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http://fortune.com/2013/04/08/5-steps-for-handling-an-acquisition-offer/ | http://web.archive.org/web/20150919034103id_/http://fortune.com:80/2013/04/08/5-steps-for-handling-an-acquisition-offer/ | 5 steps for handling an acquisition offer | 20150919034103 | FORTUNE — As a growth-stage entrepreneur committed to building a big company, your focus should always be on moving forward, looking down the field and thinking long term. That said, most successful companies ultimately get acquired. As an entrepreneur with investors, there’s no shame in selling your company and making a return for you, your employees and your VCs. Fact is, even if you’re ardently focused on remaining independent, you can’t control when an unexpected suitor may come calling. Although you ultimately may opt to remain independent, you need to take such advances seriously. Here are five key steps to take when that offer comes.
1. Have a Full Dance Card. Since you don’t know when a potential suitor may come forward, you need to expect that it may happen at any time. Make it a priority to keep relationships with your potential suitors as you scale. As soon as a serious offer comes in, alert them to the possibility you may sell. Without multiple suitors, you’ll never get an optimal price for your company. You won’t be able to gin up sufficient additional interest if you reach out to others for the first time after receiving a serious offer.
2. Know the People Who May Acquire You. You’ll never be acquired by a company; rather you’ll be acquired by a person or group of people at a company. As you navigate the landscape of potential acquirers to build your dance card, make sure you find the right people – folks with authority, wherewithal and gumption. At many possible suitors, the right person will be within a business unit and not necessarily a corporate development executive. Spend the time to get to know these folks and assess who is a true contender to acquire you someday.
3. Approach Your Board With a Plan. Should you receive a serious offer, you want to manage the process rather than let it manage you. Make sure you think through the alternatives carefully and approach your board with a clear recommendation. If you ask your board for advice without having developed and articulated your own point of view, you may end up disappointed with the outcome.
4. Keep the Group Involved Small. As a growth-stage entrepreneur, you’ve undoubtedly worked hard to develop a vision and culture focused on creating long term value. You need to do everything you can to preserve this focus. The likelihood that an M&A conversation will consummate is very low, but news of a possible acquisition can be very distracting to your employees. Try to keep the group of your employees involved in the acquisition conversation as small as possible. Best case, if you don’t end up selling, your company will not miss a beat.
5. Don’t Be in a Hurry. As an entrepreneur, you’ve likely been rewarded for decisiveness – picking a path and moving forward expeditiously helps keep you out in front. But this approach will hurt you in an M&A context. Acquisition negotiations are complex and the potential buyer usually has a lot more experience than you getting deals done. Good advisors will help you approach the process methodically and ultimately get to the best outcome.
Although there are plenty of quantitative factors to consider in an acquisition context, the decision to sell your company is deeply personal as well. Your investors, employees and partners have entrusted you with their capital, time and reputation. There’s a lot of responsibility riding on your shoulders. Following the steps above will help you think clearly and make right decision.
Glenn Solomon (@glennsolomon) is a Partner with GGV Capital. Some of his recent investments include Pandora, Successfactors, Isilon, Domo, Square, Zendesk, Quinstreet and Nimble Storage. This post is part of a series for growth stage entrepreneurs who are thinking big; the full series can be found at www.goinglongblog.com. | Even if your company is 'going long,' you need to be prepared for possible suitors. | 38.894737 | 0.789474 | 1.631579 | high | medium | mixed |
http://www.cnbc.com/2014/07/15/china-economy-grows-75-in-the-second-quarter.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20150919102652id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2014/07/15/china-economy-grows-75-in-the-second-quarter.html | China economy grows 7.5% in the second quarter | 20150919102652 | "The government has been announcing a series of measures since March, which has helped to stabilize growth in Q2 and some sequential momentum that we're seeing currently but going forward, if the government wants to achieve the 7.5 percent growth target, that would imply a further significant improvement in the sequential growth in the second half of this year," Jian Chang, chief China economist at Barclays, told CNBC.
"I do not think the current mini stimulus is enough to sustain growth for the second half of this year, given the ongoing correction in the property market and the challenge to cut over capacity in many other sectors," he added.
Read MoreWhy Hollywood hasn't won over China, yet
Analysts point to the reaction in the Australia dollar as a telling sign that things aren't in great shape in China. While stocks rose following the GDP release – the Shanghai Composite rose to a new one-month peak while Hong Kong shares rose to one-and-a-half-week highs – the Aussie initially ticked higher, but fell to a more than one-week low of $0.9334 soon after.
"Despite all the data, you're actually seeing a tightening of financial conditions in China and if you look at the performance of the Australian dollar, it acts as a proxy for conditions in China over the past year. The fact that the Chinese currency has remained soft over recent months despite positive economic news and fiscal stimulus is a sign that underlying fundamental conditions are not right. So that's being reflected in the Australian dollar," said Greg Gibbs, senior currency strategist at RBS. | China's economy grew 7.5 percent in the second quarter from the year-ago period, beating a broad consensus estimate of 7.4 percent and coming after the 7.4 percent expansion in the first quarter. | 8.459459 | 0.567568 | 0.837838 | low | low | abstractive |
http://www.people.com/article/americas-got-talent-winner-ventriloquist-paul-zerdin | http://web.archive.org/web/20150919190358id_/http://www.people.com:80/article/americas-got-talent-winner-ventriloquist-paul-zerdin | America's Got Talent Winner Paul Zerdin Calls Howie Mandel a 'Perfect Dummy' : People.com | 20150919190358 | for anyone who didn't see the season finale of
It's been only a few hours since ventriloquist and comedian Paul Zerdin was crowned the winner of
and to say that he's overwhelmed by the whole experience is a bit of an understatement.
"I feel tired," Zerdin tells PEOPLE about his reaction to taking home the top prize on Wednesday night. "Really, really tired and euphoric, all in one. I'm overwhelmed."
Still, despite the whirlwind of press and appearances that come along with being part of the show – though he did manage to find time to have a quick celebratory drink with friends after the show – Zerdin is primarily thrilled about what lies ahead.
"I'm so grateful that the American people have voted for me, and I'm so excited because it's an opportunity to show people what I do and get out there and make people laugh." And making people laugh, Zerdin says, is essential to his success as a performer and a ventriloquist. "You can technically be the greatest ventriloquist in the world, but if you're not funny, then you're just a strange man on stage talking to yourself [and] probably scaring people, so it's all about making people laugh at the end of the day."
("I don't know anyone who doesn't like the Muppets"), Zerdin's love of performing was evident from a very young age: "I used to always like dressing up. I remember dressing up in my mum's [clothes] and her shoes and pretending I was
for some reason. I have no idea why. There is a photograph somewhere."
The former Prime Minister wasn't Zerdin's only early foray into the world of make-believe; he used to dress up as his local milkman and "go around to all of the houses around me and pretend to collect money," just like the real milkman would every Friday.
However, his love of pretend had
on his fascination with puppetry, and Zerdin would frequently put on shows in his home, often imitating his favorite TV characters. "We used to have like a serving hatch between the kitchen and the dining room," he explained. "I used to pin the scenery up around the back of the serving hatch and crouch down on my knees, and I had these little hand puppets that I had been given for Christmas and birthday presents, and I used to put the puppets up and pretend to do my own version of
." That early love of the Muppets is still visible in Zerdin's act – he even designed Sam, his smart-mouthed "pre-pubescent" character, to look "quite Muppety."
Though he started out with Kermit, Grover and Cookie Monster, Zerdin soon graduated to some "semi-professional" ventriloquist dolls and eventually began developing his act. "I didn't really know what I was doing. I look back now, [and] I wish I had footage of the action," he says, joking "I'm sure it was appalling, but you've got to start somewhere."
His sister was probably less critical of the act and just happy that he was no longer cutting up her teddy bears and turning them into hand puppets, which Zerdin admitted was a "very, very early character" of his.
Eventually, Zerdin developed his three signature characters: Sam, grandfather Alfred and Sam's baby brother, all of whom are often inspired by people in Zerdin's real life.
"I'm not taking the mickey out of old people and the fact that you start to lose your hearing and your body sort of packs up on you," he explains. "I'm just seeing the funny side to those situations, like my father is gradually turning into my old man puppet, and my dad is going quite deaf and he gives me so many good ideas for jokes because he mishears things all the time. I'm constantly writing things down when I'm talking to my dad."
"And my little 5-year-old nephew gives me loads of ideas for the baby character," Zerdin says, adding that he thinks people connect with them so well because they're all "characters and personalities that people can relate to."
Of course, Sam, Alfred and the baby don't hold a candle to Zerdin's favorite dummy of all:
, whom Zerdin turned into a puppet during his semi-final performance.
"That was a risk because he could have said no. He didn't know that was going to happen, but I thought that was worth the risk. Why not do it on a judge?" Zerdin explained of the performance, which brought fellow judge
to tears. "He had seemed like a great sport from the beginning anyway, but it could've gone either way, but he did it so beautifully and the look of fear and panic in his eyes kind of added to the comedy of it all, really, and I was so lucky it worked out well," says Zerdin.
"Who knew he could do Irish dancing like that? He was just amazing so I'm very, very grateful to Howie for being my perfect dummy."
So, will Mandel be making an appearance in Zerdin's upcoming Vegas show? Don't rule it out: "I hadn't thought of doing guest stars, but now that you mention it, I'm gonna mention it," Zerdin says. "I think it's a great idea, and I'm gonna come up with a list of names and see if they can make it happen."
But even if Zerdin isn't able to get the stars of his dreams to pop up onstage with him, he still "can't wait" to bring his act to Planet Hollywood next month.
"I guess it is like the performer's ultimate dream to be able to headline your own show in Las Vegas, and I'm so lucky and I'm so grateful to the American people for giving me this chance." | The ventriloquist and comedian opened up about his early influences and the being "overwhelmed" by his win | 62.842105 | 0.842105 | 1.368421 | high | medium | abstractive |
http://www.people.com/article/bristol-palin-blog-post-obama-and-ahmed-mohamed | http://web.archive.org/web/20150920005445id_/http://www.people.com:80/article/bristol-palin-blog-post-obama-and-ahmed-mohamed | Bristol Palin Slams President Obama For Inviting Ahmed Mohamed to White House : People.com | 20150920005445 | Bristol Palin (left) and Barack Obama (right)
Frederick M. Brown/Getty; Spencer Platt/Getty
09/18/2015 AT 08:05 AM EDT
for 9th grader Ahmed Mohamed, who was
after his homemade clock was mistaken for a bomb at school earlier this week, doesn't sit well with at least one person:
Like many celebrities and politicians, Obama showed his support for the teenager on social media and
, "Cool clock, Ahmed. Want to bring it to the White House? We should inspire more kids like you to like science. It's what makes America great."
The Texas student brought the homemade clock to school to
but instead was handcuffed by police and suspended after another teacher mistook the device for a bomb.
While Palin wrote on her personal
that the police "clearly" made a "mistake," she said she thinks Obama should never have gotten involved.
"This is the kind of stuff Obama needs to STAY out of," the 24-year-old wrote. "This encourages more racial strife that is already going on with the 'Black Lives Matter' crowd and encourages victimhood."
The daughter of former Alaska gov.
added that Obama's tweet helped egg on backlash against the responding officers.
"Childish games like this from our president have divided our country," she wrote. "Even more today than when he was elected."
She revealed her pregnancy in June, only a month after
to former U.S. Marine Dakota Meyer. | Bristol Palin wrote on her blog that President Obama's invitation for Ahmed Mohamed to visit the White House "encourages victimhood" | 12.869565 | 0.869565 | 1.73913 | low | medium | mixed |
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/08/24/reuters-america-global-economy-not-at-risk-of-recession-despite-china-weakness-goldman.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20150920052254id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2015/08/24/reuters-america-global-economy-not-at-risk-of-recession-despite-china-weakness-goldman.html | Global economy not at risk of recession despite China weakness -Goldman | 20150920052254 | SINGAPORE, Aug 25 (Reuters) - The global economy is not at a risk of a recession in spite of recent concerns over China's economy and weakness in commodity prices, Goldman Sachs said, although it lowered its short-term outlook for global stock markets.
"The drop in commodity prices during the past year and recent economic and foreign exchange weakness in China and other emerging markets will not tip the global economy into recession," analysts at the U.S. investment bank said in an Aug. 24 dated note to clients, which was seen by Reuters.
The Wall Street bank reduced its short-term outlook for the equity market to "neutral", but remained "overweight" over six and 12 months. It also maintained its view that commodities will underperform.
"We see a meaningful risk that markets are over-interpreting the collapse of oil and commodity prices as a negative growth signal," the analysts said. The fall in prices of oil and other commodities are primarily a reflection of excess supply rather than weak demand, they said.
Goldman Sachs raised its short-term outlook for U.S. equities to neutral and lowered European equities to neutral.
(Reporting By Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman) | SINGAPORE, Aug 25- The global economy is not at a risk of a recession in spite of recent concerns over China's economy and weakness in commodity prices, Goldman Sachs said, although it lowered its short-term outlook for global stock markets. "The drop in commodity prices during the past year and recent economic and foreign exchange weakness in China and other... | 3.4 | 0.957143 | 32.842857 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/07/22/gold-stuck-near-5-year-low-as-selling-pressure-continues.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20150920053358id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2015/07/22/gold-stuck-near-5-year-low-as-selling-pressure-continues.html | Gold turns lower as US data takes pressure off dollar | 20150920053358 | "The markets are all focusing on a September rate hike, so assuming that is when it occurs, you have to think that gold is going to remain under downward pressure up until that point," Citi analyst David Wilson said.
Gold has been undermined this year by expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve is on track to raise interest rates for the first time in nearly a decade, boosting the cost of holding non-yielding bullion and lifting the dollar.
"If you're thinking about the Federal Reserve hiking rates in September maybe December, in real terms that could be a larger impact than you may have thought," said Bart Melek, head of commodity strategy for TD Securities in Toronto, noting there is not enough inflation to attract buying of gold.
Technical analysts, who study past price patterns to estimate the future direction of trading, say once its current bounce from Monday's slump is over, the next target for gold below its Wednesday low near $1,087 an ounce is $1,044, its 2010 low.
Read MoreWhat you might not know about oil and gold
"The bounce in gold is nothing but a technical trade, as most major momentum indicators are showing that the recent selloff is overdone," AvaTrade's chief market analyst Naeem Aslam said.
Investors continue to cut their exposure to gold. Holdings in the biggest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, SPDR Gold Shares, shrank for a fifth day on Wednesday to their lowest since 2008.
Some demand emerged for physical metal, however. A retreat in the dollar, which fell 0.5 percent against a currency basket, encouraged some buying in China overnight, dealers said, while weak gold prices spurred buying of bullion coins in the United States where Mint sales jumped to a 2013 high. | Gold turned lower on Thursday, dipping back below $1,100 an ounce as a steeper-than-forecast drop in U.S. jobless claims helped the dollar recover. | 11.433333 | 0.566667 | 0.7 | low | low | abstractive |
http://www.cnbc.com/2013/11/01/new-york-city-marathon-is-back-with-million-dollar-security.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20150921150746id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2013/11/01/new-york-city-marathon-is-back-with-million-dollar-security.html | New York City Marathon is back- with million-dollar security | 20150921150746 | When runners toe the line at the start of The ING New York City Marathon on Sunday, they do it in the shadow of the Boston Marathon bombings, and last year's Superstorm Sandy.
"This is going to be a race full of meaning. We'll be thinking about all of those affected by Sandy last year, and our hearts will be with those affected by Boston," Mary Wittenberg, New York Road Runner CEO, told CNBC's "Squawk on the Street."
When Sandy hammered the Eastern Seaboard last October, lives were lost, billions of dollars in damage was done, and the marathon was canceled at the last minute, proving too much for a city still struggling to get the lights back on. Then in April, the unthinkable happened when the country's oldest marathon, Boston, was bombed.
(Read more: Boston marathon suspect is captured alive: Police)
The two events changed the tenor of what some see as a "comeback" race. Over 21,000 runners this year are holdovers from 2012 and the NYCRR has doubled their security budget, spending more than $1 million on security to ensure that runners and spectators are safe.
Speaking at a news conference Friday, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said in light of the attacks in Boston, the NYPD began examining and enhancing NYC Marathon security the day after the bombings.
"Spectators should look forward to the marathon like any other year, but expect more security," Kelly warned.
Spectators will see more barricades, fencings, security checkpoints and private security guards on site, according to Peter Ciccia, technical director for the ING NYC Marathon. Runners will be screened at the start on Staten Island, and stripped of certain gear for the race.
"Some of the things we changed this year is over the shoulder hydration packs, Camelbacks are not permitted this year," Ciccia told CNBC. Instead, he said, they are encouraged to utilize the water being handed out throughout the course.
Also banned, wacky get ups. Runners, who once sported Halloween costumes during the race, will no longer be permitted to wear masks. The police want a good view of everyone in, and around, the race.
(Read more: Prep the pumps: Gas stations brace for next Sandy) | They're back in the Big Apple: 50,000 runners, including over 21,000 holdovers from the canceled 2012 race, plus more than $1 million to ensure safety. | 14.387097 | 0.774194 | 1.806452 | low | low | mixed |
http://www.cnbc.com/2014/12/11/nfl-football-why-the-denver-broncos-might-be-better-than-you-think.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20150923000248id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2014/12/11/nfl-football-why-the-denver-broncos-might-be-better-than-you-think.html | Why the Denver Broncos might be better than you think | 20150923000248 | "I think Denver is incredibly underrated at this point in the season," Feng said. Despite some betting sites putting the Broncos' Super Bowl odds behind teams like the Patriots, Feng still considers them his favorite. Feng admits "the consensus among power rankings is that the Broncos are at the bottom end of elite teams," but his numbers suggest there's something to be gained by betting on them to win it all. His three main reasons are (1) pass offense, (2) pass defense and (3) the St. Louis game.
Read MoreCleveland's newest big-money sports hero isn't LeBron
Pass offense: "When I adjust for schedule, Denver's pass offense is better than last year." It's true that on a raw, unadjusted basis, the Broncos' yards-per-pass-attempt is down this year compared with last, but Feng said it's important to consider the change in their schedule. Last year, "they played the woeful NFC East," but this year their games have gotten tougher, putting them up against top pass defenses in Seattle and San Francisco in an NFC West-highlighted schedule.
Pass defense: "By signing Aqib Talib, they have gone from the 16th pass defense last season to second this season. That's a huge improvement." The numbers suggest that the improvement is mostly in the secondary, as "their sack rate hasn't changed much," going from 6.3 percent last year to 6.6 percent this year.
The St. Louis game: Even though the Broncos lost their road game to the Rams 22-7, Denver did out-gain St. Louis in total yards, 397 to 337. Feng said that "Denver only scored seven points because they went 0-2 on fourth down deep in Rams territory, and this was also the game that Emmanuel Sanders got hurt." | The Denver Broncos, despite their great record, may actually be more underrated than we even realize. | 19.263158 | 0.631579 | 0.631579 | medium | low | abstractive |
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/06/26/obamacare-faces-threat-from-another-case.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20150923091451id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2015/06/26/obamacare-faces-threat-from-another-case.html | Obamacare faces threat from another case | 20150923091451 | If the House wins the suit pending in federal court in Washington, D.C., and forces the executive branch to stop making the cost-sharing reduction payments to insurers, those insurers face a "very tricky" situation said Larry Levitt, senior vice president at the Kaiser Family Foundation.
"Because the way the law works, the insurers have to cover cost sharing for consumers," Levitt said.
In other words, if the government stops covering customers' out-of-pocket payments, insurers will "have to eat the costs," Levitt said.
Those costs would be high. Nearly 60 percent of the more than 11 million Obamacare exchange customers receive cost-sharing reductions through "silver" health plans. The customers qualify because they earn between 100 percent and 250 percent of the federal poverty level, or $11,670 to $46,680 for an individual.
The reductions are available only to customers of silver plans, which are the second-least expensive category of plans, and which cover an average of 70 percent of the overall cost of members' health benefits.
In its suit, the House noted that the Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the payments to insurers would total about $178 billion from 2014 through 2024.
"Such unconstitutional payments are estimated to exceed $3 billion in fiscal year 2014," the House suit says.
In the absence of Congressional appropriation for that money, the administration has been funding those payments out of the account that subsidizes monthly premiums for most Obamacare customers. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell told Congress last year that was being done on the grounds of "efficiency," the suit noted.
Timothy Jost, a Washington and Lee University law professor and leading Obamacare expert, said that without the cost-sharing reductions from the government, "Insurers would have to significantly raise premiums and might face solvency issues until they could do so."
While many insurers would raise premiums, both inside and outside the Obamacare exchanges, to cover their added costs, some issuers "could leave the market" to avoid dealing with the costs, he said.
Cost-sharing reductions are "a huge thing" for their recipients, and not having them would be a "deal breaker," Jost said.
Read MoreJoy and disappointment after Obamacare ruling
He noted that cost-sharing reductions can turn a silver plan's $5,000 annual deductible into just a $200 deductible.
"Even if you're paying $50 per month for your silver plan [in premiums] if you've got a $5,000 deductible, forget it, you're as good as uninsured," Jost said. Without the cost-sharing reductions, "People are simply not going to be able to afford coverage." | The case revolves around subsidies that help reduce out-of-pocket costs for most Obamacare customers. | 28.157895 | 0.684211 | 2.789474 | medium | low | mixed |
http://www.cnbc.com/2014/12/24/us-retailers-may-only-just-meet-holiday-sales-forecasts.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20150923115004id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2014/12/24/us-retailers-may-only-just-meet-holiday-sales-forecasts.html | US retailers may only just meet holiday sales forecasts | 20150923115004 | U.S. consumers have not turned out in force for the final shopping days before Christmas, suggesting that traditional retailers will just meet industry sales forecasts in a season marked by deep discounts and growing encroachment from online rivals led by Amazon.com Inc.
Super Saturday - the last pre-Christmas Saturday, which fell on Dec. 20 this year - failed to make up for spotty performance this season. That included a disappointing Black Friday, the day after the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday that is typically one of the busiest shopping days of the year.
"The past weekend will not save this holiday season," said Craig Johnson, president of the retail and consumer product-oriented private equity fund Customer Growth Partners. "But combined with online sales, it would certainly save the year from being a dismal one."
Read More Late Christmas shoppers can't save your portfolio
Johnson said if sales hold up in the next few days and the week after Christmas, retailers may finish close to his company's November and December forecast of 3.4 percent growth in store and online sales. He estimates that Super Saturday weekend sales, which include store and online, rose 2.5 percent to $42 billion this year.
The National Retail Federation (NRF), the leading industry trade body, forecast a 4.1 percent rise in holiday sales this year, including online and store sales. The NRF is hoping to meet its expectations amid falling gasoline prices, lower U.S. unemployment and consumer spending which showed signs of increasing during the first two weeks of December.
Promotions heated up in the past five days but that did not boost store traffic materially, said Keith Jelinek, senior managing director of FTI Consulting.
Most retailers offered an additional 20-30 percent off on top of 30-40 percent discounts on a wide range of products, Reuters found during a series of visits to three dozen stores in Chicago over the weekend.
Best-sellers during the season included Apple Inc.'s iPhone 6, toys based on the Walt Disney Co. animated movie "Frozen," and winter clothing such as coats from retailers like Macy's Inc. after a cold spell last month.
Home appliances including mixers, coffee makers and food processors from chains like Home Depot Inc., Lowe's Companies Inc. JC Penney Co. and Target Corp. were also particularly popular, industry-watchers said.
Super Saturday sales rose 0.5 percent to $9.15 billion from $9.1 billion a year ago, according to early estimates by ShopperTrak, which surveys spending at brick-and-mortar stores. This fell short of the firm's $10 billion sales forecast for the day, founder Bill Martin told Reuters.
Read MoreCNBC Explains: Keeping tabs on Santa
Analytics firm RetailNext, which tracks specialty stores and large footprint retailers, said sales dropped 8.9 percent over the weekend versus a year ago, and store traffic dipped 10.2 percent. However, customers who did hit the stores spent more. Specialty stores in the United States include chains like Best Buy Co. and large footprint retailers include Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Target.
"Even with this drop in growth, Super Saturday was still better compared to Black Friday," said Shelley Kohan, vice president of retail consulting at RetailNext. "It generated a tad more in terms of sales on slightly less traffic."
Promotions earlier in November took a toll on in-store sales during the Thanksgiving weekend, when total spending fell by 11 percent from a year earlier.
Highly discounted categories like consumer electronics and home improvement, which have had a strong season this year, continued to do well on Super Saturday.
The apparel segment, which has had one of its worst years, also picked up momentum, although not enough to offset slower growth in the past two months.
Experts including Craig Johnson said the growth in apparel is occurring on the back of heavily discounted pricing, so margins this year will be weak in most of the category.
FTI Consulting's Jelinek pointed to a jump in online shopping this past weekend which, he said, will bring relief to retailers with physical stores who also have an online presence.
"The majority of retailers will be flat to negative in their bricks and mortar business but their online sales will show significant double-digit increases. This should boost the overall sales number." | Consumers slacked off on the final holiday shopping days, suggesting traditional retailers will just meet sales forecasts amid deep discounts. | 37.681818 | 0.954545 | 2.409091 | high | high | mixed |
http://www.cnbc.com/2014/12/18/the-chinese-cars-that-are-changing-cuba.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20150923131604id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2014/12/18/the-chinese-cars-that-are-changing-cuba.html | The Chinese cars that are changing Cuba | 20150923131604 | The U.S.'s efforts to normalize relations with Cuba could eventually lead to an influx of American imports into the country. But when it comes to automobiles, one country has got there first: China.
Cuba has long been known for its 1950s American cars lining its streets, but Havana is now home to a small, but growing, number of brand new Asian automobiles which are altering the landscape.
Until recently, Cubans' choice of vehicles had be somewhat limited.
Read MoreObama: We will end an outdated approach toward Cuba
After being hit by a U.S. embargo in 1960, residents have lovingly maintained a plethora of American Pontiacs, Buicks, Chevys and Cadillacs. The Communist country's close ties with the former-Soviet Union also means that there's also a large fleet of Russian Ladas from the 1970s and 1980s that outnumber the older American models.
But among the relics, a clutch of Chinese-made Geely CKs and South Korean Kias have found a home, after new laws that came into effect in January removed the limits on car purchases for the first time in 50 years.
Even before the reforms, workers at government ministries were allowed to import the cars, meaning that 10,000 Geely units were already in the country, according to China's Global Times, which cited statistics from the car manufacturer.
The Chinese company accounted for 50 percent of car imports in Cuba by the end of 2013, according to the newspaper, equal to the combined share of Kias, Peugeots and other brands. | Havana is now home to a small, but growing, number of brand new Asian automobiles which are altering the landscape. | 12.695652 | 1 | 23 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.9news.com.au/world/2015/09/01/12/14/even-drink-stop-can-t-halt-mo-farah | http://web.archive.org/web/20150923163202id_/http://www.9news.com.au/world/2015/09/01/12/14/even-drink-stop-can-t-halt-mo-farah | Mo Farah takes gold in 5000m men's final despite stopping for drink break | 20150923163202 | He's been invincible on the track since the London Olympics and now Mo Farah has shown even a drinks break can't stop him from victory.
Competing in the 5000m men's final at the World Championships, Farah showed his class – and some might say a touch of contempt for his rivals – when he grabbed a drink mid-race before taking the gold medal in Beijing.
The British Olympic champion was running at the back of the pack when, to the surprise of rivals, he suddenly veered to the edge of the track and grabbed a drink at the 1200m mark.
Without missing a beat, he gulped down some water and then re-joined the fray, where he soon caught up and got himself toward the front of the pack.
He then managed to pace himself perfectly for the remainder of the race, before taking the lead on the final lap with a signature burst of speed to blow away the field.
The victory gave Farah the 10,000m and 5000m double, which he achieved at the London Games in 2012 and also at the previous world championships in Moscow in 2013.
The 32-year-old later revealed he was battling a hamstring strain.
"I didn't feel great, my hammy (hamstring) was playing up a bit, but the medical team helped me through it and tonight to come out here and make a double means so much to me," Farah told the British broadcaster BBC.
"I was kind of getting nervous for the first time in a little while, but thanks to all the medical team. It was amazing to do it."
Do you have any news photos or videos? | He's been invincible on the track since the London Olympics and now Mo Farrar has shown even a drinks break can't stop him from victory. | 11.642857 | 0.964286 | 13.035714 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.sfgate.com/49ers/article/49ers-beat-Offensive-line-exposed-against-6517936.php | http://web.archive.org/web/20150923222506id_/http://www.sfgate.com:80/49ers/article/49ers-beat-Offensive-line-exposed-against-6517936.php | 49ers beat: Offensive line exposed against Steelers’ defense | 20150923222506 | Photo: Keith Srakocic, Associated Press
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Anquan Boldin (81) loses the ball as he is hit by Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback William Gay (22) in the first quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2015 in Pittsburgh. Gay recovered that ball but replay said the pass was incomplete.(AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Anquan Boldin (81) loses the ball...
Linebacker Ryan Shazier and the rest of the Steelers’ defense had a firm hold on quarterback Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers’ offense for most of the day at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.
Linebacker Ryan Shazier and the rest of the Steelers’ defense had...
49ers beat: Offensive line exposed against Steelers’ defense
PITTSBURGH — After a promising season-opening performance, the 49ers’ offensive line looked like a group that hadn’t played together much in a 43-18 loss to the Steelers on Sunday.
The 49ers surrendered five sacks, quarterback Colin Kaepernick had several run-for-his-life moments, and the running backs were held to 60 yards and averaged 2.6 yards a carry.
It was the type of outing that many expected given the lack of continuity. The 49ers have three new starters, and right guard Jordan Devey, who surrendered the first sack Sunday, was acquired in a trade in mid-August.
The line’s most accomplished member, Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Staley, acknowledged he was part of the problem. Staley said he allowed Steelers linebacker James Harrison to beat him outside. Harrison, 37, had two tackles and two of Pittsburgh’s eight quarterback hits.
“Five sacks is not acceptable,” Staley said. “…I can only speak for myself. I didn’t watch the film yet, but today was not a good day for me.”
Clock mismanagement: Head coach Jim Tomsula repeatedly stressed tempo in fast-paced offseason practices, and the 49ers got out of the huddle with alacrity in Week 1.
On Sunday? Not so much. The 49ers had to call two timeouts with the play clock dwindling and also had a delay-of-game penalty. The 49ers led the league in that category in 2014.
