clipping scintillator: September 2012

Thursday, September 27, 2012

EBRI: Individual Account Retirement Plans - IWS Documented News ...

IWS Documented News Service

_______________________________

Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach

School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies

Cornell University

16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky

New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau

________________________________________________________________________

Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI)

EBRI Issue Brief 375

Individual Account Retirement Plans: An Analysis of the 2010 Survey of Consumer Finances [26 September 2012]

http://www.ebri.org/publications/ib/index.cfm?fa=ibDisp&content_id=5112

http://www.ebri.org/pdf/briefspdf/EBRI_IB_09-2012_No375_IndvAccts.pdf

[full-text, 28 pages]

Press Release 26 September 2012

Ownership in 401(k) Plans Continues to Grow, While IRA Ownership Falls
http://www.ebri.org/pdf/PR989.26Sept12.IAs.pdf

WASHINGTON?Although fewer American families are participating in a retirement plan at work, more

of those with a plan are in a 401(k). At the same time, ownership of individual retirement accounts (IRAs)

is falling, according to a new report by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI).

Analyzing the four-year period from 2007?2010, EBRI finds that the share of American families with a

member in any employment-based retirement plan from a current employer increased steadily from

38.8 percent in 1992 to 40.6 percent in 2007, before declining in 2010 to 37.9 percent.

Ownership of 401(k)-type plans among families participating in a retirement plan more than doubled from

31.6 percent in 1992 to 79.5 percent in 2007, and increased again in 2010 to 82.1 percent. But the

percentage of families owning an IRA or Keogh retirement plan (for the self-employed) declined from

30.6 percent in 2007 to 28.0 percent in 2010. In addition, the percentage of families with a retirement plan

from a current employer, a previous employer's defined contribution plan, or an IRA/Keogh declined

from 66.2 percent in 2007 to 63.8 percent in 2010.

As in the past, EBRI found that retirement plan assets account for a growing majority of most Americans'

financial wealth, outside the value of their home. The median (mid-point) percentage of families' total

financial assets comprised by defined contribution plan assets and/or IRA/Keogh assets (assuming the

family had any) increased from 2007 to 2010, and accounted for a clear majority of these assets:

? Defined contribution plan balances accounted for 58.1 percent of families' total financial assets in

2007, and that share grew to 61.4 percent in 2010.

? Defined contribution and/or IRA/Keogh balances increased their share as well, from 64.1 percent

of total family financial assets in 2007 to 65.7 percent in 2010. Across all demographic groups,

these assets account for a very large share of total financial assets for those who own these

accounts.

However, the EBRI report notes that the most recent data, along with other EBRI research, indicate that

many people are unlikely to afford a comfortable retirement. "Americans lost a tremendous amount of

wealth between 2007 and 2010, and the percentage of families that participated in an employment-based

retirement plan and/or owned an IRA decreased as well," said Craig Copeland, EBRI senior research

associated and author of the report.

However, he added, the percentage of family heads who were eligible to participate in a defined

contribution plan and actually did so remained virtually unchanged during this time. Therefore, despite all

the bad news that resulted from this period, one positive factor should be noted: "Those eligible to

participate in a retirement plan continued to participate?which may help change the likelihood of a lower

retirement standard for many Americans," Copeland said.

The report is based on the most recent data from the Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF), the Federal

Reserve Board's triennial survey of wealth. The full report is published in the September EBRI Issue

Brief, "Individual Account Retirement Plans: An Analysis of the 2010 Survey of Consumer Finances,"

available online at www.ebri.org

Concerning IRAs, the EBRI report once again quantifies the degree to which IRA assets are rolled over

from employment-based retirement plans (such as defined benefit pensions or defined contribution

401(k)-type plans), and do not come from new contributions. While regular IRAs account for the largest

percentage of IRA ownership, rollover IRAs had a larger share of assets than regular IRAs in 2010.

Specifically, among total IRA assets, rollover IRAs account for 44.5 percent of assets, regular IRAs 44.1

percent, and Roth IRAs 11.4 percent. Therefore, rollover IRAs account for a larger share of assets than

regular IRAs, while the two together account for just under 90 percent of the IRA assets.

The report notes that tracking individual-account retirement plans such as 401(k)s and IRAs is important

because traditional defined benefit pension plans have long been declining in the private sector, while

defined contribution retirement plans have increased?a trend that makes it ever-more important for most

private-sector workers to build their retirement wealth through individual-account savings plans.

Consequently, the amount of assets accumulated in these accounts provides an indication of how

prepared?or unprepared?most workers' finances will be to supplement the Social Security benefits they

will receive in retirement.

