Singapore Broadens Censorship of Online News - The Hollywood ...

Anthony Chen's "Ilo Ilo" is the first Singaporean feature to win a major award at Cannes.

The Singaporean government on Tuesday introduced new measures designed to control Internet news sites that report regularly on the city-state?s politics and current affairs. The move has led to a wave of criticism from local media outlets and opposition political groups, which have labeled the measures ?regressive? and harmful to the territory?s already curtailed press freedoms.
The regulations will initially affect 10 news sites that cover Singapore, including a site owned and operated by Yahoo and several outlets run by two local media groups with ties to the Singaporean government.

The new rules, introduced by Singapore?s Media Development Authority, require that the sites apply for individual licenses, which will be renewed annually. The sites will then need to pay a ?performance bond? of about $40,000 (50,000 Singaporean dollars) and are required to remove any content deemed objectionable within 24 hours. The censorship framework is an extension of existing regulations for all Internet sites in the country, which ban any content perceived as offensive to morality, state security, public interest and social harmony.

PHOTOS:?Cut, Censored, Changed: 10 Hollywood Films Tweaked for International Release

Many observers expect that the regulatory regime will soon be broadened to apply to additional local news sites, as the rules are loosely defined as applying to all sites that report on Singapore at least once a week and receive a minimum 50,000 unique visitors a month from within the city-state.

A government minister told local press that the MDA plans to pass laws next year to include overseas sites that report on Singapore under the new licensing requirements.

"We are not in a position to respond until we receive the actual license conditions for review," Alan Soon, Yahoo's Singapore country manager, said in a statement to the Wall Street Journal.

Alex Au, a prominent local political blogger, told the Journal that new laws will ?have a chilling effect on the online media," since regulators will be able to issue censorship requests without transparency or public scrutiny.

In public statements made Wednesday, opposition parties Singapore Democratic Party and National Solidarity Party called the new regulations a ?regressive? move that will hamper the development of the local media industry.

Singapore has been run by a single party -- the People?s Action Party -- since 1959. In the 2011 Singapore general election, the PAP won 81 of the 87 contested seats in the Singaporean parliament. Despite its repressive grip on local media, the PAP has been credited with steering the country into a period of widespread wealth and prosperity. According to a report by Boston Consulting Group last year, one in six Singaporean households have disposable private wealth of over $1 million, excluding property, businesses holdings and luxury goods.

REVIEW:?Ilo Ilo

But many observers are now saying the tight control of the media is no longer justifiable, given the territory?s high level of development and stability.

"It's hard not to see how this is another attempt to control media -- local and international -- by the Singapore government," Bob Dietz, Asia coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists, a U.S. based press-freedom watchdog, told the Journal in its report. "Its justification used in the past that strict media controls are necessary to squelch violent political dissent is simply no longer valid. It's hard to argue with Singapore's economic success. But the disconnect between its economic freedom and media freedom seems to be growing too large."

In a case of one step forward, one step back, the clampdown and its backlash comes just as the Media Development Authority was celebrating a milestone in its success at nurturing Singapore?s growing screen industries.

Three days before the new Internet censorship scheme was introduced, Singaporean director Anthony Chen won the prestigious Camera d?Or for his debut feature Ilo Ilo at the Cannes Film Festival, where it played in the Directors' Fortnight. The film, which was supported by MDA grant schemes, is the first Singaporean feature to win a major award at Cannes.

?Our focus in nurturing local filmmakers is beginning to bear fruit,? Yeo Chun Cheng, assistant CEO of MDA recently told The Hollywood Reporter. ?Singapore has gone from producing six features in 2009 to 12 in 2012.?

Share of box office for domestic Singaporean films also grew from $5.06 million to $8.03 million over the same period. Last February, local hit Ah Boys to Men 2, from director Jack Neo, became the highest-grossing Singaporean movie ever, earning $6.36 million and topping Hollywood imports such as Spider Man 3 and Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 2 on the all-time local charts.
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Source: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/singapore-broadens-censorship-online-news-560637

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Samsung Galaxy S 4 Active gets approved by FCC with AT&T LTE

