Friday, March 29, 2013

Obama touts infrastructure in Florida trip focused on economy

By Jeff Mason

MIAMI (Reuters) - President Barack Obama walked into the mouth of a giant tunnel in Miami on Friday to highlight proposals to boost investment in U.S. infrastructure, a move designed to show a leader still focused on the economy in the midst of broader policy battles in Washington.

Obama's tour of the Port of Miami tunnel project and a subsequent speech were aimed at convincing members of the U.S. Congress to back proposals that would leverage taxpayer dollars into funds to rebuild American roads, bridges and other infrastructure.

"My main message is, let's get this done," he said. "Let's rebuild this country that we love."

Obama, as he has in the past, said he wanted to develop a national infrastructure bank and capitalize it with $10 billion. The idea is to pull in private-sector funding and pick projects based on merit.

He would also create "America Fast Forward Bonds" that would help state and local governments attract money for infrastructure projects. These would be direct subsidy bonds in which the issuer would receive a 28 percent subsidy of the borrowing cost as a way of attracting a wider set of investors.

In addition, Obama would add $4 billion to support two programs that are used to provide grants for infrastructure projects like the Miami tunnel.

It is unclear how far the proposals will go in Congress. Republicans are reluctant to support what they consider government stimulus spending after a much criticized $787 billion stimulus plan that Obama managed to push through Congress in 2009.

The president noted that some people on both sides of the political spectrum, such as labor unions and the Chamber of Commerce, had supported his infrastructure ideas.

"Building bridges and schools, that's not a partisan idea," he said.

Obama was criticized in his first term for focusing too much on his signature policy goal of revamping the U.S. healthcare system, which critics said resulted in him giving less attention to the slow economic recovery.

The White House rejects that charge.

Since his re-election in November and his January inauguration, Obama has steered a policy push focused primarily on passing both immigration reform and tighter gun control measures.

However, his State of the Union address in February included a series of measures to boost the economy, and the Florida trip fleshed out some of those ideas.

Alan Krueger, Obama's chief economist, told reporters traveling with Obama on Air Force One that the three main proposals outlined by the president would cost some $21 billion but that cuts would be made elsewhere to avoid increasing the budget deficit.

Obama's fiscal 2014 budget proposal, which will be released on April 10, would spell out how they are paid for, he said. All of the proposals require congressional approval.

Although Obama will not run for re-election again, Florida is still important for him and his fellow Democrats. The political swing state backed the president in 2012 and will be critical to determining whether a Democrat holds on to the White House or whether a Republican recaptures it in 2016.

The White House believes an increase in infrastructure investment would make the United States more competitive while providing a boost to the construction industry, which is still suffering high levels of unemployment.

(Additional reporting by Steve Holland in Washington; editing by Christopher Wilson)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-touts-infrastructure-florida-trip-focused-economy-185512785--business.html

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Powerball winner's outstanding debt: child support

By Dave Warner

(Reuters) - The winner of one of the biggest Powerball jackpots of all time owes $29,000 in overdue child support payments, the Passaic County, New Jersey, sheriff's office said on Thursday.

Pedro Quezada, 44, a county resident who is married and the father of five children ages 5 to 23, was the sole winner of a $338 million jackpot on Saturday.

Because he chose the lump sum option, instead of annual payments over 30 years, he will actually receive $211 million, lottery officials said on Thursday. Officials said that is the third-largest lump sum payment in Powerball history.

The lottery will take out a total of 28 percent in federal and state taxes, which would leave Quezada, who until this week was the owner of a bodega in Passaic, New Jersey, with about $152 million.

His Apple Deli & Grocery now has a "for sale" sign on the door. Quezada told reporters on Tuesday that the business is now closed.

Passaic County Sheriff Richard Berdnik said in a statement that his office is attempting to notify Quezada about the support payment. He said that generally the state's lottery division would pay the judgment out of the winnings.

"Like everyone else, until this warrant is satisfied, Mr. Quezada is subject to potential arrest," the statement said.

The child support issue dates back to 2009, according to local media reports.

Quezada could not be reached for comment.

(Editing by Barbara Goldberg; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/powerball-jackpot-winner-owes-29-000-child-support-163424715.html

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Apple again rumored to be building an Ultra HD 4K TV set for release late 2013 or early 2014

Apple again rumored to be building an Ultra HD 4K TV set for release late 2013 or early 2014Randomly accurate site Digitimes is reporting the often repeated rumor that Apple is still working on a TV set. The latest rumor surrounds the actual specifications of the TV set which Digitimes sources claim will be 4K. For those that don?t know, 4K or Ultra HD offers two times the horizontal and vertical resolution of the current 1080p standard giving it an overall resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels; this would equal four times the resolution of 1080p.

