Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/193634058?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Tuesday, January 31, 2012
EU leaders to agree on permanent bailout fund, balanced budget (Reuters)
BRUSSELS (Reuters) ? EU leaders will sign off on a permanent rescue fund for the euro zone at a summit on Monday and are expected to agree on a balanced budget rule in national legislation, with unresolved problems in Greece casting a shadow on the discussions.
The summit - the 17th in two years as the EU battles to resolve its sovereign debt problems - is supposed to focus on creating jobs and growth, with leaders looking to shift the narrative away from politically unpopular budget austerity.
The summit is expected to announce that up to 20 billion euros ($26.4 billion) of unused funds from the EU's 2007-2013 budget will be redirected toward job creation, especially among the young, and will commit to freeing up bank lending to small- and medium-sized companies.
But discussions over the permanent rescue fund, a new 'fiscal treaty' and Greece will dominate the talks.
Negotiations between the Greek government and private bondholders over the restructuring of 200 billion euros of Greek debt made progress over the weekend, but are not expected to conclude before the summit begins at 9:00 a.m. EST.
Until there is a deal between Greece and its private bondholders, EU leaders cannot move forward with a second, 130 billion euro rescue program for Athens, which they originally agreed to at a summit last October.
Instead, they will sign a treaty creating the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), a 500-billion-euro permanent bailout fund that is due to become operational in July, a year earlier than first planned. And they are likely to agree the terms of a 'fiscal treaty' tightening budget rules for those that sign up.
PERMANENT RESCUE FUND
The ESM will replace the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF), a temporary fund that has been used to bail out Ireland and Portugal and will help in the second Greek package.
Leaders hope the ESM will boost defenses against the debt crisis, but many - including Italian premier Mario Monti, IMF chief Christine Lagarde and U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner - say it will only do so if its resources are combined with what remains in the EFSF, creating a super-fund of 750 billion euros ($1 trillion).
The International Monetary Fund says an agreement to increase the size of the euro zone 'firewall' will convince others to contribute more resources to the IMF, boosting its crisis-fighting abilities and improving market sentiment.
But Germany is opposed to such a step.
Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she will not discuss the issue of the ESM/EFSF's ceiling until leaders meet for their next summit in March. In the meantime, financial markets will continue to fret that there may not be sufficient rescue funds available to help the likes of Italy and Spain if they run into renewed debt funding problems.
"There are certainly signals that Germany is willing to consider it and it is rather geared toward March from the German side," a senior euro zone official said.
The sticking point is German public opinion which is tired of bailing out the euro zone's financially less prudent. Instead, Merkel wants to see the EU - except Britain, which has rejected any such move - sign up to the fiscal treaty, including a balanced budget rule written into constitutions. Once that is done, the discussion about a bigger rescue fund can take place.
After nearly three years of crisis, some economists believe the combination of tighter budget rules, a bigger bailout fund and a commitment to broader structural reforms to boost EU productivity could help the region weather the storm.
"The fiscal compact and the ESM will shape a better future," said Carsten Brzeski, a euro zone economist at ING.
"Combined with ongoing austerity measures and structural reforms in peripheral countries, and, of course, with a lot of ECB action, the euro zone could master this stage of the crisis."
Economists say the pivotal act in recent months was the European Central Bank's flooding of the banking sector with cheap three-year money, a measure it will repeat next month.
GREEK DEAL?
While EU leaders are managing to put together pieces of legislation and financial barriers that might help them stave off a repeat of the debt crisis, immediate concerns - especially over Greece and potentially Portugal - remain.
By far the most pressing worry is the seven-month-long negotiation over private sector involvement in the second Greek rescue package. A deal in the coming days may help restore investor confidence, although Greece will still struggle to reduce its debts to 120 percent of GDP by 2020 as planned.
"If there is a deal, the heads of state and government can endorse it, welcome it and say that now it is up to Greece to agree to and deliver on reforms to get the second financing package," the euro zone official said.
Negotiators believe they have until mid-February to strike a deal. Failure to do so by then would likely force Greece to miss a 14.5 billion euro repayment on its debt due in mid-March.
Even if Athens can strike a deal with private bondholders to accept a 50 percent writedown on the nominal value of their bonds, it may still not be enough to close Greece's funding gap.
The IMF has suggested it may be necessary for public sector holders of Greek bonds - including the ECB and national central banks in the euro zone - to write off some of their holdings in order to close the gap.
Such a move would not necessarily involve the ECB or national central banks incurring losses, they would just be expected to forego any profit on the bonds they have bought.
But German ECB board member Joerg Asmussen told Reuters there was no possibility of the ECB taking part in the private-sector restructuring of Greece's debt.
(Reporting By Jan Strupczewski, editing by Mike Peacock)
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Monday, January 30, 2012
Apple: New Engineers Work On Fake Products ... - Business Insider
Apple is so obsessed with secrecy, it sometimes puts new hires on fake products until they can be trusted.
Adam Lashinsky reported this tidbit in his new book "Inside Apple," and a former Apple employee confirmed it when Lashinsky spoke at LinkedIn the other day.
Here's what the engineer said:
A friend of mine who's a senior engineer at Apple, he works on -- or did work on -- fake products I'm sure for the first part of his career, and interviewed for 9 months. It's intense.
The employee also believes that Tim Cook has the charisma to be president. Not the president of Apple -- the president of the United States.
The exchange was captured on video by Fortune's Philip Elmer DeWitt, and pointed out by Jim Romenesko earlier today.?
