U.S. housing starts fall to ten-month low, weather blamed

By Lucia Mutikani

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Housing starts and permits for future home construction unexpectedly fell in June, but the decline in activity was likely to be short-lived against the backdrop of bullish sentiment among home builders.

The Commerce Department said on Wednesday housing starts dropped 9.9 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 836,000 units. That was the lowest level since August last year.

Economists, who had expected groundbreaking to rise to a 959,000-unit rate, shrugged off the decline and said wet weather in many parts of the country had dampened activity. They noted that much of the drop was in the volatile multifamily segment.

"It looks like it's weather-related," said Sam Bullard, a senior economist at Wells Fargo Securities in Charlotte, North Carolina. "On the surface it doesn't look good, but we are confident that starts activity is still going to climb higher in the months to come."

Permits to build homes fell 7.5 percent last month to a 911,000-unit pace. Economist had expected permits to rise to a 1-million unit pace.

Though it was the second straight month of declines in permits, they remained ahead of starts. Economists said this, together with upbeat homebuilder confidence, suggested groundbreaking activity will bounce back in July and through the remainder of this year.

Sentiment among single-family home builders hit a 7-1/2 year high in July, a report showed on Monday, amid optimism over current and future home sales.

MORTGAGE RATES STILL LOW

There was little to suggest that a recent spike in mortgage rates was restraining home building activity, economists said, pointing to the improving builder confidence.

"New home supply and housing completions remain low, home prices are rising and, despite the recent rise, mortgage rates remain low," said John Ryding, chief economist at RDQ Economics in New York. "To us, this all points to housing activity adding to growth in the second half of the year."

Housing's recovery is being aided by still-low mortgage rates engineered by the Federal Reserve's accommodative monetary policy and steady employment gains.

Mortgage rates increased in recent weeks after the Fed expressed its desire to start cutting back on its bond purchases later this year. The monthly $85 billion in bond purchases have been holding down interest rates.

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Wednesday the central bank still expected to start scaling back its massive asset purchase program later this year, but left open the option of changing that plan in either direction if the economic outlook shifted.

The U.S. stock market rose as Bernanke's comments led markets to believe the central bank's plans to pull its monetary stimulus were not set in stone. The U.S. dollar gained ground while Treasury securities prices slipped.

Bernanke offered an upbeat assessment of the housing market's prospects.

"Housing activity and prices seem likely to continue to recover, notwithstanding the recent increases in mortgage rates, but it will be important to monitor developments in this sector carefully," Bernanke told lawmakers.

Last month, groundbreaking for single-family homes, the largest segment of the market, slipped 0.8 percent to its lowest level since last November 2012. Starts for multi-family homes declined 26.2 percent to a 245,000-unit rate.

Starts were down in all four regions in June, with big declines in the Northeast, South and the Midwest.

Weak groundbreaking suggested a smaller boost to both second and third quarter gross domestic product from residential construction. Second-quarter GDP estimates are ranging between 0.5 percent and 1 percent.

The economy grew at a 1.8 percent annual pace in the first three months of the year.

Permits for multi-family homes fell 21.4 percent last month. But permits for single-family homes rose 0.6 percent to a their highest since May 2008.

(Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Andrea Ricci and Chizu Nomiyama)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/housing-starts-fall-ten-month-low-124046675.html

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Son of Jerry Sandusky seeks to have name changed

BELLEFONTE, Pa. (AP) ? A son of former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky is seeking to have his name changed more than a year after his adoptive father was convicted of child sexual abuse.

Matt Sandusky filed papers Tuesday in Centre County Court seeking to have the names of him and his family changed. Though the documents are sealed, they show he filed for a name change, along with his wife and four children.

Matt Sandusky had been expected to be a defense witness until the trial, when he told investigators that he also had been abused by Jerry Sandusky.

Jerry Sandusky was convicted on 45 counts of sexual abuse. He is serving a 30- to 60-year prison sentence and maintains he was wrongfully convicted. He is pursuing appeals.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/son-jerry-sandusky-seeks-name-changed-111301137.html

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Passengers eye legal action against Boeing, Asiana over crash

By Jessica Dye

(Reuters) - Asiana Airlines Inc and Boeing Co are facing potential legal action by passengers who were on board a flight that crashed in San Francisco on July 6, killing three and injuring more than 180, according to U.S. court filings.

The Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 had more than 300 passengers and crew members on board when it crashed while landing at San Francisco International Airport. The National Transportation Safety Board is currently investigating the causes of the crash.

A petition for discovery has been filed against Boeing in Chicago court, where the airplane manufacturer is headquartered. The petition begins the legal process against the maker of the Boeing 777, according to a statement from Ribbeck Law Chartered, a law firm representing the passengers.

The firm announced the petition, filed Monday, in a press release on Tuesday.

The passengers are seeking design, manufacturing and safety information, as well as maintenance records and other relevant evidence, in order to determine legal liability for the crash, according to their lawyers.

Similar requests may be filed against other companies, including Asiana Airlines and several unnamed makers of component parts, in the coming days, the law firm said.

