linearity occident: January 2012

Friday, January 20, 2012

Create a Morning Playlist to Make Sure You Leave On-Time [Time Management]

Create a Morning Playlist to Make Sure You Leave On-Time If you have trouble getting up and out of the house in the morning on time every day, or just want an easy way to bump your schedule back a bit, try upgrading your morning routine with a playlist that's specifically built to let you know how much time you have left based on which song is playing and how close the playlist is to the end.

Sometimes the most difficult part of getting out of the house on time in the morning is keeping your eyes off the clock and on the things you have to do to get ready to leave in the morning. Sure, you could just get up earlier, but getting up earlier is no guarantee you'll leave earlier, especially if you assume you have all the time in the world. Instead, build a playlist in whatever music app you prefer that's specifically as long as you want to spend getting ready in the morning. When you start to get towards the last few songs in the playlist, you'll know it's time to wrap up and get out of the house. Plus, you get the benefit of a music-filled morning.

Do you get ready in the morning to music? What are some of your favorite tricks to leave the house on time? Share your tips in the comments below.

Create a Get Ready Playlist to Leave the House On Time | Apartment Therapy

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/G6MvTqqAlro/create-a-morning-playlist-to-make-sure-you-leave-on+time

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Thursday, January 19, 2012

EBay cautious in short run as Europe weighs (Reuters)

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) ? EBay Inc gave a conservative quarterly sales forecast despite unveiling better-than-expected results, warning that a weak European economy may take the gloss off rip-roaring growth in online commerce.

But CEO John Donahoe -- who is overseeing a turnaround in its core "marketplaces" division and pitting a company once synonymous with auctions against Amazon.com Inc -- remained confident about the longer-term outlook, citing robust e-commerce growth and strength in its PayPal online-payments arm.

Shares of the company gained 2.4 percent to $31.07 in after-hours trading following the earnings report.

In early 2012, a weakening euro may also dent eBay's bottom line. The recent decline of the currency against the U.S. dollar reduces the value of sales in euro zone countries when converted to greenbacks. Currency volatility also restrains cross-border transactions, a profitable source of growth for PayPal.

"They're exemplifying the bearish outlook for the currency by telling people how much the weak euro will affect their earnings in the next quarter. They want to under-promise and over-deliver," said Bill Smead of Smead Capital Management, which owns eBay shares.

"But earnings are going to grow 15 to 20 percent a year for years, and all these little wiggles in the short run are just noise."

In the long run, EBay is riding a growth wave as more shoppers buy online and via smartphones and tablet. It benefits from this trend because Marketplaces charge fees on transactions and other activity. PayPal also takes a cut of a rising volume of electronic payments processed on its network.

The company forecast first-quarter profit of 50 cents or 51 cents a share and revenue of $3.05 billion to $3.15 billion. Analysts were expecting first-quarter earnings of 54 cents a share and revenue of $3.16 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

HEADWINDS FORECAST

The company's main marketplaces business, however, is growing roughly in line with e-commerce.

Donahoe said e-commerce has evolved into a fixed-price business and away from the online auctions that eBay pioneered in the 1990s.

EBay's fixed-price business, which accounts for about 65 percent of volume, grew 15 percent in the fourth quarter in the U.S. and bigger, top-rated sellers grew 19 percent, Donahoe noted during an interview with Reuters.

Meanwhile, auctions grew 2 percent in the fourth quarter.

"This part of the business is unique and profitable and adds to our selection," Donahoe said. "We'll do our best to have this market grow."

Gross Merchandise Volume, or GMV, on eBay's online marketplaces in the United States rose 10 percent in the quarter from a year earlier, excluding auto-related sales.

Its international GMV grew 9 percent.

Colin Sebastian, an analyst at RW Baird, said that growth was slightly weaker than expected. That was partly driven by a decline in the price of gold, which is frequently bought and sold on eBay's online marketplaces, he said.

Chief Financial Officer Bob Swan said growth in Germany, a big market for eBay, continued to be "sluggish," during a conference call with analysts.

EBay generates about 30 to 40 percent of its revenue in Europe, where many economies have been dented by the debt crisis.

"We remain anxious about the European economy and the impact of weaker European currency on our cross-border transactions, Swan told analysts.

Still, eBay raised the midpoint of its 2013 revenue forecast by about $550 million and lifted its estimate for PayPal's profit growth, CFO Swan noted.

EBay shares should trade at a higher multiple to earnings but are unlikely to match richer valuations of faster-growing rivals, Smead said.

EBay reported fourth-quarter net income of $2 billion, or $1.51 a share, compared with $559 million, or 42 cents a share, a year earlier. Revenue rose 35 percent to $3.38 billion.

It recognized a big gain from the sale of its remaining stake in Skype during the fourth quarter. Excluding that and other items such as stock-based compensation expenses, profit was $788.6 million, or 60 cents a share, the company said.

Analysts, on average, expected eBay to earn 57 cents a share on revenue of $3.32 billion.

(Reporting By Alistair Barr; Editing by Andre Grenon, Bernard Orr, Steve Orlofsky, Gary Hill)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120119/bs_nm/us_ebay

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Japan official wary of Iran sanctions impact (AP)

TOKYO ? Japan's finance minister expressed concern Wednesday about the effectiveness of U.S. sanctions on Iran and their potential impact on Japanese banks.

