Dr. Scott Tinker presented AGI award for Outstanding Contributions to the Understanding of Geoscience

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

17-Oct-2013

[


| E-mail



| Share

]

Contact: Maureen Moses
mmoses@agiweb.org
703-379-2480
American Geosciences Institute

Alexandria, VA Very few people have impacted the public understanding of geoscience as much as Dr. Scott Tinker. His documentary Switch, co-produced with Harry Lynch as part of the Switch Energy Project, has screened at over 350 universities, and reached an estimated 3 million people globally. In 2013, it will be distributed in thousands of Earth Science Week kits to students worldwide. For this, and many other esteemed accomplishments, Tinker has been presented the American Geosciences Institute award for Outstanding Contributions to the Understanding of Geoscience.

Tinker is actively engaged in building bridges between academia, industry, and government. He weaves energy, the environment, and the economy into his talks, in which he envisions a very challenging, but positive, global future. In 2000, after 17 years in the oil and gas industry, Tinker joined the University of Texas at Austin, where he holds the Allday Endowed Chair in the Jackson School of Geosciences. He has given more than 500 invited and keynote lectures and visited nearly 50 countries. Dr. Tinker is the Director of the Bureau of Economic Geology (BEG) and the State Geologist of Texas, and a past President of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists and the Association of American State Geologists.

The award is presented to a person, organization, or institution in recognition of an outstanding contribution to the public understanding of geology. The contribution may be in geology as a science or in geology as it relates to economic or environmental aspects of modern civilization. The award may be given to a geologist or non-geologist, or to an organization or an institution that is geologic or non-geologic in character.

###

The American Geosciences Institute is a nonprofit federation of geoscientific and professional associations that represents more than 250,000 geologists, geophysicists and other earth scientists. Founded in 1948, AGI provides information services to geoscientists, serves as a voice of shared interests in the profession, plays a major role in strengthening geosciences education, and strives to increase public awareness of the vital role geosciences play in society's use of resources, resiliency to natural hazards, and interaction with the environment.

---

[


| E-mail



| Share

]

 

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

17-Oct-2013

[


| E-mail



| Share

]

Contact: Maureen Moses
mmoses@agiweb.org
703-379-2480
American Geosciences Institute

Alexandria, VA Very few people have impacted the public understanding of geoscience as much as Dr. Scott Tinker. His documentary Switch, co-produced with Harry Lynch as part of the Switch Energy Project, has screened at over 350 universities, and reached an estimated 3 million people globally. In 2013, it will be distributed in thousands of Earth Science Week kits to students worldwide. For this, and many other esteemed accomplishments, Tinker has been presented the American Geosciences Institute award for Outstanding Contributions to the Understanding of Geoscience.

Tinker is actively engaged in building bridges between academia, industry, and government. He weaves energy, the environment, and the economy into his talks, in which he envisions a very challenging, but positive, global future. In 2000, after 17 years in the oil and gas industry, Tinker joined the University of Texas at Austin, where he holds the Allday Endowed Chair in the Jackson School of Geosciences. He has given more than 500 invited and keynote lectures and visited nearly 50 countries. Dr. Tinker is the Director of the Bureau of Economic Geology (BEG) and the State Geologist of Texas, and a past President of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists and the Association of American State Geologists.

The award is presented to a person, organization, or institution in recognition of an outstanding contribution to the public understanding of geology. The contribution may be in geology as a science or in geology as it relates to economic or environmental aspects of modern civilization. The award may be given to a geologist or non-geologist, or to an organization or an institution that is geologic or non-geologic in character.

###

The American Geosciences Institute is a nonprofit federation of geoscientific and professional associations that represents more than 250,000 geologists, geophysicists and other earth scientists. Founded in 1948, AGI provides information services to geoscientists, serves as a voice of shared interests in the profession, plays a major role in strengthening geosciences education, and strives to increase public awareness of the vital role geosciences play in society's use of resources, resiliency to natural hazards, and interaction with the environment.

---

[


| E-mail



| Share

]

 

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-10/agi-dst101713.php
Tags: Texas A&m Football   Presidents Cup Streaker   Ariel Castro   vince young   Carlos Danger  

Saudi Arabia rejects seat on UN Security Council

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Saudi Arabia on Friday rejected its freshly-acquired seat on the U.N. Security Council, saying the 15-member body is incapable of resolving world conflicts such as the Syrian civil war.

The move came just hours after the kingdom was elected as one of the Council's 10 nonpermanent members on Thursday night. It also followed another gesture of displeasure from the kingdom in which Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal declined to address the General Assembly meeting last month.

The Saudi discontent stems from its frustration with longtime ally United States. The two are at odds over a number of Mideast issues, including how Washington has handled some of the region's crises, particularly in Egypt and Syria. It also comes as ties between the U.S. and Iran, the Saudi's regional foe, appear to be improving following a recent telephone conversation between President Barack Obama and Iran's new president, Hassan Rouhani.

In a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency, the Foreign Ministry said Friday the Security Council has failed in its duties toward Syria.

It said this has enabled Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime to perpetrate the killings of its people, including with chemical weapons, without facing any punishment. The Syrian regime denies it has used chemical weapons in the war.

The kingdom, which has backed the Syrian rebels in their struggle to topple Assad, has often criticized the international community for failing to halt Syria's civil war, now in its third year. According to U.N. figures, the conflict has so far killed over 100,000 people.

Saudi Arabia is also frustrated that the U.S. backed away from launching punitive strikes against Assad's forces after Damascus agreed to allow inspectors from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the United Nations to destroy its chemical weapons arsenal.

The kingdom easily won the Security Council seat in a vote in New York on Thursday, facing no opposition because there were no contested races for the first time in several years. The Council seats are highly coveted because they give countries a strong voice in matters dealing with international peace and security, in places like Syria, Iran and North Korea, as well as the U.N.'s far-flung peacekeeping operations.

The 15-member council includes five permanent members with veto power — the U.S., Russia, China, Britain and France — and 10 nonpermanent members elected for two-year terms.

After the vote, Saudi Arabia's U.N. Ambassador Abdallah Al-Mouallimi said his country's election was "a reflection of a longstanding policy in support of moderation and in support of resolving disputes by peaceful means."

But the statement from Riyadh on Friday struck a dramatically different tone.

"Allowing the ruling regime in Syria to kill its people and burn them with chemical weapons in front of the entire world and without any deterrent or punishment is clear proof and evidence of the U.N. Security Council's inability to perform its duties and shoulder its responsibilities," the Saudi Foreign Ministry said.

The foreign ministry statement also said the U.N. Security Council has not been able to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict over the past six decades and has failed to transform the Middle East into a zone free of weapons of mass destruction — a reference to Israel, which has never confirmed or denied possession of nuclear weapons.

