City Officials Push Pension Funds to Divest From Gun Makers

Fresh from persuading a $5 billion pension fund in Chicago to divest from companies that make firearms, the city’s mayor, Rahm Emanuel, on Thursday urged the chief executives of two major banks to stop financing companies “that profit from gun violence.” Mr. Emanuel sent letters to TD Bank, which provides a $60 million credit line to Smith & Wesson, and to Bank of America, which provides...

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Pentagon ends ban on women in combat

WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta is ending the ban on women serving in combat in the U.S. military, potentially...

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Instructables Goes Mobile With New iOS App

DIY website Instructables released its first mobile app today, an iPhone tool that lets users view and create project how-tos from anywhere.“A lot of people don’t have a true camera in their pocket,” says Instructables founder and CEO Eric Wilhelm. “They’ve got their phone. And so we just wanted to be right there.”Wilhelm has plenty of first-hand experience, with 142 projects to his name....

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Sundance stars sound off on gun violence in film

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — The Sundance Film Festival isn’t home to many shoot-em-up movies, but action-oriented actors at the festival are facing questions about Hollywood’s role in American gun violence.Guy Pearce and Alexander Skarsgard are among those who say Hollywood shares in the blame.Pearce is in Park City, Utah, to support the family drama “Breathe In,” but he’s pulled plenty of imaginary triggers...

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Research on Deadly Bird Flu to Resume After Safety Debate

Experiments with a deadly flu virus, suspended last year after a fierce global debate over safety, will start up again in some laboratories, probably within the next few weeks, scientists say. The research touched off a firestorm in 2011 when it became known that two groups, one in the Netherlands and another in the United States, had genetically altered a dangerous bird flu virus to...

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US Airways Profit Doubles as Planes Are Fuller

US Airways' net income doubled in the fourth quarter and executives said the strong demand the airline is seeing is often a precursor to higher fares. Fuller planes made the difference in the last three months as revenue set a record. Airlines successfully raised fares five times last year but have struggled to do so lately. Two attempts led by United this month failed after other...

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Election of new DNC leaders points up tensions with White House

WASHINGTON -- After a messy fight that highlighted strains with the White House, the Democratic National Committee completed...

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Mega File-Sharing Service Is No Megaupload

Kim Dotcom’s new Mega file-sharing service surpassed 1 million members one day following its initial Saturday launch from New Zealand, and the number of subscribers has apparently skyrocketed in the following days.In a tweet, Dotcom said the latest sign-up numbers are startling.“If I would tell you how many signups we had since the launch you wouldn’t believe it. I can’t believe it. So, I...

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Sundance 2013: Breaking Glass Pictures acquires “Amelia’s 25th,” “Silver Case”

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – Breaking Glass Pictures has acquired the rights to “Amelia’s 25th” and “Silver Case,” the distributor announced on Monday.Neither of the films will be screened at Sundance.“Amelia’s 25th” stars Jennifer Tilly, Danny Trejo, Electra Avellan and Robert Rodriguez, who directed Trejo and Avellan in “Machete.” The film, directed by Martín Yernazian, follows the titular character...

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The Well Column: Facing Cancer, a Stark Choice

In the 1970s, women’s health advocates were highly suspicious of mastectomies. They argued that surgeons — in those days, pretty much an all-male club — were far too quick to remove a breast after a diagnosis of cancer, with disfiguring results.But today, the pendulum has swung the other way. A new generation of women want doctors to take a more aggressive approach, and more and more are asking that...

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