The Employee Benefit Research Institute is a private, nonpartisan, nonprofit research institute based in

Washington, DC, that focuses on health, savings, retirement, and economic security issues. EBRI does

not lobby and does not take policy positions. The work of EBRI is made possible by funding from its

members and sponsors, which includes a broad range of public, private, for-profit and nonprofit

organizations. For more information go to www.ebri.org or www.asec.org

###

________________________________________________________________________

This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

Source: http://iwsdocumentednewsdaily.blogspot.com/2012/09/iws-ebri-individual-account-retirement.html

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Wednesday, September 26, 2012

NKorean parliament holds second session this year

PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) ? North Korea's parliament convened Tuesday for the second time in six months, passing a law that adds one year of compulsory education for children in the socialist nation, the first publicly announced policy change under leader Kim Jong Un.

The Supreme People's Assembly's second meeting of the year was notable mainly as a departure from how Kim's father did business. Before he died in December, Kim Jong Il convened his legislature just once in most years, and during one three-year period after his own father's death it didn't meet at all.

By adding a year to North Korea's state-funded educational system, from 11 to 12 years, Kim may be trying to cultivate loyalty among younger generations as he consolidates his power base.

Kim Jong Un himself attended Tuesday's session, which was adjourned after a single day, according to the official Korean Central News Agency. Foreign reporters were denied access. Video on state TV showed legislators, many of the women in traditional Korean dresses, holding up deputy badges in the vast Mansudae Assembly Hall.

North Korea's Constitution allows political parties, but politics is overwhelmingly dominated by the Workers' Party, founded by Kim Il Sung, grandfather of the current ruler. Virtually all legislators are members of the Kims' party who ran unopposed in the last nationwide election, leading many outside observers to consider the body a rubber stamp for the regime's policies. A few legislators are from the Chondoist Chongu Party and the Social Democratic Party, both believed to government aligned.

Here's a look at the Supreme People's Assembly and how it works:

? The current 12th parliament formed in 2009 has 687 legislators, or deputies, of which 107 are women. The number of deputies is determined by the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly in proportion to the country's population.

? The assembly meets at the austere Mansudae Assembly Hall in the capital, Pyongyang.

? Deputies are elected after a committee of more than 100 people from each district recommends candidates to represent the constituency in the parliament. Even though the law provides no limits on the number of candidates who can run from each district, almost all candidates ran unopposed in the last election in March 2009.

? According to Kim Song Chun, a parliamentary official, deputies meet to discuss and pass laws and establish the country's domestic and foreign policies. They also can appoint or dismiss officials at top state organizations and confer titles. For example, at the last session in April, Kim Jong Un was made first chairman of the powerful National Defense Commission.

Holding a second parliamentary session could mark a return to the more active role that parliament played under Kim Il Sung, who often held two sessions a year, said John Delury of Yonsei University in South Korea. Parliament typically met only once a year under Kim Jong Il.

"This was part of a general trend under Kim Jong Il of holding less frequent and less regular meetings of key party and government organs," Delury said. "The striking thing is that Kim Jong Un seems to be reversing that trend by regularizing and re-institutionalizing governance."

___

Associated Press writer Hyung-jin Kim contributed in Seoul, South Korea, contributed to this report.

___

Follow Jean Lee, AP's Korea bureau chief, on Twitter at twitter.com/newsjean.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nkorean-parliament-holds-second-session-095028025.html

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Todd Akin: Why some Republicans are now supporting him

Former presidential candidate Rick Santorum and two Republican senators ? one of whom previously called for Todd Akin to step down ? threw support behind the congressman Wednesday.

By David Grant,?Staff writer / September 26, 2012

Missouri Republican Senate candidate, Rep. Todd Akin speaks during a news conference at the start of a statewide bus tour, Tuesday, Sept. 25, in St. Louis.

Jeff Roberson/AP

Enlarge

Todd Akin won?t have to go it alone.

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The Missouri Republican?s senatorial campaign, rocked by his remarks regarding ?legitimate rape? last month, was left for dead by scores of national Republicans. Weeks ago, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and Crossroads GPS, a Republican heavyweight ?super PAC,? pulled advertising from the Show-Me State.

But on Wednesday, the day after Representative Akin could pull out of the race and his name not appear on the ballot, his campaign against Sen. Claire McCaskill (D) was supported by former presidential candidate Rick Santorum (who won Missouri?s Republican presidential primary) and two Republican senators ? one of whom previously called for Akin to step down.

"If Republicans are to win back the Senate and stop President Obama's liberal agenda, we must defeat Senator Claire McCaskill in Missouri. Her support of President Obama's job-killing, big-spending policies are sending our country into an economic abyss,? said Mr. Santorum and Sen. Jim DeMint (R) of South Carolina in a jointly released statement.

Senator DeMint, a leading figure of the Senate?s most conservative wing whose political-action committee has supported many stridently conservative candidates, is weighing whether to put financial support behind his political vote of confidence.

The other senator voicing support for Akin? Sen. Roy Blunt (R) of Missouri.

