Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/193852447?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Tuesday, January 31, 2012
After lull, Occupy protest resurfaces in Oakland (AP)
OAKLAND, Calif. ? For weeks the protests had waned, with only a smattering of people taking to Oakland's streets for occasional weekend marches that bore little resemblance to the headline-grabbing Occupy demonstrations of last fall.
Then came Saturday, which started peacefully enough ? a midday rally at City Hall and a march. But hours later, the scene near downtown Oakland had dramatically deteriorated: clashes punctuated by rock and bottle throwing by protesters and volleys of tear gas from police, and a City Hall break-in that left glass cases smashed, graffiti spray-painted on walls and an American flag burned.
More than 400 people were arrested on charges ranging from failure to disperse to vandalism, police spokesman Sgt. Jeff Thomason said. At least three officers and one protester were injured.
On Sunday, Oakland officials vowed to be ready if Occupy protesters try to mount another large-scale demonstration. Protesters, meanwhile, decried Saturday's police tactics as illegal and threatened to sue.
Mayor Jean Quan personally inspected damage caused by dozens of people who broke into City Hall. She said she wants a court order to keep Occupy protesters who have been arrested several times out of Oakland, which has been hit repeatedly by demonstrations that have cost the financially troubled city about $5 million.
Quan also called on the loosely organized movement to "stop using Oakland as its playground."
"People in the community and people in the Occupy movement have to stop making excuses for this behavior," she said.
Saturday's protests ? the most turbulent since Oakland police forcefully dismantled an Occupy encampment in November ? came just days after the announcement of a new round of actions. The group said it planned to use a vacant building as a social center and political hub and threatened to try to shut down the Port of Oakland for a third time, occupy the airport and take over City Hall.
After the mass arrests, the Occupy Oakland Media Committee criticized the police's conduct, saying that most of the arrests were made illegally because police failed to allow protesters to disperse. It threatened legal action.
"Contrary to their own policy, the OPD gave no option of leaving or instruction on how to depart. These arrests are completely illegal, and this will probably result in another class action lawsuit against the OPD," a release from the group said.
Deputy Police Chief Jeff Israel told reporters late Saturday that protesters gathered unlawfully and police gave them multiple verbal warnings to disband.
"These people gathered with the intent of unlawfully entering into a building that does not belong to them and assaulting the police," Israel said. "It was not a peaceful group."
Earlier this month, a court-appointed monitor submitted a report to a federal judge that included "serious concerns" about the department's handling of the Occupy protests. Police officials say they were in "close contact" with the federal monitor during the protests.
The national Occupy Wall Street movement, which denounces corporate excess and economic inequality, began in New York City in the fall but has been largely dormant lately. Oakland, New York and Los Angeles were among the cities with the largest and most vocal Occupy protests early on. The demonstrations ebbed after those cities used force to move out hundreds of demonstrators who had set up tent cities.
Caitlin Manning, an Occupy Oakland member, believes that Saturday's protest caught the world's attention.
"The Occupy movement is back on the map," Manning said Sunday. "We think those who have been involved in movements elsewhere should be heartened."
In Oakland, social activism and civic unrest have long marked this rough-edged city of nearly 400,000 across the bay from San Francisco. Beset by poverty, crime and a decades-long tense relationship between the police and the community, its streets have seen clashes between officers and protesters, including anti-draft protests in the 1960s that spilled into town from neighboring Berkeley.
Before the Occupy movement spawned violence, mass arrests and two shutdowns of the Port of Oakland, the city was disrupted by a series of often-violent demonstrations over a white Bay Area Rapid Transit officer's fatal shooting of an unarmed black man named Oscar Grant on New Year's Day 2009.
Occupy protesters have invoked Grant's memory, referring to the downtown plaza named after Frank Owaga, the city's first Asian-American councilmember, by renaming the former space they occupied with tents as Oscar Grant Plaza. Hundreds of Occupiers again descended on the plaza to reflect on Saturday and discuss what's next.
Dozens of officers, who maintained guard at City Hall overnight, were also on the scene Sunday.
"They were never able to occupy a building outside of City Hall," Interim Police Chief Howard Jordan said Sunday. "We suspect they will try to go to the convention center again. They will not get in."
Jordan said they will call for mutual aid from other law enforcement agencies if needed Sunday and defended his officers' response to the protesters on Saturday.
"No we have not changed our tactics," Jordan said. "The demonstrators have changed their tactics, which forces us to respond differently."
Quan, who faces two mayoral recall attempts, has been criticized for past police tear-gassing, though she said she was not aware of the plans. On Saturday, she thought the police response was measured, adding that she has lost patience with the costly and disruptive protests.
She also said she hopes prosecutors will seek a stay-away order against protesters who have been arrested multiple times.
"It appears that most of them constantly come from outside of Oakland," Quan said. "I think a lot of the young people who come to these demonstrations think they're being revolutionary when they're really hurting the people they claim that they are representing."
Saturday's events began when a group assembled outside City Hall and marched through the streets, disrupting traffic as they threatened to take over a vacant convention center.
The protesters then walked to the convention center, where some started tearing down perimeter fencing and "destroying construction equipment" shortly before 3 p.m., police said. The number of demonstrators swelled as the day wore on, with afternoon estimates ranging up to 2,000 people, although city leaders say that figure was much closer to several hundred.
A majority of the arrests came after police took scores of protesters into custody as they marched through downtown, with some entering a YMCA building, Thomason said.
One of those taken into custody at the facility was KGO radio reporter Kristin Hanes.
Hanes was arrested and his hands were zip-tied when police corralled protesters in front of the building and began making mass arrests, Hanes told the station Sunday evening.
Hanes said she told officers she was a member of the media and showed them her credentials, but was told her press pass was only good for San Francisco, and not in Oakland.
Though she was released after about 25 minutes, Hanes said she was "angry that they put a reporter in zip-tie handcuffs."
Oakland police didn't immediately respond to a request for comment about her arrest.
Christopher Bolton, Chief of Staff for the Oakland Police Department, said in an email to The Associated Press that he had not had the "opportunity to review the circumstances of her detention."
Bolton said in the statement that he had called KGO to speak with Hanes and that it was the department's "intent to facilitate excellent media coverage, and the incident will be reviewed in order to further that aim."
Michael Davis, 32, who is originally from Ohio and was in the Occupy movement in Cincinnati, said Sunday that Saturday was a hectic day that started off calm but escalated when police began using "flash bangs, tear gas, smoke grenades and bean bags."
"What could've been handled differently is the way the Oakland police came at us," Davis said. "We were peaceful."
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Monday, January 30, 2012
Raul Castro defends Cuba's one-party system (AP)
HAVANA ? President Raul Castro delivered a full-throated defense of Cuba's one-party political system on Sunday, and a sharp warning to Communist Party delegates to fight corruption he said was a greater threat to the revolution than anything the United States could dream up.
In a stern closing speech to the party's national conference, Castro reiterated a pledge to institute term-limits for Cuban officials, saying a constitutional amendment would be required but that leaders should begin to adopt the practice even before it is formalized.
Castro has spoken previously about limiting high-ranking officials including himself to two, 5-year terms.
