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Sunday, June 30, 2013
How Will You Replace Google Reader?
On October 7, 2005, Google engineer Chris Wetherell launched Google Reader and changed the way we consume news. A stripped-down, simple design with infinite news customizability quickly made Reader the king of the RSS world.
For years, though, the company has shown signs of forsaking its RSS application. In 2008, Google's new web browser, Chrome, didn't render RSS feeds, and in 2011 the company removed Reader's social functions entirely in an attempt to lure users to Google Plus. After the March 13 announcement of Reader's demise, Google offered a three-month sunset period for users?a tidy RSS severance package. That grace period just ended.
Google Reader officially expires on Monday, July 1. But where one reader dies, many thrive?and tech companies have rushed to fill the void. RSS newsreaders, such as Reeder, Press, and Newsify, have stuck deals to integrate with other aggregators' API. Facebook even announced its own reader earlier this week, though it looks to reimagine the experience rather than replicate it.
Here are a few alternatives that will continue to help give order to web chaos.
Feedly
After Google's announcement, Feedly emerged as one of the early frontrunners to replace Reader and grabbed 3 million new users in just a couple of weeks. With more than 12 million users, Feedly announced last week that its back end infrastructure is open to many newsreaders with its cloud API.
Importing Google feeds into Feedly is simple. It takes just one touch of a button. Also, if you're using a third-party reader that's supported by Feedly, transition from Reader to Feedly should be relatively pain-free.
The application's customizable interface allows users to ape the Reader experience and create a magazine-style front page or other image-heavy designs. Feedly cofounder Cyril Moutran also mentioned that the company is exploring a premium option that will be available for power users.
Although Feedly offers an update to the traditional reader experience, there are a few annoyances?most notably, clicking photos forces Pinterest integration instead of linking to the original source. But even this is easily fixed after a quick trip to the aggregator's preferences.
Digg Reader
The developers at Digg turned around a competitive aggregator in just 90 days. A week before the July 1 Google Reader shutdown, Digg gave access to its beta reader so users could import their feeds. For the most part, Digg's "all feed" interface mimics the structure of Google Reader and includes a similar collection of keyboard shortcuts. The application also allows seamless transition between list and expanded views to appease any kind of newsreader.
One advantage Digg Reader has is the tech powerhouse behind it. Digg's current owner, Betaworks, is home to a suite of applications such as Tapestry, Instapaper, and Bit.ly. However, President Andrew McLaughlin has stated that Digg has no interest in favoritism and will also offer the same service to other outside apps within its reader.
Digg Reader allows you to sign in with Facebook, Twitter, and Google. One standalone feature is the Digg.com integration that helps curate trending stories for the user. Whatever you digg becomes its own feed, which you can make public or private.
Digg Reader is still in beta and rolling out users slowly. It's still missing some key functionality?search function, tagging, other service integration?but for something that's only 90 days old, it's hard to argue with the results.
The Other Challengers
AOL's bid into the RSS race is an elegant, straightforward solution to any aggregation woes. A muted blue and gray display and a similar interface as Google Reader might be a good option for anyone who likes their reader stripped down and simple. Of course, it similarly lacks a search function, which will hopefully be fixed in the days to come. http://techland.time.com/2013/06/24/aol-reader-is-a-slightly-better-slightly-worse-version-of-google-reader/
The Old Reader was designed in reaction to Google as well, specifically when Google Reader dropped its sharing features in 2011. It also has a user-friendly interface, and it's simple to transfer subscription from Google Reader through exporting an XML document using Google Takeout. The Old Reader isn't quite as fast as some other feed options when navigating among feeds, so speed readers might be subject to mild frustration.
NewsBlur's interface is a little busier than other RSS readers, but it has an impressive folder system that makes navigation simple. However, Newsblur is a freemium application, and only its paid service ($24 a month) offers unlimited number of sites and more frequent updates. If you stick with the free service, you'll have to wait in line.
Still haven't found the perfect match? Try InoReader, Netvibes, or, for a completely different experience, Flipboard.
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Heat wave could bring 120-degree temperatures to US West
Triple-digit temperatures are expected to last into next week across much of the US West, including parts of the Pacific Northwest. Authorities list precautions in the face of a heat wave.
Betty Lu Guapo, 4, cools off in the heat at the Los Angeles Fountain Thursday. California is preparing for a scorching weekend that could see temperatures hit 120 degrees in the deserts as a massive heat wave rolls through the West.
Nick Ut/AP
EnlargeFrom southern Arizona up into Idaho, the US West is in the midst of an extreme heat wave expected to last into next week.
Skip to next paragraph Brad KnickerbockerStaff writer and editor
Brad Knickerbocker is a staff writer and editor based in Ashland, Oregon.
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?An atmospheric blast furnace will be at full throttle heading into the weekend over the interior West with heat reaching dangerous levels, challenging records and elevating the wildfire threat,? warns Alex Sosnowski, a senior meteorologist with AccuWeather. ?In some cities, record highs for any date throughout the year could be equaled or breached.?
Chris Dolce?of the Weather Channel agrees: ?Temperatures will soar well into the 110s and even 120s in the days ahead. One location could even approach 130 degrees!?
Indeed, the prediction is for temperatures to range as high as 130 degrees in California?s Death Valley ? which would be the highest there since 1913. Bullhead City, Ariz.; Blythe, Calif.; and?Palm Springs, Calif., are all forecast to approach or reach the low 120s. Phoenix is expected to max out in the middle to upper 110s, and Las Vegas could top out at 117 degrees. When it gets that hot, nighttime temperatures remain in the 90s.
Even parts of the typically cooler Pacific Northwest could be baking over the next several days, according to the Weather Channel: Portland, Ore., and Seattle in the 90s, and Boise, Idaho, in the low 100s and perhaps as high as 108 by Tuesday.
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Indexes edge up as Fed slowdown fears ebb
NEW YORK (AP) ? Stocks are ending slightly higher after a report of tepid U.S. economic growth raised expectations that the Federal Reserve will continue its stimulus program.
The government lowered its estimate for growth in the first three months of the year to 2.4 percent from 2.5 percent.
Stocks slid last week on concerns that the Fed might slow its bond purchases.
The Dow Jones industrial average rose 21 points to 15,324 Thursday, or 0.1 percent. The Dow was up 95 points in the afternoon, then faded in the last hour.
The Standard & Poor?s 500 rose six to 1,654, or 0.4 percent. The Nasdaq rose 23 points to 3,491.
Three stocks rose for every two that fell on the New York Stock Exchange. Volume was average at 3.5 billion shares.
Source: http://feeds.salon.com/salon/index
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France sells shares in Paris airport company
PARIS (AP) ? The French Finance Ministry says it's sold nearly 9.5 million shares in state-controlled airport operator Aeroports de Paris in a move to raise proceeds to help boost the ailing economy.
In a statement Sunday, the ministry says it raised a total of 738 million euros ($960 million) via the sale of shares to two different investors.
French insurer Credit Agricole/Predica bought just over half of the shares, and now owns 4.81 percent of the company, which runs Paris' two main airports, Roissy-Charles de Gaulle and Orly.
French construction giant Vinci bought the remaining shares and now has a 4.69 percent stake in Aeroports de Paris. The government retains a 50.63 percent stake.
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Malaysia Airlines resumes daily Dubai service - Breaking Travel News
Malaysia Airlines will be adding Dubai back to its network effective 5 August 2013. The Kuala Lumpur-Dubai return service will be mounted daily via MH162 and MH163 using the Boeing 777-200 aircraft that offers a total capacity of 282 seats in each flight, equivalent to 3,948 seats weekly.