Here it is:
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SUV hits light-rail train in Sacramento, killing 3
Officials test the signals and lights at an intersection where an SUV and Light Rail train collided in Sacramento, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. Authorities say a light-rail train has collided with a sport utility vehicle in Sacramento, killing a man, a woman and a baby and injuring seven other people. (AP Photo/Steve Yeater)
Officials test the signals and lights at an intersection where an SUV and Light Rail train collided in Sacramento, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. Authorities say a light-rail train has collided with a sport utility vehicle in Sacramento, killing a man, a woman and a baby and injuring seven other people. (AP Photo/Steve Yeater)
An SUV lies upside down on the tracks after being struck by a light-rail train in Sacremento, Calif., Saturday Jan. 28, 2012. The driver of an SUV drove around a crossing arm and ignored flashing warning lights before the vehicle was struck by the light-rail train Saturday, killing an infant and two adults, authorities said. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Villegas, Sacremento Bee)
Sacramento Fire and Police wait near the light rail crossing on 26th Ave near Franklin and 24th Street where a three people died in a crash between a light-rail train and a sport utility vehicle, Saturday Jan. 28, 2012 authorities. The driver of an SUV drove around a crossing arm and ignored flashing warning lights before the vehicle was struck by a light-rail train in Sacramento on Saturday, killing an infant and two adults, authorities said. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Villegas, Sacramento Bee)
Officials test the signals and lights at an intersection where an SUV and Light Rail train collided in Sacramento, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. Authorities say a light-rail train has collided with a sport utility vehicle in Sacramento, killing a man, a woman and a baby and injuring seven other people. (AP Photo/Steve Yeater)
An SUV lies upside down on the tracks after being struck by a light-rail train in Sacremento, Calif., Saturday Jan. 28, 2012. The driver of an SUV drove around a crossing arm and ignored flashing warning lights before the vehicle was struck by the light-rail train Saturday, killing an infant and two adults, authorities said. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Villegas, Sacremento Bee)
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) ? An SUV ignored flashing warning lights and veered around a rail crossing arm moments before it collided with a light-rail train, killing two adults and an 18-month-old boy in the vehicle, authorities said.
The only other person in the Nissan Pathfinder, a woman in her 30s, was hospitalized with serious injuries after Saturday's crash, said Niko King, assistant chief with the Sacramento Fire Department.
Six of the roughly 50 passengers on the light rail train suffered minor injuries and were taken to a hospital, he said.
King and a spokeswoman for the transit line said video from a camera at the crossing clearly shows the SUV driving around the crossing arm.
The collision, in a working class neighborhood south of downtown, occurred shortly after 4 p.m. and pushed the Pathfinder about 30 yards from the point of impact.
"All I heard was a big bang, and I saw a light-rail train heading south with a big truck smashed on it," said Ravin Pratab, 42, of Davis, whose car was among those waiting for the train at the rail crossing, on the opposite side of the tracks from the Pathfinder.
The train was going about 55 mph at the time, a typical speed for that location.
The light rail followed two Union Pacific freight trains, which use separate tracks, and the arms had remained down during the interval, said Alane Masui, spokeswoman for the Sacramento Regional Transit District.
"They were down after the UP trains and before the (light rail) train approached, so the crossing arms were properly working," she said.
She said the length of time between the freight trains clearing the intersection and the light rail train crossing it had not yet been determined and would be part of the investigation. Investigators also were reviewing video from a camera mounted on the light rail train.
Authorities did not release the identities of those in the Pathfinder or their relationship. A man and woman in the vehicle, both in their 40s, died at the scene while the toddler was pronounced dead at a hospital. Firefighters said one had been ejected.
The University of California, Davis Medical Center in Sacramento would say only that the woman remained in serious condition late Saturday.
The light rail system carries an average of 50,000 passengers a day, with lines stretching from the state capital to its suburbs in the north, south and east.
Masui said there are four sets of tracks at the crossing ? two for freight and two for light rail so trains from both systems can run in either direction.
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Sunday, January 29, 2012
Funny Pets Photos by Lennette Newell
Let us show you funny pets photos created by American photographer Lennette Newell. Usually photographers make pets portraits, static photos but Lennette brings some creativity to the process. In this collection of funny pets photos you will see really funny faces, expressive poses and pure dynamic. Lennette Newell is a successful commercial photographer specializing in the lifestyle of animals and people. The following photos are from two Lennette?s collections ?Here Kitty Kitty? and ?Woof Woof?. Have fun!
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Source: http://www.beautifullife.info/art-works/funny-pets-photos-by-lennette-newell/
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Saturday, January 28, 2012
17-year-old girl dies in Mt. Hood snowboarding accident
PORTLAND ? A 17-year-old Sandy girl was found dead after a snowboarding accident at Skibowl Friday night.
Taylur Dewolf was reported missing at around 10:30 p.m. Friday, according to Sgt. James Rhodes of the Clackamas County Sheriff?s Office. Her family and friends said they had last seen her three hours earlier.
Rescue crews found her body near Dog Leg Run at about 11:05 p.m., Rhodes said. She had apparently lost control while snowboarding at a very high rate of speed, and had run into a tree just off of the groomed run.
She suffered severe trauma to her head and chest. Investigators said she was wearing a helmet.
John Vermas, at Skibowl, said it was the first death at the resort since 1996.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46174482/ns/local_news-portland_or/
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Video: NFLX: Bull vs. Bear
Netflix is exploding to the upside after blowing past analyst estimates. The stock is up roughly 67% this year, but can the rush continue? Michael Pachter, analyst at Wedbush, explains: "The content owners are smart guys."
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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/46150544/
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Friday, January 27, 2012
Planet Earth poses for new high-res NASA 'Blue Marble' portrait
Suomi NPP is equipped to do far more than provide Earthlings with some stunning views of their home planet. Five instruments are traveling aboard the first-of-its-kind satellite, designed to improve both short-term weather forecasts and the overall understanding of long-term climate change.
NASA's newest Earth-watching satellite has sent back a breathtaking image of our "Blue Marble" that offers a taste of the orbiting observatory's vast capabilities.
Skip to next paragraphThe image release comes just a day after the satellite was given a new name: Suomi NPP, named for the late meteorologist Verner E. Suomi, a scientist hailed as the father of satellite meteorology.
Previously, the?satellite was known simply as NPP, an acronym for a mouthful: the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project.
The new name was announced Tuesday (Jan. 24), at the annual meeting of the American Meteorological Society in New Orleans.
Suomi NPP is equipped to do far more than provide Earthlings with some stunning views of their home planet. Five instruments are traveling aboard the first-of-its-kind satellite, designed to improve both short-term weather forecasts and the overall understanding of long-term climate change.
In addition, the technology aboard is designed to monitor natural disasters, from volcanic eruptionsto wildfires to floods.
The portrait above was compiled from images taken on multiple passes of the planet Jan. 4. It joins other spectacular images of our home planet, including the iconic one taken by the crew of Apollo 17 in 1972 ? one of the most widely distributed images in history ? and?views taken by retreating space probes?such as Voyagers 1 and 2.
NASA launched the satellite Oct. 28, 2011, from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
The mini-van-sized satellite is designed to operate through the end of 2016.
