via arktimes.com
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Jobless Claims in U.S. Decline, Top Estimates - Bloomberg
More Americans than forecast filed applications for unemployment benefits last week, indicating little progress in the labor market.
Jobless claims fell by 1,000 to 428,000 in the week ended June 25, Labor Department figures showed today in Washington. The median forecast of economists in a Bloomberg News survey called for a drop to 420,000. The number of people on unemployment benefit rolls and those getting extended payments declined.
via bloomberg.com
Bank of America charts path to settlements - Post Bulletin
ust how much will it cost the big banks to atone for the mortgage mess?
Bank of America announced Wednesday that it would take a whopping $20 billion hit to put the fallout from the subprime bust behind it and satisfy claims from angry investors. But for its peers, the settlements may just be starting.Heavyweight investors that forced Bank of America to hand over billions to cover the cost of home loans that later defaulted are now setting their sights on companies like JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup and Wells Fargo, raising the prospect of more multibillion-dollar deals.
"Bank of America has charted a path that our clients expect other banks will follow," said Kathy D. Patrick, the lawyer who represented BlackRock, PIMCO, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and 19 other investors who hold the soured mortgage securities assembled by Bank of America.
via postbulletin.com
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Election 2012: Generic Presidential Ballot - Rasmussen Reports™
A generic Republican candidate now holds a four-point lead over President Obama in a hypothetical 2012 election matchup. It's the fifth week in a row that the GOP candidate has been ahead and the widest gap between the candidates to date.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds a generic Republican candidate earns support from 46% of Likely U.S. Voters, while the president picks up 42% of the vote. Three percent (3%) prefer some other candidate, and nine percent (9%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
Last week, the Republican held a 45% to 43% advantage. In weekly surveys since the beginning of May, support for Obama has ranged from 42% to 45%, while the Republican has earned 43% to 46% of the vote. Rasmussen Reports will provide new data on this generic matchup each week until the field of prospective Republican nominees narrows to a few serious contenders.
Republicans also hold a seven-point lead over Democrats on the Generic Congressional Ballot for the week ending Sunday, June 26. Republicans have led on this ballot every week since June 2009.
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted on June 20-26, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney continues to lead the race for the Republican nomination, but Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann has surged into second place following the June 13 GOP debate.
In president’s total job approval ratings are a good indicator of what percentage of the vote he may earn in the 2012 presidential race. Aside from a brief bounce in support following the killing of Osama bin Laden, Obama’s approval ratings have hovered in the high 40s for the past 18 months.
Eighty-four percent (84%) of GOP voters support a generic candidate from their party, while almost as many Democrats (81%) favor Obama. Voters not affiliated with either political party prefer the Republican 42% to 37%.
Male voters prefer the Republican by 12 points; female voters give a three-point edge to Obama. Voters under the age of 30 favor the incumbent, while middle-aged voters are evenly divided. Voters over 50 support the Republican.
Ninety-five percent (95%) of black voters favor Obama, while 53% of whites support the Republican. Voters of other races are evenly divided.
Conservatives (79%) overwhelmingly support the Republican, while 81% of liberals - and a plurality (49%) of moderates - favor Obama.
Seventy-nine percent (79%) of the Political Class back the president, but 54% of Mainstream voters like the Republican instead.
Voters are more willing than ever to elect a woman president, and most think there’s a good chance a woman will win the White House in the next 10 years.
Nearly half of U.S. voters give Obama poor marks for his handling of the economy, but he continues to earn higher respect for his performance in the area of national security. Almost as many (44%) give him positive marks on his leadership, though.
Most voters still want to repeal the national health care law, and confidence that the law will improve the quality of health care has fallen to a new low.
A historical trends are available to Platinum Members only.
Please sign up for the Rasmussen Reports daily e-mail update (it's free). Let us keep you up to date with the latest public opinion news.
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MySpace Sold for $35 Million
The day that the web has been buzzing about has finally come: It seems that MySpace has been sold to an advertising network called Specific Media for a mere $35 million.
News Corp. declared it was ready to sell MySpace in an earnings call in February. The media company was reportedly hoping to get $100 million out of the sale.
News Corp bought the site for $580 million from its original owners, but MySpace’s traffic has plummeted in recent years.
All Things Digital reports that the deal will close Wednesday but has not yet been signed. News Corp. will reportedly hold a 5% to 10% stake in the company.
Other reports this week indicated that close to 50% of the site’s staff could be cut after the sale goes through, and it’s likely that any further iterations will focus on music.
We’ve reached out to MySpace for comment.
via mashable.com
Dive boat leaves US tourist 30 miles offshore - World news - Asia-Pacific - msnbc.com
An American tourist on a snorkeling trip to see Australia's Great Barrier Reef was left behind by his tour boat while about 30 miles offshore, according to reports Wednesday.
Michigan native Ian Cole, 28, said he panicked when he surfaced to find the boat had left after a mistaken head-count, the local Cairns Post newspaper reported, according to the AFP news agency.
via msnbc.msn.com
A third of teens who drink, take drugs are addicted - Health - Addictions - msnbc.com
Nearly half of all U.S. high school students currently smoke, drink or use other drugs, and a third of users meets the medical criteria for addiction, according to a report out Wednesday.
via msnbc.msn.com
Oil Climbs Most in Six Weeks as Supplies Drop More Than Expected - Businessweek
Oil rose the most in six weeks in New York after the U.S. government reported that supplies dropped almost three times as much as expected.
Crude advanced as much as 3.2 percent as the Energy Department said inventories fell for a fourth week, the longest stretch of declines this year. Imports decreased after the International Energy Agency’s June 23 announcement that its members will release 60 million barrels of oil from strategic reserves, including 30 million barrels from the U.S.