In conjunction with the re-introduction of service, the national carrier is offering super attractive promotional fares that start from only RM1,999 for an all-inclusive Economy class return travel. Business class starts from as low as RM5,999 for an all-inclusive return journey. Bookings start from 26 June 2013 till 15 July 2013 for the travel period of 5 August 2013 till 31 March 2014.
Beginning 5 August 2013, flight MH162 will depart Kuala Lumpur daily at 11.30pm to arrive at Dubai at 2.20am the next day. The return flight MH163 departs Dubai at 4.10am to arrive at Kuala Lumpur at 3.25pm.
Malaysia Airlines Group Chief Executive Officer, Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said, ?Dubai was one of the routes that were suspended in our route rationalisation exercise in January 2012. We continuously monitor market demand, and are happy to be able to add back Dubai into Malaysia Airlines network to extend our reach and strengthen our offering to customers?, he said.
Dubai is a tourism, trade and logistics hub which has earned itself the reputation as being the gateway between the east and the west. Home to just over 2 million people of more than 200 nationalities, Dubai is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world. With world-class shopping and leisure facilities, Dubai is a popular destination for business and leisure.?
Malaysia Airlines has been steadily growing its reach and capacity in the past year. The introduction of the A380 fleet in July 2012 now sees the new aircraft put on thick routes to London, Paris and Hong Kong.
Kathmandu was the airline?s new destination introduced in September 2012, first 3 times weekly, then increased to 5 times weekly, and now daily following strong market demand.
Malaysia Airlines regional footprint has also been deepened with increased frequencies, daily and weekly, to key business and leisure cities around Asia.?
In addition, Malaysia Airlines network is expanded through its various code share agreements and its membership in the oneworld airline alliance since February 2013.?
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Source: http://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/malaysia-airlines-resumes-daily-dubai-service/
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Saturday, June 29, 2013
McDonald's refuses to operate in Jewish settlement
JERUSALEM (AP) ? The McDonald's restaurant chain refused to open a branch in a West Bank Jewish settlement, the company said Thursday, adding a prominent name to an international movement to boycott Israel's settlements.
Irina Shalmor, spokeswoman for McDonald's Israel, said the owners of a planned mall in the Ariel settlement asked McDonald's to open a branch there about six months ago. Shalmor said the chain refused because the owner of McDonald's Israel has a policy of staying out of the occupied territories. The decision was not coordinated with McDonald's headquarters in the U.S., she said. In an email, the headquarters said "our partner in Israel has determined that this particular location is not part of his growth plan."
The Israeli branch's owner and franchisee, Omri Padan, is a founder of the dovish group Peace Now, which opposes all settlements and views them as obstacles to peace. The group said Padan is no longer a member.
The decision by such a well-known multinational company to boycott the West Bank deals settlers an unwelcome blow.
It also adds the name of an important international brand to a movement that has urged businesses to stay out of the West Bank. International companies like Caterpillar, France's Veolia and others have faced pressure from a global network of pro-Palestinian activists to sever links with the settlements.
The activists have also pushed consumers to shun products made in settlements. Israeli academics and unions have also been boycotted because of Israel's settlement policies and European countries are considering stepping up efforts to label settlement-made products sold in Europe.
The Palestinians want the West Bank, along with the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, as part of their future state. Israel captured those areas, along with the Golan Heights, in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians and most of the international community consider Israel's West Bank settlements illegal or illegitimate.
The mall's owners, settlers and politicians who back them chided McDonald's for its decision.
"McDonald's has gone from being a for-profit company to an organization with an anti-Israeli political agenda," said Yigal Dilmoni, a leader of the Yesha Council, a settler umbrella group. He urged Israelis to think twice before they buy a meal at McDonald's following its decision. Pro-settler lawmaker Ayelet Shaked said she would boycott the fast food chain.
Tzahi Nehimias, a co-owner of the Ariel mall, said an Israeli burger chain, Burger Ranch, had offered to take McDonald's spot. He also said Burger King had shown interest, but Miguel Piedra, a spokesman for Burger King Worldwide Inc. said the company had no plans to re-enter Israel. The company closed its restaurants in Israel in 2010 and turned them over to Burger Ranch.
Nehimias said other international companies who were asked to open a branch at the mall also declined, but none cited the mall's location in a settlement as a reason. He declined to identify the other companies. Some 19,000 Jewish settlers live in Ariel and it has a large student population.
Peace Now welcomed McDonald's decision.
"We totally understand and support people who think settlements are bad for Israel's interests," said Yariv Oppenheimer, who heads Peace Now. "They don't want to take an active role by opening a business there and helping to expand and to contribute to the settlement idea."
Rafeef Ziadah of the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement said McDonald's move "will encourage other corporations to end their complicity in Israel's occupation."
This is not the first time McDonald's has stirred controversy in Israel. The company didn't open a branch in Israel until 1993 due to the Arab League boycott of the country.
A year later, McDonalds built a branch near a memorial to Israel's Golani military brigade, and Israelis objected to the large double arches sign there, saying it desecrated the site. The sign was later made smaller. In 2004, McDonalds was criticized for telling its Arabic and Russian speaking staff not to speak those languages at work.
___
Associated Press writers Daniel Estrin in Jerusalem and Candice Choi in New York contributed reporting.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mcdonalds-refuses-operate-jewish-settlement-142845377.html
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Glastonbury festival kicks off with mud and megastars
By Belinda Goldsmith
PILTON (Reuters) - Britain's largest music festival got off to a traditionally muddy start on Thursday as thousands of campers arrived at Glastonbury in pouring rain for three days of music headlined by veteran rockers the Rolling Stones.
The event that started as a retreat for about 1,500 hippies on a dairy farm in rural Somerset in 1970 has grown into the world's largest music festival, featuring about 2,000 acts on 58 stages and attended by more than 135,000 people.
Gates opened early Wednesday and by late Thursday nearly 120,000 people had flooded into the 900-acre site about 130 miles southwest of London, turning the working farm of festival founder Michael Eavis into a tent city.
But while Glastonbury is known for megastars performing alongside eclectic acts, it also has a reputation for falling foul of Britain's fickle summer and this year was no exception, despite forecasts for dry weather.
By mid-afternoon on Thursday the rain was falling heavily, continuing into the night, with revelers in raincoats and rubber boots - known as wellies - negotiating muddy tracks.
"The forecast was fine so I am glad I did bring clothes for all weather," said Grace Murphy, 23, an Irish social work student, dressed in a bright pink raincoat and black wellies.
"We'll still have fun. It's a great atmosphere and there's no other festival as awesome as Glastonbury."
Meteorologists from Britain's national weather service, the Met Office, had forecast largely dry weather, but even in the rain the music fans descending on Glastonbury were determined to have fun, having paid 205 pounds ($315) each for tickets.
"You've got to expect some rain at Glastonbury. It's part of the experience," said Amanda Delve, a retailer aged in her 40s, browsing some of the 350 food stalls on the site.
GLAMPING IN THE MUD
The resources needed at Glastonbury are staggering, with 13 miles of fences ringing the site where there are about 198 pubs and bars, and 4,500 toilets. The festival was not held in 2012 as the London Olympics needed so much of the equipment.
An army of workers spends weeks preparing the site where the Rolling Stones play on Saturday, their first performance at Glastonbury, marking their 50 years in the music business.
The headline act on Friday is Britain's Arctic Monkeys and on Sunday it is British folk band Mumford & Sons who confirmed this week that bassist Ted Dwane was well enough to perform after undergoing surgery for a blood clot on the brain.
While the big names grab the spotlight, Eavis has ensured the event stays true to its alternative roots with music of all genres as well as dance, circus, and workshops in meditation, willow sculptures, and shamanic drum making.