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CA-CANADA Summary (Reuters)
Canadian pipeline needs aboriginal consent: chief
OTTAWA (Reuters) ? Enbridge Inc's controversial plan to build a pipeline to the Pacific Coast from oil-rich Alberta requires the consent of aboriginal bands, some of whom staunchly oppose the project, Canada's top native leader said on Wednesday. The contention underlines the difficulties facing Enbridge as it tries to push through the C$5.5 billion ($5.4 billion) Northern Gateway project, which would cross land belonging to many Indian bands, or first nations, so the oil sands-derived crude could be shipped to Asia and California.
Clock ticking on possible Air Canada strike, lock-out
(Reuters) - Air Canada's refusal to extend a period of conciliated labor talks with its pilots' union raises the chance of a strike or lock-out at the country's biggest airline by as early as February. The 3,000-strong Air Canada Pilots Association (ACPA) said on Tuesday the carrier had declined to extend labor contract negotiations that had been taking place under a conciliator appointed by the federal government.
Harper fears Europe, U.S. problems to get worse
(Reuters) - Canada is very concerned about the economic problems facing Europe and the United States and fears they could become even more severe in future, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Thursday. Harper told the World Economic Forum in Davos that the uncertain international outlook meant he would focus on boosting the Canadian economy by cutting red tape as well as slowing the growth of spending.
Ontario finance minister sees targeted budget reforms
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Ontario's spring budget will see targeted changes to the public sector, rather than cuts across all areas, the finance minister of Canada's most populous province said on Wednesday. "I categorically reject that we will do across the board cuts," Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan said in an interview.
Canada education sector toughest job market
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Unemployed workers in Canada's educational services sector faced the toughest job market in the country in the July-September period, according to a new Statistics Canada report on Tuesday. For every 10 unemployed workers in education, there was just one vacancy, the agency's new data on job vacancies in the three-month period showed. The second worst sector was construction where the ratio was 5.1.
Canada's telecoms regulator appoints interim chief
TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's telecoms and broadcasting regulator appointed Vice-Chairman Leonard Katz as its interim chairman on Wednesday as predecessor Konrad von Finckenstein's term ended. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) said in a statement that Katz will exercise the chairman's powers until the federal cabinet appoints a permanent replacement for von Finckenstein.
Rwanda genocide suspect deported from Canada
KIGALI (Reuters) - A Rwandan man charged with crimes against humanity has been deported from Canada and is due to arrive in the central African country overnight, Rwanda's justice minister said on Tuesday. Leon Mugesera, who lost a 16-year battle to stay in Canada, will face charges of inciting murder, extermination and genocide.
Pilots say Air Canada quit talks; government disagrees
CALGARY/OTTAWA (Reuters) - Air Canada pilots said on Tuesday the airline had abandoned contract talks in the hope that Ottawa would step in to resolve the dispute, but the country's largest carrier said it was awaiting the union's response to its latest offer. Canadian Labour Minister Lisa Raitt also said talks had not broken down and the federally appointed conciliator remained in contact with both parties and was available to assist with negotiations.
Ottawa sees itself as protector of oil sands benefits
VANCOUVER/CALGARY (Reuters) - Canada's government has a responsibility to make sure people can take advantage of the economic benefits Alberta's massive oil deposits can generate, the country's energy minister said on Monday as he once again decried "radicals" bent on stopping Enbridge Inc's Northern Gateway oil pipeline. As about 50 protesters demonstrated noisily outside, Joe Oliver, minister of natural resources, said in Vancouver that "environmental and other radical groups" are indiscriminately opposing any and all large industrial projects and are using Canada's regulatory system as their main battleground.
Canadian minister blasts China ahead of PM's visit
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's foreign minister launched an outspoken attack on China's "abhorrent" treatment of religious minorities on Monday, just weeks before Prime Minister Stephen Harper goes to Beijing in a bid to sell more oil. John Baird's comments came as a major surprise, given Canada's right-of-center Conservative government has gradually toned down its attacks on Chinese human rights issues over the years in favor of boosting trade.
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Thursday, January 26, 2012
Sajak: Vanna and I drank between 'Wheel' tapings (AP)
NEW YORK ? The "Wheel of Fortune" wasn't the only thing spinning for Pat Sajak and Vanna White back in the day.
Sajak said in an interview on ESPN2 this week that the long-time game show team would occasionally walk over to a restaurant for "two or three or six" margaritas during a break in taping early "Wheel of Fortune" shows in California. Sajak has hosted the show since 1981; White joined him a year later.
Sajak recalled the margarita stops after answering "yes" to a question about whether he had ever hosted the show "a little bit drunk."
Although he joked that he had "trouble recognizing the alphabet" for shows taped after the drinks, no one ever said anything to them.
Now that he's older, Sajak said he couldn't do that anymore.
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Apple lifts Nasdaq futures in hesitant market (Reuters)
NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Dow and S&P 500 index futures edged lower on Wednesday as the market continues to show signs of fatigue this week after a strong run from late last year, but the Nasdaq rose on forecast-beating results from Apple Inc (AAPL.O).
Apple's results on Tuesday were a standout in what has otherwise been a fairly lackluster earnings season. So far 58 percent of companies have beat forecasts while at this stage in the third quarter earnings season, 70 percent beat forecasts.
"Up until now there have been pockets of weakness in a handful of companies that have sparked concern among investors," said Andre Bakhos, director of market analytics at Lek Securities in New York.
Apple was up 7.8 percent to $453.02 in pre-market trading after its quarterly results blew past Wall Street's expectations as U.S. consumers snapped up near-unprecedented numbers of iPhones and iPads, sending its shares up into record territory.
Countering Apple there was more weakness in industrial names. Shares of Corning Inc (GLW.N) fell 5.3 percent to $13.85 as manufacturers cut back on the production of big-screen televisions that use the company's glass.
Bahkos said that lack of direction in the market this week was more likely due to a 22 percent run-up since October lows and that the market was poised to move higher as the economy improved and Europe contained its debt crisis.
"This market is setting itself up for a potent upside move," he said.
S&P 500 futures fell 3.4 points and were below fair value, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration on the contract. Dow Jones industrial average futures were off 41 points, and Nasdaq futures rose 14 points.
The U.S. Federal Reserve, which is holding a two-day policy meeting that ends on Wednesday, looks set to keep monetary policy on hold even as it releases forecasts expected to show interest rates will be near zero for at least two more years.