___

Associated Press writer Maamoun Youssef contributed to this report from Cairo.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/saudi-arabia-rejects-seat-un-security-council-090849059.html
Similar Articles: detroit tigers   emmy winners   National Cheeseburger Day   vince young   Ncaa Football Scores  

Millions Of Miles From Shutdown, Mars Rovers Keep Working

A photo composed of nearly 900 images taken by the rover Curiosity shows a section of Gale Crater near the equator of Mars. The rovers are continuing to work through the U.S. government shutdown.

NASA/AP

A photo composed of nearly 900 images taken by the rover Curiosity shows a section of Gale Crater near the equator of Mars. The rovers are continuing to work through the U.S. government shutdown.

NASA/AP

The budget negotiations in Washington are not front-page news on Mars. There, millions of miles away, NASA's rovers continue to operate, taking photographs and collecting data as they prepare for the coming Martian winter.

NPR's Joe Palca has this report for our Newscast unit:

"NASA's newest rover, called Curiosity, is on the move. It's headed to the base of Mount Sharp, a mountain that towers three-and-a-half miles above the floor of Gale Crater where the rover landed. Scientists hope the foothills of the mountain will reveal some of the ancient geologic history of Mars.

"The other rover, called Opportunity, is studying something similar at the rim of Endeavor crater. In January, the rover that was designed to last 90 days will mark its 10th year on Mars.

"Some of Opportunity's instruments have stopped working, but it's still taking pictures and still roves across the surface, albeit quite a bit slower than its newer partner on the other side of the planet."

The two rovers are taking in data and getting into strategic locations before winter arrives on Mars in a few months.

The scarcity of sunlight shouldn't pose a challenge for Curiosity, whose systems are powered by heat generated by the radioactive decay of plutonium. NASA hopes that the older Opportunity, which powers itself with solar panels, will be aided by its position on a north-facing slope.

As the Planetary Society website notes, this will be Opportunity's sixth winter:

"Harsh beyond belief, winters on Mars are life threatening, even for robots. Opportunity must endure constant, sometimes radical fluctuations in daily temperatures, not to mention survive temperatures as low as 100 degrees below freezing, all of which is really tough on her metal parts. Of course, the veteran rover has proved its resilience many times over while exploring this sub-freezing planet."

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/10/14/234256158/thousands-of-miles-from-shutdown-mars-rovers-keep-working?ft=1&f=1007
Similar Articles: Angela Ahrendts   Nick Pasquale   bay bridge   Miley Cyrus Vmas 2013 Video   lil kim  

Billy Crystal Finds Fun In Growing Old (But Still Can't Find His Keys)

Billy Crystal has hosted the Academy Awards more times than anyone except Bob Hope. "I love doing it because I love the danger of it," Crystal says. "You have to come through and think on your feet."

Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images

Billy Crystal has hosted the Academy Awards more times than anyone except Bob Hope. "I love doing it because I love the danger of it," Crystal says. "You have to come through and think on your feet."

Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images

Billy Crystal isn't happy about turning 65, but at least he's finding a way to laugh about it. His new memoir — Still Foolin' 'Em: Where I've Been, Where I'm Going, and Where the Hell Are My Keys? — is on the best-seller list, and he'll be back on Broadway in November.

Crystal got his start in standup comedy, and in 1977 he landed a leading role in the sitcom Soap — playing one of the first openly gay characters on TV. In 1984 he joined the cast of Saturday Night Live and went on to star in the films When Harry Met Sally, City Slickers and Analyze This. He's hosted the Oscars more times than anyone except Bob Hope. In 2007 he received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. His autobiographical one-man show 700 Sundays won a Tony in 2005 and reopens on Broadway in November.

Interview Highlights

On how his show business family brought him to comedy early

[I did impressions] of relatives because I heard so many different sounds. You know, my dad was in the music business and of course my uncle was a giant [music producer], but my dad in particular had the house filled with these Dixieland jazz stars — really the best of them, Henry "Red" Allen, Willie "Lion" Smith, Buster Bailey, Cutty Cutshall, Tyree Glenn, Zutty Singleton, these are big names in the Dixieland world. It was mostly African-American [musicians] and my Jewish Eastern European relatives.

The house as I say ... smelled of brisket and bourbon, so you could hear that. I started imitating them. Phrases came out of that, "Can't you dig that?" "I knew that you would." We were at [Passover] Seders and they were confused with the bitter herbs, "Do we smoke these or do we do we dip them in salt water?" "We dip them in salt water, well that's gonna kill the vibrancy of the weed, you know." So that's what I was around. So I would imitate them. That's where it all started.

On losing his father at age 15

At the time it was devastating, of course. My two older brothers were both out of the house and in college, and I was left alone with [my mom] and we developed this incredible bond where I could not let her get too sad, [even] when I felt it in myself. It was a hard thing to juggle. I never felt like I could have a weak moment, I had to always be there for her and keep her up. ...

I'd try to make her laugh, and try to do things with her. ... She is the greatest hero I'll ever know because she kept us all together, she made sure we all graduated college. She always believed in us no matter what we do. My older brother Joel became an art teacher; my brother Rip ultimately became a television producer and singer and actor himself.

For me, it was always, "Whatever you want to do, I'm there for you." I never stopped believing in us and I never felt like I was wanting for anything, except for my father, and that was not going to be. I describe in the book [that] I don't think I ever felt young again in that way. I never felt I had my 15, 16, 17 kind of years the way I maybe should have. It's a huge dent in you that it's hard to knock out and make it all smooth again.

On his early standup days opening for Sammy Davis Jr., who used to lie to the audience about their relationship

I have 40-something intros [that Davis Jr. did]; all are different, none of them happened. And it was hilarious. ... [He did it] because it was show business. Because I think he thought he was doing a good thing for me and for him. He created this whole wonderful fantasy world for the two of us that was part of the show. I was OK with it. I thought it was really fascinating.

I loved him. Every time I was with Sammy it was like going to the show business museum because the stories were so extraordinary, and I didn't care if they were true or not after a while. ... I don't know if he really got high with Humphrey Bogart or not. It didn't matter because he was painting these fantastic pictures.

On playing Jodie, one of the first openly gay characters on television, in the show Soap in the late '70s and early '80s

We were in front of a live audience and I would be acting with the man who was playing my lover, and we used those words, and the audience would titter and laugh, and make me uncomfortable doing the scenes. ... I wanted to sort of stop and yell at them, "What's so funny? What's the matter with you people? Grow up!" It made me very self-conscious at times.

I think back to what we did and the things we talked about, all these years ago, and I'm so proud of what we did. I think it was in the third season Jodie was confused about his sexuality and he has a one-night stand with a woman and she gets pregnant and has a baby. ... Now I have to raise this little girl and so we go to court [to determine] who is going to get custody of the child. ABC did a poll and the poll at that time said 3 to 1 that the country wanted Jodie to get the baby. And I thought, "OK, we did good here."

On hosting the Oscars

I love doing it because I love the danger of it and you have to come through and think on your feet. That's why that show, no matter who hosts it, it really should be a fast-thinking comedian who is really quick on their feet that can handle situations that happen, or somebody with that kind of mentality that can capitalize on something.