On Thursday the Gyuto Monks, a group of Tibetan monks, chanted from a stage in the pouring rain. The Grammy-nominated group live in Dharamsala, north India, with the Dalai Lama who they followed when he fled Tibet after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.
Over the years the festival has not only grown in size but it has also started to attract a different crowd, with research showing the average age of revelers at Glastonbury is now 36 - and it does not have to be too rough an experience.
Campers can opt for a more glamorous stay known as "glamping" with companies offering ready-pitched tents, golf buggies to get around, champagne, private toilets and showers.
"The type of people here this year are totally different from when I first came in 1995, much older, but I guess at 205 pounds a ticket that's to be expected," said Mark Bignell, 45.
(Reporting by Belinda Goldsmith; Editing by Pravin Char)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/megastars-mingle-monks-music-fans-glastonbury-festival-173654486.html
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Goodbye M&M's, hello granola bars as school snacks
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Kids, your days of blowing off those healthier school lunches and filling up on cookies from the vending machine are numbered. The government is onto you.
For the first time, the Agriculture Department is telling schools what sorts of snacks they can sell. The new restrictions announced Thursday fill a gap in nutrition rules that allowed many students to load up on fat, sugar and salt despite the existing guidelines for healthy meals.
"Parents will no longer have to worry that their kids are using their lunch money to buy junk food and junk drinks at school," said Margo Wootan, a nutrition lobbyist for the Center for Science in the Public Interest who pushed for the new rules.
That doesn't mean schools will be limited to doling out broccoli and brussels sprouts.
Snacks that still make the grade include granola bars, low-fat tortilla chips, fruit cups and 100 percent fruit juice. And high school students can buy diet versions of soda, sports drinks and iced tea.
But say goodbye to some beloved school standbys, such as doughy pretzels, chocolate chip cookies and those little ice cream cups with their own spoons. Some may survive in low-fat or whole wheat versions. The idea is to weed out junk food and replace it with something with nutritional merit.
The bottom line, says Wootan: "There has to be some food in the food."
Still, 17-year-old Vanessa Herrera is partial to the Cheez-It crackers and sugar-laden Vitaminwater in her high school's vending machine. Granola bars and bags of peanuts? Not so much.
"I don't think anyone would eat it," said Herrera of Rockaway, N.J.
There are no vending machines at Lauren Jones' middle school in Hoover, Ala., but she said there's an "a la carte" stand that sells chips, ice cream and other snacks.
"Having something sweet to go with your meal is good sometimes," the 13-year-old said, although she also thinks that encouraging kids to eat healthier is worthwhile.
The federal snack rules don't take effect until the 2014-15 school year, but there's nothing to stop schools from making changes earlier.
Some students won't notice much difference. Many schools already are working to improve their offerings. Thirty-nine states have some sort of snack food policy in place.
Rachel Snyder, 17, said earlier this year her school in Washington, Ill., stripped its vending machines of sweets. She misses the pretzel-filled M&M's.
"If I want a sugary snack every now and then," Snyder said, "I should be able to buy it."
The federal rules put calorie, fat, sugar and sodium limits on almost everything sold during the day at 100,000 schools ? expanding on the previous rules for meals. The Agriculture Department sets nutritional standards for schools that receive federal funds to help pay for lunches, and that covers nearly every public school and about half of private ones.
One oasis of sweetness and fat will remain: Anything students bring from home, from bagged lunches to birthday cupcakes, is exempt from the rules.
The Agriculture Department was required to draw up the rules under a law passed by Congress in 2010, championed by first lady Michelle Obama, as part of the government's effort to combat childhood obesity.
Nutritional guidelines for subsidized lunches were revised last year and put in place last fall.
Last year's rules making main lunch fare more nutritious faced criticism from some conservatives, including some Republicans in Congress, who said the government shouldn't be telling kids what to eat. Mindful of that backlash, the Agriculture Department left one of the more controversial parts of the rule, the regulation of in-school fundraisers like bake sales, up to the states.
The rules have the potential to transform what many children eat at school.
In addition to meals already subject to nutrition standards, most lunchrooms also have "a la carte" lines that sell other foods ? often greasy foods like mozzarella sticks and nachos. That gives students a way to circumvent the healthy lunches. Under the rules, those lines could offer healthier pizzas, low-fat hamburgers, fruit cups or yogurt and similar fare.
One of the biggest changes will be a near-ban on high-calorie sports drinks. Many beverage companies added sports drinks to school vending machines after sodas were pulled in response to criticism from the public health community.
The rule would only allow sales in high schools of sodas and sports drinks that contain 60 calories or less in a 12-ounce serving, banning the highest-calorie versions of those beverages.
Low-calorie sports drinks ? Gatorade's G2, for example ? and diet drinks will be allowed in high school.
Elementary and middle schools will be allowed to sell only water, carbonated water, 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice, and low fat and fat-free milk, including nonfat flavored milks.
Republicans have continued to scrutinize the efforts to make school foods healthier, and at a House subcommittee hearing Thursday, Rep. Todd Rokita, R-Ind., said the "stringent rules are creating serious headaches for schools and students."
One school nutritionist testified that her school has had difficulty adjusting to the 2012 changes, and the new "a la carte" standards could also be a hardship.
The healthier foods are expensive, said Sandra Ford, president of the School Nutrition Association and director of food and nutrition services for a school district in Bradenton, Fla. She also predicted that her school district could lose $975,000 a year under the new "a la carte" guidelines because they would have to eliminate many of the popular foods they sell.
In a report released at the hearing, the Government Accountability Office said that in some districts students were having trouble adjusting to the new foods, leading to increased waste and kids dropping out of the school lunch program.
The food industry has been onboard with many of the changes, and several companies worked with Congress on the child nutrition law three years ago.
Angela Chieco, a mother from Clifton Park, N.Y., sees the guidelines as a good start but says it will take a bigger campaign to wean kids off junk food.
"I try to do less sugar myself," Chieco said. "It's hard to do."
___
Associated Press writer Stacy A. Anderson contributed to this report.
___
Follow Mary Clare Jalonick on Twitter at http://twitter.com/mcjalonick
Follow Connie Cass on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ConnieCass
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/goodbye-m-ms-hello-granola-bars-school-snacks-195352021.html
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Mailbag: NCAA, Oregon -- USC! -- blowback
Happy Friday.
(Knock-knock joke just dictated to me by my 4-year-old).
The final one, which lasts three years and is an NCAA first, might prove most painful. Legitimate recruiting services provide good information and, most important, film. So there's some bite there.
Knock, knock (Who's there?!)Mailbag. (Mailbag who?!)
Mailbag your pooh pooh face.
(Knock-knock joke just dictated to me by my 4-year-old).
Follow the Pac-12 blog on Twitter.
To the notes!
Donald from Eugene, Ore., writes: First off, I agree with Andy Staples that Oregon's punishment was appropriate and what USC SHOULD have received. But I was wondering if Chip Kelly had forewarning about the "Show Cause" punishment and knew Oregon would have been forced to fire him if he had stuck around Eugene? So he didn't really escape, as some people suggest, as he wasn't going to coach The Ducks in 2013 anyway. He actually did Oregon a favor by leaving before spring practice.Also, why doesn't the NCAA mandate a standard contract clause for all head coaches making them financially liable for any violations occurring under their watch regardless if they are still at the school or not?
Ted Miller: You know in the movie, "Being John Malkovich," when everyone just starts going "Malkovich!" "Malkovich!" "Malkovich!" That's what it sometimes feels like being a college football writer with Staples around, "I agree with Andy Staples!" "I agree with Andy Staples!"
I mean, really, how hard is to be right all the time when you're bacon's biggest advocate?
