Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Romney stands by his opposition to gay marriage (The Arizona Republic)

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European shares dip as Spanish banks fall

LONDON (Reuters) - The euro neared a three-month low and safe-haven German bonds and the Japanese yen rose on Wednesday as political disarray in Greece and the rising costs of fixing Spain's banks fueled fears the euro zone debt crisis would take a sharp turn for the worse.

The concerns over Europe added to worries about the impact of softer growth in the U.S. on the global economy to push down European shares. Wall Street was also poised to open lower <.n>, oil prices were down for a sixth straight session and the commodity-linked Australian dollar hit new lows.

Spanish 10-year bond yields climbed back above 6 percent - a point away from levels deemed unsustainable - and investors kept a wary eye on Athens, where efforts to form a government were expected to fail, putting its bailout deal in doubt and raising the possibility of Greece being forced out of the euro.

"The sensitivity to political developments in Greece is largely a reflection that the probability of Greece exiting the euro, posing a significant threat to global financial stability, has increased," Lee Hardman, currency economist at Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ said.

The euro fell 0.2 percent to $1.2970, closing in on a three-month low near $1.2955 touched on Monday below the $1.30 to $1.35 range it has traded within for most of the year.

"We still think the euro will head lower with $1.2950 the level to break in the near-term," said Lauren Rosborough, senior FX strategist at Societe Generale, who have a medium-term target of $1.2500.

The Japanese currency was a big beneficiary of the weaker euro, climbing to a two-and-a-half month high versus the dollar of 79.61 yen as investors sought safety.

The dollar itself remained supported against a basket of currencies by its own status as a safe haven, with the dollar index <.dxy> up 0.2 percent at 79.943.

Some analysts argued fears of a Greek exit from the euro were overblown.

Credit Suisse said while the probability of Greece leaving the euro had risen, the massive implications the move would have for the major nations within the 17-member currency bloc still made it unlikely.

"We now put a 15 percent probability of Greece leaving the euro, up from a previous estimate of 5 percent," the bank's equity strategists said in a note.

The key reason this probability remained low was that 70 percent of the country's debt was owned by the official sector, which includes the IMF, the European Central Bank and the EU.

"If Greece left the Euro-area, then the default on sovereign debt would be worse than that if it stayed in the euro-area."

SPANISH BANK DRAIN

Added to the fears over Greece were worries about the cost of cleaning up the Spanish banking system after financial sources told Reuters the government would demand its banks raise around a further 35 billion euros in provisions against loans in their property portfolios.

The government and the banks in Spain are belatedly recognising a multi-billion funding gap in the financial system linked to a 2008 property crash that has heightened fears the country may need an international bailout.

The impact of the cash demand on Spanish banks sent the main euro zone bank index down 3.3 percent, dragging down the FTSE Eurofirst index of top European shares by 1 percent to 1,007.80 points.

While the escalation in concerns about the euro zone and its potential to be a further drag of global growth pushed the MSCI world equity index down 0.6 percent to 315.79 and near lows last seen in February.

GERMAN DEBT GAINS

In the debt markets the fragility of Spain's banking system saw Spanish 10-year government bond yields climb 16 basis points to 6.03 percent, and above the 6 percent mark that could see the rise in yields accelerate if the break is sustained.

The cost of insuring Spain's debt against default also rose 19 basis points to 512 basis points.

And with investors fleeing the peripheral euro zone debt markets the German debt market, already offering ultra-low yields, posted new records.

The key 10-year German government bond set a record low yield of 1.524 percent and the German Bund futures contract hit an all-time high of 142.75.

The government was able to capitalise on the safe haven demand by selling old four billion euros of new five-year bonds with a record low coupon of 0.5 percent.

News that exports and imports rose to record monthly levels in March was another signal that Europe's largest economy is fending off the euro zone debt crisis far better than others.

In commodity markets Brent crude slipped towards $112 a barrel, on track for its longest losing streak in almost two years and U.S. crude was at $96.35, down 66 cents.

The commodity-linked Australian dollar also fell 0.5 percent to $1.0066, having touched a low of $1.0052 at one point, the lowest level in more than four months. The New Zealand dollar also touched a 4-month low at $0.7842.

The price of gold fell for a third day, touching a four-month low and all but wiping out its gains for the year.

"With deflation becoming more of a risk in some parts of the world, like Europe, and the Fed less inclined to do another round of QE3, the inflation hedge argument isn't as strong as it was a couple of months ago," said James Shugg, senior economist at Westpac.

