After undergoing vocal cord microsurgery last November, Adele will make her triumphant return to the stage at the Grammy Awards on February 12th. The British singing sensation is nominated for six awards, including huge nods for Record of the Year for Rolling in the Deep and Album of the Year for 21.
Adele's Thin New Look Revealed
Since canceling her sold-out tour in the U.S. last October due to a vocal cord hemorrhage, this will mark her first public performance in over five months.
Does Adele's New Boyfriend Equal New Music?
The Grammy Awards, hosted by LL Cool J, will air live February 12th, on CBS.
Honda is shaking it up (baby now!) with its 2012 Super Bowl ad: an homage to the 1986 classic Ferris Bueller's Day Off. After releasing a brief teaser last week, the auto company has unleashed a two-and-a-half-minute version, which showcases Matthew Broderick semi-reprising his role as slacking superstar Ferris. Watch it below!
KHARTOUM (Reuters) ? Rebels in Sudan's oil-producing border state of South Kordofan said on Sunday they were holding Chinese workers for their own safety after a battle with the Sudanese army.
The army has been fighting rebels of the SPLM-N in South Kordofan bordering newly independent South Sudan since June. Fighting spread to the northern Blue Nile state in September.
"We are holding 29 Chinese workers after a battle with the army yesterday," a spokesman for the SPLM-N said. "They are in good health. We are holding them for their own safety because the army was trying to strike again."
The army said rebels had attacked the compound of a Chinese construction company operating in the area between the towns of Abbasiya and Rashad in the north of the state and captured 70 civilians.
"Most of them are Chinese. They (the rebels) are targeting civilians," said army spokesman Sawarmi Khalid Saad.
He said there had been no battle in the area and the army was now trying to rescue the civilians.
China's foreign ministry urged Sudan to guarantee the safety of Chinese personnel during the search and rescue process, according to a statement released in Beijing.
South Kordofan is the main oil-producing state in Sudan, while Blue Nile is rich in minerals such as chrome.
The fighting in both states has forced about 417,000 people to flee their homes, more than 80,000 of them to South Sudan, according to the United Nations.
Both states contain large groups who sided with the south in a decades-long civil war, and who say they continue to face persecution inside Sudan since South Sudan seceded in July.
The SPLM is now the ruling party in the independent south and denies supporting SPLM-North rebels across the border.
Events in South Kordofan and Blue Nile are difficult to verify because aid groups and diplomats are banned from areas where fighting takes place.
SPLM-North is one of a number of rebel movements in underdeveloped border areas who say they are fighting to overthrow Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and end what they see as the dominance of the Khartoum political elite.
Sudan and South Sudan, which still have to resolve a range of issues including the sharing of oil revenues, regularly trade accusations of supporting insurgencies on each other's territory.
(Reporting by Ulf Laessing and Khalid Abdelaziz; additional reporting by David Stanway in Beijing)
The Army has been seen as one of the big losers in the Pentagon budget cuts released Thursday. But Army officials say now is the perfect time for the force to recast itself.?
Military officials moved quickly Friday to counter the perception that the Army was the big loser in the new Pentagon budget unveiled Thursday.
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The priorities laid out Thursday will have significant effects on the Army. For starters, the Army will be smaller,?moving from approximately 570,000 soldiers today to 490,000 by 2017. Moreover, Army operations will involve more Special Operations Forces that will launch missions from small bases near hot-spots around the world.?
The ranks of ?cyberwarriors? to combat the threat of computer attacks on vital US infrastructure will also grow.?
But now is the time to make such changes, Army officials say.
?The time is strategically right to reduce the Army?s force structure,? the Army?s top officer, Gen. Raymond Odierno, said Friday.
That's because the day-to-day job of soldiers will be changing dramatically in the years to come.?US military officials promise that?there will be no more wars that look like Iraq and Afghanistan ? what are known in military parlance as ?large-scale stability operations? ? for quite some time,?
?With the successful completion of our mission in Iraq, the continued transitions of operations to Afghan security forces, and the reduction of US presence in Afghanistan, our strategy calls for us to no longer plan for large-scale stability operations,? General Odierno said.
In addition, the bulk of US forces in Europe ? specifically, two heavy combat brigades ? will leave in the years to come. That?s a big change for a military with decades of ties to bases in Germany, Italy, and elsewhere in Europe.?
The Army will maintain partnerships with its NATO allies, though in new ways, Odierno said. In the years ahead, the Army will instead rotate units through Europe more quickly, to train with NATO partners and other allies. This might include everything from small company-size units to large battalion-level exercises.
?In reality, I think, in the long run this will benefit all of us,? Odierno said. ?It?ll cause more of our units to get involved in working with our NATO partners. It won?t just be limited to those stationed in Europe.?
Future missions may involve some stability, or peacekeeping, operations, but Odierno says they will likely be ?on a much smaller scale.? Beyond that, he adds, ?we?ll rely more on other partners to assist us as we do stability operations.?
Defense analysts point out that though the future US military interventions may indeed be smaller ? think Libya, for example ? they may not always be shorter.?
In fact, they may be ?prolonged,? says Stephanie Sanok, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. This means the United States will need ?friends and allies to do what we?re not going to do,? she adds. ?And I don?t think those conversations have happened.??
In this photo taken Jan. 27, 2012, women shop for bikinis at a store in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A growing number of bikini manufacturers have woken up to Brazil's thickening waistline and are reaching out to the ever-expanding ranks of heavy women with new plus-size lines. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
In this photo taken Jan. 27, 2012, women shop for bikinis at a store in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A growing number of bikini manufacturers have woken up to Brazil's thickening waistline and are reaching out to the ever-expanding ranks of heavy women with new plus-size lines. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
In this photo taken Jan. 25, 2012, Elisangela Inez Soares rinses off at a shower in Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A growing number of bikini manufacturers have woken up to Brazil's thickening waistline and are reaching out to the ever-expanding ranks of heavy women with new plus-size lines. According to Soares " not everyone is built like a model." (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
In this photo taken on Jan. 25, 2012, Elisangela Inez Soares rinses off at a shower in Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A growing number of bikini manufacturers have woken up to Brazil's thickening waistline and are reaching out to the ever-expanding ranks of heavy women with new plus-size lines. According to Soares " not everyone is built like a model." (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
In this photo taken Jan. 27, 2012, people shop for bikinis at a store in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A growing number of bikini manufacturers have woken up to Brazil's thickening waistline and are reaching out to the ever-expanding ranks of heavy women with new plus-size lines. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
In this photo taken Jan. 24, 2012, people rinse off at the showers at Piscinao de Ramos, an artificial lake in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A growing number of bikini manufacturers have woken up to Brazil's thickening waistline and are reaching out to the ever-expanding ranks of heavy women with new plus-size lines. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) ? Tall and tan and young and ... chunky?