“That’s inexcusable,” Tomsula said. “That’s me.”
Tomsula said the time-management issues were wide-ranging. On one play, the 49ers had an incorrect personnel group. On another, Kaepernick heard the play call incorrectly. Finally, Kaepernick burned a timeout because he didn’t like the defense he saw, which Tomsula said was a wise decision.
Smith scores: From the silver-lining department: Wide receiver Torrey Smith scored on a deep pass from Kaepernick.
The 49ers signed Smith to a $40 million contract in hopes he could provide a long-needed deep threat, and his 75-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter was the longest of his five-year career.
Smith, who had just one catch for 11 yards in Week 1, had six catches for 120 yards.
Smith exited with an apparent ankle injury in the fourth quarter and walked with a slight limp to the locker room after the game. Tomsula did not mention Smith when he discussed injured players.
That group included running back Carlos Hyde, who tested negative for a concussion, and tight end Vance McDonald, who left in the second quarter with a knee injury.
“We’ll have to check on that tomorrow,” he said of McDonald.
Ellington inactive: Wide receiver Bruce Ellington was inactive after he suffered an ankle injury during the week.
Ellington, who missed three games as a rookie in 2014 with a sprained ankle, was sidelined during the offseason program with a pulled hamstring. He aggravated the injury this summer and missed part of training camp. He was on the field during warm-ups Sunday, but wasn’t moving well.
Eric Branch is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. | Offensive line exposed against Steelers’ defense PITTSBURGH — After a promising season-opening performance, the 49ers’ offensive line looked like a group that hadn’t played together much in a 43-18 loss to the Steelers on Sunday. The 49ers surrendered five sacks, quarterback Colin Kaepernick had several run-for-his-life moments, and the running backs were held to 60 yards and averaged 2.6 yards a carry. The 49ers have three new starters, and right guard Jordan Devey, who surrendered the first sack Sunday, was acquired in a trade in mid-August. Harrison, 37, had two tackles and two of Pittsburgh’s eight quarterback hits. [...] Kaepernick burned a timeout because he didn’t like the defense he saw, which Tomsula said was a wise decision. The 49ers signed Smith to a $40 million contract in hopes he could provide a long-needed deep threat, and his 75-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter was the longest of his five-year career. Smith exited with an apparent ankle injury in the fourth quarter and walked with a slight limp to the locker room after the game. Wide receiver Bruce Ellington was inactive after he suffered an ankle injury during the week. Ellington, who missed three games as a rookie in 2014 with a sprained ankle, was sidelined during the offseason program with a pulled hamstring. | 2.843866 | 0.951673 | 23.754647 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/jun/08/mondrian-studios-tate-liverpool-mondrian-colour-turner-contemporary-margate-review-joyous/amp | http://web.archive.org/web/20150925013949id_/http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/jun/08/mondrian-studios-tate-liverpool-mondrian-colour-turner-contemporary-margate-review-joyous/amp | Mondrian and His Studios; Mondrian and Colour - review | 20150925013949 | Some years after he had renounced figurative painting for good, Piet Mondrian had a momentary lapse with a startling self-portrait made in 1918. The picture shows the artist standing stiff as a board in front of one of his geometric abstracts. He stares irritably out of the painting (and the painting within the painting, which is composed entirely of rectangles, and which puts another round his head) in a neat collar and bowtie, one of precious few people ever to appear in his art.
But it is not this, nor the clothes that surprise. The modernist-as-banker style is common from Stravinsky to TS Eliot onwards, though there is a perfect correspondence here between the tailored painter and his fastidious works. What is striking is something else: the strange attempt to fuse two kinds of art.
Mondrian (1872-1944) had stopped painting nature from the life and reduced his art to the famous grids of black, white and three primary colours. But those colours are still palpable (mixed to muddy greys and browns) in the self-portrait, and the picture within the picture (and all its light-dark alternations) exactly echoes his system of grids. We are to understand that the same artist is able to make both the naturalistic man and the abstract canvas and lo, here they are – here he is. It's a sharp conceit, and yet the self-portrait is awkward, its surface heavily reworked and Mondrian appears frankly uneasy. To come across it in Margate, in the terrific Mondrian and Colour show at Turner Contemporary, is to witness something like aesthetic schizophrenia. The passionate painter of dazzling high-chrome image, or the single-minded monk of the grids – which of the two artists is he?
It's an old question, but as perennial as the grass. Mondrian has been dead for 70 years but still it seems that his work divides starkly between early figuration and later abstraction, the former supposedly loved mainly by the public (especially in the Netherlands), the second revered by curators, specialists and historians. You would have thought that segregation had ended by now, but the concurrent show at Tate Liverpool, with its historic focus on Mondrian's studios from Amsterdam to Paris and New York, doesn't include a single figurative painting.
That this is a lamentable lack is brought home in Margate, where many landscapes never shown in this country before have arrived from the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague. Joyous, dynamic, celebratory in mood, rich in hue, these paintings come as a revelation. Azure, gold and pink, the evening clouds drift in scarves above the flat Dutch landscape. Flower fields grow vast, seas turn purple, lavender and cobalt as they stretch into the far horizon. A single coral-pink cumulus blooms in a hot blue heaven.
Dune is painted on the spot, in oil on card, its pink and marigold sands at one with the rose and cerulean sky that scintillates above, a sight as beautiful as any Turner sunset on the real beach outside. The sky shivers, as if propellers were rushing through it. A fantastical red windmill rears out of glowering cobalt, monumental and yet delicate as a paper silhouette. These paintings are vividly exciting.
The earliest pictures, mainly made before 1910, are all low horizons, pollarded willows and the brown barns and outhouses of early Van Gogh; and sure enough, you see Mondrian rehearsing his contemporaries. There are fauve-bright portraits, Monet waterlilies and stands of poplars, but the Dutchman flies onwards and very soon you see the grids prefigured.
A tree bursts into pointillist strokes, evening sun turns ploughed furrows into glinting lines. Light breaks through dark willows in white lozenges and squares. Much has been made of the geometric compositions – trees and fences intersecting with flat walls – in these landscapes, and they are oddly more symmetrical than the abstraction to come. But what's more exhilarating is the rising thrum of colour and the slow mounting pressure of paint. It is there in the very earliest work, as Mondrian puts the image together, blocking, pushing, compacting the paint just like the clay and loam between the old timbers of the farmhouse depicted: he is building the picture.
The architectural analogy takes a twist in Tate Liverpool's lifesize reconstruction of his Paris studio. This is a walk-in Mondrian, white walls, black floor, blue, red and yellow rectangles glued to the walls. The table-top is red, the cigar box is blue, the dictionary is painted white (how neat, how pure, how Dutch.) The easel looks like the archetypal Mondrian structure. It's hard to image how radical this must have appeared before Mondrian became emblematic of modern design. But the meerschaum pipes, the iron-rimmed spectacles and above all the 19th-century stove that heated his cell fairly help. Still it is difficult to ignore the obsessive-compulsive ordering of objects and the nursery-school aesthetic.
Mondrian and His Studios has its surprises too. It's not quite true that Mondrian only ever used primary colours in the abstracts. The first wall offers orange, lime, lavender and many shades of grey in three 1918 pictures that glow, jaunty and sonorous – a performing trio. But Mondrian never does it again.
Indeed his restlessness is everywhere apparent. With his limited grid, Mondrian achieved an extraordinary range of effects. In one series, yellow is squeezed to the edges of the canvas to get an ever-higher pitch as white takes over. In another, blue squares resound like thunderclaps among leaden traceries. Two parallel lines brought close together lighten the tone. Funereal black squares halt the tempo.
If the grids are, as Mondrian insisted, spiritual, emotional and harmonic, one ought to be able to speak of how they make one feel. Sometimes the feeling is strong: of limitless space, high clear sound, acrobatic balance and euphoria, of buzzing cities, soft winds, relaxing lulls. But just as often glumness sets in. The paintings are wintry and depressed, heavy in their facture and discoloured with age. How old some now look compared with the scintillating seascapes.
This show would be austere without its studio theme, and relies largely on stills and film of Mondrian's quarters in Paris, Amsterdam, London and finally New York in 1942 for its onward thrust. By now, the artist had been recreating the same room for 20 years no matter where he was or what was happening in the outside world. This turning inward inflects the late work and no amount of talk about Mondrian's love of Disney, jazz or ballroom dancing can detract from the sense of willed isolation.
But to see both shows is to believe in Mondrian's utter commitment to his principles, derived from Goethe out of mystical theosophy, for only such discipline would insist upon the total transition from exuberant figuration to enforced abstraction (pace the compromised self-portrait). In Margate, where one sees his whole career beautifully condensed in 60 works, there is the sense of intensity turning to profundity: everything growing deeper, richer, clearer. In Liverpool, without seeing what came before, the mood is more desolate, of a painter trapped in both the studio and the art. | Laura Cumming: Tate Liverpool explores Mondrian's monkish grids, but the real revelation is in Margate, with the joyous high-chrome paintings of his youth | 48.413793 | 0.827586 | 1.724138 | high | medium | mixed |
http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2013/sep/25/serpentine-sackler-gallery-marquee-battling/amp | http://web.archive.org/web/20150925015128id_/http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2013/sep/25/serpentine-sackler-gallery-marquee-battling/amp | The Serpentine Sackler Gallery: 'A wedding marquee battling a stiff breeze' | 20150925015128 | Kensington Gardens is no stranger to the white pointed peaks of temporary tents, every year seeing elaborate marquees poke above the trees for summer events. But now the west London park has the deluxe marquee to end all marquees: the rippling rooftop of the £14.5m Serpentine Sackler Gallery, designed by Zaha Hadid, which opens to the public on Saturday.
Dipping and diving in sinuous waves, the white canopy is a new permanent extension to the Royal Park's Magazine, a former 1805 gunpowder store, five minutes' walk from the existing Serpentine Gallery on the north side of the Serpentine Bridge. It does what marquees usually do, housing the catering facilities for the new gallery space – only here, tea and biscuits are supplanted by a 120-seat restaurant as souped-up as the architecture, which will be run by German celebrity sushi chef Oliver Lange.
Like a wedding marquee battling with a stiff breeze, the structure billows and eddies, swooping down to meet the ground at three points along its perimeter, before shooting up again in improbable gymnastic leaps. It is not quite clear what function all this overwrought writhing serves.
"It is one of the most complicated structures we have worked on in the office," says project architect Fabian Hecker, describing the lengthy process of "form finding" with three sets of engineers to "push the limits of what the material can do".
Hadid, a long-serving trustee of the Serpentine, designed the first of the gallery's annual temporary pavilions in 2000, and was again hired to build a canopy of PVC mushrooms in 2007. The Sackler building continues her ongoing pursuit of tensile structures, this time made of PTFE-coated glass fibre fabric (as used for the Millennium Dome), stretched between a twisting roller-coaster steel frame. Its edge is clad with a clunky fibreglass trim that juts out sharply like the peak of an Ascot hat, looming clumsily over the fine Georgian brickwork of the Magazine.
Designing a building where the roof meets the floor in one continuous surface means you see things that would otherwise be hidden – the unfortunate result here being an edge of crumpled fabric, stuffed unceremoniously behind the gutter. It has the crudeness expected of the gallery's summer pavilion, not a multi-million pound permanent home.
Entering the building feels like being swept under the voluminous swirling petticoats of a Toulouse-Lautrec dancer, although the lightness you would imagine from a floaty tent is strangely absent. Instead, the opaque roof feels heavy and smothering, hanging low over the curved glass wall that runs around the edge of the space, so you can't really see the surrounding park at all.
The ceiling is held aloft on five soaring steel columns that puncture the open-plan room like great urinals, each rising to an ovular opening that funnels light down their concave shafts. Dotted with a kitchen pod and cantilevered bar in wipe-clean whiteness, the whole place has the look of a space-age sanitary wares showroom, a slightly naff prelude to what lies beyond.
The understated star of the show is the gunpowder store itself, open to the public for the first time in the building's 208-year history, now converted into a series of gallery spaces with the help of conservation architect Liam O'Connor. Most recently used to store the Mall's flagpoles, the building is what Hecker describes as a "house within a house," the 1805 store enclosed by outer walls in the 1860s, with a Palladian portico added on the front in the 1920s.
Subtle acts of surgery have now stitched the pieces together, forming a layered sequence that echoes the classical form of the existing Serpentine Gallery across the lake. A top-lit ambulatory gallery wraps around the central store, lined with plasterboard walls, providing a jacket to the inner sanctum of the two brick barrel-vaulted gunpowder chambers, dimly-lit and grotto-like spaces left raw, with exposed beams overhead. A northern wing of services and staff offices has also been added to the building, in the same Georgian dress as the original.
Not that much of this can be seen for now, as the artist of the opening show, Argentinian Adrián Villar Rojas, has shrouded the interior with a brilliant installation that transforms the space with a new sculpted facade. Featuring cracked clay walls and a floor of loose-laid bricks, the piece has an earthy quality that engages with the building's own history and materiality, throwing into relief the starched white prissiness of what stands next door. It also includes a gigantic clay elephant charging head-first at the crumbling building – an apt metaphor, perhaps, for the architect's approach. | Zaha Hadid's extension looms clumsily over a beautifully restored Georgian building in Kensington Gardens. It's not quite clear what function it serves, finds Oliver Wainwright | 30.965517 | 0.827586 | 1.793103 | medium | medium | mixed |
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/05/07/dod-employees-spent-1m-at-strip-clubs-casinos.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20150925020235id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2015/05/07/dod-employees-spent-1m-at-strip-clubs-casinos.html | DOD: Employees spent $1M at strip clubs, casinos | 20150925020235 | Department of Defense personnel spent more than $1 million at casinos and strip clubs on government credit cards in one year, a Pentagon audit by the DOD Inspector General has revealed. (Tweet this)
Civilian and military employees racked up the vast majority of those charges—about $950,000—at casinos from July 2013 to June 2014. They charged roughly $96,000 at strip clubs.
Using the cards did not violate laws because the cardholders paid their "personal" expenses, DOD officials told NBC News. Taxpayer dollars were not spent in the transactions, officials said. | No taxpayer dollars were spent on the transactions, and some employees have already been disciplined, officials told NBC News. | 4.909091 | 0.727273 | 1.909091 | low | low | mixed |
http://www.cnbc.com/2014/12/11/guac-fans-stock-up-on-avocados-before-prices-hike.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20150925085932id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2014/12/11/guac-fans-stock-up-on-avocados-before-prices-hike.html | Guac fans! Stock up on avocados before prices hike | 20150925085932 | Avocados may be harder to come by in the coming months, or they may become more expensive due to bad timing on a series of unfortunate events.
California's drought takes a bulk of the blame as the state produces 95 percent of avocados in the U.S. Farmers are abandoning the fruit because water is too costly and avocados require too much of it to grow, according to news site Mic. Rising temperatures are also expected to lower California avocado production by as much as 40 percent in the next three decades, Mic reports. Outside the U.S., avocado exports from Mexico are being disrupted by gang violence.
Read MoreOrganic farming more drought resistant: Report
On top of supply challenges, avocado popularity is at an all-time high, outpacing production—similar to what happened with demand pressure on quinoa.
Earlier, fast-casual restaurant chain Chipotle sparked jitters when it threatened to nix guacamole from its menu if avocado prices continue to rise. If current trends persist, the company's threat may become reality.
Read the coverage on Mic. | The confluence of many bad events will cause an avocado price spike and supply shortage in the coming months. | 10.1 | 0.65 | 1.25 | low | low | abstractive |
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/05/11/asian-shares-muted-on-poor-us-lead-australia-budget-eyed.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20150925094235id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2015/05/11/asian-shares-muted-on-poor-us-lead-australia-budget-eyed.html | Asia shares mixed in choppy trade; Greece, Australia budget eyed | 20150925094235 | China's Shanghai Composite index finished at a one-week high amid a three-day winning streak, thanks to the central bank's interest rate cut on Sunday.
Brokerage houses led advances, with Founder Securities and Haitong Securities closing up 2.3 and 1.5 percent, respectively.
While Industrial and Commercial Bank of China failed to capitalize on Monday's rally and closed down 0.2 percent, other financial plays finished in the black with modest gains. In the property space, heavyweight developers like Poly Real Estate and China Vanke tumbled more than 1 percent each.
Automakers were mixed following data that showed China's auto sales fell 0.5 percent on-year in April. While SAIC Motor and Guangzhou Auto retreated 0.7 and 1.4 percent, respectively, Dongfeng Auto charged up by the daily maximum allowable of 10 percent. Shenzhen-listed FAW Group bounced up nearly 2 percent, but Changan Automobile Group declined 2.4 percent.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong markets took a breather and ended down 1.1 percent.
Read MoreChina faces 'enormous challenges': Paulson
Australia's S&P ASX 200 index finished in the black for the first time in a week, ahead of the nation's annual federal budget due later in the day, which markets expect to show a deficit of over 40 billion Australian dollars ($31.5 billion).
Banks were in the spotlight as National Australia Bank resumed trading after announcing a mammoth $5.5 billion rights issue last Thursday. Shares of the lender closed down 0.5 percent as it played catchup in a technical correction, analysts say. Marking a comeback following last week's rout due to downbeat earnings, Australia and New Zealand Banking, Westpac and Commonwealth Bank of Australia elevated between 0.9 and 1.5 percent.
The resources space turned higher in the afternoon session, with market bellwether BHP BIlliton outperforming the sector with a rise of 2.2 percent. "China has really given some of these materials plays some renewed vigor. However, these moves could well be a flash in the pan and might not necessarily go the distance," Stan Shamu, IG's market strategist, wrote in a note.
Qantas was among the top gainers for Tuesday, raking in its highest gain since September 2008 by soaring 7.2 percent, after CEO Alan Joyce said lower fuel bill to boost the airline's transformation plan. | Asian shares traded mixed on Tuesday, as investors weighed a raft of earnings and kept an eye on Australia's federal budget and Greece's debt crisis. | 15.137931 | 0.62069 | 0.827586 | low | low | abstractive |
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/05/13/obama-targets-hedge-funds-in-personal-remarks-on-poverty-race.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20150925160845id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2015/05/13/obama-targets-hedge-funds-in-personal-remarks-on-poverty-race.html | Obama targets hedge funds in personal remarks on poverty, race | 20150925160845 | At the panel discussion, the president defended his practice of encouraging young African American men to take responsibility for their children when they become parents.
"I am a black man who grew up without a father and I know the cost that I paid for that. And I also know that I have the capacity to break that cycle, and as a consequence, I think my daughters are better off," he said to applause.
Obama's comments came a few days after the first lady spoke candidly about the challenges the couple faced as African Americans.
"We've both felt the sting of those daily slights throughout our entire lives: the folks who crossed the street in fear of their safety; the clerks who kept a close eye on us in all those department stores; the people at formal events who assumed we were the 'help,'" Michelle Obama said during a commencement address at Tuskegee University in Alabama on Saturday.
Read MoreTrade 'fast-track' stumbles in Senate
The president's remarks covered income inequality as much as racial divides.
He said policy makers had to budget for programs that helped impoverished youth, and he singled out changing tax loopholes such as one on "carried interest" enjoyed by fund managers as a way to help boost resources for such programs.
Obama, who once criticized "fat cat bankers" on Wall Street, has toned down his rhetoric about executive pay in recent years while remaining focused on boosting the middle class. He is likely to continue that focus, along with work on "My Brother's Keeper," a program to help young black men, after leaving the White House. | President Obama has addressed U.S. struggles with class and race in personal terms and renewed his call to close tax loopholes. | 14.545455 | 0.636364 | 0.727273 | low | low | abstractive |
http://www.cnbc.com/2014/11/14/us-stocks.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20150925163318id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2014/11/14/us-stocks.html | Stocks end little moved; benchmarks up for 4th week | 20150925163318 | U.S. stocks were little changed on Friday, with the S&P 500 rising a fraction of a point to notch another record, as investors tracked the price of oil and after October retail sales rose 0.3 percent, just above expectations, along with a November jump in consumer confidence.
"The real trade will be when everybody wakes up and realizes lower oil prices are a tailwind for the consumer. Increased consumer confidence, higher levels of employment and lower gasoline prices, I really believe none of that is baked into the cake yet," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at Wunderlich Securities.
Baker Hughes rose after the oilfield-services provider confirmed discussions with Halliburton. Hertz Global Holdings declined after the car-rental company said it would restate three years of financial results.
Investors are currently viewing the decline in crude "as a read on the global economy rather what it truly is, which is a read on global supply," said Hogan.
Another economic report from the government on Friday had U.S. import prices falling in September the most in two years as the cost of petroleum products fell and a stronger dollar made it cheaper for Americans to buy goods from abroad.
Read MoreStrong dollar, weak oil helping Americans get cheaper imports | Stocks stepped slightly higher Friday, with investors tracking the price of oil. | 17 | 0.785714 | 2.071429 | medium | medium | mixed |
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/08/28/pr-newswire-agodacom-study-reveals-travelers-prefer-free-wi-fi-to-free-breakfast.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20150925190624id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2015/08/28/pr-newswire-agodacom-study-reveals-travelers-prefer-free-wi-fi-to-free-breakfast.html | Agoda.com Study Reveals Travelers' Prefer Free Wi-Fi to Free Breakfast | 20150925190624 | SINGAPORE, Aug. 28, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Agoda.com, one of the world's leading accommodation sites and part of Nasdaq-listed Priceline Group (Nasdaq:PCLN), announced today the results of its most recent Travel Smarts survey, which shows travelers prefer free in-room Wi-Fi to free breakfast.
The survey, conducted in July 2015, asked over 5,000 Agoda.com customers from around the world which amenities they want in hotel rooms.
When asked which they'd rather have for free, travelers prefer Wi-Fi over breakfast, but barely. Wi-Fi got 55% of the vote and breakfast 45%.
"We know both are important to our customers," says John Brown, Agoda.com's Chief Operating Officer. "Most hoteliers understand that, too, and the majority of the properties on Agoda.com offer room rates inclusive of Wi-Fi, breakfast or both," he said.
Travelers do have a clear preference when it comes to spacious beds, though. When asked whether they'd prefer a bigger bed or a bigger bathroom, 75% picked a bigger bed.
About Agoda Company Pte Ltd:
Agoda Company Pte Ltd (Agoda.com) is a leading Asia-based, online accommodation reservations company, which specializes in securing the lowest discount accommodation prices. Agoda.com is part of The Priceline Group (Nasdaq:PCLN). Agoda.com's network includes more than 700,000 hotels and other accommodation properties worldwide. The multinational staff of more than 1,700 professionals, located throughout the world, provides a first-rate reservation service that uniquely combines local knowledge and local connections to provide the best accommodation deals to both business and leisure travelers.
A member of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), Agoda.com's aim is to promote travel by making it more affordable and more accessible to more people. AGODA® is a registered trademark of AGIP LLC, used under license by Agoda Company Pte. Ltd.
For more information about the study, please contact Nico Marco, public relations leader, at nico.marco@agoda.com.
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SOURCE Agoda Company Pte Ltd | SINGAPORE, Aug. 28, 2015/ PRNewswire/-- Agoda.com, one of the world's leading accommodation sites and part of Nasdaq-listed Priceline Group, announced today the results of its most recent Travel Smarts survey, which shows travelers prefer free in-room Wi-Fi to free breakfast. About Agoda Company Pte Ltd:. Agoda Company Pte Ltd is a leading Asia- based, online... | 6.472222 | 0.944444 | 16.666667 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.cnbc.com/2014/10/06/emily-white.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20150925193627id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2014/10/06/emily-white.html | Emily White | 20150925193627 | Title: Chief operating officer, Snapchat; formerly director of business operations, Facebook's Instagram
Born: August 31, 1978, Santa Clara, California
Education: BA in fine arts, Vanderbilt University
Early Marker: Was employee No. 230 at Google, where she rose to run Asia-Pacific and Latin America's online ad sales.
Big Idea: Creating advertising revenue for the ephemeral photo and video mobile service, which has hitherto been a reluctant monetizer.
Wave of the Future: Social media, visual Web, App-economy M-economy | COO, Snapchat; formerly director of business operations, Facebook’s Instagram | 8.384615 | 0.846154 | 7.769231 | low | medium | mixed |
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/05/19/marlo-thomas-has-advice-for-entrepreneurs.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20150926073318id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2015/05/19/marlo-thomas-has-advice-for-entrepreneurs.html | Marlo Thomas has advice for entrepreneurs | 20150926073318 | Actress and activist Marlo Thomas has advice for entrepreneurs: Never face the facts.
"All the facts are against anybody from taking any kind of leap in your life, so you have to say those are everybody else's facts and now I'm going to create my own path," she told CNBC at the 2015 Iconic Conference in Chicago this week.
Read MoreMunster Culpa: I was wrong about Apple TV
She added that age shouldn't deter someone from pursuing goals since, "you are going to be 40 anyway, so why not do what you want to do?" | The actress and activist spoke about how to reinvent oneself at CNBC's Iconic Conference in Chicago this week. | 5.7 | 0.8 | 3.2 | low | medium | mixed |
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/08/04/lightning-round-financials-make-no-sense-on-this.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20150926194152id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2015/08/04/lightning-round-financials-make-no-sense-on-this.html | Lightning Round: Financials make no sense on this | 20150926194152 | It's that time again! Jim Cramer rang the lightning round bell, which means he gave his take on caller favorite stocks at rapid speed:
Nutrisystem Inc: "The stock has had a very, very big run. I feel that we are a little bit late on this one. I congratulate those guys for looking like they're doing pretty good. I would say that I like Under Armour on a pullback because I like that fitness connection business he's got. Wow!"
LinkedIn Corp: "I've got to tell you, I'm getting tired of LinkedIn reporting a quarter that I can't understand and I could not understand this one. They have got to really simplify their financials. I'm going to have to say to take a pass on LinkedIn, or sell it."
Paypal Holdings: "My charitable trust just bought some Paypal today. Why? Because we think it has now gotten cheaper than Mastercard and Visa. But we took a small position, my hope is that the charitable trust will buy it on the way down. Not going to be too aggressive because we think this market has gotten very hard."
Canadian National Railway: "I think CNI can come back. I actually think it's doing better than a lot of the other rails. I don't mind Canadian, but you know that I am not a fan of the rails and we did put a vast majority of them in the sell-block."
---------------------------------------------------------- Read more from Mad Money with Jim Cramer Cramer Remix: Even president Obama can't help this Cramer: 2007 Fed rant—has anything really changed? Cramer: Oil, China & Greece are great for the bulls ----------------------------------------------------------
Amerisource Bergen: "I think that a lot of people expected it even more from Amerisource Bergen. I didn't, I agree with you. I think it's a terrific buy here."
GW Pharmaceuticals: "You've got such a big gain! I feel that bulls make money, bears make money, and hogs get slaughtered. Let's take a little bit off the table. That's a very big gain." | Jim Cramer gives his opinion to caller favorite stocks, and is tired of this tech stock's financials that make no sense. | 17.375 | 0.791667 | 1.291667 | medium | medium | abstractive |
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/07/28/gold-wedged-below-1100-ahead-of-fed-outcome.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20150926231513id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2015/07/28/gold-wedged-below-1100-ahead-of-fed-outcome.html | Gold inches up after Fed leaves door open to Sept rate hike | 20150926231513 | Policymakers had been expected to reaffirm that only consistent signs of a strong U.S. economy and labor market would put it on track to raise interest rates in coming months.
For non-interest yielding gold, higher interest rates mean prices could come under pressure for gold.
"In my view, the market is so oversold that the next move should be higher, but right now, who knows?" LBBW analyst Thorsten Proettel said ahead of the Fed statement. "A lot of people have burnt their fingers with gold, and they don't want to touch it."
Spot gold touched $1,077 last week, its weakest since February 2010, following a sell-off on exchanges in New York and Shanghai, when investors cut their exposure on fears of further price declines.
Gold has since found it tough to recover above $1,100 an ounce, indicating bearish investors continued to hover in the market.
Read More$1M in 300-year-old gold coins found off Florida coast
U.S. stocks stayed higher after the Fed statement while the dollar briefly extended gains.
Holdings of the largest gold-backed exchange-traded-fund, New York's SPDR Gold Trust, were unchanged at 21.87 million ounces on Monday, the lowest since September 2008, following a seven-day slide.
Spot palladium was down 0.7 percent at $615 an ounce and platinum was down 0.2 percent at $983 an ounce, both not far above multi-year lows. Silver was up 0.8 percent at $14.79 an ounce. | Gold moved up a shade on Wednesday, but remained near last week's 5-1/2-year low, after a Fed statement raised uncertainty about the timing of a rate hike. | 8.878788 | 0.575758 | 0.818182 | low | low | abstractive |
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/07/29/heat-wave-millions-face-blazing-temperatures-thick-humidity.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20150927031832id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2015/07/29/heat-wave-millions-face-blazing-temperatures-thick-humidity.html | Heat Wave: Millions Face Blazing Temperatures, Thick Humidity | 20150927031832 | After a blazingly hot Tuesday — with temperatures hitting 94 degrees in New York City — the northwest and northeast were bracing for more tropical weather.
Roth said that the northwest will see temperatures 10-20 degrees above average, with record-setting heat likely on Thursday and through the weekend. The northeast will see highs 5-10 degrees above average.
Several towns and cities in Connecticut were opening cooling centers in anticipation, according to NBC Connecticut.
Read MoreDrought, hot weather cause trouble for hops growers
Oppressive humidity will make it even worse for the Mississippi Valley, according to Roth.
St. Louis might only see temperatures of around 91 — but it'll feel like 102 or higher.
The most dangerous heat is forecast for Missouri and Memphis, with predictions that the heat index could climb to 110. Texas and Florida, too, will see temperatures top 100 degrees.
Even the typically-cool great lakes are expected to see the mercury rise above 90 degrees for the first time since 2013.
Staying cool isn't the only thing to worry about, however: environmental officials have warned the hot and humid weather will produce poor air quality in southern Connecticut, coastal Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts. | The sweltering heat is expected to last unusually long, NBC News reports. | 16.785714 | 0.571429 | 0.857143 | medium | low | abstractive |
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/05/26/dollar-regains-mojo-on-rate-view.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20150927082331id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2015/05/26/dollar-regains-mojo-on-rate-view.html | Dollar hits 8-year high vs yen, euro firms | 20150927082331 | Traders brushed off Amari's comments with the dollar touching a multi-year high of 124.07 yen on the EBS trading system. It last traded up 0.71 percent at 123.86 yen.