“The numbers were very bullish for crude,” said Carl Larry, director of energy derivatives and research with Blue Ocean Brokerage in New York. “They show that we’re losing a lot of imports already, and we could see more of a decline in expected deliveries to the U.S. because of the IEA release.”
via businessweek.com
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Chrome Nearly Replaced Firefox in Ubuntu Linux, Mark Shuttleworth Says CIO.com
Network World — Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth is a big fan of Google (GOOG) Chrome, and says the browser could replace the standard Firefox in future versions of Ubuntu Linux.
Shuttleworth, the onetime space tourist, is spending his days on Earth to guide Canonical through a crossroads.
The overhauled user interface Canonical created for Ubuntu was greeted with a mixed reaction upon its release two months ago. But Canonical may not be done making radical changes to what is likely the world's most popular Linux desktop OS.
The South African Shuttleworth was visiting Canonical's Massachusetts office last week when he took an hour out of his day for a phone interview with Network World. Shuttleworth said "it's a real possibility" that Canonical may replace Firefox with Chrome as the default Web browser in Ubuntu.
BEST BROWSER? First look at Google Chrome 10
In fact, Shuttleworth says, "We looked at it closely in the last cycle and the decision was to stick with Firefox in 11.10."
11.10 is the next version of Ubuntu, to be released in October as part of Canonical's twice-a-year release cycle. Chrome probably won't replace Firefox in 12.04, due out in April 2012, either, because that will be the long-term support version, making it an unlikely candidate for major changes.
"That probably keeps us on Firefox for another year, at least, and we'll see from there," Shuttleworth said.
If that sounds like a wishy-washy answer, Shuttleworth also made it clear that he is a believer in the future of Chrome on Linux.
The work Google is doing with the Chrome operating system, which runs the Chrome browser on top of a generic version of Linux, "is having a hugely positive impact on the performance of Chrome on Linux," Shuttleworth said.
GOOGLE'S OS: First look at Chrome OS
"That's unusual," Shuttleworth said. "You don't often see that in a cross-platform project. We may well be in a position where Chrome on Ubuntu and Chrome on Linux is a better experience than Chrome on any other platform [i.e. Windows and Mac]."
Shuttleworth expressed further admiration for Google's commitment to a computing future based entirely on the Web.
"I think Chrome OS is sort of fascinating at many levels," he said. "Regardless of its ultimate level of adoption, the fact that it's such a clear statement of intent to make the Web the platform, and only the Web the platform, it will catalyze a lot of interesting thinking. From our perspective it becomes important to do the Web fantastically well and having Chrome and Firefox on Linux both be great is important." (See also: "Hackers get Ubuntu Linux booting alongside Google's Chrome OS")
via cio.com
Monday, June 27, 2011
New recession begins next year, Shilling says Howard Gold's No-Nonsense Investing - MarketWatch
That’s the debate going on these days from executive offices to the local malls. Business owners, workers and, yes, even economists are trying to decide whether the U.S. economy has hit a speed bump or is heading for a collision.
We all know growth is tepid, unemployment is a bear and housing, well, stinks. That’s why major Wall Street firms, the International Monetary Fund and, on Wednesday, the Federal Reserve all slashed their estimates for U.S. GDP growth this year.
via marketwatch.com
First Read - First Thoughts: Bachmann's turn for overdrive
Bachmann’s turn for overdrive: More than two weeks ago, we said it was important to take a Michele Bachmann campaign seriously, and the new Des Moines Register poll of likely Iowa GOP caucus-goers backs that up. According to the survey, Mitt Romney (at 23%) is running neck-and-neck with Bachmann (22%), followed by Herman Cain (10%), Newt Gingrich (7%), Ron Paul (7%), Tim Pawlenty (6%), and Rick Santorum (4%). Bachmann couldn’t have wished for better news to set up her official announcement, which she makes today from Waterloo, IA at 10:00 am ET. And surprisingly, the poll overshadowed Sarah Palin’s stop in Iowa on Tuesday, which had the potential of overshadowing Bachmann’s day today. Bachmann has one good problem: She’s peaking early. Can she keep it up? And keep this in mind: Bachmann is doing this without the so-called MSM; in fact, she’s even doing it without FOX News (whose Chris Wallace asked her yesterday if she was a “flake”).
NM wildfire forces evacuations, gov't lab closure - Forbes.com
LOS ALAMOS, N.M. -- A fast-moving wildfire forced officials at the Los Alamos National Laboratory to close the site Monday as residents nearby evacuated their homes.
The fire has grown to between 6 and 9 square miles of mixed conifer and ponderosa pine and firefighters have no containment. The blaze started at around 1 p.m. Sunday on private land about 12 miles southwest of the town of Los Alamos.
via forbes.com
Sunday, June 26, 2011
6 killed in Amtrak train crash, 28 unaccounted for
Six people were killed and 28 remain unaccounted for in the fiery collision of a semi-trailer and an Emeryville-bound Amtrak train in the Nevada desert, officials said late Saturday.
It wasn't until Saturday afternoon that the wreckage was safe enough to allow search teams to enter the burned-out hulks of two passenger cars in the 10-car train that exploded in a fireball on Friday.
A team of 18 investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board is examining the wreckage, but they don't yet have a full explanation of why the crash occurred.
Two other truck drivers watched in horror and disbelief as the lead semi-tractor trailer in their convoy failed to stop for flashing warning signals and plowed into the train, the federal investigators said.
"The two other trucks noticed the signs and took action," NTSB member Earl Weener said at a briefing. "The lead truck did not stop."