We've already seen pictures (and video) of the water-defiant Samsung Galaxy S 4 Active, so despite its unannounced status, it's difficult to refute its existence. Fortunately, we're starting to get even more evidence that its launch is rapidly approaching, as an AT&T-compliant version of the rugged device -- the SGH-I537 to be exact -- has made its way through the federal approval process. As you may already know, this is by no means any guarantee that it will be picked up by the mammoth GSM operator, but its inclusion of the same four LTE bands found in most current AT&T smartphones (2, 4, 5 and 17, if you're curious) is a pretty positive indicator. We're still in the woods as to the exact specs, but we're bracing ourselves for a midrange handset that doesn't sport quite the same oomph as its original namesake; that said, it appears to at least be a slick-looking rugged device, which is a rarity these days. It wouldn't surprise us to see this beaut in its full sporty glory June 20th in London, but we'll have to wait it out a few weeks to know if our hunch was right.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Samsung, AT&T

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Source: FCC

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/tJXd8yHoxfc/

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Two Years After TweetDeck Acquisition, Founder Iain Dodsworth Leaves Twitter

TweetDeck founder Iain Dodsworth announced today that he's leaving Twitter. In his tweet, Dodsworth noted that it's been two years since Twitter acquired TweetDeck, and he said "now feels like a perfect time to start something new." Dodsworth's departure comes as Twitter's vision for TweetDeck does seem to be shifting. A few months ago, it shut down the iPhone, Android, and AIR versions. There are still native Windows and Mac apps, but the company has suggested that the web version will be its focus going forward.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/ScovkWuftOk/

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Lawsuit cites "barbaric" conditions at Miss. prison

By Emily Le Coz

JACKSON, Mississippi (Reuters) - A Mississippi prison for severely mentally ill inmates is infested with rats that prisoners sell to one another as pets, two civil liberties groups claimed in a federal lawsuit filed on Thursday.

Inmates at the East Mississippi Correctional Facility near Meridian live under "barbaric" conditions, in filthy quarters without working lights or toilets, forcing them to defecate on Styrofoam trays or into trash bags, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Southern Poverty Law Center claimed in the lawsuit.

Beatings, rape, robbery and riots are commonplace, and inmates are denied access to medication and psychiatric care, the 83-page complaint stated.

The privately run prison "is an extremely dangerous facility operating in a perpetual state of crisis" and inmates' human rights are violated daily, according to the groups. Some prisoners set fires in a desperate attempt to get medical attention in emergencies, the lawsuit said.

"I've been in prisons all around the country, and this is the worst I've ever seen," said Gabriel B. Eber, staff counsel for the ACLU's National Prison Project.

The Mississippi Department of Corrections, whose top officials were named as defendants, declined to comment on the allegations in the lawsuit, said department spokeswoman Grace Fisher.

The class action lawsuit says state prison officials have been aware of the conditions at the facility for years but have not remedied the problems.

In one instance, according to the lawsuit, an otherwise healthy inmate had to have a testicle removed after prison officials repeatedly denied his request for medical help when it swelled to the size of a softball from cancer.

The abundance of rats has resulted in some prisoners using them as currency, trading the captured animals for cigarettes or selling them as pets with makeshift leashes, the lawsuit said.

East Mississippi Correctional Facility houses some 1,500 inmates, almost all of whom are mentally ill, Fisher said. It is operated by Utah-based Management & Training Corporation, a private contractor that took over management of the prison last year.

The company was not named in the lawsuit, but its spokesman Issa Arnita said it has been "working very hard to improve the conditions and (has) made a lot of progress over these past 10 months."

Prisoners' family members gathered on Thursday outside the state's Department of Corrections building in Jackson, where the ACLU and SPLC announced the lawsuit. The family members spoke out against what they call inhumane treatment and the oversight of prisons by private contractors.

"Please, please don't put a price tag on our loved ones," said Katie Autry, whose 28-year-old mentally ill son is serving time at the prison for manslaughter. "Make sure they get the help they desperately need."

(Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Richard Chang)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lawsuit-alleges-barbaric-conditions-mississippi-prison-233859661.html

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This Is How Iron Man 3 Should Have Ended

Like, duh. If you have a lot of Iron Man suits, you use those Iron Man suits to blow things up. Especially bad guys. If you don't enjoy doing that, then don't be Iron Man! Go be Peace Corp Man instead.

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Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/5mnbfKxx5lI/this-is-how-iron-man-3-should-have-ended-510581704

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Analysis: Trickle, not flood, seen when overseas stocks open to Chinese

By Pete Sweeney and Samuel Shen

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Signals Beijing is preparing to unleash the buying power of Chinese individual investors on overseas markets may have some stock brokers salivating at the prospect the new money can add another leg to Wall Street's record-breaking rally.

But reality may be different. Chinese investors so far have shown little enthusiasm for owning foreign stocks under limited investment schemes available in China and are more likely to channel their money into real estate.