Meanwhile late on Tuesday, U.S. President Barack Obama used his last State of the Union speech before the November election to paint himself as the champion of the middle class, by demanding higher taxes for millionaires and tight reins on Wall Street.
Roche Holding AG (ROG.VX) is offering $5.7 billion in cash to buy U.S. gene sequencing company Illumina Inc (ILMN.O) in a hostile takeover bid that marks a major play by the Swiss drugmaker into the gene technology field. Illumina rose 41.7 percent to $53.31 in pre-market trade.
Plane-maker Boeing Co (BA.N) on Wednesday said its quarterly profit rose on stronger commercial airplane deliveries. The shares fell 1.2 percent to $74.43 in premarket trading after running up more than 20 percent since late November.
Diversified U.S. manufacturer Textron Inc (TXT.N) reported a quarterly loss after taking a hefty charge to write down the value of loans on golf courses -- a hangover from the financial crisis. Its shares were up 7.5 percent to $23.22 before the open.
European shares (.FTEU3) fell 0.7 percent on Wednesday, weighed by the tech sector after a sharp post-results decline for mobile telecoms network gear maker Ericsson (ERICb.ST).
The National Association of Realtors issues Pending Home Sales for December at 10 a.m. (1500 GMT). Economists expect a 1.0 percent fall compared with a 7.3 percent rise in the previous month.
(Reporting By Edward Krudy; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
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Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Mary Mary's Erica Campbell gives birth to girl
FILE - In this Feb. 26, 2010 file photo, singer Erica Campbell of the duo Mary Mary, arrives at the 41st NAACP Image Awards in Los Angeles. Campbell gave birth to Zaya Monique on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012. The baby was six pounds, 12 ounces. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, file)
FILE - In this Feb. 26, 2010 file photo, singer Erica Campbell of the duo Mary Mary, arrives at the 41st NAACP Image Awards in Los Angeles. Campbell gave birth to Zaya Monique on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012. The baby was six pounds, 12 ounces. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, file)
NEW YORK (AP) ? Erica Campbell of the Grammy-winning sister duo Mary Mary has given birth to a new daughter.
Campbell's representative says Zaya Monique was born Tuesday. The baby weighed 6 pounds, 12 ounces (about 3 kilograms).
Erica and her sister Tina make up the gospel duo.
It's the third child for Campbell and her husband, producer-songwriter Warryn Campbell. The singer said she was blessed by the baby's birth and said the family "couldn't be more happy than we are today."
Campbell will be taking a few weeks off, but she'll soon have to return to work. Mary Mary, known for hits like "Shackles" and "God in Me," has a self-titled reality show that debuts March 29 on We TV.
___
Online:
http://www.mary-mary.com/us/home
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Flags and flowers on Lunar New Year in North Korea (AP)
PYONGYANG, North Korea ? Soldiers and children, bundled up against the freezing cold, lined up Monday at Pyongyang's main plaza to pay their respects again to late leader Kim Jong Il on the first day of the Lunar New Year holiday.
A massive portrait of a smiling Kim that had been taken down after a mourning period following his Dec. 17 death was back up at Kim Il Square. People scurried across the vast plaza to get in line to bow and place flowers, including the late leader's namesake "kimjongilia" begonias, in piles beneath the portrait. The song "It's snowing" blared from loudspeakers, a reminder of Kim's solemn funeral procession through the capital city's snowy streets late last month.
For several weeks after Kim's funeral, Pyongyang was barren and somber. But almost overnight the city has filled with color again. North Korea's red, white and blue national flag fluttered from signposts. Banners celebrating "Juche 101" ? the current year, according to the North Korean calendar, which begins with the 1912 birth of national founder Kim Il Sung ? and posters marking the holiday were pinned to buildings and walls.
One sign read, "The power of single-hearted unity ? congratulations on New Year's Day."
At the plaza in front of the Pyongyang Grand Theater, hundreds of children scampered and shouted as they played traditional Korean games. Signs in front of the theater spelled out "We are happy" in big, bold letters. In a large square, groups of children from the surrounding district gathered to jump rope, fly kites and practice taekwondo, their breaths steaming in the cold weather.
"Our great general gave instructions to bring up children educated with national character from their childhood by encouraging folk games," teacher Yu Un Ju told AP.
Pyongyang residents said they were encouraged to celebrate the traditional holiday as they usually do, despite the death of Kim Jong Il, only the second person to lead North Korea since it was founded in 1948. State television aired a segment late Sunday on making rice cake soup, a traditional New Year's meal in both Koreas.
The holiday comes as new leader Kim Jong Un, Kim Jong Il's son, makes a round of visits to military units.
Outside observers have raised questions about whether Kim Jong Un ? who's believed to be in his late 20s ? is ready to rule a country of 24 million with a nuclear program as well as chronic food shortages.
But the North has dismissed such worries, and state media have put out a stream of reports and images meant to show that Kim has strong military and governing experience. Late last week, for example, North Korea credited Kim Jong Un with spearheading past nuclear testing and said he was "fully equipped" with the qualities of an extraordinary general.
Kim Jong Un, anointed his father's successor at least three years ago, was declared "supreme leader" of the North Korean people, party and military after his father's death. He has pledged to uphold his father's "military first" policy.
The new era of leadership comes as North Korea prepares to celebrate the 100th anniversary in April of the birth of Kim's grandfather, late President Kim Il Sung.
___
Follow AP's North Korea coverage on Twitter at twitter.com/newsjean and twitter.com/dguttenfelder.
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Tuesday, January 24, 2012
WWE Raw SuperShow results: Laurinaitis takes a nap
PHOENIX ? With only one week until the 25th Anniversary of the Royal Rumble, calling WWE Raw SuperShow "eventful" would be a gross understatement. Chris Jericho informed the WWE Universe that "it's going to be the end of the world as you know it," while Dolph Ziggler managed to upstage WWE Champion CM Punk on two separate occasions. Also, Zack Ryder was horrifically chokeslammed through the entrance stage by Kane in a Falls Count Anywhere Match.