The U.S. threat to Cuba and the limits it placed on reform was a continuing theme of the speech. Cuba's president upbraided those who were hoping to see more fundamental changes come out of the two-day meetings ? or any new faces amid the aged upper ranks of the party and government hierarchy.
"There has been no shortage of criticism and exhortations by those who have confused their intimate desires with reality, deluding themselves that this conference would consecrate the beginning of the dismantling of the political and social system the revolution has fought for for more than half a century," he said.
The Cuban leader said those who want to see Cuba restore a multiparty system are forgetting that it is under siege from a Goliath to the north that would stop at nothing to destroy it.
"To renounce the principle of a one-party system would be the equivalent of legalizing a party, or parties, of imperialism on our soil," he said.
Castro was sharply critical of the United States' democratic system, which he said only concentrated power in the hands of the wealthy. He said that while Cuba had only one party, it sought the participation of all citizens through party and workplace meetings.
"We must promote democracy in our society, starting with the party," he said, urging rank-and-file members to speak up when they disagree with something.
The speech included denunciations of Washington's 50-year trade embargo, its support for dissidents and its imprisonment of Cuban agents who had infiltrated anti-Castro groups in Miami.
Castro also poured water on hopes that a new generation of Cuban politicians were any closer to the brass ring of power, saying the island remained without a backbench of young leaders.
The conference was presided over by the 80-year-old Castro and his 81-year-old chief deputy, Jose Ramon Machado Ventura. The island's third ranking leader, Ramiro Valdes, is 79.
Castro and his brother Fidel, now retired, have ruled Cuba since their 1959 revolution. There was no sign of the elder Castro at the confab, which was closed to foreign journalists.
Raul Castro has pushed a series of dramatic economic reforms since taking power in 2008, legalizing the sale of private homes and used cars, allowing hundreds of thousands to go into business for themselves, turning fallow government land over to small-time farms, and extending bank loans to entrepreneurs and others.
But many social and political reforms have not materialized. After promising in July to study changes to immigration laws that keep most Cubans from ever leaving the country, Castro told the nation in December that the time was not yet right, citing the continued threat from Washington.
At a Communist Party Congress in April, Castro and brother Fidel raised hopes that a new generation of leaders would soon appear on the horizon. Nine months later, there have been few visible changes.
A Cuban official told The Associated Press recently that despite the lack of movement among cabinet ministers and other senior leaders, many midlevel government posts have quietly changed hands, with younger officials moving up. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, and his assertions could not be independently confirmed.
Castro spent a large part of his 40-minute speech warning delegates about the evils of corruption, saying graft was "the principal enemy of the revolution, much more damaging than the multimillion-dollar subversive and interfering programs of the U.S. government and its allies."
He said the Interior Ministry was in the midst of several high-profile investigations of graft and other violations, which would become known at the appropriate time.
"To win the battle against corruption we must first stop it and then liquidate it," Castro said. "We have warned that within the law, we will be implacable."
___
Follow Paul Haven at http://www.twitter.com/paulhaven/
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States where people carry the most mortgage debt
By Michael B. Sauter, 24/7 Wall St.
How much residents of each state owe on their mortgages is an interesting statistic. For the most part, residents of the states with the highest average mortgage debt are not in trouble. While the average home price in these states dropped in value during the recession, the foreclosure rates in these states are among the lowest in the country. The reason: residents of these states can generally afford to lose and owe more money than their counterparts in other states. 24/7 Wall St. examined a recent report by Credit Karma to find the 10 states with the highest average mortgage debt.
Most of the states on our list have extremely high mortgage debt because of the size of their initial mortgages. States like Connecticut and Massachusetts, which have among the highest median home values in the U.S., also have among the highest mortgage debt. Hawaii, which has the second-highest average mortgage debt per person, has the highest median home value of $525,400.
Many of the states on the list also experienced the steepest declines in home value during the recession. Home prices in seven of the states with the highest mortgage debt declined during the recession. In states like California and Nevada, properties lost more than 30 percent of their value. Even in states like New Jersey and Maryland, which fared relatively well during the recession, homes lost between 7?percent and 10?percent of their value.
Sharp declines in home values, coupled with high mortgage debt, should translate to financial disaster. However, while home values dropped more than 7?percent in Maryland, Massachusetts and New Jersey?? states where mortgage debt is the highest? ? foreclosure rates stayed low.
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Meanwhile, states with the lowest median home value and relatively high mortgage debt tend to have the highest foreclosure rates. Illinois, Michigan and Florida all have median home values below the national average and relatively high mortgage debt compared to housing prices in the state. These states also have among the highest foreclosure rates in the country.
These are the 10 states with the worst mortgage debt.
10. Nevada
- Mortgage debt per person: $196,911
- Median household income: $51,001 (19th highest)
- Credit card debt per person: $6,145 (7th lowest)
- Change in home value (2006 - 2010):?-44.5?percent (biggest decline)
No state had a more dramatic downfall in its housing market during the recession than Nevada. In 2006, nearly 40,000 building permits were approved in the state, a nation-high average of 15.8 per 1,000 people. By 2010, the number of permits declined 80?percent and median home values dropped 44.5?percent. This has left thousands of homeowners with underwater mortgages. According to Credit Karma, Nevada residents owe an average of $196,911 on their mortgages. But unlike residents of most of the other states with high debt, many Nevada residents are not affluent enough to shoulder this burden. The state has the highest unemployment rate in the country, 13?percent, and a median income that is only 19th highest in the U.S.
9. Colorado
- Mortgage debt per person: $198,117
- Median household income: $54,046 (15th highest)
- Credit card debt per person: $7,533 (5th highest)
- Change in home value (2006 - 2010):?+1.6?percent (31st smallest increase)
Colorado?s average mortgage debt of just under $200,000 is the ninth-highest in the country. The state?s average credit card debt of $7,533 per person is the fifth-highest. Residents, however, have been able to pay some of these massive debts on time, as Coloradans also boast one of the best average credit scores in the country. However, it had the 12th-highest foreclosure rate in the country in December. While not as wealthy as some of the other states with extremely high personal debt, Colorado is certainly better off than Nevada. Poverty and unemployment are both quite low in the state.
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8. Connecticut
- Mortgage debt per person: $211,516
- Median household income: $64,032 (4th highest)
- Credit card debt per person: $7,730 (3rd highest)
- Change in home value (2006 - 2010): -3.4?percent (13th biggest decline)
In 2006, Connecticut had the second fewest building permits per person issued, behind only Rhode Island. This suggests that fewer people were buying homes they could not afford at the height of the housing bubble. Indeed, just one in every 1,145 homes were foreclosed?on in the state in December, a much lower figure compared to states such as Nevada and California, where the foreclosure rates in December were 1 in 177 and 1 in 254, respectively. Along with the eighth-highest mortgage debt per person in the country, Connecticut also ranks third-highest both in credit card debt and student debt. Nevertheless, the average resident?s credit score is the ninth-highest in the country, meaning state residents can pay off their debts. Connecticut has the fifth-lowest poverty rate in the country, and the fourth-highest median income.
