Green Blog: On Our Radar: Darker French Nights

Shops and offices throughout France will be required to turn off their lights overnight in an effort to combat light pollution and limit greenhouse gas emissions, the country?s Environment Ministry says. The law takes effect on July 1; exceptions will be made during the Christmas season. [The Guardian]

A Dutch court acquits Shell of four of five charges involving oil spills in Nigeria. On the fifth count, it must pay compensation to a farmer, but the amount has yet to be decided. [Reuters]

After a $4 billion settlement of criminal charges, BP?s next big hurdle is a trial that could potentially cost it billions of dollars more in civil penalties over the 2010 gulf oil spill. The proceedings open on Feb. 25. [The Huffington Post]

Despite a decision by Japan to ease its import restrictions on beef, American producers will be hard pressed to reverse a slump that has pared the nation?s herd to its lowest level in 60 years. [The New York Times]

Source: http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/30/on-our-radar-darker-french-nights/?partner=rss&emc=rss

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China companies plan to step up Europe investment

BEIJING (AP) -- Chinese companies plan to step up investment this year in Europe, which some see as more welcoming than the United States, a European business group said Thursday.

The report by the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China comes as Europe courts Chinese investment in hopes of generating new jobs and shedding its economic malaise.

Chinese investment abroad rose to $77 billion in the first 11 months of last year, up 26 percent from a year earlier, according to China's Commerce Ministry. In the United States, a handful of acquisitions have been blocked on security grounds, which investment consultants say has made Chinese companies more wary about investing there.

One in three Chinese companies surveyed see Europe as "more open" than the United States, the EU Chamber said. It said Europe is seen as having "little history of opposition" to Chinese investment on security grounds.

Chinese companies are "quite happy" with the regulatory framework, said the chamber's president, Davide Cucino, at a news conference.

The exception, Cucino said, is Chinese companies in telecommunications and information technology, which complained about the difficulty of winning approval for investment in Europe.

Chinese leaders are encouraging companies to invest abroad to diversify the world's second-largest economy from reliance on exports and investment to drive growth.

Most governments welcome small but growing Chinese investment. Most deals abroad go through with little trouble. But companies from China's state-dominated economy carry unusual political baggage that has stymied transactions in sensitive areas such as energy and telecommunications.

In Europe, companies have made a series of high-profile investments, including the 3.3 billion euro acquisition of Portuguese power utilities.

"This is part of a strategy to collect more technology, more R-and-D, to be more competitive in a global environment," said Cucino.

The EU Chamber survey was based on responses by 24 companies, all of which already have operations in Europe and two-thirds of which have at least 10,000 employees.

It included no financial details, reflecting the relative secretiveness of China's government and companies.

"The data available are murky," said Cucino.

U.S. officials stress that few investments are subject to security reviews but a handful of high-profile cases have prompted Chinese complaints.

In October, a congressional panel said two Chinese makers of telecom equipment, Huawei Technologies Inc. and ZTE Corp., are potential security threats that Americans should avoid doing business with. The companies denied they are a security risk.

The previous month, President Barack Obama blocked Chinese-owned Ralls Corp.'s plan to build four wind farms near a Navy base. Ralls has said it would never threaten U.S. security and has sued to overturn the ban.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/china-companies-plan-step-europe-045820535.html

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Cost Savings, Efficiency Gains and Flexibility with GFI FaxMaker ...

We?ve extended faxing to the cloud with GFI FaxMaker Online, a streamlined cloud-based fax solution designed to meet the needs of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). GFI FaxMaker Online provides ubiquitous faxing from any Internet-connected device, with no hardware, software or dedicated phone lines required.

GFI FaxMaker Online is based on a monthly subscription model that allows instant access and easily scales to meet an organization?s faxing needs, enabling both fax-to-email and email-to-fax communications within minutes of signup. Benefits include:

• Email-to-fax and fax-to-email capabilities: Send and receive faxes from any email client or email server, whether in the cloud or on premise.
• Print-to-fax functionality: Allows for printing to fax from any application that can print.
• Multiple email-to-fax formats: Document formats doc and docx, xls and xlsx, pdf, html, txt, rtf, ppt and .pptx formats are supported when sending a fax via email.
• Easy-to-use administration portal: The online dashboard provides a clear view of usage and offers account management capabilities across departments and users.

Sending and receiving documents by fax is of paramount importance to businesses in several key industries, including healthcare organizations, law firms and financial services companies, which continue to rely on fax communications to meet security and compliance regulations, along with retaining the legal admissibility of documents sent electronically from point to point. In an independent blind survey of 1,008 office workers conducted by Opinion Matters on behalf of GFI Software in October 2012, 85% of respondents said their businesses continue to make use of faxing in some capacity.

The survey also revealed potential security problems with traditional paper faxing, with nearly half of respondents (49%) admitting that they had read a paper fax that was intended for someone else. As a completely paperless solution, GFI FaxMaker Online eliminates the possibility of a paper fax getting into the wrong hands by ensuring faxes are routed directly to the intended individual or workgroup recipient.

Learn more on how your business can benefit from GFI FaxMaker Online, or start your free 30-day trial today!

David is Director of Public Relations at GFI Software.

?

Source: http://www.gfi.com/blog/cost-savings-efficiency-gains-and-flexibility-with-gfi-faxmaker-online/

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CIBC Reiterates ?Sector Perform? Rating on Canacol Energy (CNE)

January 30th, 2013 ? 0 comments ? Filed Under ? by ABMN Staff

Canacol Energy (TSE: CNE)?s stock had its ?sector perform? rating restated by equities researchers at CIBC in a report issued on Wednesday. They currently have a $4.50 target price on the stock.

Canacol Energy traded up 0.29% on Wednesday, hitting $3.41. Canacol Energy has a 52-week low of $2.40 and a 52-week high of $10.70. The stock?s 50-day moving average is currently $3.26.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on CNE. Analysts at Mackie cut their price target on shares of Canacol Energy from $13.50 to $7.50 in a research note to investors on Monday, December 24th. Separately, analysts at Scotia Capital cut their price target on shares of Canacol Energy from $0.75 to $0.50 in a research note to investors on Thursday, November 15th. They now have a ?sector perform? rating on the stock. Finally, analysts at TD Securities cut their price target on shares of Canacol Energy from $0.95 to $0.85 in a research note to investors on Thursday, November 15th. They now have a ?buy? rating on the stock.

Canacol Energy Ltd. (Canacol) is a resource company engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of oil and natural gas in Colombia, Brazil and Guyana.