The Girl From Ipanema has put on a few pounds, and for many sunbathers on Brazil's beaches the country's iconic itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny bikini just doesn't suffice anymore.
A growing number of bikini manufacturers have woken up to Brazil's thickening waistline and are reaching out to the ever-expanding ranks of heavy women with new plus-size lines.
That's nothing short of a revolution in this most body-conscious of nations, where overweight ladies long had little choice but to hit the beach in comely ensembles of oversized T-shirts and biker shorts.
"It used to be bikinis were only in tiny sizes that only skinny girls could fit into. But not everyone is built like a model," said Elisangela Inez Soares as she sunbathed on Copacabana beach, her oiled-up curves packed into a black size 12 bikini.
"Finally, it seems like people are beginning to realize that we're not all Gisele," said the 38-year-old mother of four, referring to willowy Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen.
Clothing designer Clarice Rebelatto said her own swimwear-hunting travails prompted her to found Lehona, an exclusively plus-size beachwear line.
"Honestly, the problem went way beyond just bikinis. In Brazil, it used to be that if you were even a little chunky, finding any kind of clothes in the right size was a real problem," said Rebelatto, herself a size 10. "And I thought, 'I'm actually not even that big compared to a lot of women out there, so if I have problems, what are they doing?'"
Since its launch in 2010, the line has become a hit.
In brash leopard spots and flower prints not meant for wallflowers, the label's 14 bikini styles aren't what you'd normally associate with plus-size swimsuits. The necklines plunge dramatically. Straps are mere strings. And while the bottoms provide too much coverage to qualify for the famed "fio dental" or "dental floss" category of Brazilian string bikinis, they're significantly more audacious than the standard U.S. cut.
"We're working from the principle that bigger women are just like everyone else: They don't want to look like old ladies, wearing these very modest, very covering swimsuits in just black," said Luiz Rebelatto, Clarice's son and director of Lehona.
He said that recent publicity of the brand and several other new swimwear lines catering to plus sizes has triggered an overwhelming number of calls and e-mails from would-be customers.
"They're all excited and they say, 'I've been looking everywhere for a bikini like that. Where can I get one?'" said Rebelatto.
Lehona is currently sold exclusively at big and tall specialty stores throughout Brazil. Its bikinis retail for about 130 reais or $75 ? a relatively high price-point here, but Rebelatto said sales have grown at a galloping pace, though he did not provide any figures.
It's the same story at Acqua Rosa, a conventional swimwear label that added a plus-size line in 2008. Now, plus-size purchases account for more than 70 percent of the brand's total sales, said director Joao Macedo.
It makes sense.
For centuries, large swaths of Brazil were beset by malnutrition, and in 1970, nearly 10 percent of the population in the country's poor, rural northeast region was considered underweight, according to Brazil's national statistics institute.
But the phenomenal economic boom that has lifted tens of millions out of poverty and into the burgeoning middle class over the past decade has also changed the nation's once-svelte physique: A 2010 study by the statistics institute showed that 48 percent of adult women and 50 percent of men are now overweight. In 1985 those figures were 29 percent for women and 18 percent for men.
(Still, there's been no rash of plus-size male swimwear lines, as men here wear Speedo-style suits that don't impinge on big guts.)
Analysts attribute Brazil's rapidly widening girth to changes in nutrition, with chips, processed meats and sugary soft drinks replacing staples like rice, beans and vegetables.
And while the country's elite are widely known to be fitness freaks ? and also among the world's top consumers of cosmetic surgery ? those recently lifted out of poverty and manual labor are becoming increasingly sedentary. A 2008 study showed that barely 10 percent of Brazilian teens and adults exercise regularly.
Still, despite their growing numbers, not everyone is eager to embrace "gordinhas" ? or "little fatties," as chunky women are affectionately known here.
Many high-end bikini-makers have turned a seemingly deliberately blind eye to the burgeoning plus-size market. Rio-based upmarket brand Salinas, for example, offers five sizes, from extra-small through extra-large. But their sizing runs notoriously small and it's hard to imagine anyone over a size 6 actually managing to fit into any of the brand's minuscule two-pieces.
Luis Rebelatto of Lehona chalked it partially up to snobbery.
"Some brands, they don't want their image to be associated with chunky women," he said. "Only the thin, the rich and the chic."
While Brazilians' increasing heft is a public policy preoccupation for the government, growth in the ranks of the overweight population has given them increased visibility in Brazilian society. Extra-wide bucket seats for the obese have been installed in Sao Paulo's metro system, and on Sunday the city will host Brazil's first ever Miss Plus Size beauty contest.
"It used to be that people would stare at me," said Soares, the voluptuous sun-worshiper on Copacabana beach. "Now when I come to the beach I see women who are much bigger than me ? and lots of them are wearing bikinis ? so I'm not self conscious any more.
"God makes some people thin but he made me like this," she said, rubbing down the well-oiled bulge of her stomach and thighs. "So who am I to think that he was wrong?"
Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos, left, and Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos leave Maximos Mansion after a meeting Charles Dallara and Jean Lemiere from the Institute of International Finance in Athens on Saturday Jan. 28 2012. Talks between Greece and private creditors on halving the country's privately held debt load have ended and a deal is very close, according to the creditors' representatives. (AP Photo)
Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos, left, and Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos leave Maximos Mansion after a meeting Charles Dallara and Jean Lemiere from the Institute of International Finance in Athens on Saturday Jan. 28 2012. Talks between Greece and private creditors on halving the country's privately held debt load have ended and a deal is very close, according to the creditors' representatives. (AP Photo)
BERLIN (AP) ? Germany is proposing that debt-ridden Greece temporarily cede sovereignty over tax and spending decisions to a powerful eurozone budget commissioner before it can secure further bailouts, an official in Berlin said Saturday.
The idea was quickly rejected by the European Union's executive body and the government in Athens, with the EU Commission in Brussels insisting that "executive tasks must remain the full responsibility of the Greek government, which is accountable before its citizens and its institutions."
But the German official said the initiative is being discussed among the 17-nation currency bloc's finance ministers because Greece has repeatedly failed to fulfill its commitments under its current euro110 billion ($145 billion) lifeline.
The proposal foresees a commissioner holding a veto right against any budgetary measures and having broad surveillance ability to ensure that Greece will take proper steps to repay its debt as scheduled, the official said. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks are confidential.
Greece's international creditors ? the International Monetary Fund, the European Union and the European Central Bank ? already have unprecedented powers over Greek spending after negotiating with Athens stringent austerity measures and economic reforms in return for the first bailout.