Jun Azumi's comments came as a delegation U.S. government officials began talks with Japanese counterparts about the sanctions targeting Iran's oil industry in a bid to thwart what Western governments say is an effort to develop nuclear weapons.

Japan has given mixed signals on the sanctions. Azumi declared last week that Japan would move quickly to reduce its oil imports from Iran after meeting with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, but other officials including the prime minister have said economic implications need to be considered.

Azumi also struck a more cautious tone Wednesday, telling journalists at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan that if the sanctions were imposed immediately, they could sustain "tremendous" damage to Japanese banks. The sanctions would bar financial institutions from the American market if they do business with Iran's central bank.

"We want to take steps to keep the damage to the Japanese economy to a minimum," Azumi said.

Japan imports about 9 percent of its oil from Iran and has been steadily reducing that percentage in recent years. Analysts say Japan will likely turn to other major oil suppliers to offset any further declines from Iran.

Azumi said he understood the potential danger of Iran's nuclear program, but also acknowledged "there were some concerns" that the sanctions would not be effective in convincing Iranian authorities.

He added that "Russia and China hold the keys to resolving this situation."

China, the world's biggest energy consumer, remains unwilling to back an oil embargo against Iran. South Korea also has remained non-committal.

Visiting U.S. officials met with Japanese counterparts for about 90 minutes Wednesday to discuss how the sanctions might be implemented.

"It was clear that we share an interest in preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons," said Robert Einhorn, the State Department's special advisor on nonproliferation and arms control.

Einhorn said the two sides also shared the importance of a "dual-track" strategy in dealing with Iran involving both pressure and engagement.

Earlier in the day, Azumi met with U.K. Chancellor of Exchequer George Osborne to discuss trade, Iran and other matters. Osbourne told reporers that the British government appreciated that it is not easy for Japan to switch nearly one tenth of its oil supplies quickly.

But he said the two countries agreed it is not acceptable for Iran to continue to develop a nuclear weapon and that "we are prepared to use the tools available to us in the international community to stop that happening."

Tehran says its nuclear program is for civilian energy use and scientific research.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120118/ap_on_bi_ge/as_japan_iran_oil

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Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Stocks rise on Europe debt sales, Chinese growth (AP)

Slight improvements in Europe's troubled debt markets and China's economy were enough to send stocks sharply higher Tuesday. The Dow Jones industrial average was on track for its highest close since July, before the European debt crisis set off months of wrenching volatility.

Debt auctions by Spain, Greece and Europe's bailout fund drew solid interest from investors, easing fears that recent credit-rating downgrades would prevent them from obtaining funds. The downgrades had threatened to increase borrowing costs and intensify the region's debt crisis.

The Chinese government said earlier that its economy slowed less dramatically in the fourth quarter than analysts had expected.

There's so much money sitting in short-term accounts and earning zero return that even a shred of good news can jolt the market higher, said David Kelly, chief market strategist with J.P. Morgan Funds.

"The stock market is cheap, but cash and Treasurys are extremely expensive," Kelly said. "That's why even though people are busy taking money out of stocks and putting it into bond funds, they really should be doing the opposite."

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 101 points, or 0.8 percent, to 12,522 as of 2:20 p.m. Eastern time. All but two of the 30 Dow stocks gained. The Dow hasn't closed above 12,500 since July 26.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index gained 10, or 0.7 percent, to 1,298. The S&P 500 had risen earlier to 1,303; it hasn't closed above 1,300 since July 28.

The Nasdaq composite index added 27 points, or 1 percent, to 2,737. The market was closed Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Bank stocks were mixed after several of them reported earnings. Wells Fargo & Co. rose 1.5 percent after a stronger lending business helped it beat Wall Street's fourth-quarter estimates. Citigroup Inc. fell 6.6 percent and M&T Bank Corp. fell 1.2 percent after their earnings fell short of estimates.

Carnival Corp. plunged 14 percent after a cruise ship owned by one of its brands capsized off the coast of Italy, killing 11 passengers. Italian prosecutors are charging the captain with manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning his ship before all passengers were evacuated.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Co. fell 4 percent as analysts predicted ripple effects through the industry.

Overseas markets rose earlier Tuesday after Spain auctioned off billions in short-term debt at sharply lower interest rates, indicating strong demand for the nation's bonds. Spain's borrowing costs had spiked in recent weeks on fears it would be engulfed by the crisis and default on its debts.

Standard & Poor's downgraded Spain's credit rating on Friday. The strong demand at the auction suggested that investors took the downgrade in stride.

Greece also auctioned off short-term debt on Tuesday at a lower rate than it had been paying. The fund to bail out Greece and other troubled nations also raised money, despite a downgrade on Monday.

The bailout fund's credit rating is based on the ratings of the nations that contribute to it. It was downgraded because S&P had cut ratings for most of the nations that use the euro and back the fund.

Earlier, the Chinese government said its economic growth slowed to 8.9 percent in the fourth quarter. That was the lowest in two and a half years, but still better than the 8.7 percent predicted by analysts.

Chinese growth must stay strong to keep the global economy moving as Europe tips toward recession, said Brian Levitt, an economist with Oppenheimer Funds.