Stay on top of analysts' coverage with American Banking & Market News' daily email newsletter that provides a concise list of analysts' upgrades, analysts' downgrades and analysts' price target changes for each day.Click here to register.

Source: http://www.americanbankingnews.com/2013/01/30/cibc-reiterates-sector-perform-rating-on-canacol-energy-cne/

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Study Abroad Info Session: Capstone in China

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Source: http://www.uni.edu/unicalendar/study-abroad-info-session-capstone-china/30-01-2013

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Wash. vows to try to keep weed in state _ but how?

This Jan. 26, 2013 photo shows a a bar code attached to the pots growing marijuana plants at a grow house in Denver. The bar codes are assigned to each plant and follow it through the growing and distribution process. Washington state is considering the use of a similar tracking system. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

This Jan. 26, 2013 photo shows a a bar code attached to the pots growing marijuana plants at a grow house in Denver. The bar codes are assigned to each plant and follow it through the growing and distribution process. Washington state is considering the use of a similar tracking system. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

This Jan. 26, 2013 photo shows bar codes attached containers of processed marijuana at a grow house in Denver. The bar codes are assigned to each plant and follow it through the growing and distribution process. Washington state is considering the use of a similar tracking system. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

This Jan. 26, 2013 photo taken at a grow house in Denver shows a marijuana plants ready to be harvested. Last fall, voters made Washington and Colorado the first states to pass laws legalizing the recreational use of marijuana and setting up systems of state-licensed growers, processors and retail stores where adults over 21 can walk in and buy up to an ounce of heavily taxed cannabis. Both states are working to develop rules for the emerging recreational pot industry, with sales set to begin later this year.(AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

In this Jan. 26, 2013 photo a worker at a grow house in Denver examines a marijuana plant ready to be harvested. Last fall, voters made Washington and Colorado the first states to pass laws legalizing the recreational use of marijuana and setting up systems of state-licensed growers, processors and retail stores where adults over 21 can walk in and buy up to an ounce of heavily taxed cannabis. Both states are working to develop rules for the emerging recreational pot industry, with sales set to begin later this year.(AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

This Jan. 26, 2013 photo shows a a bar code attached to a marijuana plant at a grow house in Denver. The bar codes are assigned to each plant and follow it through the growing and distribution process. Washington state is considering the use of a similar tracking system. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

SEATTLE (AP) ? So far, no one is suggesting checkpoints or fences to keep Washington state's legal pot within its borders.

But Gov. Jay Inslee insists there are ways to prevent the bulk smuggling of the state's newest cash crop into the black market, including digitally tracking weed to ensure that it goes from where it is grown to the stores where it is sold.

With sales set to begin later this year, he hopes to be a good neighbor and keep vanloads of premium, legal bud from cruising into Idaho, Oregon and other states that don't want people getting stoned for fun.

It's not just about generating goodwill with fellow governors. Inslee is trying to persuade U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder not to sue to block Washington from licensing pot growers, processors and sellers. Marijuana remains illegal under federal law.

"I am going to be personally committed to have a well regulated, well disciplined, well tracked, well inventory-controlled, well law-enforcement-coordinated approach," said Inslee, who is due to give Holder more details this week.

Keeping a lid on the weed is just one of the numerous challenges Washington state authorities and their counterparts in Colorado ? where voters also legalized pot use ? will face in the coming months.

The potential of regulatory schemes to keep pot from being diverted isn't clear. Colorado already has intensive rules aimed at keeping its medical marijuana market in line, including the digital tracking of cannabis, bar codes on every plant, surveillance video and manifests of all legal pot shipments.

But law enforcement officials say marijuana from Colorado's dispensaries often makes its way to the black market, and even the head of the Colorado agency charged with tracking the medical pot industry suggests no one should copy its measures.

The agency has been beset by money woes and had to cut many of its investigators. Even if the agency had all the money it wanted, the state's medical pot rules are "a model of regulatory overreach," too cumbersome and expensive to enforce, Laura Harris said in a statement.

Last fall, voters made Washington and Colorado the first states to pass laws legalizing the recreational use of marijuana and setting up systems of state-licensed growers, processors and retail stores where adults over 21 can walk in and buy up to an ounce of heavily taxed cannabis.

Both states are working to develop rules for the emerging pot industry.

The Obama administration could sue to block the legal markets from operating, on the grounds that actively regulating an illegal substance conflicts with federal drug law. The DOJ is reviewing the laws but has given no signals about its plans.

It has never sued states like Colorado that have regulated medical marijuana, even though it could under the same legal principles.

Part of the DOJ's political calculus in deciding whether to sue is likely to be how well the department believes the two states can keep the legal weed within their borders. During a meeting with Inslee last week, Holder asked a lot of questions about diversion, Inslee said.

Alison Holcomb, who led Washington's legal pot campaign, said it's important to respect states that haven't legalized weed by not flooding their black markets. The first step, she said, is for the state to figure out how much pot should be produced, and then grant licenses accordingly.

"Excess supply creates incentive to divert outside the state," she said.

Washington's Liquor Control Board is planning a comprehensive survey to estimate how much marijuana is consumed in the state.

Inslee has boasted about the effectiveness of the State Patrol's highway interdiction program in stopping drug trafficking. Traditional police work, combined with inventory controls, will be key to clamping down on diversion, he said.

Digital tracking of the weights of marijuana shipments between processors and retailers would help make sure there isn't "10- to 20-percent shrinkage that's going to the black market," he said.

But even if the state can prevent bulk pot from being diverted, there's nothing to keep customers from walking into multiple stores, or returning to the same store, to collect more than their 1-ounce limit. Some traffickers could recruit many people to buy weed for them.

Tom Gorman, head of the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug-Trafficking Area, said efforts to keep a lid on legal marijuana simply don't work.

Pot from Colorado's medical marijuana system ? often described as the most closely regulated in the world ? routinely makes its way into Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming and points east, often from dispensaries that have sold out the back door, he said.

A brief law enforcement survey the organization conducted last summer turned up numerous cases in which suspects had made purchases at Colorado dispensaries before being busted in other states.

In the past two years, Colorado's medical pot regulators have levied 54 fines against licensed businesses, but have never revoked or suspended a license.

Matt Cook, the former director of Colorado's Medical Marijuana Enforcement Division, defended the "seed-to-store" regulations in the state.

Cook, who is applying for a job as a consultant to Washington's marijuana regulators, noted that at any time officials could check the digital records, pull the surveillance video or drop in for an inspection ? and the fear of getting busted keeps people in line.

