Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/155188338?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Cain, Romney are Iowa leaders in new Des Moines Register poll (Los Angeles Times)
October 31st, 2011 Posted in capsuled
Video: Marco Rubio?s changing narrative
October 31st, 2011 Posted in capsuled
No. 4 Stanford has just enough Luck, tops USC in 3OT
??Stepfan Taylor ran for the tying touchdown with 38 seconds left in regulation and the go-ahead score in the third overtime, and Stanford’s defense preserved its 16-game winning streak by forcing Curtis McNeal’s end-zone fumble to end the No. 4 Cardinal’s 56-48 victory over No. 20 Southern California on Saturday night.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/45082715#45082715
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Planets smashed into dust near supermassive black holes
October 30th, 2011 Posted in capsuled
Friday, October 28, 2011
Fat doughnut-shaped dust shrouds that obscure about half of supermassive black holes could be the result of high speed crashes between planets and asteroids, according to a new theory from an international team of astronomers. The scientists, led by Dr. Sergei Nayakshin of the University of Leicester, publish their results in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
Supermassive black holes reside in the central parts of most galaxies. Observations indicate that about 50% of them are hidden from view by mysterious clouds of dust, the origin of which is not completely understood. The new theory is inspired by our own Solar System, where the so-called zodiacal dust is known to originate from collisions between solid bodies such as asteroids and comets. The scientists propose that the central regions of galaxies contain not only black holes and stars but also planets and asteroids.
Collisions between these rocky objects would occur at colossal speeds as large as 1000 km per second, continuously shattering and fragmenting the objects, until eventually they end up as microscopic dust. Dr. Nayakshin points out that this harsh environment – radiation and frequent collisions – would make the planets orbiting supermassive black holes sterile, even before they are destroyed. “Too bad for life on these planets”, he says, “but on the other hand the dust created in this way blocks much of the harmful radiation from reaching the rest of the host galaxy. This in turn may make it easier for life to prosper elsewhere in the rest of the central region of the galaxy.”
He also believes that understanding the origin of the dust near black holes is important in our models of how these monsters grow and how exactly they affect their host galaxies. “We suspect that the supermassive black hole in our own Galaxy, the Milky Way, expelled most of the gas that would otherwise turn into more stars and planets”, he continues, “Understanding the origin of the dust in the inner regions of galaxies would take us one step closer to solving the mystery of the supermassive black holes”.
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University of Leicester: http://www.leicester.ac.uk
Thanks to University of Leicester for this article.
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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/114735/Planets_smashed_into_dust_near_supermassive_black_holes
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Common and Serena Williams at ?Hell on Wheels? Premiere last night
October 30th, 2011 Posted in capsuled
Yes, that WAS tennis great Serena Williams shaking her tail feather last night during an impromptu performance by on-again/off-again flame Common at the premiere party for AMC’s new original drama “Hell on Wheels.” The rapper, who also co-stars in “Hell on Wheels,” unexpectedly took the stage during the premiere after-party last night at Union Station’s [...]
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Watch: Spooky Halloween Ideas
October 29th, 2011 Posted in capsuled
iVoice Liz Henry shares her family’s frightfully fun tips for creating that spooky Halloween spirit with costumes, movies, decor and more!
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I Will Only Eat Food That’s Covered in Edible Gold Spray Paint [Wtf]
October 28th, 2011 Posted in capsuled
Since the price of gold is like a bazillion dollars these days, I want to surround myself with as much of it as I can. So that means even fake gold, like this weird ass edible gold paint you spray on food to get flossy, is good with me. More »
Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/2l6Vf_1VHrA/
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Exclusive: SEC weighs easing hedge fund data rule (Reuters)
October 28th, 2011 Posted in capsuled
WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? Regulators are considering easing a proposed rule so that fewer hedge fund advisers would have to hand over troves of confidential data to the government, according to people familiar with the deliberations.
The Securities and Exchange Commission is due to vote on a final rule on Wednesday on the threshold that would trigger extensive reporting requirements for advisers to large hedge funds and other private funds.
The rule is required by last year’s Dodd-Frank financial oversight law and would give the SEC for the first time a direct window into massive funds’ investment concentrations and trading strategies.
The information is designed to help the new Financial Stability Oversight Council determine whether a fund’s trading may pose any risks to the broader marketplace.
In addition to possibly raising the dollar threshold so that fewer advisers will be captured by the expansive reporting rules, the SEC is also planning to grant some relief for advisers to large private equity funds by only requiring them to file reports with the SEC annually, instead of quarterly as previously proposed.
The sources spoke anonymously because the final rule is not yet public and negotiations were continuing Tuesday on the details.
While advisers to large hedge funds will still be required to submit more extensive information to regulators about things such as their funds’ exposures to various asset classes, the SEC’s final rule will clarify that hedge fund advisers will not be forced to hand over detailed position-level data, one of the sources said.