The euro's bounce against the dollar was modest, however, as European officials downplayed a Greek debt accord was near.
"All those comments have to be taken with a big pinch of salt, but it's helping there are signs we are moving toward a deal," said Charles St. Arnaud, currency strategist at Nomura Securities International in New York.
The euro fell earlier on revived view that the U.S. currency would push toward parity with the European Central Bank's plan to accelerate its bond purchases for its 1.1 trillion euro quantitative easing program.
Read MoreGuess who's back? Dollar shines
The euro was last up 0.08 percent at $1.08905 after touching one-month low of $1.0819 earlier on the EBS platform.
Renewed enthusiasm in the greenback boosted the dollar index to its highest in more than a month at 97.775. It was last up 0.08 percent at 97.37.
Tuesday's better-than-expected U.S. data on core business spending, new home sales and consumer confidence failed to renew bets the Fed would end its near zero rate policy at its June meeting, but they supported the notion it would do so by year-end, analysts said. | The dollar rose against most major currencies on Wednesday, hitting an eight-year peak against the yen. | 13.1 | 0.55 | 0.95 | low | low | abstractive |
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/05/31/greece-minister-open-to-seal-deal-this-week.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20150927154445id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2015/05/31/greece-minister-open-to-seal-deal-this-week.html | Greece minister: open to seal deal this week | 20150927154445 | The government earlier this week said it hoped for a deal by Sunday, though international lenders have been less optimistic, citing Greece's resistance to labour and pension reforms that are conditions for more aid.
Voutsis said Athens and its partners agreed on some issues, such as achieving low primary budget surpluses in the first two years. But they still disagreed on a sales tax, with Greece pushing so any VAT hikes will not burden lower incomes.
"A powerful majority in the political negotiations has showed respect for the fact that there can't be further austerity strategies for the Greek issue, the Greek problem and the Greek people," he said.
Read MoreBill Gross: Don't downplay Greece's struggles
The debt stand-off between Greece and its European Union partners overshadowed a meeting of policymakers from the Group of Seven rich nations in Dresden, Germany, on Friday.
The United States warned of a possible accident for the world economy if Greece and its creditors miss their June deadlines to avert a debt default.
In an interview with Realnews newspaper published on Saturday, Economy Minister George Stathakis said Athens had no alternative plan.
"The idea of a Plan B doesn't exist. Our country needs to stay in the eurozone but on a better organized aid program," he said.
Stathakis was confident a deal will be reached. "Otherwise, mainly Greece but the European Union as well will step into unchartered waters and no-one wants that." | Greece's government is confident of reaching a deal with its creditors this week, the interior minister said. | 14.25 | 0.85 | 1.45 | low | medium | abstractive |
http://www.cnbc.com/2014/10/01/airline-shares-tumble-hard-on-ebola-fears.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20150927164211id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2014/10/01/airline-shares-tumble-hard-on-ebola-fears.html | First US Ebola patient flew United, airline says | 20150927164211 | "We are ensuring our employees have this information and suggest that any customers who have concerns contact the experts at the CDC for further information," United said, noting that it was not required to divulge the information.
Shares of United and other global airlines ended the session sharply lower on Wednesday.
"African travel isn't a huge part of the travel industry, but it does seem like some parts of the industry are likely to be disrupted from this," RiverPark Advisors' Mitch Rubin told Reuters.
Read MoreCompanies working on Ebola: Prospects, potential
Shares of Delta and Southwest closed more than 3 percent lower, while United Airlines and Ryanair Holdings closed more than 2 percent after falling as much as 4 percent in earlier.
The NYSE Arca Airline index and the Dow Jones Transportation Average were both down more than 2 percent.
The Dow fell more than 1 percent, with Boeing and United Technologies among the hardest hit, with declines of 2 percent and 1.7 percent, respectively.
Read MoreNo other suspected Ebola cases in Texas: Health officials
The CDC on Tuesday said the patient arrived in the U.S. from Liberia on September 20th about four days before seeking medical care. | Global airline stocks closed sharply on Wednesday after the CDC confirmed the first case of Ebola in the country. | 10.952381 | 0.714286 | 1 | low | low | abstractive |
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/06/01/italys-renzi-losing-votes-left-right-and-center.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20150927184550id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2015/06/01/italys-renzi-losing-votes-left-right-and-center.html | Italy's Renzi losing votes left, right and center? | 20150927184550 | Barclays, meanwhile, notes that should Renzi's party score poorly at the elections, dissidents within the party "may decide to take a more radical approach on the remaining reforms," and could upset the reform process.
"While it may be too early to predict a PD party split, we think that the speed of reform may be slow in the future (in particular concerning the second leg of the labor market and the education system reforms), unless Renzi finds alternative support within the Parliament, and in particular in the Senate, to keep reform implementation on track and keep up the pace delivered so far," the bank said.
Delaying reforms could imperil Italy's tentative economic recovery after a prolonged recession, however. On Friday, Italy's statistics service, Istat, confirmed preliminary gross domestic product (GDP) data that showed the economy grew 0.3 percent in the first quarter, marking the first quarter of growth since September 2013.
Growth has been primarily spurred on by external factors, such as the weaker euro, however and as such, the recovery is fragile at best, Raj Badiani from IHS Global Insight warned on Friday.
"The risk remains that the favorable backdrop fails to spark a noteworthy recovery in Italy during 2015, with the country lagging behind as growth accelerates more acutely across the single currency region. Furthermore, poor labour market developments could offset the favorable external backdrop, extinguishing the recovery spark in Italy during 2015," Badiani said in a note.
"Such an outcome would bring to even sharper focus on the structural impediments sitting on Italy's growth potential, and ramp up the pressure on the country to deepen its reform drive." | Italy's Prime Minister and his center-left party suffered a raft of damaging defeats in local elections this weekend. | 14.681818 | 0.409091 | 0.5 | low | low | abstractive |
http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2015/09/16/southie-resident-sues-city-gate-heaven-developer/YrqXbqHJuKk3HboUO4htyJ/story.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20150928013819id_/http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2015/09/16/southie-resident-sues-city-gate-heaven-developer/YrqXbqHJuKk3HboUO4htyJ/story.html | Southie resident sues city, Gate of Heaven developer | 20150928013819 | A South Boston resident has sued a developer with plans to turn the old Gate of Heaven school into condos and accused the city of “gross negligence, bad faith, or malice” for approving the project.
Kevin Lally, the head of the Gate of Heaven Neighborhood Association, filed suit against Oranmore Development LLC and the city’s zoning board of appeals. Lally’s complaint said the city ignored the procedures it is obliged to follow before granting a variance that allowed the project to go forward.
It’s the latest step for the project that has angered many neighborhood residents since it was proposed in 2012. Earlier this year, the planned conversion of the school into 26 condominiums seemed poised to advance after the zoning board granted the project exemptions to area building rules. Mayor Martin J. Walsh has expressed support for the project.
But neighbors have insisted that the site should remain a school. They said converting the structure to condos would harm the fabric of the neighborhood and introduce more cars and traffic onto the crowded streets of South Boston.
Michael Moore, the project’s proponent, didn’t reply to a request for comment, and court records didn’t list an attorney for Oranmore. In a statement, mayoral spokeswoman Bonnie McGilpin said the city would review the complaint and respond accordingly. The lawsuit was filed in Suffolk Superior Court on September 10, according to court records. | Kevin Lally, the neighborhood activist who has opposed turning the old Gate of Heaven school into condos, has filed suit against the city and the developer. | 9.103448 | 0.862069 | 3.551724 | low | medium | mixed |
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/06/04/s-korea-confirms-fourth-mers-death-as-alarm-grows.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20150928021740id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2015/06/04/s-korea-confirms-fourth-mers-death-as-alarm-grows.html | S. Korea confirms fourth MERS death as alarm grows | 20150928021740 | South Korea confirmed the death of one more victim of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) on Friday, the fourth fatality in an outbreak of the often-deadly virus in the country.
The patient was a 76-year-old man and had been the third person to contract the illness after sharing a ward with other MERS patients, the ministry said in a press release.
The ministry said five more people were confirmed to be carrying the disease, bringing the total of South Koreans with MERS to 41 -- the highest number outside the Middle East.
About 1,600 people have been quarantined in South Korea, most at home but some in medical institutions. The new cases bring the total globally to about 1,185, based on WHO data, with at least 443 related deaths.
Read MoreThe holy grail of treating disease: Intarcia
While there has been no sustained human-to-human transmission, the worst-case scenario would be for the virus to change and spread rapidly, as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) did in 2002-2003, killing about 800 people around the world.
MERS was first identified in humans in 2012 and is caused by a coronavirus from the same family as the one that triggered SARS. But MERS has a much higher death rate at 38 percent, according to World Health Organization (WHO) figures. | South Korea confirmed the death of one more victim of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) on Friday, the fourth fatality in the country. | 9.592593 | 1 | 21.666667 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/06/08/dollar-steadies-after-pullback-against-euro.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20150928093909id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2015/06/08/dollar-steadies-after-pullback-against-euro.html | Dollar struggles on post-payrolls angst | 20150928093909 | "The consensus is that it will be a strong number," said Sireen Haraji, currency strategist at Mizuho in New York.
Forecasters expect U.S. retail sales for May to have risen 1.1 percent, according to a Reuters poll. Soft consumer spending in recent months is reported to worry Fed policymakers, who are weighing their first interest rate hike in nearly a decade.
U.S. Treasuries yields were higher, with the two-year yielding 0.7129 percent.
The dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major currencies, was last off 0.14 percent at 95.16, well below the high of 96.909 scaled on Friday when the U.S. jobs report was released.
The dollar declined on Monday, in part because of worries U.S. officials may be growing concerned about the economic fallout from a strong dollar.
Read MoreThe dollar looks 'phenomenal.' Here's why - trader
A media report quoted an unnamed French official as saying that President Barack Obama was not comfortable with a strong dollar. While the White House issued a swift denial, many investors used the report as an opportunity to pare long dollar positions.
Several analysts said dollar strength was a hot topic for discussion amongst policymakers in the United States, and that implied the risk of more verbal intervention.
Greece's drawn-out bailout talks kept investors wary. It has submitted alternative proposals to European creditors, a Greek government official said on Tuesday, but its deal with the European Union and IMF expires at the end of this month, and Athens must make heavy repayments by then that may be impossible without funds from the creditors. | The dollar inched ahead on Tuesday, eroding its previous session's loss, helped by a rise in U.S. bond yields. | 13.434783 | 0.608696 | 0.956522 | low | low | abstractive |
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/06/18/tech-workers-could-be-as-hated-as-bankers-as-robots-take-more-jobs.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20150929091851id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2015/06/18/tech-workers-could-be-as-hated-as-bankers-as-robots-take-more-jobs.html | Tech workers could be as hated as bankers as robots take more jobs | 20150929091851 | But Wei, who is the youngest member of the House of Lord, said "there is hope" and a "transition plan" needed to be put in place for jobs that could be under threat. Employees could, for example, be offered shares in companies.
"It's ownership of something – a company, a house, something scarce – that robots, big data, AI can't do. That allows you to get wealth," Wei said.
The automation of jobs could actually create more jobs too, Wei argued.
Robots could take over waiting jobs in a restaurants, for example, but people will be needed to maintain the machines. Plus, people who have been displaced could retrain and return to work in more advanced roles.
Indeed, the automation of roles will make society richer as people take up more advanced employment, Wei claimed.
"We'll all be richer when more people are doing jobs they're interested in, which match their skill levels. This means there is more surplus (of profit) in companies, which means it will feed through into higher wages or investment and then you get the virtuous cycle. Right now that isn't happening," he added. | People who work in technology could become as hated as bankers, a top U.K. lawmaker has warned, as employees in the sector get richer. | 8.777778 | 0.62963 | 0.851852 | low | low | abstractive |
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/06/19/lemonade-war-3-legal-issues-with-your-kids-small-biz.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20150929110625id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2015/06/19/lemonade-war-3-legal-issues-with-your-kids-small-biz.html | Lemonade war: 3 legal issues with your kid's small biz | 20150929110625 | To operate a lemonade stand lawfully, your entrepreneur may need to apply for a vendor permit with your town or state.
A similar license from the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs will run $388 for two years. However, there is a $70 application fee and a $25 endorsement fee. So, this paperwork alone will set your lemonade mogul back almost $500, even before they factor in the cost of citrus fruits and plastic cups.
Read MoreBurger King has new burger coming out...that's red
There are, of course, some towns and officials who are more lenient and do not require these permits. Greg Rice, the planning & development director for the city of Dunedin, Florida, chose not to shut down 12-year-old T.J. Guerrero's lemonade stand last summer.
"Can someone not mow someone's lawn for cash? Walk a dog? Babysit?" Rice asked. "We looked at it as one of those areas that are very common for all of us when we are growing up... and making sure it was wasn't causing a nuisance in the community."
From his perspecitve, adults and even older teens, have other opportunities for employment and there was no need to close down a stand that wasn't causing traffic problems or disrupting the local community. In fact, police polled the neighborhood and only one resident took issue with the small business—the guy who lodged the initial complaint with local authorities. | Pint-sized entrepreneurs all over the United States could see their summer businesses sour. | 17.6875 | 0.3125 | 0.3125 | medium | low | abstractive |
https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/theater-art/2014/03/29/deaf-blind-cast-break-bread-with-their-audience/PVwe1SF9BX7GMDLOHNbYyN/story.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20150930220131id_/https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/theater-art/2014/03/29/deaf-blind-cast-break-bread-with-their-audience/PVwe1SF9BX7GMDLOHNbYyN/story.html | Deaf, blind cast break bread with their audience | 20150930220131 | If Adina Tal knew what she was doing, none of this might have worked.
That’s what she says about her initial efforts to conduct an acting workshop with participants who are both deaf and blind.
“If I really understood what it means to be deaf-blind, I would never be able to get angry at them, to be demanding,” Tal, speaking recently from her home in Jerusalem, says of the 12 deaf-blind participants who were in that workshop. “I was surrounded by some social workers, and they kept telling me that I’m asking too much from them, that I’m not nice enough. But I feel that it was great for them that someone was demanding.”
The Swiss-born stage director, who immigrated to Israel in 1973, had been asked to lead similar workshops previously and declined. (“I’m not Mother Teresa,” she said, explaining her reticence in a TEDx Talk last year.) But eventually, in 1999, she gave it a shot.
The workshop was meant to last two months. Fifteen years later, you might say it’s still going on — though it has since evolved into a professional acting company, Nalaga’at, with a permanent home in Tel Aviv.
Emerson Paramount Center Mainstage, 617-824-8400.
This troupe, made up of 11 participants from the original dozen, made its US debut in New York City last year with a 21-show run of its original piece “Not By Bread Alone.” It’s the group’s second piece of devised theater; each took years of preparation, and the actors perform them at home in Tel Aviv and on international tours. Presented by ArtsEmerson, “Not By Bread Alone” is now headed to the Emerson Paramount Center Mainstage in a production that begins performances on Tuesday.
It’s structured around a universally understood ritual: baking and sharing bread. Throughout the one-act performance, actors knead and then bake loaves onstage while taking turns presenting vignettes from their lives and imaginations. The scenes vary in mood, from a monologue about a lonely holiday to the comical depiction of a hair salon visit. Some of the actors are nonverbal; an onstage translator, and supertitles, help audiences follow along.
“I believe that while the bread is made onstage, a tolerance and love are made between us and the audience,” actress Bat-Sheva Rabansari says by e-mail, through a translator. “The audience gets to know us, our talents and our world. I believe that because of that, the next time they will meet a deaf-blind person they will be able to see the person and not the disability.”
Many of the actors have Usher syndrome, a genetic condition that causes deafness at birth, followed by gradually encroaching blindness. Some speak with traditional sign language, some don’t. When they gather to work together, each actor needs a translator. Onstage, the bass frequencies of a drum assist the actors with cues. In one emotionally potent sequence, an actor is led across the stage, his outstretched hand passed from one actor to the next.
“Not By Bread Alone” has also taken these first-time actors to London, South Korea, and Australia. Each performance concludes with the audience invited onstage to meet the actors and eat the bread. This is a crucial part of the process; it gives the actors their first contact with their audience.
“We cannot really understand what people have thought about the show. Some of us cannot even know that there are people at the theater. By touching the audience, we can feel them, their applause, and their reaction,” Rabansari says.
The Nalaga’at Center in Tel Aviv includes a theater, cafe staffed by the deaf and hearing-impaired, and a restaurant called BlackOut where patrons are served by blind waiters in a completely dark room. It’s all part of an overall effort to help theatergoers better relate to the world of the performers.
Cast members Shoshana Segal (left) and Yuri Osherov.
But Tal is adamant that their chief goal is to create good theater. Early on in the troupe’s life, she realized she had work to do in adjusting people’s expectations when some patrons asked if their tickets were tax-deductible. The essential exchange that happens in the theater, Tal says, is for audiences to receive something from the performers, not the other way around. “It’s not me that came to give to them,” Tal says, speaking for the audience, “it’s me that came to get from them.”
This was not the attitude of early audiences, before Nalaga’at earned a reputation based on its performances.
“I’ll tell you the truth, I had to force my family and friends to come,” Tal remembers. “Outside they’d be laughing and everything was fine, but then they came into the show and it was like going to a funeral. People would sit with very sad faces and look at the clock. Then after 15 or 20 minutes, they realized something is wrong here — it’s a good show.”
Since the troupe began touring internationally, Tal says, audiences are more likely to enter the theater expecting to be entertained, rather than just supporting a good cause.
“The whole event is conceived from the standpoint of an artistic experience,” ArtsEmerson director of artistic programs David Dower says, “which is part of why it’s such a surprise and so rewarding — everything about the look of it, the shape of the story, and then the virtuosity of the performers.”
Though the performance is centered on people who are otherwise isolated sharing their inner lives, Tal says there’s much for the audience to gain.
“I think it’s very much about the hope that says there’s no limit to human spirit. All of us can change, can accept our own imperfectness, can accept imperfectness in other people, and basically can change reality,” Tal says. “If the actors have the courage to leave the silence and darkness they used to be in — to become stars — maybe I can have the courage to change my life, too.” | If Adina Tal knew what she was doing, none of this might have worked. That’s what she says about her initial efforts to conduct an acting workshop with participants who are both deaf and blind. “If I really understood what it means to be deaf-blind, I would never be able to get angry at them, to be demanding,” Tal, speaking recently from her home in Jerusalem, says of the 12 deaf-blind participants who were in that workshop. “But I feel that it was great for them that someone was demanding.” The workshop was meant to last two months. Fifteen years later, you might say it’s still going on — though it has since evolved into a professional acting company, Nalaga’at, with a permanent home in Tel Aviv. Presented by ArtsEmerson, Nalaga’at’s “Not By Bread Alone” is now headed to the Emerson Paramount Center Mainstage in a production that begins performances on Tuesday. | 6.681319 | 1 | 35.593407 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/08/24/reuters-america-pbfs-delaware-city-catalytic-cracker-shut-for-at-least-a-month-source.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151001043724id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2015/08/24/reuters-america-pbfs-delaware-city-catalytic-cracker-shut-for-at-least-a-month-source.html | PBF's Delaware City catalytic cracker shut for at least a month -source | 20151001043724 | NEW YORK, Aug 24 (Reuters) - A key gasoline-making unit at PBF Energy Inc's 182,200-barrel-per-day (bpd) Delaware City, Delaware, refinery is expected to be shut for at least a month - and possibly much longer - following an explosion and fire on Friday, a source familiar with plant operations said on Sunday.
The unexpected shutdown of the 65,000-bpd fluid catalytic cracker comes as U.S. refiners run at high rates to soak up the remaining profits of a summer marked by higher-than-expected demand. It's also the latest in a string of incidents that have caused gas prices to spike, even as U.S. oil prices have plummeted.
The primary wet gas compressor associated with the FCC at Delaware City and its backup were damaged in the fire on Friday, and officials spent the weekend trying to assess the extent of the damage, the source said.
Repairs on the compressors could take much longer than a month, the source said, if necessary parts were not readily available.
If a lengthy outage is needed, company officials may decide to carry out work planned for an overhaul that was set for the spring of 2016, the source said.
Delaware City is a relatively small refinery by U.S. standards, but accounts for about 14 percent of the East Coast's total capacity. And its location near the New York harbor oil pricing hub gives it a greater impact on markets.
Since PBF bought and reopened the refinery five years ago, it has been running on a mix of domestic shale crude and a growing proportion of Canadian oil brought in by rail. In 2014, it imported 75,000 bpd of foreign crude, with about 45,000 bpd of that Canadian grades, two-thirds of which were heavy-sour, according to Energy Information Administration data.
Gasoline prices in the upper Midwest surged two weeks ago after a major crude unit at BP Plc's Whiting, Indiana, refinery shut down for potentially extended repairs following a leak. The unit saw some activity this past weekend, suggesting a restart is near.
There were reports of a fire at HollyFrontier Corp's refinery in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Sunday, but the company said the incident had no impact on production.
(Reporting by Jarrett Renshaw; Editing by Paul Simao) | NEW YORK, Aug 24- A key gasoline-making unit at PBF Energy Inc's 182,200- barrel-per-day Delaware City, Delaware, refinery is expected to be shut for at least a month- and possibly much longer- following an explosion and fire on Friday, a source familiar with plant operations said on Sunday. The primary wet gas compressor associated with the FCC at Delaware City and... | 5.945946 | 0.918919 | 11.891892 | low | medium | extractive |
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/08/08/laying-the-groundwork-for-a-lifetime-of-love.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151001053635id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2015/08/08/laying-the-groundwork-for-a-lifetime-of-love.html | Laying the groundwork for a lifetime of love | 20151001053635 | In Walzer's cynical view, these clauses do little more than provide a "powerless" person with the feeling that they got something in a relationship agreement worked out with a more powerful partner. And that's because courts will in most cases disregard these clauses, said New York City divorce attorney Robert Wallack. "They're used to set forth relationship expectations, not contractual obligations," Wallack said.
Walzer said there is also a risk that one unenforceable clause leads a judge to invalidate an entire contract. It's unlikely, but it's imperative that any relationship contract that includes lifestyle clauses explicitly states that in the event an isolated clause is deemed unenforceable, the broader contract is still in effect. The legal term for this is severability.
"Any good contract says that if there are parts that are deemed unenforceable, it will remain in effect in other parts of the contract," Carrozza said.
The legalese may be confusing, but Chicago family law mediator Michele Lowrance said the heart of the matter is understandable: Relationships are hard. She is seeing more prenups and said the contracts are bound to get even more creative and expensive. "Everyone is at such a loss when it comes to relationships, they are looking for any reason to make them sustainable," Lowrance said. "The more communication, the better, or there will be more trouble later."
However, the retired family court judge said there's a basic risk of putting anything into writing—it can come back to haunt you. Lifestyle clauses on their own may be unenforceable in court, but it's still written ammunition for an angry spouse—especially if there is a divorce proceeding.
—By Constance Gustke, special to CNBC.com | More couples are using lifestyle clauses in nuptial contracts, covering gambling, drugs, affairs, even quality time spent together. | 14.434783 | 0.521739 | 0.608696 | low | low | abstractive |
http://www.cnbc.com/2014/08/27/mark-cuban-strikes-a-blow-for-privacy-with-new-app.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151001172318id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2014/08/27/mark-cuban-strikes-a-blow-for-privacy-with-new-app.html | Mark Cuban takes on Snapchat with new messaging app | 20151001172318 | Cuban said that inopportune texts were all too common in business and private lives.
"It pops up all the time," he added.
To that end, he backed development of Cyber Dust.
"After I send you a message on Cyber Dust and you read it, it's gone forever," he said.
Cuban said that he uses the app for 80 percent of his messages, save a few text-messaging holdouts.
"It's cut down on my email, too," he said. "A lot of folks are calling it 'email 2.0' because when you email somebody, we tend to be long-worded and it just builds up, and our email boxes back up. On Cyber Dust, when I send you a message, it has to be short by definition because you don't have forever to read it. And your responses are short, and you reply immediately. And so, I've cut my email dramatically as well."
Cuban pushed back against the idea that the app was meant to hide anything.
"Look, 99.999 percent of traders don't have inside information. It's just a better way to communicate," he said. "But if I want it to be private between us, and if for some reason the SEC goes bonkers like they always do and decide to assign some sort of nefarious action to you, they can't do it."
While ephemeral-messaging app Snapchat received a new $10 billion valuation, based on a reported $20 million investment from Kleiner Perkins, Cuban said he didn't know what Cyber Dust might be worth.
Read More Kleiner Perkins $20M investment values Snapchat at nearly $10B: DJ, citing sources
Would he sell for, say, $6 billion?
"Oh, yeah," he said. "Of course I'm taking it. I'm not an idiot." | Mark Cuban talks about the inspiration behind Cyber Dust, a new messaging app he helped create. | 21 | 0.611111 | 1.166667 | medium | low | abstractive |
http://www.cnbc.com/2013/11/25/how-the-crisis-made-graduates-become-entrepreneurs.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151001200928id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2013/11/25/how-the-crisis-made-graduates-become-entrepreneurs.html | How the crisis made graduates become entrepreneurs | 20151001200928 | Necessity is the mother of invention, so the proverb goes. Sam Atiko-MacQueen found that out when he was caught up in the biggest corporate collapse of the 2008 financial crisis.
When Atiko-MacQueen graduated from University College London in 2008, he had high hopes of a rewarding career in the city. Things didn't quite go to plan.
"I started as a grad at Lehman Brothers, and within about four months me and about 120 other graduates found ourselves without a job," he told CNBC.com.
"They were the biggest bankruptcy in the history of corporate America. It was very much an overnight ordeal for us, and we found out the next day that we didn't have jobs. As students, we didn't have any money either."
Atiko-MacQueen found himself in a position that many young graduates will be familiar with. A good degree from a top university, plenty to offer, buckets of enthusiasm, but no job.
(Read more:How to inspire your team on a daily basis)
"For the next couple of years it was pretty difficult," he added. "I joined another couple of firms. I worked for one – for free – for six months, and then they made a load of people redundant, so I left." In the second quarter of 2013, the unemployment rate among recent graduates was 9 percent, according to the Office for National Statistics - significantly higher than the 5 percent recorded for the same period in 2008.
Frustrated with the job market and its insecurity, Atiko-MacQueen decided to take matters into his own hands and start a business. His moment of inspiration came when looking for storage boxes in 2010. "Eventually I got hold of these old, vintage wooden wine crates, put them on top of my wardrobe and was really pleased with them," he said.
After a friend suggested he try and sell crates himself, the idea for a business was born. Today, The Wonderful Wood Company is the largest supplier of French wine crates and boxes in the UK, importing directly from France and selling, on average, 200 boxes to the retail market per week.
The company has experienced month on month sales growth of fifteen percent, and is now exporting crates to Europe and America, as well as manufacturing its own in China. "It started with boxes coming to my bedroom, and then as we grew bigger, we got a warehouse to store our stock," Atiko-MacQueen said.
(Read more: Ten brilliant British entrepreneurs under 30)
When he graduated from the University of Ulster in 2011, Paul Malone found competing in a saturated job market difficult. "[It was] really, really tough, exceptionally tough," Malone told CNBC.com. "No matter how well you thought you were suited to a role, a lot of the times you never even got an email back, or an acknowledgement. It was that ruthless."
Interested in pursuing a career in journalism, but finding the job market flooded and newspapers unable to take on staff, Malone, together with his partner, started a business. In October 2011 he founded The Newry Times, an online newspaper for the residents of Newry, County Down.
"It's a hyper local news service and we try to engage with the community," Malone said. "In this day and age, when you have a mobile phone with Twitter and Facebook, you should be able to get your news right now, no matter what time of day it is."
Since starting in 2011, The Newry Times has seen Malone and his team win a Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2012, and today has between 9,000-12,000 people visiting the site each week, as well as over 2,000 followers on Twitter.
"It sort of captured the imagination of the local community, because they were getting news straight away, and it was free," Malone said. "That's the big thing for us – people are strapped for cash locally, and Newry has a huge employment problem. People don't want to pay three pounds a week to buy three different local newspapers."
(Read more:When should your business start exporting?)
Had it not been for the financial meltdown of the last few years, the entrepreneurial nous of these two graduates would have most likely remained untapped. "It pushed me into making a decision I maybe thought I wasn't ready to make," Malone said.
"I think everybody says 'I'd love to start my own business', but they need that push in the right direction, they need that reason. If I had been in a comfortable job with a nice future ahead and the possibility of promotions, it would have been a lot harder to leave. But in the situation I was in, I was on the dole, I had no money. I had nothing to lose."
For Malone, the experience has been enriching. "You learn more in a year or two running your own business than you'll ever learn doing a degree or any other sort of discipline."
For Atiko-MacQueen, it's all about attitude. "If you do find yourself unemployed and have an idea for a business you want to pursue – and it really can be anything these days – my advice is to certainly go for it," he said. | How two graduates affected by the recession have taken matters into their own hands and started up their own businesses | 53 | 0.65 | 1.15 | high | low | abstractive |
http://www.cnbc.com/2013/11/18/apple-rumored-to-reach-beyond-the-touch-screen.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151001205755id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2013/11/18/apple-rumored-to-reach-beyond-the-touch-screen.html | Apple rumored to reach beyond the touch screen | 20151001205755 | Apple uses voice recognition technology and has dominated with touch screens, according to Costa, and adding gesture based sensing technology could help boost Apple's dominance in the living room and beyond.
There's one piece of technology that Apple is definitely using, however: its iBeacon transmitter, which the company is deploying in stores to track consumers with iPhones. Using the transmitter, Apple can send information to phones based on where the consumer is in its stores.
Similar technology is already being used by retailers including Kenneth Cole and Timberland, Costa noted.
"What retailers have to figure out is, once they know where the consumer is, what's the value proposition? Are you really just going to send them an alert or send them a coupon every time they're in a certain location in the store? People don't want more interruptions. They want value," Costa said. | Did Apple really buy the gesture recognition technology firm behind Microsoft's Xbox Kinect sensor? | 10.6875 | 0.5 | 0.625 | low | low | abstractive |
http://www.cnbc.com/2014/01/07/us-moves-closer-to-letting-banks-into-pot-business.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151003144057id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2014/01/07/us-moves-closer-to-letting-banks-into-pot-business.html | US moves closer to letting banks into pot business | 20151003144057 | Recreational marijuana is legal in Colorado and Washington, and medicinal marijuana laws exist in 20 states. New York soon will become No. 21 on that list. But federal law currently prohibits banks and credit card companies from processing pot business transactions.