Bob Hoban, whose law firm represents nearly 100 medical marijuana businesses in Colorado, agreed, and noted another incentive for dispensaries to behave.

"It's a cutthroat business," he said. "If somebody sees something unusual, they're going to provide a tip. ... There's just about as good of a safeguard as you can have for diversion in the state of Colorado, and a lot of that is Big Brother watching you."

___

Associated Press writer Kristen Wyatt in Denver contributed to this report.

___

Johnson can be reached at https://twitter.com/GeneAPseattle

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-01-29-Legalizing%20Marijuana/id-d8824678a19b4b168e5164c016ccb03f

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Bioinspired fibers change color when stretched

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

A team of materials scientists at Harvard University and the University of Exeter, UK, have invented a new fiber that changes color when stretched. Inspired by nature, the researchers identified and replicated the unique structural elements that create the bright iridescent blue color of a tropical plant's fruit.

The multilayered fiber, described today in the journal Advanced Materials, could lend itself to the creation of smart fabrics that visibly react to heat or pressure.

"Our new fiber is based on a structure we found in nature, and through clever engineering we've taken its capabilities a step further," says lead author Mathias Kolle, a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS). "The plant, of course, cannot change color. By combining its structure with an elastic material, however, we've created an artificial version that passes through a full rainbow of colors as it's stretched."

Since the evolution of the first eye on Earth more than 500 million years ago, the success of many organisms has relied upon the way they interact with light and color, making them useful models for the creation of new materials. For seeds and fruit in particular, bright color is thought to have evolved to attract the agents of seed dispersal, especially birds.

The fruit of the South American tropical plant, Margaritaria nobilis, commonly called "bastard hogberry," is an intriguing example of this adaptation. The ultra-bright blue fruit, which is low in nutritious content, mimics a more fleshy and nutritious competitor. Deceived birds eat the fruit and ultimately release its seeds over a wide geographic area.

"The fruit of this bastard hogberry plant was scientifically delightful to pick," says principal investigator Peter Vukusic, Associate Professor in Natural Photonics at the University of Exeter. "The light-manipulating architecture its surface layer presents, which has evolved to serve a specific biological function, has inspired an extremely useful and interesting technological design."

Vukusic and his collaborators at Harvard studied the structural origin of the seed's vibrant color. They discovered that the upper cells in the seed's skin contain a curved, repeating pattern, which creates color through the interference of light waves. (A similar mechanism is responsible for the bright colors of soap bubbles.) The team's analysis revealed that multiple layers of cells in the seed coat are each made up of a cylindrically layered architecture with high regularity on the nano- scale.

The team replicated the key structural elements of the fruit to create flexible, stretchable and color-changing photonic fibers using an innovative roll-up mechanism perfected in the Harvard laboratories.

"For our artificial structure, we cut down the complexity of the fruit to just its key elements," explains Kolle. "We use very thin fibers and wrap a polymer bilayer around them. That gives us the refractive index contrast, the right number of layers, and the curved, cylindrical cross-section that we need to produce these vivid colors."

The researchers say that the process could be scaled up and developed to suit industrial production.

"Our fiber-rolling technique allows the use of a wide range of materials, especially elastic ones, with the color-tuning range exceeding by an order of magnitude anything that has been reported for thermally drawn fibers," says coauthor Joanna Aizenberg, Amy Smith Berylson Professor of Materials Science at Harvard SEAS, and Kolle's adviser. Aizenberg is also Director of the Kavli Institute for Bionano Science and Technology at Harvard and a Core Faculty Member at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard.

The fibers' superior mechanical properties, combined with their demonstrated color brilliance and tunability, make them very versatile. For instance, the fibers can be wound to coat complex shapes. Because the fibers change color under strain, the technology could lend itself to smart sports textiles that change color in areas of muscle tension, or that sense when an object is placed under strain as a result of heat.

###

Harvard University: http://www.harvard.edu

Thanks to Harvard University for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/126512/Bioinspired_fibers_change_color_when_stretched

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Amazon Ramps Up Its Cloud Presence With Elastic Transcoder Video Services, Price-Busting And Available Everywhere

Another move today from Amazon that speaks to its growing presence in content delivery and enterprise services, done at competition-beating prices: today the company launched Elastic Transcoder, a new service that lets people upload digital video and put it into formats that are usable on devices like smartphones and tablets, as well as PCs. Amazon hopes to lure in users with the promise of 20 minutes of free transcoding each month, but after that it offers pricing tiers based on SD or HD format and length of video, starting at $0.015 for SD or $0.030 for HD per minute, a big discount on existing services like Zencoder.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/-F-nGrsxK3o/

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Mighty River Power sales gain as wholesale prices... | Stuff.co.nz

Mighty River Power, the country's fourth biggest power generator saw electricity sales and its market share grow in the last quarter of 2012, even as wholesale electricity prices fell.

The state owned electricity company said in a statement filed with the NZX sales volumes in the three months ending December rose 12 per cent to 1272 gigawatt-hours compared to the same period last year.

The gains came predominantly from business customers, with volumes up 22 per cent to 682GWh, with prices consistent with a year ago at $110.53 per MWh.

The firm said total electricity purchase costs fell 27 per cent in the period to $61.14 per MWh, reflecting lower wholesale prices and increased transmission capacity.

Wholesale pricing fell due to high inflows into South Island catchments operated by other power firms in the sector, denting the average price the company earned from its generation plants by 19 per cent to 66.25/MWh compared to last year.

MRP said this level still beat the market average, with its flexible portfolio of hydro, geothermal, and gas fired plants allowing it to respond to wholesale price movements quickly.

Total generation capacity rose 6 per cent into the period to 1154GWh, with hydro up 13 per cent, gas fired down 48 per cent and geothermal up by 0.6 per cent.

The sales figures come as the Government prepares to list MRP on the stock exchange in the first half of this year.

However, the process could run into headwinds from local iwi, who are seeking to overturn a High Court ruling which dismissed their objections to the sale of the state owned asset.

- ? Fairfax NZ News

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Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/8235478/MRP-sales-gain-as-wholesale-prices-fall

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Rick Ross Confirmed As Drive-By Target In Florida Shooting

Fort Lauderdale police issue a statement which identifies Rozay as driver and girlfriend as his passenger.
By Rob Markman

Rick Ross
Photo: Chris McKay/ Getty Images

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1700932/rick-ross-drive-by-shooting.jhtml

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Israelis offer a 'Yom Huledet Sameach' to Ben Yehuda, resurrector of Hebrew language

Eliezer Ben Yehuda, who transformed Hebrew from the rusty language of ancient Israel and the Bible into the dynamic, dominant language of modern-day Israel, would be 155 years old today.