The so-called troika of creditors is currently negotiating another euro130 billion rescue package for the heavily indebted country. German news magazine Der Spiegel on Saturday cited an unnamed troika official as saying Greece might actually need a euro145 billion package because of its prolonged recession.
The German proposal, first reported by the Financial Times, is likely to spark controversy in Greece.
Despite the quick rejection from the EU Commission, Germany's demand underlines the frustration of the eurozone with Greece's slack implementation of the promised reforms, spending cuts and privatizations. During every verification mission last year, the troika found huge implementation shortfalls, which in turn increased gaps in Athens' budget and intensified the need for a second bailout.
A powerful budget commissioner would further diminish the political leeway of Greece's government, just as politicians there are gearing up for an election set to take place this spring.
A government official in Athens said a similar proposal had been floated last year but got nowhere. Greece would not accept such a measure, he added. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because no formal proposal has been made by the EU or Germany yet.
The unprecedented and sweeping powers for creditors would indeed deal a huge blow to Greece's sovereignty, but they could help mobilize more support for the government in Athens from its European partners.
Several German lawmakers have repeatedly said that giving more money to Greece is unthinkable without stricter enforcement and control of the conditions attached to the rescue packages.
Greece is currently locked in a twin effort, seeking to secure a crucial debt relief deal with private investors while also tackling the pressing demands from its European partners and the IMF for more austerity measures and deeper reforms.
Failure on either front would force the country to default on its debt in less than two months, pouring new fuel on the fires of Europe's debt crisis.
In that case, Greece would likely leave the eurozone, which would bring disaster to the country, destabilize the currency bloc, fuel panic on financial markets and ultimately threaten the fragile world economy.
Despite two weeks of intensive talks, a debt relief agreement with private investors worth some euro100 billion has yet to be reached.
Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos and Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos met anew with representatives of international banks and other private institutions Saturday, with a final deal being very close, officials in Athens said.
A statement from the creditor representatives said the two sides are "close to the finalization" of the voluntary writedown that would roughly halve Greece's privately held debt. "We expect to conclude next week as discussions on other issues move forward," they said.
The statement also referred to a previous framework agreement which indicated that the creditors have accepted an interest rate below 4 percent for the new bonds to be issued in place of the old ones ? a very favorable rate that will make it easier for the Greek government to service its debt.
With the current troika mission still ongoing and no final deal with the private sector creditors, Greece is unlikely to feature prominently at a summit of the EU's 27 leaders Monday, according to officials in Brussels.
___
Demetris Nellas in Athens and Gabriele Steinhauser in Brussels contributed to this report.
If you're a user of Pulse News you'll want to the Android Market and grab the latest update. Getting bumped up to v2.7.4, this releases addresses some issues with dark mode and more importantly takes care of a few bugs for tablet users. It's not a huge update but it's an update either way and we like updates -- especially when they improve the end-user experience. Whether you're looking to give Pulse News a try for the first time or just looking to get updated, you'll find the link past the break.
DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) ? U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner pressed Europe on Friday to boost its bailout fund resources, citing the euro zone debt crisis and oil prices as the two main factors influencing the pace of the United States' economic upturn.
The U.S. economy is growing at an annual rate of around 2-3 percent, Geither told the World Economic Forum in Davos, adding that it still faces big challenges to repair damage wrought by the financial crisis.
Earlier on Friday, euro zone finance officials voiced optimism at the Forum that key building International Monetary Fund could help support Europe through its debt crisis if the euro zone boosts its bailout funds, or "firewall," he said.
"Our view is that the only way Europe is going to be successful in holding this together is for them to bring a stronger firewall and that is going to demand a bigger commitment," Geithner told the Forum.
"If Europe is able and willing to do that we believe the IMF is ready to play a constructive role," he added. "I think you'll see the IMF (be) very supportive in those efforts but not as a substitute for blocks to resolve the sovereign debt crisis (that) are gradually fitting into place.
The health of U.S. business was better than expected, Geithner said, dismissing the suggestion that tighter regulations were hampering growth.
"Profitability across the US economy is very high," he added. "What is holding the US economy back still is the aftershocks of the financial crisis and the fiscal pressure on governments."
Turning to Iran, he said Washington's drive to cut Iran's oil exports was getting excellent support from Europe and that there were positive signs from China too.
"Even over the last 6 months you're seeing a substantial intensification in (cutting) dependence on Iranian oil and my sense is also that China wants to be part of that effort because it is in China's interests not to see Iran undo the delicate balance in the Gulf," he added.
On his own future, Geithner reaffirmed that he would not expect to be asked to continue as Treasury chief if President Barack Obama wins re-election.
"Generally anybody who takes these jobs serves at the pleasure of the president," he said.
"When he asked me to stay when I thought it was the right time to leave, I agreed to stay and I agreed I would stay to the balance of this term. He accepted that aspiration of mine, and that's where it's going to come out, I think."
Geithner declined to say what he would do next: "That feels like a long way away."
(Reporting by Paul Carrel and Janet McBride; editing by Patrick Graham)
(Reuters) ? Nintendo Co Ltd posted a sharp drop in quarterly profit and forecast a bigger-than-expected full-year loss, its first at an operating level, as it battles a strong yen and its games devices lose ground to gadgets such as Apple's iPhone.
The creator of the Super Mario franchise dominated the video games industry for years with its DS handheld players and Wii home consoles, but is now struggling to keep up as more versatile smartphone and tablet sales boom.
"To say that (the days of consoles) are over is likely an overstatement, but social network and Internet delivered games are growing and structurally changing the future of the industry, which is a strong wind against Nintendo," said Shigeo Sugawara, senior investment manager at Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Asset Management.
Nintendo now expects an annual operating loss of 45 billion yen ($575 million), dwarfing expectations of a 4.2 billion yen loss, based on the average of 21 analyst forecasts.
"Their time of growth (from consoles) is over, and, while I don't think the company will cease to exist, if they don't move into new categories, they will no doubt lose the great scale they've amassed," said Mitsushige Akino, chief fund manager at Ichiyoshi Investment Management in Tokyo.
Nintendo cut its forecast for annual sales of its ageing Wii console to 10 million devices from 12 million, and for the 3DS handheld games device to 14 million from 16 million.
"We had higher expectations for the year-end season, but failed to meet them," President Satoru Iwata told reporters in Osaka.
Poor sales forced Nintendo to slash the price of its much-anticipated 3DS handheld games device in August, just six months after its launch.
The move halted its record of making profits on games hardware as well as software, a business model that took operating income to a high of 555 billion yen in 2008/09.
Nintendo also faces tougher competition in the home console market from Sony Corp's Move and Microsoft Corp's Kinect, and Iwata said consumers were more eager than ever to seek out bargains in the harsh economic environment.