The initial findings only deepen the mystery of why the big rig slammed into the California Zephyr at a remote highway crossing about 70 miles east of Reno, shortly before 11:30 a.m. on Friday.
The fellow drivers in the three-truck convoy described ample warnings signs and functioning crossing gates and warning lights, Weener said. The first warning sign was almost 900 feet before what Weener described as a state-of-the-art rail crossing gate. There were additional markers at 650 feet.
Skid marks show the lead driver, who died in the crash and authorities have refused to identify, applied the brakes beginning at about 320 feet from the crossing but was unable to stop in time, officials said.
But more than a day after the rig, owned by John Davies Trucking of Battle Mountain, Nev., slammed into the train, little information was available about who was killed and who was missing in the collision.
The investigators from NTSB combed through the charred wreckage, trying to determine why a semi-tractor trailer hauling empty gravel containers hurtled through the wooden safety gates and flashing lights at the remote highway crossing.
Crews also had the grim task of searching the charred hulk of part of the train for bodies.
The fireball that raged through the train cars made it too risky for crews to search the wreckage until Saturday afternoon, authorities said.
"The fire weakened the structure of the cars and they could collapse," Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Dan Lopez said. "The safety of workers is a big thing, and we don't want to put someone else in an unsafe situation."
Amtrak officials, who earlier said there were 204 passengers and 14 crew members aboard the California Zephyr, were scouring the passenger manifest to determine how many riders were on the train and how many had bought tickets but did not use them.
There's difficulty in knowing exactly how many passengers were onboard the train, Weener said.
"It's not like an airplane where there's a record of who gets on," he said. "On a train, people can get on and off as they will."
The truck driver is expected to be the focus of the investigation.
"That's what everybody wants to know. Why did the truck collide with the train?" Lopez said. "Unfortunately ... he was pronounced dead."
Investigators are expected to review the man's driving and medical history. Autopsy results would probably indicate whether the driver had consumed any drugs before the collision.
More than 80 people were taken to hospitals in Reno and the surrounding area, some in helicopters, authorities said. Six of the nine who had been taken to Renown Regional Medical Center, the local trauma hospital, were released by Saturday afternoon. Of the three who remained, one was listed in critical condition.
The riders' injuries included blunt trauma, fractures, abrasions, lacerations and internal organ damage, but not burns, Renown officials said.
Another 76 people were treated at Banner Churchill Community Hospital in Fallon, about 63 miles east of Reno, hospital spokeswoman Amiee Fulk said. All but one had been released by Saturday.
Dozens of other passengers were being taken by chartered buses to their destinations, Amtrak officials said. The first buses arrived in Emeryville around midnight Friday. Trains had to be rerouted around the crash site and the highway remained closed around the scene of the wreck.
The train had originated in Chicago. It was due to arrive in Emeryville at 4:10 p.m. Friday.
"Right now it's a shock to everybody's system," Amtrak spokesman Cliff Cole said, "but I think at the end of the day, we run a reliable and safe railroad."
Chronicle news services contributed to this report. E-mail John Coté at jcote@sfchronicle.com.
This article appeared on page A - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle
via sfgate.com
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Huntsman Announces Presidential Bid - Jackson News Story - WAPT Jackson
Liberty State Park, New Jersey (CNN) -- Not known for throwing out red meat to conservative audiences, former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman warned voters the country is facing an "un-American" future in his campaign kick-off speech Tuesday.
Huntsman took aim at the sluggish economy and mounting national debt in his remarks."We are about to pass down to the next generation a country that is less powerful, less compassionate, less competitive and less confident than the one we got. This is totally unacceptable and totally un-American," Huntsman said.Launching his bid for the GOP presidential nomination in front of the Statue of Liberty, Huntsman paid tribute to Ronald Reagan in his remarks. Reagan kicked off his successful 1980 campaign from the same spot."He assured us we could 'make America great again,' and under his leadership we did. I stand in his shadow as well as the shadow of this magnificent monument to our liberty," Huntsman said.Huntsman served as Ambassador to China under President Obama, a sticking point for some Republicans. The former diplomat called for a more civil tone toward the president in the upcoming campaign."He and I have a difference of opinion on how to help the country we both love," Huntsman said. "But the question each of us wants the voters to answer is who will be the better president; not who's the better American."Copyright CNN 2011
via wapt.com
Monday, June 20, 2011
Wal-Mart Wins Supreme Court Gender-Bias Case - Bloomberg
The U.S. Supreme Court, in a ruling that may mean new limits on class-action suits, rejected an effort to sue Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) for discrimination on behalf of potentially a million female workers.
The justices said the lawyers pressing the case failed to point to a common corporate policy that led to gender discrimination against workers at thousands of Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club stores across the country. The court ruled unanimously on some aspects of the case and divided on others.
via bloomberg.com
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Ron Paul wins RLC straw poll - Jonathan Martin
NEW ORLEANS — As has become typical at GOP cattle calls, Ron Paul captured the presidential straw poll at the Republican Leadership Conference here, easily besting his nearest competitor, Jon Huntsman.
Paul won 612 votes to Huntsman's 382. Michele Bachmann came in third with 191 votes and Herman Cain finished behind her, taking 104 votes.
Continue ReadingPaul was edged by one vote at this same event last year, but this straw poll success has become de rigeur at such gatherings. And, just as they have at recent CPACs, Paul's backers in the crowd here let out loud cheers when the results were announced from the stage while the regular Republicans in the audience booed the Libertarian-leaning Texas congressman's success.
The more notable result was Huntsman's second place. The former ambassador was slated to speak to the confab, but backed out, citing a cold. That the little-known and pragmatic Huntsman would finish between Paul and Bachmann — each of whom enjoy a passionate following among more ideological activists — is surprising.