By Christa Case Bryant,?Staff Writer / January 8, 2013

This December, 2012 photo shows visitors at the Mahane Yehuda market, one of Jerusalem's free tourist attractions. Beyond its earthly past, Jerusalem has an impossible beauty with broad appeal. For residents and tourists, secular and religious souls, city slickers or nature lovers, there is always an unexplored alleyway, street corner or vista that will show you the city as you?ve never seen it before.

Ariel Schalit/AP

Enlarge

If it weren?t for Eliezer Ben Yehuda, I wouldn?t be able to order ice cream, ask directions to the local furniture store, or discuss Gaza bombings in Hebrew.

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Since I?m a new journalist in Israel who happens to love ice cream and arrived here with only one piece of furniture to my name, that would be grave indeed.

So I for one am grateful for Mr. Ben Yehuda, who was born 155 years ago today in the Russian empire.

Legend has it that the man was not only brilliant, but a little crazy. And you would have to be, if you were planning to try to resurrect an ancient language after roughly 2,000 years and expect it to become the primary spoken language of a country that didn't even exist yet.

But the Sorbonne-educated Ben Yehuda did just that ??well before the state of Israel was founded in 1948, and even before Lord Balfour of Britain made his famous promise to the Zionists in 1917 to help establish a Jewish homeland.

Of course, Hebrew was the language of the Torah ? the biblical books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy ? as well as other religious writings. So many Jews were familiar with it. But they didn?t use it to talk about things like grocery shopping or even politics.

Where to start? With your family, of course. When Ben Yehuda arrived in Israel with his family, he banned his wife and children from speaking any other language. According to tradition, his family was the first to speak exclusively Hebrew in the home.

He also helped start schools and Hebrew-language newspapers, and published the first dictionary of modern Hebrew, often drawing on biblical words to coin modern terms. Ultra-Orthodox Jews pushed back hard, arguing that Hebrew is a holy language and not to be used to discuss the mundane. Many of them still prefer to speak in Yiddish when discussing daily affairs.

But Hebrew is nevertheless the dominant language in Israel today, although Arabic is an official language as well.

But I digress.

You were wondering about how to order ice cream, right?

G'lida. That?s your ticket.

Todah (thank you), Ben Yehuda.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/csmonitor/globalnews/~3/8b6aRSWoayI/Israelis-offer-a-Yom-Huledet-Sameach-to-Ben-Yehuda-resurrector-of-Hebrew-language

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Video: Is Joe Biden eyeing the White House in 2016?

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Source: http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/50605222/

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Egyptian president calls for dialogue with political forces to resolve latest crisis

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egyptian-president-calls-dialogue-political-forces-resolve-latest-195911823--spt.html

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Fans rejoice: J.J. Abrams to direct 'Star Wars'

Gus Ruelas / Reuters file

By Andrew Heavens , Reuters

Sci-fi filmmaker J.J. Abrams will direct "Star Wars: Episode VII," Walt Disney Co said after days of speculation, giving hope to many long-suffering fans who were disappointed by the last three installments in the iconic franchise.

The announcement was greeted with celebrations on online networks by the films' army of enthusiasts who have already watched Abrams rescue the aging "Star Trek" series with a high-grossing prequel in 2009.

Disney said late on Friday Abrams would work under the leadership of producer Kathleen Kennedy, the former president of Lucasfilm, and the script would be penned by Oscar-winning writer Michael Arndt.

"J.J. is the perfect director to helm this. Beyond having such great instincts as a filmmaker, he has an intuitive understanding of this franchise," Kennedy said in a statement on starwars.com.

Fans were equally enthusiastic. "JJ Abrams to the rescue!!! Yes!! #starwarsVII," wrote @JonnyRadtke on Twitter.

"Great news about JJ Abrams directing Star Wars. Might just rescue the brand..." added @albrookshaw.

Rumors that Abrams, one of Hollywood's most successful directors and producers, would take stewardship of the films filled industry publications and online forums over the past week.

The 46-year-old made his name with TV shows "Alias" and "Lost" and earned his stripes as a director of effects-laden blockbusters with "Super 8," "Mission: Impossible?-- Ghost Protocol" and another widely-expected Star Trek film "Star Trek Into Darkness", due out later this year.

The Star Wars franchise, which was created by George Lucas' Lucasfilms Ltd, has grossed more than $4.4 billion?at the global box office since the first film was released in 1977, making it the third most successful movie property after the "Harry Potter" and "James Bond" series.

Star Wars characters such as Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker and the anti-hero Darth Vader have become a staple part of pop culture, along with the catch phrase "May the force be with you."

The Star Wars films were acquired by Disney after they bought Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion in October 2012. They announced then that three new installments would be made, starting in 2015.

Lucas, 68, gave Abrams his blessing on Starwars.com, saying the director was "an ideal choice to direct the new Star Wars film and the legacy couldn't be in better hands."

Abrams said his new role was "an absolute honor."

Disney had previously said Lucas would remain a creative consultant on the series.

Lucas himself said in October he had story treatments for Episodes 7, 8 and 9, which he would hand over to Kennedy, who assured him that she would adhere to his ideas.

Related content:

Source: http://entertainment.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/26/16713684-jj-abrams-to-direct-new-star-wars-fans-rejoice?lite

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Here's Go Daddy's First Super Bowl Ad ? And It's ... - Business Insider

Who cares if the game is 10 days away? Go Daddy just released its first Super Bowl ad ? that's right, not a teaser, but the full first commercial ? on YouTube, and it's actually pretty funny.

Go Daddy is known for showing skin rather than a sense of humor in its commercials, so you can thank Deutsch NY for the laughs.

The company has one more highly anticipated spot, starring Bar Refaeli and Danica Patrick, that will air during the game. While Go Daddy still reserves the right to release it ahead of time, look out for a teaser next week.

SEE ALSO:? Forget Bar Refaeli And Danica Patrick ? Go Daddy Says THIS Is Its Real Super Bowl Ad Star

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-go-daddys-first-super-bowl-ad-and-its-actually-pretty-funny-2013-1

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Free Legal Question: Personal Injury | Texas | Am I entitled to crash ...

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Source: http://www.lawguru.com/legal-questions/-/entitled-crash-report-considered-car-117074380/

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Brand New Unopened Wireless Microsoft Touch Mouse Portland ...