The central bank said in January that planning for the trial of a domestic individual investor programme would be a top priority this year and other statements, including from senior officials this month, supported allowing more freedom for money to flow out of the country.

That has raised expectations that a wave of fresh funds may be about to head into global markets.

"This may unleash a significant and growing amount of investment capital held by Chinese individuals into global markets including global stock markets," George Askew, U.S.-based equities analyst with Stifel Nicolaus & Co. wrote in a research note distributed to clients.

Chinese savers had more than 44 trillion yuan in personal deposits in Chinese banks in April, central bank figures show.

If they invest 10 percent of their savings in foreign stocks - a conservative measure of portfolio diversification - they would spend some $724 billion in offshore bourses.

Although overseas stock markets - in particular those in the United States - have strongly outperformed Chinese indexes, mainland investors have been reluctant to own shares in foreign companies and analysts say regulatory tweaks alone are unlikely to change this attitude.

SCARRED FOR LIFE

China's Qualified Domestic Institutional Investors (QDII) programme, which offers mutual funds in overseas assets for sale to Chinese retail investors, has largely flopped.

Despite Chinese passion for foreign real estate, as rising prices from Vancouver to Singapore and London illustrate, regulators can not seem to give QDII quotas away.

The regulator, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE), currently allows up to $44.7 billion in Chinese money to be invested under the QDII scheme. But less than a quarter of that amount has been taken up, data from Chinese fund analysis firm Z-Ben Advisors shows.

And the situation appears to be worsening. Even as the Standard & Poor's 500 index <.spx> has set new records this year on Wall Street, assets under management in the QDII were shrinking.

Earlier this year, two Chinese overseas investment funds, targeting U.S. home builders and Japanese equities, respectively, failed to raise enough money for inception.

"We were aggressively promoting the funds, but people were just not interested," said Shawn Liu, Shanghai-based managing director of one of the funds, AZ Investment Management.

Even QDII exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that passively track familiar indexes in Hong Kong have seen subscriptions fall.

An ETF tracking the Hong Kong's benchmark index, the Hang Seng <.hsi>, run by E-Fund Management, attracted 1.6 billion yuan when it started in 2012 only to see that shrink to 198 million by March 31, data on the company's website shows.

China Asset Management Company's QDII ETF that tracks the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index <.hscei>, or Chinese companies listed in Hong Kong, saw funds of 3.59 billion yuan at inception in August 2012 deflate to 304.2 million yuan by the end of March, the firm's website shows.

http://link.reuters.com/bav38t GRAPHIC: QDII assets under management

http://link.reuters.

QDII was originally aimed at channelling part of China's massive savings abroad to help reduce inflationary pressure at home and serve as a test bed for the opening of China's capital account.

Launched during China's equity bull run in 2006, the programme attracted huge interest initially. But the global financial crisis dealt a severe blow to QDII investors -- some lost as much as 70 percent -- prompting the government to suspend the scheme until 2010.

While the U.S. stock market has consistently outperformed mainland indexes since then, the losses scarred many investors.

In fact, QDII fund managers say the recovery of foreign markets has only increased redemptions, as investors who refused to sell at a loss earlier take advantage of the overseas bull run to cash out.

Analysts say other challenges need to be addressed in order to restore confidence among Chinese retail investors.

For one thing, exchange rate risk is an issue. The yuan has gained 1.77 percent this year against the dollar, setting consecutive record highs on a weekly basis since April.

"The Chinese know there's a lot of pressure for the renminbi to appreciate. Investing overseas you're going to be battling that wind," said Olivier d'Assier, managing director for Asia Pacific at Axioma, which recently signed an agreement to help create indexes for the China Securities Index Co. Ltd, which runs the CSI series of indexes tracking Chinese A-shares.

But the biggest problem is widespread suspicion of stocks as an asset class. Chinese equities have not produced the historical returns one would expect from an economy that until recently grew at double-digit rates every year for three decades.

At the same time, Chinese investors have found places to put their money, specifically high-yielding wealth management products in China and in property, which are perceived to be less risky than stocks.

However, if the central bank's trial programme does allow individuals to invest directly, instead of having to rely on mutual funds, it will address one major reason for QDII's unpopularity, namely the reputation of the domestic mutual fund industry.

"I don't trust Chinese fund managers," said Fu Shuaiwei, a 47-year-old investor, who lost money on QDII investments and now only puts money into domestic capital markets.