(Reporting by Richard Hubbard; editing by Janet McBride and Philippa Fletcher)

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Video: More girls suffering sports-related concussions

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Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Augmented reality sandbox lets you change the course of rivers, won't get you wet

Image

Ask in any kid, playing in the sandbox is fun enough on its own, but too much moisture will turn your grainy playground into a lumpy mess. Researchers at UC Davis have cooked up one solution: an augmented reality sandbox. The project uses a Kinect sensor in conjunction with a digital projector and a bit of software to overlay topographical data and simulated water over a traditional -- and dry -- sandbox. The end result is an augmented environment that can be used to teach geographic, geologic and hydrological concepts. The team hopes the project will help them develop hands-on exhibits for science museums, teaching visitors about contour lines, watersheds, catchment areas and more. Check out the video above for a full demo, or scope out the source below for the technical nitty-gritty.

Augmented reality sandbox lets you change the course of rivers, won't get you wet originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 May 2012 04:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sonos to bring subscription-based QQ Music service to its hardware in China

Sonos to bring subscription-based QQ Music service to its hardware in China

Wireless HiFi maker, Sonos, has just signed a deal with Tencent Holdings to provide the QQ Music service direct via its hardware in China. The holdings firm owns the QQ suite of internet services that boasts a massive user base in the country. QQ Music already exists in an ad-supported form, but the new partnership will break it out directly into audio equipment, and hopefully encourage users over to the premium paid-for version. The consumer preview is available on all Sonos systems if China now via the Sonos controller. A personalized version will follow, later this year.

Sonos to bring subscription-based QQ Music service to its hardware in China originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 May 2012 13:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Greek election forces coalition - parties agree bailout terms must change (Americablog)

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Monday, May 7, 2012

Will LG's New Google TV Finally Make You Want One? [TV]

LG has announced that its new Google-powered smart TVs, announced at CES in January, will launch in the US towards the end of May. More »


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Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 5:30PM ET

It's Monday, and we're back to our regular time and day where you get to listen into the recording booth when the Engadget HD podcast goes to mp3 at 5:30PM. Please be a part of it by reviewing the list of topics after the break, then participating in the live chat as you listen in.

Continue reading Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 5:30PM ET

Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 5:30PM ET originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 May 2012 16:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sunday, May 6, 2012

Attempt These Wonderful Self-help Tips To Boost Your Assurance ...

Creating the selection to focus on self improvement can be an energizing experience, and it can offer you a sensation of becoming in control of your way of life. To achieve your desired goals, you must bring on diverse resources for motivation and enthusiasm. This article beneath has numerous great concepts you may use without delay.

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Soccer player defects from Cuba, requests asylum in US

Soccer player defects: A Cuban national soccer player disappeared while his team was playing in an Olympic soccer tournament in Tennessee.

Yosmel De Armas is a Cuban soccer player who has defected in order to seek asylum in the United States. While in Nashville, Tennessee last month for an Olympic qualifying soccer tournament, the Cuban midfielder was absent from his national team's final game against Canada, although he played on Saturday?s 4-0 loss to El Salvador.?

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When asked why the player skipped the game, the Cuban national coach said De Armas was sick and remained at the team's hotel. However, when the team left Nashville, the promising soccer player did not accompany his teammates on their return trip to the island nation.

Although US officials refused to comment about the player?s whereabouts, it was reported that De Armas was last seen in Miami.?

"We're preparing an asylum application to file with the Department of Homeland Security," attorney Alex Solomiany said, according to Reuters.?

The Miami-based lawyer, who?described his client as "nervous," said De Armas is "alone here"?and that he was on his way to Miami at the time of the game, contrary to the coach's allegations.

A rising number of Cuban athlete defections are explained by several factors: the continuous financial hardship the populace faces in Cuba, the plethora of defection precedents that make the process look easy, and the luring prospects of a better life, all coalesce to urge young athletes to follow this path.?

"This is another case of a Cuban sportsman trying to get a decent life, to try to take control of his own career," Omar Lopez told Reuters.? Lopez is general director of the Cuban American National Foundation, a Miami-based organization of Cuban exiles who seek political change on the island.

Four years ago, seven members of the Cuban under-23 national soccer team also sought political asylum after competing against its US counterpart in Tampa, Florida.?