Home ? Computer ? Brand New Unopened Wireless Microsoft Touch Mouse Portland Computers Hardware hardware technology

Brand new, unopened wireless Microsoft Touch Mouse with BlueTrack technology. This mouse has a multi-touch surface that lets you use 1, 2, and 3-fingers gestures to navigate in Windows PCs. It?s 60 dollars at Staples; I?m selling it for $48. No need to pay for shipping or waiting for it to arrive, just send me an email and it?s yours.

A few key features:

??? Exclusively for Windows 7 ? Touch Mouse takes advantage of the enhanced features of Windows 7 to make you more productive

??? BlueTrack Technology ? BlueTrack Technology allows this multitouch mouse to go virtually anywhere

??? Plug-And-Go Nano Transceiver ? Leave the Nano Transceiver plugged in when you?re on the go, or stow it in the mouse

??? Contoured shape ? Superior comfort that?s designed to fit your hand

??? One Finger ? Scroll, flick, or pan any direction for quick navigation. Sweep your thumb to go forward or back

??? Two Fingers ? Snap to see your windows side by side, or maximize and minimize

??? Three Fingers ? Show all open windows or reveal your desktop

http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/products/touch-mouse/microsite/

Categories: Computer Tags: AllInOne, Computers, Copier, Hardware, Haute, Printer, Scanner, Terre

Source: http://www.ceprot.com/brand-new-unopened-wireless-microsoft-touch-mouse-portland-computers-hardware-hardware-technology/

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Determining Your Finance Needs for Business Growth | FundWell

Before seeking a business loan, small business owners should conduct a detailed analysis of their financing needs and outline these in a proposal for their lending institution.? Why is it so important that business owners only take on the debt that they absolutely need?? Because borrowing? too much can result in wasted resources and increased costs in the long run, while borrowing too little can keep you from accomplishing your goals and put your business at risk.

Startups will have different considerations than businesses who are seeking to improve and grow their business.? Here we outline important considerations for small business owners who are seeking financing to improve or grow their business.

-Do you need money to expand your business, manage your current cash flow, or cushion against risk?? In other words, determine the strategic purpose of your loan, and whether you are seeking working or investment capital.

-Do you need a set amount of money, or would you prefer a line of credit?? This will be determined in part by whether you are seeking working or investment capital.

-Are your financial goals regarding the loan long-term or short-term?? Again, this is determined in part by the strategic purpose of your loan.? A general rule is short-term loans for short-term goals, and long-term loans for long-term goals.

-How urgent is the need for cash, and how quickly do you need the money?? This will play a major role in the type of financing you seek.? Most loans with good interest rates will take time to process, so it?s always better to plan ahead and cushion against risk, rather than to seek financing during a crisis.

-How great are your risks?? Generally the more risk your business carries, the higher the cost and qualifications for the loan.? High risk lenders tend to have fewer financing options.? Consider the market and competition for your product or service, and any other mitigating factors involved in your business.? You will want to make a sober assessment of your risks, so that you can explain them to your lender.

-What will you use the money for?? Consider whether the money will be put toward buying equipment, hiring new employees, or managing cash flow.? Plus, detailing specifically how the money will be used, as well as providing financial projections and a cash budget that details the flow of funds, and the timing of cash drains and surpluses, will go a long way in demonstrating to your lender that you are a knowledgeable and responsible borrower.

-What is the current state of your business financials and credit?? In general, it will be harder to obtain debt financing if your business has poor credit or a poor financial history.

?

Source: http://thefundwell.com/2013/01/what-to-consider-when-determining-your-finance-needs-for-business-growth/

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Children's complex thinking skills begin forming before they go to school

Thursday, January 24, 2013

New research at the University of Chicago and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill shows that children begin to show signs of higher-level thinking skills as young as age 4 ?. Researchers have previously attributed higher-order thinking development to knowledge acquisition and better schooling, but the new longitudinal study shows that other skills, not always connected with knowledge, play a role in the ability of children to reason analytically.

The findings, reported in January in the journal Psychological Science, show for the first time that children's executive function has a role in the development of complicated analytical thinking. Executive function includes such complex skills as planning, monitoring, task switching, and controlling attention. High, early executive function skills at school entry are related to higher than average reasoning skills in adolescence.

Growing research suggests that executive function may be trainable through pathways, including preschool curriculum, exercise and impulse control training. Parents and teachers may be able to help encourage development of executive function by having youngsters help plan activities, learn to stop, think, and then take action, or engage in pretend play, said lead author of the study, Lindsey Richland, assistant professor in comparative human development at the University of Chicago.

Although important to a child's education, "little is known about the cognitive mechanisms underlying children's development of the capacity to engage in complex forms of reasoning," Richland said.

The new research is reported in the paper "Early Executive Function Predicts Reasoning Development" and follows the development of complex reasoning in children from before the time they go to school until they are 15. Richland's co-author is Margaret Burchinal, senior scientist at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The two studied the acquisition of analogical thinking, one form of complex reasoning. "The ability to see relationships and similarities between disparate phenomena is fundamental to analytical and inductive reasoning, and is closely related to measurements of general fluid intelligence," said Richland. Developing complex reasoning ability is particularly fundamental to the innovation and adaptive thinking skills necessary for a modern workforce, she pointed out.

Richland and Burchinal studied a database of 1,364 children who were part of the Early Child Care and Youth Development study from birth through age 15. The group was fairly evenly divided between boys and girls and included families from a diverse cross-section of ethnic and income backgrounds.

The current study examined tests children took when they were 4 ?, when they were in first grade, third grade, and when they were 15. Because the study was longitudinal, the same children were tested at each interval. Among the tests they took were ones to measure analytical reasoning, executive function, vocabulary knowledge, short-term memory and sustained attention.

Children were tested at 4 ? on their ability to monitor and control their automatic responses to stimuli. In first grade they worked on a test that judged their ability to move objects in a "Tower of Hanoi" game, in which they had to move disks between pegs in a specific order.

In third grade and at 15 year olds, they were tested on their ability to understand analogies, asked in third grade for instance to complete the question "dog is to puppy as cat is to__?" At 15 year olds, they were asked to complete written tests of analogies.

The study found a strong relationship between high scores among children who, as preschoolers, had strong vocabularies and were good at monitoring and controlling their responses to later ability on tests of understanding analogies.

"Overall, these results show that knowledge is necessary for using thinking skills, as shown by the importance of early vocabulary, but also inhibitory control and executive function skills are important contributors to children's analytical reasoning development," Richland said.