On his proudest Oscar moment

I was introducing [director and producer] Hal Roach — Mr. Roach was 100 years old, he was one of the fathers of early days in films, he put Laurel with Hardy, he created the Our Gang kids, and all these silent movies he did — he was a giant. I think it was his 100th birthday and he was just supposed to take a bow. So I'm at center stage and I say, "Ladies and Gentlemen, one of the fathers of this industry, he's 100 years old, Mr. Hal Roach." Big hand, he stands up. And he starts talking and he has no microphone. ... And it's getting restless in the audience and they're all looking at me going, "What are you gonna say?" And I see the red light is right on me, and I looked at the audience and lines are flying through my head and one settled like a slot machine, three cherries, and I said, "Ladies and Gentleman, it's only fitting because he got his start in silent films." It took the pressure away, and that's one time I will pat myself on the back.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2013/10/17/234823373/billy-crystal-finds-fun-in-growing-old-but-still-cant-find-his-keys?ft=1&f=1032
Similar Articles: New Girl   marshawn lynch   Joanna Krupa   What Did Riley Cooper Say   Mackenzie Rosman  

Who Would You Nominate for the Internet Hall of Fame?

The Internet Society is currently taking nominations for 2014 inductees to the Internet Hall of Fame. They're searching worldwide for people in three categories: Pioneers, Innovators, and Global Connectors. The nomination form is even open to the public. So who would you nominate?

Read more...

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/M4q64syBYuM/@kcampbelldollaghan
Tags: hocus pocus   emily blunt   Sarin gas   auburn football   dave chappelle  

Crowdfunder: Alamo Drafthouse's Forever Fest is a Fantastic Fest for 'Chick Flick' Lovers

Universal Pictures/ Courtesy: Everett Collection

2013 celebrated the ninth edition of Fantastic Fest, Alamo Drafthouse CEO Tim League's rootin' tootin' celebration of all things horror, fantasy, sci-fi, action and "just plain fantastic." Since its early days, the festival has grown from four days of programming to a sprawling event that now includes awards, ceremonies, a video game portioned dubbed “Fantastic Arcade” and even a night of movie debate-themed boxing.

PHOTOS: Top 10 Highest Grossing Valentine's Day Rom Coms 

Though attendees of every type flock to Austin, TX each year to take part in Fantastic Fest, Brandy Fons, co-owner of the Drafthouse's publicity team Fons PR, saw room for expansion — or another fest entirely. She considers herself a genre fan of the chick flick persuasion, fan without a place to celebrate In 2012, she was obsessed was the a capella-themed comedy Pitch Perfect, a fantastic movie, but not a Fantastic Fest movie.

Fons and Alamo programmer Sarah Pitre hope Forever Fest can be the answer to that problem. Set for Nov. 1 – 3 in Austin, the celebration of everything from rom-coms to young adult fiction to adorable cat videos acts as an extension of an idea that was already blossoming at the Alamo Drafthouse. In 2008, Pitre was approached by Drafthouse to program a film series geared towards woman. “Girlie Night” is now a monthly staple, handpicking “slumber party favorites” for women and men to enjoy.

VIDEO: 'Gravity' Trailer Recut as Romantic Comedy  

“The Alamo is all about celebrating film,” Pitre says. “If you look at what the types of movies they celebrate, they're all over the board in terms of genre. It was back when the first Sex and the City movie came out that Tim realized girls go to movies. That's when he started thinking that we were missing a huge demographic aka half the world's population.”

Pitre recalls programming Love, Actually on her first December with Drafthouse. The programmers were skeptical whether it had the repertory appeal to draw in crowds. Love Actually sold out four screenings.

“People use this term 'guilty pleasure,'” Pitre says of the films she curates. “I hate that. If you love a movie, you love a movie. It doesn't matter if other people don't like it or respect it. It's about how you see it.”

Forever Fest is starting small for its first outing. On deck for the weekend are screenings of Empire Records and Sixteen Candles, with stars Liane Curtis and Debbie Pollack in attendance, a musical homage known as “Danceoke” where participants recreate the moves of the film clips playing behind them, and a writers panel featuring names like Kirsten Smith (10 Things I Hate About You).

Selecting films came easily to Fons and Pitre. “I consider any film about the female experience to be a 'chick flick.' I know that term can be used in a derogatory way. Brandy and I want to reclaim it because we think films about the female experience are vital to telling women's stories,” says Pitre.

STORY: Is This the Worst Kickstarter Movie Campaign in History? 

While there are many organizations wrangling female writers and directors for a more traditional festival, Forever Fest wants to nurture and promote a specific breed of films in a way similar to Fantastic Fest. And like that festival, it could into a safe haven for Hollywood's “girlier” offerings. As YA explodes and the audience responses, Forever Fest could live between the two. This year, they're even having their first bite: Fox will be screen their young adult drama The Book Thief for fest-goers. Fons hopes that Forever Fest can eventually lure both mainstream and independent filmmakers to its screens in the years to come.

Forever Fest is currently in the thick of Kickstarter campaigning, but Fons insists that the show will go on whether they hit the goal or not -- it's all about scale (even for their own events, Alamo Drafthouse charges for theater rental space). And right now, women who love movies need that place to love them freely and wildly.

“It might sound crazy, but we feel the characters in these movies are people we know or remind us of people we know,” Fons says. “We want to dive into them as deeply as we can. It's a cathartic experience -- to take your love for something to the next level.”

Twitter: @misterpatches

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/thr/film/~3/DqAx7iYtMUk/story01.htm
Category: Cassidy Wolf   philadelphia eagles   Colorado flooding   Nfl Fantasy   Percy Jackson Sea Of Monsters  

Verizon 3Q profit soars as number of devices grows

NEW YORK (AP) — Verizon's third-quarter net income jumped 40 percent to beat Wall Street expectations as it continued to add more wireless devices to its network.

The country's largest cellphone carrier earned $2.23 billion, or 78 cents per share, up from $1.59 billion, or 56 cents per share, in the same quarter of 2012. Excluding one-time items, the company posted an adjusted profit of 77 cents per share for the recent quarter.

Revenue rose 4 percent to $30.28 billion from $29.01 billion.

Analysts polled by FactSet expected a profit of 74 cents per share on $30.15 billion in revenue.

The New York company added 1.1 million net retail wireless connections during the quarter. Of that total, 927,000 were connections that involved monthly service contracts.

As of Sept. 30, the company had 101.2 million retail wireless connections, representing a 6 percent increase over the same day a year ago.

Revenue at the wireless division rose 7 percent to $20.4 billion. That growth included an 8 percent increase in service revenue to $17.5 billion, which Verizon said stemmed from the increase in the number of wireless devices coupled with higher data usage and the continued shift toward smartphones.

Francis Shammo, Verizon's executive vice president and CFO, said during a conference call with investors that the company did run into supply problems with Apple's new iPhones, which went on sale during the quarter. As a result, some sales that would have occurred during September were pushed into October, he said.