The company plans to launch the Wii's successor, the Wii U, in Japan, the United States, Europe and Australia in the year-end season, Iwata told reporters.
But with cloud-based gaming emerging as a potential threat, Nintendo may have trouble generating excitement about its new product, some analysts say. Google is taking steps into gaming with Google TV, while Apple is thought to be preparing a new iPad and possibly a smart TV that could be game-changers for the industry.
"We think we need to consider the possibility that home consoles could become a thing of the past," Citigroup analyst Soichiro Fukuda wrote in a recent report.
"We think the direction taken by marketing trendsetter Apple will be very important and we will be watching the company's announcements at future events with interest."
PROFIT FALLS
Nintendo's profit slumped to 40.9 billion yen for the traditionally strong October-December period, compared with a consensus estimate for 52 billion yen, based on a survey of three analysts by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
The results came a day after Apple blew away Wall Street's expectations with its own quarterly earnings.
Shares in Nintendo have halved to below 11,000 yen since the beginning of the financial year in April, hit by weak 3DS sales and market disappointment with the Wii U next-generation home console, unveiled at the E3 games show in June and set to go on sale late this year. At their peak, in late 2007, the shares traded at 73,200 yen.
Last week, the stock dipped to 10,020 yen, the lowest since April 2004, before either the DS or Wii were launched.
($1 = 77.58)
(Reporting by Yoshiyuki Osada in OSAKA and Isabel Reynolds in TOKYO; Editing by Edwina Gibbs and Ian Geoghegan)
LAS VEGAS ? President Barack Obama is announcing the sale of oil and gas drilling leases for nearly 38 million acres in the Gulf Coast and promoting the completion of a highway corridor for vehicles that run on liquefied natural gas, a response to critics who say his policies have stifled domestic energy production.
Obama was making his announcements in Nevada Thursday, just days after drawing Republican criticism for rejecting a cross-country oil pipeline that would have delivered Canadian tar sands oil to refineries in Texas.
Obama was to speak at a Las Vegas UPS center to showcase a refueling station that will permit vehicles that use liquefied natural gas to travel from the Port of Long Beach to Salt Lake City. The station was built with help from Obama's 2009 economic stimulus plan.
By highlighting the natural gas refueling station and the sale of energy leases on the Gulf, Obama is drawing attention to two aspects of his energy policy ? greater domestic energy production and investment in cleaner energy sources.
The nearly 38-million-acre parcel the Obama administration is putting up for lease is part of an offshore drilling plan for 2007-12 put in place by President George W. Bush. But after the massive BP oil spill led to an overhaul of the government's oversight of offshore exploration and production, some of those areas had to be re-evaluated for the environmental risks associated with drilling.
Combined with other parts of Obama's "all-of-the-above" energy pitch, the White House is portraying the president as willing to seek the middle ground on energy after Republicans and the industry criticized him for the moratorium put in place after the Gulf disaster, the rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada, and other policies they say have hampered production, jobs and national energy security.
The lease proposal includes Obama administration measures designed to encourage oil and gas exploration companies to develop the leases. The Interior Department has increased the minimum bid for deepwater leases to $100 an acre from $37.50. Administration officials said Wednesday that the increase was designed to give leaseholders incentives to invest in acreage they would be more likely to explore. Escalating rental rates are also designed to encourage faster exploration and development.
Later, speaking at Buckley Air Force Base in Colorado, Obama was expected to highlight the expanded use of clean energy by the Defense Department. The Air Force is installing a one-megawatt solar array on the base and it tested jets last year that are powered by advanced biofuels.
In choosing Nevada and Colorado, Obama is returning to two states that are important to his re-election.
Obama last visited both states in late October, using that trip to launch a phase of his campaign to jumpstart the economy. With economic indicators improving, Obama this time visits on a higher note.
Both states hold their presidential caucuses within the next two weeks ? events that have grown in importance since the Republican contest for the White House continues to shift and narrow to a choice between former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
On Wednesday, Obama traveled to Iowa and Arizona to push for tax incentives for manufacturers. His three-day, post-State of the Union trip concludes Friday in Michigan.
Offering a preview of his energy agenda, Obama said Wednesday he was pushing for a renewed economy. "It's an economy built on American energy, fueled by homegrown and alternative energy sources that make us more secure and less dependent on foreign oil," he told workers at a Cedar Rapids manufacturing plant that specializes in conveyor screws.
Obama won both Nevada and Colorado in 2008. Nevada has had the nation's highest unemployment, in excess of the national average. But a poll in December by the Las Vegas Review-Journal showed Obama with a 6-percentage-point lead over Romney and a 12 point lead over Gingrich.
Colorado offers an example of a state with a mix of energy programs, from a booming solar-energy industry to natural gas extraction that is a result of a compromise between energy companies and environmentalists.
With close to half of business travelers now from Generation X and Generation Y, gadgets geared toward the tech-savvy business traveler now cater to nearly every tech niche. Whether your travel-tech packing list includes an entire mobile office or just a mobile phone, here are five tech gadgets every business traveler needs.
Book Stand
A decidedly low-tech gadget, a basic foldable book stand is the MacGyver of tech tools. For air travelers, a book stand can prevent neck strain and discomfort by holding an iPad or other tablet (as well as any business documents). More versatile than combination case/stands made for tablets, a book stand can support a tablet, any book or brochure, and most documents.
By positioning the reading material closer to eye level, you'll prevent the strain to your neck and back that results from bending your chin down toward your chest to read.
A book stand is useful even for laptop users. Use the stand to hold documents you need to refer to while typing or while contacting clients.
Many bookstores carry book stands (sometimes in the cookbook section).
Mobile Phone Battery Extender
Nothing kills productivity on the road like running out of power. For many travelers, the problem isn't forgetting about a depleted battery. Rather, many travelers know that, without some type of power source, their phone's power will run out before the traveler reaches his or her destination. For that reason, a handful of companies have begun marketing battery extender cases. Some models for smartphones claim to double battery life. For many travelers this would mean the difference between a productive journey and wasted time.
Noise-Canceling Headphones
One of the biggest productivity killers on the road is the distraction of ambient noise, such as the conversations of other passengers, engine noise, street noise, and so on. A good pair of noise-canceling headphones can help you stay focused on the business of your business travel (and prevent nighttime distractions, too).
Worried that you'll miss something or hate the hassle of pulling out your ear buds whenever you need to communicate? Technological advances now amplify ambient noise at the push of a button so you can hear the outside world. New models that use the "push-to-hear" technology have retail prices starting around $149.