?Congressman Akin and I don?t agree on everything, but he and I agree the Senate majority must change,? Senator Blunt said in a statement. ?From Governor Romney to the county courthouse, I'll be working for the Republican ticket in Missouri, and that includes Todd Akin."

In August, however, Blunt joined all four living former Missouri senators in calling for Akin to step down.

?We do not believe it serves the national interest for Congressman Todd Akin to stay in this race,? the five men said in a joint statement. ?The issues at stake are too big, and this election is simply too important. The right decision is to step aside.?

Blunt?s about-face seems to be about making the best of a bad situation, says Dave Robertson, a professor of political science at the University of Missouri in St. Louis. With control of the US Senate hanging in the balance, the GOP can?t afford to give up on a race that many thought would be one of its easiest takeover opportunities before Akin?s debacle.

?Whether Akin loses or wins, Blunt is doing this for the party,? Professor Robertson says. ?I think it?s not going to be remembered that he did much of this, besides by people who support Akin. For Blunt, it probably is mostly pluses and not many minuses.?

Will any of this backup make a difference for Akin?

It?s unlikely, says Brian Calfano, a political science professor at Missouri State University in Springfield, that Santorum and DeMint will move the needle for the congressman.

?They?re both appealing to a strongly partisan or ideologically pure element of the electorate,? Professor Calfano says. ?And Akin already has that support.?

Blunt, on the other hand, may help.

?He?s not as associated with the kinds of tea party or strident social conservatism that DeMint or Santorum are,? Calfano says. ?Being as he is the hometown senator, he?s going to have a lot more influence? with more center-right voters.

Yet it?s going to take money, and lots of it, to get Akin back on top against the flush McCaskill campaign.

That?s what DeMint may offer ? and possibly other national Republicans who have turned off the spigots.

?There?s no way they?re going to ignore the possibility of knocking [McCaskill] off,? Calfano says. ?You?re probably still going to see some support from a [political-action committee] or a NRSC to come in and do something, even though they said they wouldn?t. They?re going to need that seat.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/W13D2j3kDm4/Todd-Akin-Why-some-Republicans-are-now-supporting-him

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Facing tough road in Ohio, Romney and Ryan embark on bus tour

DAYTON, Ohio (Reuters) - Facing a tough path to victory if they cannot win Ohio, Republicans Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan launched a two-day bus tour on Tuesday to try to boost their fortunes in a state that polls show could be slipping away from them.

The Republican nominees for president and vice president appeared together for the first time in more than three weeks, part of what aides vow will be a more aggressive phase of campaigning after Romney spent much of the past two weeks raising money and holding few public rallies.

Romney emphasized his claims that Democratic President Barack Obama's policies are preventing the U.S. economy from a full recovery and that Obama has not been tough enough in pushing back against Chinese trade practices that have led to cheap goods flooding the U.S. market and killing American jobs.

Romney accused China of a wide variety of trade abuses, from holding down the value of its currency to keep its products cheap, to stealing U.S. intellectual property.

"We cannot compete with people that don't play fair, and I will not let that go on," Romney said.

SCRAMBLING IN OHIO

Romney's message on China has been a central part of his stump speech all year. Obama's campaign has responded with a television ad that accuses Romney of outsourcing jobs to China during his time as a private equity executive at Bain Capital.

Romney and his team hope the trade message will resonate in Ohio, a politically divided state that is key to his chances of winning the presidency - but where polls indicate Obama has opened up a lead.

Ohio's unemployment rate in July was 7.2 percent, better than the national level of 8.1 percent.

It is difficult to see how Romney could win the November 6 election without Ohio.

He has a narrower path than Obama to get the 270 electoral votes needed for victory, and most scenarios require him to win the Midwestern state where thousands of jobs were saved by the Obama-backed government bailout of the auto industry.

Romney aides dismissed surveys showing the Republican presidential ticket falling behind Obama in Ohio on a day in which a Washington Post poll showed the president with an 8-point lead over Romney, 52 to 44 percent.

Romney political director Rich Beeson told reporters on the candidate's plane that the campaign's internal polling showed a closer race in Ohio, within the survey's margin of error. He accused the Obama campaign of "spiking the ball at the 30-yard line," or declaring victory in the state long before the election.

"I kind of hope the Obama campaign is basing their campaign on what the public polls say," Beeson said. "We don't. We have confidence in our data and our metrics."

'MORE AGGRESSIVE, ASSERTIVE'

Romney has suffered a series of stumbles in recent weeks that have knocked him off message and given the advantage to Obama.

Some Romney supporters hope their candidate will put that behind him with an aggressive campaign schedule in the 10 or so key states that will decide the outcome of the election.

"I would like him to be more aggressive, assertive in detailing his plans, making people vote for a future and not against an alternative future. I want him to focus more on what he's going to do," said Ken Warner, 50, a software engineer from South Dayton, Ohio.

Romney sought to generate some fresh energy by appearing with Ryan, a Wisconsin congressman and budget hawk who is popular among conservatives - many of whom have been disappointed that Ryan has not been a more prominent force in Romney's campaign.