If China does open the gate for domestic individuals to invest overseas directly, Fu said he will manage his own portfolio. But he's still cautious.

"I would test the water with less than one tenth of my money," he said. "I won't bet big because I don't understand overseas markets well enough." (Editing by Neil Fullick)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/analysis-trickle-not-flood-seen-overseas-stocks-open-221249136.html

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Soggy weather delays Iowa corn, soybean planting

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture says 85 percent of Iowa's corn crop and 40 percent of the state's soybean crop has been planted.

The estimates released Tuesday by the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service show the corn crop is far behind the five-year-average of 98 percent for this time of year. The soybean crop's five-year average is 83 percent planted by this time.

Although planting is behind the average due to a cold spring and recent persistent rain, farmers were able to make a lot of progress during a dry stretch last week.

The rain also has improved pasture and range conditions, with 89 percent now seen as in fair, good or excellent conditions, though some land along streams has flooded.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/soggy-weather-delays-iowa-corn-143954403.html

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Israel warns of action over Russian plan to give ... - World News

By Ian Johnston and John Newland, NBC News

A senior Israeli defense official warned on Tuesday that Russia?s plan to send sophisticated anti-aircraft weapons systems to Syria?s President Bashar Assad was a ?threat? and signaled Israel could take some form of unspecified action in response.

Israel has launched airstrikes inside Syria that it says were designed to stop weapons shipments getting to the Assad-allied Hezbollah movement in Lebanon.

Russia on Tuesday reiterated its intention to go ahead with the arms deal. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said it would ?restrain some hotheads from escalating the conflict to the international scale,"?according to Russia Today.

John McCain crossed into Syria from Turkey to meet with Salim Idris, the general commander of the Free Syrian Army. McCain wants the U.S. to support the Free Syrian Army with arms and a no-fly zone. NBC's Richard Engel reports and NBC's David Gregory discusses the visit.

His comments came after the European Union agreed to lift an arms embargo that prevented weapons from being sent to the rebels fighting Assad?s forces.

French foreign ministry spokesman Philippe Lalliot said France could potentially send arms to the opposition before the embargo expires on Aug. 1, but said it had no immediate plans to do so, Reuters reported.

The U.K.?s Foreign Secretary William Hague said in a statement that the lifting of the embargo was ?important ? to send a clear signal to the Assad regime that it has to negotiate seriously, and that all options remain on the table if it refuses to do so.?

There is concern in Israel that weapons sent to the rebels could fall into the hands of Islamist factions within their ranks, who could in turn use the arms against Israel.

Israel?s Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon told reporters that the looming shipment of Russian anti-aircraft S300?missiles was ?a threat,? according to reports in the Haaretz newspaper and elsewhere.

?The shipments haven?t set out yet and I hope they won?t. If they do arrive in Syria, God forbid, we?ll know what to do,? he said.

Haaretz noted that Israeli Air Force chief Maj. Gen. Amir Eshel said last week that the Russian shipment ?is on its way.?

A look back at the conflict that has overtaken the country.

Ryabkov defended the deal with Syria. ?Those systems by definition cannot be used by militant groups on the battlefield,? he said, according to Russia Today. ?We consider this delivery a factor of stabilization. We believe that moves like this one to a great degree restrain some hotheads from escalating the conflict to the international scale, from involving external forces.?

Fawaz A. Gerges, professor of Middle East politics and international relations at the London School of Economics, told BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday that Britain was looking to fill the ?leadership vacuum? that exists because of U.S. reluctance to become more directly involved in the civil war in Syria.

?There is no military solution to the conflict. Even if the opposition is armed, I doubt very much whether they would have the capacity to deliver a decisive blow against Assad and Hezbollah and Iran,? he told the station.

?It?s not just Assad now. You have Hezbollah, one of the most potent military organizations in the Middle East, and Iran. And that?s why the Russians and the Americans have intensified their diplomacy,? he added.

?They are trying to basically prevent the escalation of the Syrian conflict not only into neighboring countries, but also into a region-wide conflict. This is what we?re talking about today: Is the fire in Syria devouring and consuming other countries in the region??

Related:

This story was originally published on Tue May 28, 2013 10:29 AM EDT

Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/28/18557392-israel-warns-of-action-over-russian-plan-to-give-missiles-to-syrias-assad?lite

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Teamsters union seeks to displace union at American Airlines

The Teamsters union on Tuesday ramped up its effort to displace the unions representing ground workers at American Airlines and US Airways Group , which plan to merge this year and form the world's biggest airline.