The sources said that Apple and Foxconn Electronics have been in discussions for quite some time in terms of the TV's mass production schedule, but that Apple has been considering where panel supply for the TV will come from, as Ultra HD TV panel makers, most of whom are based in Taiwan, are expected to be producing at nearly full capacity in 2013 in order to meet demand from China-based TV vendors.

Apparently Apple will look to LG to supply the panels for the 4K iTV and if it can prove its ability to supply the panels in the quantities required, Apple may release the iTV at the end of this year. The iTV is thought to offer not only Ultra HD resolution but also change the way that we interact with our TV sets. It is widely thought that Siri voice control and motion will play a major part in the TV?s user interface.

Source: Digitimes



Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/rVVgtz5kjs0/story01.htm

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Thursday, March 28, 2013

Pageonce


How much help do you need managing your money? If the answer is "only a little, just the big picture, I don't want to get hung up on the details," then Pageonce (free) may be a useful tool to add to your money-management arsenal. While this review focuses on Pageonce's website, where you can manage your free Pageonce account, there is also a Pageonce iPhone app and Pageonce Android app, which I personally find more valuable than the online version. Why? Because the kind of information Pageonce provides becomes truly valuable if you're on the go and need to make a sudden correction to your finances to stay in the clear, such as paying a bill that's due imminently. When you're in front of a full computer, it seems silly to rely on Pageonce when you can just log directly into your bank account or bill provider's website and take care of the problem there.

When it comes to managing money, I'd rather have an app that gives me more than I need rather than shortchanging me, a big reason Mint (free, 5 stars)? is our Editors' Choice and not Pageonce. Mint shows line-item details of all your purchases and transactions, and automatically categorizes them for you to show your overall spending habits, while also providing excellent controls should you want to override the automation. It also looks at the interest rates on your accounts and suggests other financial houses that can give you a better deal. Pageonce doesn't have any of these value-adding services.

For centralized bill pay, you could also use Doxo (free, 3.5 stars), which not only gives you tools to management payments to dozens of utility and service providers, but also saves copies of your previous bills. Doxo's other features make it more of an online filing cabinet than a money-management system, because it provides additional storage for saving other important household documents in one place. Pageonce, on the other hand, focuses only on account balances and bill payment.

Pageonce Layout and Features
When you set up a free Pageonce account?and note that while some features previous were locked behind a $4.99 per month Gold membership, all of Pageonce is now free?the site prompts you to connect your financial accounts. That's the first step in most money-management apps, particularly when they're cloud-based, as Pageonce, Mint, and Mvelopes (free to $9.95 per month, 2 stars) are. If you'd prefer to work entirely offline, YNAB ($60, 3 stars), which stands for You Need a Budget, gives you that option, although the desktop software can hook into your bank accounts electronically if you choose?but it's not required.

Pageonce supports all major financial institutions, and I had no problem connecting to any of my checking, savings, retirement, and credit card accounts. I also linked my ISP (Time Warner) to get information about my internet bill, and browsed the list of other service providers, which include insurance companies, utility providers, and lenders such as Sallie Mae and ACS ? Education. It's a well-rounded selection, with "travel" being the oddball category. Yes, you can connect you travel loyalty programs to see at a glance how many points you have with various companies.

If you want to connect to a Paypal, however, you have to have a Paypal Business account. If you have funds hanging out in a personal Paypal account set aside for spending, Pageonce can't count that money.

Once you have your accounts connected, you'll see an overview pane at the left of the screen that shows how much cash you have. Below that line are Payments Due, Credit Cards Debt, and Investments. Like I said, it's a quick and dirty and balance sheet, not a full register of all your transactions. Clicking on any of those selections shows to the right of it one more level of detail, but it's still pretty well zoomed out. For example, my tab for Credit Cards Debt lists each line of credit I have on file and shows in a bar graph how much I owe against how much credit I have by provider. It also lists out by provider the next minimum amount due and date, and the APR. The very top of this section shows a credit card summary: total minimum payments due across all cards, total current balance, and total available credit.

Moving further into the site, you can exit the overview page and dive into your accounts, alerts, and a bill pay section. In the accounts area, you can see some recent line item transactions, but they're not qualified by tags or other information as they are in Mint. My checking and savings accounts showed transactions dating from before I set up my Pageonce account, while my credit cards only delivered the most recent transactions since the last billing cycle. Pageonce doesn't give you any tools to customize how many line items you see or from when (e.g., calendar month only, year to date, etc.).

Alerts, by default, flag when an upcoming payment is due, and you can't customize these either. You can, however, customize the "notifications" you get by email, but that's in your Settings under a tab called Notifications.