"Many emerging markets are more linked via exports to the Chinese market than to the European economy, so China becomes sort of the lynchpin economic activity across much of the world," he said.

Asian and European markets closed higher. France's CAC 40 rose 1.4 percent, Germany's DAX added 1.8 percent.

Among the other U.S. companies making big moves Tuesday:

? Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. rose 3.8 percent after it agreed Friday to buy Summit Entertainment, owner of the blockbuster "Twilight" franchise, for $412.5 million in cash and stock.

? R. R. Donnelley & Sons Co. lost 15.3 percent, the most in the S&P 500, after the printing company said its 2011 profit margin will be narrower than it had forecast earlier.

___

Follow Daniel Wagner at http://www.twitter.com/wagnerreports.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/stocks/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120117/ap_on_bi_st_ma_re/us_wall_street

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Colts fire coach Jim Caldwell after 3 seasons

FILE - In this Nov. 13, 2011, file photo, Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell walks off the field after the Jacksonville Jaguars defeated the Cots 17-3 in an NFL football game in Indianapolis. The Colts fired Caldwell on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012. Caldwell just finished his third and worst season as head coach of the Colts, who stumbled to a 2-14 finish without injured quarterback Peyton Manning. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)

FILE - In this Dec. 22, 2011 file photo, Indianapolis Colts coach Jim Caldwell watches during second half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, in Indianapolis. The Colts have fired Caldwell. The team announced the decision Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012. Caldwell just finished his third and worst season as head coach of the Colts, who stumbled to a 2-14 finish without injured quarterback Peyton Manning. (AP Photo/AJ Mast, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 1, 2012, file photo, Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell, center, looks at the video scoreboard during the second half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Jacksonville, Fla.. The Colts fired Caldwell on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012. Caldwell just finished his third and worst season as head coach of the Colts, who stumbled to a 2-14 finish without injured quarterback Peyton Manning. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)

FILE - In this Dec. 11, 2011, file photo, Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell, left, speaks with injured quarterback Peyton Manning before an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens in Baltimore. The Colts fired Caldwell on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012. Caldwell just finished his third and worst season as head coach of the Colts, who stumbled to a 2-14 finish without Manning. (AP Photo/Gail Burton, File)

FILE - In this Dec. 4, 2011, file photo, Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell gestures during the first half of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots in Foxborough, Mass. The Colts fired Caldwell on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012. Caldwell just finished his third and worst season as head coach of the Colts, who stumbled to a 2-14 finish without injured quarterback Peyton Manning. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) ? Jim Caldwell endured everything thrown at him during his first two seasons as the Colts' coach -- replacing a friend, rebounding from losses and fighting through injuries.

Not having Peyton Manning around in 2011 was just too much.

Caldwell was fired Tuesday, a little more than two weeks after the Colts' worst season in two decades.

"This is obviously a big transitional time for us, but I know we're excited moving forward and it's hard when you say goodbyes to some people," team owner Jim Irsay said. "But it's part of the business."

In Indianapolis, the last two weeks have hardly been business as usual.

The day after a season-ending loss at Jacksonville assured Indy of the No. 1 draft pick in April with a 2-14 mark, Irsay fired team vice chairman Bill Polian, the architect of the Colts' success, and his son, Chris, the hand-picked general manager.

Irsay's nine-day search for a replacement ended last Wednesday when he chose 39-year-old Ryan Grigson as Indy's new GM.

Since then, Irsay and Grigson have met almost non-stop, debating what direction the team needed to go, whether staff changes would fix the problems or whether the team needed to bring in a new coach and possibly a whole new staff.

Things were so clouded Monday that Caldwell even met with former Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo about possibly becoming the Colts' new defensive coordinator, and as late as Tuesday morning, the conventional wisdom was that Caldwell would stay.

Then things changed almost as suddenly as the Colts' fortunes in 2011.

Irsay said he informed Caldwell of the decision about 2 p.m., shortly before the team confirmed the move.

"We just came to the conclusion that this is best moving forward for the franchise," Grigson said, referring to his first major decision in charge of an NFL team. "Mr. Irsay is the steward of this franchise and I'm here to help him wrap his head around these types of decisions. We've been in football our whole lives and a lot of it is about instincts."

Caldwell ends his Colts' tenure 26-22 overall with one AFC title, two division crowns and one bleak season that has left him unemployed just three years after replacing close friend Tony Dungy, the first black coach to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.

"This was a difficult decision," Irsay said. "I wanted to make sure we took all the time we needed to make sure it was the right decision. ... And just like 14 years, ago, it's a big change for the franchise and at the same time, there's players, coaches, many people on the staff that will go into the new day and get on with the work of 2012."

Back in 1998, the Colts brought in Manning, Bill Polian and coach Jim Mora. The team got better fast and, though Mora was gone after the 2001 season, the franchise became one of the league's model franchises.

And it is now headed in a different direction, even if Manning comes back as expected from Sept. 8 neck surgery.

Caldwell -- who won his first 14 games, an NFL record for a rookie head coach, and became only the fifth first-year coach to take his team to the Super Bowl -- won't be there when the Colts resume practice. With fans complaining about game management and clamoring for a change since midseason, Irsay didn't have much choice.

