Cliffhanger: Can They Get to 'Yes'?

There are all sorts of theories floating around Washington about what kind of deficit reduction deal Democrats and Republicans eventually cut and when and how they get there.And, nearing the end of a week when little progress appears to have been made, one thing is certain: Americans are worried about the consequences of going over the fiscal cliff.According to a new Quinnipiac...

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The butterfly effect – in giant balloons

Kat Austen, CultureLab editorOn Space Time Foam (Image: courtesy of Fondazione HangarBicocca; photography by Alessandro Coco)See more in our gallery: "The universal art of networking""I HAVE always been fascinated by the butterfly effect," says Tomás Saraceno. "A butterfly's movement here will make a storm somewhere else."An artist and architect trained in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saraceno sees...

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AA to introduce new advanced defensive driving course

SINGAPORE: The Automobile Association of Singapore (AA) plans to introduce a new advanced defensive driving course, as part of its continuing efforts to promote safe driving and safer roads. Speaking at the AA's 105th charity gala dinner held at the Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore, AA president Bernard Tay said that the association will be working with the authorities on the curriculum.No...

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#askpontifex meme takes off before pope's first tweet

The Pope has already racked up nearly half a million followers in eight languages ... and a long queue of queries.(Credit:Screenshot by CNET)Pope Benedict XVI has signed up for Twitter and though the pontiff has yet to bestow his first tweet upon us, he's racked up nearly half a million followers.He is also already facing a backlog of questions -- ranging from sincere to raunchy -- from the faithful...

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Scientific Results From Challenger Deep

Jane J. Lee The spotlight is shining once again on the deepest ecosystems in the ocean—Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench (map) and the New Britain Trench near Papua New Guinea. At a presentation today at the American Geophysical Union's conference in San Francisco, attendees got a glimpse into these mysterious ecosystems nearly 7 miles (11 kilometers) down, the former visited by filmmaker...

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Majority Back Clinton for Presidential Bid in 2016

Kevin Lamarque/AP PhotoCarried by a new high in personal popularity and broad approval of her work as secretary of state, Hillary Clinton closes out her diplomatic career with majority support as a candidate for president in 2016.Fifty-seven percent in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll say they’d back a run by Clinton to succeed Barack Obama, vs. 37 percent opposed. That includes a broad...

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Battling nature in your backyard

Phil McKenna, contributor(Image: Shattil & Rozinski/Naturepl.com)Your yard is the new frontier as wildlife returns to the suburbs. In Nature Wars, Jim Sterba calls for a shift from conservation to culling to win back territoryBEARS are at the bird feeder and gangs of turkeys terrorise the suburbs. In Nature Wars, author Jim Sterba takes readers on a fascinating journey to the front lines of...

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Asian hedge fund industry faces challenges ahead

SINGAPORE: Hedge fund managers said industry consolidation and increased regulatory oversight with accompanying costs are the top two challenges facing the industry in the next one to two years.This is according to a pool of 100 hedge fund managers interviewed by accounting firm, Ernst and Young.Many also pointed to a downward pressure on fees, resulting in a drop in revenues.Hedge funds...

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Apple nabs former TI engineers for chip push, report says

Apple's A6 chip, which is designed by Apple but manufactured by Samsung.(Credit:Apple)Reports suggest that Apple is in the hunt for former Texas Instruments engineers in Israel, in a bid to expand its operations in the country. According to sources speaking to The Next Web, Apple has been hiring "dozens" of engineers after the chipmaker cut 250 jobs from one of its Israeli operations center.Apple...

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Insiders Reveal 2012 Election Secrets

Pete Souza/White HouseThe 2012 election cycle came full circle last week when representatives from the Obama and Romney campaigns, as well as top advisers to many of the GOP primary candidates and several influential outside groups, gathered at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government for a 2012 debrief — finally answering some of the lingering questions about the race.On neutral ground in Cambridge,...

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