That may all be about to change.
"Discussion with Justice to bring clarity to these issues for banks are underway," said Steve Hudak, spokesperson for the Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCen.
Hudak told CNBC that "banks are obligated to report suspicious activity, but everyone involved is earnestly looking for a solution to this problem."
The problem he referred to is this: Buying weed from an authorized dispensary is legal in many states, but banking laws clearly have not caught up.
(Read more: Colorado's brand-new pot economy)
"Everyone at this point is working together, so it's just a matter of having a lot of different government agencies and bureaucracies ... all on the same page," said Dan Riffle, director of federal policies for Marijuana Policy Project, a lobbying group based in Washington, D.C. "We can find a solution that will make the banking services available to this industry."
He expect that the Treasury and Justice departments will work out the differences in federal and state laws. That will allow banks to lend money to legitimate marijuana businesses and to process their transactions before the end of the first quarter of 2014.
Laws legalizing recreational or medical pot—or both—are passing on ballots throughout the country, and governors are keen to tap into the potential tax receipts from marijuana sales. Colorado, for instance, expects to generate $70 million in tax receipts from sales this year.
"The issue here is federal law," Riffle said. "A lot of these businesses are going to need access to financing in order to get started. And because of federal laws, banks are unwilling to do business with marijuana-related dispensaries, because of fear of money-laundering charges."
As a result, he said, there's great interest in setting up private equity firms that "can provide start-up financing and capital to these businesses." | Federal law currently prohibits banks from processing marijuana transactions, but that may all be about to change. | 22.421053 | 1 | 5.210526 | medium | high | mixed |
http://www.cnbc.com/2014/11/25/govt-guarantees-401k-rollovers-into-pensions.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151004094751id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2014/11/25/govt-guarantees-401k-rollovers-into-pensions.html | Govt guarantees 401(k) rollovers into pensions | 20151004094751 | If you rolled over your 401(k) into your pension and the pension failed, you would get your pension payment up to the $60,125 insurance limit. But you'd also get an additional monthly amount in the form of an annuity from the PBGC representing your 401(k) rollover.
More from USA Today:Gold is cheap. Is that good?Stock funds for big chickensWhen your retirement fund does you wrong
If your company froze your pension plan and it failed, you'd get the amount of your lump sum pension plus your additional contribution from your 401(k) as an annuity payment from the PBGC.
"We think that lifetime income is important, and that if you have a larger retirement paycheck, we think that's a good thing," says PBGC spokesman Marc Hopkins.
In order to roll your 401(k) into your pension, your company must have a traditional pension plan, and your employer must allow you to do it. You may be able to split your 401(k) assets between your pension and a self-directed retirement account. That's up to your employer.
"This is good news for employees," says from Robyn Credico, head of defined contribution consulting at Towers Watson. "Allowing 401(k) participants to roll their money into a defined benefit plan is the most efficient form of annuity that employers can offer from a cost and administrative perspective. The additional guarantee is also of great value."
Read MoreAfter-tax money in a 401(k)? Read this
Just how willing employees will be to add their 401(k) proceeds to their pension is an open question. "While this is a helpful clarification that will remove some barriers to lifetime income, when companies offer lump sum pension payouts, generally people take them," says Ann Combs, head of government relations at Vanguard.
Investors in 401(k) programs can always annuitize all or part of their assets when they retire. A company may be able to negotiate better terms than individuals could get, however.
Although companies have been cutting back on traditional pensions in favor of 401(k) plans, 118 Fortune 500 companies still offer pensions to new employees, according to Towers Watson. That's down from 299 just 15 years ago. Nevertheless, nearly half of Fortune 500 companies that no longer provide pension plans to new hires still have active employees who are accruing pension benefits.
PBGC pays the benefits of about 1.5 million people in failed pension plans. It takes no taxpayer money. Operations are financed by insurance premiums, investment income and with assets and recoveries from failed plans. | You can now roll your 401(k) assets into your company's pension plan and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. will guarantee the portion you roll over. | 17.607143 | 0.857143 | 1.642857 | medium | medium | mixed |
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/08/13/reuters-america-update-3-nestle-stands-by-2015-forecast-after-sales-beat.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151005092213id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2015/08/13/reuters-america-update-3-nestle-stands-by-2015-forecast-after-sales-beat.html | UPDATE 3-Nestle stands by 2015 forecast after sales beat | 20151005092213 | * H1 organic sales up 4.5 pct vs poll avg 4.3 pct
* Net profit 4.52 bln Sfr vs poll avg 4.74 bln
(Adds comments on Maggi, share activity, byline)
ZURICH/LONDON, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Nestle, the world's biggest packaged food company, posted better than expected first-half sales growth and stuck to its 2015 forecast, despite a recall of Maggi noodles in India, helped by higher prices in some key product areas.
The maker of Nescafe coffee and KitKat chocolate said on Thursday organic sales, which exclude acquisitions, divestments and currency moves, rose 4.5 percent in the six months to June. That beat analysts' average forecast of 4.3 percent in a Reuters poll and 4.4 percent in the first quarter.
The result put the Swiss company second only to Reckitt Benckiser for sales growth among 11 top consumer staples companies that have reported results, said analysts at RBC Capital Markets.
"Nestle has faster and more resilient organic growth than the rest of sector, an under appreciated feature in our opinion," RBC said in a note.
Nestle's shares rose 3.5 percent to 74.70 Swiss francs.
Chief Executive Paul Bulcke said performance was in line with expectations thanks to growth across product categories and geographies. Analysts highlighted strength in coffee and ice cream, which was helped by particularly hot weather in Europe.
Confectionery was boosted by price increases taken to offset rising cocoa prices, while some coffee prices also rose.
Six weeks into the job as chief financial officer, Francois-Xavier Roger affirmed Nestle's annual sales growth target of around 5 percent but declined to say whether the second half would top the first. Executives said 4.5 percent would be "at the low end" of the target for growth "around 5 percent."
All consumer goods makers are suffering from sluggish markets worldwide but Nestle's particular problems involve its U.S. frozen foods where sales are hurt by weak perceptions around the health of frozen food, and a pullback in China. Both businesses are showing improvement, Nestle said.
In addition, Nestle India saw a 20 percent slide in second-quarter sales, after its Maggi noodles were pulled from shelves due to safety concerns.
"In India, our withdrawal of Maggi noodles resulted in negative organic growth which will continue into the second half. We are engaging fully with the authorities as we work to relaunch the product," the company said.
It said the recall cost it 66 million Swiss francs ($67 million) in the first half and shaved off 10 to 20 basis points of sales growth at a group level.
An Indian court has ruled in favor of Nestle in its appeal challenging Indian food safety regulators' findings that its Maggi instant noodles contained excess lead.
Reported sales fell 0.3 percent to 42.84 billion francs in the first half versus analysts' expectation for a dip of 0.1 percent. Net profit fell 2.5 percent to 4.52 billion francs, lagging the poll average for a 2.3 percent rise.
($1 = 0.9789 Swiss francs)
(Additional reporting by Michael Shields; Editing by Jason Neely and Mark Potter) | *Net profit 4.52 bln Sfr vs poll avg 4.74 bln. ZURICH/ LONDON, Aug 13- Nestle, the world's biggest packaged food company, posted better than expected first-half sales growth and stuck to its 2015 forecast, despite a recall of Maggi noodles in India, helped by higher prices in some key product areas. The result put the Swiss company second only to Reckitt Benckiser for... | 8.053333 | 0.96 | 30.666667 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2009/feb/11/sculpture-mark-wallinger-horse | http://web.archive.org/web/20151007013045id_/http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2009/feb/11/sculpture-mark-wallinger-horse | Odds-on favourite romps home to win Angel of the South landmark contest | 20151007013045 | A giant white horse will rise on a wind-scoured hillock in Kent, gazing with an expression of noble patience towards the Thames estuary, over a bleak landscape of motorways and rail lines, flooded gravel pits, chimneys and pylons, and even a few living horses muddy in their waterlogged fields. Probably.
The Turner prize winning artist Mark Wallinger, odds-on favourite from the moment his design for a 50 metre (164ft) white horse was unveiled, was yesterday proclaimed winner of the competition to create a landmark sculpture for Ebbsfleet taller than the Angel of the North - and so inevitably dubbed the Angel of the South.
"Mainly I just want people to go Wow!" Wallinger said. "Humans seem to find horses extremely beautiful, so I don't have to worry about the aesthetics of this piece. Generations of horse breeders have worked that out for me centuries ago."
However his creature has more to contend with than the icy wind from the river. Since the competition was launched last year in a blaze of publicity, the landscape has changed dramatically.
The towering sculpture was conceived as the centrepiece of a huge development on a brownfield site, of thousands of houses, shops, offices and industrial units. The artist still has to work out how to build his horse - but it is the commercial development that looks like the fantasy.
"We are in a recession and whether we are at the depths of that recession we don't yet know," said Stephen Jordan, a director of London and Continental Railways, which is a partner in the development with Eurostar and Land Securities, and who chairs the Ebbsfleet Landmark project, in which they have invested £1m. "If the question was can we build this tomorrow, the answer would be probably not. But for now we have to press on with detailed design work, costing, and obtaining planning permission. By the end of that period we will see whether or not we can keep moving forward with the horse."
Victoria Pomery, director of the Turner Contemporary gallery under construction in Margate, and chair of the judging panel, said: "I do believe in the arts as a driver for social cohesion and regeneration, but at the end of the day it has to be good art - and this is."
Swanscombe is one of the few places in England without a White Horse pub, and the George and Dragon, the Sun, the Alma and the Blue Anchor aren't contemplating rebranding. However at the Black Horse in Bean, which should be close enough to spot at least the tip of the beast's ears, the news did cause a mild ripple of interest yesterday. "When they put all the designs at the Bluewater shopping centre, people did go more for the horse than some of the other strange things they were showing," the landlady, Emily Street, said.
In Swanscombe, the children at Swan Valley community school, where the competition result was announced because its art rooms directly overlook the site, want work to start immediately. The 7N art group had dutifully created scale models of all the contenders, including the designs by Richard Deacon, Daniel Buren's stack of cubes and Rachel Whiteread's artificial folly-topped hill - but their hearts were always with the white horse.
"Some of them know more about Mark Wallinger now than he probably knows about himself, they've all been researching it for months," the head, Nigel Jones, said proudly. "To borrow a phrase from Obama, yes we can. If something so tremendous is going to happen on their doorstep, why should they not be part of it?"
In the town, opinions ranged from bemusement to hilarity. Peter Dixon's house is slap opposite the site. A builder forced to commute to Cheltenham for work - until they were all turned away because of asbestos on site - he would be happy to try building a giant horse: he'd be happy to try building anything.
Coming out of a charity shop in Swanscombe's main street, Rosa Halls, who moved from Sidcup 15 years ago, was enchanted at the idea of the giant: "I think it's super, I love horses." Her son Jeff, a telecom engineer, was more dour. "There have been a lot of changes here, and not for the good, but there you go. Anything that's done to make the place look a bit better, I suppose I'm for it."
There was one good omen for Wallinger, who once bought a racehorse and renamed it A Real Work of Art. He also owns a leg of Riviera Red, which was favourite in yesterday's 14.40 at Lingfield: he won. | Plans to build Mark Wallinger's 50 metre white horse may be put on hold as recession hits investors | 48.473684 | 0.736842 | 1.157895 | high | low | abstractive |
http://www.people.com/article/aziz-ansari-master-none-netflix-parents-first-look | http://web.archive.org/web/20151008051320id_/http://www.people.com/article/aziz-ansari-master-none-netflix-parents-first-look | First Look at Netflix Series : People.com | 20151008051320 | Aziz Ansari and Noël Wells
10/07/2015 AT 09:30 AM EDT
didn't have to look too far when he set out to cast his character's parents in his upcoming series
"There's not a ton of older Indian people that are out there in the acting game, so I wrote these characters kind of based on my parents, and I couldn't find anyone who really felt like my parents, so
," Ansari tells PEOPLE. "They did a fantastic job."
In the show, Ansari plays an Indian-American actor, Dev, who navigates the ins and outs of life in New York as a thirtysomething.
PEOPLE has an exclusive first look at the show, in which Ansari stars opposite Noël Wells, who plays his love interest.
alum played coy, wanting to save specific plot points for the series' Nov. 6 debut on Netflix, he says he's thrilled with his parents' performance.
"It was definitely hard because they'd never acted before, and I think when you're trying to get someone who's a non-actor to do these things, the tricky part is teaching them to stop trying and to be very natural and not try to be funny," Ansari says of prepping his parents, Shoukath and Fatima, for their parts.
"So it took a little bit to get that, but they picked up pretty fast. They were both really good," he says, adding with a laugh: "It makes you realize how easy acting is." | The Parks and Recreation alum opens up about his new series | 27 | 0.636364 | 0.636364 | medium | low | abstractive |
http://www.cnbc.com/2014/12/05/given-new-retirement-reality-take-another-look-at-your-plans.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151009111224id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2014/12/05/given-new-retirement-reality-take-another-look-at-your-plans.html | Given new retirement reality, take another look at your plans | 20151009111224 | More and more boomers—and younger generations as well—are talking about working in some capacity beyond what might be considered the "normal" retirement age.
The reality, however, is that the uncertain economy, causing workers to retire much later than expected, means that traditional retirement must be re-imagined.
In the wake of the most wrenching downturn since the Great Depression, surveys suggested many workers were planning to delay retirement for at least a few years. A few years ago, before the stock market began to boom again, various iterations of upper ages becoming "the new 65" became a popular line. It characterized the stark realities facing some retirees, faced with dwindling nest eggs and dark financial prospects. | Longer lives and economic pressures make it imperative workers rethink retirement plans, say the founders of research firm BrightScope. | 6.666667 | 0.380952 | 0.380952 | low | low | abstractive |
http://www.9news.com.au/technology/2015/10/01/09/04/high-schooler-designs-special-baby-stroller-for-paraplegic-mum | http://web.archive.org/web/20151009120523id_/http://www.9news.com.au/technology/2015/10/01/09/04/high-schooler-designs-special-baby-stroller-for-paraplegic-mum | High schooler designs special baby stroller for paraplegic mum | 20151009120523 | A US high school student has allowed a paraplegic mother to easily take her baby outside with the invention of a customised stroller that attaches to her wheelchair.
Alden Kane first created virtual models using Computer Aided Design software before making a prototype out of PVC tubing as part of his research class at University of Detroit Jesuit High School.
The design features a stroller on wheels that holds a standard baby car seat and easily attaches to the wheelchair with the same quick release mechanism that allows bicycle wheels to be removed.
“The first iteration was a baby carrier without wheels,” Alden said.
“After learning that the mother had problems with her wheelchair tipping over, we decided the extra weight was going to be a problem.
“By accommodation the car seat, we did not have to design a new one in our project. This makes for a better product. It also saves on the cost.”
The final design was built by manufacturer Creform.
Alden Kane in his wheelchair and stroller invention. (Image: University of Detroit Jesuit High School)
Do you have any news photos or videos? | A US high school student has allowed a paraplegic mother to easily take her baby outside with the invention of a customised stroller that attaches to her wheelchair. | 7.75 | 0.964286 | 24.178571 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/television/2015/10/08/john-boehner-appear-jimmy-fallon-tonight/cnEn3NW4V8vADdqucOqpGK/story.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151009165350id_/http://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/television/2015/10/08/john-boehner-appear-jimmy-fallon-tonight/cnEn3NW4V8vADdqucOqpGK/story.html | John Boehner to appear on ‘Jimmy Fallon’ tonight | 20151009165350 | UPDATE: Boehner will no longer appear on ‘Jimmy Fallon’
Looks like tonight’s big “get” just got a little bigger.
John Boehner, who is stepping down as speaker of the House on Oct. 30, has been set to appear with Jimmy Fallon on “The Tonight Show” for a few days. Now, with the surprising news this afternoon that Kevin McCarthy has dropped out of the race to replace Boehner as US House speaker, Boehner’s visit with Fallon has gained added news value. What will he have to say about McCarthy’s sudden change of heart?
Boehner probably chose to appear with Fallon over Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel because Fallon is the host least likely to press substantive questions on his political guests, who have included, recently, Hillary Clinton, Carly Fiorina, Donald Trump, and Chris Christie. But even Fallon won’t be able to dodge the McCarthy subject, which has left House Republicans in shock.
It will be Boehner’s first late-night visit since announcing his retirement last month at a press conference, which he opened singing “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah.” We have no reason to think Boehner will sing again, to launch a Grammy bid, although he may shed a few dramatic tears. As Trevor Noah suggested last week on “The Daily Show,” Boehner may be looking to replace Claire Danes on “Homeland”; the actress is famous for her “cryface.”
After some 24 million viewers tuned in to each of the first two GOP debates, politics is now “hot” as well as important. Yup, the hawks and doves and blue dogs and lame ducks have officially become ratings bait.
John Boehner struggled to knit together Republican factions and had become deeply unpopular with the conservative base.
Colbert, who called the always tanned Boehner a “hand-tooled leather congressman,” has been as busy as Fallon welcoming political guests onto “The Late Show,” with recent visits from Trump, Bill Clinton, Joe Biden, John McCain, and Ted Cruz.
Joining Boehner on Fallon tonight: Michael Fassbender, Brie Larson and musical guest CeeLo Green.
Watch a clip of Hillary Clinton appearing on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon”: | What will Boehner have to say about Kevin McCarthy’s sudden change of heart? | 29.066667 | 1 | 4.066667 | medium | high | mixed |
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/06/28/us-crude-falls-below-59-after-greece-imposes-capital-controls.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151009221722id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2015/06/28/us-crude-falls-below-59-after-greece-imposes-capital-controls.html | Oil hits 3-week lows as Greece crisis worsens; eyes on Iran | 20151009221722 | Crude futures hit three-week lows on Monday as Greece shut its banks and imposed capital controls, causing widespread risk aversion, while Iran looked likely to extend nuclear negotiations with the West to export more of its oil into an oversupplied market.
The dollar surged against the euro to early June highs on worries over the Greek crisis before retreating in the New York trading session for crude, limiting the downside for oil. A softer dollar makes commodities priced in the greenback more affordable for holders of other currencies.
U.S. crude closed down $1.30, or 2.18 percent, at $58.33 a barrel. Brent crude was down $1.20 at $62.02 a barrel. It had fallen almost $2 in European trading to its lowest since June 5.
Read MoreThis could be the tipping point for oil prices
"It's all about Greece today. Also, the Iran deadline for a nuclear pact could be pushed out by a week or so from tomorrow, so it's a risk-off day," said Tariq Zahir, an oil bear at Tyche Capital Advisors in Laurel Hollow, New York.
Greeks woke up to shuttered banks, closed cash machines and a climate of rumors and conspiracy theories on Monday as a breakdown in talks between Athens and its creditors plunged the country deep into crisis. | Oil fell more than $1 Monday as Greece shut its banks and imposed capital controls, causing investors to flee from riskier assets. | 10 | 0.72 | 6 | low | low | mixed |
http://www.cnbc.com/2014/12/11/sales-of-newly-built-homes-struggle-in-november.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151009234445id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2014/12/11/sales-of-newly-built-homes-struggle-in-november.html | Sales of newly built homes struggle in November | 20151009234445 | "There was less urgency in the last quarter," Ara Hovnanian, CEO of New Jersey-based K Hovnanian Homes, told analysts Wednesday, after the company reported quarterly earnings. "Given the gains we've seen in 2014 in employment, we would have expected housing demand to be stronger then the low levels we are currently experiencing."
Since the majority of newly built homes are purchased with financing, mortgage applications are a good indicator of sales for the month.
Read MoreFor home buyers, mortgage demand is locked at lows
The Mortgage Bankers said new single-family home sales were running at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 401,000 units in November, a decrease of 13 percent from October. The U.S. Commerce Department will report its count of November new home sales on Dec. 23.
As both K Hovnanian and Pennsylvania-based Toll Brothers reported this week, the average price of a newly built home sold in the fourth quarter of this year rose significantly. That is also evident in the mortgage numbers.
"Average loan size increased to almost $307,000 in November from roughly $300,000 in October, indicating that builders are having greater success with higher priced homes and difficulty at the entry level, as first-time buyers continued to face tight credit conditions," Mortgage Bankers Chief Economist Michael Fratantoni said in a statement.
Read MoreWhy areas with good jobs have hard-to-afford homes
The builders confirm they are not raising prices, but instead are seeing far more interest from wealthier buyers looking at larger homes. Builders did raise prices in 2013, and some admit they went too far. Toll, a luxury home builder whose average sale price was a high $747,000 in the latest quarter, does not expect to raise prices much next year.
"As we look at 2015, the house we sell today is going to struggle to be marginally accretive. We just don't have the pricing power to improve the margin," Toll CEO Douglas Yearley Jr. said.
The same is true of nonluxury builders, like K Hovnanian.
"I'd like to say we raised prices, but the increase was primarily due to geographic and product changes," Hovnanian said. | Mortgage applications to purchase a new homes dropped dramatically in November, signaling a slowdown in sales for the nation's builders. | 18.434783 | 0.695652 | 1.304348 | medium | low | abstractive |
http://www.cnbc.com/2014/12/12/rbcs-top-internet-stock-picks.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151009234824id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2014/12/12/rbcs-top-internet-stock-picks.html | RBC's top Internet stock picks | 20151009234824 | Amazon wasn't alone in underperforming in 2014. According to a recent RBC note, only five of the 18 mid- to large-cap stocks outperformed the market this year and 16 of the 20 small-caps had negative returns.
Netflix comes in as No. 2 on RBC's most attractive Internet stocks for next year.
While some investors may be concerned about how negative reviews of Netflix's original content may affect the stock, Mahaney isn't worried in the long term.
"They don't need every show to be a hit. What they are going to try to do is appeal to a bunch of different demographics—and they've got a broader range of demographics than anyone out there—so they can win with singles and doubles. They don't need home runs."
Read MoreCompetition heats up for Google, Amazon and Netflix
Shares were initially down Friday morning after critics panned Neflix's newest drama, "Marco Polo," but recovered in midday trading.
At No. 3 is Facebook, still one of the most attractive growth-adjusted valuations in the group, according to RBC's note.
Read MoreThe habit that's led to Mark Zuckerberg's success
RBC likes Yelp, Shutterstock and Pandora Media for small-cap names in 2015.
—CNBC's David Montalvo contributed to this report.
Disclosures: Mahaney and RBC have no disclosures found for Amazon.com, Netflix, Yelp, Pandora Media. A member company of RBC Capital Markets or one of its affiliates received compensation for investment banking services from Facebook in the past 12 months. A member company of RBC Capital Markets or one of its affiliates managed or co-managed a public offering of securities for Facebook in the past 12 months. RBC Capital Markets is currently providing Facebook with nonsecurities services. RBC Capital Markets has provided Facebook with investment banking services in the past 12 months. RBC Capital Markets has provided Facebook with nonsecurities services in the past 12 months. Disclosures for Shutterstock could not be immediately obtained. | RBC Capital Markets sees brighter times ahead for Internet stocks. Here are its top picks for 2015. | 20.263158 | 0.631579 | 1.157895 | medium | low | abstractive |
http://www.cnbc.com/2014/12/19/luxury-jeweler-tiffany-remains-hopeful-on-europe.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151010111358id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2014/12/19/luxury-jeweler-tiffany-remains-hopeful-on-europe.html | Luxury jeweler Tiffany remains hopeful on Europe | 20151010111358 | Apart from Europe, the world's second-largest jewelry retailer by sales also aims to improve its luster in emerging Asia, where demand for gold and gems appears to be insatiable.
While Americans and Japanese remain the high-end brand's biggest customers, their share of sales has fallen to a combined 62 percent, from over 80 percent a decade ago. Asian shoppers, excluding Japan, now account for 23 percent of Tiffany's total net sales. The company's jewelry sales have more than doubled to $4 billion over the past 15 years.
China, where the Nasdaq-listed firm owns 24 stores and plans to open three a year for the foreseeable future, is the biggest sales generator. But Tiffany is not forsaking Japan.
"While we are wildly enthusiastic about China, we don't want to put all our eggs in one basket. We are very cognizant of geographic balance," Kowalski, who graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and holds an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School, told CNBC.
Read MoreNikkei to go from 'ho-hum' to 'home run' in 2015
As Japan's economy continues to struggle with the impact of a consumption tax hike to 8 percent from 5 percent in April, Tiffany remains optimistic about the world's third-largest economy.
"We are starting to see a rebound [in sales], though slower than we would have hoped. On the other hand, sales prior to the increase [in sales tax] were astonishing. It certainly creates a challenge for planning," Kowalski said.
In the first quarter, Tiffany's total sales in Japan surged 20 percent on-year to $174 million, on the back of exceptionally strong customer demand in March. After the April sales tax hike, sales in the second quarter declined an 13 percent from the year-earlier period to $119 million.
"We don't think of Japan as a mature market, for it still has substantial potential growth," Kowalski added. "In fact, we often say we learnt how to be a global company there because it's our first market outside the U.S." | Despite a slowing economy, Europe still presents opportunities for robust growth, the chief of America's biggest jeweler, Tiffany & Co., told CNBC. | 14.892857 | 0.642857 | 1.285714 | low | low | abstractive |
http://www.cnbc.com/2014/11/19/markets-are-in-for-a-bumpier-ride-bob-doll.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151010165128id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2014/11/19/markets-are-in-for-a-bumpier-ride-bob-doll.html | Markets are in for a bumpier ride: Bob Doll | 20151010165128 | Markets are in for a bumpy ride compared to the low-volatility environment of recent history, strategist Bob Doll told CNBC on Wednesday.
The recent pullback is a sign that volatility is heading back toward normal, the chief equity strategist at Nuveen Asset Management said on "Squawk Box."
"I think the trend is up, but it's going to be a bumpier ride than the last several years, where with 20/20 hindsight it was pretty easy," he said.
Read More 'Hang in there, we're going higher': Acampora
The Fed has had a lot to do with reining in volatility, but as it provides less liquidity, volatility will be on the rise, Doll said.
"When there's ample and excess liquidity, it does dampen volatility, and obviously the path of least resistance was to the upside," he said.
Doll said yields in other parts of the world will prevent the U.S. 10-year treasury yield from moving higher, which helps the economy. However, if rates in the United States do tick up, it could be a sign that Germany and the rest of Europe have moved away from deflation.
"I think that's bullish for financial assets if we can get that," he said. | Volatility will return to normal levels as the Federal Reserve provides less liquidity to the markets, stock strategist Bob Doll says. | 10.695652 | 0.73913 | 1.434783 | low | low | abstractive |
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/01/06/sony-ceo-praises-employees-partners-for-standing-up-to-hackers.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151010173226id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2015/01/06/sony-ceo-praises-employees-partners-for-standing-up-to-hackers.html | Sony chief hits at ‘vicious’ cyber attack | 20151010173226 | Mr Hirai said that Sony would continue to invest in its content business, which has been a central plank of his turnround strategy.
Having spun off its television business and sold its personal computer brand, the Japanese consumer electronics and entertainment group still expects an annual loss of $2 billion as it restructures its struggling mobile unit.
Read MoreUS sanctions North Korea for Sony hacks
Despite the large streamlining costs and the cyber attacks, Sony shares rose 35 per cent last year. Investors are pinning hopes on Mr Hirai's turnaround strategy and his reshuffled management team including a new chief financial officer and a new head for its mobile division.
"I have been committed to putting Sony on a course for future growth in fiscal 2015 and beyond. Our efforts have been concentrated in areas where we are uniquely positioned to outperform the competition," he said.
Vital to that plan is the PlayStation gaming business, which sold 4.1 million of its latest PS4 consoles over the holiday season. That takes total sales to 18.5 million since it launched in November 2013 and shows Sony is maintaining its lead in gaming over Microsoft and Nintendo despite adverse publicity around the hacking.
More from The Financial Times:
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"This is exceeding the rate of adoption of any other PlayStation platform," Mr Hirai said.
As sales of traditional consumer gadgets fall, one other growth pillar for Sony has been its image sensors used in cameras and smartphones including Apple's iPhones. Mr Hirai said the company will aim to tap into increasing demand for sensors used in cars, saying the market is expected to expand four-fold in the next five years.
Sony's CES announcements included new smart-home concepts, such as a speaker embedded in a lamp, and a new steel version of its smart watch. It also announced that its latest television sets would run Google's Android software, in contrast to Samsung, which is using its own Tizen platform for internet-enabled TV. | Sony's chief executive says employees at its movie studio were victims of "one of the most vicious and malicious cyberattacks that we have known." The FT reports. | 12.71875 | 0.53125 | 0.59375 | low | low | abstractive |
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/01/07/why-some-bond-investors-dont-mind-losing-money.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151010181524id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2015/01/07/why-some-bond-investors-dont-mind-losing-money.html | Why some bond investors don't mind losing money | 20151010181524 | Wait: Do you have to write a check to the government to hold your money?
Not exactly. Bonds are sold by governments at auction, at which point the interest rate is set for the life of the bond. (That's sometimes called the coupon rate because when bonds were printed on paper, you clipped one of the coupons every three months and sent it in for your interest payment.)
Once the auction is over, you can hold your bond until maturity (and get your minimal investment back) or sell your bond to another investor. That's where the yield flip-flop occurs.
If you invest $1,000 in a five-year Treasury bond paying 1 percent, you'd expect to get $10 a year in each of those five years, plus your $1,000 back—for a total payback of $1,050 over five years. You'll make $50. (We're using simple interest here to keep the math simple.)
Now suppose demand for bonds is so strong that another investor comes along and just has to have that bond. He wants it so bad he's willing to pay you $1,100 for it. That investor still gets only $10 a year (the coupon rate), along with the $1,000 back when it matures. He still gets the same $1,050. But Instead of making $50, he's losing $50. That $10-a-year loss on a $1,100 investment works out to about a 0.09 percent negative yield. | Demand for German bonds is so strong that some investors are willing to pay to own them. | 16.333333 | 0.722222 | 2.277778 | medium | low | mixed |
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/08/25/selloff-not-due-to-high-frequency-trades-hft-ceo.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151010223826id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2015/08/25/selloff-not-due-to-high-frequency-trades-hft-ceo.html | Selloff not due to high-frequency trades: HFT CEO | 20151010223826 | And with Virtu's size and scale there is a lot of risk transferring to manage. The market maker trades about 11,000 financial instruments in 225 markets across 35 countries, according to Cifu. In total, that amounted to 16 million trades Monday, about four times the action seen on a normal day. But that doesn't always necessarily mean dollar signs.