With Manning, the Colts won a league-record 115 regular-season games over the previous decade, tying the league mark for most consecutive playoff appearances (nine), winning two AFC titles and one Super Bowl trophy, the Colts lost their first 13 games in 2011, then won twice in five days and nearly lost the No. 1 draft pick, too.

Without Manning, Indy started 0-8 and was the heavy favorite to win the Andrew Luck sweepstakes at midseason. Caldwell's team lost the next five games, too, before finally winning two straight to avoid becoming the second 0-16 team in league history.

A season-ending loss at Jacksonville, officially gave the Colts the top pick, which is expected to be used on Luck.

Players never gave up on Caldwell and many cited their preference to keep playing for him next season. Manning was one of Caldwell's supporters, calling the coach that helped him win a record-setting four MVP Awards a "friend."

But the disastrous 2011 season was too much for Caldwell to overcome after winning AFC South titles in each of his first two seasons in Indy.

After overhauling the front office, Irsay last week hired 39-year-old Ryan Grigson as his new general manager, then wanted to wait until Grigson had time to evaluate Caldwell's performance.

The decision came Tuesday, setting off the second major search of the month.

"Change sometimes isn't always the easiest transition to make but it's part of this game, part of this league and part of the direction we need to get going in this new era of Colts football," Grigson said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-01-17-Colts-Caldwell%20Fired/id-974c31a683b74d8c902769ee40c3e379

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Tuesday, January 17, 2012

ASUS says the Transformer Prime won't do 3G, time travel and lasers still on the table

ASUS gave you the Transformer Prime TF700T and a frosty injection of Ice Cream Sandwich -- what more could you possibly want? 3G on your convertible tablet? Listen, ASUS has needs, too. The company has rebuked reports that such a device would be heading our way in the first quarter of 2012 -- or at any point in the foreseeable future -- have been greatly exaggerated. According to a statement by the company, "no such product exists on its current roadmap" -- and keep in mind, that roadmap navigating comes after a GPS upgrade.

ASUS says the Transformer Prime won't do 3G, time travel and lasers still on the table originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Jan 2012 21:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/ulixGz-OjOM/

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European shares stabilize, economic data eyed (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) ? European shares and the euro gradually recovered on Monday from early losses triggered by the mass downgrade of euro zone sovereign ratings last week, but they still looked vulnerable amid rising fears of a disorderly Greek debt default.

Markets had already reacted to the downgrades on Friday, and European assets steadied by Monday afternoon, but activity was limited with U.S. markets closed and the problems in the region's debt markets continued to weigh on sentiment.

The European Central Bank more than tripled its bond purchases in the week to January 13 to calm market fears and halt the rise in yields, spending 3.77 billion euros compared with 1.1 billion the previous week, data showed on Monday.

However, the glimmer of hope which had emerged after solid bond auctions by Italy and Spain last week, and a view that the S&P move on ratings had been well telegraphed, helped steady market nerves though confidence could quickly ebb.

"If we were to see the start of a downward spiral, and any further loss of confidence in the euro zone started to materialize, that would have a broader negative impact for the euro and riskier currencies in general," said Lee Hardman, currency economist at Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ.

The euro was up 0.3 percent against the dollar at $1.2673 in late European trade in thin trading but was still seen vulnerable to a test of Friday's 17-month low of $1.2624.

The FTSEurofirst 300 (.FTEU3) index of top European shares ended up about 0.8 percent at 1,025.64 points in low volume while the main euro zone bank stock index (.SX7E) reversed some heavy early losses on fears the sector could be the next target for rating cuts to end up 0.3 percent.

World shares overall (.MIWD00000PUS) recovered from losses seen in Asian trade to be just 0.1 percent higher.

DEBT FEARS REMAIN

Growing nervousness saw Europe's commercial banks park almost half a trillion euros at the European Central Bank, the highest on record, as the mix of debt crisis worries and a recent giant injection of ECB cash left banks awash with money but too scared to lend it.

Market attention was likely to switch on Tuesday to the state of the euro zone's economy with the latest ZEW survey on the health of the giant German economy due.

Germany's economy contracted by about 0.25 percent in the fourth quarter as growth slowed in the second half of last year, according to an estimate by the statistics office.

Berlin will cut its forecast for 2012 economic growth to just 0.75 percent yet expects the jobless rate to decline further to 6.8 percent on an annual basis a German newspaper, Ruhr Nachrichten, reported on Monday.

Investors also await Chinese GDP data to gauge the outlook for growth in the world's second-largest economy with forecasts calling for a fourth successive quarterly slowdown in growth to around 8.7 percent from 9.1 percent previously.

Debt markets are focused on Greece with senior officials from the government due in Washington for meetings with the International Monetary Fund to try to break a deadlock in debt swap talks that has prompted the fears of an unruly default.

The cost of insuring Italian, Spanish and other euro zone government debt against default rose on the S&P ratings cuts, while shorter-dated UK government bond yields fell. Safe-haven German government bonds retraced gains seen on Friday after reports first emerged of the S&P action.

The ECB was also reported by traders to be active in buying Italian government bonds to keep a lid on rising yields.

Italian five-year bond yields, which had been around 6 percent in early trade, dropped to around 5.77 percent on the reports of ECB buying.