Tech-friendly Carry-on Luggage
For the business person who travels with cell phone, laptop, tablet and digital camera in tow, a common problem is fitting all that technology into a carry-on bag. To keep yourself organized (and perhaps even extend battery life), check out the slate of new high-tech backpacks and briefcases. With plenty of options to organize and protect your technology tools, you shouldn't have much trouble finding a piece with the ideal mixture of storage space and features. There are backpacks available with power sources so you can charge on the go.
Slingbox
Streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu have convinced some users to cancel their cable television service and move entirely to on-demand viewing. But for many business travelers, the worst part of leaving home is leaving behind access to cable service and the ability to watch favorite shows or sporting events live. Gadgets such as the Slingbox bridge this gap, letting users stream a feed from their home cable service to their mobile device.
With a little help from our ancient friendsPublic release date: 25-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: David Cameron david_cameron@hms.harvard.edu 617-432-0441 Harvard Medical School
A new study of hunter-gatherers suggests social networks sparked evolution of cooperation
Boston, MA (January 25, 2012)Ancient humans may not have had the luxury of updating their Facebook status, but social networks were nevertheless an essential component of their lives, a new study suggests.
The study's findings describe elements of social network structures that may have been present early in human history, suggesting how our ancestors may have formed ties with both kin and non-kin based on shared attributes, including the tendency to cooperate. According to the paper, social networks likely contributed to the evolution of cooperation.
"The astonishing thing is that ancient human social networks so very much resemble what we see today," said Nicholas Christakis, professor of medical sociology and medicine at Harvard Medical School and professor of sociology in the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and senior author on the study. "From the time we were around campfires and had words floating through the air, to today when we have digital packets floating through the ether, we've made networks of basically the same kind."
"We found that what modern people are doing with online social networks is what we've always donenot just before Facebook, but before agriculture," said study co-author James Fowler, professor of medical genetics and political science at the University of California, San Diego, who, with Christakis, has authored a number of seminal studies of human social networks.
The findings will be published January 26 in Nature.
Roots of altruism
The natural world, red in tooth and claw, has a gentle side. While individuals compete fiercely to ensure the proliferation of their progeny, a few animals, including humans, also cooperate and act altruistically. Researchers have wondered if human social networks are a product of modern lifestyles, or if they could have emerged under the kind of conditions that our distant ancestors faced. This question has been challenging for classic evolutionary theory to explain neatly.
For cooperation to arise, an altruistic act, like sharing food with a non-relative, must have a net benefit for the sharers. Otherwise, purely self-serving individuals would outcompete and eventually replace the selfless. All theoretical explanations for the evolution of cooperationkin selection, reciprocal altruism, group selectionrely on the existence of some system that allows cooperators to group together with other individuals who tend to share.
"If you can get cooperators to cluster together in social space, cooperation can evolve," said Coren Apicella, a post-doctoral research fellow in Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School and first author on the paper. "Social networks allow this to happen."
While it is not possible to quiz our distant ancestors about their friendships or habits of sharing and collaborating, a team of researchers from Harvard Medical School, the University of California, San Diego, and the University of Cambridge have characterized the structure of social networks among the Hadza, an ethnic group in the Lake Eyasi region of Tanzania, one of the last surviving groups of hunter gathers. (There are less than 1,000 Hadza left who live in the traditional way).
Getting connected
The Hadza lifestyle predates the invention of agriculture. The Hadza eat a wide range of wild foods, foraging for tubers, nuts, and fruit and hunting a great variety of animals, including flamingos, shrews, and giraffes. Honey is one of their favorite foods, known by half a dozen different names in Hadzane, their primary language.
Apicella took the lead in collecting the data for the study, interviewing 205 adult Hadza over the course two months, measuring their tendency to cooperate and mapping their friendships.
Apicella, Fowler and Christakis designed the study and experiments, working with Frank Marlowe, lecturer in the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology of the University of Cambridge, and author of the only book-length ethnography on the Hadza in English.
Collecting the data was not easy. The nomadic Hadza roam over 4,000 rugged square kilometers. Apicella and her research assistants travelled the region by Land Cruiser battling mud-drenched trailsat one point forcing her and her colleagues to pave the ground with felled treesand, on an earlier trip, even fleeing a horde of marauding elephants.
In order to construct a social network, Apicella and her colleagues took a dual approach. First, they asked Hadza adults to identify individuals they would prefer to live with in their next encampment. Second, they gave each adult three straws of honey and were told they could give these straws as gifts to anyone in their camp. This generated 1,263 campmate ties and 426 gift ties.
In a separate activity, the researchers measured levels of cooperation by giving the Hadza additional honey straws that they could either keep for themselves or donate to the group.
When the networks were mapped and analyzed, the researchers found that co-operators and non-cooperators formed distinct clusters.
The researchers also measured the connectedness of people with similar height, age, handgrip strength, etc., and other characteristics, such as food preference. They also analyzed the transitivity of friendshipthe likelihood that one's friends are friends with one another, and other network properties.
The structure and dynamics of the Hadza hunter-gatherer social networks were essentially indistinguishable from existing social network data drawn from modern communities.
"We turned the data over lots of different ways," said Fowler. "We looked at over a dozen measures that social network analysts use to compare networks and pretty much, the Hadza are just like us."
"Human beings are unusual among species in the extent to which we form long-term, non-reproductive unions with other members of our species," said Christakis. "In other words, not only do we have sex, but we also have friends."
Previous work by Christakis and Fowler, who are coauthors of the book "Connected," has shown that our experience of the world depends on where we find ourselves within social networks. Particular studies have found that networks influence a surprising variety of lifestyle and health factors, such as how prone you are to obesity, smoking cessation, and even happiness.
For the researchers, the Hadza offer strong new evidence that social networks are a truly ancient, perhaps integral part of the human story.
###
This research was funded by the National Institute on Aging and by the Science of Generosity Initiative of the University of Notre Dame.
Written by Jake Miller
Citation:
Nature, Jan. 26, 2012
"Social Networks and Cooperation in Hunter-Gatherers" by Coren L. Apicella, et al.
Additional contact:
Inga Kiderra, University of California, San Diego
ikiderra@ucsd.edu
858-822-0661
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
With a little help from our ancient friendsPublic release date: 25-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: David Cameron david_cameron@hms.harvard.edu 617-432-0441 Harvard Medical School
A new study of hunter-gatherers suggests social networks sparked evolution of cooperation
Boston, MA (January 25, 2012)Ancient humans may not have had the luxury of updating their Facebook status, but social networks were nevertheless an essential component of their lives, a new study suggests.
The study's findings describe elements of social network structures that may have been present early in human history, suggesting how our ancestors may have formed ties with both kin and non-kin based on shared attributes, including the tendency to cooperate. According to the paper, social networks likely contributed to the evolution of cooperation.