Read More'Flash Boys' hero Katsuyama: Some HFT adds value
"Some types of volatility can be very painful and very difficult for us," he said. "Generally we make a little more money than we lose on our trades, about 50 to 51 percent of our trades were profitable yesterday. But we traded millions of times yesterday and lost money—that's part of our role as a market maker." | High-frequency trading isn't the root cause of market swings like the one seen Monday, according to market maker Doug Cifu. | 6 | 0.6 | 0.92 | low | low | abstractive |
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/09/is-the-market-rallying-into-a-rate-increase.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151012174921id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/09/is-the-market-rallying-into-a-rate-increase.html | Is the market rallying into a rate increase? | 20151012174921 | Indeed, the odds in many ways seem against it.
Former White House economic adviser Larry Summers put up a blog post Wednesday arguing that the case for a rate hike is even weaker now than it was two weeks ago. Deutsche Bank economist Joseph LaVorgna and his team also put out a note late Wednesday morning outlining "seven reasons why the Fed won't hike rates this month."
"I understand the argument that zero rates are a sign of pathology and the economy is no longer diseased so policymakers have to increase rates," Summers wrote. "The problem is that the case for hitting the brakes in an economy with sub-target inflation, employment and output is not there; regardless of whether the brakes are to going to be pressed hard or softly, singly or multiple times."
For months, Fed Chair Janet Yellen and her counterparts have insisted that a decision about rate hiking will be "data dependent." However, it's not just economic data that gets the Fed's focus.
Equity markets have rallied and bond yields have stayed low since the Fed began the dual actions of quantitative easing and near-zero interest rates back in 2008, during the Great Recession and the financial crisis. Each time the Fed has even threatened to take its foot off the policy accelerator, markets have recoiled with stock selloffs and "taper tantrums" like the one that happened after former Chairman Ben Bernanke indicated in 2013 that QE could end soon.
Stocks have stumbled since the third version of QE ended in October, trading slightly lower since then. How the market would handle losing the second leg of the Fed's ultra-easy policy is tough to say.
"The cumulative improvement in the economy over the past few years means that it is almost impossible to justify interest rates still being at near-zero," Paul Ashworth, chief U.S. economist at Capital Economics, said in a note. "Nevertheless, a number of Fed officials clearly want to use the recent volatility in financial markets as a reason to delay the first rate hike yet again."
Volatility has been the hallmark of the late-summer market, with wild swings in both directions.
Early Wednesday trading indicated another leg higher, after Asian markets teed up a rally during the U.S. overnight hours. However, the move higher quickly ran out of steam, with markets pulling back later in the morning though with no particular catalyst for the cool off.
The Fed, though, has plenty to digest ahead of its most pivotal meeting in years. For years the basic data have pointed to an economy well out of the crisis that spurred the extreme Fed policy moves, which ultimately exploded its balance sheet to $4.5 trillion.
Most recently, Friday's payrolls report, while a bit below Wall Street expectations, continued to show growth in a labor market that has added 247,000 jobs a month over the past year. Wednesday's Job Openings and Labor Turnover Report, or JOLTS, survey showed a big gain in job openings, another positive sign. | Stock market players are toying with becoming their own worst enemies, buying themselves square into the teeth of an interest rate increase. | 24.458333 | 0.5 | 0.5 | medium | low | abstractive |
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/01/13/martha-stewart-ordeal-changed-me-sam-waksal.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151012192553id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2015/01/13/martha-stewart-ordeal-changed-me-sam-waksal.html | Martha Stewart ordeal changed me: Sam Waksal | 20151012192553 | With plans to bring his new biotech venture public, Sam Waksal reflected on the past decade, nearly half of which was spent behind bars for an insider trading scandal at his former company ImClone Systems that also ensnared his friend Martha Stewart.
"Any event in life changes one. That was an event that probably changed me in many ways. I think I am a better person," he told CNBC on Tuesday.
Read MoreA blast from Martha's past: Waksal plans new IPO
In late 2001, in the days before the Food and Drug Administration rejected ImClone's application for the cancer drug Erbitux, Waksal tried to sell stock and communicated with family members, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Shares of ImClone tanked on news of the rejection.
Stewart also sold ImClone shares, based on information illegally gleaned from her broker, according to the SEC. She served five months in federal prison and time on house arrest.
Waksal was sentenced in 2003 and got out of prison in 2009, the year after ImClone was sold to Eli Lilly for $6.5 billion and five years after Erbitux eventually gained FDA approval.
"I think I'm probably [now] a more introspective person," he said in a "Squawk Box" interview from the annual JPMorgan health-care conference in San Francisco. "And it's helped shape how we're building Kadmon in many ways."
Kadmon, founded by Waksal in 2010, is preparing for an initial public offering. The company, like ImClone, is working on cancer treatments but also autoimmune regimes. Kadmon has a number of products in midstage clinical trials, said Waksal, who is chairman because a SEC ban prohibits him from serving as an officer or director of any public company.
"I'm not running the show any longer," he said. "I'm going to be the chief of innovation, strategy and science."
Read MoreWaksal brothers reunite in ImClone 2.0
Waksal brought in as CEO his brother, Harlan, who co-founded and had helped run ImClone. "He built ImClone with me. We worked together for 25 years. … I couldn't find anyone better to join the company to really more forward the vision."
Never one to mince words, Waksal said he thinks Kadmon will become the "most important biotechnology company of the 21st century." | "Any event in life changes one. That was an event that probably changed me in many ways. I think I am a better person," biotech company founder Sam Waksal. | 13.085714 | 0.971429 | 24.228571 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/10/why-star-economists-support-left-wing-parties-in-europe.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151012202048id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/10/why-star-economists-support-left-wing-parties-in-europe.html | Why star economists support left-wing parties in Europe | 20151012202048 | Inspired by Keynes, some economists have openly supported radical leftist parties, like Syriza in Greece and Podemos in Spain.
Thomas Piketty, author of the best-selling book on wealth and inequality titled "Capital in the Twenty-First Century," joined an international expert committee to advise Spain's anti-austerity party Podemos on its economic program in preparation for its first major electoral showdown in December.
"Piketty will work with the left-wing party on developing policies to combat inequality and on measures to democratize the euro zone," Podemos said in a statement on Monday.
Read MoreGreek election: Is Syriza sure of victory?
Last January, the French economist argued that "generally there are three possibilities: A new financial crisis, a cultural shock coming from the left, and finally a political shock coming from the right. European leaders now should have the intelligence to recognize that the second option is by far the best of all: The policy advocated by the Podemos in Spain and Syriza in Greece is deeply internationalist and European."
Many leaders, including former Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, have leveraged the insights of these leading economists. Tsipras, following Varoufakis' advice, tried to use them to promote his political agenda. Podemos in Spain are trying to do the same. | Today a group of leading economists are asking the UN to vote on principles that govern austerity programs to avert another Greek crisis. | 10.416667 | 0.583333 | 0.666667 | low | low | abstractive |
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/11/joe-biden-opens-up-to-stephen-colbert-about-his-2016-doubts.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151012225309id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/11/joe-biden-opens-up-to-stephen-colbert-about-his-2016-doubts.html | Joe Biden Opens Up to Stephen Colbert About His 2016 Doubts | 20151012225309 | Biden told Colbert that "nobody has a right in my view to seek that [presidency] unless they're willing to give it 110 percent."
"And I am — as I said I'm optimistic, I'm positive about where we're going," Biden continued. "But I find myself — you understand it — sometimes it just overwhelms you."
The vice president went on to recount a recent visit to a military base in Denver where he met a group of military families. "And all of a sudden — it's going great — and a guy in the back yells 'Major Beau Biden, Bronze Star, sir, served with him in Iraq.' And all of a sudden I lost it," Biden said. "How could you … I shouldn't be saying this — you can't do that."
Biden spoke emotionally of his son, telling a story of a conversation they had before Beau died. "He said, 'Dad, sit down, I want to talk to you,'" Biden recounted. "And he said, 'Dad, I know how much you love me. You've got to promise me something. Promise me you're going to be alright. He said no matter what happens dad, I'm going to be all right. Promise me.' This is the kid who — I don't know what it was about him. He had this enormous sense of empathy." | Vice President Joe Biden suggested he is not yet emotionally prepared to run for president in 2016, as he is still reeling from the death of his son. | 9.533333 | 0.6 | 0.866667 | low | low | abstractive |
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/15/early-movers-ubs-fit-lng-fcau-gm-f-more.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151013043308id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/15/early-movers-ubs-fit-lng-fcau-gm-f-more.html | UBS, FIT, LNG, FCAU, GM, F & more | 20151013043308 | Take a look at some of Tuesday's early movers:
UBS — Goldman Sachs downgraded the financial services company to "neutral" from "buy," citing lack of compelling valuation relative to other European banks ahead of their strategic announcements. The stock fell more than 2 percent in pre-market trade. Goldman also added Credit Suisse to its "conviction list."
Fitbit — Pacific Crest initiated coverage of the wearables maker with an "overweight" rating and a price target of $47 a share. The rating is based on Fitbit's leadership in a market expected to grow more than 100 percent this year, the note said. The analyst said Apple only poses significant risk if it directly enters the fitness tracking space. Fitbit jumped nearly 3 percent in pre-market trade.
Cheniere Energy — Activist investor Carl Icahn disclosed after the close Monday that he increased his stake in the liquefied natural gas company to 9.6 percent from 8.2 percent. The stock jumped nearly 2 percent in pre-market trade.
InterOil — Goldman Sachs added the Papua New Guinea-focused oil and gas firm to its "conviction buy" list and kept the price target at $45 a share, a 32.7 percent upside from Monday's closing price of $33.90.
Fiat Chrysler, General Motors, Ford — Fiat and the United Auto Workers union continued negotiations past a midnight deadline. Contracts with GM and Ford were extended while the union focused on talks with Fiat.
JMP Securities initiated coverage of the multifamily REIT sector with an "overweight" rating. American Campus, Apartment Investment, Preferred Apartment Communities, Education Realty Trust, Equity Residential, Essex Property and UDR received a "market outperform" rating. | Take a look at some of Tuesday's early movers: UBS, FIT, LNG, FCAU, GM, F & more | 13.583333 | 0.791667 | 5.375 | low | medium | mixed |
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/17/reuters-america-column-fed-ties-itself-to-chinas-mast-james-saft.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151013063829id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/17/reuters-america-column-fed-ties-itself-to-chinas-mast-james-saft.html | COLUMN-Fed ties itself to China's mast: James Saft | 20151013063829 | (The opinions expressed are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters)
Sept 17 (Reuters) - Let's not kid anyone: when the Federal Reserve speaks of "global economic and financial developments" in justifying delaying an interest rate rise, they are talking about China.
That implies a long wait, as China is engaged in a needed but dangerous multi-year effort to transform itself into a consumer-based economy. It also ties Fed policy to the decisions of Chinese policy-makers, a gang who not only can't shoot straight but whose idea of a market intervention involves a certain unattractive raw forcefulness.
Very little of importance changed in the statement released by the Federal Open Market Committee, other than one line:
"Recent global economic and financial developments may restrain economic activity somewhat and are likely to put further downward pressure on inflation in the near term," the statement said.
Fed chair Janet Yellen expanded on this at the press conference, drawing an explicit line between the decision and developments in China.
"We focused particularly on China and emerging markets," Yellen said.
"We've long expected to see some slowing in China as they rebalanced their economy."
The issue, according to Yellen, is "whether or not there might be a risk of a more abrupt slowdown" in China than consensus had expected. She also mentioned, in an understated way, questions over Chinese policy-makers' "deftness."
"Developments we saw in financial markets in August in part reflected concerns there were downside risks to Chinese economic performance," she said.
Let's walk through this slowly.
First off, yes, there are concerns about other emerging markets, notably Brazil, whose currency is down sharply and which is now a full-fledged junk credit. Yet while Brazil, and many other emerging market countries, are all unhappy now in their own particular ways, the common denominators are two: falling demand from China for raw materials and falling capital flows from abroad on the expectation of rising U.S. interest rates.
So the Fed is worried about emerging markets because: China and the Fed.
This brings us back to China and the very real risks of putting it so close to the center of the Fed's policy-making matrix.
China is going to be suffering transitional problems for a long time. The process of switching from over-investment to consumption is a very long one, upsetting the debt-reliant model China has used since the financial crisis.
As for Chinese financial markets, they are a volatile mix of fairground speculation and show trial, not the sort of process a sensible central bank wants to find itself attendant upon.
This both implies a potentially long delay in raising U.S. interest rates - it will be years until the transition is stable - and a heck of a lot of uncertainty. Given the opacity of Chinese data and volatility of its markets, investors are really going to struggle to understand how this interacts with Fed decision-making.
It is impossible to gainsay China's importance to the global economy, and in turn to the main legs of the Fed's mandate: inflation and employment. Clearly if the Fed thought there was a decent-sized risk of a global recession starting in China and radiating out, then this decision is a good deal easier to defend.
That's certainly possible but, significantly, Yellen and the Fed made mention not just of China's economy but of developments in financial markets.
Here is where the decision by the Fed to delay, or wait, seems unwise and inconsistent.
Did the Fed see the sky-rocketing of Chinese mainland stocks - with a tripling of the market capitalization of the Shenzen and Shanghai composite indices in the year to June - as a reason to tighten? Well if they did, they certainly didn't mention it.
Remember that this rally was characterized by leverage and by the sucking in of unsophisticated investors, many without a grade school education.
So while the spectacle of Chinese stocks first rising by the GDP of Japan and then falling, in only 22 days, by the GDP of Britain is instructive, it is a hard thing around which to build sensible policy. (http://bankunderground.co.uk/2015/09/17/how-china-lost-uk-gdp-in-22-working-day s / )
And as for Chinese policy-makers' "deftness," I share Chair Yellen's concern. China's frantic efforts to reverse the sell-off have been heavy-handed, probably counterproductive and left us with Chinese financial markets which contain even less information than previously. That's before we get to the ugliness of televising "confessions" of financial journalists.
Perhaps the Federal Reserve is better than the rest of us at looking through this and seeing the underlying reality of China's financial system.
Best-case scenario: the Fed was spooked and will go in October.
If they mean what they say about China we may have a long and uncertain wait. (At the time of publication James Saft did not own any direct investments in securities mentioned in this article. He may be an owner indirectly as an investor in a fund. You can email him at jamessaftzjamessaft.com and find more columns at http://blogs.reuters.com/james-saft) | Sept 17- Let's not kid anyone: when the Federal Reserve speaks of "global economic and financial developments" in justifying delaying an interest rate rise, they are talking about China. That implies a long wait, as China is engaged in a needed but dangerous multi-year effort to transform itself into a consumer-based economy. Fed chair Janet Yellen expanded on... | 14.183099 | 0.971831 | 27.704225 | low | high | extractive |
https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2015/10/12/titus-andronicus-brings-its-newest-epic-brighton-music-hall/yY50Pal5fe75AnqKLk0FGN/story.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151013135642id_/https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2015/10/12/titus-andronicus-brings-its-newest-epic-brighton-music-hall/yY50Pal5fe75AnqKLk0FGN/story.html | Titus Andronicus brings its newest epic to Brighton Music Hall | 20151013135642 | Of Titus Andronicus, singer Patrick Stickles (front) says, “this band is in the business of selling danger.”
Plenty of musicians will say that the fans are the reason they do what they do. But there’s more at stake for Titus Andronicus singer Patrick Stickles.
“All I’m trying to do is get kids through one more day,” he says, “through one more lonely, dark night of the soul.”
The latest Titus album, “The Most Lamentable Tragedy,” could have been scientifically engineered to do just that. It’s a sprawling five-act rock opera about manic depression, a condition for which Stickles is currently taking medication. Though he sings bleak lyrics like “I hate to be awake” and “Suicide seems superior than trying to survive,” his anthemic melodies and the driving rock of his band make such defeatist statements crackle with catharsis. Stickles has been dealing with mental health issues in his songs since Titus’s 2008 debut, and as he has grown increasingly comfortable singing about his problems, he’s also seen an increase in the number of people who feel comfortable opening up to him after shows about their own battles with mental illness.
“It’s a very important and blessed honor and privilege to serve the kids that way,” he says, his voice beginning to waver the way it does on his band’s most moving recordings. “When [life] is hard, I think about all my kids across America who looked me in the eyes and told me what was in their hearts, and I carry that strength with me every day through every decision, and there’s plenty of times when I want to give up — but I just can’t.”
By this point he is in tears.
“I’m not crying because I’m sad, I’m crying because these are big feelings,” he says. “Sometimes feelings are so big that you do have to cry, and that’s fine, even for a big, grown-up, tough-guy rock star like me.”
It’s hard to know whether Stickles, who will lead Titus Andronicus in a sold-out show Thursday at Brighton Music Hall, truly considers himself a grown-up, a tough guy, or a rock star. You get the feeling from talking to him that he’s trying to figure out whether he wants to be any of these things.
“I’ve got issues and problems, and I’m trying to do better, and it’s a lifelong process,” he says. “But in the meantime, this danger in my life is my most valuable asset. Thank God the band knows what they’re doing.”
The band members do indeed know what they’re doing, and they’re at their best on “The Most Lamentable Tragedy” when they musically mimic the manic state that Stickles describes. “Funny Feeling” begins at about 60 beats per minute and finishes at twice that tempo, taking listeners for an exhilarating ride through the psychotic psyche. “Dimed Out” roars with punk-rock recklessness, as crunchy guitars ride alongside a string arrangement that seems to represent the clarity one feels when mania sets in.
“People think it’s a disorder, but in the mind of the so-called sufferer, the order is painfully clear and the torture is that nobody else can see,” Stickles explains. “I just wanted to be helpful to anybody that feels that way.”
“Dimed out” means all levels pushed to 10: as apt a description of a Titus live performance as you could want. But not everything in the Titus Andronicus universe is dimed out. The group’s albums include instances of playful wit and well-plotted themes. Many songs on its four releases have some variation of “No Future” in their titles; one is “No Future Part Two: The Day After No Future.” Stickles also indulges in philosophical musings and seamlessly brings tangential literary and cultural references into the mix.
A conversation with the singer goes pretty much the same way. He spends more time than what might be considered conversationally appropriate on topics such as prescription paranoia and corporate domination. Profound statements are frequently followed by second guessing. He says “Ya know wha’am sayin’?” like a rapper upward of 50 times in a 50-minute conversation. He is manically introspective, often critical of what he sees within.
“I’m particularly difficult, I admit, and if there’s a reason why we’ve had so many members, that would have to be it,” he says of the 14 players who have left the band over 10 years. “But see, that’s my big trick: I’ve built my unreliability into the aesthetic of this band. This band doesn’t sell the perfect, polished product; this band is in the business of selling danger.”
Elio DeLuca, who runs Medford recording studio the Soul Shop, is the band’s most recent full-time member. But he’s known Stickles since before the band started, and has been guesting on Titus albums since its debut.
“I don’t think he’s particularly difficult,” says DeLuca of Stickles. “Clearly he’s extraordinarily self-aware, so you have the capacity to be really hard on yourself when those situations arise.”
If Stickles is hard on himself, it is those fans that soften him. He says their words of affirmation have given him a sense of responsibility to carry on, despite his darkest impulses.
“I feel like I’ve got a lot to live for, and even if I’m not always the happiest guy in the world, I’m just about the luckiest guy in the world,” he says. “I maybe sound like I’m being a little dramatic, but that [stuff] keeps me going, that love, that’s real nourishment.” | Patrick Stickles, vocalist of acclaimed punk band Titus Andronicus, talks about his battles with mental illness, which fuel his music and build bonds with audience members. | 38.433333 | 0.766667 | 1.5 | high | low | abstractive |
http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2012/nov/16/still-life-photography-jonathan-jones | http://web.archive.org/web/20151013222332id_/http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2012/nov/16/still-life-photography-jonathan-jones | Still life photography: Jonathan Jones | 20151013222332 | There used to be a hierarchy. At the top were historic grand narratives of religious or temporal events: big paintings of Roman heroes and famous battles. Pretty much at the bottom was the humble depiction of everyday stuff: still life.
The still life is democratic; anyone can do it. Pick up a pencil and draw your lunch, as the cartoonist Robert Crumb ritualistically does. Or take your camera and survey the ordinary things around you. Click the shutter on a bunch of grapes or a bottle of ketchup. Is that a still life?
Clearly it is more complicated than that. Or is it? The photographs of Wolfgang Tillmans appear to be genuinely random and casual, as seen in this image: Still Life, Grays Inn Road I (1999) (main image). This Turner prizewinning artist uses his camera to keep an ever-changing diary. He pins his pictures up for exhibitions as if they were on a kitchen noticeboard. They include shots of flowers, keys and whatever else happens to be around, juxtaposed with portraits of friends. The way Tillmans photographs his everyday material surroundings is so convincingly spontaneous that "still life" seems too formal a term to describe it. But why? Surely Tillmans is a major artist of the still life?
Bear in mind the low status that was once allotted by the art establishment to still life. The reason this is worth remembering is that the term has taken on an almost pretentious quality nowadays. Far from suggesting something humble, it implies something grand and serious. Edward Weston's exquisitely beautiful black and white photographs, such as his Nautilus (1927) (left), aspire boldly to be art. Weston sculpts form with light. He has an ability to make a photographic print look as pure and precise in its beauty as a marble statue by Canova. But for all his brilliance, Weston embodies a dangerous myth about still life. He was an artist who came of age in the 1900s, in the glory days of high modernism. He took his photographs at a time when the revolutionary ideas of modern painting were being popularised. His noble, austere, difficult ideal of the modernist still life translates the paintings of Cézanne and de Chirico into photography.
The ideal we have inherited from these modernists raises the still life from zero to hero. From the humblest art it becomes a metaphysical exploration of reality that is arguably the most profound of all modern art forms. Jasper Johns when he painted a flag, Damien Hirst when he pickled a shark, were aspiring to join that avant garde tradition of the philosophical still life.
Is this how a photographer should approach still life? Should you be looking for metaphysical bananas, or arranging dead butterflies on a table to take an artistic picture of death? Is the still life, as some might say, essentially a vanitas, or emblem of mortality? Should you put a skull beside that array of nice food?
At its best, the metaphysical still life can work powerfully in art photography, but the recipe for a more truthful approach to still life photography can be found in the older tradition of still life painting – in the days when it was despised by the elite.
In the 18th century, when history painting ruled and still life was considered minor, the name of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was forgotten. Today, however, his work is universally popular – and this has a lot to do with the "photographic" qualities of his work. Caravaggio's painting A Basket of Fruit (c 1599) that hangs in the Ambrosiana gallery in Milan is revered as the greatest still life in the world (above). It's said an ancient Greek painter called Zeuxis once depicted a bunch of grapes so realistically that birds came down to peck at the illusory fruit. That painting no longer exists, but Caravaggio's painting makes such miracles seem possible. The basket of moist, shiny, hallucinatory fruit balances on the edge of a table, forever on the brink of tottering over, falling out of the canvas and into our dimension.
Caravaggio had an astonishing gift for depicting nature, but flowers and fruit were seen as trivial themes in baroque Italy. So he often had to incorporate his observations of the material world into narrative paintings – like his eerie Supper at Emmaus (above) – to get ahead.
Look closely at the food on this table and you'll see how lighting and shadow animate and dramatise the relationships between fruits in the basket. The variety of forms and textures – such as the opened red flesh of a pomegranate, or the dusty skin of a grape – are acutely revealed by their juxtapositions.
These techniques can be emulated by any photographer: arrange a rich, suggestive scene, then carefully set up the lighting. Yet Caravaggio's lesson is more subtle than it might seem. Even though his art has that "photographic" realism - and the artist and art historian David Hockney even argues that he used a camera obscura to compose his images - many still life photographs miss out on his deepest insight.
Compare his painting of a basket of fruit with photographs on the covers of food books and in food magazines. Determined to capture the lush colours of fish scales, artichokes and even wooden tabletops in the best light possible, they end up being kitchen glamour shots rather than still life pictures.
Jonathan Lovekin's photographs in the Observer and elsewhere are good examples of how to depict food in a more Caravaggesque way: the trick is to reveal the rich colours and contrasts and spicy textures without over-lighting the scene (left). Just as Caravaggio's light sources were high windows in Roman palaces, Lovekin often lets cool sunlight creep in to his peculiarly British scenes.
Caravaggio's revelation is that the truth of objects is more fascinating than any beautified fantasy. Where is the art? It is in the loving observation of truth – with a camera as much as in paint. And yet for Caravaggio, that knowledge leads to pathos as well as poetry. There are signs of rot among his fruits. Opened fruits suggest sex and death. Bruises evoke his violent world. All that deeper meaning comes from observation.
Start with simplicity and profundity will come. The Israel-born artist Ori Gersht has created powerful photographic still life images that are eerily precise. His Blow Up: Untitled 5, for instance, casts a keen eye on the colours and textures of flowers by freezing them with liquid nitrogen - so that even as he explodes the arrangement and photographs its destruction, shards of red, blue and white petals reveal their natural beauty (left). Simple observation leads to a rich and dark art of fragility and violence.
In the still life, the extraordinary is found in the ordinary. | Still life photography can be a powerful art form and, as Jonathan Jones argues, centuries of still-life painting have shown the simple truth of everyday objects is far more fascinating than fantasy | 36.166667 | 0.916667 | 1.916667 | high | medium | mixed |
http://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/theater-art/2015/10/09/emerson-college-plans-for-colonial-theatre-draw-criticism/eqDmRe5qZJF46KVWBAaIaP/story.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151016042955id_/http://www.bostonglobe.com:80/arts/theater-art/2015/10/09/emerson-college-plans-for-colonial-theatre-draw-criticism/eqDmRe5qZJF46KVWBAaIaP/story.html?p1=Article_Related_Box_Article | Emerson College’s plans for Colonial Theatre draw criticism | 20151016042955 | Plans under consideration by Emerson College to transform the historic Colonial Theatre into a dining hall and performance space drew fierce opposition from Emerson faculty, alumni, and the city’s theater community this week.
Faculty and staff members of Emerson’s Department of Performing Arts sent a statement to Emerson president Lee Pelton on Friday registering their opposition to the proposal, which Pelton insists is not final and only one of several options under consideration.
The plans, according to the statement, “are contradictory to the College’s essential and historical mission, the Performing Arts community’s sensibilities and our current and anticipated curricular and enrollment needs. . . . The potential dissolution of the Colonial Theatre is a betrayal of our values as artists, our mission to be leaders in Performing Arts education and our collective responsibility as stewards of theatrical history.”
The statement, a copy of which was obtained by the Globe, called for “the immediate cessation’’ of planning for the project until it can be further reviewed.
The Emerson plan is one of a number of changes underway in Boston’s performing arts community. On Friday, Boston Lyric Opera announced that it would not renew its lease for the Citi Shubert Theatre. Earlier, Boston University announced it plans to sell the BU Theatre used by the Huntington Theatre Company. Separately, Citigroup Inc. announced it would end its sponsorship of the Citi Performing Arts Center.
The change would be a radical transformation for the Colonial Theatre and make it a type of front porch for Emerson’s campus.
Emerson performing arts professor Robert Colby said the faculty learned of the school’s deliberations only after the Globe published an article on Thursday documenting the plans.
“Our department is concerned that we weren’t consulted sooner,” Colby said. Faculty, he said, want “an opportunity to provide input in the plans.”
Reached Friday, Pelton said he’d yet to receive the final version of the statement.
“I look forward to a robust conversation,” said Pelton, who plans to meet with faculty next week. “Any idea I have ever had on my own becomes better when it has been vetted and discussed with the faculty.”
The plans, which appear to be at an advanced stage of development, call for the Colonial’s theater-style seating at the orchestra level to be removed and replaced with dining tables and counter seating. Portions of walls would be removed, creating a new food service area next to the dining hall. The Colonial’s main stage would be sealed off by a movable wall, setting off space for a black box theater with its own entrance. The wall could be raised for larger productions.
In an interview earlier this week, Pelton said the plan would transform the Colonial and adjacent Walker Building into Emerson’s “front door,” replete with a visitors center and cafe, while also providing students with performance and rehearsal space.
“We have a wonderful performing arts program, but our students and faculty that produce Emerson Stage are in need of additional rehearsal and performance space,” said Pelton, who added that any plan would have to be approved by the board of trustees. “This black box would go a long way toward meeting that need.”
But in its statement, Emerson’s department of performing arts declared, “Any alteration to the Colonial Theatre or deviation from its intended use would destroy its status as a significant cultural landmark of Boston and its recognized national legacy.”
Colby acknowledged a need for more student rehearsal and performance space, but said he still had “some concerns about whether that’s the best plan for the space.’’
Marlena Yannetti, who is head of dance at Emerson, said, “It breaks my heart to think that a school I’ve worked at for 42 years would want to ‘reconfigure’ this beautiful matron of a theater.”
Magda Romanska, an associate professor of performing arts, was similarly dismayed.
“Considering the level of outrage that this decision has generated among our alumni, students, parents, donors, general public, and national and international theater community, one has to wonder whether the person who made it has a sensibility suitable for a leadership position of what is, in essence, a leading global art school,” she said in an e-mail.
Pelton said the 1,700-seat Colonial, which for much of the 20th century hosted premieres and pre-Broadway tryouts, has been dark more often than not in recent years.
“The net result [of the plan] is to bring the theater to life and accessible with or without theater tickets,” he said, adding that the school’s broader goal is to create a more conspicuous physical center for the college.
Documents recently obtained by the Globe indicate the school filed a permit application in August with the city seeking to create an Emerson College welcome center in the Colonial Building, next door to the theater’s entrance. The application, which is still pending, does not include any plans for the theater.
“That plan has been discussed for several years,” Pelton said. “It’s not related to the Colonial. It’s related to the common-sensical notion that it would be best to have the center on Boylston Street where it’s open and accessible.”
News of the theater plans elicited strong reactions among many in the theater community and beyond. As of Friday, more than 2,700 people had signed a petition on change.org expressing concern about the theater.