The Teamsters said it filed with the U.S. National Mediation Board for an election to represent mechanics at AMR Corp's American Airlines, who are currently represented by the Transport Workers Union of America. Earlier this month, the Teamsters filed for an election for US Airways mechanics, seeking to displace the machinists union.

Should the National Mediation Board determine that 50 percent of the union members at US Airways and American Airlines favor the Teamsters, it can set representation elections. The Teamsters union declined to comment on how many signatures it had obtained from American mechanics.

The transport workers and machinists unions blasted the move, saying the Teamsters union was looking to take members from other unions as its membership declines.

In a statement Garry Drummond, air transport director of the transport workers, called the Teamsters "a troubled union".

"In 2012, the Teamsters lost more members than any other union in the United States" and "has resorted to raiding established unions at American Airlines and US Airways," Drummond's statement added.

Sito Pantoja, general vice president with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union, said the Teamsters were hurting labor "by dividing already unionized employees with hollow promises."

Pantoja's statement added: "They are doing nothing to bring new airline workers into the labor movement."

Earlier this month, the TWU and machinist unions said they planned to form a partnership to become the bargaining agent for nearly 30,000 ground workers at each airline after the merger closes.

The Teamsters union announced its filing at a news conference and phone briefing from Washington, D.C. Some American Airlines mechanics said they wanted a strong bargaining agent that could help combat job losses and reduced benefits in the airline industry.

"We suffered through bankruptcy and now with the merger with US Airways, we need to be prepared for more changes that management will no doubt use to further cut costs and undermine our craft," said Jim Anderson, a 25-year American Airlines mechanic based in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Anderson said American Airlines mechanics went to the Teamsters seeking new representation.

Paul Flaningan, a spokesman for American Airlines, said the airline's workers have the right to choose their unions.

"If the National Mediation Board determines that the Teamsters received interest from at least 50 percent of American's Mechanic and Related employees and an election is authorized, we hope our Mechanics will examine the options and take the time to vote on the path they believe is best for them, their families, and the company," Flaningan added in a statement.

(Reporting by Karen Jacobs in Atlanta; Editing by Maureen Bavdek and David Gregorio)

Source: http://feeds.foxbusiness.com/~r/foxbusiness/economy/~3/UlzEmNTym_U/

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College enrollment falls as more return to work

College enrollments declined 2.3 percent this spring compared with a year earlier, a sign that more students are returning to the workforce as the economy recovers, a new report says.

The biggest drops occurred among adult learners attending for-profit colleges and public community colleges, which are most likely to enroll students in vocation-oriented classes tied to the local job market. Enrollments at those institutions fell 8.7 percent and 3.6 percent respectively.

For colleges, which saw enrollments peak in 2011 during the recession, the declining numbers represent ?a bit of a return to normal,? says Doug Shapiro, executive director of the nonprofit National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, which released the report. ?It?s reflective of good news for the economy and labor market.?

Numbers are based on data provided by about 95 percent of the nation?s colleges and universities to the National Student Clearinghouse, which offers verification and research services to participating colleges.

Enrollments this spring reached 19,105,651, down from 19,550,391 last spring. A similar decline has occurred during fall semesters, when enrollment figures have historically been higher. Enrollments last fall were down 1.8 percent, to 20,195,924, compared with a high of 20,556,272 in fall 2011.

Among details between this spring and last spring:

Four-year public institutions saw a 1.1 percent drop in enrollments while four-year private colleges saw a slight increase.

Across regions, the Midwest saw the greatest decrease in overall enrollment, 2.6 percent, while the Northeast saw the smallest decrease, less than 1 percent. The drops were 1.7 percent in the West and 2.2 percent in the South.

The decrease was steeper for women than men (2.7 percent vs. 1.7 percent), but women still accounted for more than 57 percent of this spring?s enrollments.

Enrollments among students older than 24 fell 3.6 percent, while rates for traditional-age students fell 1.4 percent.

Michael Reilly, executive director of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, says the numbers are consistent with trends showing declines in the size of high school graduating classes and may reflect recent scrutiny of for-profit colleges.

Last summer, Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, wrapped up a two-year investigation of the sector that found that students at for-profit colleges on average had lower graduation rates and higher average loan default rates than those enrolled in nonprofit institutions.

Steve Gunderson, CEO of the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities, which represents for-profit institutions, attributed some of the enrollment declines to what he called ?right-sizing.? But he also said his schools also have grown more selective as federal and state policymakers focus on issues such as graduation rates.