WWE Champion CM Punk vs. John Laurinaitis did not take place (PHOTOS | WATCH)
Moments before Interim Raw General Manager John Laurinaitis battled WWE Champion CM Punk, he received word from WWE's Board of Directors that his job performance would be evaluated. The Board of Directors is bringing Mr. Laurinaitis' decision-making into question, especially his declaration that he would screw CM Punk at Royal Rumble. Furthermore, the Executive Vice President of Talent Relations' job performance would be evaluated personally by WWE's COO, Triple H.?
David Otunga and Mr. Laurinaitis read the letter to CM Punk inside the squared circle. Mr. Laurinaitis apologized to Punk, announcing he would fairly call the WWE Title Match at Royal Rumble and that Mick Foley was officially an entrant in the Royal Rumble Match. However, the Interim Raw General Manager also informed the WWE Champion that their match would not take place and Punk would battle David Otunga. This prompted Otunga to attack The Voice of the Voiceless.
Otunga's attack was short-lived and CM Punk was soon left alone in the ring with Mr. Laurinaitis. The Executive Vice President of Talent Relations extended his hand in peace, but was reciprocated with a resounding GTS from the WWE Champion. This bold move by The Second City Savior was quickly upstaged when Dolph Ziggler snuck into the ring and took down his Royal Rumble opponent with the Zig Zag.
R-Truth def. The Miz (PHOTOS | WATCH)
Earlier in the evening, the former tag team partners engaged in a heated argument during a backstage interview. As a result, Interim Raw General Manager John Laurinaitis informed the two Superstars that the loser of the match would be the first entrant in the Royal Rumble Match. When the opening bell rang, the two bitter rivals each did their best to gain an early advantage in the contest. Momentum swings were fairly even at first, but it was R-Truth who ultimately bested The Awesome One. As a result, The Miz will certainly have the odds stacked against him in the Royal Rumble Match.
Brodus Clay def. Heath Slater (PHOTOS | WATCH)
The Funkasaurus continued to show that he had all the right moves and picked up a victory against Heath Slater on WWE Raw SuperShow. The Superstar hailing from Planet Funk made quick work of The One Man Southern Rock Band and immediately got back to getting his groove on. William Regal watched from the announce table, criticizing Clay?s every move. On SmackDown, Regal was unceremoniously decimated by The Funkasaurus after busting some moves of his own.
Sheamus def. Jindar Mahal? (PHOTOS | WATCH)
Jinder Mahal failed to capture a victory over The Celtic Warrior on WWE Raw SuperShow. With Wade Barrett joining the commentary team, he watched as Sheamus built a great deal of momentum and pummeled Mahal. While the Punjabi Superstar did mount a brief offense, he was stopped in his tracks by a powerful Brogue Kick. Following the contest, The Great White made sure to reaffirm his commitment to win the Royal Rumble Match.
Zack Ryder vs. Kane ended in a No Contest (PHOTOS | WATCH)
The former United States Champion proved for a second week in a row that he is a true fighter. After losing the U.S. Title in part to injuries suffered at the hands of Kane one week prior, Long Island Iced-Z stood up against The Big Red Monster in a Falls Count Anywhere Match. Still injured, Ryder tried to go after Kane early-on, but Kane quickly overpowered his opponent and targeted his injured ribs.
As Eve begged Kane to show mercy, it seemed to only enrage The Big Red Monster further. However, even as he took tortuous punishment, Ryder continued to kick out of Kane?s pinfall attempts. As they battled through the crowd, the two ring warriors made their way to the entrance area. After relentless punishment that left the WWE Universe cringing with every strike, Kane chokeslammed Ryder through the stage.
Chris Jericho?s ?Highlight Reel? returned to Raw (PHOTOS | WATCH)
After weeks of bizarre behavior since returning to WWE, Chris Jericho seemed poised to address all the questions of the WWE Universe with the return of Jericho?s ?Highlight Reel.? With the Jeri-Tron 5000 back to full power, Jericho played a video highlighting his storied career. He then grabbed a microphone and said, ?This Sunday at the Royal Rumble, it?s going to be the end of the world as you know it.? The first-ever Undisputed Champion then exited the arena.
Dolph Ziggler & U.S. Champion Jack Swagger def.? WWE Champion CM Punk & John Cena (PHOTOS | WATCH)
In an impromptu tag team match, John Cena and CM Punk immediately showed great teamwork in an effort to take out their frustrations with Mr. Laurinaitis. With momentum not in their favor, Ziggler and Swagger tried to regroup and re-strategize. With a combination of pure athleticism and show-boating, The All-American American and No. 1 contender to the WWE Title built a fair amount of momentum against Cena. But the fighting spirit deep within the Cenation leader overpowered Swagger with an Attitude Adjustment paving the way for the WWE Champion to get inside the squared circle. However, as The Voice of the Voiceless ascended the ropes to elbow drop Ziggler, Mr. Laurinaitis distracted Punk, allowing The Show-Off to capture the victory.
In response, CM Punk challenged the Executive Vice President of Talent Relations to a match tonight and Mr. Laurinaitis accepted!
WWE Champion CM Punk called out Interim Raw General Manager John Laurinaitis (PHOTOS)
One week after unloading a verbal tirade on Mr. Laurinaitis, The Voice of the Voiceless opened WWE Raw SuperShow by calling out the Executive Vice President of Talent Relations, and demanding he admit that he will screw Punk at Royal Rumble. To the surprise of the WWE Universe, John Cena made his way to the ring as Mr. Laurinaitis did not. Cena took the opportunity to demand a match with Kane on Raw and to grant Zack Ryder a U.S. Title rematch.
The Interim Raw General Manager finally appeared and announced that Zack Ryder would face Kane in a Falls Count Anywhere Match tonight. He also declared that if Cena interfered, Long Island Iced-Z would never have another U.S. Title opportunity. Mr. Laurinaitis then announced that CM Punk and John Cena would battle Jack Swagger and Dolph Ziggler next!
Source: http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2012-01-23/results
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Groundbreaking jazz manager John Levy dies at 99 (AP)
ALTADENA, California ? John Levy, the first prominent African-American personal manager in the jazz or pop music field, whose clients included Nancy Wilson and Ramsey Lewis, has died at age 99.
Devra Hall Levy posted on his website that her husband died Friday in his sleep at his home in Altadena, California, less than three months before his 100th birthday.
An accomplished bassist, the New Orleans-born Levy performed with such jazz greats as Stuff Smith, Billie Holiday, Erroll Garner and Billy Taylor in the 1940s before joining pianist George Shearing's original quintet. In the early 1950s, he became Shearing's full-time manager and later went on to form his own management agency, John Levy Enterprises Inc.