###

University of Chicago: http://www-news.uchicago.edu

Thanks to University of Chicago for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

This press release has been viewed 26 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/126439/Children_s_complex_thinking_skills_begin_forming_before_they_go_to_school_

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Organic ferroelectric molecule shows promise for memory chips, sensors

Jan. 24, 2013 ? At the heart of computing are tiny crystals that transmit and store digital information's ones and zeroes. Today these are hard and brittle materials. But cheap, flexible, nontoxic organic molecules may play a role in the future of hardware.

A team led by the University of Washington in Seattle and the Southeast University in China discovered a molecule that shows promise as an organic alternative to today's silicon-based semiconductors. The findings, published this week in the journal Science, display properties that make it well suited to a wide range of applications in memory, sensing and low-cost energy storage.

"This molecule is quite remarkable, with some of the key properties that are comparable with the most popular inorganic crystals," said co-corresponding author Jiangyu Li, a UW associate professor of mechanical engineering.

The carbon-based material could offer even cheaper ways to store digital information; provide a flexible, nontoxic material for medical sensors that would be implanted in the body; and create a less costly, lighter material to harvest energy from natural vibrations.

The new molecule is a ferroelectric, meaning it is positively charged on one side and negatively charged on the other, where the direction can be flipped by applying an electrical field. Synthetic ferroelectrics are now used in some displays, sensors and memory chips.

In the study the authors pitted their molecule against barium titanate, a long-known ferroelectric material that is a standard for performance. Barium titanate is a ceramic crystal and contains titanium; it has largely been replaced in industrial applications by better-performing but lead-containing alternatives.

The new molecule holds its own against the standard-bearer. It has a natural polarization, a measure of how strongly the molecules align to store information, of 23, compared to 26 for barium titanate. To Li's knowledge this is the best organic ferroelectric discovered to date.

A recent study in Nature announced an organic ferroelectric that works at room temperature. By contrast, this molecule retains its properties up to 153 degrees Celsius (307 degrees F), even higher than for barium titanate.

The new molecule also offers a full bag of electric tricks. Its dielectric constant -- a measure of how well it can store energy -- is more than 10 times higher than for other organic ferroelectrics. And it's also a good piezoelectric, meaning it's efficient at converting movement into electricity, which is useful in sensors.

The new molecule is made from bromine, a natural element isolated from sea salt, mixed with carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen (its full name is diisopropylammonium bromide). Researchers dissolved the elements in water and evaporated the liquid to grow the crystal. Because the molecule contains carbon, it is organic, and pivoting chemical bonds allow it to flex.

The molecule would not replace current inorganic materials, Li said, but it could be used in applications where cost, ease of manufacturing, weight, flexibility and toxicity are important.

Li is working on a number of projects relating to ferroelectricity. Last year he and his graduate student found the first evidence for ferroelectricity in soft animal tissue. He was co-author on a 2011 paper in Science that documents nanometer-scale switching in ferroelectric films, showing how such molecules could be used to store digital information.

"Ferroelectrics are pretty remarkable materials," Li said. "It allows you to manipulate mechanical energy, electrical energy, optics and electromagnetics, all in a single package."

He is working to further characterize this new molecule and explore its combined electric and mechanical properties. He also plans to continue the search for more organic ferroelectrics.

The joint first authors of the new paper are Yuanming Liu, a UW postdoctoral researcher in mechanical engineering, and Da-Wei Fu, a doctoral student working with co-corresponding author Ren-Gen Xiong at Southeast University. Other co-authors are Hong-Ling Cai, Qiong Ye, Wen Zhang and Yi Zhang at Southeast University; Xue-Yuan Chen at the Chinese Academy of Sciences; and Gianluca Giovannetti and Massimo Capone at the Italian National Simulation Centre.

The research was funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, China's National Natural Science Foundation and the European Research Council.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Washington.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal Reference:

1. D.-W. Fu, H.-L. Cai, Y. Liu, Q. Ye, W. Zhang, Y. Zhang, X.-Y. Chen, G. Giovannetti, M. Capone, J. Li, R.-G. Xiong. Diisopropylammonium Bromide Is a High-Temperature Molecular Ferroelectric Crystal. Science, 2013; 339 (6118): 425 DOI: 10.1126/science.1229675

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_science/~3/2KxObSzvOQo/130124150758.htm

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Law Office of Brodsky & Smith, LLC Announces - Herald Online

BALA CYNWYD, Pa., Jan. 23, 2013 ? /PRNewswire/ --?Law office of Brodsky & Smith, LLC announces that it is investigating potential claims against the Board of Directors of MAP Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("MAP" or the "Company") (NASDAQ-NMS: MAPP) relating to the proposed acquisition by Allergan, Inc. ("Allergan").

Under the terms of the transaction, MAP shareholders will receive only $25.00 in cash for each share of MAP stock they own. The investigation concerns possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of state law by the Board of Directors of MAP for not acting in the Company's shareholders' best interests in connection with the sale process to Allergan. MAP is expected to receive a decision on its inhalable migraine treatment Levadex by the Food and Drug Administration before mid-April. It has been reported that the global migraine drug market will reach $5.8 billion by 2021.

If you own shares of MAP stock and wish to discuss the legal ramifications of the proposed transaction, or have any questions, you may e-mail or call the law office of Brodsky & Smith, LLC who will, without obligation or cost to you, attempt to answer your questions.? You may contact Jason L. Brodsky, Esquire or Evan J. Smith, Esquire at Brodsky & Smith, LLC, Two Bala Plaza, Suite 602, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004, by e-mail at investorrelations@brodsky-smith.com visiting http://brodsky-smith.com/530-mapp-map-pharmaceuticals-inc.html, by calling toll free 877-LEGAL-90.

SOURCE Brodsky & Smith, LLC

Source: http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/01/23/4565097/law-office-of-brodsky-smith-llc.html

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AT&T revenue, subscriber growth beats estimates

NEW YORK (Reuters) - AT&T Inc's revenue rose faster than expected in the fourth quarter as it added more subscribers due to strong sales of smartphones like Apple Inc's iPhone, sending its shares up 1 percent in late trade.

The No. 2 U.S. mobile service provider said on Thursday that it added 780,000 subscribers in the quarter compared with the average expectation for 699,200 from 10 analysts. Most estimates were 700,000 or higher but the lowest was 475,000.

AT&T forecast earnings and revenue growth for the full year 2013 but said it is expecting little improvement in the economy.

While the company's sale of 8.6 million iPhones in the quarter helped AT&T's subscriber numbers it hurt its profit because AT&T pays Apple a big subsidy for every iPhone it sells so it can offer a discount to customers who commit to contracts.

AT&T's wireless service profit margin based on earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization was 29.1 percent, compared with the average expectation for 31.29 percent from ten analysts contacted by Reuters.