In introducing Romney, Ryan pointed to Romney's experience in the business world and said Obama is trying to distract Americans' attention from the economy.

"This president cannot run on his record. This president is going to say anything and everything to try and blame, to try and duck, to try and distort, to try and divide, to try and distract," Ryan said. "You know what, Ohio? We're not going to let him."

Joining Romney and Ryan on stage were two Republican senators, Rob Portman of Ohio and Rand Paul of Kentucky. Paul is the son of Ron Paul, a Texas congressman who ran against Romney for the Republican presidential nomination and has declined to endorse Romney.

Portman was on Romney's short list to be the vice presidential running mate. Now he is playing the role of Obama in mock debate sessions that Romney has been conducting to prepare for three presidential debates that may prove decisive in the election. The first one is on October 3 in Denver.

Romney quipped that Portman is playing the role of Obama well.

"I want to kick him out of the room, he's so good," Romney said to laughter.

(Editing by David Lindsey and Eric Beech)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/facing-tough-road-ohio-romney-ryan-embark-bus-024319741.html

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Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Toby Keith reunites military couple onstage

By Courtney Hazlett, TODAY

For one Toby Keith fan in Houston, the singer's Sept. 8 concert wasn't just a night out, it was a huge homecoming surprise.

A video just now making the rounds shows Keith pulling a woman onstage (she's managed to keep her name out of the press). Keith tells her he'll play his hit "American Soldier" as a tribute to her husband, Major Pete Cruz, who was stationed in Afghanistan.

As the song ends, Keith and his band segue to "The Star Spangled Banner," at which point a man in fatigues comes on stage to give Keith a different guitar.

And surprise! The man giving Keith the guitar is the woman's husband back, and the entire audience gets to witness the couple's reunion.

Watch the above video to see how it all plays out (spoiler: go to just under the 3:00 mark for the big reveal).

What do you think of the reunion? Tell us on Facebook.

Also in TODAY entertainment:

Source: http://todayentertainment.today.com/_news/2012/09/25/14095017-star-spangled-reunion-toby-keith-reunites-military-wife-with-her-husband-onstage?lite

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BlackBerry user growth grinds to a halt

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But what do your friends think?\",\"POLL_HEADER\":\"SOCIAL SENTIMENT\",\"SERVER_ERROR\":\"Oops there seems to be some error, please try again later\",\"LOADING\":\"Loading...\",\"SHARE_AFTER_COMMENT\":\"Your response has been shared on Facebook.\",\"UNDO\":\"Undo\",\"UNIT_PEOPLE\":\"People\",\"NUM_PEOPLE_DISAGREE\":\"disagree with your opinion.\",\"READ_MORE_TEXT\":\"Read what they have to say.\",\"SLIDER_THUMB_WORDING_BEFORE_VOTING\":\"WHAT DO YOU THINK?\",\"SLIDER_THUMB_WORDING_VERB_BEFORE_VOTING\":\"DRAG\",\"SLIDER_THUMB_WORDING_THANKS_VOTING\":\"Thanks for voting\",\"NUM_PEOPLE_ANSWERED\":\" 34,343 people have answered this question\",\"ONE_PERSON_ANSWERED\":\" 1 person has answered this question\",\"TWO_PEOPLE_ANSWERED\":\" 2 people have answered this question\",\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s1\":23305,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s2\":1638,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s3\":1423,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s4\":1780,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s5\":1588,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s6\":4609,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s7\":0,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s8\":0,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s9\":0,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s10\":0}","fbconfig":"{\"message\":\"undefined\",\"name\":\"undefined\",\"link\":\"\",\"source\":\"\",\"picture\":\"http:\\\/\\\/l.yimg.com\\\/a\\\/i\\\/ww\\\/news\\\/2011\\\/09\\\/27\\\/yahoo-tc.jpg\",\"description\":\"\",\"captionLeft\":\"undefined\",\"captionRight\":\"undefined\",\"app_id\":\"196660913708276\",\"redirect_uri\":\"\\\/_xhr\\\/ugcratefbredirect\\\/\"}","template_id":"LONG_SLIDER_SOUTH","obj_id":"ratings_f78cb24c48f7ec0296695f10de0e45a8","opt_count":"6","opt_color1":"","opt_color2":"","template_html":"

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blackberry-user-growth-grinds-halt-182014133.html

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Kobo Touch, localized e-bookstore reach Portugal through FNAC

It's all too easy to forget in English-speaking countries that the e-reading selection often isn't as diverse in other parts of the world, where local authors are often kept out of the equation. The Portuguese may know that all too well, which makes Kobo's arrival in their country a potential breakthrough. A deal with European retailer FNAC has both the Kobo Touch and a localized Kobo e-bookstore reaching physical and online stores in Portugal as of today. The price strategy won't be a shock versus what we've seen through an earlier deal in France: the Touch itself costs €99.90 ($129), while books vary and typically hover around €15 ($19). Whether or not Kobo's offering is a good deal, its arrival could be a relief for lisboetas who'd rather not resort to paper and ink to catch up on their own culture.