Levy's client roster over the years included more than 85 artists, including Wilson, Lewis, Nat and Cannonball Adderley, Betty Carter, Roberta Flack, Herbie Hancock, Shirley Horn, Freddie Hubbard, Ahmad Jamal and Abbey Lincoln as well as comedian Arsenio Hall.
In 2006, the National Endowment for the Arts recognized Levy as a Jazz Master, the nation's highest jazz honor.
___
Online:
http://www.lushlife.com
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Monday, January 23, 2012
Video: NPG CEO: We Are in A Gas Bubble
Discussing why he thinks the demand for natural gas will increase, with Ken Hersh, NGP Energy Capital Management CEO.
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Business & financial news headlines from msnbc.com
Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/46071939/
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Sunday, January 22, 2012
Telescope gazes into nebula's golden eye
A nearby planetary nebula shines like a huge golden eye in a new photo snapped by a telescope in Chile.
The image shows the Helix Nebula, which lies about 700 light-years from Earth in the constellation Aquarius, the Water Bearer. The picture was taken in infrared light by the European Southern Observatory's VISTA telescope, one of the instruments at ESO's Paranal Observatory.
The Helix Nebula is a planetary nebula, a strange object that forms when a star like our sun exhausts its hydrogen fuel. The star's outer layers expand and cool, creating a huge envelope of dust and gas. Radiation flowing from the dying star ionizes this envelope, causing it to glow.
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More space news from msnbc.com
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Incoming! Solar outburst heading our way
Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: The sun has unleashed a blast of electrically charged particles in Earth's direction, which should cause brighter-than-normal auroral displays this weekend.
- Watch the Milky Way spin in space
- Russia wants to build manned base on moon
- Spacecraft in home stretch of trek to Pluto
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Incoming! Solar outburst heading our way
Despite their name, planetary nebulas have nothing to do with planets. Rather, the term refers to their superficial resemblance to giant planets, when observed through early telescopes. [See the new Helix nebula photos and video]
The dying star at the heart of the Helix Nebula is evolving to become a white dwarf, a shrunken, super-dense object that can pack a sun's worth of material into a sphere the size of Earth. The star is visible as a tiny blue dot at the center of the picture, researchers said.
The Helix Nebula is a complex object composed of dust, ionized material and molecular gas, arrayed in an intricate, flowerlike pattern.
The main ring of the Helix is about 2 light-years across, roughly equivalent to half the distance between our sun and its closest star. However, wispy material from the nebula spreads out at least 4 light-years into space from the central star, researchers said.
Cosmic Log: The dust in 'God's Eye'
These thin clouds of molecular gas are difficult to see in visible light, but Vista's infrared detectors can pick them out, and they show up in the new image as a dark red haze.
Vista's keen eye also reveals fine structure in the planetary nebula?s rings, showing how cooler molecular gas is organized. The material clumps into filaments that radiate out from the center.
While they may look tiny, these strands of molecular hydrogen ? known as cometary knots ? are each about the size of our solar system. The molecules that compose them can survive the powerful radiation emanating from the dying star precisely because they clump into these knots, which in turn are shielded by dust and molecular gas.
It is currently unclear how the cometary knots may have formed, researchers said.
The new Vista image also shows a wide array of stars and galaxies in the background, farther away than the Helix Nebula.
Follow Space.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter @Spacedotcom? and on Facebook.
? 2012 Space.com. All rights reserved. More from Space.com.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46062021/ns/technology_and_science-space/
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Saturday, January 21, 2012
Tech N9ne To Perform 90 Shows In 99 Days
'To be able to make history like this is a wonderful accomplishment,' Tech N9ne tells XXL of Hostile Takeover Tour.
By Rob Markman
Tech N9ne
Photo: Getty Images
Nobody tours like Tech N9ne. Last year, the Kansas City, Missouri, spitter ran through an astounding 82 shows in 85 days, and now Tech Nina is looking to outdo himself when he embarks on his Hostile Takeover 2012 Tour in March. The MC is promising 90 shows in 99 days.
"I started planting the seeds for this music thing to expand more than 10 years ago and to see it be recognized globally like this is a beautiful thing," Tech Nina told XXLMag.com. "We started Strange Music so we could make the music we wanted to make and tour like we wanted to tour. Now, to be able to make history like this is a wonderful accomplishment."
Tech will be bringing MTV's 2011 Hottest Breakthrough MC Machine Gun Kelly, Krizz Kaliko, Mayday, Stevie Stone and Prozak on the road with him for planned stops in New York City, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Las Vegas.
"It's a world-record-setting tour for hip-hop. I think it's a beautiful thing for all the ragers," Machine Gun Kelly said in a promotional video on XXL's website.
The energetic Tech delivers a headlining set that usually lasts about two hours, and that kind of performance takes a lot of preparation. Before his All 6's and 7's Tour last year, the Strange Music CEO talked to MTV News about what it takes to get into tour shape.
"You gotta take your Syntha-6 protein shakes, you gotta drink those, you gotta eat right. You gotta eat every two hours. You gotta try to get up to six times a day; I haven't even got up to four," Tech Nina told MTV News last June. "I have been workin' out with [a personal trainer] for like four months. So now I'm out here by myself, and I gotta get a jump rope, we already got the dumb bells, we already got the mats, we already got the medicine ball, and your voice, it just has to grow accustomed to yelling every night."
Will you be attending Tech N9ne's Hostile Takeover 2012 Tour? Tell us in the comments!
Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1677564/tech-n9ne-show.jhtml
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Video: Maria's Market Insight
CNBC's Maria Bartiromo discusses the day's top business and financial stories, and looks ahead to tomorrow's Closing Bell.
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Business & financial news headlines from msnbc.com
Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/46063152/
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Friday, January 20, 2012
Analysis: Chavez shuffles allies ahead of Venezuela election (Reuters)
CARACAS (Reuters) ? Venezuela's wily President Hugo Chavez is keeping his military happy and quashing talk of succession with a reshuffle of allies to strengthen his hand as he seeks re-election in October.
Since leading a failed coup attempt in 1992 and coming from behind to win the presidency in 1998, then polarizing the nation during 13 years of socialist rule, the former soldier has always applied a favored army tactic to his politics: surprise.
