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Schmidt said the minutes showed the Fed’s “fairly rosy” view of what the economy will be like in the next year – but he doesn’t necessarily agree with the idea of three or four more hikes before 2017.
“I think it was fine they got off of zero, but I have a hard time seeing where hikes two, three, and four will come from with what’s going on in equities, China, and the global economies,” he said.
Dynamics AX 2012 R3, the next release of Microsoft's enterprise resource planning (ERP) product, is scheduled to arrive in April 2014.
Microsoft made the announcement during Tuesday's opening keynote of its Convergence 2013 EMEA conference, taking place in Barcelona, Spain this week.
Dynamics AX was most recently updated in December 2012 with Dynamics AX 2012 R2. Next year's Dynamics AX 2012 R3 will enable the product to be sold both as an on-premises solution and as a cloud service hosted on Windows Azure and sold through partners, Microsoft said.
"Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3 introduces support for deployment on Windows Azure via Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), bringing customers true choice and portability between on-premises and private cloud deployments, along with all the benefits and security features that come with the world-class Windows Azure service," Microsoft said in its announcement.
Two other Dynamics ERP solutions, Dynamics GP 2013 and Dynamics NAV 2013, have been available as Windows Azure-hosted products via Microsoft partners since June.
In addition to support for Windows Azure deployments, Dynamics AX 2012 R3 will also feature new management capabilities for transportation and warehouse functions, as well as new Lifecycle Services aimed at managing Dynamics AX implementations.
This blog post on Microsoft's Dynamics AX blog gives more information about the R3 update.
Microsoft also made announcements related to Dynamics CRM 2013, the most recent version of its customer relationship managment (CRM) offering. The hosted Dynamics CRM Online '13 became available in early October, while the on-premises version hit general availability last Thursday.
On Tuesday, Microsoft confirmed that it has released touch-optimized smartphone apps for Dynamics CRM 2013, though it appears that the apps have been available since late October. The apps support Google Android, Apple iOS and Windows Phone devices, and do not require an additional licensing fee. Tablet apps for Windows-based and Apple iPad devices have been available since early October.
Microsoft also launched a promotional program for Office 365 users who are looking to purchase Professional-level Dynamics CRM Online licenses. The promotion, which will end on March 31, 2014, would give qualified Office 365 subscribers a 40 percent discount off the Dynamics CRM Online licenses.
It is with great sadness we announce the passing of our dear husband, father, poppy and great-grandfather Albert Hines on January 15, 2019 at Celtic Court. Born in Ingonish he was the son of the late Frank Hines and Helen (Barron) Hines. He was the last surviving member of his immediate family. Albert is survived by his wife of 57 years, Marg; sons, Greg (Jacqueline), Obie (Kim); daughters, Helen (Ken MacLeod), Wendy (Bob Gillis) and Heather (Jamie Tummicliff); 16 grandchildren, and 5 great-grandchildren. Besides his parents Albert was predeceased by his son, Matthew, and brother, John. Before retirement Albert was a self-employed auto-body repairman operating Albert Hines Auto Body Shop on Mitchell Place, Sydney for many years. Albert enjoyed hunting and long hikes in the mountains of his beloved Cape Smokey. He also enjoyed a good game of golf on the Highlands Golf Links in Ingonish. We would like to extend a special thank you to staff of city homemakers and Celtic Court who made Dad very comfortable during the last few months. Cremation has taken place. Visitation will be held at S.W. Chant and Son Funeral Home, 564 Alexandra St., Sydney from 7-9 p.m. on Friday, January 18 and again from 12-2 p.m. on Saturday, January 19. A celebration of his life will take place immediately following in the funeral home chapel at 2 p.m., with Rev. Sheldon Chant to officiate. Burial at St. Peter’s Parish Cemetery, Ingonish, at a later date. Messages and memorials may be made to the family by visiting www.chantfuneralhome.ca. Funeral arrangements are under the care of Chant’s Funeral Home.
Tickets for the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra's 2017-2018 season go on sale Friday at 9:30 a.m.
Tickets for the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra's 2017-2018 season go on sale Friday.
Pop performances include "Video Games Live," a new Christmas spectacular titled "'Tis the Season," and "Wicked Divas" featuring stars who performed as Elphaba and Glinda in the Broadway production of "Wicked."
Classical performances highlight works by Tchaikovsky, Bernstein, and Strauss.
Get your tickets in person at the Washington Pavilion Box Office, which opens at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, online at sdsymphony.org, or by phone (606-367-6000). Subscription options are available.
To make Guinness acceptable to vegetarian and vegan drinkers, the Irish brewer is changing the way it produces the popular creamy dark stout by eliminating fish bladder.