The cost of insuring five-year Italian bonds rose to around 515 basis points from under 500 basis points on Friday, meaning it costs 515,000 euros to protect 10 million euros of exposure to Italian debt.

German Bund futures were slightly lower at 139.91, having hit a record high of 140.23 on Friday. Ten-year cash yields were little changed at 1.772 percent.

Italy takes a break from debt sales this week, but France plans to sell up to 8 billion euros of debt on Thursday and Spain comes to the market with sales of 2016, 2019 and 2022 bonds..

Yields on French treasury bills eased marginally on Monday in the first test of investor appetite for the country's debt since it was stripped of its coveted triple-A credit rating on Friday.

Concerns that European financial troubles will drag down global growth and sap appetite for commodities weighed on industrial metals such as copper, while spot gold held steady at around $1,645 an ounce.

However, oil futures rose on Monday on growing tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran, after the Islamic state told its Gulf Arab neighbors not to make up any shortfall caused by an embargo on its crude oil exports.

The latest threat comes as leaders of top Asian buyers of Iranian oil - China, Japan and South Korea - tour alternative Middle East suppliers while the United States pressures nations to stop importing oil from the Islamic Republic.

<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Euro-zone sovereign ratings: http://r.reuters.com/maf75s

Regional equity risk premium:http://link.reuters.com/mum95s

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>

(Additional reporting by Jessica Mortimer and Blaise Robinson; Editing by Catherine Evans/Patrick Graham/Susan Fenton)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120116/bs_nm/us_markets_global

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Monday, January 9, 2012

The Late Movies: Pets with Video Games - Mental Floss

Humans aren?t the only ones who enjoy playing video games.

Kitten Playing Duck Hunt

Claire was only three months old when she learned to play video games. We were charmed by this video, but things really got out of hand when animals discovered video games with touch screens. Behold:
*

Bearded Dragon Playing Ant Crusher

Of course, he is naturally interested in those ants!
*

African Bull Frog Plays Ant Crusher

With a surprise ending!
*

Husky Dog Sings with iPad

Mishka got Autotuned in this one.
*

Orangs Paint with an iPad

MJ and Mahal, orangutans at the Milwaukee County Zoo, paint on an iPad during their enrichment program.
*

Monkey Playing Angry Birds

You can see she gets frustrated. Doesn?t everyone?
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Cat Plays Fruit Ninja

Cats love fruit, of course. Not to eat, but to roll around on the floor!
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Cats Playing Game for Cats

Now, they design video games specifically for pets to play with.
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Cat Enjoys iFish Pond

Soothing and beautiful to you -tempting to the cat!
*

Source: http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/112695

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Friday, January 6, 2012

Brown warns of school cuts if taxes rejected

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) ? California faces a smaller budget deficit in the coming fiscal year but will require nearly $5 billion in cuts to public education if voters reject Gov. Jerry Brown's plan to raise taxes in the fall, the governor said Thursday in releasing its budget proposal for the 2012-13 fiscal year.

The governor's office projected the state's budget shortfall for the fiscal year starting July 1 at $9.2 billion, much more manageable than the $26.6 billion deficit the Legislature closed for the current year. Brown said the budget cuts he enacted this year, combined with additional cuts and his call for temporary tax increases in the coming fiscal year will all but end the massive deficits that have defined California's fiscal planning for years.

He also noted that the state is being helped by an improving economy, which has led to a slight increase in tax revenue.

"We've cut the structural deficit substantially, and we now have the possibility of eliminating over the next couple of years the deficits that have plagued California," he told reporters during an afternoon news conference.

Brown was forced to call the gathering suddenly because his Department of Finance mistakenly posted the budget plan online, four days before the governor had said he would release it. The Los Angeles Times saw the proposal before it was removed from the department's website and first reported the top budget numbers.

The governor's office estimates the total general fund budget for the coming year at $92.5 billion, about $7 billion more than the current year. The general fund pays the day-to-day operations of California government and is where the budget has been in deficit.

To address California's ongoing shortfall, Brown is trying to gather support for a November ballot initiative that would raise the income tax on those making $250,000 or more a year and boost the state sales tax by a half cent. The higher taxes would raise about $7 billion a year and expire in 2017, a date by which Brown hopes the economy has improved enough to bring a healthy flow of tax revenue back to the state.

If voters reject those tax increases, Brown's budget says he will call for an automatic cut of $4.8 billion from public education. That is equal to three weeks of school.

Earlier Thursday, Brown told reporters "there'll be a lot of cuts" if his initiative fails.

"Cuts are never nice, because government does a lot of good things. But we'll have the tax measure proposal, we'll have some cuts, and then we'll have some trigger cuts in the event that the tax measure does not succeed," he said.

The release of the budget for the coming year comes as California enacts $1 billion in so-called trigger cuts across a wide array of state programs, including higher education, busing for K-12 students and services for the disabled. Those midyear cuts were necessary because tax revenue was coming in much lower than Brown and Democratic lawmakers had anticipated when they passed the current budget last summer.

The governor said he is willing to call for more automatic cuts if revenue misses the mark again in the current year.

But any cuts the state will make are likely to be felt more deeply than in years past. Since the recession began in 2007, California has seen tax revenue drop $17 billion, necessitating continued cutbacks to nearly all state services.