Continue reading Kobo Touch, localized e-bookstore reach Portugal through FNAC

Kobo Touch, localized e-bookstore reach Portugal through FNAC originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 02:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/RIPvKLXj1NA/

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The Many Choices Of Home Business Internet Marketing Online ...

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The Many Choices Of Home Business Internet Marketing Online

If you plan to have a home business, you need to decide how to market it. Internet marketing typically involves using the internet to advertise a company?s products or services. It has become more popular lately because business owners have found that anyone can use it, including small business owners.

There are many different components of home business internet marketing. You should become somewhat familiar with the keywords if you plan to get paid to market online at home, or even if you plan to market your own home business.

The main aspects of home business internet marketing online are article marketing, pay per click advertising, banner ads, blog marketing, e-mail marketing, and affiliate marketing. Article marketing, blog marketing and e-mail marketing all involve writing, so if that is your strength, you can concentrate on those.

E-mail Marketing

For example, e-mail marketing simply consists of sending out mass e-mails, hoping that many people will reply. In order to get and keep their attention, your writing should be colorful and persuasive. This way, they may give your website a chance and actually check it out, perhaps buying a product. If that even happens occasionally, then e-mail marketing efforts will be worth it.

Article Marketing

Article marketing, obviously another way to use your writing strength, entails writing articles about different aspects relating to your business and sending them to online magazines. They will usually include facts about you and your business at the end, which may lead people to click on your website.

Other Advertising Techniques

On the other hand, banner ads, affiliate marketing and pay per click marketing involve mainly creativity, as your goal is to entice consumers to click the ads to go to the website. Thus, if you are artistic or have a lot of great marketing ideas in general, you should do well in those aspects of marketing.

One benefit of internet marketing is that all the information you need is available online. Whether you need a fresh, creative idea, website content, or advice from seasoned internet marketers, you do not even need to leave your house to find the information. This is why it is both a great work from home job and an easy way to market for any home business that you have.

It is easy to become overwhelmed with all the choices in home business internet marketing online. However, once you perform some planning and research to find the right online marketing opportunity for you, it is sure to go smoothly.

Tagged as: Business, Choices, Home, Internet, Many, Marketing, Online

Source: http://internet-marketing-guide.org/the-many-choices-of-home-business-internet-marketing-online/

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Monday, September 24, 2012

Iran official urges boycott of 2013 Oscars

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) ? An Iranian official said Monday his country should boycott the 2013 Oscars and not field a candidate for the foreign film category in the wake of the anti-Islam video that was made in the United States and that denigrates the Prophet Muhammad.

Javad Shamaghdari, head of the government-controlled cinema agency, said Iran should "avoid" the Hollywood festival. He is quoted by the semi-official Mehr news agency as urging the committee in charge of selecting Iran's choice to take a step back.

The committee, which works under the cinema agency, already picked "Ye Habbeh Ghand," or "A Cube of Sugar" ? a film about a family wedding turning into a funeral when the groom's relative dies ? to run for best foreign film.

The government has still to endorse the selection for it to become official.

Shamaghdari said the Oscars should be boycotted until the organizers denounce the anti-Islam film entitled "Innocence of Muslims," which has prompted outrage among Muslims around the world. At least 51 people, including the U.S. ambassador to Libya, have been killed in violence linked to protests over the film, which also has renewed debate over freedom of expression in the U.S. and in Europe.

Shamaghdari has in the past been known for his calls to "deprive" Western film festivals of movies made by the Iranian cinema industry.

Iranian director Asghar Farhadi in February won the Oscar for best foreign film for his movie, "A Separation" ? the first such prize for Iran.

Tehran officialdom welcomed the Oscar, especially as Farhadi beat an Israeli film and three others in the foreign language category, describing it as a conquest for Iranian culture and a blow for Israel's perceived outsized influence in America.

But Iranian hard-liners were also upset by the movie's exposure of the troubles in Iranian society through the story of a collapsing marriage.

Iranian authorities have long had an uneasy relationship with the country's filmmakers and influential clerics have often denounced the domestic cinema as dominated by Western-tainted liberals and political dissenters.

Also Monday, many Internet users in Tehran and other Iranian cities reported having no access to their Gmail accounts.

The difficulties come a day after Abdolsamad Khoramabadi, a member of the government body responsible for Internet oversight in Iran, said authorities would block access to Google services, including Gmail and the Internet giant's search engine, in response to the film posted on YouTube, which is owned by Google.