7. Virginia
- Mortgage debt per person: $221,873
- Median household income: $60,674 (8th highest)
- Credit card debt per person: $7,298 (9th highest)
- Change in home value (2006 - 2010): +2?percent (21st biggest increase)
The average Virginia resident has $221,516 in mortgage debt, the seventh-greatest amount of the debt in the country. This does not include the additional $50,000 in debt the average resident has accumulated between their credit cards, car payments and student loans. However, the average household makes more than $60,000 per year, the eighth-most in the country, and so, to a certain extent, Virginians are able to afford their IOUs. The average credit score in the state of 670 is the tenth-best in the country.
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6. Massachusetts
- Mortgage debt per person: $224,661
- Median household income: $62,072 (6th highest)
- Credit card debt per person: $6,851 (16th highest)
- Change in home value (2006 - 2010): -9.8?percent (8th biggest decline)
Massachusetts has the fifth-highest median home value of $334,100, which explains why the average resident owes nearly $225,000 in mortgage payments. But with the state boasting the sixth-highest median income and ninth-lowest poverty, residents are generally able to pay off their debts. While the number of new building projects has not declined as much as the rest of the country, home values still declined nearly 10?percent between 2006 and 2010. This decline affected some homeowners, demonstrated by the fact that the state had the 20th-highest foreclosure rate in the country last year.
5. Washington
- Mortgage debt per person: $225,581
- Median household income: $55,681 (11th highest)
- Credit card debt per person: $6,825 (17th highest)
- Change in home value (2006 - 2010): +1.6?percent (32nd biggest gain)
While Washington has the fifth-highest mortgage debt per person in the country, state residents tend to be more frugal in their other finances. Compared to other states, Washington has only the 17th highest credit card and auto debt per capita, and has the 13th-lowest?student debt. Washington?s median home value in 2010 was the ninth-highest in the country. Home values actually increased 1.6?percent during the recession. As a result, foreclosures in the state are low, despite the fact that the state has the 16th highest unemployment rate in the country and a high poverty rate of 12.5?percent.
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4. New Jersey
- Mortgage debt per person: $236,017
- Median household income: $67,681 (2nd highest)
- Credit card debt per person: $7,608 (4th highest)
- Change in home value (2006 - 2010): -7.5?percent (9th biggest decline)
Most of the states hit hardest by the housing crash had a great deal of new buildings approved in the first half of the decade. This was the case in places like Nevada, California and Arizona. Because all of these?new buildings were built at peak home prices, they had the farthest to fall when home prices collapsed. New Jersey, however, had the ninth-fewest building permits approved in 2006. Nevertheless, median home prices declined nearly $30,000, or the ninth-most in the country. However, since residents have the second highest median income in the U.S., they have been able to bear the loss in their home values. New Jersey had the ninth-fewest foreclosures in the country in December.
3. Maryland
- Mortgage debt per person: $242,445
- Median household income: $68,854 (the highest)
- Credit card debt per person: $7,226 (10th highest)
- Change in home value (2006 - 2010): -9.9?percent (7th biggest decline)
According to Credit Karma, the average mortgage debt per person in Maryland is nearly $250,000. This is at least partially?a result of the fact that the state has the fifth-highest median home value in the U.S., as well as the highest median household income in the country. Like New Jersey, Maryland had a very small number of homes built before the recession. Also like New Jersey, home values still declined significantly. Nevertheless, wealthy Maryland residents have been able to weather the worst of this decline. The state had the 12th-fewest foreclosures in December, and the average credit score per resident is 12th best.
2. Hawaii
- Mortgage debt per person: $307,508
- Median household income: $63,030 (5th highest)
- Credit card debt per person: $7,527 (7th highest)
- Change in home value (2006 - 2010): -0.8?percent (15th biggest decline)
Hawaii has the highest median home value in the country at $525,000. This is $154,000 more than the next highest state. Needless to say, taking out a mortgage on a home in the island state is a tremendous financial commitment. But with extremely low unemployment, high median income, low poverty and the second-highest rate of health insurance coverage in the country, Hawaii homeowners can generally afford it.
1. California
- Mortgage debt per person: $313,749
- Median household income: $57,708 (9th highest)
- Credit card debt per person: $6,434 (30th highest)
- Change in home value (2006 - 2010): -30.8?percent (2nd biggest decline)
While most of the residents of the states with the highest mortgage debt have been able to support the massive mortgages despite the fact that their homes have lost significant value, California is a different story. In 2006, California had the most expensive homes in the country, with a median home value of $532,000. By 2010, that value had declined by $164,000? ? more than 30?percent. The effects of this massive decline in home prices had wide-reaching effects on the state economy. Unemployment in California is now the second-highest in the country, and 14.5?percent of the population lives below the poverty line. The average mortgage debt per person of $313,749 has been too much for thousands of residents. In December alone, one in every 252 homes was foreclosed upon.
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Sunday, January 29, 2012
(Founder Stories) SoftTech VC?s Clavier: How To Avoid The Series A Crunch
At the top of this Founder Stories episode featuring SoftTech VC's?Jeff Clavier,?Chris Dixon mentions?much has been written about the "Series A Crunch." It's the occurrence of seed stage companies hitting the end of their initial funding cycle at roughly the same time and having to compete for big checks from a limited supply of VC. There's just not enough money or VC interest to keep all entrepreneurs?afloat for another round.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/_LVZOGEWI74/
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'Barefoot Bandit' sentenced to 6 1/2 years (AP)
SEATTLE ? After a two-year international crime spree in which he survived a handful of crash landings, Colton Harris-Moore ? the infamous "Barefoot Bandit" ? says he's lucky to be alive.
Harris-Moore spoke publicly in court Friday for the first time since his 2010 arrest. A short while later, he was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in federal prison, which will be served concurrently with state prison time.
"What I did could be called daring, but it is no stretch of the imagination to say that am lucky to be alive ... absolutely lucky," he said. "I should have died years ago."
He particularly apologized for stealing planes, saying his arrogance led him to keep alive his dream of flying.
But Harris-Moore, once a gangly teenager, was more than just a self-taught pilot.
He hopscotched his way across the United States, authorities said. He flew a plane stolen in northwestern Washington to the San Juan Islands, stole a pistol in British Columbia and took a plane from Idaho to Washington state, stole a boat in southwestern Washington to go to Oregon, and took a plane in Indiana and flew to the Bahamas, where was arrested.
The 20-year-old earned his nickname because he committed several of the crimes without wearing shoes, and he attracted fans across the nation for his ability to evade police.
Friday's sentencing all but ends his exploits, providing the final details for a movie that an entertainment lawyer and federal prosecutors said 20th Century Fox has in the works.
But far from a gloating star, Harris-Moore apologized Friday to his victims.
"I now know a crime that took place overnight will take years to recover from," he said in court.
Defense attorney John Henry Browne said he expects Harris-Moore to be out of prison in about 4 1/2 years, accounting for the 18 months he's already been in custody. Federal prosecutors declined to comment on how much time he might serve, saying that will be up to the Bureau of Prisons.