Shammo also said that Verizon's new Edge program, which launched in late August and allows customers to pay for phone on an installment basis, didn't really pick up speed until September, so it didn't have a significant effect on the company's third-quarter bottom line.

The company also saw growth at its wireline business, which provides landlines along with the company's FIOS internet and TV services. Consumer revenue at the division rose 4 percent to $3.7 billion, mainly as a result of higher demand for FIOS.

Verizon announced last month that it would spend $130 billion to buy the 45 percent stake in its wireless division that was owned by Vodafone Group PLC. Once that deal closes, it will no longer have to share its wireless revenue with the British cellphone company.

The deal is expected to close during the first quarter of 2014.

Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. rose $1.45, or 3 percent to $48.70 in morning trading.

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-10-17-US-Earns-Verizon/id-a24bf570696843a3ba1b26cbf32c862b
Similar Articles: james spader   Anna Gunn   Blackboard   powerball winning numbers   david ortiz  

Booker wins NJ Senate seat, says he's 'a scrapper'

Newark Mayor Cory Booker talks to supporters during an election night victory party after winning a special election for the U.S. Senate, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2013, in Newark, N.J. Booker and Republican Steve Lonegan faced off to fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death of Sen. Frank Lautenberg. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Newark Mayor Cory Booker talks to supporters during an election night victory party after winning a special election for the U.S. Senate, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2013, in Newark, N.J. Booker and Republican Steve Lonegan faced off to fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death of Sen. Frank Lautenberg. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Newark Mayor Cory Booker talks to supporters during an election night victory party after winning a special election for the U.S. Senate, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2013, in Newark, N.J. Booker and Republican Steve Lonegan faced off to fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death of Sen. Frank Lautenberg. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Newark Mayor Cory Booker, top left, hugs his mother Carolyn Booker after giving his victory speech during an election night party, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2013, in Newark, N.J. Booker and Republican Steve Lonegan faced off during a special election to fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death of Sen. Frank Lautenberg. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Republican senate candidate Steve Lonegan and wife Lorraine Rossi Lonegan, wave during his concession speech in Bridgewater, N.J., Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2013, after Democrat Cory Booker was declared winner. Lonegan and Booker were vying to fill the Senate seat left vacant after the death of Frank Lautenberg. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey's U.S. senator-elect says he's ready to go to Washington and channel Americans' frustration with Congress into energy for change.

Newark Mayor Cory Booker appeared on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Thursday, hours after he defeated Republican Steve Lonegan in a special Senate election. Booker will fill the seat left vacant by the June death of Frank Lautenberg.

Booker says some of the comments people have made to him about the state of affairs in Washington mimic what people told him when he was elected Newark's mayor in 2006.

Booker called himself "a scrapper" and says he was still able to make positive changes in New Jersey's largest city. He says the current climate of frustration in Washington creates a climate for change.

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-10-17-NJ%20Senate/id-d55fa2eee13e4917af0a49eda520e4cf
Similar Articles: oarfish   Presidents Cup Streaker   calvin johnson   Emmys 2013   eminem  

'The Goldbergs,' 'Trophy Wife' Earn Additional Script Orders

ABC is expressing confidence in its Tuesday-evening comedy lineup.

The network has picked up three additional scripts for freshman comedies The Goldbergs and Trophy Wife, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

The comedies air as part of ABC's all-new Tuesday lineup, which starts with Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

The Goldbergs, a 1980s-set, semi-autobiographical comedy from Adam F. Goldberg, had the benefit of a monster bow from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and topped its Sept. 24 competition at 9 p.m. with a 3.2 rating among adults 18-49, ranking as ABC's best comedy launch in more than a year.

PHOTOS: Faces of Fall TV 2013

Family comedy Trophy Wife, meanwhile, drew a 2.3 rating among adults 18-49 in its Tuesday spot at 9:30 p.m.

Both series have slipped in subsequent weeks as S.H.I.E.L.D. has softened in recent weeks.

The ABC comedies join Fox's Dads and Brooklyn Nine-Nine as well as The CW's Reign, Tomorrow People and The Originals as having received additional scripts this season. S.H.I.E.L.D., meanwhile, ranks as the only ABC show that was given a full-season order. Fellow freshman drama Lucky 7 was the season's first cancellation, getting the ax after two episodes on Tuesdays at 10 p.m.

E-mail: Lesley.Goldberg@THR.com
Twitter: @Snoodit

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/thr/television/~3/WyMYf7GmIEU/story01.htm
Category: chicago bears   ricin   philadelphia eagles   Julie Chen   raven symone  

My Offer is This: Nothing (talking-points-memo)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/334486812?client_source=feed&format=rss
Similar Articles: jennette mccurdy   nfl scores   jadeveon clowney  

Why U.S. Taxpayers Pay $7 Billion A Year To Help Fast-Food Workers

New York City Council speaker and then-mayoral candidate Christine Quinn speaks at a fast-food workers' protest outside a McDonald's in New York in August. A nationwide movement is calling for raising the minimum hourly wage for fast-food workers to $15.

Richard Drew/AP

New York City Council speaker and then-mayoral candidate Christine Quinn speaks at a fast-food workers' protest outside a McDonald's in New York in August. A nationwide movement is calling for raising the minimum hourly wage for fast-food workers to $15.

Richard Drew/AP

If you hit the drive-through, chances are that the cashier who rings you up or the cook who prepared your food relies on public assistance to make ends meet.

A new analysis finds that 52 percent of fast-food workers are enrolled in, or have their families enrolled in, one or more public assistance programs such as SNAP (food stamps) Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

That's right: With a median wage of $8.69 per hour for front-line fast-food jobs — cooks, cashiers and crew — workers are taking home a paycheck, but it's not enough to cover the basics, according to the authors of "Fast Food, Poverty Wages."

"The taxpayer costs we discovered were staggering," says co-author Ken Jacobs of the Center for Labor Research and Education at the University of California, Berkeley.

"The combination of low wages, meager benefits and often part-time hours means that many of the families of fast-food workers have to rely on taxpayer-funded safety net programs to make ends meet," Jacobs told me by phone.

The report finds that the fast-food industry's low wages, combined with part-time hours and lack of health care benefits, creates demand for public assistance including $3.9 billion per year in Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) benefits. Add on another billion for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamp assistance. Earned Income Tax Credit payments (a subsidy to low-wage workers) amount to about $1.95 billion per year.

Contrary to the assumption that the typical fast-food worker is a teenager living with his or her parents, the report finds that the vast majority of front-line fast-food workers are adults who are supporting themselves — "and 68 percent are the main wage earners in their families," Marc Doussard of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a co-author of the paper, says in a press release about the study.

He says about a quarter of those working these jobs in fast-food restaurants are parents supporting children at home.

The report was funded by Fast Food Forward, a group campaigning for higher wages.

The analysis comes as a campaign for $15 per hour wages has garnered significant attention around the country. Over the past year, workers in cities nationwide have temporarily walked off their jobs to protest low wages.

But some more conservative-leaning economists say raising wages would do nothing to curtail the taxpayer spending on public assistance programs.