"The astonishing thing is that ancient human social networks so very much resemble what we see today," said Nicholas Christakis, professor of medical sociology and medicine at Harvard Medical School and professor of sociology in the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and senior author on the study. "From the time we were around campfires and had words floating through the air, to today when we have digital packets floating through the ether, we've made networks of basically the same kind."
"We found that what modern people are doing with online social networks is what we've always donenot just before Facebook, but before agriculture," said study co-author James Fowler, professor of medical genetics and political science at the University of California, San Diego, who, with Christakis, has authored a number of seminal studies of human social networks.
The findings will be published January 26 in Nature.
Roots of altruism
The natural world, red in tooth and claw, has a gentle side. While individuals compete fiercely to ensure the proliferation of their progeny, a few animals, including humans, also cooperate and act altruistically. Researchers have wondered if human social networks are a product of modern lifestyles, or if they could have emerged under the kind of conditions that our distant ancestors faced. This question has been challenging for classic evolutionary theory to explain neatly.
For cooperation to arise, an altruistic act, like sharing food with a non-relative, must have a net benefit for the sharers. Otherwise, purely self-serving individuals would outcompete and eventually replace the selfless. All theoretical explanations for the evolution of cooperationkin selection, reciprocal altruism, group selectionrely on the existence of some system that allows cooperators to group together with other individuals who tend to share.
"If you can get cooperators to cluster together in social space, cooperation can evolve," said Coren Apicella, a post-doctoral research fellow in Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School and first author on the paper. "Social networks allow this to happen."
While it is not possible to quiz our distant ancestors about their friendships or habits of sharing and collaborating, a team of researchers from Harvard Medical School, the University of California, San Diego, and the University of Cambridge have characterized the structure of social networks among the Hadza, an ethnic group in the Lake Eyasi region of Tanzania, one of the last surviving groups of hunter gathers. (There are less than 1,000 Hadza left who live in the traditional way).
Getting connected
The Hadza lifestyle predates the invention of agriculture. The Hadza eat a wide range of wild foods, foraging for tubers, nuts, and fruit and hunting a great variety of animals, including flamingos, shrews, and giraffes. Honey is one of their favorite foods, known by half a dozen different names in Hadzane, their primary language.
Apicella took the lead in collecting the data for the study, interviewing 205 adult Hadza over the course two months, measuring their tendency to cooperate and mapping their friendships.
Apicella, Fowler and Christakis designed the study and experiments, working with Frank Marlowe, lecturer in the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology of the University of Cambridge, and author of the only book-length ethnography on the Hadza in English.
Collecting the data was not easy. The nomadic Hadza roam over 4,000 rugged square kilometers. Apicella and her research assistants travelled the region by Land Cruiser battling mud-drenched trailsat one point forcing her and her colleagues to pave the ground with felled treesand, on an earlier trip, even fleeing a horde of marauding elephants.
In order to construct a social network, Apicella and her colleagues took a dual approach. First, they asked Hadza adults to identify individuals they would prefer to live with in their next encampment. Second, they gave each adult three straws of honey and were told they could give these straws as gifts to anyone in their camp. This generated 1,263 campmate ties and 426 gift ties.
In a separate activity, the researchers measured levels of cooperation by giving the Hadza additional honey straws that they could either keep for themselves or donate to the group.
When the networks were mapped and analyzed, the researchers found that co-operators and non-cooperators formed distinct clusters.
The researchers also measured the connectedness of people with similar height, age, handgrip strength, etc., and other characteristics, such as food preference. They also analyzed the transitivity of friendshipthe likelihood that one's friends are friends with one another, and other network properties.
The structure and dynamics of the Hadza hunter-gatherer social networks were essentially indistinguishable from existing social network data drawn from modern communities.
"We turned the data over lots of different ways," said Fowler. "We looked at over a dozen measures that social network analysts use to compare networks and pretty much, the Hadza are just like us."
"Human beings are unusual among species in the extent to which we form long-term, non-reproductive unions with other members of our species," said Christakis. "In other words, not only do we have sex, but we also have friends."
Previous work by Christakis and Fowler, who are coauthors of the book "Connected," has shown that our experience of the world depends on where we find ourselves within social networks. Particular studies have found that networks influence a surprising variety of lifestyle and health factors, such as how prone you are to obesity, smoking cessation, and even happiness.
For the researchers, the Hadza offer strong new evidence that social networks are a truly ancient, perhaps integral part of the human story.
###
This research was funded by the National Institute on Aging and by the Science of Generosity Initiative of the University of Notre Dame.
Written by Jake Miller
Citation:
Nature, Jan. 26, 2012
"Social Networks and Cooperation in Hunter-Gatherers" by Coren L. Apicella, et al.
Additional contact:
Inga Kiderra, University of California, San Diego
ikiderra@ucsd.edu
858-822-0661
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
LONDON (Reuters) ? For Daniel Radcliffe, it's time to forget Harry Potter. The 22-year-old actor, inextricably linked to the boy wizard he played throughout the movie franchise, takes on his first adult role in Victorian-era horror film "The Woman in Black."
Hitting theatres in Britain on February 10 and a week earlier in the United States, the movie is a step into the unknown for an actor who grew up on the set of one of Hollywood's most successful series.
Instead of production budgets of $250 million or more, The Woman in Black cost an estimated $17 million to make. And however big Radcliffe's fan base around the world, another billion-dollar box office looks out of the question.
James Watkins, who directed The Woman In Black, called it a "reinvention" for Radcliffe.
"I think it's the start of that, absolutely," Radcliffe told Reuters in an interview ahead of Tuesday's red carpet world premiere of the new movie.
One of the attractions of playing Arthur Kipps, a young lawyer and father mourning the death of his wife, was the obvious break with what went before.
"People haven't seen me looking like this before. People haven't seen me playing a father -- all those things are going to help separate it in their mind," Radcliffe said.
"But I think ultimately the thing that will help that reinvention is the fact that the story is so good. I think people will very quickly forget that they're watching Harry Potter."
CREEPY MANSION
In The Woman in Black, Kipps is forced to leave his three-year-old son and travel to a remote village on the east coast of England to look into the legal affairs of the recently deceased owner of Eel Marsh House, a creepy mansion cut off from the mainland when the tide rises.
He discovers a dark family secret that helps explain the appearance of a mysterious, ghost-like woman dressed in black who beckons children to an early grave.
The film is based on a novel by Susan Hill that was adapted into a successful West End play, still running in London.
Jane Goldman, who co-wrote the scripts for "Kick-Ass" and "The Debt," was brought in to translate the page to the big screen, and horror specialist Watkins directed.