“Pelton should be beyond ashamed: They are deliberately destroying a landmark,” said Jon Platt, a Tony Award-winning Broadway producer who ran the Colonial for years.
Platt, who oversaw extensive renovations to the Colonial, added: “This is a black eye for the city of Boston. Do they want to make a cafeteria out of the Sistine Chapel because there are fewer Catholics?”
Chris Welling, president of International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 11, expressed similar outrage: “It is a shame that Emerson College feels no sense of civic responsibility or stewardship that should come with ownership of this historic theater.”
Scott Sinclair, an Emerson graduate who works for the lead producer on the Broadway show “Kinky Boots,” worried such plans could damage Emerson’s reputation.
“The message they’re sending to the greater community is that they’re not valuing the arts as much as they claim,” said Sinclair. “Boston has always been one of the major markets for Broadway tours, and to take away such a incredible venue takes away an opportunity from students like myself.” | Plans by Emerson College to transform the historic Colonial Theatre into a dining hall and performance space drew fierce opposition from Emerson faculty, alumni, and the city’s theater community this week. | 36.485714 | 1 | 33.057143 | high | high | extractive |
http://www.people.com/article/meghan-trainor-ellen-interview-performance-john-legend | http://web.archive.org/web/20151016235811id_/http://www.people.com:80/article/meghan-trainor-ellen-interview-performance-john-legend | Meghan Trainor's First Interview, Performance After Vocal Surgery on Ellen : People.com | 20151016235811 | 10/14/2015 AT 10:15 AM EDT
is returning to the spotlight after vocal chord surgery forced her to take a hiatus from performing.
The "All About That Bass" star, 21, gives her first interview and performance after her
Thanks to some hilarious prodding from DeGeneres, Trainor admits a mystery man was a distraction from her vocal troubles in August.
"There was a guy that I Instragrammed and I didn't put a caption, so the whole world freaked out, AKA all my Megatrons," she says of her fanbase's reaction. "All the fans were like, 'What is this?'"
She continues, "It was just a little nothing. Nothing. But I did get a great song out of it."
Trainor says her new jam "Lead Me On" is "sweet" and inspired by how her love interest admitted he "never intended" to make her think they'd be together.
Over one month after opening up about
on Instagram, Trainor explains she opted for surgery to repair a hemorrhaged vocal chord because the alternative was not speaking for about four months.
"Nobody has time for that," she says with a laugh.
Even though Trainor couldn't speak for weeks after the procedure, the singer-songwriter found new ways to communicate.
"The phone is how I spoke to people," she explains. "I had an app that texts to speech where you can type in stuff and you can speak like a robot."
Now Trainor is ready to belt out her hits again.
joins her on DeGeneres' show for a performance of their hit duet "Like I'm Gonna Lose You." The appearance comes mere days after the crooner and wife
John Legend, Meghan Trainor and Ellen DeGeneres
Michael Rozman / Warner Bros | The singer-songwriter opens up about life after her health scare and performs with John Legend | 20.941176 | 0.705882 | 1.764706 | medium | low | mixed |
http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2009/aug/05/artist-eva-hesse | http://web.archive.org/web/20151020103154id_/http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2009/aug/05/artist-eva-hesse | Artist of the week 52: Eva Hesse | 20151020103154 | The sculptures of Eva Hesse seem almost human – but not in a good way. Latex strips and fleshy protrusions hang limply like flayed skin or mangled limbs. A ragged rope suspended from the ceiling looks like strands of hair yanked from the teeth of a comb. Bent, buckled and scraped into sexually ambiguous forms, Hesse's sculptures are full of fetishistic desire. The cloudy resin and sticky droplets of varnish that she uses to coat her materials harden each protrusion much like a clogged artery. One of the greatest sculptors of the 20th century, she successfully manipulated household materials into objects that were as seductive as treacle but as repulsive as a wound.
Hesse was the antidote to the macho school of minimalist sculpture in the 1960s. Her sculptures were sensual, all curved lines and soft fabrics, or papery thin and fragile, at odds with the rust and raw power of Carl Andre or the clean conceptual order of an artist like Sol LeWitt. Yet her inspirations were similar. Like them she strove to make sense of the industrial world around her, using man-made fibres that could be purchased at any grocer's. Her sculptures created a link for the viewer between humanity's primordial hunger for immortality and the invincible materials they had invented. She made artificial substances like fibreglass and polyester look like hair or sexual organs, and coated them in layers of gluey substances as if she was fossilising human existence in amber.
Born in Hamburg in 1936, Hesse and her family escaped Nazi Germany to the US in 1939. She studied art at the Cooper Union and Yale, before returning to New York to become a painter. In 1964 she and her husband, the sculptor Tom Doyle, moved to Kettwig an der Ruhr in Germany, working in an abandoned textile factory. Here, amid the scraps of material, cord and corroded machine parts, and against the cultural backdrop of cold war politics, Hesse created her first sculptures. They were witty and sexually suggestive, inspired by the erotic surrealism of Marcel Duchamp and Hans Bellmer. She bound papier-mache in cord and hung string bags filled with scrunched polyethylene, so that they dangled like fat, viscous teardrops from the gallery walls.
But Hesse's career was cut short after just 10 years. She died at the age of 34 in 1970 of a brain tumour. The art critic Lucy Lippard said: "Hesse took exactly what she needed from the art around her, transformed it, and gave it back to the art world."
Why we like her: For the early relief Ringaround Arosie (1965), in which electrical wire that spiralled into pointy protrusions was coated in papier-mache and Masonite. The work was to commemorate the news that her friend, Rosie Goldman, was pregnant; the artist described it in a letter to her friend Sol LeWitt as "both breast and penis".
Myth-making: Her premature death led to Hesse being portrayed as something of a tragic heroine. One article even called her "the female James Dean".
Friends and neighbours: When she was 23 she moved to New York, where her next-door neighbours were the painters Robert Ryman and Robert Mangold. | Flayed, bent and twisted into sexually ambiguous forms – Hesse's unsettlingly corporeal sculptures are full of surreal desire | 30.5 | 0.8 | 2.1 | medium | medium | mixed |
http://www.people.com/article/jon-hamm-guys-night-out-new-york | http://web.archive.org/web/20151021082531id_/http://www.people.com:80/article/jon-hamm-guys-night-out-new-york | Jon Hamm Celebrates Jimmy Kimmel at 40/40 Club in New York : People.com | 20151021082531 | Brett Gelman and Jon Hamm
Larry Busacca/Getty Images for People
10/20/2015 AT 11:50 AM EDT
kept a low profile while partying with friends Monday night.
star seemed to be in good spirits at The 40/40 Club in New York City to celebrate
Hamm, 44, sported a baseball cap and scruffy stubble as he hung out with a group of guy pals – including
actor Brett Gelman – on the club's top level, sipping water while chatting near the bar.
to casual dinners, Hamm has been fitting in plenty of male bonding since
Despite the breakup, Hamm thanked his girlfriend of 18 years (and their dog!) while
for outstanding lead actor in a drama series.
"It's incredible and impossible for me personally to be standing here so I want to thank the people to whom I owe an incredible debt," he said. "Cora and Jen, thank you all very much, I would not be standing here without you."
Monday's event was hosted by PEOPLE and
Guests drank Smirnoff cocktails like Moscow mules to toast comedian
filming his late-night show in his N.Y.C. hometown this week. Toward the end of the night, soul singer Leon Bridges took the stage for a surprise performance. | Jon Hamm celebrated Jimmy Kimmel hosting his late-night show in Brooklyn | 18.769231 | 0.615385 | 3.076923 | medium | low | mixed |
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/video/arkansas-state-rep-wife-fight-adopt-young-girls-34696022 | http://web.archive.org/web/20151025041958id_/http://abcnews.go.com/2020/video/arkansas-state-rep-wife-fight-adopt-young-girls-34696022 | Arkansas State Rep., Wife Fight to Adopt 3 Young Girls | 20151025041958 | Now Playing: 'Helicopter Parenting' May Underprepare Your Child for the Real World
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http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2012/aug/16/pablo-work-rediscovered-indiana-museum | http://web.archive.org/web/20151027034706id_/http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2012/aug/16/pablo-work-rediscovered-indiana-museum | Picasso piece rediscovered after 50 years in Indiana museum storage | 20151027034706 | It had sat unnoticed in storage for almost half a century after being mistaken for a work by the little-known, and non-existent, artist Gemmaux.
But a closer inspection of the glasswork at Indiana's Evansville Museum revealed the telltale signs of a 20th century European master. The bold lines, the nod to an earlier cubist aesthetic, the simultaneous use of full face and profile – the clues were all there.
As was the signature, scrawled quite clearly in the top right corner and missed for 49 years following a cataloguing error.
Now correctly identified, museum chiefs look set to cash in on their find, with Picasso's Seated Woman with Red Hat set to go under the hammer in New York, it was announced this week.
Its hoped-for sale price has not been revealed. But it is expected to raise more excitement in the art world than it would have done under the less recognisable name of Gemmaux.
The fictitious artist was the result of a cataloguing error after the work was gifted to Evansville Museum in 1963 by industrial designer Raymond Loewy.
Described in documents as a "Gemmaux", the word refers not to any name, but to the plural of "gemmail" – a medium used to assemble pieces of glass, which when illuminated from behind show their true colours.
Picasso is thought to have been introduced to the form by his friend Jean Cocteau in the early 1950s. He produced around 50 gemmaux pieces during a two year period while studying in France, it is thought.
Unaware of the its true creator, museum staff placed the "Gemmaux" in storage.
And it stayed hidden to the public until New York auctioneer Guernsey's contacted the Evansville centre earlier this year as part of its research into Picasso's gemmaux works.
It was then that museum staff finally became aware of the gem they had in the midst.
"It sparkles like a jewel," said John Streetman, executive director of the Evansville Museum.
He added: "It was undoubtedly a unique set of circumstances that uncovered this treasure within our museum."
But due to the expense of having to display, preserve and protect the piece from thieves, the museum's trustees have opted to hand over Seated Woman with Red Hat to Guernsey's to sell on the open market.
"Now that we have a full understanding of the requirements and additional expenses to display, secure, preserve and insure the piece, it is clear those additional costs would place a prohibitive financial burden on the museum," said Steve Krohn, president of the museum's board of trustees. | Glasswork has been hidden from view after cataloguing error mistaking artist's name for the medium in which it was made | 24.142857 | 0.857143 | 1.047619 | medium | medium | abstractive |
http://www.sfgate.com/49ers/article/Rams-running-back-Todd-Gurley-will-test-49ers-6599494.php | http://web.archive.org/web/20151030030505id_/http://www.sfgate.com/49ers/article/Rams-running-back-Todd-Gurley-will-test-49ers-6599494.php | Rams running back Todd Gurley will test 49ers | 20151030030505 | Photo: Tom Gannam, Associated Press
St. Louis Rams running back Todd Gurley runs with the ball during the first quarter of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns Sunday, Oct. 25, 2015, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Tom Gannam)
St. Louis Rams running back Todd Gurley runs with the ball during the first quarter of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns Sunday, Oct. 25, 2015, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Tom Gannam)
Rams running back Todd Gurley will test 49ers
The 49ers already have enough headaches, but they’ll have to deal with a major migraine Sunday: Rams rookie running back Todd Gurley.
Three starts into his NFL career, Gurley, 21, has more runs of 40-plus yards (three) than 29 NFL teams, more runs of 20-plus yards (six) than 24 teams and has become the youngest player to rush for at least 125 yards in three consecutive games since at least 1960.
Those superb stats look superhuman when considering this: Gurley missed the season’s first two games, didn’t have more than six carries in a game until Week 4 and has just three career starts because … he is 11 months removed from sustaining a torn ACL.
What’s next? Maybe he’ll leap the Gateway Arch in a single bound when he — you know — gets fully healthy. Gurley ditched his knee brace for the first time Sunday and had 163 total yards and two touchdowns in a 24-6 win over the Browns.
“I don’t think he’s 100 percent,” St. Louis head coach Jeff Fisher said. “I think it takes time … but he’s pretty close to it. And if he’s less than 100 percent, whatever percent he’s at right now is pretty impressive.”
The Rams’ risk is being rewarded. They selected Gurley with the No. 10 pick, despite his injury and the fact that he plays a position that has been devalued in the NFL. Gurley became only the second running back taken with a top-10 pick since 2011, and just the sixth selected in the top 10 in the past 10 drafts.
The Rams weren’t the only team smitten. The Seahawks reportedly placed Gurley at the top of their draft board.
Gurley was coveted because of his comic-book-hero qualities. He’s built like a power back (6-foot-1, 227 pounds) and moves like a sprinter — which he is. He was a state champion in the 110-meter hurdles at Taboro (N.C.) High School, reached the semifinals in the event at the 2011 World Youth Championships in Lille, France, and had the seventh-fastest time in school history in the 60-meter hurdles at Georgia in 2013.
In college, Gurley dabbled in track and dominated in football. In 30 games, he averaged 130 total yards, scored 44 touchdowns and had a school-record 6.4 yards a carry.
Niners defensive tackle Quinton Dial, who played at Alabama, has a sense of what awaits the 49ers (2-5) when they visit St. Louis (3-3) on Sunday. In the 2012 SEC Championship Game, Gurley had 122 yards on 23 carries and scored two touchdowns in the Tide’s 32-28 win over the Bulldogs.
“We’re just going to have to come to work when we tackle this guy,” Dial said. “He’s got some ability to make you miss and he’s fast as hell.”
St. Louis linebacker James Laurinaitis is happy he doesn’t have to tackle Gurley, noting it requires “big-boy pads” to bring him down. Gurley is averaging 3.5 yards after contact, which is third in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.
“We all saw the highlights when he was in college,” Laurinaitis said. “We thought we had a heck of a player. You just didn’t really know what kind of impact he’d have his rookie year coming off the injury. But you knew the way the coaches, and the staff and the scouts all talked about Todd. They said he was the best running-back prospect coming out since Adrian.”
That would be Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson, the 2012 NFL MVP who is the third-fastest in NFL history to reach 10,000 rushing yards. It’s premature to place Gurley in Peterson’s class, but he’s already connected with a Hall of Famer. Gurley is the first rookie since Eric Dickerson in 1983 to rush for 125 yards and average 5-plus yards a carry three times in his team’s first eight games.
Gurley ranks second in the NFL in yards per attempt (6.0) and leads the league in fourth-quarter rushing yards (213). His most impressive feat? He has brought energy to the Edward Jones Dome, an often-lifeless stadium that could be vacant in 2016 if the Rams make a much-discussed move to Los Angeles.
On Sunday, however, Gurley raised the decibel level as he ran over the Browns.
“We had to quiet (the fans) down when the offense had the ball,” Fisher said, “because they were chanting ‘Gurley.’”
Eric Branch is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: ebranch@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Eric_Branch
A look at some of the greatest rookie seasons by running backs in NFL history: | Rams running back Todd Gurley will test 49ers The 49ers already have enough headaches, but they’ll have to deal with a major migraine Sunday: Rams rookie running back Todd Gurley. Three starts into his NFL career, Gurley, 21, has more runs of 40-plus yards (three) than 29 NFL teams, more runs of 20-plus yards (six) than 24 teams and has become the youngest player to rush for at least 125 yards in three consecutive games since at least 1960. Gurley missed the season’s first two games, didn’t have more than six carries in a game until Week 4 and has just three career starts because … he is 11 months removed from sustaining a torn ACL. What’s next? Maybe he’ll leap the Gateway Arch in a single bound when he — you know — gets fully healthy. Gurley ditched his knee brace for the first time Sunday and had 163 total yards and two touchdowns in a 24-6 win over the Browns. “I don’t think he’s 100 percent,” St. Louis head coach Jeff Fisher said. I think it takes time … but he’s pretty close to it. [...] if he’s less than 100 percent, whatever percent he’s at right now is pretty impressive. The Rams’ risk is being rewarded. Gurley became only the second running back taken with a top-10 pick since 2011, and just the sixth selected in the top 10 in the past 10 drafts. The Rams weren’t the only team smitten. The Seahawks reportedly placed Gurley at the top of their draft board. Gurley was coveted because of his comic-book-hero qualities. In college, Gurley dabbled in track and dominated in football. In 30 games, he averaged 130 total yards, scored 44 touchdowns and had a school-record 6.4 yards a carry. Niners defensive tackle Quinton Dial, who played at Alabama, has a sense of what awaits the 49ers (2-5) when they visit St. Louis (3-3) on Sunday. In the 2012 SEC Championship Game, Gurley had 122 yards on 23 carries and scored two touchdowns in the Tide’s 32-28 win over the Bulldogs. “We’re just going to have to come to work when we tackle this guy,” Dial said. St. Louis linebacker James Laurinaitis is happy he doesn’t have to tackle Gurley, noting it requires “big-boy pads” to bring him down. Gurley is averaging 3.5 yards after contact, which is third in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. “We all saw the highlights when he was in college,” Laurinaitis said. [...] you knew the way the coaches, and the staff and the scouts all talked about Todd. Gurley is the first rookie since Eric Dickerson in 1983 to rush for 125 yards and average 5-plus yards a carry three times in his team’s first eight games. Gurley ranks second in the NFL in yards per attempt (6.0) and leads the league in fourth-quarter rushing yards (213). On Sunday, however, Gurley raised the decibel level as he ran over the Browns. Eric Branch is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: ebranch@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Eric_Branch Great starts A look at some of the greatest rookie seasons by running backs in NFL history: Player Yards TDs Eric Dickerson, Rams George Rogers, Saints Ottis Anderson, Cardinals Edgerrin James, Colts Others of note Player Yards TDs Clinton Portis, Broncos Mike Anderson, Broncos Barry Sanders, Lions Earl Campbell, Oilers x- started nine games | 1.431912 | 0.888583 | 23.050894 | low | medium | extractive |
http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2015/10/29/brief-headline/851GXglfOCDRnbazZgAAeI/story.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151031114609id_/http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2015/10/29/brief-headline/851GXglfOCDRnbazZgAAeI/story.html | Eight things you may have missed Thursday from the world of business | 20151031114609 | NEW YORK — Walmart is promising it won’t be beat on prices this holiday season. But online shoppers shouldn’t expect free shipping without any restrictions. The retailer will offer price cuts starting Nov. 1 on thousands of products for at least 90 days, same as last year, but fewer weekend-only deals. Walmart is sticking with its $50 minimum for free shipping and encouraging online shoppers who spend less than that to pick up their orders at a store. Last week, Best Buy said it would drop its $35 minimum for free shipping. Target created buzz last year when it offered free holiday shipping on all items. It hasn’t announced its 2015 holiday strategy. Walmart also said shoppers can expect more theater in the stores, from Santas to food tastings. Walmart is banking on the holidays: Earlier this month, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. stock took a hit after the company said profit for next year could fall as much as 12 percent and that revenue growth for the current fiscal year would be flat. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Apple opened its first two stores in the Arab world on Thursday in the United Arab Emirates. The stores, at Dubai’s Mall of the Emirates and Abu Dhabi’s Yas Mall, find themselves alongside luxury brands like Emporio Armani and Burberry. And that’s no accident: Apple wants to give wealthy consumers hands-on experience with its new Apple Watch line, with some of the high-tech timepieces costing as much as $17,000. ‘‘Apple is trying to position itself, with the watch in particular, as a fashion brand — and a premium fashion brand,’’ said Daniel Gleeson, an analyst at IHS. In a nod to cultural norms in the Muslim country, staff will hold women-only workshops with customers. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
OTTAWA — Bombardier, the aerospace and rail equipment manufacturer, will get a $1 billion bailout from the province of Quebec. Bombardier’s new CSeries single-aisle planes were supposed to be a game-changer for the company, a direct challenge to much larger rivals Boeing and Airbus. But the project has been marred by delays, cost overruns, and a dearth of orders. The bailout money will go directly into the CSeries effort, making the provincial government a partner with a 49.5 percent stake. Bombardier lost $4.9 billion in its third quarter. Much of the loss came from $3.2 billion write-down of the value of the CSeries project. Bombardier also wrote off $1.2 billion because of the cancellation of a new Lear business jet. The total write-downs are substantially larger than the company’s current market value of $3.16 billion, and shares of the company are off 63 percent in the last year. — NEW YORK TIMES
NEW YORK — The New York Times Co. reported slightly higher revenue of $367 million, up 0.7 percent, and net income of just over $9 million for the third quarter, helped in part by a slowed decline in print advertising, a rise in digital subscribers, and the absence of severance costs that dragged on profit a year earlier. The company said it added 51,000 net digital subscribers in the quarter. In the summer, the Times passed 1 million digital subscribers; paid digital-only subscriptions now stand at 1,041,000. Adjusted earnings were 9 cents a share, beating analysts’ forecasts of 6 cents. Digital advertising, an important component of the company’s plan to double digital revenue to $800 million by 2020, fell 5 percent. CEO Mark Thompson described the quarter as strong and said the company remained bullish about digital advertising and expects it “to return to growth in the fourth quarter.” Print advertising revenue fell less than 1 percent. The Times Co. sold The Boston Globe to John Henry in October 2013. — NEW YORK TIMES
NEW YORK — RushCard, a prepaid debit card company, will reimburse customers who lost money when technical difficulties prevented thousands of people from accessing their money, in some cases for more than a week. The company is working with Meta Bank, which issues the cards on its behalf, and MasterCard to resolve the technical issues. RushCard said it was talking to regulators about a reimbursement fund, but details won’t be announced until regulators approve it. The problems occurred Columbus Day weekend, when RushCard switched from one provider of processing technology to another. The episode attracted the scrutiny of federal regulators after RushCard customers took to social media to air their grievances. “While the reimbursement and review process will not occur overnight, we will act as quickly as regulators will allow,” said Russell Simmons, RushCard’s cofounder. — NEW YORK TIMES
TOKYO — Sony Corp. returned to a profit last quarter in a sign its restructuring effort is beginning to work. The electronics and entertainment conglomerate had a 33.6 billion yen ($278 million) profit, versus a loss of 136 billion yen a year earlier. Sales dropped 0.5 percent to 1.89 trillion yen ($15.6 billion). Sony’s Xperia mobile phone business was still struggling but Sony did well with devices, including image sensors, and other semiconductors, in addition to games, home audio equipment, and cameras. It stuck to its annual forecast of a 140 billion yen ($1.2 billion) profit, a reversal from a 126 billion yen loss the previous year. Sony’s film division did not do as well in the quarter, compared to a year earlier, because of a lack of hit movies and the absence of home entertainment revenue from ‘‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2,’’ which came out the previous year. Sony, once a symbol of Japan’s electronics prowess, has tried to reshape its business to focus on profitable operations and selling assets, such as its Vaio personal computer business. Sony’s TV business, hurt by being late to flat-panel sets, lost money for a decade. It is faring better after being turned into a subsidiary. Sony is banking on high-end 4K TVs (left) with superb image quality. Image sensors, used in smartphones, digital cameras, medical devices, and self-parking cars, is one area where Sony has a lead. Sony is also moving aggressively into high-end video and single-lens reflex cameras. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — Visa Inc., the world’s largest payments network, may announce as early as Monday that it’s acquiring a former subsidiary, Visa Europe Ltd., said a person briefed on the plan. The deal, which would unify the brand globally after the companies separated eight years ago, is valued at more than $20 billion, said the person, asking not to be identified. Visa said in July that it was in discussions over a potential deal. The lack of meaningful contributions to earnings from Europe has long been seen as a weakness for Visa and an advantage for smaller competitor MasterCard Inc., which owns its European business. Visa relies more on the United States, which accounted for 54 percent of revenue in fiscal 2014, compared with 39 percent for MasterCard. Visa Europe is owned by more than 3,000 European banks. Visa Europe managed more than 500 million accounts and processed more than 16 billion transactions last year. It earned $241.3 million in 2014, up 29 percent from a year earlier. — BLOOMBERG NEWS
DETROIT — Volvo Cars is working on a kangaroo detection system to avoid costly crashes in Australia. Volvo already has radar and camera-based technology that detects pedestrians and cyclists and automatically brakes to avoid a collision. It says the system reacts even more quickly than human drivers. Volvo has tested the technology on slower moving animals like moose and cows in its home market of Sweden. Now, it’s studying kangaroos, which move more quickly and erratically. A team from Volvo traveled to a nature reserve near Canberra this week to study kangaroos’ roadside behavior. Volvo says there are more than 20,000 car-kangaroo accidents in Australia each year. — ASSOCIATED PRESS | Retail
At Walmart, free shipping if you spend at least $50
NEW YORK — Walmart is promising it won’t be beat on prices this holiday season. But online shoppers shouldn’t expect free shipping without any restrictions. | 34.727273 | 0.931818 | 16.113636 | medium | medium | extractive |
https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2015/11/01/ships-ready-made-drug-factories-beijing/bzRzRgBiCdVMWmwva2KyJP/story.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151103025059id_/https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2015/11/01/ships-ready-made-drug-factories-beijing/bzRzRgBiCdVMWmwva2KyJP/story.html | GE ships ready-made drug factories to Beijing | 20151103025059 | HONG KONG —As drug makers attempt to move up the value chain to manufacture sophisticated new medicines in China, General Electric Co. wants to sell them factories: right off the shelf.
GE shipped its first premade biopharmaceutical factory from Germany to China in September. The building made its way to a biotechnology zone in the central Chinese city of Wuhan bundled in 62 containers — traveling along the Rhine and Yangtze rivers and going by sea in between. In China, the factory was assembled and built in 11 days.
The idea is to help pharma companies gain a head start in China as they navigate a lengthy approval process for new drugs. GE says the premade factories help them cut costs and timing by about half when compared with traditional facilities. As health care costs soar, there’s rising demand in China for cheaper access to more complex drugs called biologics and their more affordable generic cousins, called biosimilars.
Because these medicines usually contain live ingredients, the manufacturing is also more complex. GE’s factories were developed after consultation with officials at China’s Food and Drug Administration, and that could help during the audit process, said Olivier Loeillot, GE Healthcare Life Sciences’ Asia general manager.
“It’s one single manufacturing concept that we can replicate around the world,” Loeillot said. “As the pharmaceutical industry goes from big-volume blockbuster drugs to tailored, smaller-scale drug manufacturing we want to meet that demand.”
The move comes even as the industrial giant adds hundreds of white-collar positions in Massachusetts.
China is the first country in which the GE prefab factories are being built and the company hopes to eventually take them around the world.
In other industries, prefabricated buildings have been used to reduce the time to market. For example, some McDonald’s restaurants have been prebuilt.
The GE factories, called KUBio, could also help the Connecticut company build on its presence in the biopharmaceutical supply chain. GE Healthcare says 90 percent of global FDA-approved biologic medicines are made using its technology, and its life sciences business unit has been logging double-digit revenue growth.
Building a traditional plant can typically cost upward of $200 million and costs are sometimes well in excess of $500 million, Loeillot said. Depending on the factory design and the drug being made, an equivalent KUBio from GE could reduce costs by as much as 45 percent, the company estimates. It’s cheaper partly because it uses disposable equipment that saves days of cleaning and steaming — instead of stainless steel components.
The premade factories include “clean rooms” in which the environment is controlled for dust and other particles, plus piping, heating, and ventilation. Even toilets are preinstalled. | As drug makers attempt to move up the value chain to manufacture sophisticated new medicines in China, General Electric wants to sell them factories: right off the shelf. | 16.806452 | 1 | 15.580645 | medium | high | extractive |
http://www.cnbc.com/2014/04/04/googles-nest-halts-home-alarm-system-sales-over-possible-defect.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151104230044id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2014/04/04/googles-nest-halts-home-alarm-system-sales-over-possible-defect.html | Google's Nest halts home alarm system sales over possible defect | 20151104230044 | David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images
A customer checks a Nest Labs Inc. digital thermostat on display at a Home Depot Inc. store in Emeryville, California.
Faddell, one of the creators of Apple iPod, apologized in the blogpost for a problem that was discovered during recent laboratory testing. He added that no customer had complained so far. (https://nest.com/letter-from-the-ceo/)
"We observed a unique combination of circumstances that caused us to question whether the Nest Wave ... could be unintentionally activated. This could delay an alarm going off if there was a real fire," he said. "The fact that it could even potentially happen is extremely important to me and I want to address it immediately."
He did not specify that set of circumstances.
Nest will immediately disable the Wave feature—one of many innovative design elements that has won the company and its devices acclaim—in all smoke alarms that are WiFi-connected while it works on a software update to fix the possible defect. It said the fix, plus regulatory approvals, could take two to three months to complete.
Customers without WiFi-connected devices should either disable it or return it for a full refund, the company added.
Nest halted all sales of its smoke alarms to prevent customers from buying a device that would need an immediate software patch.
Google announced plans in January to acquire Nest via its second largest deal, to expand into a broader array of devices and bring valuable hardware design expertise in-house.
Nest gained a large following with its first thermostat—a round, brushed-metal device with a convex screen that displays temperature and changes hue to match the color of the wall it attaches to. It also tracks usage and uses that data to automatically set heating and cooling temperatures.
Google referred requests for comment to Nest. | Nest Labs, the maker of smart thermostats that Google acquired for $3.2 billion, called a halt to all sales of its smoke alarms on Thursday. | 12.206897 | 0.655172 | 1.827586 | low | low | mixed |
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/08/31/reuters-america-update-2-indias-slower-than-expected-growth-boosts-rate-cut-calls.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151105154246id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2015/08/31/reuters-america-update-2-indias-slower-than-expected-growth-boosts-rate-cut-calls.html | UPDATE 2-India's slower-than-expected growth boosts rate cut calls | 20151105154246 | * June qtr growth 7 pct vs 7.5 pct in March qtr
* Matches China's growth in the same quarter
* Weakness in India's services sector drags growth
* Analysts expect central bank to cut interest rates
NEW DELHI, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Indian growth slowed by more than expected in the quarter to June, a setback for Prime Minister Narendra Modi that will prompt more urgent calls from his aides for interest rate cuts.
Many government officials in New Delhi had been talking of taking the baton of global growth in the wake of a deepening economic crisis in China.
However, Monday's government data showed gross domestic product expanded at an annual 7 percent rate in the April-June quarter, matching China, but slower than provisional growth of 7.5 percent in the previous quarter.
While doubts still persist over India's new way of calculating GDP, even though the method gained an endorsement from the World Bank's chief economist, there is no denying the fact that the economy is still struggling to gather steam.
"There's a lot of emphasis that's being put on the opportunities that lie ahead for India and not too much attention is being paid to the challenges that remain today," Jyotinder Kaur, principal economist at HDFC Bank.