?We as a sector used to practice what we would call open access (admissions). Everyone had a chance,? he says. Increasingly, he says, ?enrollments are reflecting a better-prepared, less risky student body.?

? 2013 USA TODAY. All rights reserved.

Source: http://durangoherald.com/article/20130528/NEWS05/130529491&source=RSS

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Spotify's Top 10 most streamed tracks

The following list represents the top streamed tracks on Spotify from Monday, May 20, to Sunday, May 26:

UNITED STATES

1. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton, "Can't Hold Us" (Macklemore)

2. Daft Punk, "Get Lucky ? Radio Edit" (Columbia Records)

3. Imagine Dragons, "Radioactive" (Interscope Records)

4. Justin Timberlake, "Mirrors" (RCA Records)

5. P!nk, "Just Give Me a Reason" (RCA Records)

6. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Wanz, "Thrift Shop" (Macklemore)

7. Icona Pop feat. Charli XCX, "I Love It (Original Version)" (Big Beat Records/Atlantic)

8. Daft Punk, "Give Life Back to Music" (Columbia Records)

9. Daft Punk, "Get Lucky" (Columbia Records)

10. Selena Gomez, "Come & Get It" (Hollywood Records)

UNITED KINGDOM

1. Daft Punk, "Get Lucky ? Radio Edit" (Columbia Records)

2. Passenger, "Let Her Go" (Sony Music Entertainment)

3. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton, "Can't Hold Us" (Macklemore)

4. Rudimental feat. Ella Eyre, "Waiting All Night" (Asylum)

5. Bastille, "Pompeii" (Virgin Records)

6. Imagine Dragons, "Radioactive" (Interscope Records)

7. Daft Punk, "Give Life Back to Music" (Columbia Records)

8. Calvin Harris, "I Need Your Love" (Columbia Records)

9. Daft Punk, Get Lucky" (Columbia Records)

10. Daft Punk, "Lose Yourself to Dance" (Columbia Records)

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-05-28-Spotify-Most%20Streamed%20Tracks/id-fb34b172ccbc424ead569462958cd3a7

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Why Dancing Is Actually a Mating Call for Humans

As George Michael showed us once upon a time, the easiest way to get other humans to mate with you is to cut up a dance floor or hide in a bush in a random public park at nightfall. And dancing, it turns out, is actually an ingrained evolutionary trait! Among early humans, the best dancers were apparently the best hunters and runners and survivors, just like George Michael. [YouTube]

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Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/l9Za2qiE-dk/why-dancing-is-actually-a-mating-call-for-humans-510140880

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Why Brazil&#39;s e.Bricks Digital is Launching a $100 ... - The Next Web

Brazilian holding?e.Bricks Digital?has launched a $100 million venture capital fund,?its parent company Grupo RBS announced earlier this month. Its target is to make 12 to 15 new investments per year, with a specific focus on early-stage companies.

e.Bricks Digital was?formally launched in October 2012?as a way to structure the digital portfolio of?Grupo RBS. As you may know, this media group is one of the largest in Brazil, with an even stronger footprint in the south of the country, where it was created in 1957.

While Grupo RBS? properties include many traditional media outlets such as several newspapers and radio stations, it has also been investing in growth stage companies operating in the digital and tech sectors.

e.Bricks Digital?s main role so far was to handle said partnerships, but the launch of its dedicated fund means it is now venturing into a new activity: sourcing and managing investments in early-stage startups.

According to e.Bricks Digital?s strategy and portfolio executive director,?Andiara Petterle, this new strategy is related to the current state of Brazil?s tech scene:

?The Brazilian digital market is still in the very beginning and the ecosystem has not fully been developed yet. For that reason, there are more early stage companies than there are [in] growth stage. We?ve decided to separate growth and early stage [by] creating a specific fund for early stage companies, with a dedicated team. This fund will profit [from] e.Bricks? ecosystem with entrepreneurs and digital experts to help [provide] leverage [to] the companies.?

In practical terms, this means that e.Bricks? structure is now dual. On one hand, its growth-stage department consists of 20 people dedicated to M&A, portfolio management, financial and legal stuff. On the other hand, it allocated a team of three to early-stage investments, under the management of?Pedro Sirotsky Melzer.

Before heading e.Bricks? early stage fund, Sirotzky Melzer was a managing partner at Brazilian VC firm?Warehouse Investimentos, which he had joined after two years of working for Apple.