Specifically, Guinness plans to swap isinglass, a gelatin made from fish bladders used to filter yeast particles from the finished product, with an animal-free method late next year.
"Isinglass has been used widely within the brewing industry as a means of filtration for decades," the company said in a statement. "However, because of its use we could not label Guinness as suitable for vegetarians and have been looking for an alternative solution for some time."
The beer's listed ingredients -- barley, hops, yeast and water -- make it sound herbivorous. But traces of fish bladder can wind up in the finished product.
The company did not give details about how it will replace isinglass. In previous statements, Guinness has said it was searching for a method that is "as effective or as environmentally friendly...whilst maintaining the quality of the liquid."
Guinness beer is also brewed at locations in 49 countries, but the company said the new filtration method will only be implemented at its flagship brewery in Ireland.
Introducing a vegetarian-friendly product could open up Guinness's sales to a new market as competition from craft breweries has squeezed the beer industry. Guinness parent company Diageo (DEO) cited microbrewery competition as a reason Guinness's draught sales weakened in 2015.
Popular canned beers -- including most Anheuser-Busch, Heineken and Miller products -- have been deemed vegetarian friendly by Barnivore.com, which tracks animal ingredients in alcohol.
A power struggle between rival Shiite groups erupted Tuesday during a religious festival in Karbala, as street battles were waged amid crowds of pilgrims.
BAGHDAD, Aug. 28 — A power struggle between rival Shiite groups erupted Tuesday during a religious festival in Karbala, as men with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades fought street battles amid crowds of pilgrims, killing 50 people and wounding 200, Iraqi officials said.
Witnesses said members of the Mahdi Army, the militia of the cleric Moktada al-Sadr, traded fire with security forces loyal to the government of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki.
During hours of fighting, several vehicles and a hotel for pilgrims were set ablaze, and terrified pilgrims who had been praying at two shrines were trapped inside as clashes erupted nearby. Witnesses said buses that had been used to bring pilgrims to Karbala were bullet-shattered and bloodstained.
The government forces in Karbala and other towns in southern Iraq are dominated by the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council and its armed wing, the Badr Organization. Many Badr fighters are veterans trained by Iran when they lived there as exiles under Saddam Hussein’s rule.
Tensions between the Mahdi Army and the Badr Organization have simmered for months. Both are vying for control of the overwhelmingly Shiite regions of central and southern Iraq. Two provincial governors belonging to the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council were assassinated in southern Iraq this month, although the Sadrists deny involvement.
The showdown will prove embarrassing for Mr. Maliki if his security forces cannot control the Mahdi Army and restore order in a holy city in his own Shiite heartland.
Security forces imposed an indefinite curfew on Karbala by nightfall Tuesday, fearing that the tensions would escalate as both sides vied for control of the streets.
The violence appeared to spread to other cities, although attacks on mosques and offices linked to the Badr Organization were on a much smaller scale. In Baghdad, five people were killed and 20 wounded in clashes between militiamen in the Sadr City neighborhood, a Shiite stronghold, the police said.
Brig. Gen. Abdul Kareem Khalaf, an Interior Ministry spokesman in Baghdad, told Iraqi state television that reinforcements were headed to Karbala from Baghdad and surrounding provinces.
The American military did not intervene directly in the fighting, a spokeswoman said, though it sent jets to fly over Karbala as a “show of force” at the request of the Iraqi authorities.
Hundreds of thousands of Shiite pilgrims descended on Karbala in recent days to celebrate the birth of Muhammad al-Mahdi, the ninth-century saint and the last of 12 imams revered by Shiites.
As pilgrims gathered in a plaza between the city’s twin golden-domed shrines, witnesses said, Mahdi Army fighters took up positions around the shrines and traded fire with the police. Pilgrims, whom officials had ordered to leave the city, fled in panic, but many could not get transportation out of the area as the police set up roadblocks to prevent Mahdi Army fighters from entering.
Amid the narrow, medieval alleys of Karbala confusion reigned, with an unconfirmed report that the Mahdi Army had taken control of the shrines while security forces had remained at their checkpoints in the center of the city.
Women could be heard shouting in panic in the background.
The tensions in Karbala began Monday, with confrontations between Sadr supporters and the Badr-dominated security forces around the shrines. Those forces have been on a constant state of high alert because of suicide bombings by Sunni insurgents at Shiite religious festivals in previous years.
Sadrists said the police who carried out body searches and magnetic scans at checkpoints provoked their followers by beating pilgrims who chanted pro-Sadr slogans. Other reports said that Mahdi Army followers accompanying pilgrims and claiming to be protecting them were prohibited from taking weapons into the shrines.
Iraqi officials said those initial clashes escalated Monday night when the police attacked the al-Mukhayam mosque, a Mahdi Army stronghold in Karbala, and arrested about 20 fighters. The Mahdi Army retaliated Tuesday morning by attacking security force positions, the police said.