I agree with Staples' idea about allowing recruits to take official visits beginning in January of their junior year of high school as a good way to reduce cheating.
And yet I don't agree that Oregon coach Chip Kelly would have been fired after the NCAA ruling, in large part because we don't know what the NCAA would have ruled if Kelly were still the Ducks coach. I do know Oregon would only have done that as an absolute last resort.
For one, Kelly and Oregon have had each other's backs in this from beginning to end, even when Kelly left for the Philadelphia Eagles. I sense zero hard feelings between school and former coach.
If the NCAA had given Kelly a "show cause" as a sitting coach, Oregon would have had the option of firing him or going back in front of the Committee on Infractions to defend Kelly and itself against additional sanctions. The NCAA can't make an institution fire its coach.
Kelly might have been suspended, or the school might have been hit with other penalties. It's difficult to say.
But I think Kelly's 18-month "show cause" was largely symbolic and was given specifically because he was no longer at Oregon. If he were still in Eugene, I don't think that he would have been given that sanction. I think the NCAA would have found an additional way to hit him and the program -- in order to support the NCAA's attempt to hold head coaches more accountable -- but I don't think, based on my reading of the ruling, the NCAA would have wanted to hit Kelly with the worst penalty he could get as a sitting coach.
As for the NCAA mandating contract standards, that won't happen because institutions don't want to surrender their authority on contracts. Further, NCAA efforts to standardize penalties also have run into resistance through the years.
Costi from Phoenix writes: Ted, I have heard a lot of people say that Oregon has "won the day" with these imposed sanctions. I know the punishment could have been much worse, but it seems to me like these sanctions will still adversely affect the program and at the very least make life more challenging for the coaches. Do you think the Oregon coaching staff is looking at this thinking they "won the day"?
Ted Miller: Yes, I think the Oregon coaching staff feels like it won the day, based on far worst possibilities that were avoided, including a postseason ban and the loss of more scholarships.
But all things being equal, sure, the Ducks coaches would prefer to be recruiting without new restrictions, which are:
- A reduction of official paid football visits to from 56 to 37 for the 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15 academic years.
- A reduction of permissible football evaluation days from 42 to 36 in the fall of 2013, 2014 and 2015 and permissible football evaluation days from 168 to 144 in the spring of 2014, 2015 and 2016.
- A ban on the subscription to recruiting services during the probation period.
The final one, which lasts three years and is an NCAA first, might prove most painful. Legitimate recruiting services provide good information and, most important, film. So there's some bite there.
That said: I think the dark cloud over Oregon during the NCAA investigation for the past 27 months was probably more difficult to deal with than these restrictions. It surely was frustrating to have to constantly reassure skeptical recruits the program wasn't going to get hammered, a notion rival programs surely were constantly volunteering.
So I expect to see Oregon take a jump in the recruiting rankings this February, not a step back.
Brian from Syracuse writes: From the tone of your Full Speed Ahead post it seems like you believe Oregon should have been hit somewhat harder by the NCAA. And you have been very clear in your belief that USC should have been hit far less than they were for the Bush situation. Based on the respective violations, what should the sanctions have been for each program? Does USC's level of cooperation during the investigation affect your opinion?
Kevin from Newport Beach, Calif., writes: While this may come across more as an airing of grievances rather than a question, I wanted to get your thoughts on the "sanctions" provided to Oregon as compared to those that were maliciously fired at USC. To me, it seems to set the precedent set by the NCAA here is that it is OK to pay a 3rd party to deliver a star player to you, which in turn provides you with a competitive advantage. However, it is ABSOLUTELY NOT OK to have a different 3rd party pay the same aforementioned player to LEAVE your institution, which in turn seems to put the institution at an overall disadvantage. What is more perplexing to me is it seems as the former (aka Oregon) is closer to the SMU infractions than the latter (USC).
Ted Miller: I thought Oregon was going to lose a few more scholarships, but the ultimate ruling fits in with what folks who know far more about the nuances of NCAA rules told me was likely to happen. I hope Pac-12 blog readers know that I was always of the mind that Oregon would not get hammered, though there were some worrisome moments for the program, which even Ducks athletic director Rob Mullens acknowledged.
As for comparing the Oregon case to USC, it's like comparing a logical exchange of ideas and a train wreck.
The USC case will always be considered one of the lowest moments in the history of NCAA enforcement -- and there have been some doozies. The folks who sat on the Committee on Infractions should feel shame.
The USC ruling started poorly when the late Paul Dee, overseer of Miami's athletic department during the reign of Nevin Shapiro, falsely asserted on his conference call with reporters, ?[The USC] case strikes at the heart of the principles of amateurism.? It did not; pay-for-play was not part of the investigation. And then it was ridiculously propped up by a rule the COI just made up, "high-profile athletes demand high-profile compliance," a notion that appears no where in the NCAA rule book.
Too often it's incorrectly noted that USC didn't cooperate with the NCAA investigation. That's untrue. We know that because the NCAA officially stated USC cooperated in its ruling. We can't just assume the NCAA would dissemble, can we?
What did damage USC was its desire to vigorously defend itself. And know what really bothered the COI? That USC won the argument. Feel free to again read USC's official response to the notice of allegations. There's some smugness in there that might have hurt USC -- and then-athletic director Mike Garrett was apparently a bit imperious during the hearing -- but the fact that probably became an issue makes the COI look like a pack of sniveling teenagers ganging up on someone to whom they feel inferior.
The buffoonery on display was disheartening. Members of the COI, in fact, didn't seem to understand their own case. Their mission was singular: Get USC. So they built a false argument around it. My feelings on this have only strengthened through the years.
But I've been over this again and again and again. My guess is USC fans keep asking about it because it's mildly cathartic to watch me ruffling my feathers again.
From now on, USC fans, please go here to get your dose of Soma.
Drake from Parts Unknown writes: Arizona starts the season 5-0. What's the odds of that.
Ted Miller: I see 3-0. Then the odds drop considerably.
The Wildcats should beat Northern Arizona, UNLV and UT San Antonio. I'm pretty close to guaranteeing that, which might be the kiss of death, of course.
Then, after a bye, there's a trip to Washington and, after another bye, a trip to USC. Winning consecutive games on the road against quality foes, even after off weeks, feels like too much to ask.
To me, a 4-1 start should be enough to get Wildcats fans enthused.
In fact, it's the next three game that are critical: Utah, at Colorado and at California. The Wildcats might be favored in all three matchups, and winning them all would make them bowl eligible -- even with losses to both the Huskies and Trojans -- with four games remaining.
Angelo from Phoenix writes: I'm a long-time ASU fan and alumnus and am legitimately pleased with the direction we seem to be headed. After numerous obstacles (Lisa Love, Dirk Koetter, Dennis Erickson, Lattie Coor) we finally seem to have the right combination of President/AD/Coach to achieve success in the football program. There is one small area of concern though that I can't quite get past. I know it is just year 2 of the Graham regime, and it's early in year 2, but I'm concerned with the staff's ability to recruit. With as much positive press the program has rec'd lately, I would have thought that might translate into a few more noteworthy recruits. Is this what a real issue looks like early on... or do you see Graham being able to at least keep ASU performing at league average from a recruiting perspective?
Ted Miller: First of all, both Arizona and Arizona State need to do a better job of keeping the homegrown talent at home. But that only will come with consistent winning.
As for the Sun Devils, Graham's first full class ranked eighth in the Pac-12 and 42nd in the nation, according to ESPN Recruiting. Other recruiting services had the Sun Devils ranked either sixth or seventh in the Pac-12 and between 31st and 41st in the nation.