If voters approve his ballot proposal for higher taxes, Brown will address the $9.2 billion deficit in the coming fiscal year with a near equal balance of spending cuts and revenue increases. If they do not, the state would make $4.8 billion in additional cuts to the K-12 system, $200 million each to the University of California and California State University systems, $125 million to courts and $15 million to state forest fire protection.

Even before voters weigh in on the tax initiative, Brown's budget includes $4.2 billion in cuts to the state's welfare-to-work program, Medi-Cal and child care services. He said the cuts to social service programs mean recipients will have the same amount of money in real terms as they did in the 1980s.

"Were making some very painful reductions," Brown said during the Thursday news conference. "This is not nice stuff."

Additionally, about 70 of California's 278 state parks are scheduled to close starting July 1.

The education cuts to be enacted if voters fail to pass the tax increases would undermine Brown's plans to fully fund public schools and make systematic education reforms.

Brown told reporters last week that he wanted to protect school funding as much as possible and that schools could expect to receive even more money than last year, after several successive years of deep cuts.

In an interview with The Associated Press last week, Brown said he also planned to include some reform proposals to streamline the complicated way the state funds education programs, although he declined to go into detail. He said he would propose consolidating some of the dozens of so-called categorical funding programs that force districts to use money for specific programs.

"But I predict that schools will enjoy a rising level of funding over the next three years," he said.

When asked how he planned to achieve that, he said, "I think the economy and Proposition 98 will make it happen," referring to California's voter-approved minimum funding guarantee for K-12 schools.

Despite the threat of deeper spending cuts unless voters approve tax increases, Brown said his budget proposal also includes "some bold moves."

It would provide seed funding for the much-criticized $98 billion high-speed rail line, statewide water projects, greenhouse gas reductions and clean-energy initiatives. The Democratic governor said supporting such efforts was crucial to maintain California's history of innovation.

"This is a strong, confident investment in the future of California," he said. "This is a state that's dynamic, it's creative, and it's prosperous."

___

Associated Press writer Juliet Williams contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/apdefault/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-01-05-California%20Budget/id-a162e7f03b9e4306a78b7900adda15d6

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Thursday, January 5, 2012

Microsoft Celebrates Decline of Internet Explorer 6 Use in the U.S.

Internet Explorer 6, the 10-year-old Web browser that Microsoft has been desperately trying to terminate, has dropped below 1 percent market share in the United States, according to data from Net Applications.

Microsoft marked the occasion with a celebratory blog post, including this picture of a cake with a giant HTML5 logo. (Internet Explorer 9 is Microsoft's first browser to support HTML5 features.)

"IE6 has been the punch line of browser jokes for a while, and we?ve been as eager as anyone to see it go away," wrote Roger Capriotti, Microsoft's director of Internet Explorer marketing, in the blog post.

"We hope this means more developers and IT Pros can consider IE6 a 'low-priority' at this point and stop spending their time having to support such an outdated browser," Capriotti wrote.

Microsoft hasn't been shy about giving IE6 ill wishes. Last March, the company launched an IE6 countdown page, showing how much of the world still uses the aging browser. The page now shows IE6 usage at 7.7 percent worldwide, 4.3 percent of which comes from China. (IE6 has a 25.2 percent share of the browser market there.)

The decline of IE6 is good news for web sites, although some notable sites, including Facebook and YouTube, have already stopped supporting the browser. As users move on, Web developers can add new features and functionality that aren't supported by older browsers.

But Microsoft still has a lot of work to do to get Internet Explorer users fully up to date. The latest data from Net Applications shows 27.34 percent market share for Internet Explorer 8, compared to 11.48 percent for Internet Explorer 9. Because IE9 requires Windows Vista or higher, uptake won't drastically improve until people ditch Windows XP--something that Microsoft is also working on.

Follow Jared on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ for even more tech news and commentary.

Source: http://feeds.pcworld.com/click.phdo?i=68135c1905c2973611441d15eb1bda8f

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My 2012 Financial Resolutions (Free Money Finance)

After giving an update yesterday on my 2011 financial resolutions, I thought I'd follow it up by telling you what I'm planning for 2012. Here goes:

Expand my gap if possible. I already have a pretty good gap between what I make and what I spend, but there may be room for improvement. I at least need to find out. I'll go through a complete review of my spending on Quicken this year and see if there's any fat that can be cut.

Review my investments. I was supposed to do this last year, but didn't. I have a couple accounts that need to be closed and a couple moved around. I also need to select a bank (probably online) to keep my "emergency fund phase 2" money (money I still need to be safe and accessible, but not as close as my credit union) to try and earn a bit more on the cash I have set aside.

Make major purchases. Some we're looking at: trip to Caribbean, new furniture for the living room, another potential trip, a new bed, and some advanced landscaping in our back yard (may be needed with some of our trees dying.)

Update retirement plan. I developed a financial retirement plan last year. I need to update it based on 2011 performance (where my net worth ended versus where it should have ended to be on track) and make needed adjustments.

Consolidate charities. If it kills me, I want to limit the charities I give to to 10 or so. I'd like to focus more money on fewer organizations to increase my impact.

Invest in my career. I want to learn a few new skills and expand my network. After all, my career is my biggest financial asset and I want to do all I can to maximize it.