Radcliffe said he did not think too hard about trying to be different from his Harry Potter character when he worked on the set of The Woman in Black and was pleased with the results.
"I think my work in this is certainly on a par with the work I did on the last Potter which I was very, very proud of."
He will soon discover if critics agree. Throughout the Harry Potter series Radcliffe earned mixed reviews, although any negative comments did nothing to deter record audiences.
And his two main stage roles -- "Equus" in 2007 and "How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying" in 2011 were generally well-received, particularly Equus.
Looking ahead, Radcliffe said proving he was not a one-part wonder would take time.
"It's a long road. It's not going to be one film and suddenly you're off. It's going to be a combination."
That combination will involve both stage and screen.
"In an ideal world I would like to mix them as much as possible. In March I'm filming a movie called 'Kill Your Darlings' in which I'll be playing a 19-year-old Allen Ginsberg.
"That's the next thing on the plate and after that we'll see."
An anti-Syrian regime protester colors his fingers with the revolutionary flag colors during a protest outside the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, Egypt Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012. Arab League foreign ministers, meeting in Cairo, extended the much-criticized observers mission for another month, officials from the 22-member organization said. The League decided to add more observers and provide them with additional resources, the officials said. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
An anti-Syrian regime protester colors his fingers with the revolutionary flag colors during a protest outside the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, Egypt Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012. Arab League foreign ministers, meeting in Cairo, extended the much-criticized observers mission for another month, officials from the 22-member organization said. The League decided to add more observers and provide them with additional resources, the officials said. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
Syrian army defectors gather at the mountain resort town of Zabadani, Syria, near the Lebanese border, on Friday Jan. 20, 2012. President Bashar Assad's forces attacked Zabadani, some 17 miles (27 kilometers) west of the capital, for six days, sparking fierce fighting that involved heavy bombardments and clashes with army defectors. On Wednesday, government tanks and armored vehicles pulled back, leaving the opposition in control of the town. Buoyed by the opposition's control of a town near the Syrian capital, thousands of people held anti-government protests Friday, chanting for the downfall of the regime. At least eight people were killed by security forces across the country, activists said. (AP Photo)
Syrian army defectors gather at the mountain resort town of Zabadani, Syria, near the Lebanese border, on Friday Jan. 20, 2012. President Bashar Assad's forces attacked Zabadani, some 17 miles (27 kilometers) west of the capital, for six days, sparking fierce fighting that involved heavy bombardments and clashes with army defectors. On Wednesday, government tanks and armored vehicles pulled back, leaving the opposition in control of the town. Buoyed by the opposition's control of a town near the Syrian capital, thousands of people held anti-government protests Friday, chanting for the downfall of the regime. At least eight people were killed by security forces across the country, activists said. (AP Photo)
An anti-Syrian regime protester flashes victory sign as he marches during a demonstration at the mountain resort town of Zabadani, Syria, near the Lebanese border, on Friday Jan. 20, 2012. President Bashar Assad's forces attacked Zabadani, some 17 miles (27 kilometers) west of the capital, for six days, sparking fierce fighting that involved heavy bombardments and clashes with army defectors. On Wednesday, government tanks and armored vehicles pulled back, leaving the opposition in control of the town. Buoyed by the opposition's control of a town near the Syrian capital, thousands of people held anti-government protests Friday, chanting for the downfall of the regime. At least eight people were killed by security forces across the country, activists said. (AP Photo)
Anti-Syrian regime protesters carry revolutionary flags while performing a traditional dance during a protest outside the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, Egypt Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012. Arab League foreign ministers, meeting in Cairo, extended the much-criticized observers mission for another month, officials from the 22-member organization said. The League decided to add more observers and provide them with additional resources, the officials said. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
BEIRUT (AP) ? Syria on Monday rejected the Arab League's wide-ranging new plan to end the country's 10-month crisis, saying the League's call for a national unity government in two months is a clear violation of Syrian sovereignty.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people poured into the streets in a suburb outside the capital, Damascus, to mourn 11 residents who were either shot dead by security forces or killed in clashes between army defectors and troops a day earlier, activists said.
The crowd in Douma ? which one activist said was 60,000-strong ? was under the protection of dozens of army defectors who are in control of the area after regime forces pulled out late Sunday, said Samer al-Omar, a Douma resident.
The reports could not be independently confirmed.
President Bashar Assad blames the uprising that erupted in March on terrorists and armed gangs acting out a foreign conspiracy to destabilize the country. His regime has retaliated with a brutal crackdown that the U.N. says has killed more than 5,400 people.
There is growing urgency, however, to find a resolution to a crisis that is growing increasingly violent as regime opponents and army defectors who have switched sides have started to fight back against government forces.
The Arab League has tried to stem the bloodshed by condemning the crackdown, imposing sanctions and sending a team of observers to the country. On Sunday, the League called for a unity government within two months, which would then prepare for parliamentary and presidential elections to be held under Arab and international supervision.
The proposal also provides for Assad to give his vice president full powers to cooperate with the proposed government to enable it to carry out its duties during a transitional period.
The state-run news agency, SANA, said Damascus considers the plan "flagrant interference in its internal affairs" and the latest turn in an international plot against Syria.
It was not immediately clear what steps, if any, Syria could take to counter the Arab League's stance.
The European Union backed the Arab plan Monday, and it extended existing sanctions against Assad's government by adding 22 more officials and eight companies to the blacklist.
Omar Idlibi, a spokesman for the Syrian National Council opposition group, said the Arab efforts do not go far enough. He and many other opposition figures demand Assad leave power and say anything less will just give the regime time to bury the revolt.
But there are significant splits in the opposition about the way forward.
Hassan Abdul-Azim, who heads the National Coordination Body for Democratic Change in Syria, or NCB, said the Arab plan is an "advanced step as the Arab League has started dealing with matters more seriously."
Abdul-Azim told The Associated Press that the plan would put more pressure on Assad's regime and "tells it that it's impossible to keep matters as they are."
Syria appeared to get a serious boost Monday from its powerful allies in Russia. Russia's business daily Kommersant reported that Moscow has signed a contract to sell 36 Yak-130 combat jets to Syria ? a deal that, if confirmed, would openly defy international efforts to pressure Assad's regime.
The Arab League's observer mission has come under heavy criticism for failing to stop the violence in Syria.
On Monday, the head of the mission defended the observers' work, saying their presence had cut down on the bloodshed. Speaking at League headquarters in Cairo, Sudanese Gen. Mohammed Ahmed al-Dabi told reporters the observers have witnessed violence from both the Syrian security forces and armed opposition groups.
"When the delegation arrived, there was clear and obvious violence," he said. "But after the delegation arrived, the violence started to lessen gradually."