Outside the courthouse, Harris-Moore's mother, Pam Kohler of Camano Island, said her son gave her a letter in court, but she refused to talk to reporters. She used her purse to hit a television crew's microphone and camera, and a newspaper photographer's camera.
In court, U.S. District Judge Richard Jones asked Harris-Moore to speak to young people who may look up to him because of his exploits.
"I would say to younger people they should focus on their education, which is what I am doing right now," he said. "I want to start a company. I want to make a difference in this world, legally."
Before the sentencing, defense attorneys said federal prosecutors released cherry-picked excerpts from emails in an effort to make Harris-Moore appear callous and self-aggrandizing.
He called the Island County sheriff "king swine," called prosecutors "fools," and referred to reporters as "vermin." He also described his feats ? stealing and flying planes with no formal training ? "amazing" and said they were unmatched by anyone except the Wright brothers.
But Harris-Moore's lawyers claim the full emails show that he is sorry for what he did and thankful for the treatment he received from a state judge who called his case a "triumph of the human spirit." The state judge sentenced him last month to seven years, at the low end of the sentencing range.
The attorneys acknowledged that in certain instances he bragged, but they said those writings were simply the product of an impulsive adolescent and don't reflect his true remorse.
Harris-Moore apologized for those emails in court Friday.
Federal prosecutors had asked for Jones to impose a 6 1/2 year sentence to be served while Harris-Moore serves his state time. His attorneys had asked for a federal sentence of just under six years.
The judge acknowledged that Harris-Moore had a difficult childhood, one with "complete lack of parental guidance" and alcohol and drug abuse from his parents. But he said he was concerned that that his previous court appearances didn't have an impact on him.
Jones acknowledged that Harris-Moore committed his early crimes to survive after fleeing from home. But he said "most of the federal offenses were committed for one reason: to fulfill your passion for flying at all costs and consequences."
The judge encouraged Harris-Moore to get treatment in prison.
"The most important day in your life is what you do when you are released. It will be up to you to create a new flight plan," Jones said.
Harris-Moore's defense lawyers said treatment was already under way.
There will be another hearing in a month to decide how much restitution Harris-Moore will be required to pay.
Federal prosecutor Darwin Roberts said he doesn't expect the movie deal to provide enough money to cover the estimated $1.3 million restitution.
Entertainment lawyer Lance Rosen said outside the courtroom that Academy Award winner Dustin Lance Black ? who wrote "Milk" and the recent "J. Edgar" ? has met with Harris-Moore several times and has turned in a draft of the script.
One of Harris-Moore's victims, Kelly Kneifl, made the trip from Yankton, S.D., to speak at the sentencing. Harris-Moore broke into Kneifl's home while he and his family were away on vacation.
Kneifl said he just caught a glimpse of a naked Harris-Moore escaping and wanted get some closure by watching him getting sentenced to prison.
"I do have empathy for him. I hope ... he can get on the right track someday," Kneifl said.
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Saturday, January 28, 2012
Summary Box: North America props up Ford in 4Q (AP)
FORD EARNINGS: Ford Motor Co. earned $1.1 billion in the first quarter, excluding a big accounting gain. North American profits jumped 33 percent. They fell elsewhere because of the European debt crisis and slower sales in China.
WALL STREET REACTS: Ford's earnings, of 20 cents per share, missed analysts' expectations by 5 cents. The stock price fell 6 percent in premarket trading but improved once the company blamed the shortfall on one-time issues like Thai flooding and higher commodity costs.
FORECAST: The company is increasing North American production in the first quarter but cutting it elsewhere because of lower demand.
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Man gets car ban after 4 children found in trunk (AP)
LONDON ? A British court has banned a man from driving for a year after he was caught traveling with four children in the trunk of his car.
Britain's Press Association news agency said Thursday that police found a total of 11 people in Zoltan Lakatos' Audi A4 when they stopped him in the English city of Leicester last year.
One passenger was in the driver's seat, three adults and two children were squeezed into the back, and officers discovered four more children in the trunk.
The news agency says Lakatos was convicted of endangering his passengers and of driving without insurance earlier this week at Leicester Magistrates' Court. He also was fined 1,325 pounds (about $2,080).
The agency said the 38-year-old was not in court for the ruling.
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Friday, January 27, 2012
Factbox: Main competition films at Berlin festival (Reuters)
BERLIN (Reuters) ? The 62nd Berlin film festival opens on Thursday February 9. and ends on February 19., with the awards ceremony taking place on February 18.
Following are the 22 films in the main competition line-up, along with the production countries, the name of the director and the names of major stars. Five are not in the running for awards. Another film will be announced on January 31.
- Aujourdhui (France/Senegal) by Alain Gomis.
- Coming Home (France) by Fr?d?ric Videau.
- Barbara (Germany) by Christian Petzold.
- Bel Ami (Britain) by Declan Donnellan, Nick Ormerod and starring Robert Pattinson, Uma Thurman, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Christina Ricci.*
- Captive (France/Philippines/Germany/Britain) by Brillante Mendoza.
- Caesar Must Die (Italy) by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani.
- Just The Wind (Hungary/Germany/ France) by Bence Fliegauf.
- Childish Games (Spain) by Antonio Chavarr?as.
- A Royal Affair (Denmark/Czech Republic/Germany/Sweden) by Nikolaj Arcel.
- Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close (USA) by Stephen Daldry and starring Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock.*
- Flying Swords Of Dragon Gate (Hong Kong, China) by Hark Tsui.*
- Mercy (Germany/Norway) by Matthias Glasner.
- Jayne Mansfield's Car (Russian Federation/USA) by Billy Bob Thornton and starring Billy Bob Thornton, Robert Duvall, John Hurt, and Kevin Bacon.
- Postcards From The Zoo (Indonesia/Germany/Hong Kong, China) by Edwin.
- Sister (Switzerland/France) by Ursula Meier.
- Farewell My Queen (France/Spain) by Beno?t Jacquot, starring Diane Kruger.
- Meteora (Germany/Greece) by Spiros Stathoulopoulos.
- Rebelle (Canada) by Kim Nguyen.
- Shadow Dancer (Britain/Ireland) by James Marsh and starring Clive Owen.*
- The Flowers Of War (People's Republic of China) by Zhang Yimou and starring Christian Bale.*
- Tabu (Portugal/Germany/Brazil/France) by Miguel Gomes.
- Home For The Weekend (Germany) by Hans-Christian Schmid.
NOTE: * denotes films not competing for prizes.
(Reporting by Alice Baghdjian, editing by Paul Casciato)
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Thursday, January 26, 2012
No Lovelace for Demi Moore
Jason Kempin/Getty Images
Demi Moore has dropped out of the film Lovelace, where she was to make a cameo as Gloria Steinem.
A representative for Moore told The Hollywood Reporter that the actress has left her Steinem role in the buzzy biopic, which boasts a star-studded cast including James Franco, Amanda Seyfried and Peter Sarsgaard.
Moore, 49, was rushed to a Los Angeles hospital Monday night following a 911 call. In a statement issued to THR on Tuesday night, her rep explained: "Because of the stresses in her life right now, Demi has chosen to seek professional assistance to treat her exhaustion and improve her overall health. She looks forward to getting well and is grateful for the support of her family and friends."