A spokesman for Boeing declined to comment.

On Monday, South Korea-based Asiana Airlines was sued in federal court in California by a Korean woman, Younga Jun Machorro, and her son, who were passengers the Asiana Airlines flight.

The lawsuit alleged that the Asiana flight crew committed "an extensive litany of errors and omissions" and were improperly trained and supervised, causing the crash.

They are seeking at least $5 million in damages for "extreme bodily and mental injuries and economic damages" allegedly suffered as a result of the crash, according to the lawsuit.

A spokesman for Asiana Airlines declined to comment.

(Reporting by Jessica Dye in New York)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/passengers-eye-legal-action-against-boeing-asiana-over-005245702.html

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Today, Evernote for Android received an update that improves Reminders, allows annotations on PDFs a

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Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/OGWh0Hp-O78/today-evernote-for-android-received-an-update-that-imp-817323075

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Hands on with Samsung?s 10-inch Galaxy Tab 3: Go for the Nexus 10

I had high hopes when Samsung?s first Android tablet powered by an Intel processor arrived on my doorstep. Alas, those hopes were quickly dashed not long after using the 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab 3. For $399, I had hoped for more; perhaps I?m spoiled by Google?s Nexus 10, which is the same price and much easier on the eye.

Too harsh? Maybe. And it doesn?t help Samsung that my eyes are used to higher resolution displays these days: The Nexus 10 uses a?2560 x 1600 display and my Chromebook Pixel is even higher at?2560 x 1700 pixels. The new Galaxy Tab 3 tops out at a lowly 1280 x 800 resolution making me feel like I?m looking at a screen from 2010, not from 2013.

Here?s the thing. Different people have unique requirements for their tablets but there?s one universal aspect that holds true: The screen of a tablet defines the device than any other component. I say that because the screen works for both input and output. It?s the most used hardware feature on a tablet because you stare at it non-stop and it?s how you interact with the apps on the device. For that reason, I?d strongly consider spending the same $399 on a Nexus 10 device; also built by Samsung, by the way.

Granted, if you take the Nexus 10 out of the equation, there are some nice features in the Galaxy Tab 3. Many are borrowed from the Samsung Galaxy S4 in fact. You get an IR blaster and Peel software to control your television set. The Smart Stay feature that keeps the screen on when it detects your face is here too. And the 16 GB of internal storage can easily be expanded via the microSD card slot.

Having seen Intel processors show great performance running Android in the past, I expected more from the Galaxy Tab 3, which uses Intel?s 1.6 GHz dual core Atom chip. I saw performance lags from time to time doing basic activities; just navigating the Google Play store, for example or playing games. I didn?t benchmark the device ? I?d rather do real-world testing ? but I didn?t find the general level of performance to be anything other than mediocre. I believe the issue is Samsung?s choice to use 1 GB of memory. By comparison, the Nexus 10 uses 2 GB of RAM with its 1.5 GHz?Exynos 5 Dual chip.

I don?t take many pictures with large tablets, but again, Samsung chose to go low-end: The rear camera on the Galaxy Tab 3 uses a 3 megapixel sensor and images are acceptable, not impressive. The 1.3 megapixel front facing camera works fine for video chatting, however. With the?6,800 mAh battery, the Galaxy Tab 3 ought to manage a solid 8 hours of battery life; I haven?t used it long enough to charge the battery multiple times yet to verify.

Android 4.2.2 is installed, so you do get a very current version of Google?s software. And although many folks are turned off by Samsung?s TouchWiz user interface, I don?t mind it. Having used many Samsung devices over the years, I?m simply used to it. If you have a Galaxy smartphone, you already know what to expect.

All in all, however, I can?t help but keep coming back to the Samsung-built Nexus 10 for the same amount of money. Even though the device is a year old, it offers far more bang-for-buck. And it will always get the latest Android software first directly from Google; with the Galaxy Tab 3, you?ll rely on Samsung?s schedule for updates.

As much as I wanted to like the Galaxy Tab 3, I just can?t, mainly because I don?t see a compelling reason to choose it over the Nexus 10. If you prefer TouchWiz and want to control your television from your tablet, then perhaps the Galaxy Tab 3 is worth the look. Otherwise, I?d likely pass unless Samsung drops the price by $50 or more.

Source: http://gigaom.com/2013/07/16/galaxy-tab-3-10-inch-vs-nexus-10/

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North Canton voters to decide if mayor should be full-time

Enough valid signatures have been turned in to get a proposed charter amendment on the ballot that would require a full-time mayor, the Stark County Board of Elections said.

A group led by former Councilman Chuck Osborne submitted 973 signatures. Board staff found that 952 of them were valid signatures of registered North Canton voters, well above the 746 legally required.

Council President Jon Snyder, Ward 4, says council will meet 5:30 p.m. Monday to vote to place the issue on the Nov. 5 ballot, as required by law.

(Council also will decide Monday evening whether to accept a fact finder?s report recommending how to resolve an impasse on wages between the city and the union for the city?s police officers, a unit of the Ohio Patrolmen?s Benevolent Association.)