That's really not too bad for a program that has been mostly meandering around since a magical 1996 season, getting labeled a "Sleeping Giant" perhaps 1,354 times.
If there is a specific and fair gripe, it's been the failure to land a quarterback. When Arizona State lost Joshua Dobbs to Tennessee on signing day that was a big hit because that meant Graham hasn't signed a quarterback in either of his first two classes.
That made the whiff on touted local Kyle Allen, who hails from Scottsdale, three weeks ago even more of a drag, though the commitment of Manny Wilkins was a nice recovery.
Still, it's way premature to pass a verdict on Graham's recruiting.
For one, let's see how well the incoming guys turn out. The Sun Devils are counting on several new players, most notably wide receiver Jaelen Strong, to play immediately. If those guys prove ready for prime time, perhaps you'll feel better about things, Angelo.
Name withheld from Parts Unknown writes: UNC hasn't been better in football, past or present, than Oregon St.??? Really, you [bleep!]?How about the facts? OTHER THAN THE CONVENIENT TIME PERIOD YOU REFERENCED, UNC has ALWAYS been better than Oregon St!! And in terms of their future, which is what the article was about, UNC certainly has more resources, tradition, and solid history to bank on than does Oregon St.Do some research, idiot....and then maybe you won't look like such an idiot. UNC is the nation's 25th most winning program in college football history....Oregon St. doesn't even crack the Top 50! UNC has finished in the Top 10 4 times in the past 32 years, the Top 25 8 times in the same timeframe.Take off your Left Coast blinders, you moron....UNC easily has a better program than Oregon St. in terms of trending for the future...
Ted Miller: The convenient time period I referenced? You mean using information from our present century?
UNC has "always" been better than Oregon State? You mean other than this century?
UNC finished in the top-10 four times in the past 32 years? My question to Mr. Leaves No Name: Are you old enough to remember that last top-10 ranking in 1997, which also happens to be the last time UNC was ranked at all at season's end?
And, yes, I am aware that ACC blogger Heather Dinich penned a perfectly reasonable rebuttal to my rant this week.
Yes, I am aware we are projecting to the future. And, really, why should the last 13 seasons be used to project what might happen in the next three? In the soft, cuddly world of What Might Be If Things Are Different From The Past Decade-Plus, North Carolina might actually become a top-25 team.
But, well, what about next year? Can you find me a preseason poll with North Carolina ranked ahead of Oregon State. I'll wait here.
Crickets.
But I can do this and this and this and this.
And I've got $1 that says you'll get the same in the preseason AP poll.
But, of course, it truly is an exacting, non-speculative science to project that North Carolina will, finally, after 14 years of futility, break through in 2014 and 2015.
And, really, I'm sure that if Larry Fedora leads the Tar Heels to 10 wins in 2014 that he will stick around hoops-obsessed Chapel Hill instead of doing a Mack Brown, jumping at the first nibble to a bigger, football-first program. He'd never, ever do that.
Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/pac12/post/_/id/58394/mailbag-ncaa-oregon-usc-blowback
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Obama urges House to approve Senate-backed immigration plan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama urged the House of Representatives on Thursday to follow the lead of the Senate and approve a sweeping overhaul of U.S. immigration laws.
"Today, the Senate did its job. It's now up to the House to do the same," Obama said in a statement issued after the Senate voted 68-32 to pass the immigration plan. The statement was issued from Dakar, Senegal, where Obama was traveling.
Enactment of the immigration plan would mark a substantial achievement for the start of Obama's second term, but the legislation faces grim prospects in the Republican-controlled House.
Obama urged those Americans who support the measure to contact their elected representatives to press them to vote for it.
"Now is the time when opponents will try their hardest to pull this bipartisan effort apart so they can stop commonsense reform from becoming a reality. We cannot let that happen," he said.
"If you're among the clear majority of Americans who support reform - from CEOs to labor leaders, law enforcement to clergy - reach out to your member of Congress. Tell them to do the right thing," Obama said.
(Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Eric Beech and Stacey Joyce)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-urges-house-approve-senate-backed-immigration-plan-211539240.html
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Some super rich in Europe really are getting richer
wealth 
33 minutes ago
MICHAELA REHLE / Reuters
Mercedes-Benz cars are displayed in a dealership of German car manufacturer Daimler in Munich May 17, 2013. Latest data show that the super rich in Europe increased their wealth last year.
Europe's top economies may be stalled, but in some countries there, the rich really are getting richer.
The report, from Wealth-X, a wealth research firm, said the number of people worth $30 million or more in Germany, Switzerland, France and Italy grew 6 percent in 2012. Their combined fortunes surged 13 percent to $3.4 trillion.
Germany posted the strongest gains, with the number of ultra-wealthy people growing 6 percent to 16,734, with total fortunes of more than $2 trillion. Switzerland's ultra-rich saw their fortunes grow 15 percent.
Even France?often portrayed as the country of wealth flight rather than wealth creation?saw its super-wealthy population grow 5 percent and fortunes gain 12 percent.
Based on Wealth-X?s methodology, the report only focused on those four countries, and excluded other European nations including Britain and Spain.
(Read More: Luxury Real Estate Braces for Troubles From China, Brazil)
Wealth-X attributed the improvements to smart investing. "Smart investments and prudent estate planning among the UHNW (ultra-high-net worth) individuals in these economies explain why they performed better than other European nations in the current economic climate," said Wealth-X President David Friedman.
Yet there may be another reason: globalization. Many of the ultra-rich in European countries own global businesses or companies that benefit from growth in other countries, making them far less dependent on their home countries. Many luxury companies in France, top manufacturers in Germany and design firms in Italy have decoupled from Europe and continue to see sales growth from China, the U.S. and other (relatively) stronger economies.
(Read More: US Back on Top: Most Millionaires in 2012)
Just consider Amancio Ortega, the founder of Spanish clothing chain Zara. Spain is hurting, but Ortega's wealth has soared by more than $10 billion over the past year to more than $50 billion. That makes him among the five richest men in the world.
? 2013 CNBC LLC. All Rights Reserved
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Faculty Position in Accounting (FALL 2013) - HigherEdJobs
Hofstra University's Frank G. Zarb School of Business, Department of Accounting, Taxation, and Legal Studies in Business invites
applications for special one-year faculty position at the Assistant, Associate or Full Professor level, commencing September 1, 2013.
Candidates must hold a Ph.D. in Business with an accounting concentration or be enrolled in a doctoral program and have made substantial
progress toward completion of their degree.
applications for special one-year faculty position at the Assistant, Associate or Full Professor level, commencing September 1, 2013.
Candidates must hold a Ph.D. in Business with an accounting concentration or be enrolled in a doctoral program and have made substantial
progress toward completion of their degree.
Applicants at the assistant, associate, and full professor levels will be separated by the depth and breadth of their research, publication, and teaching record. Compensation is competitive and commensurate with experience and qualifications.
The University and the Department are interested in qualified candidates who can contribute, through their research and teaching to the diversity and excellence of the academic community.
Summer and winter teaching opportunities are available.
The Frank G. Zarb School of Business is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and has received a special accreditation in Accounting from AACSB. The Frank G. Zarb School of Business offers the B.B.A., M.B.A., and a variety of specialized M.S. programs.
Hofstra University is the largest private college on Long Island and is located twenty-five miles east of New York City. The University hosted presidential debates in 2008 and 2012. Hofstra University is fully committed to academic freedom and to the transmission, advancement, and preservation of knowledge for its own academic community and for the community at large.
Hofstra University is an equal opportunity employer, committed to fostering diversity in its faculty, administrative staff and student body, and encourages applications from the entire spectrum of a diverse community.
Please send a letter of interest, curriculum vitae, evidence of teaching excellence and scholarly work, and the addresses and telephone numbers of three references to:
Dr. Elizabeth K.