According to e.Bricks Digital?s CEO, Fabio Bruggioni, this parallel structure was the best option. ?Our appointed teams are extremely specialized, dedicated and allocated for each operation while respecting the independence of each strategy,? he said.

Consolidating growing companies

e.Bricks? investments focus on three verticals: digital media & tech, segmented e-commerce and mobile. This scope results Grupo RBS? background, but also from the evolution of the Brazilian market. ?Mobile is key in Brazil considering all the characteristics of Internet access here,??Petterle explains.

The growth-stage companies e.Bricks partners with need to have average revenues of $30-40 million, scalable business models and be in a position to become leaders in their market ? if they aren?t already. Here?s the list of companies that made the cut so far:

-?Guia da Semana,?ObaOba?and?Hagah, three social local recommendation platforms that share the same management team;

- Mobile marketing and advertising company?Grupo .Mobi;

- Online media agency?Hi-Midia?and its affiliate network?Afilio;

- Fast fashion brand and online retailer?Lets;

- Digital marketing solution provider?Predicta?(see our previous?post);

- Online retailer for user-customized products?Vitrinepix;

- Online wine and gourmet store?Wine.com.br.

Betting on early-stage startups

Apart from the revenue requirement, the early-stage startups in which e.Bricks is seeking to invest aren?t very different from its current portfolio:

?We?re looking for early-stage companies in the digital space, having the technology as a core or as an enabler in the business model. The business models have to create evident efficiency gains in the value chain and be extremely scalable. We?re targeting companies within markets of over a billion dollars in size,? Melzer Sirotsky says.

e.Bricks has already announced deals in three early-stage companies, such as content marketing platform?Rock Content?and?cloud-based family safety service?Zoemob, which was?nominated?for TNW Startup Awards in 2012.

While Rock Content is a new brand, it resulted from the merger of Start-Up Chile alum Textcorner with?Everwrite, which had?won the?RBS Prize for Entrepreneurship and Innovation?in 2011.

As we reported, e.Bricks also participated in a?$500k investment round in video ad network Samba Ads?a few months ago, alongside?Initial Capital,?500 Startups?and American-Israeli firm Rhodium.

Co-investments are indeed one of the structures e.Bricks? fund will use, although it will also invest alone. Its scope will range between seed capital and B rounds, starting with initial investments of between $250k and $1 million, and including follow-ons of $1 million to $3 millions for top performers.

At the moment, the fund?s $100 million capital comes entirely from its sole LP, e.Bricks, though?Melzer Sirotsky expects it to open to other institutions at some point.

In return for its investments, it?will seek a minority stake of 15 to 40 percent as well as board seats to ensure it will be able to work very closely with its portfolio companies.

According to Petterle, Wine.com.br?s example illustrates the positive impact of e.Bricks? hands-on approach and of potential synergies with Grupo RBS. She explains that since investing in the company last year, e.Bricks? team and network helped Wine.com.br get ready to scale in many ways, such as reconfiguring its distribution network and improving?its financial and HR structure. Over the same period, the startup expanded its business vision beyond wine, and reportedly saw its revenues grow five folds.

While Grupo RBS? historical base is Southern Brazil, e.Bricks Digital is based in S?o Paulo, where it has recently inaugurated its new headquarters. According to?INFO Online, the 1,200-square meter office space also features an auditorium for networking events between entrepreneurs and investors.

Brazil aside, e.Bricks will encourage portfolio companies whose products could be easily adopted in more developed markets to expand internationally. Both Predicta and Zoemob have already done so; the former has opened offices in Silicon Valley, while the latter gets 90 percent of its clients from outside of Brazil, mostly from the US.

e.Bricks itself also plans to operate in the US by closing partnerships that will help it internationalize its portfolio, either by taking Brazilian companies abroad for global expansion or by bringing foreign business models into Brazil. Petterle and Sirotzky Melzer declined to elaborate on the details, but advised us to stay tuned for ?exciting announcements on the horizon.?

Image credit: Bruna Nishihata

Source: http://thenextweb.com/la/2013/05/27/why-brazils-e-bricks-digital-is-launching-a-100-million-venture-capital-fund/

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Missouri Health Insurance Exchange Guide - Zane Benefits

Missouri Health Insurance Exchange Guide

This guide provides an overview of the Missouri?Health Insurance Exchange including the history of the Exchange, how the Exchange will operate, and Exchange information for?Missouri?residents and small businesses.

Missouri?Health Insurance Exchange Introduction

Beginning in 2014, as part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), health insurance coverage for individuals and small businesses will become available through new state health insurance exchanges (also called?health insurance marketplaces).