PHOTOS: Hollywood's Hit-and-Miss May-December Marriages
TMZ, which first reported the news, had cited substance abuse as the reason for Moore's hospitalization. She filed for divorce from Ashton Kutcher in November after six years of marriage.
Moore, who will next be seen in the comedy LOL alongside Miley Cyrus, currently stars in the acclaimed Wall Street drama Margin Call, which is attracting a big audience for video-on-demand.
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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1924373/news/1924373/
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Charlie Sheen talks ladies ? onscreen and off
Charlie Sheen is set to make his return to the small screen in the upcoming ?Anger Management? on FX, but which female actress is in the lead to play opposite the headline-maker?
?[Selma Blair] is a strong frontrunner. She?s a very special lady and is as pretty as the day is long and has never really had the opportunity to do something where she can shine, because off camera she?s hilarious,? Sheen told Billy Bush on Tuesday?s "Access Hollywood Live," which aired live from a poolside at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach. ?I think [she?s] one of the prettiest women in Hollywood.?
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Winning, Tiger Blood & More! Shots Of Charlie Sheen
As for his former real life leading lady, Denise Richards, who he recently vacationed with in Mexico, the actor said he was overjoyed to reconnect with his children ? daughters Sam, 7, and Lola, 6 ? and his and ex-wife.
?It was fabulous. It was one of those trips that reestablished what should have been in place a long time ago. But things happen when they?re supposed to,? Sheen continued. ?I came home with like a whole new family.?
VIEW THE PHOTOS: The Many Women Of Charlie Sheen
The trip even made the actor ponder why their marriage went south.
?She?s really fabulous, best mom in the world,? he said of Richards ? who he affectionately referred to as a ?stone cold hammer.? ?I?m like, ?Why did I leave her?? Oh right, she left me!?
Currently, Sheen doesn?t have a serious relationship with anyone special.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: A Look Back at Charlie Sheen & Brooke Mueller
?I don?t have a girlfriend, no, but I?m having a good time,? he explained.
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Will 'War Horse' trample 'The Artist'?
His good times include owning up to his past mishaps and shenanigans.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Charlie Sheen: The Early Years
?Listen to this crap! Did this really happen? It?s so silly. It was an odyssey of, ?What was that??? Sheen said as Bush read the actor a few of his now infamous phrases like, ?Winning,? and ?Tiger Blood.? ?I don?t think that can happen again, but I own that whole experience. It was really kind of an elaborate lesson to remind me to basically stick to what you know.?
Adding, ?I insist on enjoying every moment these days.?
?Anger Management? premieres on FX in June.
Copyright 2012 by NBC. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/46121147/ns/today-entertainment/
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Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Between Nothing And A Blog: Check Out CheckThis, A Cool New Micro-Publishing Tool
I don't often get a chance to write about a startup from my home country (Belgium) that I'm super excited about, so consider me a happy camper. Meet CheckThis.com, a new micro-publishing service that lets you create and share a single, good-looking Web page in mere seconds. CheckThis is designed for people who need a little more space than a tweet but don't want to go through the hassle of setting up a new blog. In literally instants, you can use CheckThis to create a stand-alone page to sell your bike, hire a new developer for your startup, tell people what you've been up to today, set up a really quick poll, share an Instragram or Flickr photo, a party invitation with a map, a Vimeo video or whatever other simple need you might have. Quick, simple, beautiful.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/ZlVxQmASHqg/
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Again?! Another 'Loser' threatens to quit
Chris Haston / NBC
Christine was just about ready to throw in the towel this week on "Biggest Loser."
By Ree Hines
Another week meant another quitter on "The Biggest Loser" -- almost.
In week one, there was Ben, who asked the black team to send him home so he could be with his family. In week three, homesick Joe bailed on the black team without even waiting for a vote. And in week four, Team Black came very close to a three-peat when Christine caught the latest case of the quits.
It all began after Dolvett Quince's red team aced the weekly challenge. Well they "aced it" by getting two out of five nutrition-related questions correct, while Bob Harper's bunch failed to even get one right. The win meant the reds would have access to the gym. Bob's team? They'd have a chance to prove they don't need the gym to lose weight.
After the match, Roy, aka Santa, cheered the win. But his defeated wife, Christine, didn't exactly make for a supportive Mrs. Claus.
She called Roy a "sore winner," and frankly, that was the nicest thing she said to him during the episode.
The next time viewers got a gander at Christine, she grumbled through her room and demanded the cameras stop filming her. Of course, that's not how it works on a reality TV competition, so Christine went to the one place the cameras wouldn't follow.
"Christine's taken herself hostage in the bathroom," Conda said, summing up the awkward situation.
Roy played the part of hostage negotiator and learned that Christine wanted to quit the game. When he attempted to talk her out of it, she told him to "(Bleep) off."
"I'm going to do what the (bleep) I want to do," she ranted. "I just want to be left alone right now. That's all I want. I just want to be left alone. Just go!"
Meanwhile the rest of the house debated whether they wanted to try to talk her into staying or just let her wallow in her personal pity party. Seeing as how the black team could hardly afford to lose another member so soon, Bob came in to save the day.
Christine went on about all of the "(bleep) in the house" and how hard the experience was, and the veteran trainer reminded her that it's meant to be hard -- that's kind of the point.
Eventually, she decided to rededicate herself to the game.
While no else stole the spotlight of negativity quite like Christine, tensions were high all over the ranch. For the second week in a row, Bob seemed at his wit's end when it came to dealing with pokey player Gail. And Dolvett and the oft-argumentative Conda continued to butt heads.
Of course, tensions always mount on the scale. This week Bob's team dropped big numbers -- big enough to prove that no gym is no excuse. But the pounds lost weren't enough to best Dolvett's reds or to keep the black team?from making their second visit to the elimination room this season.
Once there, the votes were revealed one by one, and it was soon clear that they were torn between sending Gail home, due to her sluggish performance and physical limitations, and sending Christine home, due to her whiney, quitter outburst. In the end, with just one vote in her favor, Christine got a second chance to get her head in the game. Lucky lady.
Gail, on the other hand, got a one-way ticket home.
Do you think the black team sent the right contestant packing? Was it time for Gail to go, or did Christine deserve the boot after all of that quitter talk? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.
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Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Meryl Streep, Gary Oldman, More React To Oscar Nominations
Oldman calls Best Actor nod 'extremely humbling, gratifying and delightful.'
By Kara Warner
Gary Oldman in "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"
Photo: Focus Features
Once again, the announcement of the Academy Awards nominations has made for a flurry of exciting headlines and news stories and lots of bets won and lost in Vegas.
In addition to the early-morning reveal of the full list of Oscar-nominated individuals and films, the most exciting aspect of Oscar nomination day is the universal delight and happiness expressed by the lucky folks in question.
Celebrated thespian and first-time nominee Gary Oldman was humbled by his Best Actor nomination for "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy."
"This afternoon in Berlin I have learned that I was nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Best Actor," he said in a statement. "You may have heard this before, but it has never been truer than it is for me today, it is extremely humbling, gratifying and delightful to have your work recognized by the Academy, and to join the celebrated ranks of previous nominees and colleagues. Amazing."