Venuti, Chair
Department of Accounting, Taxation, and Legal Studies in Business
Hofstra University
Frank G. Zarb School of
Business
134 Hofstra University
Hempstead, NY 11549-1340
Review of applications will continue until the position is filled.
Hofstra University is an equal opportunity employer, committed to fostering diversity in its faculty administrative staff and student body, and encourages applications from the entire spectrum of a diverse community.
Source: http://www.higheredjobs.com/details.cfm?JobCode=175768894
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Friday, June 28, 2013
BlackBerry is back from the dead
BlackBerry has been a source of contention in recent months, as the company struggles back to regain some of its former luster in the ever-changing smartphone industry. With shares up more than 25% year-to-date, it looks like BlackBerry is on its way back, though it still undoubtedly faces an uphill battle.
[More from BGR: AP: Windows 8.1 fails at its mission]
Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters are expecting the Waterloo, Ontario-based company to earn 6 cents per share on $3.36 billion in sales for the fiscal first quarter of 2014.
[More from BGR: Samsung launches ?flawless? curved OLED HDTV with a major flaw]
BlackBerry is set to report fiscal first-quarter earnings on Friday before the bell, and though recent news from the company has largely been positive, especially as it pertains to BlackBerry 10 device sales, some on the Street are cautiously bullish going forward.
?We expect BlackBerry to show signs of slowly rebuilding the brand, in a slow but steady two steps forward, one step back fashion,? wrote Morgan Stanley analyst Ehud Gelblum in a research note. ?We expect bullish strong BB10 shipments to slightly outweigh weaker BB7 units and the lack of proof of BB10 sell-thru tilting the risk / reward positive given the sky-high short interest without yet conclusively determining the LT fate of the company.? Gelblum rates shares Overweight, and recently upped his price target to $22, from $10.
Sales of the BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry Q10 have been better than most are expecting, despite BlackBerry being late to the game. It?s now firmly behind Apple?s iOS and Google?s Android operating systems in the smartphone battle, and may never be more than a niche player. That?s good enough for now, with Wall Street reacting positively to recent moves.
Morgan Stanley?s Gelblum now expects that 3.5 million BlackBerry 10 devices were sold in the first-quarter, up from an original estimate of 3 million.
Citigroup?s Jim Suva, who has a Sell rating and $10 price target on BlackBerry, expects that the company will ship 7.25 million units, with 3.25 million of them being BlackBerry 10 devices. He?s cautiously optimistic that his results and consensus estimates could be conservative, based on recent data.
?Given the channel drawdown over the past few quarters, we note potential for sell in ahead of global Z10 availability & Q10 launch (in UK, Canada, Germany and Australia during late April/early May and in US, India and Africa in late May to mid June) could result in a positive surprise to units that were sold into the channel,? Suva wrote in a recent note to clients.
With approximately 25% of the shares held short, any upside surprise could send BlackBerry?s stock soaring. We?ll find out Friday morning whether BlackBerry is indeed back from the dead for good, or if the vendor?s struggles may soon begin to worsen yet again.
This article was originally published on BGR.com
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blackberry-back-dead-145034529.html
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Senegalese president defends anti-gay law
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) ? Senegalese President Macky Sall has defended his refusal to decriminalize homosexuality one day after publicly clashing with President Barack Obama on the issue at a joint press conference.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Sall said it was important for other countries to refrain from imposing their values beyond their borders. He compared his position on homosexuality to other countries' positions on polygamy, which is widely practiced in Senegal.
"We don't ask the Europeans to be polygamists," Sall said. "We like polygamy in our country, but we can't impose it in yours. Because the people won't understand it, they won't accept it. It's the same thing."
Senegal's penal code calls for prison sentences of up to five years and fines of up to $3,000 for committing "an improper or unnatural act with a person of the same sex."
Despite the law, Sall maintained that gays were not persecuted in Senegal, and were prosecuted only if they violated the law. He also said the population, while opposed to homosexuality, was not actively intolerant.
"I think in Senegal people are very quiet. They are not very violent, even for the homosexuals," he said.
Local activists strongly disagree, pointing out that more than a dozen homosexuals are currently in jail for no other reason than their sexual orientation, with guilty verdicts having been handed down despite a lack of evidence. They also say extortion and other forms of discrimination are rampant.
In February 2008, police rounded up men suspected of being homosexuals after a Senegalese tabloid published photographs of a clandestine gay wedding in a suburb of Dakar. Gays went into hiding or fled to neighboring countries, but they were pushed out of Gambia by the president's threat of decapitation.
A report released this week by Amnesty International says 38 African countries ? about 70 percent of the continent ? criminalize homosexual activity.
In four of those ? Mauritania, northern Nigeria, southern Somalia and Sudan ? the punishment is death.
These laws appear to have broad public support. A June 4 Pew Research Center survey found at least nine of 10 respondents in Senegal, Kenya, Ghana, Uganda and Nigeria believe homosexuality should not be accepted by society.
Sall warned that because of these views, public advocacy on behalf of gay rights could prompt a strong negative reaction. "We need to be careful, because in Africa and in certain Muslim societies, these are subjects that can provoke fundamentalism," he said.
In a December 2011 memorandum, Obama instructed federal agencies to promote gay rights overseas, drawing strong protests from some African officials and many of his African fans. But while experts say the U.S. has forcefully pushed for gay rights behind closed doors, the public positioning has been discreet, with officials often citing concerns about putting local activists in danger.
Prior to this week's Africa trip, Obama's second since becoming president, some advocates had pushed for him to vocally advocate for gay rights, saying the respect he commands in much of Africa could help sway public opinion.
At Thursday's press conference in Dakar, Obama said everyone should be equal under the law regardless of cultural differences. "When it comes to how the state treats people, how the law treats people, I believe that everybody has to be treated equally," he said.
In response, Sall said Senegal was "still not ready" to decriminalize homosexuality. He said the country was "very tolerant" but needed more time to address the issue.
Though Obama's visit was seen as an opportunity to showcase Senegal's stability and history of peaceful democratic transition, the front pages of local newspapers on Friday were dominated by talk of the exchange on homosexuality. The newspaper Liberation, for example, praised Sall for his "courageous" stance and, alongside a photo of Obama and Sall, ran a banner headline that played on Obama's famous campaign slogan: "No, we can't."
Sall said Friday that he was not disappointed that the issue of homosexuality had received so much attention. He said he welcomed the opportunity to contrast his views with Obama's.
"I'm not disappointed, because I'm a democrat and I can understand very well the position of President Obama on this topic," Sall said. "We are friends. We are partners."
Asked Friday if he thought the day might come when gays are accepted in Senegal and throughout Africa, Sall said it was impossible to predict.
"I don't know what will happen in 10 years, because the world changes," he said. "It depends on each culture or each civilization. We have to take time. Because people need time to absorb. It's not something you can have in one day."
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/senegalese-president-defends-anti-gay-law-165212208.html
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Report: Hernandez investigated for double murder
APWith more than $5 million still arguably owed to Aaron Hernandez under the contract he signed last August, the Patriots likely will fight to avoid paying him another dime.? The two-front battle relates to the final $3.25 million installment of his $12.5 million signing bonus and guaranteed base salaries for 2013 and 2014.? The guaranteed base salaries total $2.5 million.
As to the signing bonus, the team?s decision to cut Hernandez makes it much more difficult to block the final payment or to recover any of the $8.75 million already issued to Hernandez.? As to the guaranteed salaries, multiple sources have indicated that Hernandez likely will not be entitled to any further payment.