On Sunday, Arab League foreign ministers extended the mission for another month. The mission's one-month mandate technically expired on Thursday.
Violence continued inside Syria on Monday.
The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said troops and army defectors clashed Monday near the western town of Qusair, close to the Lebanese border. It said five soldiers were killed and 13 were wounded.
The Observatory added that 11 civilians were killed by security forces in different parts of Syria, five of them in the northwestern province of Idlib, that borders Turkey.
The LCC put Monday's death toll at 10.
It was impossible to reconcile the discrepancy.
Syria has prevented most independent media coverage and until recently has refused to issue visas for most foreign journalists. In recent weeks, the regime has begun to permit entry for journalists on trips escorted by government minders.
___
Hubbard reported from Cairo.
___
Bassem Mroue can be reached on http://twitter.com/bmroue
Amazon Kindle Fire helped tablet ownership in America nearly double in less than a month, according to a new Pew report.?
December was a very good month for the tablet computer and e-reader industries, according to the?Pew Research Center.
Skip to next paragraph
In a new report released this week, Pew estimated that the share of American adults who owned tablet computers almost doubled between mid-December and early January, surging from 10 percent to 19. Meanwhile, during that same time frame, e-reader ownership also leaped from 10 percent to 19 percent.
"These findings are striking because they come after a period from mid-2011 into the autumn in which there was not much change in the ownership of tablets and e-book readers," Lee Rainie?wrote?on the Pew Research blog. "However, as the holiday gift-giving season approached, the marketplace for both devices dramatically shifted."?
Analysts attributed the growth in part to price drops on the entry-level Kindle and Nook e-readers, and the price-tag of the Amazon Kindle Fire, which retails for $200, three hundred bucks cheaper than the cheapest iPad. As we noted back in November, it costs Amazon?$201.70 to build each Fire, meaning the company is actually losing money on each device it sells.?
It's a gamble, essentially: Amazon is betting that you'll use the Fire to buy a whole lot of Amazon content, such as e-books and videos. Some even predict that this is the year that Amazon begins selling an e-reader for nothing, thus removing one of the last hurdles to e-reading bliss. Sound possible to you? Drop us a line in the comments section.?
For more tech news, follow us on?Twitter @venturenaut. And don?t forget to sign up for the weekly?BizTech newsletter.
I am often annoyed at the articles and interviews that position women in a very ugly light when it comes to money. We are often depicted as dumb, flighty, air-headed and out of control. If you were to Google search books about women and money, there are numerous ones in the marketplace to "help us" get a grip on what we need to do in our financial life. Some of them are very helpful, some are not. But, on the flip side of things, if you search for books about men and money, the results are dismal. The reality is that men are viewed as having it all together, women are not.
Why is that? Women have allowed themselves, to a certain extent, to be kept in the dark about their household finances. A recent survey indicated that 65% of men make all of the financial decisions in their home without any input from their spouse. Time and time again I see the impact this has on a woman. I have sat down with many distraught women who seek out my guidance after going through a divorce or when they suffer the loss of their spouse. I have had to teach them how to write a check, balance their checkbook, pay a utility bill -- simply because their husbands handled it all. Why do we allow ourselves to become so dependent on a man? We are the caregivers, the nurturers, the listeners, but we are also the ones that allow ourselves to lose our independence. Why is that? I still try to understand that myself.
One of the hardest and most financially devastating experiences to go through in life is divorce. You enter into a marriage never looking for the exit door, but sometimes it just happens. The unfortunate reality is that one out of two marriages will end in divorce. If you are newly divorced, there are specific items that need to be addressed as soon as possible.
1. Get Your Documents Organized: Make sure you have several copies of your Final Judgment or Decree and/or Marital Settlement Agreement. These may be needed if you are transferring any property, separating debt, etc. Also, make a list of your team of consultants -- CPA, Stock Broker, Banker, etc. Notify them of the divorce and make appointments to bring them up to speed and determine how your new status is going to affect things.
2. Work with a Financial Professional: This is a key step if you are new to handling your finances. Sit down with an advisor and get an overall picture of where you are now as the new financial head of household. Review your divorce decree pertaining to your investments, ownership and custodial responsibility of your children's accounts (if applicable), and take a full Personal Financial Inventory of all of your investments.
3. Settle Accounts: If you have joint checking/savings accounts, make sure to close or distribute all joint assets according to the decree. You want to make sure your ex-spouse is removed from your signature card, safety deposit box, etc. at your bank and that all credit/debit cards are returned or disposed of properly.
4. Retitle Assets: According to your decree/settlement, properly retitle assets such as cars, motorcycles, boats, homes, etc. as soon as possible.
5. Change Your Beneficiary: One of the most commonly "overlooked" mistakes is to not change your beneficiary. Review your life insurance policies, retirement accounts, annuities, etc. to make the necessary updates to your beneficiary. You want to make sure your wealth transfers to the right hands, not the wrong ones!
6. Consider Your Retirement: Pay close attention to retirement assets. Roll over or transfer retirement assets according to your divorce decree and/or QDRO (Qualified Domestic Relations Order). Make sure to review all of your retirement accounts, including pensions and employer-sponsored plans.
6. Update Your Will: If you have a will, update it. If you don't, establish one! You are now the new captain of your financial ship. Establish a new power of attorney, health care and financial directive and if you have children , you may consider establishing a trust for their benefit.
7. Consider Insurance: Most people cringe at the word insurance. It is better to have and not need than need and not have. Review with your financial professional and consider adding life and/or long term care insurance to your financial house. Now that you are on your own, putting the necessary investments in place in case of sickness or death just might be the right thing to do.
8. Review Your Benefits: Contact the Social Security Administration to check your eligibility if you are 62 or older and were married for longer than 10 years. If you spouse was a veteran, contact the VA to see if there are any benefits available to you.
9. Review Your Health Coverage: If your divorce decree establishes that you will continue coverage under your spouse's employer, make sure to contact the company and request current information about the type of plan and what is covered. Also update them to your new address if you have relocated and make it a point to stay in touch every few months. This will keep you in the loop if your ex-spouse has made any changes to the plan. If you need to establish your own health care coverage, shop around and compare companies and quotes.
10. Design a New Plan: Design a plan that meets your new life. If you are not used to being responsible for the bills, devise a budget and stick to it. Do not allow yourself to get overwhelmed. Stay involved and encouraged. You need to be financially responsible in your new life. Don't feel ashamed to ask questions and listen to advice, from a qualified financial professional.
Even though you may feel like you are living in a fog , the smoke does clear. You can recover from a divorce, sometimes better than you ever were before. I am speaking from personal experience. Stay in control, even if love does find you again.
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Public release date: 25-Jan-2012
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