Another first-time nominee in the Best Actor category is Demián Bichir, star of the lesser-known but well-received "A Better Life," who admitted to being completely overwhelmed at having his name read along with Oldman's and the other "incredible" Best Actor nominees.
"This could have never happened if Chris Weitz had not been the head of this film," Bichir said in a statement. "He is my brother and I thank him deeply. Hopefully more and more people will jump into iTunes and Netflix to see our film. That will be the biggest reward we could get. I dedicate this nomination to those eleven million human beings who make our lives easier and better in the U.S."
Five-time nominee Kenneth Branagh was "absolutely thrilled" to learn of his first-ever Best Supporting Actor nod for "My Week With Marilyn."
"It was a rare honour to play Sir Laurence Olivier," Branagh said in a statement. "To be recognised by the Academy for doing so is overwhelming. I'm absolutely thrilled."
Branagh's fellow Best Supporting Actor nominee Christopher Plummer was also thrilled with the news.
"It's a shot in the arm for a young kid of 82 to receive an Academy Award nomination this morning," Plummer said in a statement. "My gratitude to writer/director Michael Mills, the Academy and to everyone involved with 'Beginners.' "
Best Director nominee Michel Hazanavicius and Best Supporting Actress nominee Bérénice Bejo were expectedly over the moon about their film "The Artist" receiving 10 nominations overall.
"I am so honored for this nomination," Hazanavicius said in a statement. "Filming 'The Artist' in Los Angeles was a dream come true, and to receive this recognition today is far beyond what I ever imagined. I couldn't have done this film without the incredible cast of actors and outstanding crew whose heart and souls were poured into this project."
"I'm overjoyed and filled with happiness," Bejo said. "I can't believe that a year ago I was learning how to tap dance and today I am nominated for an Academy Award. It was a thrill to work on a project as ambitious as 'The Artist' and I am happy to share this moment with our visionary director, Michel Hazanavicius."
And last but certainly not least is a reaction from Hollywood's most awarded and nominated individual, Meryl Streep.
"I am honored to be in company with such beautiful artists," the 17-time Oscar nominee said in a statement. "And touched deeply by my fellow actors for their generosity in giving me this acknowledgment."
See the complete list of Academy Awards Nominations.
Related Videos Related PhotosSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1677800/oscar-nominations-meryl-streep.jhtml
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MS judge to hear AG's challenge of Barbour pardons (AP)
JACKSON, Miss. ? The Mississippi attorney general's office says it has not been able to find a convicted killer pardoned by Haley Barbour during his final days as governor.
Hinds County Circuit Judge Tomie Green ordered five former inmates who worked as Governor's Mansion trusties and were pardoned by Barbour to appear in court Monday, but authorities haven't located Joseph Ozment. He was convicted in 1994 of killing a man during a robbery.
Green scheduled a 3 p.m. CST hearing to consider arguments from Attorney General Jim Hood, who's challenging some of Barbour's 198 end-of-term pardons.
Hood wants to return recently freed inmates to prison. Most of those who could lose pardons were out of prison before Barbour's action.
Republican Barbour has accused Hood, a Democrat, of partisan politics.
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Monday, January 23, 2012
Obama's State of the Union: Jobs, re-election time (AP)
WASHINGTON ? Vilified by the Republicans who want his job, President Barack Obama will stand before the nation Tuesday night determined to frame the election-year debate on his terms, using his State of the Union address to outline a lasting economic recovery that will "work for everyone, not just a wealthy few."
As his most powerful chance to make a case for a second term, the prime-time speech carries enormous political stakes for the Democratic incumbent who presides over a country divided about his performance and pessimistic about the nation's direction. He will try to offer a stark contrast with his opponents by offering a vision of fairness and opportunity for everyone.
In a preview Saturday, Obama said in a video to supporters that the speech will be an economic blueprint built around manufacturing, energy, education and American values.
He is expected to announce ideas to make college more affordable and to address the housing crisis still hampering the economy three years into his term, people familiar with the speech said. Obama will also propose fresh ideas to ensure that the wealthy pay more in taxes, reiterating what he considers a matter of basic fairness, the officials said.
His policy proposals will be less important than what Obama hopes they all add up to: a narrative of renewed American security with him at the center, leading the fight.
"We can go in two directions," Obama said in the campaign video. "One is toward less opportunity and less fairness. Or we can fight for where I think we need to go: building an economy that works for everyone, not just a wealthy few."
That line of argument is intended to tap directly into concerns of voters who think America has become a nation of income inequality, with rules rigged to help the rich. The degree to which Obama or his eventual Republican opponent can better connect with millions of hurting Americans is expected to determine November's presidential election.
Obama released his video hours ahead of the South Carolina primary, where Republican candidates fought in the latest fierce contest to become his general election rival.
The White House knows Obama is about to get his own stage to outline a re-election vision, but carefully. The speech is supposed to an American moment, not a campaign event.
Obama didn't mention national security or foreign policy in his preview, and he is not expected to break ground on either one in his speech.
He will focus on the economy and is expected to promote unfinished parts of his jobs plan, including the extension of a payroll tax cut that is soon to expire.
Whatever Obama proposes is likely to face long odds in a deeply divided Congress.
More people than not disapprove of Obama's handling of the economy, and he is showing real vulnerability among the independent voters who could swing the election. Yet he will step into the moment just as the economy is showing life. The unemployment rate is still at a troubling 8.5 percent, but at its lowest rate in nearly three years. Consumer confidence is up.
By giving a sneak peek to millions of supporters on his email list, Obama played to his Democratic base and sought to generate an even larger audience for Tuesday's address. He is unlikely to getter a bigger stage all year.
More people watched last year's State of the Union than tuned in to see Obama accept the Democratic presidential nomination in Denver in 2008.
The foundation of Obama's speech is the one he gave in Kansas last month, when he declared that the middle class was at a make-or-break moment and he railed against "you're on your own" economics of the Republican Party. His theme then was about a government that ensures people get a fair shot to succeed.
The State of the Union will be the details to back that up.
But even so, the speech will still be a framework ? part governing, part inspiration.
The details will be rolled out in full over the next several weeks, as part of Obama's next budget proposal and during his travels, which will allow him more media coverage.
On national security, Obama will ask the nation to reflect with him on a momentous year of change, including the end of the war in Iraq, the killing of al-Qaida terrorist leader Osama bin Laden and the Arab Spring protests, with people clamoring for freedom. He is expected to note the troubles posed by Iran and Syria without offering new positions about them.
Despite low expectations for legislation this year, Obama will offer short-term ideas that would require action from Congress. For now, the main looming to-do item is an extension of a payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits, both due to expire by March.
His travel schedule following his speech, to politically important regions, offers clues to the policies he was expected to unveil.
Both Phoenix and Las Vegas have been hard hit by foreclosures. Denver is where Obama outlined ways of helping college students deal with school loan debt. Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Detroit are home to a number of manufacturers. And Michigan was a major beneficiary of the president's decision to intervene to rescue the American auto industry.