The Bill Pay section gives you one central place to pay all your connected credit card bills, which may be a resounding reason to use the Pageonce website. Mint has reminders for upcoming credit card bills but does not connect to other kinds of bills. In practice, for me this was a moot point, as nearly all my bills are set up to automatically charge a credit card. I almost never initiate payments anymore. It's more important for me to see that a payment is scheduled (which my bill service companies all do via email).

Just to give it a whirl, though, I tried to pay off an upcoming credit card balance with one of my synced checking accounts. I immediately hit a screen asking for my full checking account number and routing number, which are the same steps I'd go through the first time I set up automatic bill pay right on the credit card website. I didn't see much of an added convenience of doing it on Pageonce.

Security
Pageonce has good security measures in place to keep your finances secure. You can't transfer money using Pageonce, so no one else can move your money through this service either. All your account info is kept secure. The site logs you out automatically if you leave the computer idle for a few minutes. And the site is VeriSign Secured (i.e., tested and approved by Norton) and TrustE approved.

Black or Red
The level of detail any one person wants or needs regarding their personal finance is largely a matter of preference. The "right" financial app for you depends on your total net worth, the way you budget your money, level of debt, spending habits, and history of paying bills on time and in full. While Pageonce isn't capable of doing very much, it does show exactly?and no more than?what some people need: account balances, upcoming due dates for bills, net worth.

My hunch, however, is that most people need more guidance and insight into where they spend their money day in and day out. If all you want is the big picture of your financial situation and the ability to pay bills in a pinch, Pageonce works as advertised, although it has more valuable as a mobile app. For everyone else, Mint has more answers about what to actually do with your money and debt.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/Y1To1gQUisQ/0,2817,2328261,00.asp

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The genetics of prostate cancer (Science Alert)


paulhakimata_prostatecancer_ShutterstockProstate-cancer related variations in DNA can increase the risk of developing this disease by nearly 50%. In the image: prostate cancer cells in tissue culture.

Image: Paul Hakimata Photography/Shutterstock

DNA research identifies genetic risks for prostate, breast and ovarian cancers

New research has identified more than 80 genetic variations that can increase a person's risk of prostate, breast and ovarian cancers.

Three QUT scientists were part of the largest-ever study of its type, which could lead to improved early screening and new treatments.

The international team studied the DNA of 200,000 people to identify genetic variations, called single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), that are associated with the risk of developing prostate, breast and ovarian cancer.

The research appears in Nature Genetics.

Genetics scientist with QUT's Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation (IHBI) Dr Jyotsna Batra said each variation increased the risk of developing cancer by a small amount.

However, the cancer risk multiplied significantly with the number of variations within a person's DNA.

"Take, prostate cancer, for instance, which was the focus of Queensland's contribution to the research," Dr Batra said, also of QUT's Faculty of Health.

"If you're unlucky enough to be in the one per cent of people with lots of these prostate-cancer related variations in your DNA, your risk of developing this disease could rise by nearly 50 per cent compared to the population average."

The new SNP research means scientists now know of 78 genetic variations linked to prostate cancer.

"We found 23 additional genetic variations linked to prostate cancer and 16 of those relate to life-threatening forms of the disease," Dr Batra said.

"We can now explain 35 per cent of the hereditary risk of prostate cancer by combining the effects of these 78 variations - but that means we have 65 per cent to go."

Dr Batra worked closely with fellow IHBI scientists Professor Judith Clements and Srilakshmi Srinivasan, as well as scientists from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research, to help design the SNP chip that analysed the DNA for prostate cancer-released genetic variations.

The analysis involved Queensland prostate cancer patients, whose DNA were compared to that of healthy individuals.

The QUT scientists are currently designing a second chip to isolate the remaining variations.

The SNP research would be used to design genetic tests for prostate cancer, which would complement existing screening technologies.

"These genetic variations are inherited and don't change with age," Professor Clements said.

"That means it's possible to test for the cancer risks well before they actually develop in a person.

"About one in nine men will develop prostate cancer by 80 years of age but not all prostate cancer is life threatening.

"So knowing the genetic composition of a man's DNA becomes an important step in dealing with his disease.

"Doctors would likely opt for regular screening and early surgical removal for patients likely to develop aggressive prostate cancer, but opt for watchful waiting in patients with variations linked to non-aggressive forms."

The generic variation study was led by the UK's University of Cambridge and The Institute of Cancer Research.

It marked the first attempt to identify genetic variations associated with the risk of prostate, breast and ovarian cancer in a very large number of people.

Editor's Note: Original news release can be found here.

Source: http://www.sciencealert.com.au/news/20132803-24201.html

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