Rumors circulated here that Huntsman campaign had paid for supporters to attend the conference and a spokesman for the candidate, Tim MIller, didn't deny that they had.
"Not commenting on internal strategy," said Miller, adding: "The result demonstrates that young conservatives are responding to his record of success in Utah, willingness to take the debt problem seriously, and foreign policy message,"
The GOP's effective frontrunner Mitt Romney narrowly defeated Paul here last year but got only 74 votes this time. Romney didn't show up this year. Neither did Tim Pawlenty, who won just 18 votes.
via politico.com
Friday, June 17, 2011
The Associated Press: AARP slammed for not fighting Social Security cuts
AARP slammed for not fighting Social Security cutsBy STEPHEN OHLEMACHER, Associated Press – 53 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — AARP, the powerful lobby for older Americans, was hammered Friday by fellow activists for refusing to oppose any and all cuts to Social Security benefits, a position the group says it has long held as a way to extend the life of the massive retirement and disability program.
The group, which has 37 million Americans as members, adamantly opposes cutting Social Security benefits to help reduce the federal budget deficit, said David Certner, the organization's director of legislative policy. But for years AARP has acknowledged that cuts to future benefits may be necessary to improve the program's finances, he said.
"Our policy for decades has always been that we basically support a package that would include revenue enhancements and benefit adjustments to get Social Security to long-term solvency," Certner said. "That has been our policy stated over and over again for, I mean, literally it has to be two decades, now."
However, the issue gained major notice Friday as White House and congressional leaders continued to negotiate ways to reduce government red ink. Social Security has not been a part of those talks. Instead, negotiators have focused on potential cuts to Medicare, the government health insurance program for older Americans.
In the midst of that, The Wall Street Journal quoted AARP's longtime policy chief, John Rother, saying the agency was dropping its longstanding opposition to cutting Social Security benefits.
"The ship was sailing. I wanted to be at the wheel when that happens," The Journal quoted Rother as saying.
Certner said the story was inaccurate, that AARP's views were long held. Nevertheless, the story set off a firestorm among Social Security advocates, who roundly criticized AARP as selling out seniors. Most advocacy groups oppose all cuts to Social Security benefits, even those that would affect only future generations, such as an increase in the retirement age.
"AARP is losing the confidence of seniors around the country, and not just seniors but people of every age group," said Max Richtman, acting CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare. "I hope the ship that he wants to be steer isn't the Titanic filled with seniors."
Ed Coyle, executive director of the Alliance for Retired Americans, said, "AARP does not speak for all seniors, and on this topic probably not many of their own members."
Eric Kingson, co-chair of the Strengthen Social Security Campaign, a coalition of about 300 groups, accused AARP of trying to win an influential seat at the negotiating table when lawmakers tackle Social Security.
"AARP is positioning itself as an inside dealmaker that's open to benefit cuts when in fact it should be educating the public about the need to selectively improve the one economic security retirement institution that works quite well," Kingson said. "Even if one believes that some ground may have to be ceded on Social Security, it's terrible negotiation strategy to signal a willingness to compromise before negotiations are joined."
Rother was traveling Friday and unavailable for comment, said AARP spokeswoman Mary Liz Burns. Instead, AARP made Certner available for numerous interviews and released a statement by CEO A. Barry Rand.
"Let me be clear — AARP is as committed as we've ever been to fighting to protect Social Security for today's seniors and strengthening it for future generations," Rand said in the statement. "Contrary to the misleading characterization in a recent media story, AARP has not changed its position on Social Security."
"Our focus has always been on the human impact of changes, not just the budget tables," Rand added. "We have maintained for years — to our members, the media and elected officials — that long-term solvency is key to protecting and strengthening Social Security for all generations, and we have urged elected officials in Washington to address the program's long-term challenges in a way that's fair for all generations."
Social Security's finances face long-term problems because the massive retirement and disability system is being hit by a wave of retiring baby boomers. Last year, the program started paying out more money in benefits than it collected in payroll taxes.
Social Security's actuaries say the trust funds that support the program will be drained by 2036 unless Congress acts. At that point, the system will collect enough in payroll taxes to pay about 77 percent of benefits. Between now and 2036, the government will have to borrow to meet Social Security's obligations because the money held in reserve has been spent on other programs.
Most experts say they expect any long-term fix to include tax increases and benefit cuts, though the cuts are likely to be limited to future retirees. The issue is deadlocked at present because many Democrats in Congress adamantly oppose benefit cuts while nearly all Republicans oppose tax increases.
Advocates have successfully thwarted efforts to include Social Security in the budget talks in Washington, making it unlikely the program will be addressed before the 2012 presidential elections.
Certner said AARP had planned to begin a series of town-hall events around the country earlier this year to start talking with seniors about potential changes to Social Security to improve its long-term finances. Those talks were delayed — and have not been re-scheduled — because the group does not want to Social Security to become part of the budget talks in Washington, Certner said.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said Friday, "The president supports measures to strengthen Social Security but does not support anything that would slash benefits for future generations."
Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., wants to include Social Security in any long-term budget talks. He said AARP's position should cause others to rethink their opposition.
"I think it took a lot of courage on their part to look at the facts and then say, 'We're going to stop our present position, and we're going to work to solve the problems for Social Security,'" Coburn said. "It would seem that they have recognized how severe the problem is."
Sen. Bernie Sanders, a liberal independent from Vermont, said he was bothered by AARP's position but not surprised. "AARP is a fairly conservative seniors' organization," Sanders said.
AARP has a broad membership of people with many political views, Certner said.
The organization was a strong voice in defeating former President George W. Bush's proposal to privatize some aspects of Social Security. But the group supported Bush's successful effort to start a Medicare prescription drug program, which many liberal groups opposed because they thought it was too generous to drug makers.