Republican leaders in Congress say Obama has made the chances of cooperation even dimmer just over the last several days. He enraged Republicans by installing a consumer watchdog chief by going around the Senate, which had blocked him, and then rejected a major oil pipeline project the GOP has embraced.
Obama is likely, once again, to offer ways in which a broken Washington must work together. Yet that theme seems but a dream given the gridlock he has been unable to change.
The address remains an old-fashioned moment of national attention; 43 million people watched it on TV last year. The White House website will offer a live stream of the speech, promising extra wrinkles for people who watch it there, and then invite people to send in questions to administration officials through social media such as Twitter and Facebook.
Obama's campaign is also organizing and promoting parties around the nation for people to watch the speech.
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AP deputy director of polling Jennifer Agiesta and Associated Press writer Ken Thomas contributed to this report.
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Online:
White House: http://www.whitehouse.gov
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Follow Ben Feller at http://twitter.com/BenFellerDC
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Sunday, January 22, 2012
Adam Lambert Performs New Single on Ellen
Adam Lambert stopped by Ellen yesterday and took full responsibility for the fight that broke out between him and boyfriend Sauli Koskinen in Finland in December.
The singer referred to it as childish and foolish and irresponsible, adding that he's learned a lesson and it won't happen again. Good. Case closed. Let's move on, shall we, to new music from the former American Idol star?
Adam will soon release "Trespassing," his second album, and has already dropped the first single off it, "Better Than I Know Myself." Watch him perform it live on he aforementioned talk show now:
Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/01/adam-lambert-performs-new-single-on-ellen/
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Investors look for tech to rise as behemoth earnings loom (Reuters)
NEW YORK/CHICAGO (Reuters) ? As four big tech bellwethers ready their earnings reports after the bell on Thursday, the big question is whether their results will further fuel a solid rally in the tech sector.
Major companies due to report quarterly earnings include Dow components, Intel Corp, Microsoft Corp, International Business Machines and Google Inc.
Market participants are optimistic about Google and Microsoft earnings and lukewarm toward Intel and IBM results.
The Nasdaq 100 index, which tracks the 100 largest non-financial companies listed on the Nasdaq, is up 7.3 percent so far this year, and could easily top its 10 percent gain in October, which was its best month since Sept 2010. For the year the S&P 500 is up 4.6 percent.
"Solid earnings would help to confirm the price action we have been seeing in the Nasdaq 100 index," said Steve Place, a founder of options analytics firm investingwithoptions.com in Mobile, Alabama.
"Maybe investors have already anticipated solid earnings from the major tech stocks and that has led to the breakout in the index."
Chip makers have also rallied, with the PHLX semiconductor index up 13 percent for the year.
INTEL AND NASDAQ
The risk, however, is that strong results could give opportunity for investors to take profits on recent gains. Earnings announcements from Intel have often come when the market reaches a top, said Jason Goepfert of SentimenTrader.com.
"Intel's earnings reports have a funny way of occurring near peaks in the broader market," he said, adding especially for technology and particularly when the market has already been doing well.
Goepfert looked at the Nasdaq 100 performance after Intel earnings in the month of January when the index was within 2 percent of a high. This occurred five times in the period between 1997-2011 - 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010 and 2011.
Over the next two weeks after Intel results, the Nasdaq never managed to gain more than 1.7 percent at its best point during any of the five instances, and lost more than 2 percent every time at its worst point.
Despite Intel's impact on the Nasdaq 100, some market analysts are optimistic about the company.
While Intel was recently downgraded by some sellside analysts, MKM Partners semiconductor analyst Dan Berenbaum remains constructive on the shares, with a 12-month price target at $29.
The stock is currently trading up 0.8 percent at $25.57.
MKM Partners derivatives strategist Jim Strugger, in a report, recommends two bullish options strategies for Intel. One entails buying the stock to capture the company's dividend and against that position selling the July $23-$29 strangle to generate an additional synthetic yield of 5.8 percent.
A short strangle involves the selling of a call and a put with the same expiration date and different - but both out-of-the-money - strike prices. This strategy is a play against excessive volatility - the seller of the $23 put and the $29 call collects the premium, and only starts to lose money if shares move sharply beyond those points.
Another trade for upside exposure is buying the July $26-$29 call spread, which involves the sale of the $29 strike against the purchase of the $26 strike for a net cost of 90 cents per contract. The trade would break-even at $26.90 to make a maximum of $2.10 per spread with the stock at $29 or higher at July expiration, Strugger said.
OPTIMISM IN MICROSOFT, GOOGLE
According to sentimenTrader's Goepfert, Microsoft and Google are two stocks which have among the most optimistic sentiment in the S&P 1500 index, suggesting they are going to have high hurdles to overcome on Thursday.
His sentiment scores for Microsoft is 82 percent, the 16th highest in the S&P 1500 index and Google at 80 percent, the 26th highest in the index. That means that the sentiment toward both stocks is more optimistic than at least 80 percent of the other stocks in the index. Goepfert views 80 percent as extremely optimistic and under 20 percent as extremely pessimistic.
The scores for IBM and Intel are lower with 70 percent and 66 percent, respectively, he said.
The results are derived by averaging seven measures of sentiment for each stock. That includes short interest as a percentage of a stock's average trading volume; short interest as a percentage of a stock's total float; put and call open interest and put and call volume over the past week.
In options activity, Microsoft and Google shares are expected to show less volatile post-earnings moves this season.
The activity on Microsoft suggests the stock won't move more than 3 percent, said Gareth Feighery, a founder of Philadelphia-based options education firm MarketTamer.com. The average earnings move for Microsoft has been 2.2 percent for the past four quarters, according to data from options analytics firm Trade Alert.
In Google, derivative strategists at Goldman Sachs Group said Google January options are implying a 6.5 percent move post earnings compared to an average move of 7.3 percent for the past eight quarters.
Analysts on average were expecting earnings of 61 cents per share for Intel, according to Thomson Reuters StarMine SmartEstimates, which ranks analysts' estimates according to their past accuracy.
For IBM, the forecast was for $4.63 per share, and for Google, the forecast was $10.55 per share. For Microsoft, the forecast was 76 cents per share.
(Reporting By Angela Moon and Doris Frankel; Editing by Andrew Hay)
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Saturday, January 21, 2012
Many Breast Cancer Patients Uninformed About Options: Study (HealthDay)
FRIDAY, Jan. 20 (HealthDay News) -- In too many cases, doctors aren't doing a good job of informing American women with early stage breast cancer about the disease or their options in terms of surgery, a new study suggests.
In the study, researchers at the University of North Carolina surveyed breast cancer survivors on their knowledge of the disease. Respondents typically answered only about half of the questions correctly, and less than half said their surgeons had even asked them about their personal preference for surgery -- a full mastectomy vs. breast-conserving lumpectomy -- prior to treatment.
"We found that breast cancer survivors had fairly major gaps in their knowledge about their surgical options, including about the implications for recurrence and survival," said study lead author Dr. Clara Lee, an associate professor of surgery and director of surgical research at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill.
The paper was published in the January issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.