"I don't think raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour would solve that problem," Michael Strain, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, told me during a phone interview. He describes himself as a center-right economist.

Strain says raising wages to that level would have unintended consequences: Namely, fast-food companies would slow down their hiring. And this would lead to more workers looking for jobs — and potentially needing to rely on more public assistance.

Strain says the $7 billion taxpayer bill is not necessarily problematic.

"I think the system seems to be working the way it is — not that it's working perfectly," he says, adding, "In general, the government is making sure these people's basic needs are met, which is an appropriate role of government."

At the same time, Strain argues, fast-food businesses are paying their workers wages that they judge to be equal to the value these workers are adding to the production process.

"If we were to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, I think most economists, including me, would argue that that would result in a lot fewer workers," since fast-food companies would slow down on hiring.

Ken Jacobs disagrees.

"I think there's very good evidence on what's happened when wages have been improved for low-wage and fast-food workers," Jacobs says.

He points to a fast-food company, In-N-Out Burger, as an example of an employer that pays higher-than-average wages, yet is still profitable.

And, Jacobs says, some municipalities are raising minimum wages, such as San Jose, Calif., where the minimum wage is set to increase to $10.15 per hour in January of 2014. And there are proposals in states including Maryland to phase in hourly minimum wage hikes as well.

Jacobs argues that it's possible that employers may see a small decline in profits, but when wages are raised, "you do find a significant decline in turnover [of workers], which is cost-saving for employers."

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/10/16/235398536/why-u-s-taxpayers-pay-7-billion-a-year-to-help-fast-food-workers?ft=1&f=1030
Related Topics: michigan football   Tom Clancy   Romain Dauriac   futurama   Yosemite Fire  

Syria blast kills 21, US presses opposition on peace talks

Damascus (AFP) - A bomb killed 21 people in Syria on Wednesday, with sources variously blaming rebels and the army, as the United States urged a key opposition group to join peace talks.

In other violence, at least 41 fighters were reported killed in clashes in the northeast between Kurds and Al-Qaeda loyalists.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a pickup truck was passing through an area of the southern province of Daraa when the bomb exploded.

"Twenty-one people were killed in the Nawa area... among them four children and six women, in a blast that detonated as their vehicle went past."

The Observatory's Rami Abdel Rahman said they were members of three families probably fleeing Nawa, which has been the scene of heavy fighting.

Activists accused troops of planting the explosives, the watchdog added, but state news agency SANA said "21 terrorists (rebels) were killed when they were booby-trapping a car."

Daraa province is the cradle of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad that broke out in March 2011 and escalated into a civil war that the Observatory says has killed more than 115,000 people.

Assad's troops are not the only forces being targeted by rebels, with the Observatory reporting that Kurdish fighters in Hasaka province are engaged in pitched battles with two rebel groups, both Al-Qaeda-affiliated, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, and Al-Nusra Front.

"At least 41 fighters were killed, including 29 ISIL, Al-Nusra Front and Islamist fighters," the Britain-based group said.

Also killed were "12 fighters from the Committees for the Protection of the Kurdish People" (YPG).

Clashes have raged for months in majority Kurdish areas, as ISIL has sought to expel the YPG from areas it controls.

Fighting also raged in the main northern city of Aleppo, where rebels assaulted the administration block of the central prison following a six-month siege, the Observatory said.

US presses rebels over stalled peace talks

The clashes come as the United States seeks to persuade a key opposition group to agree to attend a proposed peace conference in Geneva.

The stalled initiative, dubbed Geneva 2, has been proposed by Washington and Moscow.

But the Syrian National Council, the biggest bloc within the umbrella Syrian National Coalition, has said it would not join the talks planned for next month and would quit the Coalition if it attends.

The SNC said it was snubbing the talks because of the ongoing suffering on the ground.

The United States, which backs the opposition, has urged the SNC to drop its refusal to join the talks.

"There have been many ups and downs in this process," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Tuesday, "but we continue to press for the opposition to have a representative body at the Geneva conference."

Geneva 2 was first mooted in May, but has been repeatedly postponed due to wrangling within the opposition and a dispute about which countries should participate.

The situation has been exacerbated by a chemical weapons attack on Damascus suburbs in August that left hundreds dead.

Washington led other world powers in accusing Assad's regime of using the prohibited weapons and threatened military strikes.

While denying regime troops were behind the attack, Damascus agreed to allow international experts to destroy its massive chemical arsenal as it raced to avert a strike by US forces.

Acting under a subsequent UN Security Council resolution, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has begun destroying the weapons in an operation expected to last until mid-2014.

The OPCW said Wednesday its inspectors have verified 11 of 20 sites identified by Damascus.

It added that critical equipment and some Category 3 munitions had been destroyed at six sites.

Under OPCW classifications, these are "unfilled munitions and devices and other equipment specifically designed to aid the deployment of chemical weapons."

In a related development, the United Nations named Sigrid Kaag, an Arabic-speaking Dutch UN assistant secretary general, to head the joint UN-OPCW mission.

An added challenge to the Geneva process has been mounting rebel criticism of the Coalition.

On Wednesday, rebels in southern Syria said it had "failed" and announced they no longer recognise the group.

The video statement signed by nearly 70 groups comes after several key rebel movements in the north announced their rejection of the Coalition in September.

The inability of the Istanbul-based Coalition to secure weapons and much-needed humanitarian assistance has raised the ire of opposition activists and rebels.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/21-killed-truck-hit-blast-south-syria-061048725.html
Related Topics: nascar   Witches of East End   GTA 5 review   Mexico vs Honduras   Tomorrowland  

Review: 3 PhoneGap toolkits tame mobile app development

October 16, 2013

Credit: iStockphoto

The very first road to the various app stores from Apple and Google was paved with native code. If you wanted to write for iOS, you learned Objective-C. If you wanted to tackle Android, Java was the only way. Similar issues popped up with all the other smaller players in the smartphone market.

Then some clever developers came to a realization: All the smartphones offered a nice option for displaying HTML in a rectangle on the screen. You have to write a bit of native code that pops up this rectangle in the native language, but everything inside the rectangle is controlled by the same languages that control the browser.

[ How are your HTML and JavaScript skills? Find out in InfoWorld's JavaScript IQ test and HTML5 IQ test. | Get up to speed on all the tips and trends programmers need to know by downloading the Developers' Survival Guide. | Keep up with the latest developer news with InfoWorld's Developer World newsletter. ]

Many developers immediately recognized the beauty of this. They wrote a generic native app with one big rectangle that took over the screen, then they handed off control to the JavaScript team. The result could run on all smartphones with only a few minor changes. Not only that, but the developers could use their JavaScript and HTML chops without learning too many details of the various platforms.

The early years weren't kind to this vision. Apple reacted harshly and banned some HTML apps from the App Store. Developers quickly found they couldn't get too creative with the JavaScript or the HTML before the phone started hiccuping and coughing. The HTML-based apps were often rougher and less polished than their native cousins.