AARP declined to join the Strengthen Social Security Campaign, which includes many liberal groups and labor unions.
"We generally aren't part of coalitions because we want to make sure we can control our own message on Social Security, which obviously we're not doing a very good job of today," Certner said.
Associated Press writers Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar and Jim Kuhnhenn contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
via google.com
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Weiner Plans To Resign, Source Says - Jackson News Story - WAPT Jackson
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Rep. Anthony Weiner plans to resign from Congress in the wake of a "sexting" scandal with several women and lies he repeatedly told about it, a Democratic source with knowledge of Weiner's plans said Thursday.
The New York Times also reported Weiner has told close friends of his intention to resign.Weiner, 46, was considered a possible front-runner to succeed New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2013 until the revelation of his online communications, including lewd photos of himself he sent to women he befriended on Facebook and Twitter.Last year, Weiner married Huma Abedin, a longtime aide to Hillary Clinton in the White House, Senate and now in the State Department. Former President Bill Clinton officiated the ceremony, and Abedin is pregnant with the couple's first child.First elected to the House in 1998 after his political mentor, then-Rep. Chuck Schumer, decided to run for the Senate, Weiner has been a reliable liberal voice for the solidly Democratic 9th District, encompassing parts of Brooklyn and Queens.Weiner basically ran unopposed in 2006 and 2008 and won by 22 points over his Republican opponent in 2010, easily avoiding the GOP tidal wave that swept over the House.As a politician, Weiner fully embraced social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook, using the platforms to unleash his comedic take on life and politics.He graduated from the State University of New York Plattsburgh and worked as an aide to Schumer from 1985 to 1991. A year later, he served on the New York City Council.Throughout his time in office, Weiner has found himself drawn back to New York, the city he calls home. He ran unsuccessfully in the Democratic mayoral primary race in 2005. But most observers now feel the scandal has ruined any chance of his being elected mayor in 2013.Copyright CNN 2011
via wapt.com
Vancouver "embarrassed" over post-game rioting - CBS News
(CBS News)Vancouver was cleaning up Thursday from a riot the night before by angry fans of the city's National Hockey League team after the Canucks lost a deciding Game 7 in the league's final playoff series, giving the Boston Bruins the coveted Stanley Cup.
Rick Price, of CBS affiliate KIRO-TV in Seattle told early Show co-anchor Chris Wragge, "Seconds after the game ended, chaos began as rioters started overturning cars. Our crew did not see police anywhere in the beginning to stop it.
"As the anger over the loss to the Boston Bruins heated up, rioters set fire to the overturned cars, and eventually, riot police did move in.
Angry Canadians run amok after Canucks' loss
"Police had closed the major bridges into downtown Vancouver during the height of the riot so people could not get into the heart of the city. Those bridges were re-opened by about 2:30 when we arrived in town.
"We did see ... a number of overturned cars still on the street (when daylight arrived on Thursday), quite a lot of broken glass, windows broken out of department stores and banks downtown.
"People are already starting to clean up, though, and glass repair trucks are literally everywhere."
But Price added, "People are already thinking beyond this. They're very embarrassed about it. They think it's given Vancouver a real black eye. I've already found a Facebook page this morning that's dedicated to organizing a cleanup, getting people volunteering, coming down to downtown Vancouver and helping between now and Saturday. ... (There are) a lot of people very embarrassed about this but there's also a lot of broken stuff."
via cbsnews.com
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Apple Starts Selling Unlocked iPhone 4 in the U.S.
Confirming rumors that surfaced over the weekend, Apple has started selling the unlocked version of the iPhone 4 in Apple retail stores.
Only the GSM model of the iPhone 4 is available for purchase without a carrier contract, while the the CDMA model is still tied to a Verizon contract.
Carrier-independence comes with a price, though: the 16 GB version of the iPhone 4 will set you back $649, while the 32 GB model costs $749.
With this move, Apple caters to U.S. users who often travel internationally and who don’t want to be locked in an AT&T contract, which means they can swap SIM cards and save money on roaming fees. Furthermore, international buyers will definitely want to get the contract-free version, whose price can be significantly higher in other countries (for example, an unlocked 16 GB iPhone 4 costs €629 ($909) in Germany, much pricier than the unlocked version in the U.S.)
via mashable.com
Monday, June 13, 2011
Five Secret Successes in Quick Service - QSR magazine
Kelly’s Roast Beef
Headquarters: Saugus, Massachusetts
Founded: 1951
Number of units: 6In its 60 years of operation, Kelly’s Roast Beef has become a Massachusetts good-eats legend. It began in 1951 with Frank McCarthy and Raymond Carey Jr. as a family owned hotdog stand that happened to sell roast beef at Revere Beach.
As much as for its medium-rare, tender knuckle–cut roast beef sandwich, Kelly’s is known for its volume. In 2010, it boasted sales of $26 million from its now six fast-casual units. It went through nearly 1 million pounds of french fries and 560,000 pounds of roast beef. Its second location in Saugus is one of the top users of Coca-Cola in the U.S., says Dean Murphy, Kelly’s director of operations. “They are impressed with our sales,” Murphy says.
For its 60th anniversary this year, Kelly’s is teaming up with Coca-Cola for weekly sweepstakes drawings in which the grand-prize winner will receive Boston Red Sox tickets.
It comes as little surprise that the roast beef sandwich is Kelly’s biggest seller, priced at $5.95 and $6.95 a la carte. Some even insist that the operation was the country’s first to ever serve roast beef sandwiches. But the company’s fish and chips sell nearly as well, given the operation’s Boston-area locales. Therefore, the units always enjoy a sales spike during Lent, Murphy says. The menu is loaded with seafood options like fresh local clams, New England clam chowder, scallops, and its popular lobster roll, which contains 2 pounds of lobster for $16.95.