The company forecast earnings per share growth in the upper-single digit percentage range or higher and revenue growth exceeding 2 percent for 2013 based on strength in wireless and its wireline consumer business.

"Guidance was good but not dramatically good," said Hudson Square Research analyst Todd Rethemeier.

AT&T's fourth quarter loss was $3.86 billion or 68 cents per share, compared with a loss of $6.68 billion or $1.12 per share in the year-ago quarter when it took big charges including the break-up fee for its failed purchase of T-Mobile USA, a Deutsche Telekom unit.

Revenue rose to $32.58 billion from $32.5 billion and compared with Wall Street expectations for $32.2 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

While AT&T's wireless subscriber growth was better than expected it was slower than bigger rival Verizon Wireless, a venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone Group Plc, which reported subscriber additions of 2.1 million on Tuesday.

Sprint Nextel, the No. 3 U.S. mobile provider, does not report its results until February 7.

AT&T shares rose 1 percent to $34.13 after closing at $33.75 in the regular New York Stock Exchange session.

(Reporting By Sinead Carew, additional reporting by Nicole Lesk; Editing by Bernard Orr)

(This story corrects paragraph four to 8.6 million iPhones, not 8.9 million)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/t-posts-loss-subscriber-growth-beats-analyst-estimates-211351048--sector.html

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15,000 crocodiles escape South Africa farm

Cameron Spencer/Getty Images file

A crocodile drifts past a hippopotamus in the Limpopo River at the Pafuri game reserve in South Africa in July 2010.

By Peroshni Govender, Reuters

JOHANNESBURG -- Some 15,000 crocodiles escaped from a South African reptile farm during a flood this week and about half of them are still on the loose in and around one of southern Africa's biggest rivers, a newspaper reported on Thursday.

"There used to be only a few crocodiles in the Limpopo River. Now there are a lot," Zane Langman, whose in-laws own the farm in the northern part of the country told Beeld newspaper.

Langman said only half the escaped crocodiles from the Rakwena Crocodile Farm close to the Botswana border had been recaptured, the report said.

Langman added that farm gates were opened out of fear the rushing flood water would crush the crocodiles.

Officials from the farm were not immediately available for comment.

One crocodile apparently from the farm was captured about 75 miles away at a school rugby field, it said.

The heavy rains and flooding have claimed at least 20 lives in Mozambique and South Africa and led to the evacuations of thousands of people.

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/24/16679286-15000-crocodiles-escape-from-south-africa-farm?lite

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Tax levies: Large print giveth, small print taketh away ? Business ...

The aftermath of the Great Recession may very well be read in an increase in the number of tax levies on wages, as employees scrimped on their taxes to pay for other things. The IRS isn?t sympathetic, and that?s bad news for you. Tax levies, with their different withholding and remittance rules and paperwork requirements are an inconvenience for already overworked Payroll departments.

Liability lessons

Employees who have shorted the IRS may not be too happy about having to pony up on the back end through tax levies. A couple of recent cases reaffirm that you aren?t liable for withholding under a tax levy.

• A federal appellate court ruled that an employer wasn?t liable to an employee for honoring a tax levy. Among the employee?s more colorful allegations against his employer were that it breached its fiduciary duty, committed fraud and negligence, intentionally inflicted emotional distress and tortuously interfered with contract and business relationships. (Hughes v. Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP, No. 11-10698, 5th Cir., 2012)

• A federal trial court dismissed an employee?s lawsuit seeking $445,000 in damages from his employer for honoring a tax levy. Employee?s allegations: He never agreed to withholding under the levy, and, by withholding, the employer breached its at-will contract with him; the cash damages were to compensate him for lost wages, lost investments, loss of the ability to pay normal bills and mental anguish associated with those losses. (Al-Sharif v. Epes Transport System, Inc., No. 1:11-cv-00037, D.C. S. Ga., 2012)

PAYROLL PRACTICE TIP: As these cases show, employees (and their lawyers) can be pretty creative. Regardless of the frivolous nature of these lawsuits, the company and individual employees will still be forced to hire attorneys and go to court to have such cases dismissed. Advice: Consider ?adopting a policy under which employees will be terminated for bringing frivolous lawsuits.

How tax levies work

The IRS will send you Form 668-W, which contains instructions for you and the employee. It also provides levy tables, which are inflation-adjusted every year, from which you figure the employee?s take-home pay.

Tax levies take priority over all other garnishments. Exceptions: If the employee?s wages are also subject to a state tax levy or an order for child support withholding, and those levies were served first, they are honored first. If all levies are served simultaneously, the federal levy is honored first.

To implement a levy, take these steps.

1. Figure the employee?s regular income tax withholding, plus pre-levy voluntary deductions. Watch it: New deductions, or an increase in existing deductions, usually aren?t allowed. What?s OK: increases in 401(k) deductions that are based on salary increases. What?s not OK: increases to repay a company loan (the original deduction to repay the loan is OK).

2. To arrive at the employee?s take-home pay, use the 2013 tables for levies beginning this year. The difference between the amount left after regular withholding and the exempt amount, as shown in the levy tables, is the amount you send to the IRS to satisfy the levy. If you?re honoring a levy from a prior year, continue using the tables that were in effect for that year, unless the employee changes the number of exemptions or updates his/her parts of Form 668-W for 2013. In that case, use the 2013 tables to recalculate the exempt amount. The IRS publishes these tables in Pub. 1494, which is available on the IRS? website.

3. You can send one check to the IRS for multiple tax levies, but you must separately list the details of each employee?s levy. Include a phone number that the IRS can use if it has questions.

Take it. It?s yours

An employee who chooses not to incur the wrath of the IRS and the Payroll department can stave off a levy by entering into a voluntary withholding agreement with the IRS. Of course, any voluntary agreement to withhold back taxes requires the employer?s consent. If you agree, you and the employee complete and file Form 2159 with the IRS.

FYI: As with levies, withholding is separate from regular income tax withholding. Once withholding begins, it continues until the IRS provides a release.

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McDonald's Q4 2012 Earnings - Business Insider

UPDATE:?Mickey D's?earnings are out.

Click here to refresh for LIVE updates >

The fast-food giant reported earnings of $1.38 per share and $6.95 billion in revenues, both above Wall Street estimates.

The company also reported global comp sales up 0.1 percent in Q4. Analysts were looking for a 0.3 percent decline.

While the main numbers look pretty good, McDonald's also noted that it sees top and bottom line growth remaining pressured going forward and that it expects January same-store sales growth to be negative.

The stock is unchanged from yesterday's close in pre-market trading.

