is the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church.
Luca Bruno/AP
EnlargeHabemas Papam, ?We have a pope.? And the name of the man to emerge on the balcony in Vatican City is Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina.
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The church leader that believing Roman Catholics call the ?successor? of the apostle Peter and ?the vicar of Christ? will go by the name of Pope Francis and is the first non-European pope in modern times, and the first from a developing country.
The much-awaited choice is something of a surprise, as the new pope was not foreshadowed prominently on the short lists of various experts, though the 76-year old was said to be the runner-up to retiring Pope Benedict in the 2005 conclave.
Cardinal Bergoglio, a Jesuit intellectual who reportedly eschews the ornate trappings of church power ? he travels by bus ? was elected in a swift five votes of a conclave of 115 cardinals, and immediately appeared to say the Lord?s Prayer to crowds on the Vatican plaza.
Like his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI who resigned last month, the first head of the Catholic church to do so in 600 years, Pope Francis is said to be theologically orthodox and socially conservative. He has opposed Argentina?s gay marriage laws, has been fiercely pro-family, and is also known as an advocate for the poor. In church terms, he is?seen as a master conciliator who will be adroit at healing many of the rifts and scandals over finances and pedophile priests that have dogged the Vatican in recent years.
The conclave appeared to steer away from popular choices like the cardinals of New York and Boston, Timothy Dolan and Sean O?Malley, as well as the local Italian favorite Angelo Scola.
He was elected by a conclave that overwhelmingly shares the conservative views of Benedict who has held sway as an enforcer of orthodoxy in the Vatican since 1982.
As John Allen of the National Catholic Reporter writes, ?Either John Paul II or Benedict XVI appointed each of the 117 cardinals who will cast a ballot, including 11 Americans, so there will be little ideological clash. No matter what happens, the church almost certainly won't reverse its bans on abortion, gay marriage or women priests.?
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The Pro version of last year's Optimus G comes in two flavors: Japan gets a 5-inch 1080p phone, while Korea (and the US) is treated to a 5.5-inch phone at the same resolution, but with Qualcomm's latest mobile chip, the Snapdragon 600. We're getting to grips with the Korean flavor here at MWC and while we're still waiting on a launch dates more specific than Q2, we couldn't help taking this particular G Pro for a spin.
While the original wasn't particularly lacking in the battery department, that increase in resolution has been fortunately accompanied by a bigger battery, up from 2,100mAh to 3,140mAh in the Korean edition and 3,000mAh in the Japanese. Design-wise, the lines are softer, more curved and -- if we're honest -- more like the Galaxy S III. There's now a curved physical home button lodged beneath the screen, with capacitive back and menu buttons either side of it that light up with the faintest glow. The back of the phone now gently curves into the rest of the phone, with that eye-catching "crystal reflection" effect now subtly shading into the sides. It retains the same surprisingly light build quality of its predecessor however, that makes us feel like a short fall could render this device a useless pule of glass shards and plastic pieces.
We've been aching to try out another phone with a next generation Snapdragon processor, and the 1.7GHz quad-core beast didn't disappoint in our brief time with the device. Navigation and basic tasks were buttery smooth, even with LG's slightly gaudy 3D animations and Emotion UI. The 400ppi display is, not surprisingly, simply stunning. While it doesn't have the deep saturation and abyssal blacks of some panels out there, it's amazingly crisp and viewing angles are quite impressive. While we're reserving full judgement for a review, we are impressed with how LG's decided to move forward with one of its most well-received smartphones in recent memory.
Terrence O'Brien contributed to this report.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, LG
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/25/lg-optimus-g-pro-hands-on/
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