There are no LTOs, but that doesn’t mean the menu has been stagnant for all these years. “We realized that people eat other things. So we have added wraps, salads, and soups,” Murphy says, noting that these items appease the younger generation and the health-conscious.
There are no immediate plans to expand Kelly’s, now in its second generation of operation. “Location is everything for us. We are not actively pursuing new ones, but we are willing to look at what might become available. Our growth will be slow,” Murphy says.
Four of the units have drive thrus, and all of the food preparation is done at each individual location. The initial beach location operates from only 1,200 square feet, so when the Saugus location opened, the family included everything on its wish list, including a large seating area and plenty of storage space. It came in at 12,000 square feet. The other units range from 6,000 to 8,000 square feet. Some 400 employees help to keep the volume up.
Nick’s Pizza & Pub
Headquarters: Crystal Lake, Illinois
Founded: 1995
Number of units: 2
With two units in the Chicago area, Nick’s Pizza & Pub has made its imprint, not for Chicago-style pizza, but for its homemade, crispy, thin-crust pies. The dough, sauce, sausage, cheese, and Italian beef come from 40-year-old family recipes, says Nick Sarillo, president and founder.
He opened the first 350-seat restaurant in Crystal Lake, Illinois, in 1995 because he wanted a place where parents could take their kids for a good time and not receive scornful glares. Himself a carpenter, Sarillo built the 9,000-square-foot building using barn wood and antiques for a casual décor.
But the bigger story is Sarillo’s management style, in which he treats the 100 team members in each restaurant like part owners who share the company mission to provide the community an unforgettable place to connect with family and friends.
Team members are invited to weekly “fiscal huddles,” where they review the profit-and-loss statement. They volunteer to “own” a line item on either ledger sheet for a month. They forecast a number for that item and then aim to meet their number. For example: “Rather than me say not to waste napkins, they hold each other accountable as to how many napkins they put on the table,” Sarillo says.
One 16-year-old recently forecasted lunch sales and then devised a plan to meet his forecast by putting together an individual pizza-and-drink lunch special and promoting it at his high school.
It all provides intrinsic rather than external motivation and has helped the company keep employee turnover at an astonishingly low 25 percent annual rate. He is writing a book, tentatively called Pizza on Purpose, about his management style. It’s scheduled to release in 2012 by Portfolio, a division of Penguin Group USA Inc.
The company’s marketing is built solely on giving to community fundraisers in which 15 percent of a day’s sales go to the selected cause. It could be to help a school band, hockey team, Boy Scouts, or, recently, it was to raise money for a local family’s medical need. The group to benefit from the donation often hands out fliers, calls the newspaper, or promotes through social media, so the restaurant itself never has to advertise.
For its 2010 efforts, the company received the National Restaurant Association Illinois state Restaurant Neighbor Award in the small business category.
With the company still bouncing back from the recession, Sarillo’s growth plans for Nick’s Pizza & Pub are tentative, but he says he would like to open three more in the Chicago area by the end of 2012. Each of the units does slightly more than $3 million in annual sales.
via qsrmagazine.com
VF Corporation to Buy Timberland in $2 Billion Deal - NYTimes.com
VF Corporation said on Monday that it would acquire Timberland in a $2 billion deal that will add to the apparel company’s extensive collection of brands like The North Face, Jansport, Nautica and Vans.
The deal, at $43 a share, represents a more than 40 percent premium to Timberland’s closing price on Friday.
With the addition of Timberland, VF’s sports group will account for 50 percent of the company’s overall sales. Timberland is expected to notch revenues of $1.6 billion this year, with the majority coming from outside the United States. VF estimates that it can boost sales at Timberland by some 10 percent a year, in part by growing the international business and women’s footwear.
Seniors face Medicare cost barrier for cancer meds - Yahoo! News
WASHINGTON – Facing a life-and-death struggle with kidney cancer, Rita Moore took her prescription for a new kind of chemotherapy pill to her local drugstore.
She was stunned when the pharmacist told her the cost for a month's supply would be $2,400, well beyond her income.
Medicare drug plans that cover seniors like Moore are allowed to charge steep copayments for the latest cancer medications, whose cost can run to tens of thousands of dollars a year. About 1 in 6 beneficiaries aren't filling their prescriptions, according to recent research that has put numbers on a worrisome trend.
Officials at Medicare say they're not sure what happens to those patients — whether they get less expensive older drugs that sometimes work as well, or they just give up. Traditionally, chemotherapy has been administered intravenously at a clinic or doctor's office. Pills, a relatively new option, are thought to represent the future of cancer care.
Moore, 65, was operated on in February for an advanced form of kidney cancer. She said both her cancer and kidney specialists agreed that a drug called Sutent probably offered the only chance to keep the disease in check. It's a capsule taken at home.
But she was unprepared for what happened when she went to fill her prescription.
"I cried," said Moore, who lives in a small town in central California. "What can you do when the only thing out there that can maybe give you some quality of life is unaffordable? I was devastated. I didn't know what to do."
Private insurance companies that deliver the Medicare prescription benefit say the problem is that drug makers charge too much for the medications, some of which were developed from taxpayer-funded research. The pharmaceutical industry faults insurers, saying copayments on drugs are higher than cost-sharing for other medical services, such as hospital care.
Others blame the design of the Medicare prescription benefit itself, because it allows insurers to put expensive drugs on a so-called "specialty tier" with copayments equivalent to 25 percent or more of the cost of the medication.
