Dec
31

Chinese Regulator’s Family Profited From Stake in Insurer

The New York TimesThe Ping An International Finance Center, being built in Shenzhen. Ping An is among the world’s biggest financial institutions. SHANGHAI — Relatives of a top Chinese regulator profited enormously from the purchase of shares in a once-struggling insurance company that is now one of China’s biggest financial powerhouses, according to interviews and a review of regulatory filings. ...
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Dec
30

Obama blames GOP for 'fiscal cliff' brinksmanship

WASHINGTON -- President Obama blamed Republican leaders for the latest round of brinkmanship in Washington and said it was now...
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Wired Science's Top Image Galleries of the Year

Many of our most popular posts are image galleries, and this year our readers favorite collections included microscope photos, doomsday scenarios, auroras and lots of images of Earth from space.The satellite image above of Brasilia is part of the most popular post of the year.Above: I think it's safe to say that our readers like looking at images of Earth from space almost as much as we do. Satellite...
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Hot spots draw believers, but not doomsday

As the sun rose from time zone to time zone across the world on Friday, there was still no sign of the world’s end — but that didn’t stop those convinced that a 5,125-year Mayan calendar predicts the apocalypse from gathering at some of the world’s purported survival hot spots.Many of the esoterically inclined expected a new age of consciousness — others wanted a party. But, in some places said to...
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Well: Exercise and the Ever-Smarter Human Brain

Anyone whose resolve to exercise in 2013 is a bit shaky might want to consider an emerging scientific view of human evolution. It suggests that we are clever today in part because a million years ago, we could outrun and outwalk most other mammals over long distances. Our brains were shaped and sharpened by movement, the idea goes, and we continue to require regular physical activity in order for...
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Dec
28

Suspect in homeless woman's burning is mentally ill, police say

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Bluetooth Tracking Can Predict the Length of Your Commute Hell

Bluetooth is good for more than silly headsets and wireless speakers. The city of Calgary, Alberta, is using the technology to give drivers real-time information about travel time during their commute.The Travel Time Information System along Calgary’s Deerfoot Trail anonymously collects Bluetooth signals from mobile phones, headsets and other devices to estimate travel...
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Singer Travis pleads not guilty to assault

SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) – Country singer Randy Travis pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor assault in a municipal courtroom in the Dallas suburb of Plano on Friday, his lawyer said.Lawyer Peter A. Schulte told Reuters his client is “absolutely not guilty of this crime.”Police say Travis assaulted a man in a church parking lot in Plano in August while attempting to intervene in a disagreement between a...
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Surgery Returns to NYU Langone Medical Center

Chang W. Lee/The New York TimesSenator Charles E. Schumer spoke at a news conference Thursday about the reopening of NYU Langone Medical Center. NYU Langone Medical Center opened its doors to surgical patients on Thursday, almost two months after Hurricane Sandy overflowed the banks of the East River and forced the evacuation of hundreds of patients. While the medical center had been treating...
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Dec
27

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to step down

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