There were no reported problems accessing Google's search engine in Iran on Monday.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iran-official-urges-boycott-2013-oscars-100916401.html

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Japan PM taps finance minister for party post, new finance minister undecided

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/japan-pm-taps-finance-minister-party-post-finance-084658888--business.htmlwmt human nature arkansas football howard johnson blackhawks levon helm firelight

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Amid GOP unease, Romney turns eye to swing states

Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney acknowledges donors after he spoke at a campaign fundraising event in Del Mar, Calif., Saturday, Sept. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

President Barack Obama is hugged by a woman as he greets people at a campaign event at the Summerfest Grounds at Henry Maier Festival Park, Saturday, Sept. 22, 2012, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks at a campaign fundraising event in Del Mar, Calif., Saturday, Sept. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

President Barack Obama speaks at a campaign event at the Summerfest Grounds at Henry Maier Festival Park, Saturday, Sept. 22, 2012, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Mitt Romney's visit to Colorado on Sunday is part of an intensified schedule focused on the most competitive states as the Republican presidential nominee tries to counter criticism from some in his own party that his campaign is veering off course with about six weeks to go in the race.

The evening speech at a Denver-area high school, his first public event of the weekend, comes with Romney facing increasing pressure to spend less time raising money and more time explaining his plans to voters.

President Barack Obama had no official business or campaign activity scheduled.

From Denver, Romney was to begin a three-day bus tour in Ohio on Monday followed by a stop in Virginia ? states that Obama won in 2008 and held by Republicans four years earlier.

It's the last full week before the presidential debates shift the campaign into a new phase, which Romney advisers suggest could prove pivotal after a period marked by negative attention, missteps and Republican concerns.

Already facing reports of internal finger-pointing and foreign policy questions, Romney endured a difficult week during which a secretly recorded video surfaced showing the former Massachusetts governor said that almost half of Americans are dependent upon government and see themselves as victims.

Romney's allies worked to reframe the video as an opportunity to draw a contrast between the level of government dependency that Romney and Obama envision.

"I think we had a good week last week," Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said Sunday on ABC's "This Week." ''We were able to frame up the debate last week in the sense of what future do we want and do you want out there for your kids and grandkids?"

In an interview set to air Sunday night, Romney told CBS' "60 Minutes" that his campaign is moving in the right direction. "It doesn't need a turnaround. We've got a campaign which is tied with an incumbent president to the United States," Romney said, according to remarks released in advance by CBS.

While national polls remain tight, polls in several of the most closely watched states, including Colorado, suggest that Obama has opened narrow leads. Obama won Colorado by 9 points four years ago, but the state went to a Republican in the previous three presidential elections.

On Friday, Romney released his 2011 tax returns showing income of $13.7 million, largely from investment income. He spent much of his time this weekend raising money in California, which Democratic presidential nominees have carried for nearly a quarter-century.

While Romney was at a Beverly Hills hotel on Saturday, Obama worked to squash GOP hopes for a resurgence in Wisconsin. He assailed Romney's economic approach before an energized gathering of 18,000, Obama's biggest crowd of the campaign.

Obama faulted Romney for advancing a top-down economic approach that "never works."

"The country doesn't succeed when only the folks at the very top are doing well," Obama said. "We succeed when the middle class is doing well."

Romney raised $6 million at the Saturday evening event that attracted celebrities Dennis Miller and Gary Sinise. Before a group of more than 1,000 California Republicans, Romney kept up his criticism of the president for fostering what Romney said was a culture of dependency.

"This is a tough time. These are our brothers and sisters. These are not statistics. These are people," Romney declared. "The president's policies ? these big-government, big-tax monolithic policies ? are not working."

In a more personal slap at Obama, Romney's campaign on Sunday released a television ad citing a new book by Washington Post editor Bob Woodward that claims that during a 2009 conference call on stimulus negotiations, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., put a verbose Obama on mute. "If he cannot lead his own party, how can he lead America?" the ad says.

Pelosi has denied the incident ever occurred. Obama campaign adviser David Axelrod, responding to the ad, said Romney's efforts to ramp up attacks on Obama were missing the point.

"It's not about them tearing down the president. They simply haven't offered ideas about how they're going to lift up the country," Axelrod said on "This Week." ''And until they do that, I think the American people are going to continue to reject him."

Obama also looked to celebrities to help raise cash and keep bankrolling ads already saturating the most contested states.

Baseball great Hank Aaron supplied the star power at Obama's Milwaukee fundraisers.

"As one who wore the number 44 on his back for decades, I ask you to join me in helping the 44th president of the United States hit a grand slam," said the 78-year-old Aaron.

But Obama's schedule has focused more on voters than donors in recent weeks. The president's campaign says Obama attended seven fundraisers and 14 public events since the day after the Democratic National Convention two weeks ago.

Over the last week alone, Romney has attended five public events, including three rallies, and more than a dozen fundraisers.