"Of course, my heart will be in Cuba with my family, but I want to have the freedom to better my life, to play professional soccer, to be the best I can be, and for that we had to make this sacrifice," Yenier Bermudez told the Miami Herald, according to ESPN.

Since the 2002 CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central America, and Caribbean Association Football) tournament in Los Angeles, a total of 15 Cuban soccer players abandoned their teams and requested political asylum in the United States.

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This Incubator Humanizes The Hospital [Video]

Childbirth, though wonderful, can also be quite traumatic. That can be particularly true for the parents of premature infants, who often spend several weeks in a neonatal ICU while their children rest in incubators that, while life-saving are typically very impersonal, and serve as de-facto barriers between parent and child. The BabyBloom Incubator aims to change that experience. It's a super-innovative solution to a host of problems. More »


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Romney embarking on new political balancing act

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Mitt Romney will need independent voters in November, but he isn't abandoning his "severely conservative" record.

The likely Republican presidential nominee has embarked on an aggressive campaign against President Barack Obama that straddles two sometimes-conflicting political ideologies.

On some days, the former Massachusetts governor is a social conservative and social moderate, a right-wing conspiracy theorist and promoter of political compromise. With the primaries over, it's an evolving balancing act that, so far, is leaning decidedly right.

Romney spoke out Friday against China's "one-child policy," in an apparent nod to social conservatives. But later in the same Fox News interview, he defended his decision to hire an openly gay staffer who just quit under pressure from social conservatives.

Romney said he hires people "not based upon their ethnicity, or their sexual preference or their gender but upon their capability." He said the ex-aide, Richard Grenell, who was to become foreign policy spokesman, was a "capable individual" and that many senior campaign advisers had urged him not to leave. But Grenell's departure pleased some on the religious right.

The matter offered a look inside a Romney campaign that would like to broaden his appeal to the political center, while harnessing the anti-Obama intensity from his party's right. It's a tricky move, but Romney is trying to prove he won't turn his back on his party's most passionate voters.

He's devoting significant attention to skeptical conservatives who have supported his Republican rivals until recently. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum gave up his bid last month, while former House Speaker Newt Gingrich made his departure official this past week.

"We're moving quickly," said Romney senior aide Peter Flaherty, who is leading the campaign's conservative outreach. "We are going to work very hard to continue to work with conservatives, to work with the base, to keep them energized."

Romney on Friday met with Santorum, who has indicated he will endorse Romney. Since Santorum quit, Romney's campaign has been recruiting former Santorum staffers and courting his key allies and donors. Romney has hired Santorum's former campaign manager to broaden coalitions with conservative groups.

At the same time, the Romney campaign is paying lots of attention to the conservative media.

He and his wife met this past week with right-leaning bloggers, reporters and columnists for an off-the-record discussion on Capitol Hill. He has granted interviews recently to conservative publications such as The Weekly Standard, the blog "Hot Air," National Review and Human Events magazine.

Romney last month told the website Breitbart TV that the media was involved in a "vast left-wing conspiracy to work together to put out their message and to attack me."

Romney will deliver a commencement address next week at Liberty University, the evangelical institution founded by the late Rev. Jerry Falwell in Lynchburg, Va. He will be the first Mormon to speak at a Liberty graduation.

All that attention could alienate independents and more moderate voters often credited with deciding close elections.

For now, the Romney campaign seems more focused on uniting a party that just experienced a bitter primary. His aides highlight the need to rev up conservative activists, who will drive turnout on Election Day and handle the lion's share of the less-glamorous tasks needed to run a national campaign.

They note that Democrats have a ready-made army of volunteers, relying on college students, labor union members and others.

Romney has struggled for much of his primary campaign to excite most conservative voters. Aiming at that group, he described himself as a "severely conservative" Republican governor while speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington in February.

Some conservative leaders said they're still not excited about Romney.

"The attitude of the leadership of the Republican Party is to primarily ignore the evangelical vote and just presume they don't have any other place to go," said John Grant, a Tampa, Fla.-based Republican operative who served as Gingrich's state evangelical co-chairman. "There's one place. It's called home."

Grant said he's yet to hear from the Romney campaign, but he'd be willing to join in the effort to defeat Obama. He offered Romney a bit of unsolicited advice: "Stand up and energize those who can make a difference."

Flaherty said that conservative outreach had yet to reach the state levels, where Obama's team has worked with activists for months. That's all part of the campaign's next stage, he said.

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