Most importantly, the key tax credits (e.g. the small business healthcare tax credits) and tax subsidies (e.g. individual health insurance tax subsidies) will only be available for coverage purchased through a state health insurance exchange.

All states have three options for setting up a state health insurance exchange for 2014:

1. Build a state-based exchange
2. Enter into a state-federal partnership exchange
3. Default to a federally-facilitated exchange

Missouri?will default to a federally-facilitated health insurance exchange.

Missouri?Health Insurance Exchange - History?

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon originally supported the idea of a state-based Exchange, however he did not receive backing from state government, nor from Missouri voters.

The Governor established Missouri?s Health Insurance Exchange Coordinating Council to coordinate the state?s response to the ACA.?In June 2011, the Senate created the Senate Interim Committee on Health Insurance Exchanges to explore Missouri?s options to establish a state-based Exchange. Legislation to create a state-based Exchange was introduced in the 2011 and 2012 sessions, but failed. In November 2012,?Missouri voters approved a ballot measure blocking the Governor from establishing an Exchange by Executive Order.

Therefore, efforts to run a state-based Exchange stalled and Missouri will default to the federally-run Exchange.

Missouri?Health Insurance Exchange - What is It?

The?Missouri?Health Insurance Exchange will be operated through a federally-run health insurance exchange, also referred to as the Health Insurance Marketplace. Starting October 1, 2013,?Missouri?residents will be able to access information about all the plans available through the Exchange, shop for plans, and access individual premium tax credits. The SHOP Exchange will be available to small businesses with 100 or fewer employees. Coverage from the Exchange starts in January 2014.

According to an estimate by healthcare.gov, 799,250 or 16% of Missouri?s non-elderly residents are uninsured, of whom 744,700 (93%) may qualify for either tax credits to purchase coverage in the Marketplace or for Medicaid if Missouri participates in the Medicaid expansion.

More information on the federally-run?Missouri?Health Insurance Exchange can be found here.

Missouri?Health?Insurance Exchange - What Plans will be Available?

All plans offered through the?Missouri?Health Insurance Exchange will meet the ACA definition of a Qualified Health Plan (QHP). The plans will be offered by level of coverage for essential health benefits (EHB), to allow consumers to compare plans on an "apples to apples" basis. The four "metal" levels are: Bronze (plan pays 60%), Silver (plan pays 70%), Gold (plan pays 80%) and Platinum (plan pays 90%). ?

Details on plan carriers and rates will be available by October 1, 2013.

Missouri?Health?Insurance Exchange - Role of Brokers and Navigators

The?Missouri?Health Insurance Exchange will follow federal guidelines for insurance professionals selling policies through the Exchange and for navigators assisting consumers and small businesses.

Insurance professionals will be able to register with the?Missouri?Health Insurance Exchange and receive any commissions directly from the carriers (using their Exchange ID number and NPN).?

The?Missouri?Health Insurance Exchange?navigator?program will assist consumers in making choices about their health care options and accessing their new health care coverage, including access to premium tax credits for some consumers. The federal government will run the navigator program in?Missouri.

Note: This should not be taken as legal or tax advice.

Source: http://www.zanebenefits.com/blog/bid/294187/Missouri-Health-Insurance-Exchange-Guide

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Ghostly Ship Graveyards from Around the World

Where do boats go when they die? Sometimes they end up in vast ship graveyards, sometimes craggy, foggy places where ships have met their doom, and sometimes spots where ships are deliberately left to rust. There's a quiet beauty to many of these graveyards and their resting inhabitants.

Read more...

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/gLG_7jjBu7M/ghostly-ship-graveyards-from-around-the-world-509929824

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Sky TV apps hacked, all now removed from the Play Store

Hack allegedly carried out by Syrian Electronic Army, Sky advises users to uninstall apps from devices

Sky TV has advised that their Android applications have been hacked, and as such all have been removed from the Google Play Store. The image seen here coincided with the latest 'update' to the Sky Go app, and appears to show the culprits behind the hacking. On their official Twitter feed, the Sky Help Team had this to say to their customers: 

UPDATE: All Sky's Android apps were hacked and replaced... please uninstall it, And we will let you know when it will be available

If you've downloaded a Sky TV app in the last 24 hours, the advice is clear. Remove it from your device, and Sky will update when they have resolved the situation. As it stands, all apps have now been removed from the Google Play Store. 

via Android Police

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/sbnPr0lcOe4/story01.htm

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