Romney adviser Kevin Madden defended the fundraising focus, while highlighting a shift toward swing states in the coming days

"We're here raising the resources we're going to need to compete in all those battleground states through Election Day," Madden said. "That's also been matched with a really intense battle ground state schedule that's going to be coming up starting Sunday night. We're keeping very busy."

But conservative worry remains.

"The Romney campaign has to get turned around. This week I called it incompetent, but only because I was being polite. I really meant 'rolling calamity,'" columnist Peggy Noonan, a former speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan, wrote late last week in The Wall Street Journal.

In Beverly Hills, Romney's California finance committee chairman Thomas Tellefsen tried to reassure supporters. "I wanted to share some thoughts with you tonight. They can provide you some comfort. Polls are not elections. The voters have not yet spoken," Tellefsen said.

___

Kuhnhenn reported from Milwaukee.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-09-23-Presidential%20Campaign/id-e1c5f8d51be34a95a88652b38c1d568c

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Zoo mauling: Man wanted to be 'one with the tiger'

Officials at the Bronx Zoo confirm that a 25-year-old man jumped into the tiger exhibit from a passing train on Friday. NBC's Michelle Franzen reports.

By Shimon Prokupecz, Andrew Siff and Chris Glorioso, NBCNewYork.com

NEW YORK -- The man who jumped out of the Bronx Zoo's monorail into the tiger exhibit is expected to face criminal charges, according to law enforcement officials.

Investigators now believe that David Villalobos was not attempting to commit suicide Friday afternoon when he?made the leap into the tiger den. Villalobos, 25, was mauled by a Siberian tiger before zoo employees rescued him by using fire extinguishers to distract the big cat, zoo officials said.

Based on Villalobos' statements to investigators and what they've seen on his Facebook page it appears he was obsessed with the tigers and just wanted to be with them, police said.

"The NYPD anticipates arresting David Villalobos on a trespassing complaint by Bronx Zoo authorities," police spokesman Paul Browne said Saturday. "When an NYPD sergeant asked Villalobos yesterday why had jumped into the tiger preserve, he replied that 'everyone has a reason for what they do in life.'"

According to Browne, Villalobos told NYPD detectives that his leap was definitely not a suicide attempt, but a desire to be "one with the tiger."

See original story, video on NBCNewYork.com

Villalobos told investigators he incurred most of his injuries from landing on all fours after the fall and that he recalled being dragged by the tiger by his foot, and afterwards being able to pet the tiger.

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The tiger named Bachuta could have killed Villalobos who was in the enclosure for about 10 minutes, Bronx Zoo Director Jim Breheny said.

Officials reveal details about the attack of a 25-year-old man who apparently jumped into the tiger exhibit at The Bronx Zoo.

"Tigers are extremely capable predators: They typically grab a prey animal by the back of the neck and it's over very quickly," Breheny said. "This cat did not do this to the individual."

Villalobos, who is from Mahopac, suffered "various bites or puncture wounds on his arms and legs and also the top of his shoulder on his back,"? Breheny said. He also suffered a broken arm and ankle, perhaps from the 17-foot drop off the monorail. He is in stable condition at Jacobi Medical Center.

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Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/22/14035351-bronx-zoo-mauling-man-wanted-to-be-one-with-the-tiger?lite

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Television section

For the week of Sept. 10-16

1. Sunday Night Football: Detroit at San Francisco, NBC, 21.33 million.

2. "Sunday Night NFL Pre-Kick," NBC, 15.23 million.

3. "60 Minutes," CBS, 12.36 million.

4. "The Voice" (Monday), NBC, 12.29 million.

5. "Football Night in America" Part 3, NBC, 11.74 million.

6. "The Voice" (Tuesday), NBC, 11.42 million.

7. "America's Got Talent" (Wednesday), NBC, 11.05 million.

8. "The Voice" (Wednesday), NBC, 10.89 million.

9. "America's Got Talent" (Thursday), NBC, 10.59 million.

10. "Go On," NBC, 9.73 million.

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032450/ns/today-entertainment/

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Saturday, September 22, 2012

Documenting women's experiences with chromosome abnormalities found in new prenatal test

ScienceDaily (Sep. 21, 2012) ? We often hear that "knowledge is power." But, that isn't always the case, especially when the knowledge pertains to the health of an unborn child, with murky implications, at best. A new study, led by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, begins to document this exception to the general rule.

Barbara Bernhardt, MS, CGC,a genetic counselor at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, and colleagues contacted a small group of women who are participating in a larger Columbia University study investigating the use of a genetic test called a DNA microarray to identify the possibility of prenatal chromosomal abnormalities. Bernhardt is also co-director of the Penn Center for the Integration of Genetic Healthcare Technologies.

The study's goal: To document a woman's experience upon learning that her child's genetic material contained chromosomal abnormalities. The women's responses to this type of news were mostly negative, ranging from saying they "needed support" after getting the results to describing the results as "toxic knowledge," that they wish they hadn't received.