If voters approve the mayoral amendment, the mayor would be required to ?devote his entire time and effort during regular business hours and all other times as are necessary to properly conduct the business of the city.? The mayor would not be allowed to hold another job during regular hours.

The current mayor, David Held, works weekdays as the executive director of the Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint Solid Waste Management District.

Osborne said in May that the city needs a full-time mayor who can devote all their attention to city business and not juggle being mayor with another job. He said the amendment would not take effect until 2015.

The mayor now earns $15,000 a year. Council voted Monday to raise the mayor?s and council members? annual salaries by $2,400 effective Dec. 1. It would be up to council to set the salary for a full-time mayor.

Osborne, who ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2003, has said he did not draft the amendment to make it easier for him to get the job.

?I?m never going to run again,? said Osborne, who was an at-large councilman from 2001 to 2003. ?I?m actually more effective passing my own laws ... (and) serving as a watchdog.?

Last year, he and his supporters collected enough signatures to place a proposed ordinance on the ballot that limited elected officials? health insurance benefits. Nearly 72 percent of voters approved it in November.

Source: http://www.cantonrep.com/news/x1592802544/North-Canton-voters-to-decide-if-mayor-should-be-full-time?rssfeed=true

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Helmet water leak aborts spacewalk; astronaut OK

In this image from video made available by NASA, astronauts discuss the aborted spacewalk aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday, July 16, 2013. A dangerous water leak in the helmet of Luca Parmitano, bottom center facing camera in white suit, drenched his eyes, nose and mouth, preventing him from hearing or speaking as what should have been a routine spacewalk came to an abrupt end. (AP Photo/NASA)

In this image from video made available by NASA, astronauts discuss the aborted spacewalk aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday, July 16, 2013. A dangerous water leak in the helmet of Luca Parmitano, bottom center facing camera in white suit, drenched his eyes, nose and mouth, preventing him from hearing or speaking as what should have been a routine spacewalk came to an abrupt end. (AP Photo/NASA)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) ? NASA aborted a spacewalk at the International Space Station on Tuesday because of a dangerous water leak in an astronaut's helmet that drenched his eyes, nose and mouth.

The leak was so bad that Luca Parmitano, Italy's first spacewalker, couldn't hear or speak as the spacewalk came to an abrupt end. He asked his spacewalking partner, Christopher Cassidy, for help getting back in.

"He looks miserable. But OK," Cassidy assured Mission Control in Houston.

The source of the leak wasn't immediately known but a possible culprit was the helmet drink bag that astronauts sip from during spacewalks, although Parmitano later reported the water had an odd taste. Water also is piped through the long underwear worn under a spacesuit, for cooling.

Parmitano reported, "It's a lot of water," before he could no longer talk.? His crewmates quickly yanked off his helmet, once he was back inside.

NASA seldom cuts a spacewalk short. Tuesday's problem left them with no choice. Parmitano could have choked on the floating water droplets in his helmet.

The trouble cropped up barely an hour into what was to be a six-hour spacewalk to perform cable work and other routine maintenance that had stacked up over the past couple years.

It was the astronauts' second spacewalk in eight days.

Parmitano startled everyone when he announced that he felt a lot of water on the back of his head.

At first, he thought it was sweat because of all his exertion on the job. But he was repeatedly assured it was not sweat. Cassidy said it might be water from his drink bag; it looked like a half-liter of water had leaked out.

The water eventually got into Parmitano's eyes. That's when NASA ordered the two men back inside. Then the water drenched his nose and mouth, and he had trouble hearing on the radio lines.

Cassidy quickly cleaned up the work site once Parmitano was back in the air lock, then joined him back in the space station.

The four astronauts who anxiously monitored the drama from inside hustled to remove Parmitano's helmet. They clustered around him, eight hands pulling off his helmet and using towels to mop his bald head. Balls of water floated away.

Parmitano looked relatively fine on NASA TV as he gestured with his hands to show his crewmates where the water had crept over his head.

Cassidy told Mission Control: "To him, the water clearly did not taste like our normal drinking water." A smiling Parmitano then chimed in: "Just so you know, I'm alive and I can answer those questions, too."

Mission Control praised the crew for its fast effort and promptly scheduled a radio hookup with flight surgeons on the ground. Engineers, meanwhile, scrambled to determine the source of the leak.

It was the fastest end to a spacewalk since 2004 when Russian and American spacewalkers were ordered back in by Mission Control outside Moscow because of spacesuit trouble. That spacewalk lasted a mere 14 minutes. Tuesday's spacewalk lasted one hour and 32 minutes.

This was the second spacewalk for Parmitano, 36, a former test pilot and Italian Air Force officer. He became the first Italian to conduct a spacewalk last Tuesday, more than a month after moving into the space station.

Cassidy, 43, a former Navy SEAL, is a veteran spacewalker midway through a six-month station stint.

___

Online:

NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/b2f0ca3a594644ee9e50a8ec4ce2d6de/Article_2013-07-16-Space%20Station/id-1800f5f87e0649bb9e1dda7a062df025

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