So nobody foresaw his latest moves - giving the top job in Congress to a buddy from the armed forces, and ordering two senior cabinet figures who were touted as possible successors to run for governorships in opposition-ruled provincial states.
Chavez has also baited Washington by appointing a man it says is a drug "kingpin" as his new defense minister. And he has his allies currying favor and guessing at his next move by leaving unnamed two major posts: vice president and foreign minister.
"It's the way of authoritarian rulers down the ages," said Caracas student Claudio Fernandez, who is undecided how to vote in October. "They always move people around so that nobody becomes too comfortable and the king is unchallenged."
Chavez's most eye-catching move in the New Year changes was the return of Diosdado Cabello - a fellow ex-soldier who joined Chavez's coup attempt against former President Carlos Andres Perez in 1992 - to the limelight as National Assembly president.
That, along with his post as No. 2 in the ruling Socialist Party, brings back to the fore a man whom Chavez had relegated in the past amid whispers he was becoming too powerful.
It also sends a clear message to the military: that their faction remains central in the president's inner circle.
"The comandante knows who he can trust," one Chavez government official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
Chavez may well need the military behind him if he wins narrowly or there are fraud allegations over the October 7 election. He has vowed to step down without any fuss if he loses the vote, but insists an opposition victory is impossible.
"It is easier for a thousand buffalos to pass through the eye of a needle than for an opposition candidate to win the election," Chavez said this week, adapting a well-known Biblical passage for his campaign rhetoric.
HEALTH DOUBTS LINGER
Most pollsters and analysts believe Chavez has an edge right now ahead of the election - albeit a narrow one - given his vast financial resources, big party machinery and undoubted status as the country's most popular politician.
But the panorama could change if the opposition coalition, which will choose its candidate at a primary next month, runs a dynamic and nationally appealing campaign, or if Chavez's apparent recovery from cancer fades.
During his surgery in Cuba and then rounds of chemotherapy and other treatment during the second half of last year, Vice President Elias Jaua and Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro - both from the socialists' so-called "civilian wing" as opposed to the army faction - gained influence.
Giving orders and seemingly in charge of day-to-day affairs, the pair - Maduro in particular - looked to diplomats and other Venezuela-watchers increasingly like possible successors.
But Chavez has told both they will soon be stepping down to fight for governorships against opposition incumbents in state elections a couple of months after the presidential vote.
That serves the purpose of putting heavy hitters in the field to drum up votes, reducing the buzz around them at the center of power, and further reassuring the military that its representatives still hold the most sway.
Chavez underlined that message on Tuesday, and also openly provoked his old enemy the United States, when he swore in General Henry Rangel Silva as his new defense minister.
In 2008, the U.S. government accused Rangel of being a "drug kingpin" who collaborated with Colombia's FARC rebels, while Venezuela's opposition say past remarks by Rangel showed he believes the army should not accept a Chavez defeat this year.
Chuckling at the furor, Chavez chided his enemies for protesting at the promotion of such a "good soldier."
Critics, though, believe that the flurry of recent moves within his top team could mean the president is quashing a major power struggle that has long been speculated, but never publicly confirmed, since his cancer diagnosis last June.
"The scorpions are out," said Teodoro Petkoff, a newspaper editor and former government minister who is now one of Chavez's most withering critics. "There is a silent but sordid frenzy over the succession issue opened up by the president's illness."
In a further tactic to silence any speculation of his exit from the political stage, Chavez has been dominating the airwaves again in recent weeks -- no doubt to the consternation of doctors still advising him to limit his public appearances.
On Friday, he smashed his own record - and possibly set a world first - by giving a speech for more than nine-and-a-half hours. His medical team had told him to stop after three.
"I could have gone on longer, but my feet were hurting," Chavez said the following day. "I'm not made of iron or steel!"
(Additional reporting by Mario Naranjo; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Kieran Murray)
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Study Hints That Statins Might Fight Breast Cancer (HealthDay)
THURSDAY, Jan. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Amid hints that statins -- cholesterol-lowering drugs -- might also play a role in preventing or treating certain types of cancer, new research sheds some light on how these drugs may help stop breast cancer in its tracks among certain women.
The p53 tumor suppressor gene stops the uncontrolled growth of cancer cells, but some women with breast cancer have mutant forms of this gene. In the new study, when the mutant p53 cells were treated in the laboratory with statins, the cells stopped their erratic growth, and even died in some cases.
It seems that the mutated p53 genes may activate the same pathway that the statins inhibit -- the mevalonate pathway, the study suggests. The mevalonate pathway is important in the body's production of cholesterol.
In the study, the effects of the statin drugs were erased when the mevalonate pathway was reactivated, supporting the potential mechanism. The new research is published in the Jan. 20 issue of the journal Cell.
Study author Dr. Carol Prives, chair of the department of biological sciences at Columbia University in New York City, is cautious in her enthusiasm about the results and their implications.
"The study is adding the possibility that there may be classes of breast cancer patients who will respond better to statins than others," she said, but noted that this research is far away from the bedside.
"By understanding better what sort of cells would respond to statins, one might have a better idea of whether or not to consider using them," she added. "The next step could be a trial of statins in women with breast cancer who have a mutated copy of the p53 gene."
Commenting on the study, cancer expert Marc Symons said, "This paper unravels a mechanism whereby p53, a frequently mutated cancer gene, promotes the aberrant behavior of cancer cells."
The mutated protein stimulates the mevalonate pathway, explained Symons, an investigator at the Center for Oncology and Cell Biology at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in Manhasset, N.Y.
"Statins, drugs that are widely used to lower cholesterol levels, block a key step in the mevalonate pathway," Symons said. "The new results may well give new momentum to the use of statins as anti-cancer agents."
Dr. Stephanie Bernik, chief of surgical oncology at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, is also intrigued by the potential of the new findings.
"This paper addresses a possible new target for therapeutic agents based on a well-known tumor suppressor gene that is common in many cancers," Bernik said. "Identifying novel pathways that lead to tumor formation is the first step to developing new drugs that can specifically target some of the complex mechanisms that contribute to the development of cancer," she pointed out.
"This work and other projects like this raise the hope that we will one day be able to cure cancers on a molecular level," Bernik said.
More information
Learn more about how breast cancer is treated at the U.S. National Cancer Institute.
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Thursday, January 19, 2012
Would you buy another one? Automotive Customer Retention ...