That started changing several years ago. Apple relented and recognized that HTML was not dangerous. Then the hardware got faster, smoothing over many glitches. Today, some of the HTML-based apps I've been writing perform just as well as native apps -- and they're much easier to port.

Now these toolkits are being combined with cloud-based services that add cross-platform builds and app distribution to the mix. The leader of the movement, a once open source project named PhoneGap, is running strong and attracting competition from AppGyver, a startup that wants to make it all even easier. In the meantime, Telerik Icenium is evolving along a parallel path and offering a strong collection of development tools and UI widgets sewn together with JavaScript and HTML. All these tools open up the world of apps to developers who already are skilled in building Web applications.

Source: http://www.infoworld.com/d/application-development/review-3-phonegap-toolkits-tame-mobile-app-development-228814?source=rss_infoworld_test_center_articles
Tags: calvin johnson   Nate Burleson   Ozymandias   What Does the Fox Say   bachelorette  

Abbott surprises with huge dividend boost, shares jump

By Ransdell Pierson

(Reuters) - Abbott Laboratories reported higher-than-expected quarterly earnings on Wednesday, helped by strong demand for its diagnostics, and surprised investors with a dividend increase of more than 50 percent.

Lower taxes and cost-cutting also helped Abbott beat earnings forecasts, analysts said. The company's shares jumped 5 percent in afternoon trading to $35.42.

"The 57 percent dividend hike is the big news," Jefferies analyst Jeffrey Holford said in a research note. Abbott said it would boost its dividend to 22 cents per share from 14 cents, starting with the February 15 payment.

RBC Capital Markets analyst Glenn Novarro said the dividend's annual yield will grow to 2.7 percent and will likely attract investors following recent declines in Abbott shares related to worries about weakness in its nutritional products business.

"The dividend was a double surprise because of its size and because the company had not signaled they would raise it in the near term," Novarro said.

Abbott, which spun off its branded prescription drugs business in January into a separate publicly traded company called AbbVie Inc, reported third-quarter earnings from continuing operations of $773 million, or 49 cents per share. That compared with $339 million, or 21 cents per share, a year earlier, when Abbott incurred big expenses for cost-reduction programs and other initiatives.

Excluding special items, Abbott earned 55 cents per share. Analysts, on average, had expected 51 cents.

Overall revenue rose 2 percent to $5.37 billion, a bit shy of Wall Street forecasts for $5.39 billion. Sales would have risen 4.3 percent if not for the stronger dollar, which lowers the value of sales in overseas markets.

Despite beating earnings forecasts, Abbott left its full-year profit view unchanged at $1.98 to $2.04 per share, excluding special items.

"They're guiding conservatively given the current general macroeconomic situation," said Edward Jones analyst Jeff Windau, who has a "buy" rating on Abbott shares. "The quarter highlights overall strength of the company, including its strong medical device business and its international presence, including growth in emerging markets."

Sales of nutritional products, including Similac infant formula and Ensure beverages for adults, rose 1.9 percent to $1.64 billion in the third quarter. That represents a slowdown from growth of 7.9 percent in the second quarter.

In August Abbott recalled batches of its milk formula brands in China and Vietnam due to fears that protein concentrate, an ingredient provided by an outside supplier, was contaminated.

Although no contamination was ever found, Abbott on Wednesday said the disruption reduced sales of its nutritional products for infants and children by $90 million in the third quarter. It said sales of the products will continue to be hurt through the first half of 2014.

"But Abbott signaled that the nutritional issues will be short-term and that they are investing there (in Asia) to mitigate them," said Tim Nelson, a healthcare analyst with Nuveen Asset Management.

Sales of Abbott diagnostics rose 8 percent to $1.13 billion, while sales of its medical devices climbed 1.9 percent to $1.34 billion. But sales of its generic prescription drugs, which it calls established pharmaceuticals, fell 2.9 percent to $1.24 billion.

(Reporting by Ransdell Pierson; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick and John Wallace)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/abbott-beats-forecasts-helped-cost-cuts-low-taxes-120848451--finance.html
Tags: penn state   Sleepy Hollow   syria   Julie Harris   yemen  

Banks Ease Purse Strings On Luxury Home Loans

Audio for this story from Morning Edition will be available at approximately 9:00 a.m. ET.

 

For the first time in decades, interest rates for jumbo home loans are lower than rates for a typical mortgage. And because of that, the luxury market is the fastest growing sector of home loans. In Phoenix, sales of homes that cost more than $500,000 are up 64 percent.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2013/10/16/235185550/banks-ease-purse-strings-on-luxury-home-loans?ft=1&f=1006
Similar Articles: aldon smith   grandparents day   lindsay lohan   Nexus 7   George Alexander Louis  

MARKET PULSE- Citigroup, Savient Pharmaceuticals, Mac-Gray, J&J

(For more market insights, including options activity, click on
; for the Day Ahead newsletter http://link.reuters.com/mex49s;
for the Morning News Call newsletter, http://link.reuters.com/nex49s)

Wall Street opened little changed on Tuesday after a
four-session rally on the S&P 500 as investors focused on
developments in the budget talks and a batch of corporate
earnings including Citigroup (NYSE: C - news) .

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 0.16 percent,
the S&P 500 lost 0.17 percent and the Nasdaq Composite
dropped 0.02 percent.

** CITIGROUP INC, $49.19, down 1 pct (9:33 a.m. ET)

The company reported a marginal fall in adjusted quarterly
profit from ongoing businesses after the Federal Reserve's
decision to continue its bond-buying program for longer than
expected slowed trading by clients.

** SAVIENT PHARMACEUTICALS INC (NasdaqGM: SVNT - news) , $0.10, down 83 pct
(9:34 a.m. ET)

The U.S. biotech firm filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
protection in a Delaware court on Monday and said it has agreed
to sell most of its assets to Sloan Holdings CV for about $55
million. The agreement with Sloan, a unit of US WorldMeds LLC,
would serve as a "stalking horse" bid in a court-supervised
auction of Savient's assets, the company said.

** JOHNSON & JOHNSON (NYSE: JNJ - news) , $90.67, up 1 pct (9:34 a.m.
ET)

The company reported better-than-expected quarterly results
due to strong growth for its prescription drugs, including new
treatments for cancer and medication to prevent blood clots.
Johnson & Johnson slightly raised its full-year profit
forecast.

** CHARLES SCHWAB CORP, $23.02, up 4.6 pct (9:59
a.m. ET)

The retail brokerage firm said it expected revenue to grow 3
percent to 5 percent faster than expenses in 2014, reversing a
higher-than-expected jump in costs in the first half of the
year. The company made the forecast as it announced that its
third-quarter profit rose 17 percent from a year earlier to $290
million while revenue jumped 15 percent to its highest level in
13 years.

** XENOPORT INC (NasdaqGS: XNPT - news) , $6.12, up 6 pct (9:35 a.m. ET)

Shareholder Clinton Group Inc urged the biopharmaceutical
company to hire a new chief executive and asked for a change in
capital allocation. In a letter, the Clinton Group said it
believed "Xenoport's assets are worth substantially more than
the current stock price implies."