DNA microarrays represent a relatively new approach to genetic testing. Classically, chromosomal abnormalities are detected with karyotyping, which uses DNA staining and microscopy to identify such large-scale abnormalities as trisomy 21, associated with Down's syndrome. Yet the technique lacks the resolution to detect smaller -- yet still significant -- chromosomal changes.

That's where DNA microarrays come in. Microarrays use an array of DNA "probes" to search for matching bits of DNA from across the genome. In theory, if a piece of DNA is missing or duplicated, that change can be detected on a microarray, even if it is too small to be detected by karyotyping.

DNA microarrays are often used by physicians following birth to identify chromosomal abnormalities in children with unexplained developmental delays or congenital defects. However, the technique is also being applied prenatally. The problem, though, unlike some genetic changes that definitely lead to disease, is that the significance of the changes DNA microarrays identify (called copy-number variants) isn't always clear. Nor is it necessarily obvious what actions parents, doctors, and genetic counselors should take in light of the findings.

Bernhardt set out to document the experiences of women receiving such information. Of the 4,450 women enrolled in the Columbia University trial, Bernhardt and her team selected 54 who had received chromosome microarray results that showed abnormalities in the previous six months. Of those, they interviewed 23 regarding the subjects' recollections of their informed-consent discussions, genetic counseling, test results, and follow-up.

The team identified five "key elements" that describe the women's experiences:

"An offer too good to pass up." Many of the women accepted the offer for testing because it was offered at no cost and posed no additional risk to them or their unborn child. Yet they did so without necessarily considering the potential significance and ambiguity of the information they could receive.
"Blindsided by the results." Women reported being caught off-guard by the microarray data, which generally arrived one to two weeks after preliminary (and seemingly normal) karyotype information.
"Uncertainty and unquantifiable risks." Women had difficulty making sense of the test results, as copy-number variants are often of either uncertain clinical significance, or produce a wide array of possible developmental outcomes. As a result, the women's time-critical and emotionally charged decisions about whether to terminate a pregnancy, for instance, were complicated.
"Need for support." The women reported needing support from counselors, spouses or partners to digest and consider the information they had received and to make critical decisions regarding their pregnancies.
"Toxic knowledge." The women noted that in many cases the array results constituted "toxic knowledge" that they, in retrospect, wish they hadn't learned, because it negatively impacted their pregnancy, birth, and postnatal experiences. As Bernhardt describes it, "They watch their babies like hawks, ? always waiting for the other shoe to drop."

According to Bernhardt, chromosomal microarrays pose the same ambiguities after birth as prenatally. The difference is that postnatal testing is done because the child already exhibits an unexplained abnormality, and physicians hope the test can pinpoint its cause. "But when you find [an abnormality] in a fetus it puts the woman and couple into a tailspin because they have no clue what to expect," she says. "And the couple is immediately faced with whether or not to terminate the pregnancy."

The take-home message, Bernhardt says, is that genetic counselors must be prepared to spend more time with parents to help them explore their reasons for wanting microarray testing. Counselors also need to emphasize to parents the potentially ambiguous nature of the microarray results, how to consider potential responses, and how to make the best decisions they can based on both available scientific data and the clients' beliefs.

The study, "Women's experiences receiving abnormal prenatal chromosomal microarray testing results," was published online September 6 in the journal Genetics in Medicine. Additional authors include Penn researcher Danielle Soucier; as well as Karen Hanson, Melissa Savage, and Ronald Wapner from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons; and Laird Jackson, Drexel University College of Medicine.

This work was supported by funding from the National Human Genome Research Institute, National (P50HG004487) and from the National Institute of Child Health and Development (R01HD055651-01 and R01HD055651-03S1).

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Journal Reference:

Barbara A. Bernhardt, Danielle Soucier, Karen Hanson, Melissa S. Savage, Laird Jackson, Ronald J. Wapner. Women?s experiences receiving abnormal prenatal chromosomal microarray testing results. Genetics in Medicine, 2012; DOI: 10.1038/gim.2012.113

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/bkh-gscN03c/120921124527.htm

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GM recalls midsize cars to fix transmission cables

DETROIT (AP) ? General Motors is recalling nearly 474,000 Chevrolet, Pontiac and Saturn cars to fix a transmission problem that can cause the cars to roll away unexpectedly.

The recall affects 2007-2010 Chevrolet Malibus, Pontiac G6s and Saturn Auras in the U.S., Canada and Mexico as well as a small number of exports. All the cars have four-speed automatic transmissions.

GM says part of the transmission cables can break. When this happens, the shifter can show that the car is in park when it's really in gear. GM says it knows of four crashes from the problem but no injuries.

Dealers will put a retainer over the end of the cables or replace them. Owners will be told by letter when to set up appointments with dealers.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-09-21-General%20Motors-Recall/id-a14322d2a6fd49aeb9a89da299f2bce0

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Katniss Gets a Bad Lip Read; Homer Voted Republican

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