Despite the absence of forfeiture language for the guaranteed salaries, the guarantee applies only to terminations made due to injury, skill (i.e., perceived lack of it), and the salary cap.? Because the Patriots cut Hernandez pursuant to paragraph 11 of the standard player contract, which permits termination of employment when the player ?has engaged in personal conduct reasonably judged by Club to adversely affect or reflect on Club,? the guarantee evaporates.
As we understand it, that?s not merely the team?s position.? The NFLPA, we?re told, agrees with the interpretation.
While this doesn?t prevent Hernandez from filing a grievance aimed at getting the money, it?s a steep uphill climb and, frankly, the least of his concerns.
The more intriguing fight will arise in connection with the unpaid $3.25 million installment of the signing bonus.? That money already has been earned by Hernandez.? But cutting him, the Patriots apparently surrendered any ability to recover the money that has been paid or to keep the portion that hasn?t been paid.
Still, it currently appears that the Patriots will at a minimum force Hernandez to sue for the rest ? and at most try to recover as much of the previously-paid signing bonus as they can.
The problem for Hernandez is that, even though the terms of the labor deal seem to be on his side, the facts can nudge the controversy toward a bad outcome.? The problem for other players is that, if Hernandez loses, a bad precedent will be created for them.
Either way, it appears that the Patriots have enhanced their ability to avoid the guaranteed salaries by cutting Hernandez, even if cutting him makes it harder to avoid paying the final $3.25 million.
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Every Smart Appliance Should Be as Brilliant as This Smoke Detector
It's easy to scoff at the idea of smart appliances when you're faced with an onslaught of everyday devices with bewilderingly superflous Internet-y capabilities
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Europe strikes deal to push cost of bank failure on investors
By John O'Donnell and Robin Emmott
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union agreed on Thursday to force investors and wealthy savers to share the costs of future bank failures, moving closer to drawing a line under years of taxpayer-funded bailouts that have prompted public outrage.
After seven hours of late-night talks, finance ministers from the bloc's 27 countries emerged with a blueprint to close or salvage banks in trouble. The plan stipulates that shareholders, bondholders and depositors with more than 100,000 euros ($132,000) should share the burden of saving a bank.
The deal is a boost for EU leaders, who meet later on Thursday in Brussels, and can show that they are finally getting to grips with the financial crisis that began in mid-2007 with the near collapse of Germany's IKB.
"For the first time, we agreed on a significant bail-in to shield taxpayers," said Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem, referring to the process in which shareholders and bondholders must bear the costs of restructuring first.
The rules break a taboo in Europe that savers should never lose their deposits, although countries will have some flexibility to decide when and how to impose losses on a failing bank's creditors.
"They can affect German savers just as well as they can affect any other investor in the world," German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said after the meeting.
Taxpayers across much of Europe have had to pay for a series of deeply unpopular bank rescues since the financial crisis that spread across the bloc to threaten the future of the euro.
The European Union spent the equivalent of a third of its economic output on saving its banks between 2008 and 2011, using taxpayer cash but struggling to contain the crisis and - in the case of Ireland - almost bankrupting the country.
But a bailout of Cyprus in March that forced losses on depositors marked a harsher approach that can now, following Thursday's agreement, be replicated elsewhere.
French Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici signaled that ministers also agreed to French demands that the euro zone's rescue fund, the European Stability Mechanism, can be used to help banks in the 17-nation currency area that run into trouble.
"It makes the whole thing coherent," said Moscovici. "It creates a solidity for the system and a system of solidarity," he told reporters.
Under the rules, which would come into effect by 2018, countries would be obliged to distribute losses up to the equivalent of 8 percent of a bank's liabilities, with some leeway thereafter.
Europe can now focus on building the next pillar of a project to unify the supervision and support of banks in the euro zone, known as "banking union."
"EXECUTIONER"
But thorny issues lie ahead, not least whether countries or a central European authority should have the final say in shutting or restructuring a bad bank.
The European Commission, the EU executive, is expected to unveil its proposal for a new agency to carry out this task of "executioner" as early as next week, officials said.
"The most important discussion has yet to start and that is how decisions on restructuring will be made," said Nicolas Veron, a financial expert at Brussels-based think tank Bruegel. "It's premature to say that Europe is getting its act together."
Many Europeans remain angry with bankers and the easy credit that helped create property bubbles in countries including Ireland and Spain, which then burst and plunged Europe into a recession from which it has yet to recover.
Earlier this week, Ireland's deputy prime minister attacked "arrogant" executives at a failed bank who had mocked government efforts to tackle the country's banking crisis.
In the tapes published by an Irish newspaper, the collapsed Anglo Irish Bank's then-head of capital markets was asked how he had come up with a figure of 7 billion euros for a bank rescue, responding that he had "picked it out of my arse.
Unlike the United States, which moved swiftly to deal with its problem banks, Europe has been reluctant to close those whose credit is crucial to the economy and with which governments have close political ties.
This should change as soon as the European Central Bank takes over the supervision of euro zone banks from late next year, completing one pillar of banking union.
The ECB will run checks on banks under its watch. This new EU law on sharing losses could be used as the blueprint for closing or salvaging those banks it finds to be weak.
The second leg of banking union would be the resolution authority to shutter banks or restructure them. But the pace of progress depends in large part on Germany, which is reluctant to agree to such a move ahead of elections in September.
"Before the German Bundestag elections, Chancellor Angela Merkel will not agree to a far-reaching banking union," Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann said in an interview.
(Additional reporting by Ilona Wissenbach; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/europe-strikes-deal-push-cost-bank-failure-investors-014658066.html
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State of Social Media Advertising - Business Insider
BI Intelligence
How can you solve this problem??Social media offers a solution.
Social networks like Facebook and Twitter are daily destinations for millions of consumers. Increasingly, their ad products offer targeting according to specific demographics, social connections, interests, and habits.?
In a new report?from?BI?Intelligence,?we analyze the state of social media advertising and where it is heading, offering a comprehensive guide and examination of?the advertising ecosystems on?Facebook and Twitter, offer a?primer on Tumblr as an emerging ad medium, and detail how mobile is an important part of this story as mobile-friendly as?native ad formats?fuel growth in the market.
Access The Full Report And Data By Signing Up For A Free Trial Today >>
Here's an overview of some major players in the mobile advertising ecosystem:
- The lure of social media advertising is massive:?As brands look across a fractured media landscape, social networks offer them an interesting proposition. Social networks have scale - ?enormous user bases and deep databases. They have high engagement - Americans were spending an average of 12 hours per month on social networks as of July 2012, with 18-24 year olds averaging 20 hours.?And potentially, social media gives brands offer a uniquely captive audience for their content.
- Guaranteed placement is getting advertisers to pay up: Brands are paying to get their content or copy in front of a quantifiable audience, an increasingly rare feat in an era of scattered consumer attention.?This desire for guaranteed attention also helps to explain social media's move away from traditional display ads ? like Facebook's right-rail ads?? and toward so-called native ads that surface in a user's stream, either as a tweet or a Facebook post.?A consensus seems to be forming around in-stream advertising as the most promising social advertising format.?
- Social media advertising is set to explode:?Social media advertising is a young market and so far, it only represents 1% to 10% of ad budgets for a wide majority of advertisers. There's significant opportunity for that share to grow.?BIA/Kelsey recently came out with a study that offers one view -?forecasting $11 billion of social ad spend in 2017, up from $4.7 billion last year.?That estimate is large - but still seems pessimistic, because...