The group said it owned more than 1.3 million shares of
Xenoport's common stock. The company had 47.7 million
outstanding shares as of July 15.

** TERADATA CORP, $44.17, down 16 pct (9:35 a.m. ET)

The data analytics firm cut its full-year earnings forecast
by about 10 percent on Monday after preliminary third-quarter
results missed estimates on the back of sliding revenue.

** COCA-COLA CO, $38.08, up 0.4 pct (9:36 a.m. ET)

The company reported higher quarterly earnings and a lower
revenue on Tuesday, helped by strong global sales of its
Coca-Cola brand products but challenged by volatility in some
parts of Europe.

** FEDEX CORP, $117.87, up 2 pct (9:37 a.m. ET)

The world's No. 2 packaging company said it has authorized a
share repurchase program of up to 32 million of its outstanding
shares of common stock. The company bought back 2.8 million
shares during the quarter ended August. It had 317 million
common shares outstanding as on Sept. 30.

** DOMINO'S PIZZA INC, $65.60, down 5 pct (9:37 a.m.
ET)

The second-largest U.S. pizza chain missed analysts'
estimates on its adjusted earnings by a cent, reporting 51 cents
per share as general and administrative expenses rose about 8
percent to $53.8 million.

** MAC-GRAY CORP, $21.00, up 40 pct (9:53 a.m. ET)

The coin laundry operator said it would sell itself to CSC
ServiceWorks Inc for about $524 million, including debt.
Mac-Gray, which operates laundries in apartment buildings and
student residence halls, said the offer for $21.25 per share is
at a premium of 42 percent to Mac-Gray's Monday close.

** COLDWATER CREEK CO, $0.88, down 30 pct (9:37
a.m. ET)

The women's apparel and accessories retailer said it was
exploring strategic alternatives, including a sale of the
company. The company discontinued its quarterly guidance after
struggling with declining sales.

** TESLA MOTORS INC (Xetra: A1CX3T - news) , $188.64, up 5 pct (9:59 a.m.
ET)

Wedbush raised its rating on the electric sports car maker's
stock to "outperform" from "neutral," citing a survey that
pointed to a larger-than-expected market for the company's
so-called Gen 3 models, a new family of battery-powered compacts
priced from around $35,000. The survey indicated good
receptiveness of mainstream car buyers to purchase electric
vehicles and generally realistic expectations around vehicle
performance and costs, analysts wrote in a note to clients.

** GENERAL CABLE CORP (NYSE: BGC - news) , $32.14, down 5 pct (10:03
a.m. ET)

The cable maker said that due to some accounting errors, its
financial statements from 2008 through 2012 as well as those for
the quarter ended March 29 should no longer be relied
upon.

** ARENA PHARMACEUTICALS INC (NasdaqGS: ARNA - news) , $4.62, up 6 pct (9:50
a.m. ET)

** VIVUS INC (NasdaqGS: VVUS - news) , $10.23, down 2.5 pct

Japan's Eisai Inc, Arena (Milan: ARE.MI - news) 's marketing partner for
its obesity drug Belviq, said it would add over 200 contract
sales representatives focusing on educating healthcare providers
in the United States about the drug. Eisai plans to increase its
sales force to about 400 by December, double the number when
Belviq became available in June.

Earlier on Tuesday, Vivus reported third-quarter
prescriptions of its own weight-loss drug, Qsymia - which
competes with Belviq - of about 108,000, above the 81,000
prescriptions it reported in the second quarter.

** MICROSOFT CORP, $34.78, up 1 pct (9:38 a.m. ET)

Jefferies upgraded the company's stock to "buy" from "hold"
and raised its price target to $42 from $33 citing faster
growth, higher margins from sales of Windows operating system
licenses, and growing recurring revenue from subscription sales
of Office productivity software, servers, and Azure cloud
service to enterprise customers.

The brokerage also expects the company to benefit from
patent licensing agreements with makers of smartphones and
tablets running Google Inc (NasdaqGS: GOOG - news) 's Android operating system.

** FLIR SYSTEMS INC (NasdaqGS: FLIR - news) , $30.26, down 9 pct (10:04 a.m.
ET)

The sensor systems maker said it would close up to six
plants in the United States and Europe and transfer those
operations to larger factories. The company said it also
intended to consolidate its optics and laser manufacturing
businesses.

** OMNICOM GROUP INC (NYSE: OMC - news) , $64.95, up 1.6 pct (9:39 a.m.
ET)

The company reported a 2.5 percent rise in quarterly revenue
due to an increase in advertising income from its biggest
market, the United States. The company reported net income of
$196 million, or 74 cents per share, in the three months ended
September, compared with $203.9 million, or 74 cents per share,
a year earlier.

** MOLYCORP INC (NYSE: MCP - news) , $5.77, down 19 pct (9:39 a.m. ET)

The rare earths producer said its cash cushion has dwindled
to insufficient levels and announced its second major financing
in less than a year. Molycorp said it could sell up to $200
million worth of common stock in a public offering, or up to
$230 million if its underwriters exercise their options in full.

** ALCATEL (Paris: FR0000130007 - news) -LUCENT, $3.69, down 2 pct (9:39 a.m. ET)

The telecoms company's future is at risk after it missed key
technological shifts and has been in the red since 2006, Chief
Executive Michel Combes warned as workers prepared to protest
against job cuts. The Franco-American group last week unveiled
plans to slash 10,000 jobs worldwide, arguing the cuts were its
last chance to stem years of losses and turn the company around.

** RIO TINTO (Xetra: 855018 - news) , $50.95, up 2 pct (9:40 a.m. ET)

The global miner boosted its 2013 copper
output forecast after a better-than-expected recovery at its
landslide-hit U.S. Kennecott mine, and posted record iron ore
and coal output in the third quarter. Copper production was also
buoyed by a ramp-up at the Oyu Tolgoi mine in Mongolia.

** PACKAGING CORP OF AMERICA, $58.95, up 1 pct (9:40
a.m. ET)

The maker of containerboard and corrugated packaging
products reported on Monday third-quarter results that beat
analysts' estimates as corrugated products shipments rose 7.8
percent. The company also forecast fourth-quarter earnings of 84
cents per share, excluding items. Analysts on average were
expecting 83 cents, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

** BOEING CO (NYSE: BA - news) , $118.56, down 0.8 pct (9:42 a.m. ET)

The aircraft maker on Monday rebutted a Pentagon inspector
general report that said the company overcharged the U.S. Army
by up to $16.6 million on a $4.4 billion helicopter contract and
said it was still waiting to receive the final report under a
Freedom of Information Act request.

** BLACKBERRY LTD, $8.09, down 0.6 pct (9:43 a.m.
ET)

The Canadian smartphone maker sought on Monday to
reassure its restive customers and partners that it was
financially stable and "here to stay," even though it announced
massive layoffs and sources say it is in talks to sell all or
part of the company. In an open letter published in 30 news
outlets across nine countries, the company stressed that its
customers could continue to count on BlackBerry and its
products, despite the challenges it is facing and the changes it
is undergoing.