Update my will. It's been a few years since my last update and I need to have my will reviewed to be sure it's still what we want to have happen in case we pass away.

Looks like my 2012 plans are similar to what I did/wanted to do in 2011. I guess that's to be expected since my finances require very little work/changes at this stage of my life.

http://www.freemoneyfinance.com/2010/03/making-the-most-of-your-most-valuable-financial-asset.html

Source: http://www.freemoneyfinance.com/2012/01/my-2012-financial-resolutions.html

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Wednesday, January 4, 2012

FSCalltothePen: Ryan Braun Suspension Unlikely to be Overturned: Earlier last month, the baseball world was rocked by ... http://t.co/SxVac0Fu #Baseball

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Ryan Braun Suspension Unlikely to be Overturned: Earlier last month, the baseball world was rocked by ... bit.ly/tlXrRB #Baseball Il y a environ 9 heures via twitterfeed

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Source: http://twitter.com/FSCalltothePen/statuses/153841615327342592

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Afternoon letters: U.S.-China trade imbalance has harmed U.S.

U.S.-China trade imbalance has harmed U.S.

January 1st, 2012, 12:00 am ? ? posted by Betty Talbert, letters editor

MCT Illustration

LAGUNA WOODS, Jennifer Marks: I usually agree with columnist Walter E. Williams, but he needs to stay away from the subject of international trade. He is not an expert on it. In ?China trade fuss ignores facts? [Dec. 27], he debunks the idea that the U.S.-China trade imbalance is harming our economy. His analysis incorrectly lumps together domestic consumer spending on goods with domestic consumer spending on services. He concludes that only a small fraction of this spending goes to China, and, by doing so, he lumps together apples and oranges.

Manufactured products are not consumer services. Of course, most service providers, like doctors, lawyers, accountants, beauticians and cab drivers, are Americans. In every country, service providers are almost always local people. You are not going to hire a hairstylist in China.

A correct analysis would have left out spending on services and calculated Chinese-manufactured goods as a percentage of all goods purchased in the United States. These numbers would not look nearly as rosy. If, as Williams claims, 16 percent of all U.S. purchases of goods and services were manufactured abroad, probably 32 percent of all manufactured goods were made overseas. That would mean that almost one-third of all goods purchased in the United States were made elsewhere. That is a large percentage and one that could harm our country, particularly if those countries do not reciprocate by buying our manufactured goods in return.

China protects and assists its businesses and industries. They make it hard for foreign businesses to operate in their country. For example, China does not allow foreigners to run a company there. An American wanting to open a plant in China must select a Chinese business partner, whether he wants one or not.

The Chinese government supports businesses and industries in China and recognizes that manufacturing prosperity is essential to economic development.

The U.S. government often acts like business is the enemy of the people. Their anti-business attitudes have driven jobs and whole industries out of this country. Just look at how the Obama administration has been persecuting Boeing, one of our more successful companies. They tried to block Boeing from building another airplane plant in another state. Would they prefer that Boeing just pack up and move their operations overseas?

Finally, Williams? editorial fails to mention intellectual property theft, such as pirated CD?s and the theft of patented U.S. technology, which is endemic in China. He also fails to discuss currency manipulation.

MISSION VIEJO, Bill Chase: I am a Walter E. Williams fan; however, I take exception to much of what was in his column on Dec. 27. He references the value of the imports. Of course, the dollar value is low, and labor and all other costs are lower in China. And costs are lower especially if you steal industrial secrets to develop and manufacture products.

Also, comparing dollar figures from 1980 to today without using inflation references is misleading. The bottom line is that China really is a big culprit in our unemployment problems. Sending money borrowed from China back to them in aid money compounds the issue. The Chinese government is not our friend.

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Source: http://letters.ocregister.com/?p=60592

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Tuesday, January 3, 2012

India lets foreign individuals invest in stock (Reuters)

NEW DELHI (Reuters) ? India will allow individual foreign investors direct access to its stock market from January 15, the government said on Sunday, the latest step to liberalize Asia's third-largest economy after a year of big losses on the benchmark Sensex (.BSESN) index.

Previously, foreign nationals were limited to investing in India's equity market through indirect routes such as mutual funds, or through institutional vehicles. [ID:nL3E7J90YK]

"The central government has decided to allow qualified foreign investors to directly invest in (the) Indian equity market in order to widen the class of investors, attract more foreign funds, and reduce market volatility," the government said in a statement.

Analysts said the decision to allow foreign nationals to invest in Indian equities was a positive move but it was unlikely to result in an increased flow of overseas funds in the near-term due to weak market conditions.

"At a time when the foreign institutions are reducing their exposure to India, it would not be prudent to expect foreign individuals to start investing in our markets," said Jagannadham Thunuguntla, research head at brokerage SMC Global Securities.

"We can see some impact of this decision when the stock market conditions improve," he said.

In the past 20 years India has gradually opened its economy to foreign cash. The economy is now faltering after growing at an annual average of about 8 percent for several years.

The rupee shed 24 percent of its value against the dollar last year and the current account deficit is widening.

Many economists predict growth below seven percent for the fiscal year that ends on March 30.

Indian shares posted their first annual fall in three years in 2011 as a combination of near double-digit inflation, high interest rates, slowing domestic growth and policy inaction turned off investors already shaken by global headwinds.