Below is the full text from the release:

OAK BROOK, Ill.,?Jan. 23, 2013?/PRNewswire/ --?McDonald's Corporation today announced results for the fourth quarter and year ended?December 31, 2012, reflecting higher revenues, operating income and earnings per share compared with the prior year.

"Throughout 2012 we concentrated our efforts behind the global priorities that represent our greatest opportunities under the Plan to Win ? optimizing our menu, modernizing the customer experience and broadening accessibility to our Brand," said McDonald's Chief Executive Officer?Don Thompson. "McDonald's continued to grow by remaining focused on what matters most to our customers, although our results reflect the impact of the challenging global operating, economic and competitive environment. Our overall performance is a testament to the underlying strength of our business and our dedicated System of franchisees, suppliers and employees who continue to drive toward our mission to become our customers' favorite place and way to eat and drink."

Full year 2012 highlights included:

• Global comparable sales increased 3.1%, with the U.S. up 3.3%,?Europe?up 2.4% and?Asia/Pacific,?Middle East?and?Africa?(APMEA) up 1.4%
• Consolidated revenues up 2% (5% in constant currencies)
• Consolidated operating income increase of 1% (4% in constant currencies), with the U.S. up 2%,?Europe?down 1% (up 6% in constant currencies) and APMEA up 3% (3% in constant currencies)
• Diluted earnings per share of?$5.36, up 2% (5% in constant currencies)
• Returned?$5.5 billion?to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases

Fourth Quarter highlights included:

• Global comparable sales increased 0.1%
• Consolidated revenues increased 2% (2% in constant currencies)
• Consolidated operating income increase of 4% (4% in constant currencies)
• Diluted earnings per share of?$1.38, up 4% (5% in constant currencies)

McDonald's U.S. generated positive comparable sales and operating income results for the year despite ongoing economic and competitive pressures. Fourth quarter comparable sales increased 0.3% and operating income was relatively flat against strong prior year results. During the quarter, the U.S. focused on enhancing its value leadership position by balancing strong everyday value messaging with affordable and compelling premium menu options.

For the year,?Europe?delivered comparable sales and constant currency operating income growth despite ongoing economic uncertainty throughout the segment. During the fourth quarter,?Europe's operating income rose 5% (up 7% in constant currencies) while comparable sales were down 0.6% due to negative comparable guest counts and strong prior year performance. The U.K. and?Russia?were key contributors to the segment's operating income performance for both periods. Emphasis on unique promotional food events, expanded value offerings and restaurant reimaging continued to provide an appealing customer experience and supported the segment's results.

For the year, APMEA generated positive comparable sales and operating income growth. APMEA's fourth quarter comparable sales declined 1.7% and operating income was flat (down 1% in constant currencies) against strong prior year results. Positive quarterly sales and operating results in?Australia?were more than offset by ongoing weakness in?Japan?and other markets. Throughout APMEA, consumers continued to respond to the segment's compelling value platforms, great tasting premium menu selections and relevant convenience.

Don Thompson?continued, "As we begin the new year, our average annual long-term targets in constant currency remain intact: Systemwide sales growth of 3% to 5%, operating income growth of 6% to 7%, and return on incremental invested capital in the high teens. We believe these targets remain realistic and sustainable for a company of our size and maturity. In 2013, we plan to invest about?$3.2 billion?of capital to open between 1,500 - 1,600 new McDonald's restaurants and to reinvest in our existing locations, including reimaging more than 1,600 locations worldwide. We are confident that now is an opportune time to invest in our restaurant portfolio in ways that will yield value for all stakeholders in the future."

Don Thompson?concluded, "Moving forward, we remain focused on seizing the long-term opportunities in the global marketplace by leveraging our competitive advantages. We have a brand advantage in convenience, menu variety and value, a resilient business model, and the experience and alignment throughout the McDonald's System to navigate the current environment. For the near-term we expect top and bottom-line growth to remain pressured, with January's global comparable sales?expected to be?negative."

-----------------

ORIGINAL:?Minutes away from the release of the McDonald's fourth quarter earnings report, due out at 7:58 AM ET.

Analysts expect the fast-food giant to report earnings of $1.33 per share, down from $1.43 per share in the previous quarter.

Fourth-quarter sales are expected to come in at $6.898 billion, down from $7.152 billion in Q3.

In an earnings preview, Morgan Stanley analysts John Glass and? Sushama Dasari write:

We?re not wild-eyed optimists, but do think we?re edging closer to an inflection point. Much like the last two Qs, the 4Q will have its challenges, including possible neg comps and commensurate margin pressure. However, with this Q and likely Jan comp outlook, we are now closer to the last known bad data points (Feb & Mar facing ~7.5% compares globally); then comparisons progressively ease, setting the stage for potential accelerated sales momentum. MCD still faces material challenges and must prove its new value efforts here and in Europe work, but the risk reward is becoming more positive.

Glass and Dasari have an "Equal-Weight" rating on the stock.

Deutsche Bank analysts Jason West and Justin Marshall raised their price target on McDonald's shares last week ahead of earnings to $101.00 from $91.76.

The analysts, who have a "Buy" rating on the stock, wrote:

We believe MCD?s absolute and relative performance will improve in 2013. Big Mac faced a ?perfect storm? of headwinds in 2012, many of which are unlikely to repeat. These included a significant (and planned) step-up in G&A spend, an ~18c f/x headwind, limited new product intros in the US, and a broad-based retrenchment in consumer spending (globally) against difficult SSS compares. While it?s never easy sledding in fast food, we believe MCD?s EPS growth is posted to accelerate starting in 2Q as SSS, G&A, and f/x compares improve simultaneously. Buy.

Oppenheimer analysts Brian Bittner and Michael Tamas are not quite as optimistic. In an earnings preview, they write:

4Q12 results and the "tough" data points we envision through 1Q13 are unlikely to coat MCD with the secret sauce needed for material stock appreciation. The consensus "buy" argument is based on easing comparisons that begin in 2Q13. We agree with the logic, but '13 estimates still lack identifiable catalysts for upside, in our view. Even as sales laps will ease, concerning headwinds such as margin pressures, limited sales slack and lack of major share drivers remain a constraint to earnings growth. We will re-evaluate our thesis if probability and conviction for earnings upside improve in 2H13, but for now we remain confident in our "Perform" rating.

We will have the full release?at 7:58 AM ET. Click here to refresh for LIVE updates >

DON'T MISS: 18 Facts About McDonald's That Will Blow Your Mind >

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/mcdonalds-q4-2012-earnings-2013-1

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