It is also a blow for Modi whose image as the country's economic savior has taken a beating after his struggle to pass his legislative agenda.
Modi swept to power last year on a promise of speedier growth creating millions of manufacturing jobs. But just 15 months after that electoral triumph, disenchantment has set in.
Businesses as well as young Indians are getting restless with slow progress on the ground.
"We need to move this (GDP) figure up given the imperative of employment generation," said Jyotsna Suri, head of a local industry chamber, FICCI.
A 22-year-old activist has stirred upheaval in Modi's home state Gujarat, accusing the Indian leader of breaking the promise to provide jobs.
The latest data will also strengthen the calls from Modi's administration for a rate cut. Some bureaucrats are already arguing for an immediate cut of as much as 50 basis points in the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) main 7.25 percent policy rate.
The RBI has cut the policy repo rate 75 basis points since January. But it left the rate on hold at its last policy review early this month.
"In our view, (it) clearly paves the way for two more repo rate cuts before the close of the financial year," said Kaur of HDFC Bank.
While the RBI has not ruled out further monetary easing, it has tied future rate cuts to the inflation outlook.
The central bank is independent, but the governor and deputy governors are appointed by the government.
Many in the government are worried that growth could slip below the official target of 8 to 8.5 percent for the year to March, and see the RBI's caution as worsening the situation.
Warning signals are already visible as infrastructure output grew just 1.1 percent year-on-year in July, its slowest pace three months. The sector accounts for nearly 38 percent of India's industrial production.
The slowdown in the last quarter was primarily on account of a weak showing from the services sector that accounts for more than half of the $2 trillion economy. The sector grew an annual 8.3 percent compared with a 10.2 percent rise in the March quarter.
"Growth conditions are still weak and are picking up in a very, very gradual manner," said A. Prasanna, economist at ICICI Securities Primary Dealership.
(Reporting by Rajesh Kumar Singh) | *Weakness in India's services sector drags growth. While doubts still persist over India's new way of calculating GDP, even though the method gained an endorsement from the World Bank's chief economist, there is no denying the fact that the economy is still struggling to gather steam. "There's a lot of emphasis that's being put on the opportunities that lie ahead... | 9.69863 | 0.972603 | 31.60274 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/01/reuters-america-global-markets-china-fears-hit-stocks-and-oil-boost-volatility.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151105154312id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/01/reuters-america-global-markets-china-fears-hit-stocks-and-oil-boost-volatility.html | GLOBAL MARKETS-China fears hit stocks and oil, boost volatility | 20151105154312 | * China factory activity shrinks at fastest pace in 3 years
* Dollar skids, S&P 500 falls 2 pct
* Crude oil futures drop
(Updates with European stocks closing lower, VIX index levels)
NEW YORK, Sept 1 (Reuters) - World stock indexes and commodities dropped on Tuesday as weak Chinese data revived fears about the effect of China's economic health on the global economy and fueled more market turmoil.
Oil prices fell more than 7 percent on concerns about global demand for petroleum, reversing a three-day rally that had pushed U.S. crude up 27.5 percent.
All three major U.S. stock indexes were down more than 2 percent, led by declines in energy shares, and were in negative territory for the year. The S&P 500 is now down 6.6 percent for the year so far.
The CBOE Volatility index, known as Wall Street's "fear gauge," was up 10.4 percent at 31.41, above its long-term average of 20. The index had spiked to 53.29 last Monday.
The moves followed a stormy week in the markets, when investors became increasingly concerned about further losses due to slowing growth in China.
The selloff in equities last week raised doubts about earnings and growth while fueling worries about whether central bank support could make a difference after years of loose policy around the globe.
On Tuesday, surveys showed China's manufacturing sector shrinking at its fastest pace in three years while its services sector also cooled.
Adding to economic worries, data showed U.S. factory activity hit a more than two-year low in August.
"The volatility is here to stay for a while or at least till the Fed gives us an indication regarding a rate increase," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at Wunderlich Securities in New York.
Comments by Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer over the weekend appeared to keep alive chances of a U.S. interest rate increase in September.
The Dow Jones industrial average fell 406.88 points, or 2.46 percent, to16,121.15, the S&P 500 lost 48.73 points, or 2.47 percent, to 1,923.45 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 105.37 points, or 2.21 percent, to 4,671.14.
MSCI's all-country stock index fell 2.4 percent and is down 7.1 percent for the year to date. The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 stocks index closed down 2.8 percent.
Asian stocks, particularly in Japan, fell overnight.
In the oil market, Brent crude dropped $3.24 to $50.91 a barrel. U.S. crude was down $3.10 at $46.10 a barrel.
While shares and commodities remained the focus, the mood was similarly wary in the currency and bond markets.
U.S. short- and medium-term Treasuries prices rose, with benchmark 10-year yields hitting a session low of 2.15 percent after reaching a 1-1/2-week high of 2.22 percent on Monday. The 10-year note was last up 6/32 in price.
The dollar sagged against the safe-haven yen and low-yielding euro as the Chinese data drove investors to unwind bets against the two currencies widely used to fund positions in riskier assets.
The dollar fell more than 1 percent to 119.9 yen, while the euro rose 1 percent to $1.1332.
Russia's ruble was among the hardest-hit emerging market currency as the price of oil fell.
The head of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, summed up the global outlook in a speech in Indonesia, where she said global economic growth was now likely to be weaker than had been expected just a few months ago.
She cited a slower recovery in major advanced economies and a further slowdown in emerging nations and highlighted the need to "be vigilant for spillovers" from China's stutters.
Spot gold rose to a session high of $1,147.16 an ounce and was up 0.9 percent at $1,144.42 an ounce.
London Metal Exchange copper fell almost 1 percent to $5,087.50 as markets reopened after a long holiday weekend. Nickel slid 2 percent and aluminum skidded as well.
(Additional reporting by Tanya Agrawal, Marc Jones, Lisa Twaronite in Tokyo; Editing by Dan Grebler and Meredith Mazzilli) | *China factory activity shrinks at fastest pace in 3 years. NEW YORK, Sept 1- World stock indexes and commodities dropped on Tuesday as weak Chinese data revived fears about the effect of China's economic health on the global economy and fueled more market turmoil. On Tuesday, surveys showed China's manufacturing sector shrinking at its fastest pace in three... | 12.015152 | 0.969697 | 21.484848 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2015/11/02/dispute-over-internet-data-collection-splits-high-court/Jc0Yvp97vhUuW7ZjD3ggDK/story.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151107014237id_/http://www.bostonglobe.com:80/business/2015/11/02/dispute-over-internet-data-collection-splits-high-court/Jc0Yvp97vhUuW7ZjD3ggDK/story.html | Dispute over Internet data collection splits high court | 20151107014237 | WASHINGTON — No one at the Supreme Court on Monday disputed the fact that an online profile of Thomas Robins was riddled with false and misleading information.
The profile of the Virginia resident compiled by Internet search site Spokeo.com said Robins had a graduate degree, a good job, and was married with children. In fact, Robins had no advanced degree and was unemployed, with no wife or children.
But the justices appeared sharply divided along ideological lines over whether Robins can sue the company for a technical violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, even if the mistakes didn’t cause him any specific harm such as a lost job opportunity or denial of credit.
The case pits business groups concerned about exposure to costly litigation against consumer protection advocates who say such lawsuits are the only way to hold companies accountable for mistakes.
Robins is pursuing a class action case against Spokeo on behalf of thousands of plaintiffs, which could lead to damages in the billions of dollars.
Liberal justices seemed to side with Robins’s view that being falsely portrayed is enough to show harm. But conservatives insisted the law required Robins to show how he was injured.
‘‘Seems like a concrete injury to me,’’ Justice Elena Kagan said of the mistakes. ‘‘If somebody did it to me, I’d feel harmed.’’
Kagan said that Congress passed the fair credit law in the first place because lawmakers were concerned about people being injured by the dissemination of false information.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor suggested the false information could have harmed Robins in unexpected ways.
‘‘I will tell you that I know plenty of single people who look at whether someone who’s proposed to date is married or not,’’ she said. ‘‘So if you’re not married and there’s a report out there saying you are, that’s a potential injury.’’
Spokeo lawyer Andrew Pincus argued that Robins’s claims are too speculative and not the kind of ‘‘tangible’’ injury to economic or property rights that Congress intended when it passed the fair credit law.
The law was designed to keep companies from compiling inaccurate information that could jeopardize a person’s ability to get loans or find work. Violators can face damages of $1,000 per violation, but that can climb into the millions in class action cases.
Justice Antonin Scalia said Congress was not focused on faulty data itself, but on the failure of credit reporting agencies to follow proper procedures in collecting and reporting data.
‘‘In fact, Congress has not identified misinformation as a suable harm,’’ Scalia said.
The case is being closely watched by Facebook, Twitter, and a host of other technology firms.
A decision is expected by the end of June. | No one at the Supreme Court on Monday disputed the fact that an online profile of Thomas Robins was riddled with false and misleading information. | 20.307692 | 1 | 26 | medium | high | extractive |
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/01/reuters-america-nikkei-ends-nearly-4-pct-lower-on-uncertainty-over-china-us-rates.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151108153705id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/01/reuters-america-nikkei-ends-nearly-4-pct-lower-on-uncertainty-over-china-us-rates.html | Nikkei ends nearly 4 pct lower on uncertainty over China, U.S. rates | 20151108153705 | TOKYO, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Japanese stocks crumbled on Tuesday, extending the previous day's losses after surveys showed China's factory sector shrank for the sixth straight month in August while investors remained on edge ahead of key U.S. data due throughout the week.
Sentiment was also hurt by capital expenditures data that showed slowing investment in plants and equipment by Japanese companies.
The Nikkei share average closed 3.8 percent lower at 18,165.69, heading towards a six-month low of 17,714.30 hit last week.
"The market remains almost shell-shocked after the volatility we've seen recently and having events on the horizon that could produce further volatility has people a bit on edge," said Stefan Worrall, cash equities manager at Credit Suisse.
"China continues to be a source of some concern and Japan's capex data was also a bit deflating, but more so for policymakers than anyone else. The immediate focus for investors is policy response in the U.S."
Market players said investors are counting on Friday's release of U.S. non-farm payrolls data to signal whether or not the U.S. Federal Reserve may raise interest rates in September.
Speculation over the timing of an expected rate hike has seesawed, but market participants said strong payrolls data on Friday would likely rekindle expectations around a September hike.
Investors dumped Toshiba Corp after the company further delayed release of its earnings for the year ending March, saying it had found new accounting irregularities. The stock fell 5.3 percent.
Pharmaceuticals, one of the best performing sectors so far this year, dropped 5.4 percent, becoming the worst performing sector in the Tokyo Stock Exchange's 33 industry subindex.
Takeda Pharmaceutical fell 4.4 percent while Astellas Pharma dropped 5.8 percent and Eisai fell 7.5 percent.
Food companies, a sector favoured by investors, sank 4.5 percent, with Japan Tobacco falling 4.1 percent and Meiji Holdings shedding 6.2 percent.
The broader Topix dropped 3.8 percent to 1,478.11. Morgan Stanley affirmed its Topix target price at 1,740 and recommended investors raise weightings for Japan to buy back into the current weakness, which the house sees as overdone.
Only 47 shares gained while 1,837 shares declined on the TSE's main board.
The JPX-Nikkei Index 400 shed 4 percent to 13,267.48.
(Additional reporting by Ayai Tomisawa; Editing by Jacqueline Wong) | TOKYO, Sept 1- Japanese stocks crumbled on Tuesday, extending the previous day's losses after surveys showed China's factory sector shrank for the sixth straight month in August while investors remained on edge ahead of key U.S. data due throughout the week. "The market remains almost shell-shocked after the volatility we've seen recently and having events on... | 6.641791 | 0.955224 | 31.850746 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2015/11/05/album-review-david-ware-apogee-birth-being/H13XLWyCPMkBiWeOjB4qfM/story.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151108214853id_/http://www.bostonglobe.com:80/arts/music/2015/11/05/album-review-david-ware-apogee-birth-being/H13XLWyCPMkBiWeOjB4qfM/story.html? | David S. Ware/Apogee, ‘Birth of a Being’ | 20151108214853 | During the 1990s the saxophonist, composer, and bandleader David S. Ware became that unlikely rarity: a jazz avant-gardist popular among alt-rock circles, and briefly signed by Branford Marsalis to a major-label contract. (Full disclosure: This writer previously worked for a firm that helped publicize Ware’s 1998 Columbia debut.) “Birth of a Being,” recorded in 1977, showed that Ware — who died at 62 in 2012 — had already formed his ecstatic vision on his first outing as a leader. Though taped in New York, the set features Apogee, the trio Ware formed with players he met during a brief late-’60s stint at Berklee: Cooper-Moore, a resourceful pianist and instrument builder, and Marc Edwards, an alert, elemental drummer. This reissue, heralding a Ware archival series from AUM Fidelity, includes five invaluable outtakes, among them a fiery variant of the soul-shaking “Prayer”; “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around,” an earthy freedom song played by Cooper-Moore on an 11-note xylophone he invented; and “Solo,” which succinctly distills Ware’s lyrical generosity and questing spirit. | An expanded reissue of the debut album by the late saxophonist and bandleader David S. Ware provides a timely reminder of his burgeoning skill and urgent sound. | 7.964286 | 0.642857 | 1.428571 | low | low | abstractive |
http://www.cnbc.com/2014/04/11/stocks-tumble-as-financials-retailers-lead-decline.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151109220229id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2014/04/11/stocks-tumble-as-financials-retailers-lead-decline.html | US stocks drop; Nasdaq's first close under 4,000 since February | 20151109220229 | After a 155-point dive, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 143.47 points, or 0.9 percent, to 16,026.75, with JPMorgan leading blue-chip losses that included 25 of 30 components. The Dow fell 2.4 percent for the week, its first weekly drop in four.
Falling 2.7 percent from a week ago, the S&P 500 declined 17.39 points, or 1 percent, to 1,815.69, with consumer discretionary hardest hit.
Falling below 4,000 for the first time since early February, the Nasdaq shed 54.37 points, or 1.3 percent, to 3,999.73, leaving the technology-laden index down 3.1 percent for the week, its worst weekly hit since June 2012 and its longest weekly loss streak since late 2012.
The CBOE Volatility Index jumped 7.1 percent to 17.01.
"In the last few selloffs, particularly like last July, we didn't really see the market stabilize until the VIX reached north of 20; I don't think we'll see some stabilization until we get enough panic to get it to 20. I'd be cautious as a buyer until," said Coleman at ConvergEx.
For every shares rising, more than two fell on the New York Stock Exchange, where 815 million shares traded. Composite volume neared 3.8 billion. | U.S. stocks declined sharply for a second session Friday. | 23.9 | 0.4 | 0.4 | medium | low | abstractive |
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/08/24/globe-newswire-fossil-group-inc-appoints-mauria-finley-to-its-board-of-directors.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151110213751id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2015/08/24/globe-newswire-fossil-group-inc-appoints-mauria-finley-to-its-board-of-directors.html | Fossil Group, Inc. Appoints Mauria Finley to Its Board of Directors | 20151110213751 | RICHARDSON, Texas, Aug. 24, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fossil Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:FOSL) (the "Company") announced the appointment of Mauria Finley to its Board of Directors effective August 24, 2015. With the appointment, the Company's Board of Directors consists of twelve members, including nine independent directors, two former members of senior management and one current member of senior management.
Kosta N. Kartsotis, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Company said, "We are very excited to have Mauria join our board of directors. Her successful track record of growing companies through digital experiences and social media platforms will prove invaluable as we continue to position the company to compete in the omni-channel age of retail. Her expertise and insight on adopting technology to rapidly grow businesses and better engage with customers perfectly aligns with the strategic initiatives currently in place for Fossil Group."
Ms. Finley was the founder of Citrus Lane and served as Chief Executive Officer from March 2011 until she retired from the company in October 2014. Citrus Lane is a leading social commerce platform for parents and was acquired by Care.com in July 2014. Ms. Finley previously served as Senior Director, Buyer Product and E-commerce Categories for eBay Inc. from January 2008 until October 2010. eBay Inc. is a technology company that enables commerce on behalf of users, merchants, retailers, and brands of various sizes in the United States and internationally. From September 2004 until January 2008, Ms. Finley served as Senior Director, New Ventures and Funding Mix for PayPal, then a division of eBay Inc., and now known as PayPal Holdings, Inc. PayPal Holding, Inc. is a technology platform company that enables digital and mobile payments on behalf of consumers and merchants worldwide. From January 2001 until December 2003, Ms. Finley served as Director of Product Management for Good Technology. Good Technology is a mobile startup that developed smartphone software and hardware for wireless messaging and personal information management for enterprises and users. From March 1999 until January 2001, Ms. Finley served as Director of Product Management for AOL. From September 1997 until March 1999, Ms. Finley served as Senior Product Manager for Netscape Communication.
Fossil Group, Inc. is a global design, marketing and distribution company that specializes in consumer lifestyle and fashion accessories. The Company's principal offerings include an extensive line of men's and women's fashion watches and jewelry sold under a diverse portfolio of proprietary and licensed brands, handbags, small leather goods and accessories. The Company's products are sold to department stores, specialty retail stores and specialty watch and jewelry stores in the U.S. and in approximately 150 countries worldwide through 26 Company-owned foreign sales subsidiaries and a network of approximately 75 independent distributors. The Company also distributes its products in over 600 Company-owned and operated retail stores, through its international e-commerce websites and through the Company's U.S. e-commerce website at www.fossil.com. Certain press release and SEC filing information concerning the Company is also available at www.fossilgroup.com.
CONTACT: Investor Relations: Eric M. Cerny FOSSIL GROUP, Inc. (855) 336-7745 Allison Malkin ICR, Inc. (203) 682-8225 | RICHARDSON, Texas, Aug. 24, 2015-- Fossil Group, Inc. announced the appointment of Mauria Finley to its Board of Directors effective August 24, 2015. Her expertise and insight on adopting technology to rapidly grow businesses and better engage with customers perfectly aligns with the strategic initiatives currently in place for Fossil Group. " | 9.885246 | 1 | 20.836066 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/08/27/reuters-america-metals-copper-up-after-fed-official-calms-markets-china-still-a-concern.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151113140246id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2015/08/27/reuters-america-metals-copper-up-after-fed-official-calms-markets-china-still-a-concern.html | METALS-Copper up after Fed official calms markets; China still a concern | 20151113140246 | * Fed official cools September rate rise talk
* Nearly a third of zinc stocks booked to leave LME warehouses
(Recasts, adds comment/detail; updates prices, changes dateline)
LONDON, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Copper rose on Thursday after comments by a U.S. Federal Reserve official helped calm global markets rattled by China's economic slowdown, and as investors grew nervous about betting on further falls for a metal trading near six-year lows.
New York Fed President William Dudley said on Wednesday the prospect of a September rate rise seemed "less compelling" given the threat posed to the U.S. economy by the recent global market turmoil.
Equities rose around the world on Thursday following the comments, with China stocks snapping a savage five-day losing streak, though traders said the market remained vulnerable given the country's economic outlook is still weak.
The lift helped distance copper from six-year lows of $4,855 plumbed this week on fears of a "hard landing" in China, which intensified after it devalued the yuan earlier in August.
Benchmark copper was up 1.9 percent at $5,028 a tonne by 1011 GMT. The metal is down some 20 percent this year.
"With prices being tossed around on macro-economic themes, one can't say (copper) definitely won't fall but momentum to the downside has retreated. Speculators are more nervous about being short copper," said Vivienne Lloyd, an analyst at Macquarie.
China's central bank lowered interest rates and the amount of reserves banks must hold for the second time in two months this week in a bid to boost its stuttering economy.
Still, not all investors are convinced the measures will rejuvenate industrial demand in the world's top metals user.
"Additional monetary easing and targeted fiscal stimulus in China later this year may lend support to copper prices periodically. However, given persistent macro headwinds, we recommend to sell the rallies in an over supplied market," Bank of China International strategist Xiao Fu told the Reuters Global Base Metals Forum.
Aluminium rose $23 to $1,554 a tonne, also moving away from six-year lows hit earlier this week.
Russia's Rusal, the world's top aluminium producer, warned that it sees aluminium prices remaining under pressure due to a glut of exports from China and new supply from the Middle East and India.
Zinc was up $11.50 at 1,712.00, not far off its lowest price since 2010 of $1,673 hit in the previous session. Data showed nearly a third of zinc stocks have been booked to leave LME registered warehouses <MZNSTX-TOTAL>.
($1 = 6.4050 Chinese yuan)
(Additional reporting by James Regan, editing by David Evans) | LONDON, Aug 27- Copper rose on Thursday after comments by a U.S. Equities rose around the world on Thursday following the comments, with China stocks snapping a savage five-day losing streak, though traders said the market remained vulnerable given the country's economic outlook is still weak. The lift helped distance copper from six-year lows of $4,855... | 7.850746 | 0.970149 | 27.746269 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/02/reuters-america-update-1-spielbergs-dreamworks-to-split-from-disney--hollywood-reporter.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151113142234id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/02/reuters-america-update-1-spielbergs-dreamworks-to-split-from-disney--hollywood-reporter.html | UPDATE 1-Spielberg's DreamWorks to split from Disney - Hollywood Reporter | 20151113142234 | Sept 2 (Reuters) - DreamWorks Studios, the film company co-founded by Steven Spielberg, will split from Walt Disney Co after the release of his film, "The BFG," the Hollywood Reporter said, citing people familiar with the matter.
The director's likely future home is Universal and is in talks with the company, according to the report on Wednesday. (http://bit.ly/1ii1C5G)
Spielberg's take on "The BFG," based on British author Roald Dahl's 1982 book, is scheduled for release on July 1, 2016.
Universal Studios, Walt Disney and DreamWorks could not immediately be reached for comment.
Disney Studios signed a long-term, exclusive film distribution agreement with DreamWorks Studios principals Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider in 2009.
The original agreement provided for the distribution and marketing of about six live-action films per year for DreamWorks as part of Spielberg and Snider's partnership with India's Reliance Big Entertainment.
"Jurassic World," which rebooted Spielberg's "Jurassic Park" dinosaur franchise, has become the third highest-grossing film in history, behind James Cameron's "Titanic" and "Avatar."
A sequel to the film is slated for a 2018 release, Comcast Corp's Universal Pictures said in July.
"The studio would welcome the chance to be DreamWorks' distribution partner" but any deal is premature, a Universal source was quoted as saying by the Hollywood Reporter.
(Reporting by Devika Krishna Kumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel) | Sept 2- DreamWorks Studios, the film company co-founded by Steven Spielberg, will split from Walt Disney Co after the release of his film, "The BFG," the Hollywood Reporter said, citing people familiar with the matter. Disney Studios signed a long-term, exclusive film distribution agreement with DreamWorks Studios principals Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider... | 4.373134 | 0.970149 | 34.19403 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.cnbc.com/2014/06/17/us-wins-late-thriller-versus-ghana.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151119080845id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2014/06/17/us-wins-late-thriller-versus-ghana.html | US wins late thriller versus Ghana | 20151119080845 | Clint Dempsey, who broke his nose during Monday's 2-1 victory, gave the U.S. instant momentum by scoring the fifth-fastest goal in World Cup history. Alongside Dempsey's inspiring game-opening play, U.S. goalie Tim Howard kept the Ghanians off the scoreboard for nearly the entire game.
Other player highlights include the defensive play of Jermaine Jones and Kyle Beckerman, who overcame early struggles to win six of eight aerial duels and complete nine of 12 tackles.
Read MoreWhy Qatar will likely be stripped of the 2022 World Cup | A late header by James Brooks allowed the United States to defeat Ghana in its first match of the 2014 World Cup. | 4.478261 | 0.391304 | 0.565217 | low | low | abstractive |
http://fortune.com/2012/06/03/steve-jobs-and-apple-linked-to-outbreak-of-internet-tourettes/ | http://web.archive.org/web/20151119131056id_/http://fortune.com/2012/06/03/steve-jobs-and-apple-linked-to-outbreak-of-internet-tourettes/ | Steve Jobs and Apple linked to outbreak of Internet Tourette’s | 20151119131056 | FORTUNE — A reader who called himself “jabberwolf” posted a poorly spelled and ungrammatical comment here Saturday in which he attacked Apple AAPL for a variety of alleged transgressions, including a claim that Steve Jobs put his name on hundreds of patents to which he contributed absolutely nothing.
In response, FalKirk, one of our favorite commenters, posted this:
In related news, scientists fear an outbreak of an epidemic known only as “Internet Tourette’s.”
“It’s a baffling disease,” said Dr. Goodwrench. ‘Perfectly normal people suddenly start spouting complete and utter gibberish for no apparent reason. It’s clear that they, themselves, think that they are making sense, but their sentences are disjointed, logic non-existent and they seem to jump from topic to topic with no regard for context or continuity or common sense.”
The Centers for Disease Control are taking a long hard look at the matter. “It’s a serious problem,” said Israeli professor Telly Prompter. “It appears that when certain key words like ‘Apple,’ ‘Jobs’ or ‘patents’ are uttered, those afflicted with this debilitating ailment simply lose touch with reality and start to mindlessly ramble on and on and on about unrelated matters. It’s similar to a psychotic break — only it’s a lot more boring.”
“There’s only one known cure for Internet Tourette’s,” opined government guru, Manny Petty. “Step away from the keyboard and shut down your computer. Just. Step. Away.”
For victims of Internet Tourette’s, like Jabberwolf and the millions of other sufferers like him, that is good advice. Very good advice indeed.
“What’s mine is yours,” Falkirk writes. Feel free to adapt and reuse as necessary. | A well-crafted rejoinder, pre-approved for copying and pasting where indicated | 22.933333 | 0.4 | 0.4 | medium | low | abstractive |
http://www.people.com/article/dancing-stars-bindi-irwin-cursing | http://web.archive.org/web/20151120053028id_/http://www.people.com:80/article/dancing-stars-bindi-irwin-cursing | Bindi Irwin Curses in the Most Adorable Way Possible : People.com | 20151120053028 | 11/17/2015 AT 02:40 AM EST
has to curse every now and then.
The daughter of late conservationist
is known for her positive, squeaky-clean image, but on
, the 17-year-old was bleeped in a pre-taped package that showed the moment after she fell to the ground during a rehearsal.
"Oh my gosh," Irwin told PEOPLE after the show. "I felt so bad. But I just wasn't expecting it. I was dropped and so I just screamed and it came out. I couldn't even tell you what word I said."
And her pro dancer partner
"I wouldn't be surprised if all she said was 'poop' or something," said Hough, 30.
But Irwin admits it's not the first time she's cursed.
"A few years ago, my family was staying in a really old house in the Outback and the power was out so we just had candlelight. I came in and put my bag down and a mouse jumped from the bed over my shoulder," said Irwin. "I wasn't expecting it. I thought it was a ghost or something so I screamed and I swore. From that day on, my
have called it 'the mouse word.' "
And Irwin has a feeling she'll be hearing that term in the next few days after her outburst on the ABC reality dance competition.
"I'm going to be getting a lot of, 'Bindi Sue! You said the mouse word,' " she said.
concludes its season next week Monday and Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. | "I felt so bad. But I just wasn't expecting it," Irwin tells PEOPLE of cursing | 16.05 | 0.9 | 9 | medium | medium | extractive |
http://www.9news.com.au/world/2015/11/19/16/56/cancer-stricken-eight-year-old-to-spend-last-days-with-school-sweetheart | http://web.archive.org/web/20151120184658id_/http://www.9news.com.au/world/2015/11/19/16/56/cancer-stricken-eight-year-old-to-spend-last-days-with-school-sweetheart | Cancer-stricken eight-year-old to spend last days with school sweetheart | 20151120184658 | A terminally ill eight-year-old from Chesapeake, Virginia has vowed to spend his last days with the love of his life: a seven-year-old classmate by the name of Ayla.
In an interview with ABC News, David Spisak Jr is captured on camera embracing his girlfriend, in a poignant expression of young love.
“How do you know you love her?” an interviewer can be heard saying in the video.
David’s response is brief but touching.
David, who was diagnosed with leukaemia at age two, has been battling cancer ever since.
Four cancer diagnoses and two transplants later, he has managed to exceed all expectations – but the prognosis isn’t good, with doctors declaring in March that David would only live four to six weeks without treatment.
With not much time left, parents David and Amber Spisak resolved to make the best of things.
“If the outcome was going to be the same, if he was going to continue to get cancer, we decided that if he wasn’t going to win, that we would give him everything right now,” Ms Spisak told ABC News.
They began first by arranging a date with David’s new girlfriend Ayla; a trip to a bowling alley, complete with a teddy bear and flowers as a gift.
During the date, Ayla – described by David as the “real Snow White, because she’s so kind” – reportedly stayed by her boyfriend’s side the entire time, even pushing his wheelchair around and helping him with bowling balls.
“We were all so taken aback by their bond, their connection there,” Ms Spisak said.
“It was so natural, there was no hesitation from neither one of them. They just wanted to be together.”
The date convinced the Spisaks that David and Ayla’s relationship “wasn’t the typical elementary school crush” but a “heartfelt connection”.
“We were so happy that she came into his life and that he came to her life for some reason,” Ms Spisak said.
Both parents have offered their blessing to the relationship, with David and Ayla committed to spend what little time is left to them side by side.
“She knows that’s coming, and she just wants him to be happy,” Ayla’s mother can be heard saying in the video. | A terminally ill eight-year-old from Chesapeake, Virginia has vowed to spend his last days with the love of his life: a seven-year-old classmate by the name of Ayla. | 11.923077 | 1 | 39 | low | high | extractive |
https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2015/11/20/turkey-prices-hurt-thanksgiving-donations/cvj0Gh0jrfzFoZsVrdOHSJ/story.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151121211524id_/https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2015/11/20/turkey-prices-hurt-thanksgiving-donations/cvj0Gh0jrfzFoZsVrdOHSJ/story.html | Turkey prices hurt Thanksgiving donations | 20151121211524 | The avian flu that wiped out millions of turkeys over the summer had many Thanksgiving lovers crying foul over looming sticker shock.
The spike has not been as dire as some predicted -- fresh turkeys are selling for between 89 cents and $2.49 a pound, slightly up from last year, according to the US Department of Agriculture -- but several local nonprofits say the outbreak has still had an adverse affect on their holiday meal donations.