For the study, Lee and her colleagues sent surveys to 746 women who had undergone surgery for stage one or stage two breast cancer at one of four medical centers: the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston; the University of California, San Francisco; and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Among the 440 patients who responded to the survey, less than half (about 46 percent) knew that local recurrence risk is higher after breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy) than after mastectomy, and only about 56 percent of women knew that survival rates are equivalent for both options.
The study also revealed that women who said they preferred mastectomy were less likely to have treatment that was in accordance with their goals. Lee said this was probably because "patients reported that their doctors were more likely to discuss breast conservation therapy and its advantages than mastectomy. And many women did not recall being asked for their preference. We know from other studies that doctors don't always know their patients' personal preferences, so they may not be fully aware when a woman truly prefers mastectomy."
The fact that less than half (48.6 percent) of the patients recalled being asked their preference was particularly concerning to Lee.
"It would be one thing if we were talking about decisions for which there is clearly a superior treatment, such as treatment for an inflamed gallbladder," Lee said. "In this case, it's reasonable and actually better for the surgeon to make a recommendation. But here we're talking about a decision where there is no medically right answer, and it really depends on the patient's preference. In that situation, it makes sense to ask the patient what she prefers."
Another breast cancer surgeon cautioned that the retrospective nature of the study (asking women to recall past events) and the fact that the women filled out the surveys an average of two and a half years following surgery makes it hard to draw firm conclusions.
"Clearly there are deficits in knowledge, but what we don't know for sure is if that's because the surgeon failed to convey this information, or the surgeon failed to convey it in a way that the patient could understand, or the patient has simply forgotten," said Dr. Leslie Montgomery, chief of breast surgery at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City.
"If anything, I'm actually surprised that the numbers were as good as they were," Montgomery added. "There's often a big difference between what a woman is told and what she actually absorbs at a time when she is so emotionally distressed."
Montgomery believes the study is valuable, however, because it "helps identify the scope of the problem" and will be useful for designing future prospective trials.
"As surgeons, we really need to make sure we convey the proper information to a woman at what is probably one of the most stressful times in her life," Montgomery said.
More information
Find out more about surgical options for treating breast cancer at the American Cancer Society.
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John King On Newt Gingrich Attack: Question Choice Was 'My Decision, And Mine Alone'
Newt Gingrich's fiery response to CNN moderator John King's question about his ex-wife was the electrifying highlight of Thursday's Republican debate. After the session was over, King defended his decision to ask the question that had everybody talking.
Gingrich flatly condemned King, along with CNN, for asking a question about Marianne Gingrich, who told ABC News earlier on Thursday that her ex-husband had asked her for an open marriage while he was having an affair with his eventual third wife. Gingrich said he was "appalled" by King's decision to lead off the debate with a question about his former wife's allegations, calling it "close to despicable."
Speaking on a CNN panel, King said he had a friendly conversation with Gingrich after the debate was over. He called it a "damned if do you, damned if you don't" situation.
"Is it an issue I'm happy came up?" he said. "Of course not." But he came firmly down on the idea that, since people were talking about Gingrich's past, the issue was worth raising.
"I understood that if I asked the question he was not going to be happy with it, and he was going to turn on me," he said of Gingrich. "...It was my judgment, my decision, and mine alone. If we're going to deal with it, let's deal with it up front."
The other panelists mostly backed King up. David Gergen called Gingrich's infidelity issues "the elephant in the room," and said King had a "duty" to ask the question. Ari Fleischer, George W. Bush's former press secretary, was not so charitable.
"I don't think it was the right sequence," he said, explaining that he thought the question was too geared towards political junkies and not enough towards a broader audience interested in bigger issues.
King parried the disagreement with aplomb. "This is a debatable question," he said. "...I completely understand and respect those who disagree."
WATCH THE EXCHANGE:
Also on HuffPost:
Background on Newt Gingrich.Experience -- And Baggage
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Newton Leroy Gingrich entered Washington politics as a Georgia congressman in 1979 and exited in 1999 after resigning his position as speaker of the House. His four-year speakership is most frequently noted in conservative circles for his success in pressuring President Bill Clinton to sign a conservative welfare reform package into law and overseeing a short period of balanced or near-balanced budgets. He also received a large share of the blame for the 1995 government shutdown, when the public saw him as a stubborn politician more willing to allow the government to run out of funds than to compromise. But beyond the capital he's cultivated in the conservative movement, Gingrich's real political credentials have always been undercut by his personal history. He's had three wives. He reportedly brought divorce papers to his first wife while she was in a hospital bed recovering from uterine cancer (though this narrative was denied by both Gingrich and his daughter, Jackie Gingrich Cushman, in a recent report). His eventual separation from his second wife was less dramatic, but no less memorable. According to an extensive profile in Esquire, he told Marianne Gingrich that she was a "Jaguar" and that "all I want is a Chevrolet." That brought him to his third marriage to Callista Gingrich, who was a House staffer when she began an affair with her eventual husband. Newton Leroy Gingrich entered Washington politics as a Georgia congressman in 1979 and exited in 1999 after resigning his position as speaker of the House.His four-year speakership is most frequently noted in conservative circles for his success in pressuring President Bill Clinton to sign a conservative welfare reform package into law and overseeing a short period of balanced or near-balanced budgets. He also received a large share of the blame for the 1995 government shutdown, when the public saw him as a stubborn politician more willing to allow the government to run out of funds than to compromise.
But beyond the capital he's cultivated in the conservative movement, Gingrich's real political credentials have always been undercut by his personal history. He's had three wives. He reportedly brought divorce papers to his first wife while she was in a hospital bed recovering from uterine cancer (though this narrative was denied by both Gingrich and his daughter, Jackie Gingrich Cushman, in a recent report). His eventual separation from his second wife was less dramatic, but no less memorable. According to an extensive profile in Esquire, he told Marianne Gingrich that she was a "Jaguar" and that "all I want is a Chevrolet." That brought him to his third marriage to Callista Gingrich, who was a House staffer when she began an affair with her eventual husband.
MORE SLIDESHOWS
Experience -- And Baggage
Newton Leroy Gingrich entered Washington politics as a Georgia congressman in 1979 and exited in 1999 after resigning his position as speaker of the House. His four-year speakership is most frequently noted in conservative circles for his success in pressuring President Bill Clinton to sign a conservative welfare reform package into law and overseeing a short period of balanced or near-balanced budgets. He also received a large share of the blame for the 1995 government shutdown, when the public saw him as a stubborn politician more willing to allow the government to run out of funds than to compromise. But beyond the capital he's cultivated in the conservative movement, Gingrich's real political credentials have always been undercut by his personal history. He's had three wives. He reportedly brought divorce papers to his first wife while she was in a hospital bed recovering from uterine cancer (though this narrative was denied by both Gingrich and his daughter, Jackie Gingrich Cushman, in a recent report). His eventual separation from his second wife was less dramatic, but no less memorable. According to an extensive profile in Esquire, he told Marianne Gingrich that she was a "Jaguar" and that "all I want is a Chevrolet." That brought him to his third marriage to Callista Gingrich, who was a House staffer when she began an affair with her eventual husband. "; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/19/john-king-newt-gingrich-attack-question_n_1217893.html
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