Private funds have been nervous about handing over sensitive financial information to regulators over concerns their positions or trading strategies could be exposed. Private funds, lawmakers and some former SEC commissioners have also raised concerns about the cost of the reporting requirements.
In its original January plan, the SEC had proposed a tiered regulatory approach whereby advisers to hedge funds, liquidity funds and private equity funds with more than $1 billion in regulatory assets under management would face heightened and more detailed reporting requirements every quarter.
Under the final rule expected to emerge on Wednesday, advisers to smaller funds will still only be required to file a report with the SEC once a year with basic data such as fund strategy, leverage and credit risk.
Advisers to smaller funds will be captured by the rule as long as they are registered with the SEC and advise private funds with at least $150 million in regulatory assets under management, sources said.
Critics of the hedge fund measure had accused the SEC of failing to adequately weigh the costs and benefits of the rule, a flaw that recently caused the overturning of an SEC rule on how shareholders can nominate candidates to company boards.
“I suspect that this rule, like the one the District of Columbia Circuit recently struck down, likely results from a flawed cost-benefit analysis process,” Congressman Darrell Issa wrote in a September 20 letter to the SEC. “The benefits of Form PF are too narrow and create a potential for fraud and abuse. Meanwhile the cost in terms of jobs and capital are ignored.”
(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)
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China touts its legal system as protecting rights (AP)
October 27th, 2011 Posted in capsuled
BEIJING ? Chinese lawmakers on Thursday touted the country’s legal system as the best way to protect the rights of citizens, despite the widespread detention and intimidation of political critics that is fueling a small but growing movement for greater civil liberties.
The system reflects rapid social changes since China instituted economic reforms three decades ago, two deputy directors of the national legislature’s legal affairs committee told reporters at a government briefing.
But they refused to address concerns over the illegal harassment and detention of government critics, including Liu Xia, the wife of imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo, and Chen Guangcheng, a lawyer still under house arrest after completing a sentence for his activism.
“In China we provide full protection to the freedom of the citizens. If we have taken any mandatory actions, it is according to the law,” Li said.
Li and colleague Xin Chunying were asked repeatedly about the death last week of a toddler who was struck by two vehicles and left for dead by passers-by, but declined to discuss it in detail. The accident sparked national soul searching over the callousness of many toward the sufferings of strangers.
The drivers have reportedly been arrested, but the charges they may face are unknown, as is any legal culpability of those who ignored the 2-year-old girl as she lay bleeding on the road.
“After all the facts are known, we should uphold social justice,” Xin said.
Chinese Communist leaders say they have largely finished establishing what they call the “socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics.” They reject Western political and legal concepts such as the separation of powers and an independent judiciary.
However, the block on further changes is causing increasing friction between China’s government and the governed. When disorganized local calls were made for a Middle East-style uprising this spring, Beijing responded with overwhelming force, detaining, harassing and questioning scores or lawyers, activists, and government critics.
Persecuted individuals such as the lawyer Chen have also garnered rising support among politically aware Chinese. Chen is confined to his home surrounded by police and thugs to keep away outsiders one year after he completed a sentence of four years and three months in prison.
Chen, a blind, self-taught lawyer, had documented cases of forced abortions and other abuses by family planning officials. Supporters say the charges against him of instigating an attack on government offices and organizing a group of people to disrupt traffic were fabricated.
Online calls by activists to visit him in his village home in the eastern province of Shandong China have garnered an unusually large response, with some traipsing to his village and being detained, questioned and even beaten.
About 20 people have tried to visit the lawyer in eastern China in recent weeks, by one activist’s count, among them Chinese not previously known to be human rights campaigners.
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Israel, Egypt agree to prisoner swap (Reuters)
October 26th, 2011 Posted in capsuled
JERUSALEM (Reuters) ? Israel and Egypt said on Monday they have struck a deal to swap 25 Egyptians in Israeli custody for a U.S.-Israeli dual national accused by Cairo of espionage, in a step seen as easing strains between the strategic neighbors.
The U.S.-brokered deal was reached shortly after a successful Egyptian-brokered swap between Israel and Hamas Islamists that freed captive soldier Gilad Shalit in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.
A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel’s security cabinet would meet on Tuesday to discuss the deal to swap Ilan Grapel, 27, for the 25 Egyptians, including three minors who have not been charged with security-related offences.
Once the cabinet gives its approval, the swap is expected to take place on Thursday, an Israeli official in Jerusalem and an Egyptian intelligence source in Cairo told Reuters.
“In the framework of efforts by Israel and Egypt and with the help of the United States, Egypt has agreed to release Ilan Grapel. By Egyptian request Israel has agreed to free 25 Egyptian prisoners,” read the statement from Netanyahu’s office.
Grapel was arrested in Egypt and accused of being a spy out to recruit agents and monitor events in the popular revolt that overthrew President Hosni Mubarak in February, an ally of both the United States and Israel.
Before the exchange deal was announced, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman denied on Monday that Grapel had been involved in any espionage.