Gunmen also attacked Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council offices and mosques in Sadr City, Shuala, Jadriya, Husseiniya, Khadimiya and Diwaniya.
Haydar Abbas, a lecturer in law at the University of Babil in central Iraq, said it was significant that the confrontation took place when the Sadrists appeared to feel increasingly marginalized. Mr. Sadr’s followers left the government this year over a disagreement with Mr. Maliki about the continued American troop presence in Iraq. The Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council is the largest Shiite party in the government.
On Tuesday night, each side blamed the other for the fighting. The Sadr office in Najaf issued a statement from Mr. Sadr appealing for calm.
Mr. Maliki’s office issued a statement calling its opponents “armed criminals and followers of the old regime” and saying that order had been restored to the streets.
When it comes to side dishes, potatoes, rice, pasta and a host of other legumes and grains are typically in line long before polenta makes it to the table.
Even in Italian restaurants, this staple of Northern Italian cooking is rarely guaranteed a place on the menu.
But it�s worth discovering polenta for the warm, creamy comfort it provides. It�s one of the best foods you may not be eating.
Like Southern grits or Amish mush, polenta is cooked cornmeal. But unlike those other two dishes, polenta is typically laced with butter and Parmesan cheese, which give it a lush savoriness.
As a creamy porridge, it takes the place of mashed potatoes, and pairs with savory toppings or meat dishes with a sauce, like osso bucco.
In its classic presentation, polenta is served creamy, with meat sauce or vegetables. Traditionally, the porridge would be spooned over a wooden board, topped with meat such as crumbled sausage or classic beef ragu, and eaten communally from the center of the table.
Creamy polenta can be layered into lasagna instead of noodles, or served in individual bowls.
When firm, polenta can be cut into wedges or squares and baked or pan fried to create a foundation for meat, vegetables or sauces, with a crisp outside and soft interior.
Cut into sticks and deep fried, firm polenta is an alternative to french fries, with crispy outsides and creamy centers. Small squares of baked polenta can replace crackers or crostini in appetizers, and also are gluten-free.
Polenta is made like any hot cereal, by whisking it into boiling water, and then reducing the heat to cook it until it the water is absorbed and it forms a soft porridge, the consistency of firm oatmeal.
Italian chef and cookbook author Lidia Matticchio Bastianich suggests boiling it with fresh bay leaves to impart additional flavor to the porridge.
Here are two easy recipes, one served creamy, the other firm, to help you discover why you should be eating polenta.
Place the porcini mushrooms in a bowl and pour boiling water over them. Let them soak for 20 minutes, then drain and coarsely chop.
In a saucepan, heat the oil, then add the sausage. Once the fat of the sausage starts rendering, after about 3 minutes, add the onion, celery, leek, carrot and the porcini, making sure you break the sausage up as it starts cooking. Cook for 10 minutes longer, then mix the tomato paste with the water and add to the saucepan.
Stir well, cover, and cook very slowly for 30 to 40 minutes. If necessary, add a little bit of water during cooking to make sure the sauce doesn�t stick to the bottom of the pan.
Remove the polenta from the heat, adjust seasoning, and add the butter and cheese (optional), mixing vigorously until combined.
Add the parsley to the sausage mixture. Serve the polenta and sausage together.
Editor�s note: Depending on the variety of polenta used (fine, medium or coarse grind) polenta may be done well before 45 minutes. Typically, look for a medium grind.
Bring water to a boil and add salt. Add polenta in a slow steady stream, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for approximately 15 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent lumps and sticking.
Remove from heat. Spread polenta into the bottom of a 9-inch-by-13-inch pan, either a rimmed sheet pan or a traditional cake pan, that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Smooth top.
Cool on countertop to room temperature. Cover polenta top with a sheet of plastic wrap and place in refrigerator to cool completely.
When ready to assemble pizzettes, use a 3-inch round cookie cutter or a water glass to cut polenta into about 12-15 rounds. Alternately, use a knife to cut polenta into squares. Place polenta on a baking sheet, brush lightly with olive oil and place in an oven that has been preheated to 400 degrees.
When polenta begins to crisp and brown on the edges (about 15 minutes), remove from oven and top with pizza toppings of your choice.
Return to oven for 5 to 10 minutes until toppings are hot and bubbly.
Makes 12 to 15 appetizer portions.
A review of the Metropolitan Police Department’s actions on Inauguration Day found that officers may not have properly followed procedures when they clashed with protesters in Washington, DC, according to the city’s police oversight board.