It's a lot easier to keep a customer than to get a new one, at least that's how the sales force maxim goes. So what then does the newly released J.D. Power and Associates 2012 Customer Retention Study say about the automotive brands and their ability to sell the same customer another car.
For starters, something incredibly positive is happening at Hyundai - just two years ago, Hyundai was below the industry average in customer retention - now the Korean brand has flown past Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, Lexus, Infiniti and Acura to become the stickiest brand in the business, with a healthy margin of 4% to Ford and Honda.
The reasons a car owner switches brands make fascinating reading and it seemingly is very hard to retain customers, with even the prestige brands that sell a "way of life" unable to convince much better than one in two to stay with the marque.
Though the primary reason given for switching brands was that the previous brand didn't offer the type of vehicle they wanted (one in three "switchers") the underlying reason for most switches is undoubtedly dissatisfaction with the previous vehicle. Maybe it was too many problems with the car, or that it was too costly to run and maintain, or that the car had poor resale value.
The J.D. Power and Associates 2012 Customer Retention Study is now in its ninth year, and measures the rate at which automotive brands retain their existing customers, the reasons why customers remain loyal, and the rate at which automotive brands capture customers from competitors.
The 2012 study is based on responses from 117,000 new-vehicle buyers and lessees, of which 73,733 replaced a vehicle that was previously acquired new. The industry's average brand customer retention rate improved marginally this year (by one percentage point) to 49 percent.
In 2012, 19 of the 33 ranked brands have improved their customer retention rates from 2010, while 14 have declined. Just to get a clearer picture, we put all the numbers together for 2009 too, to see which brands are winning and which ones are leaking customers over the last three years.
What was most surprising was the performance of both of the big Korean brands. Hyundai improved from 47% in 2009 to an industry-topping 64% this year, but its improvement was beaten by Kia, which scored just 37% in 2009 and this year slotted into equal fourth with 59%, way ahead of all the well known brands which claim to sell a way of life to their customers.
Several other brands improved dramatically over the three year period from the 2009 survey - Land Rover from 25% to 47% (an increase of 22% in raw numbers but effectively almost a doubling of retention), Nissan's prestige brand Infiniti from 25% to 46% and Jeep which improved from 34% in 2009 to 51% this survey.
Looking at the figures over a slightly longer time frame also enables trends to be clearly seen, and the biggest take-out from the survey has got to be the abyssmal perfromance of Dodge which had a similar customer retention rate to Hyundai just three years ago (43% v 47%), and has slipped to just 21% today, doubling the company's customer bleed rate in just a few years.
Equally as intriguing was the poor performance of normal stellar perfromers in Mercedes-Benz, Subaru and Porsche which all lost 9% during the three year period. The study also noted some interesting points. Women and younger vehicle owners (aged 23 to 47) are less likely to choose the same vehicle brand for their next purchase.
"Women and younger vehicle owners are more likely to experience changes in their life circumstances, including growth in household size or changes in income levels, that would lead them to purchase vehicles that better accommodate their new lifestyle," said Raffi Festekjian, director of automotive product research at J.D. Power and Associates.
Brands that perform particularly well in retaining women customers include Honda, Hyundai, Kia and Mercedes-Benz. Among vehicle owners in the Generation Y and Generation X demographics, Ford, Kia, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz perform particularly well in customer retention.
Source: http://www.gizmag.com/automotive-customer-retention-survey/21140/
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IMF seeks up to $500 billion in new funds (AP)
BRUSSELS ? The International Monetary Fund said Wednesday that it's aiming to increase its financial firepower by around $500 billion so it can issue new loans to help ease a worsening financial crisis.
Responding to speculation surrounding its funding requirements, the Washington-based institution said its staff estimates that countries around the world will need about $1 trillion in loans in the coming years. Most of the concerns center on the 17 nations that use the euro and their debt crisis.
Thanks to about $200 billion that European countries have promised the IMF, it's more than one-third of the way to its fund-raising goal.
The IMF has put up about a third of the financing of the eurozone's bailouts over the past two years. But there are growing worries that non-European countries will also need more help because of the worsening economic outlook.
Earlier, its sister organization, the World Bank, urged emerging countries to be ready for a severe global downturn if the crisis in the 17-nation eurozone intensifies.
The eurozone, in particular, has been pushing countries around the globe to give more funds to the IMF. The idea is to build up a larger firewall to stop the continent's debt troubles from spreading to large economies like Spain, Italy or even France.
But so far, even countries relatively flush with cash, like China or Brazil, have been reluctant to put up more money for Europe. So has the United States.
The Obama administration said Wednesday that it had not changed its opposition to further U.S. support for the IMF to handle Europe's debt crisis.
"We continue to believe that the IMF can play an important role in Europe, but only as a supplement to Europe's own efforts," said Treasury Department spokeswoman Kara Alaimo.
Eswar Prasad, a former top IMF official who teaches economics at Cornell University, said emerging market countries may have started to see the need for such support because Europe's debt crisis has begun to cut into their exports. He said also that concern about possible European bond defaults is triggering a flight to safer bonds. That means less capital is flowing to emerging markets.
"There is a sense among many countries that the problems of Europe are beginning to wash up on their shores, so some action must be taken," Prasad said.
Prasad expects the issue to be discussed Thursday at a meeting of deputy finance ministers for Group of 20 countries in Mexico City. But he doesn't expect a decision until the G-20 finance ministers meet Feb. 24-25 in Mexico City.
"The United States is almost certainly not going to put any more money on the table," Prasad said. "Even if the administration wanted to do it, there is little chance they could get it through Congress."
British Prime Minister David Cameron said Wednesday that the government would be prepared to back an increase but that he would require approval from his Parliament.
"We believe the IMF must always lend to countries, not to currencies," Cameron said at a news conference with Italian Premier Mario Monti. "We would only act if that was with others, not just as part of a eurozone measure.
But Cameron said it's up to the eurozone itself to prove that it's "standing behind its own currency."
Monti said British taxpayers wouldn't have to pay for Italy's economic woes.
"To my knowledge, my country has not cost a penny to the U.K.," Monti said. "I don't see a reason why this should change in the future."
How the IMF's fund-raising goal will be reached is set to be discussed at a meeting of finance ministers of the Group of 20 leading economies in Mexico next month.
____
David Stringer in London and Martin Crutsinger in Washington contributed to this story.
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