Drugs for multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and hepatitis C also wind up on specialty tiers, along with the new anti-cancer pills. Medicare supplemental insurance — Medigap — doesn't cover those copayments.
"This is a benefit design issue," said Dan Mendelson, president of Avalere Health, a research firm that collaborated in a recent medical journal study on the consequences of high copayments for the new cancer drugs.
Cost-sharing should only be used to deter wasteful treatment, he explained. "It is hard to make the argument that someone who has been prescribed an oral cancer medication doesn't need the drug," added Mendelson.
The study last month in the Journal of Oncology Practice found that nearly 16 percent of Medicare beneficiaries did not fill an initial prescription for pills to treat cancer, a significantly higher proportion than the 9 percent of people with private insurance who did not follow through.
Forty-six percent of Medicare beneficiaries faced copayments of more than $500, as compared to only 11 percent of patients with private insurance. Among people of all ages, 1 in 4 who faced a copayment over $500 did not fill their prescriptions. Cancer is more prevalent among older people.
"Obviously, we're leaving a lot of folks off the bus, standing at the curb, if they can't afford the medications," said Dr. Lowell Schnipper, who chairs the American Society of Clinical Oncology's task force on the cost of cancer care. It advises doctors to discuss costs with patients up front, to avoid surprises.
Medicare officials say there are currently no plans to rework the design of the prescription benefit.
But "nobody is more concerned about access than we are," said Dr. Jeff Kelman, Medicare's chief medical officer.
For many seniors, Kelman suggested, the situation is not as bleak as what Moore encountered. For example, the prescription plan is designed so beneficiaries who are poor or near poverty face only token copays. For the rest, President Barack Obama's health care law gradually closes the coverage gap known as the "doughnut hole." This year, the new law provides a 50 percent discount on brand name drugs for those in the gap.
The gap starts after Medicare recipients and their insurance plan have spent $2,840 on medications. After that, seniors are responsible for roughly the next $3,600. Once total spending reaches about $6,440, Medicare's catastrophic coverage kicks in and beneficiaries pay only a small amount.
Yet the health care law could be struck down by the courts or repealed if Republicans win the White House and Congress next year. Even if the law stands, assistance after seniors end up in the gap doesn't take away the initial shock at the pharmacy counter.
"The underlying problem is with the basic structure," said Joe Baker, president of the Medicare Rights Center, a New-York based advocacy group. "Even before you get to the doughnut hole, you've got a problem."
One solution would involve requiring drug plans to lower copayments for cancer pills. But the trade-off is likely to be an increase in premiums for all beneficiaries.
Rita Moore had to try to find her own way out of the dilemma. She lives in Corcoran, Calif., and still works as resident manager of an apartment building for seniors.
Moore decided to apply to Pfizer's prescription assistance program for patients who can't afford Sutent and other drugs the company makes. Pfizer approved a year's worth of free medication, but it took about two months to collect and review all the medical and financial paperwork.
"They were very helpful, but it wasn't a fast process," said Moore. In the meantime, she wasn't being treated. The cancer spread and is now close to her spine and her body's main artery.
"This is kind of strange," Moore said. "After you've worked all your life, you get something catastrophic and you run into news like your drugs are going to cost $2,400."
____
Associated Press Medical Writer Lauran Neergaard contributed to this report.
via news.yahoo.com
Sunday, June 12, 2011
'Gay Girl In Damascus' Apologizes, Reveals She Is An American Man : The Two-Way : NPR
Over the last several months, Amina Arraf, a blogger who said she was Syrian-American and went by the name Gay Girl In Damascus, captured the world's attention. Her blog caught on just as the protests against President Bashar al-Assad of Syria became widespread and the crackdowns more violent.
On June 6, it all came to a screeching halt when Amina's cousin declared on the blog that Amina had met the fate of many bloggers in authoritarian regimes: Assad's police had taken her into custody. Whether she was alive or dead, no one knew.
As soon as "Free Amina" groups popped up on Facebook and the State Department began looking for her, the story began to seem a lot like fiction. No one had ever talked to Amina. The Guardian published a profile of her June 7 that included a picture they soon found out wasn't Amina but of a Londoner called Jelena Lecic. The biographical details in her blog posts did not check out. Amina Arraf couldn't be found in any public records in Georgia or Virginia and the names of her father and mother also turned up nothing.
Today, the Gay Girl In Damascus blog ended the mystery, posting an apology that revealed Amina was in fact the work of Tom MacMaster, an American from Georgia whose university records show is in a medieval studies graduate program at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.
On the blog, he wrote:
I never expected this level of attention. While the narrative voıce may have been fictional, the facts on thıs blog are true and not mısleading as to the situation on the ground. I do not believe that I have harmed anyone — I feel that I have created an important voice for issues that I feel strongly about.
The revelation came hours after NPR approached Britta Froelicher, his wife, with some evidence that connected her with Gay Girl In Damascus. Other news organizations appeared to be zeroing in on the couple, too. Over the past week, we've been talking to people who kept in contact with "Amina." Some of them had been in contact with this online persona for as long as five years.
via FacebookA digital poster that was distributed across the Web after the Amina was allegedly arrested in Syria.
We obtained hundreds of e-mails from a Yahoo! group called thecrescentland that was administered by the online persona. The group has since been removed. One of the people on that list, however, provided us with a mailing address the online persona had given them. The website The Electronic Infatada connected the address with the owner Tom MacMaster.
We were provided with pictures that Amina had sent to a friend who had exchanged some 500 emails with her over the last six months. We found that nine of them matched pictures uploaded by Froelicher in 2008 to a public album that has since been made private.
We matched up the pictures of a trip to Syria visually, then compared the data embedded in the pictures and found all of them contained the same time stamp and all of the pictures contained the same focal length, aperture and exposure time.