The five-member Police Complaints Board (PCB) ‒ made up of one MPD member and four civilians with no current law enforcement affiliations ‒ oversees the Office of Police Complaints, which sent out monitors on January 20 to observe the interactions between city police and the public. On Monday, the board issued its findings about Inauguration Day, when more than 200 people were arrested and charged with felony rioting during clashes with police, and recommended further investigation.
“The Police Complaints Board (PCB) concludes that while in many instances MPD conducted activities in a constitutional manner, there are several instances where the observations made by OPC cause concern and raise questions,” the 17-page report said.
Among those concerns were police who did not follow department procedures for First Amendment gatherings, officers who attacked and arrested members of the media and other observers who were not involved with the riots, and the use of force and less-than-lethal weapons without first warning the crowds.
The report criticized MPD for arresting and corralling people “even though they claimed to have not taken part in any rioting or acts of vandalism.” The people involved in the rioting “were dressed in all black, yet many who were cordoned off and then arrested wore press identification or green legal observer hats, differentiating them visibly from those engaged in unlawful acts.” One of the journalists who was arrested on January 20 was RT America’s Alexander Rubinstein; felony rioting charges against him have since been dropped.
The fact that many of the people arrested didn’t appear to participate in the rioting could end up hurting the prosecution of those cases because “it would likely be a challenging task to make a probable cause determination for each person arrested... in the Franklin Square Park area,” the report said.
The board concluded that MPD should hire an independent consultant to “investigate and examine all aspects” of the department’s actions on Inauguration Day, including police footage from body-worn and other cameras.
MPD handled the Women’s March on Washington the following day, January 21, in a very different manner: “OPC’s overall impression is that MPD performed in a professional manner and effectively balanced the interests of public safety with the right to free expression,” the PCB said in a second report issued on Monday. However, the board expressed concern that officers did not spread out far enough along the march route to the north and west of the original rally point.
“Several traffic intersections quickly became dangerous for pedestrians, there was little traffic control, and it was difficult to find any officers at many points along the march route and in the downtown area,” the 10-page report said.
Pakistan on Wednesday successfully test-fired a new version of its nuclear-capable missile, military and defense officials said. The medium range ballistic missile Hatf IV (Shaheen-I) had a range of 700 kilometers (435 miles), a Pakistan military statement said. However, it didn't give any details about the area from where the missile was test fired, but a defense official said the missile - which had the ability to carry nuclear warheads - hit its target. On Tuesday, India carried out its first successful test interception of a ballistic missile, using a second missile to shoot down an incoming rocket, the defense ministry said. If the interceptor missile, the medium-range and nuclear-capable Prithvi II, can be transformed into a viable defense system, it would push India into an elite club of nations with working missile shields.
Yelp Shares Lower As Earnings Loom; What's The Crowd & Experts Expect?
Shares of Yelp Inc (NYSE: YELP) were down less than 1 percent on Wednesday as the company prepares to announce its first quarter financial results after the market closes.
According to Estimize, both experts and the crowd expect to see revenue in line with guidance of $119.5 million. The crowd projects EPS of $0.02 on revenue of $119.38 million, while the Street models consensus EPS of $0.01 on revenue of $119.44 million.
Both these estimates stand well above the ($0.04) EPS registered in the same quarter last year, but substantially below last quarter’s $0.08.
In addition, Estimize allows users to check out how expectations have changed over time.
Revenue projections have been consistently increasing.
In a recent report, analysts at RBC reiterated an Outperform and fixed an $82 price target. They think the company’s results will meet expectations, despite slower growth in local advertising revenue and visitor traffic.
The analysts add that the company’s strong growth prospects could generate takeover interest from larger Internet companies.
iPhone Sales Were Astonishing, But What About iPad And Macs?
If dealing with the severe damage in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael wasn't bad enough for government officials in a series of counties in the Florida Panhandle, those same governments also must run a full-scale election in less than three weeks, as elections officials struggle with damaged voting locations, displaced voters, power problems, disrupted mail service, and internet outages.
"Some voters are asking questions on how we are going to be able to have an election in these catastrophic conditions," said said Gulf County Supervisor of Elections John Hanlon, as he set out his "Recovery Election Plan" for the November 6 elections.
"With so many homes damaged or destroyed we have many voters displaced, with questions of if and when they can even return," Hanlon added, noting that his county had "many polling locations damaged or designated as shelters."
The story is the same for a number of elections offices in the Panhandle which were in the path of Hurricane Michael.
"We will update the status of our office day by day on when we will be able to reopen," said a notice posted on the website of Franklin County Supervisor of Elections Heather Riley.
Further inland in Liberty County, Supervisor of Elections Gina McDowell had a similar message.
"Due to impacts from Hurricane Michael, our office is closed until further notice."
In next door Calhoun County, nothing has been posted on the elections website since before the hurricane struck the Florida Panhandle.

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