At the Margaret Fuller Neighborhood House in Cambridge, which is giving out fixings for more than 600 turkey dinners on Saturday, leaders had to scramble to find enough birds. The community group called multiple grocery stores -- and drafted extra drivers -- when Market Basket said it couldn’t provide as many discounted turkeys as usual.
The Salvation Army upped its Thanksgiving meal fundraising goal to account for the increased costs of the more than 2,000 food baskets it is distributing to Boston families on Saturday. As of Friday, the nonprofit is still $32,000 away from its goal of $125,000, said spokesman Drew Forster. No family will be denied food because of it, but the additional turkey cost “stretches our resources thin,” he said.
Community Servings, which will deliver 1,000 Thanksgiving meals to people who are ill or housebound, saw prices jump by 15 cents a pound overnight last week. When a company called to donate the equivalent of 48 turkeys, the price was $1,000, said Tim Leahy, vice president of development and communications. But when the nonprofit went to order the birds the next day, the price had risen to $1,100.
Turkeys weren’t the only Thanksgiving staple in short supply this year, Leahy noted. The chefs who donate to the nonprofit’s annual online pie sale said they were having trouble finding pumpkins due to wet weather in Illinois that decimated the state’s harvest.
Rest assured, though, pumpkin people: Community Servings is still selling pumpkin pies -- 3,000 in all. | Several local nonprofits say the avian flu outbreak, and accompanying higher prices, has affected their holiday meal donations. | 17.761905 | 0.857143 | 2.857143 | medium | medium | mixed |
http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2015/11/20/draftkings-fanduel-work-improve-location-controls/UDB1cMzwOEakuP9lUynYUO/story.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151122085653id_/http://www.bostonglobe.com:80/business/2015/11/20/draftkings-fanduel-work-improve-location-controls/UDB1cMzwOEakuP9lUynYUO/story.html | DraftKings works to improve location controls | 20151122085653 | Embattled DraftKings Inc. said Friday that it has adopted new technology that will improve its effort to block players from states where its contests are banned.
The Boston daily fantasy sports company said it has partnered with GeoComply USA Inc., a Las Vegas firm whose software helps online services determine where their customers are located. Its clients include casino operator MGM Resorts and companies that provide online sports betting in states where such gambling is legal.
The announcement follows reports that DraftKings’ existing controls were easily circumvented and comes as the company faces the possibility of having to exclude customers in more locations because of opposition from state authorities.
A spokesman said DraftKings activated the new service this week. He added that the company had planned the improvement before a Nov. 13 New York Times story that showed how players in banned states could get around DraftKings’ existing controls.
The spokesman acknowledged that DraftKings’ previous controls largely relied on users’ Internet Protocol, or IP, addresses, identifying numbers, which can be easily manipulated to make Web traffic appear as if it is coming from another location.
GeoComply says its tools can detect and block users who are using Internet services that disguise their actual location.
The company has not allowed entries into its fantasy sports contests for cash from five states whose gambling laws seemed to clearly prohibit them: Arizona, Iowa, Louisiana, Montana, and Washington. Last month, it also began blocking users from Nevada, where regulators ruled the contests were a form of gambling that required licensure. Now, DraftKings is staring down a possible ban in New York, raising the possibility it will face stiff penalties if it fails to consistently block players from locations where its contests are forbidden. | After reports that its restrictions were easily spoofed, DraftKings has a new company checking on where its users are located. | 14.545455 | 0.818182 | 1.454545 | low | medium | abstractive |
http://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/movies/2015/11/21/disc-options-for-holiday-giving/YTArdqrL8BWXj8G8mmwyZL/story.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151125092613id_/http://www.bostonglobe.com:80/arts/movies/2015/11/21/disc-options-for-holiday-giving/YTArdqrL8BWXj8G8mmwyZL/story.html | Disc options for holiday giving | 20151125092613 | Be sure to make some room in your gift pile this holiday season for the usual swagtastic assortment of DVD and Blu-ray releases. And clear some space on the knickknack shelf while you’re at it, because a number of them come with some swell tchotchkes. Among the offerings:
STAR WARS LIMITED EDITION STEELBOOKS
OK, completists, see if your Jedi powers can help you resist this gimmick: To gear up for “The Force Awakens,” all six previous “Star Wars” installments have been reissued on Blu-ray with sleek new metallic character packaging. Darth Vader never looked so . . . steely! Hunting for more interstellar action? With a new “Star Trek” movie and network show on the way, the remastered original series has just been rereleased in streamlined packaging. There’s also “Lost in Space: The Complete Adventures,” which is anything but streamlined, from golden-anniversary cast interviews to bonus robot blueprints. (“Star Wars,” Fox, $24.99 each; “Trek,” Paramount, $79.99; “Lost,” Fox, $199.99)
Paul Rudd stars in the year’s most satisfying superhero flick. No, we’re not forgetting about “Avengers: Age of Ultron” — but if that’s the one you’re partial to, both movies are available as part of “Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Two,” an elaborate, Amazon-exclusive box set that also includes the most recent installments of “Iron Man,” “Thor,” and “Captain America,” plus “Guardians of the Galaxy” and a replica “Guardians” MacGuffin. (“Ant-Man,” Disney, $29.99; Blu-ray, $32.99; Dec. 8)
MY FAIR LADY: 50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION
You’ve been hoping that some day retailers would stock a pristine hi-def reissue of the Audrey Hepburn-Rex Harrison classic — and now, by George, they’ve got it! Includes vintage trailers, featurettes, and premiere footage. (Paramount, $39.99)
BACK TO THE FUTURE: THE COMPLETE ADVENTURES
Fans remember well that 2015 is the year that Marty McFly and Doc Brown visit at the beginning of “Back to the Future Part II.” To mark the occasion, the entire trilogy gets a Blu-ray reissue complete with a new bonus disc, a retrospective booklet, the franchise’s cartoon spinoff, and replica flux-capacitor packaging. (Universal, $99.98)
JURASSIC WORLD LIMITEDEDITION GIFT SET
What kid doesn’t like unwrapping a box full of dinosaur coolness? This set packages the 3-D blockbuster with a figurine of our old pal T. rex doing battle with his nasty hybrid cousin, Indominus rex. (Universal, $119.98)
Marvel at how Tom Cruise has managed to hang from cargo planes, skyscrapers, etc. without self-destructing, with his two-decade run as superspy Ethan Hunt bundled into a comprehensive release. The set arrives in stores alongside the franchise’s latest installment, “Rogue Nation.” Also newly available is a box collecting the original TV series’ entire seven-season run. (Paramount, $64.99; Dec. 15)
THE HOBBIT TRILOGY EXTENDED EDITION
The supersized edits of Peter Jackson’s Tolkien adaptations are collected into one set to rule them all, complete with commentary and extensive production documentaries. The expanded trilogy capper, “The Battle of the Five Armies,” is also available separately. And in other fantasy news, “Game of Thrones” seasons 1 and 2 each get steelbook reissues with collectible sigil magnets. (Warner, $78.92; Blu-ray, $99.98)
Ken Burns’s landmark documentary is remastered for its 25th anniverary. Supplements include a new retrospective. (PBS, $99.99; Blu-ray, $129.99)
Gru’s little helpers show us what mischief they got up to before “Despicable Me” in this hit prequel. Bonus shorts includes “Cro Minion” and a Minion “Jingle Bells” singalong. (Universal, $29.98; Blu-ray, $34.98; Dec. 8)
The quaintly animated love child of Will Ferrell’s yuletide staple and Broadway’s sing-it-loud spinoff arrives on disc. (Warner, $14.98; Blu-ray, $19.98)
Nope, we don’t think venturesome Shaun was there at the manger, but he definitely gets around in the latest bit of animated quirkiness from Aardman, the studio behind “Wallace & Gromit.” The first two seasons of the character’s TV ’toon get a companion reissue. (Lionsgate, $29.95; Blu-ray, $34.99; Nov. 24)
BON VOYAGE, CHARLIE BROWN (AND DON’T COME BACK!!)
There’s the kind of cornucopia that Snoopy lays out — jelly beans and toast — and then there’s the kind that Charlie Brown fans are getting at the moment, between “The Peanuts Movie” and the gang’s Thanksgiving and Christmas specials. Keep the fun coming with this 1980 feature that ships the kids and their beagle to France as exchange students. It might not be 3-D flashy, but to paraphrase Linus, we never thought it was such a bad little cartoon. (Paramount, $14.98) TOM RUSSO | Here are top releases on disc this holiday season. | 101 | 0.8 | 1.6 | high | medium | mixed |
http://www.9news.com.au/world/2015/11/25/09/23/nato-head-urges-calm-de-escalation | http://web.archive.org/web/20151126141451id_/http://www.9news.com.au/world/2015/11/25/09/23/nato-head-urges-calm-de-escalation | NATO head urges 'calm, de-escalation' | 20151126141451 | NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg says the military alliance stands by key ally Turkey after it shot down a Russia fighter jet on the Syrian border but has urged both sides to try to calm the crisis.
"As we have repeatedly made clear, we stand in solidarity with Turkey and support the territorial integrity of our NATO ally, Turkey," Stoltenberg said on Tuesday after an emergency meeting of all 28 members requested by Ankara.
"I look forward to further contacts between Ankara and Moscow and call for calm and de-escalation. Diplomacy and de-escalation are important to resolve this situation," he said.
Ankara said two of its F16 fighters shot down a Russian Su-24 after it violated Turkish airspace 10 times within five minutes along the Syrian border.
Russia insisted its aircraft was in Syrian airspace.
Stoltenberg said he had warned repeatedly of the dangers posed by Russia's massive air campaign against rebels seeking to oust long-time ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
"This highlights the importance of having and respecting arrangements to avoid such incidents in the future," he said.
A NATO diplomat said there was strong support for Turkey at the meeting but also calls "for a measured response to ensure this does not happen again".
"This was a serious incident and we don't want it to derail progress made in building a common front against Islamic State," said the diplomat, who asked not to be named.
Turkey is a key NATO member, with the second largest military in the alliance after the United States, and has several times called on its allies for support.
In response, NATO in 2012 deployed Patriot anti-missile batteries in the south but they were due to be withdrawn at the end of this year. NATO said previously the Patriot deployment was being reviewed. | NATO has held an emergency meeting after Turkey downed a Russian fighter jet and says diplomacy and de-escalation are needed to calm the situation. | 13.111111 | 0.888889 | 2.592593 | low | medium | mixed |
http://www.cnbc.com/2014/10/14/as-oil-tumbles-pros-expect-further-declines.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151129205546id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2014/10/14/as-oil-tumbles-pros-expect-further-declines.html | As oil tumbles, pros expect further declines | 20151129205546 | Adding to the bearish tone on Tuesday, a source familiar with oil policy in Iran, normally one of the first in OPEC to call for production cuts, followed Kuwait in saying there was no need to rein in supplies.
Yet pros on CNBC said the decline also had everything to do with the abundance of new discoveries found in North America.
"In our country we're undergoing an energy revolution. We're finding more oil and producing more oil hence prices are falling," added Skip Aylesworth of Hennessy Funds also on "Street Signs."
Given the confluence of events, all the pros believe the path of least resistance remains lower.
The impact on the economy, however, remains unclear.
Some pros, such as CNBC's Jim Cramer believe lower oil is largely a positive, because it leads to lower prices at the pump, and that ultimately benefits consumers. However, other pros such as Fast Money trader Guy Adami view lower oil negatively; they see it as a referendum on slower global growth. | “I’m expecting oil prices will dip below $80 and in very short order,” said a top energy consultant on CNBC’s “Street Signs.” | 6.419355 | 0.419355 | 0.677419 | low | low | abstractive |
http://fortune.com/2010/10/12/google-invests-in-east-coast-offshore-wind-energy/ | http://web.archive.org/web/20151202082323id_/http://fortune.com/2010/10/12/google-invests-in-east-coast-offshore-wind-energy/ | Google invests in East Coast offshore wind energy | 20151202082323 | The offshore wind-energy backbone will strengthen the electricity grid for East Coast population centers.
Google GOOG announced they signed an agreement to invest in the development of a backbone transmission project off the Mid-Atlantic coast. They cite the project’s ability to create thousands of jobs, improve consumer access to clean energy sources and increase the reliability of the Mid-Atlantic region’s power grid.
Google isn’t building windmills. They are investing in building the backbone that will carry the power from windmills built in the future. As it stands, a windmill builder would not only have to build the turbine, but also connect the power to the mainland. With the infrastructure already built and a backbone stretching for 350 miles offshore, it will be easier for these companies to build turbines and connect to the grid.
These shallow waters make it easier to install turbines 10-15 miles offshore, meaning wind projects can take advantage of stronger winds and are virtually out-of-sight from land. With few other renewable energy options ideally suited for the Atlantic coast, the AWC backbone helps states meet their renewable energy goals and standards (PDF) by enabling a local offshore wind industry to deploy thousands of megawatts of clean, cost-effective wind energy.
It also saves Google and the companies it invests with from lawsuits from wealthy ocean-front land owners and fossil fuel companies who have made it difficult for wind farms to be built in places like Nantucket. The companies that build the turbines, often affiliated with government, are better equipped to handle those tasks.
When built out, the Atlantic Wind Connection (AWC) backbone will stretch 350 miles off the coast from New Jersey to Virginia and will be able to connect 6,000MW of offshore wind turbines. That’s equivalent to 60% of the wind energy that was installed in the entire country last year and enough to serve approximately 1.9 million households.
Google is a minority stakeholder in the project.
The AWC project is led by independent transmission company Trans-Elect and is financed by Google, Good Energies and Marubeni Corporation. We are investing 37.5% of the equity in this initial development stage, with the goal of obtaining all the necessary approvals to finance and begin constructing the line. Although the development stage requires only a small part of the total estimated project budget, it represents a critical stage for the project.
Projects like these aren’t just to make the electricity that Google needs more reliable and less expensive (and a return on their investment), it also helps foster an environmental image for Google which is much more valuable than any profits they’ll receive. | The offshore wind-energy backbone will strengthen the electricity grid for East Coast population centers. Google announced they signed an agreement to invest in the development of a backbone transmission project off the Mid-Atlantic coast. They cite the project's ability to create thousands of jobs, improve consumer access to clean energy sources and increase the reliability… | 7.666667 | 0.939394 | 16.878788 | low | medium | extractive |
http://www.cnbc.com/2014/05/22/globe-newswire-150000-donation-by-teza-technologies-ceo-misha-malyshev-and-his-wife-oksana-malysheva-helps-to-build-five-new-schools-in.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20151208092834id_/http://www.cnbc.com/2014/05/22/globe-newswire-150000-donation-by-teza-technologies-ceo-misha-malyshev-and-his-wife-oksana-malysheva-helps-to-build-five-new-schools-in.html | $150,000 Donation by Teza Technologies CEO, Misha Malyshev, and His Wife Oksana Malysheva Helps to Build Five New Schools in Africa and Central America | 20151208092834 | CHICAGO, May 22, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- buildOn today announced that the $150,000 donation it received from Teza Technologies CEO Misha Malyshev and his wife, Oksana Malysheva, has resulted in the completion of five schools in Malawi and Nicaragua. The schools are providing more than 2,100 children in rural villages with a clean, safe place to learn. Additionally, through a partnership with each village, buildOn is ensuring that at least half of the schools' students are female. "Education is what allows people to move forward and create opportunities for themselves, their families and communities," said Malyshev. "My wife and I, and my firm, are strong supporters of buildOn's mission and we are delighted to see that these five schools have been completed." Villagers volunteered more than 6,000 work days to complete the five schools in Malawi (located in Nthumbo, Sisilo Manondo, and Nyemba) and Nicaragua (located in Jiquelito and Linda Vista). Three of the schools were constructed in partnership with student volunteers from Chicago, New York City and the San Francisco Bay Area. Consistently ranked among the world's 20 least developed countries on the United Nations' Human Development Index, the African country of Malawi has long been challenged by economic stagnation and a lack of access to education. In Nicaragua, the second poorest country in Latin America after Haiti, individuals living in rural villages have only two years of education on average. According to the Global Campaign for Education, no country has ever achieved continuous and rapid economic growth without first having at least 40 percent of its adults able to read and write. In addition to their continued support of education in developing countries, the Malyshevs also support efforts in Chicago through buildOn's Afterschool Service Program. In December of 2012, the couple led Teza's contribution to buildOn's Breaking the Cycle Campaign. Through a $100,000 matching gift grant from Teza, the campaign raised $235,000 to support buildOn's Afterschool Service Programs in under-resourced Chicago Public Schools (CPS) high schools, and to build three schools in Malawi. "The Malyshevs' dedication to education both here in the U.S. is inspiring," said Jim Ziolkowski, CEO and founder of buildOn. "Without the support of investors like Misha and Oksana, buildOn's work would not be possible. These schools will not only change the lives of hundreds of children, but will bring continued development to entire communities." About Misha Malyshev
Misha Malyshev is the CEO and founder of Teza Technologies, a science and technology driven global quantitative trading business headquartered in Chicago with offices in New York and London. Dr. Malyshev earned his Ph.D. in astrophysics from Princeton University, as well as an M.S. in theoretical physics and a B.S. in physics and mathematics from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. An active supporter of education initiatives. Misha Malyshev joined buildOn in 2013 and is currently active as a member of the global leadership council. For more information, follow Misha Malyshev on Twitter or visit www.teza.com About buildOn
At home or abroad, buildOn's goal is to break the cycle of poverty, illiteracy and low expectations through service and education. In the U.S., buildOn empowers urban youth to transform their neighborhoods through intensive community service and to change the world by building schools in some of the economically poorest countries in the world. Internationally, buildOn is breaking ground on a new school every five days in Haiti, Nicaragua, Nepal, Senegal, Malawi, and Mali. Our students have contributed over 1 million hours of service in the U.S., and have helped build more than 511 schools around the world. For more information, visit http://www.buildon.org. Photo caption: Teza Technologies CEO Misha Malyshev
A photo accompanying this release is available at: http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=25530
CONTACT: Carrie Pena buildOn http://www.buildon.org 224-420-1825 Justin Brennan Teza http://www.teza.com 202-346-8842Source: BuildOn | CHICAGO, May 22, 2014-- buildOn today announced that the $150,000 donation it received from Teza Technologies CEO Misha Malyshev and his wife, Oksana Malysheva, has resulted in the completion of five schools in Malawi and Nicaragua. Villagers volunteered more than 6,000 work days to complete the five schools in Malawi and Nicaragua. | 12.04918 | 1 | 25.229508 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.bbc.com/autos/story/20151207-with-niniette-bugatti-goes-boating | http://web.archive.org/web/20151208163652id_/http://www.bbc.com/autos/story/20151207-with-niniette-bugatti-goes-boating | With Niniette, Bugatti goes boating | 20151208163652 | Some famous sports car marques slap their name on merchandise like a third-grader with a label maker, but at least when Bugatti does it, the merch in question is a yacht with a $3.5million* price tag.
Bugatti has partnered with motor-yacht builder Palmer Johnson to create a series of “sport yachts” — imagine an open-top speedboat, but 42 to 88 feet long, built of blue morta oak on the topside and carbon fiber in the hull, with “salons” above and below for four guests. Presumably there’s a wet bar, as well.
This isn’t Bugatti’s first dip into the yacht market; founder Ettore Bugatti designed racing boats and yachts himself in the 1930s, about the same time he was creating his company’s most iconic car designs. He gave one of those boats his daughter’s nickname, Niniette, and that is the name these modern yachts will carry.
Though some of the Palmer Johnson Niniette’s lines hearken to classic Bugattis (in particular the Type 57 “Atlantic,” whose name alone makes the argument), the design inspiration here hews closer to the modern Veyron, with extremely technical and lightweight materials coupled with luxurious interior finishes. The design also makes a clear nod to the Veyron’s typical two-tone paint job, though the boat’s top speed, at 38 knots, comes in about 200 mph short of the car.
If you’d like a Niniette in your own home port, you should order now; a 12-month production time could get it under next year’s Christmas tree. Your superyacht will be only slightly more expensive (depending on your trim level) than Bugatti’s new Chiron — and if you’re not already on the Good Girls and Boys list for that bad boy, Santa has some bad news for you.
*Actually, there is a Bugatti lifestyle brand, though the just-above-key-ring cost of entry is a $500 scarf.
If you would like to comment on this or anything else you have seen on BBC Autos, head over to our Facebook page or message us on Twitter. | This $3.5million motor yacht brings Veyron style to the high seas. | 31.692308 | 0.692308 | 1 | medium | low | abstractive |
http://time.com/3996152/neil-patrick-harris-doogie-howser/ | http://web.archive.org/web/20151209174821id_/http://time.com/3996152/neil-patrick-harris-doogie-howser/ | Neil Patrick Harris Still Watches Doogie Howser M.D.: Video | 20151209174821 | Neil Patrick Harris appeared on The Late Late Show Wednesday, where he reminisced about his early days as a child actor. Host James Corden asked Harris if he ever happens to catch old episodes of Doogie Howser, M.D., which starred Harris as a teenage physician.
Harris confirmed that he does indeed watch episodes of his old show.
“It’s weird to watch, because my voice — I sound like I was in the Wizard of Oz or something.” He then goes on to imitate his younger self, talking like a Munchkin.
“But finally my testicles dropped and I feel much better,” he joked. | And he marvels at how high-pitched his voice was | 11.090909 | 0.454545 | 0.454545 | low | low | abstractive |
http://www.9news.com.au/World/2015/12/10/00/17/Time-magazine-names-German-Chancellor-Angela-Merkel-as-its-person-of-2015 | http://web.archive.org/web/20151212173731id_/http://www.9news.com.au:80/World/2015/12/10/00/17/Time-magazine-names-German-Chancellor-Angela-Merkel-as-its-person-of-2015 | Time magazine names Angela Merkel as its person of 2015 | 20151212173731 | Time magazine's front cover featuring Angela Merkel.
Time magazine has named German Chancellor Angela Merkel as its "Person of the Year 2015", hailing her leadership during Europe's debt, refugee and migrant crises, as well as Russia's intervention in Ukraine.
"For asking more of her country than most politicians would dare, for standing firm against tyranny as well as expedience and for providing steadfast moral leadership in a world where it is in short supply, Angela Merkel is Time's Person of the Year," Time editor Nancy Gibbs wrote.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks with US President Barack Obama at Schloss Elmau hotel in Germany. (Michael Kappeler/AP)
Time named Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of the Islamic State extremist group, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, America's Black Lives Matter activists campaigning against inequality against African Americans and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani as its runners up.
The magazine said the German chancellor had "stepped in" every time a serious crisis had threatened European statecraft this year.
"The prospect of Greek bankruptcy threatened the very existence of the euro zone. The migrant and refugee crisis challenged the principle of open borders. And finally, the carnage in Paris revived the reflex to slam doors, build walls and trust no one," Gibbs wrote.
Angela Merkel poses with some lucky drinkers on Caxton Street in Brisbane. (Sarah Keayes)
"Each time Merkel stepped in. Germany would bail Greece out, on her strict terms. It would welcome refugees as casualties of radical Islamist savagery, not carriers of it.
"And it would deploy troops abroad in the fight against ISIS... You can agree with her or not, but she is not taking the easy road. Leaders are tested only when people don't want to follow."
A pastor's daughter who grew up behind the Iron Curtain, the 61-year-old Merkel made an unprecedented journey to become chancellor, in power for 10 years, and the world's most powerful woman. | Time magazine has named German Chancellor Angela Merkel as its "Person of the Year 2015", hailing her leadership during Europe's debt, refugee and migrant crises, as well as Russia's intervention in Ukraine. | 9.725 | 1 | 40 | low | high | extractive |
http://time.com/3663956/uva-rape-frat-rules-rolling-stone/ | http://web.archive.org/web/20151214114245id_/http://time.com/3663956/uva-rape-frat-rules-rolling-stone/ | UVA Changes Fraternity Rules After Article in Rolling Stone | 20151214114245 | The University of Virginia has proposed new rules for its fraternity system after the uproar that broke out both on and off campus following a controversial magazine story late last year that depicted a brutal gang rape at a frat house.
The new rules include some strong reforms like the elimination of kegs and hard-alcohol punch. But the nature of the relationship between the university and the fraternities, many of which are privately owned, may make the rules hard to enforce.
The individual Greek organizations have until Friday to agree to the new rules. If they don’t, they risk losing formal affiliation with the university—the one bit of leverage UVA administrators have over the fraternities. Under the new rules, fraternities must furnish a minimum of three “sober brother monitors,” at parties, who must wait at each alcohol distribution point as well as the stairs leading to the residential bedrooms. Beer must be served unopened in the original can, pre-mixed punches would be prohibited, wine must be poured out of a bottle by a sober brother, and hard alcohol can only be served at large parties by a hired bartender licensed by the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. A privately contracted security guard would also have to stand outside the front door and check names off a guest list.
MORE The Sexual Assault Crisis on American Campuses
The new rules come after UVA briefly suspended social activities at all fraternities on campus following the publication of an article in Rolling Stone that included a detailed account of a horrific rape that allegedly happened at a UVA fraternity. The story has since been found to have significant inconsistencies. After the Washington Post and other outlets identified problems with the story, Rolling Stone issued an apology and promised to investigate further. On Monday, UVA announced that it would reinstate the fraternity in the story, Phi Kappa Psi, after the Charlottesville Police failed to find any “substantive basis” to confirm the gruesome events described in the story.
Despite the inconsistencies in the article, UVA has decided to go ahead with fraternity reform. Though UVA President Teresa Sullivan was careful not to single out Greek organizations as the main culprits in the problem of sexual assault on campus during an interview with TIME last year, the rules do reflect a slightly softer version of the reforms she favored. “The days of the trash can full of punch have to be over,” she told TIME.
MORE UVA President: Eliminate All Booze Except Beer
Nonetheless, it appears that UVA may not be doing much to enforce the reforms—a reflection of the tricky nature of governing private organizations on campus. According to ABC News, UVA spokesman Anthony de Bruyn said the university would not provide staff to monitor the fraternities to because they are privately owned. “The University will work closely with Greek leadership to support them in seeking compliance with the new practices by their members,” de Bruyn told Time. “Should violations be brought to the University’s attention, as has been the case it the past, the Dean of Students Office will investigate, and any appropriate next steps would be based upon the details of each case.”
The lack of formal monitoring raises questions as to whether the reforms will have any teeth. | Methods of enforcement remain few and far between. | 68.666667 | 0.444444 | 0.444444 | high | low | abstractive |
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2008/jul/02/art.italy/amp | http://web.archive.org/web/20151222224329id_/https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2008/jul/02/art.italy/amp | Greenaway's hi-tech gadgetry highlights da Vinci for the laptop generation | 20151222224329 | With a glint of a dagger and a blaze of celestial light, Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper burst into new life on Monday night after Peter Greenaway finally secured permission to reinvent the crumbling, 510-year-old masterpiece as a sound and light show.
In a remarkable coup for the British film director, the Italian authorities allowed Greenaway to wheel a battery of projectors, computers and speakers into the usually hushed and air-sealed refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie, where the image of Christ telling the apostles one of them will betray him decorates an end wall. Inside, Greenaway unveiled a provocative vision of one of Christianity's most sacred and fragile paintings, reimagined "for the laptop generation".
To the strains of modern opera, he used cutting-edge technical trickery to make Leonardo's Christ appear like a three-dimensional hologram while a radiant sun rose and fell over his head. He turned the original colourful image red, grey and black before the artist's gentle brush strokes were replaced with a chalk outline of the 13 figures, as if Leonardo had drawn a crime scene. Dawn broke, dusk fell and by the end the disciples had been dramatically cast into the shadow of prison-like bars.
To at least one of the world's experts on Da Vinci, Greenaway's work amounted to cultural vandalism. But to others it may have saved The Last Supper's reputation from The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown's blockbuster novel, which frustrated many experts by reducing the painting's hidden meanings to a plot device.
"It has reconsecrated the painting after Dan Brown deconsecrated it," said Vittorio Sgarbi, a leading art critic and former head of arts for the Milan local government.
Monday's one-off performance almost did not happen. For 18 months there was such controversy over possible damage to the painting and fears that Greenaway would blaspheme that the authorities refused permission. Pietro Marani, one of the world's leading Leonardo scholars who spent 17 years on the painting's latest restoration, said he would not attend. "I don't think it is appropriate to use the painting as a projection screen for a performance of contemporary art," he said. "We did not conserve this so that it would become an artist's material. Peter Greenaway uses Leonardo because it will grab the world's attention."
Permission was finally granted late last month by the national government in Rome. Greenaway was only allowed to stage the show for one night and to a select group of Milanese dignitaries, art experts and a few of the friary's monks.
But despite the small audience, there was a feeling that Greenaway's show could become a pivotal moment in the painting's history, briefly restoring what some say was lost from the original during the latest restoration.
"If Leonardo was alive now he wouldn't just be interested in film-making, he would be handling high-definition cameras and would be right up against the cutting edge experimenting with holograms," said Greenaway. "He would be fascinated by the post-digital age. I am sure that he would support entirely what we are doing, which isn't true of a series of academics who believe that this painting belongs to them and not to the world at large. This painting belongs to the laptop generation as much as it does to academia and we want to demonstrate that."
He was forced to drop plans to show the apostles' cups overflowing with blood and to project Christ's genitals on the refectory walls. But he said his goal was never to shock, but to help people look again at a work of art that has been devalued by superficial familiarity "on chocolate boxes and on T-shirts".
After the performance, the audience responded with enthusiasm.
"I saw things that I have never seen before," said Francesca Fiore, 41, a manager with Vodafone Italia. "I saw details and the backdrop which usually you don't notice at all - details that you tend not to see because you only focus on the main scene." "It was incredible," said Pierre Demarani, a publisher. "There is a new light, a new colour and a new vision. It is absolutely in line with the painting. It is a performance that adds value and shows the painting with another point of view."
Greenaway's production team said they are now keen to find an art gallery in Britain that could stage The Last Supper show on a full-size replica. Meanwhile, Greenaway plans to repeat the trick on Las Meninas by Velázquez, Picasso's Guernica, Monet's Waterlilies and a Jackson Pollock in New York.
His ultimate ambition is to take on Michelangelo's Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel, and talks have begun with its gatekeepers at the Vatican. | Da Vinci's The Last Supper bursts into new life after Greenaway secures permission to reinvent masterpiece as sound and light show | 42.363636 | 0.909091 | 3.454545 | high | medium | mixed |
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