The only difference we found in the photo data was that the pictures posted to Picasa were edited using the photo editing program iPhoto, whereas the pictures sent to our source were the originals from the digital camera.
Many the details in the emails also corresponded with MacMaster's life. In his emails to Yahoo! group for example, he shared detailed observations of Edinburgh and a great deal of knowledge of the Atlanta area. In other e-mails Amina wrote about getting a post graduate degree at University of Edinburgh.
Another clue came from Paula Brooks, the executive editor of a lesbian news site called LezGetReal. Amina began blogging on her site before she started her own blog. Brooks told us she confronted Amina at first, because the IP address that came up when she accessed the LezGetReal site lead to Edinburgh, not Syria, where Amina said she was at.
Amina told her through email that she used a proxy. Brooks accepted that explanation until this story started breaking. Late last week, she checked her server logs and found that the IP address was from Edinburgh all 135 times Amina logged in. That is highly unusual if one uses a proxy.
Froelicher told us by email that the she and her husband were on vacation. She pointed us to the statement on the blog, which they published a few minutes after emailing NPR.
"We are on vacation in Turkey," she wrote, "and just really want to have a nice time and not deal with all this craziness at the moment."
In interviews with Washington Post, before the announcement was put on the blog, MacMaster denied any involvement with the blog:
"Look, if I was the genius who had pulled this off, I would say, 'Yeah,' and write a book," said MacMaster, reached in Istanbul, where he is vacationing with his wife, a graduate student working on a PhD in international relations.
On the blog, MacMaster said he created Amina to illuminate the story of the Middle East for a western audience. In a lot of ways, the accessibility of the blog was likely the reason it got so much attention. Since February, it has been filled with posts that are dramatic and compelling and full of action. Amina had love interests and a father with failing health. She was a gay woman living in a country where being gay is illegal. She was a girl with close ties to the Assad regime but with heartfelt sympathy for the aspirations of an oppressed people. She spoke against Assad and his iron fist with literary flair and with an unflinching and courageous tongue.
"I only hope that people pay as much attention to the people of the Middle East and their struggles in this year of revolutions. The events there are beıng shaped by the people living them on a daily basis. I have only tried to illuminate them for a western audience," wrote MacMaster on the blog.
"This experience," he continues, "has sadly only confirmed my feelings regarding the often superficial coverage of the Middle East and the pervasiveness of new forms of liberal Orientalism."
via npr.org
More Anthony Weiner photos surface online - Jake Sherman and Jonathan Allen - POLITICO.com
Rep. Anthony Weiner took several pictures of himself grabbing his privates, part of a new batch of embarrassing photos that surfaced online Sunday morning.
The gossip website TMZ.com posted 11 photos it claimed were taken in the House member’s gym, a private exercise facility in the Capitol complex that is open to current and former lawmakers.
via politico.com
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Weiner Taking Leave Of Absence To Seek Treatment - Jackson News Story - WAPT Jackson
NEW YORK (CNN) -- U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner, who has resisted calls to resign over inappropriate communications with women online, is taking a leave of absence and left Saturday morning for professional treatment, a spokesman said.
"Congressman Weiner departed this morning to seek professional treatment to focus on becoming a better husband and healthier person," Weiner spokeswoman Risa Heller said. "In light of that, he will request a short leave of absence from the House of Representatives so that he can get evaluated and map out a course of treatment to make himself well."Congressman Weiner takes the views of his colleagues very seriously and has determined that he needs this time to get healthy and make the best decision possible for himself, his family and his constituents," Heller said.Weiner has been under fire after admitting to inappropriate communications with women online.The decision comes as three weighty Democratic voices -- including Nancy Pelosi -- called for Weiner's resignation.The House Minority Leader, and the chairmen of the Democratic National Committee and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in separate statements called for Weiner to step down.The New York congressman has resisted calls to resign."Congressman Weiner has the love of his family, the confidence of his constituents, and the recognition that he needs help. I urge Congressman Weiner to seek that help without the pressures of being a Member of Congress," Pelosi said.DCCC chair Steve Israel also wished Weiner well in his personal life, but said that the scandal has "become an insurmountable distraction" to the House."The behavior he has exhibited is indefensible and Representative Weiner's continued service in Congress is untenable," DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz said, also calling it a distraction.The statements come as Delaware authorities are investigating contact between a local teen and Weiner."Detectives were made aware of alleged contact between Congressman Anthony Weiner and an area teen," New Castle County Police said in a statement. "Detectives have conducted an interview with the teen and she has made no disclosure of criminal activity nor inappropriate contact by the congressman."Weiner's spokeswoman said the interaction with the Delaware teen was not inappropriate."According to Congressman Weiner, his communications with this person were neither explicit nor indecent," Risa Heller said in a statement.Pressed for answers on the Delaware allegations as he ran errands in the New York City borough of Queens on Saturday, Weiner told reporters: "Nothing explicit, nothing indecent. Absolutely nothing inappropriate."Weiner, who is married, admitted this week that he engaged in sexually tinged communications with women and lied about it.The New York congressman publicly apologized Monday for exchanging "messages and photos of explicit nature with about six women in the last three years." He said he communicated with women through Facebook, Twitter, e-mail and, occasionally, on the phone."I don't know the exact ages of the women ... at least to the best of my knowledge, they were all adults, and they were engaging in conversations consensually," Weiner said Monday. "All I know is what they published about themselves in social media."Weiner also said he never met any of the women in person.CNN's Dana Bash, Jason Carroll, Holly Yan, Tom Cohen and Alan Silverleib contributed to this report.Copyright CNN 2011
via wapt.com
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