Foreign fund inflows, a major driver of Indian stocks, dried up with net outflows of about $380 million as of Wednesday, a far cry from record inflows of more than $29 billion in 2010 that had powered a 17 percent rise in the benchmark index, following an 81 percent surge in 2009.

(Reporting By Frank Jack Daniel; additional reporting by Sumeet Chatterjee in MUMBAI; Editing by Paul Tait)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120102/bs_nm/us_india_investment

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Wedding Bells Will Ring In New Year For Gay Couples

Homepage?>?Video

POSTED: 5:49 pm HST December 31, 2011
UPDATED: 6:09 pm HST December 31, 2011

Wedding Bells Will Ring In New Year For Gay Couples

At 12:01 four couples will tie the knot, at the same time 2 gay married couples reflect on the change in Hawaii's laws

Comments The views expressed are not those of KITV.com, KITV or its affiliated companies. By posting your comments you agree to accept our Terms of Use.

Source: http://www.kitv.com/video/30111450/index.html

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Monday, January 2, 2012

Nigeria calls state of emergency over sect attacks (AP)

ABUJA, Nigeria ? Nigeria's president on Saturday declared a state of emergency in parts of Africa's most populous nation, after a recent slew of deadly attacks blamed on a northern-based radical Muslim sect killed dozens of people, as separate communal clashes in the country's southeast left more than 40 dead.

President Goodluck Jonathan declared an indefinite state of emergency in four states, which would all allow security agencies there to make arrests without proof and conduct searches without warrants. He also ordered the closure of international borders near the affected areas.

They include parts of northeastern state of Yobe and the central states of Plateau and Niger, all hit by the Christmas Day attacks that left at least 42 people dead, for which a radical sect known as Boko Haram claimed responsibility. Attackers targeted churches and one of the state offices of Nigeria's secret police.

The president also declared a state of emergency in parts of the northeastern state of Borno, a stronghold of the feared Islamic sect.

"What began as sectarian crises in the northeastern parts of the country has gradually evolved into terrorist activities in different parts of the country with attendant negative consequences on our national security," Jonathan said.

"(The state of emergency) means extra powers to security agencies in those areas," said National Security Adviser Owoye Azazi, who also told journalists in Abuja that it would last "until the situation improves."

Jonathan also said Saturday that he has directed top security officials to set up a special counterterrorism unit to fight the growing threat posed by Boko Haram.

Earlier in the year, an Aug. 26 bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Nigeria's capital Abuja killed 24 people and wounded 116 others. The sect claimed responsibility for that attack.

The Christmas attacks come a year after a series of Christmas Eve bombings in central city of Jos in the nation's "middle belt," where the country's largely Muslim north meets its largely Christian south. Last year's Christmas attacks claimed by the militants left at least 32 dead and 74 wounded.

"Terrorism is a war against all of us," Jonathan said as he spoke during an address on national television on Saturday. "I call on all Nigerians to join hands with government to fight these terrorists."

The sect, some of whose members are believed to have links to al-Qaida, wants to impose Islamic Shariah law across Nigeria.

The U.S. Embassy had warned U.S. citizens late Friday to exercise caution in Nigeria.

"Violent extremist attacks have continued in various locations, including the states of Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Niger, Plateau, and Yobe, resulting in numerous casualties," the warning read.

Boko Haram's widening terror attacks, though, are only further intensifying religious and ethnic divisions in Nigeria. In this nation of more than 160 million people, thousands have died in recent years in communal fighting pitting machete-wielding neighbors against each other.

In the southeastern state of Ebonyi, more than 40 people died in clashes early Saturday morning between the Ezza and Ezillo peoples who have long-standing rivalries, said state police spokesman John Elu. He said troops had been deployed, but the situation was still tense.

The conflict, which occurred far from the regions affected by the state of emergency, has no apparent link to the Islamic insurgency that has erupted in mostly northern states. However, such clashes add to Nigeria's serious security concerns which Boko Haram has exacerbated over the last year.

The sect came to national prominence in 2009, when its members rioted and burned police stations near its base of Maiduguri, a dusty northeastern city on the cusp of the Sahara Desert. Nigeria's military violently put down the attack, crushing the sect's mosque into shards as its leader was arrested and died in police custody. About 700 people died during the violence.

While initially targeting enemies via hit-and-run assassinations from the back of motorbikes after the 2009 riot, violence by Boko Haram now has a new sophistication and apparent planning that includes high-profile attacks with greater casualties. That has fueled speculation about the group's ties as it has splintered into at least three different factions, diplomats and security sources say. They say the more extreme wing of the sect maintains contact with terror groups in North Africa and Somalia.

Targeting the group has remained difficult, as sect members are scattered throughout northern Nigeria and nearby Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

___

Associated Press writer Yinka Ibukun contributed to this report from Lagos.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111231/ap_on_re_af/af_nigeria_violence

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Sunday, January 1, 2012

mitchellholder: @lordandrew1 I agree. Compared to other NBA teams, the #Kings have some weird dynamic going on. Feel bad for #Jimmer.

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@lordandrew1 I agree. Compared to other NBA teams, the #Kings have some weird dynamic going on. Feel bad for #Jimmer. Il y a environ 6 heures via Twitter for iPhone en r?ponse ? lordandrew1