- Increased mobile usage will be a huge growth driver: The BIA/Kelsey prediction calls for mobile to account for only $2.2 billion of that in 2017 - a 20% market share. This could easily be surpassed. Both Twitter and Facebook have passed the 50% mobile usage mark and,?given the continued growth of mobile devices, it will only rise.?Mobile accounted for 11% of Facebook's ad revenue last year even though it didn't release mobile ads until the tail end of the second quarter. By the fourth quarter, it was up to 23%. And now, Twitter is reporting that its mobile ad revenue now regularly outpaces its desktop ad revenue. Social media advertising is therefore uniquely positioned to grab an increasing share of the fast growing mobile advertising market.?
In full,?the?report includes:
To access BI Intelligence's full reports on The State Of Social Media Advertising, sign up for a free trial subscription here.
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/state-of-social-media-advertising-2013-6
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Senate immigration bill a ?pipe dream?
The Senate is poised to pass a comprehensive immigration bill this week. Immigration reform proponents will cheer! Immigrant activists will cry tears of joy! DREAMers will dream bigger dreams!
Not to be a heartbreaker, but this party probably won't last long.
The Republican-controlled House of Representatives hasn't the slightest intention of passing the thing as a whole, says Illinois Republican Rep. Peter Roskam, a lawmaker responsible for counting Republican votes.
Roskam, who serves as the Republican chief deputy whip, made it clear on Thursday that House leaders do not plan to put the complete Senate bill to a vote on the floor of the lower chamber. Even if they did, it likely wouldn't pass.
?The House has no capacity to move that bill in its entirety. It just won?t happen," Roskam said during a meeting with reporters on Thursday morning. "It is a pipe dream to think that that bill is going to go to the floor and be voted on. The House is going to move through in a more deliberative process.?
While Senate members have agreed to take a comprehensive approach on the legislation?their bill would provide a pathway to legality for unauthorized immigrants and to spend billions on border security?House lawmakers intend to pass the bill in pieces, starting with a bill that shores up border security and then (maybe) another measure that deals with the 11 million people currently living in the United States illegally.
But that approach won't fly with Senate Democrats or President Barack Obama, who say they won't accept an immigration bill that doesn't have a pathway to legal status baked into the cake. Some might call it an impasse, a term more commonly referred to as just another day in Washington.
Unlike their counterparts in the Senate, who have taken steps to pass the bill quickly, the House is in no rush to act.
In one important way, the roles between the two chambers are reversed. There is a long-standing Washington tradition in which the House passes bills and the Senate ceremonially (and proudly) ignores them. This time, the House is the saucer that will cool the Senate's tea. Or, to put it another way, House Republicans want to slow-jam the immigration bill; Senate Democrats are thinking more Busta Rhymes.
For the moment, the House seems to be enjoying the role-reversal. Some aren't even reading the Senate version at all.
?I have not gone through chapter and verse on the Senate bill," Roskam said. "I don?t think I?m going to be voting on the Senate bill, so it?s not as if I?m marinating in study.?
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Immigration Bill: Senate Poised To Pass Far-Reaching Legislation
WASHINGTON ? Far-reaching immigration legislation cruised toward passage in the Senate as House Republicans pushed ahead Wednesday on a different approach that cracks down on millions living in the United States illegally rather than offering them a chance at citizenship.
Presidential politics took a more prominent role in a long-running national debate as Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., tried to reassure conservatives that many of the criticisms of the bill, which he helped write, are "just not true."
The potential 2016 White House contender said in remarks on the Senate floor it has been difficult for him "to hear the worry and the anxiety and the growing anger in the voices of so many people who helped me get elected to the Senate and who I agree with on virtually every other issue."
The political impact of the issue aside, there was no doubt that the Senate bill was on track for passage by Thursday or Friday.
Supporters posted 67 votes or more on each of three procedural tests Wednesday, far more than the 60 needed to prevail. More than a dozen Republicans sided with Democrats on each, assuring bipartisan support that the bill's backers hope will change minds in the House.
At its core, the legislation includes numerous steps to prevent future illegal immigration, while at the same time it offers a chance at citizenship for millions living in the country illegally.
It provides for 20,000 new Border Patrol agents, requires the completion of 700 miles of fencing and requires an array of high-tech devices be deployed to secure the border with Mexico.
Businesses would be required to check on the legal status of prospective employees. The government would be ordered to install a high-tech system to check on the comings and goings of foreigners at selected international airport in the United States.
Other provisions would expand the number of visas for highly skilled workers relied upon by the technology industry. A separate program would be established for lower-skilled workers, and farm workers would be admitted under a temporary program.
Some farm workers who are in the country illegally can qualify for a green card, which bestows permanent residency status, in five years.
Many of the bill's supporters also cheered a ruling from the Supreme Court that said married gay couples are entitled to the same federal benefits as heterosexual couples. The decision would allow gay married citizens or permanent residents to sponsor their foreign-born spouses for U.S. residency, and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano pledged to implement it.
The basic legislation was drafted by four Democrats and four Republicans who met privately for months to produce a rare bipartisan compromise in a polarized Senate. They fended off unwanted changes in the Senate Judiciary Committee, and then were involved in negotiations with Republican Sens. John Hoeven of North Dakota and Bob Corker of Tennessee on a package of tougher border security provisions that swelled support among Republicans.
The deal-making that smoothed the way for the bill frustrated GOP dissenters, who complained angrily on the Senate floor late Wednesday that they weren't being allowed to offer amendments. Supporters of the legislation vehemently disagreed, until Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., snapped: "I've just about had it on this."
Across the Capitol, an attempt at a bipartisan deal faltered, and majority Republicans began moving ahead on legislation tailored to the wishes of conservatives and vehemently opposed by Democrats.
The House Judiciary Committee already has approved two measures and agreed to a third during the day Wednesday as it followed a piecemeal path rather than the all-in-one approach of the Senate.
The House bill approved Wednesday, on a vote of 22-9, would require businesses to check on the legal status of employees within two years, as compared with four in the Senate measure.
One of the bills approved earlier makes it a new crime to remain in the country without legal status. It also allows state and local governments to enforce federal immigration laws, an attempt to apprehend more immigrants living in the United States illegally. It encourages those living in the United States unlawfully to depart voluntarily.
The second bill that cleared last week deals with farm workers who come to the United States temporarily with government permission. Unlike the Senate legislation, it offers no pathway to citizenship.
With attention beginning to shift to the House, Rep. John Fleming, R-La., said House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, had assured the rank and file they will vote on bills being written on their side of the Capitol. "We are not going to take up the Senate bill," Fleming said, quoting the speaker.
Internal divisions among Republicans, combined with overwhelming opposition among Democrats, recently sent a farm bill down to defeat in the House, and it is unclear if the GOP will be able to command a majority for its own approach to immigration legislation.
At the same time, rules generally guarantee Democrats a chance to have the full House vote on its own alternatives, and it is unclear whether they might seek the vote on the Senate bill that Republicans hope to avoid.
For now, supporters of the Senate bill contented themselves with urging the House to change their minds.
"A permanent, common-sense solution to our dysfunctional system is really in sight," said Reid. "It is my hope that our colleagues in the House will follow the Senate's lead and work to pass bipartisan reform and do it now."
Outnumbered critics said the measure fell far short of the claims made by its backers.
"It continues to promote false promises that the border would be truly secure," said Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa.
A short while later, Rubio, without mentioning anyone by name, stood at his desk to slam opponents of the Senate bill for what he said are false accusations.
He said it is not true, for example, that the administration can ignore the requirements for border protection or that future Congress' can cancel funding or that it creates a taxpayer subsidy for people to buy a car or a scooter.
Nor are critics correct to claim a new 1,100-page bill was recently introduced that no one has read, he said.
"This is the exact same bill that's been publicly available for 10 weeks," he said, with the exception of about 120 pages that require tougher border security.
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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/27/immigration-bill-senate_n_3507459.html
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