Grapel emigrated to Israel in 2005 from New York and served in its military in a 2006 war with Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon.
His mother said at the time of his arrest that her son, a law student in the United States, was working for Saint Andrew’s Refugee Services, a non-governmental organization, in Cairo.
Grapel’s father, Daniel Grapel, said he did not know when his son would be freed. “I think it should take place soon. But the time and hour I will know only once it has happened,” he told Israel’s Channel 2 television.
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta had called on Egypt while on a visit to the region this month to release Grapel, though he denied then any involvement in the efforts to free him.
The prisoner deal was seen as improving ties between Israel and Egypt, which suffered their worse strains since the toppling of Mubarak when five Egyptian security personnel were killed in an incident along the Israeli border in August.
Their deaths occurred during a cross-border shooting at a time when eight Israelis were killed in an ambush by gunmen along an adjacent desert road at the Sinai frontier.
Relations soured further when protesters stormed the Israeli embassy in Cairo in September in anger at the Sinai shootings, forcing Israel to evacuate security guards from the building.
In his remarks at a briefing with Israeli reporters, Lieberman said Israel was “in touch with the Egyptian authorities and trying to reach an arrangement to reopen and return all diplomatic staff to the embassy,” but he did not know when that may happen.
Israel met Egypt’s demands and apologized for the shootings earlier this month, citing a joint investigation which showed Egyptian police had died “as a result of gunfire by our (Israeli) forces.”
Egypt was the first of two Arab countries to sign a peace agreement with Israel, in a deal concluded in 1979. The U.S.-brokered treaty was long a mainstay of U.S. policy in the region, with both countries topping Washington’s list of foreign aid recipients.
Jordan signed a treaty with the Jewish state in 1994.
(Additional reporting by Maha El Dahan and Marwa Awad in Cairo; Writing by Allyn Fisher-Ilan; Editing by David Stamp)
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Insurers, employers offer incentives to promote healthful habits
October 26th, 2011 Posted in capsuled
American Express Co. paid thousands of employees to exercise this summer, giving each $200 toward their healthcare expenses simply for walking 21/2 miles a day.
Health insurance giant Humana Inc. has begun offering camping gear, cameras and even hotel rooms in the Caribbean to customers who see the doctor and undergo tests for blood pressure and cholesterol.
And when the new year arrives, Blue Shield of California will introduce its new Blue Groove plan offering breaks of up to $500 on insurance premiums or healthcare costs to policyholders in the Sacramento area who fill out health questionnaires and get medical screenings.
Growing numbers of employers and insurance companies, stung by continued hikes in healthcare costs, are offering employees money and merchandise to lead healthier lives. Advocates of the approach are betting that preventive action will keep workers productive and hold down healthcare bills for expensive diseases like cancer and diabetes.
Economists say it’s too soon to tell whether rewards will be successful in the long run, but corporate leaders say the strategy is already paying off by helping to slow the growth of their medical costs.
And experts expect President Obama’s healthcare overhaul to expand the use of incentives by upping the amount of money employers can use to entice workers to see the doctor.
“This is the next evolution in trying to squeeze costs out by not incurring them in the first place,” said Sean Slovenski, chief executive of the firm handling rewards for Humana, which expects to enroll nearly 1 million customers in its incentive program in the coming months.
“It’s not the holy grail, but it’s a giant leap forward in bending the healthcare cost trend,” Slovenski said.
Thousands of insured workers are jumping at incentives, even though employees at some sites complain about preferential treatment for colleagues healthy enough to win money or prizes.
American Express travel manager Carmen Macias signed up for the company’s Walk This Way program in July, lured by an offer of $200 to pay for healthcare expenses.
Macias logged 2 1/2 miles a day for 12 weeks on a pedometer walking around her Irvine neighborhood. Once the program ended, she kept exercising, nearly doubling the distance she covers on weekdays while adding hiking and biking on weekends.
“It got me off the couch and away from the computer,” Macias, 45, said of the program she credits for reducing her stress level and weight. “A whole new window has opened up.”
The expanding use of incentives comes as employers grapple with record spending on healthcare.
The average price of employer-sponsored health insurance for families reached $15,073 this year, more than twice the cost a decade ago, the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation recently reported. This year’s costs jumped 9% over 2010, with employers shouldering most of the increases.
Many companies are passing more costs along to employees, while some are reducing or canceling insurance altogether. Incentive programs offer an alternative.
National surveys highlight the changes underway.
One study by benefits consultant Towers Watson and the National Business Group on Health found that 58% of large employers are offering money, insurance discounts or other inducements this year to workers who manage their weight or engage in other activities to improve their health. That’s up from 52% in 2010 and 49% in 2009.
Another survey by Buck Consultants found that 62% of large companies offered incentives in 2010, and that 25% more plan to do so in the future.
“There is tremendous interest from employers,” said Barry Hall, a principal in the consulting firm. “We’ve got this big surge in wellness programs, and incentives are the fastest-growing aspect of that.”
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