** CANADIAN NATIONAL RAILWAY CO, $104.51, down 0.6
pct (9:44 a.m. ET)

Talks between the railroad workers' union and Canadian
National Railway Co have broken down, raising the
possibility of a strike or a lockout by Oct (KOSDAQ: 039200.KQ - news) . 28 at Canada's
largest railroad operator, the union said on Monday.

** WI-LAN INC, $4.14, down 1.3 pct (9:47 a.m. ET)

** HEWLETT PACKARD CO (NYSE: HPQ - news) , $22.77, down 0.6 pct

** NOVATEL WIRELESS INC (NasdaqGS: NVTL - news) , $2.96, up 4.6 pct

Patent licensing company Wi-Lan said it entered a
patent license agreement with Hewlett-Packard and settled all
pending patent litigation. Under the agreement, Hewlett-Packard
was granted a license related to some WiLAN patents and HP
wireless products. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Wi-LAN also said it settled all pending litigation with
Novatel Wireless, granting the company license to certain WiLAN
products.

** YAHOO INC (NasdaqGS: YHOO - news) , $33.71, down 1 pct (9:55 a.m. ET)

The company's advertising revenue isn't expected to show
much improvement during the third quarter, but Wall Street will
be looking for signs that the Web portal is making gains growing
its audience and enticing people to spend more time on its
websites. Investors will also home in on the included results of
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, in which Yahoo owns a 24
percent stake, and which is planning for a massive public
offering.

** INTEL CORP, $23.52, up 0.3 pct (9:55 a.m. ET)

When the company reports results, investors will want
evidence that recently appointed Chief Executive Brian
Krzanich's new focus on mobile is leading to concrete results.
The company has promised its new Bay Trail mobile chip would
find its way into a slew of new tablets but it is unclear how
much progress Intel has actually made in mobile and whether the
new chips could also cannibalize sales of more profitable PC
processors.

(Compiled by Sneha Banerjee in Bangalore; Editing by Kirti
Pandey)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/market-pulse-citigroup-savient-pharmaceuticals-141330463.html
Tags: mrsa   calvin johnson   russell wilson   Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them   Sunny Ozell  

Sorry, Android fans, Nike FuelBand SE is still only for iOS

The fitness apparel maker also says the Nike+ Move app for the iPhone 5S allows users to get NikeFuel points using Apple's M7 processor.

Stefan Olander, Nike VP of digital sports, shows off the companys new FuelBand SE and its redesigned app.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Nike on Tuesday said its new FuelBand SE fitness tracker will only work with Apple devices, dealing a blow to Android users who expected support with the newest device.

Nike's previous FuelBand device also worked only with iOS gadgets, such as the iPhone 5. The company on Tuesday said if users don't have Apple devices, they can track their progress through a PC app.

Nike unveiled its new FuelBand SE Tuesday during an event in New York. The device, like its predecessor, is designed to push people to move more throughout the day by awarding "NikeFuel" points. Some new additions include the ability to track sleep, and the new device also is waterproof.

The company long has had close ties to Apple, working together many times in the past. Apple CEO Tim Cook even serves on Nike's board, a position he's held since 2005. That could cause some conflicts in the future as Apple reportedly preps its own smartwatch device, but for now the two seem closely linked.

During Apple's iPhone launch last month, the company revealed that the Nike+ Move app is the first program that takes advantage of Apple's new M7 processor in the iPhone 5S. That "motion coprocessor" continuously measures motion data through the accelerometer, compass, and gyroscope, taking it away from Apple's standard A7 processor. That should allow health apps to constantly collect data without draining the battery too quickly.

Stefan Olander, Nike vice president of digital sports, said Tuesday that the Nike+ Move app is free on the iPhone 5S and allows users to get NikeFuel scores using Apple's M7 processor.

Nike was among the first companies to ride the wave of fitness trackers and certainly has been one of the most high-profile names. The original FuelBand from 2012 was a success thanks to its winning design and strong integration with Apple's iOS. But Nike has faced more competition lately, including from the Fitbit Force and smartwatches such as the Samsung Galaxy Gear.

Limiting its compatibility only to Apple devices is something that could hurt Nike longer term. Android makes up about 80 percent of all smartphones sold on the planet, according to IDC, and it also now represents the majority of tablet shipments.

Updated at 8:30 a.m. PT with additional details about the FuelBand SE.

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57607537-94/sorry-android-fans-nike-fuelband-se-is-still-only-for-ios/?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=News-Apple
Related Topics: revenge   aapl   Selena Gomez   Claude Debussy   Kendrick Lamar Control  

Donald Glover Reveals Dark Fears, Career Regrets in Disturbing Instagram Posts

Community star Donald Glover has some fans concerned after posting a long list of dark ruminations to his Instagram feed on Monday.

PHOTOS: On the 'Community' Set 

Handwritten on Marriott hotel stationery, the seven pages of notes include such fearful admissions as, "I'm afraid my parents won't live long enough to see my kids," "I'm afraid people hate who I really am," "I'm afraid people think I hate my race," "I'm afraid people think I hate women," and, "I'm scared I'll never grow out of bro rape." (The reference to "bro rape" refers to an early sketch by Glover's comedy troupe, Derrick Comedy.)

COVER STORY: 'Community's' Dan Harmon Reveals the Wild Story Behind His Firing and Rehiring

Glover, who committed to a shortened season of Community this year -- ostensibly to focus more on his rap music as alter ego Childish Gambino -- also made several references to his career in the posts. In one, he denies that his music pursuits were the reason he left the NBC sitcom.

"I didn't leave Community to rap," Glover, 30, writes. "I don't wanna rap. I wanted to be on my own." He also writes, "I'm afraid [Community creator] Dan Harmon hates me."

"I've been sick this year, I've seen a bunch of people die this year. This is the first time I've felt helpless. But I'm not on that," he adds.

STORY: 'Community's' Donald Glover Reduces Role for Season 5

A rising star in the comedy world, Glover's first big break came with a writing gig on NBC's 30 Rock. He was later cast as Troy Barnes on Community, the breakout role that earned him legions of fans. He recently inked a deal with FX to star, write and executive produce Atlanta, a music-themed series.

Still, his work as Childish Gambino took center stage this year. Glover announced on Oct. 8 that his newly completed studio album, Because the Internet, would receive a late-December release.

STORY: 'Community's' Donald Glover Developing Music Comedy for FX

"Obviously, Donald is a comic genius," co-star Joel McHale told THR last August, shortly after the first table read of Community's fifth season. "His level of talent is pretty extraordinary and rare. His rap career is exploding, so I get why he wants to focus on it."

A call to Glover's representatives for comment was not immediately answered.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/thr/music/~3/AzH1rUzq9GE/story01.htm
Related Topics: New 100 Dollar Bill   tracy mcgrady   Spain train crash   The Dirty   helen thomas