It News

November 28, 2012

America's Most Popular Holiday Destination Is ... ?

By Darren Booth | CNBC

Fliers this year can expect to pay about 8 percent more for holiday airfares and 6 percent more for New Year's airfares to top destinations than in 2011, according to a study released by Orbitz Monday. But some locations saw prices for flights and hotels drop.

The Orbitz Holiday Travel Insider Index analyzed hotel and flight booking data from its website to rank the most popular holidays destinations for 2012. The study provides the top 10 holiday destinations for Christmas and New Year's, evaluating the average airfare and daily hotel rates in each of the most popular
markets.

'sexy' Kim

China's People's Daily falls for 'sexy' Kim Jong-un spoof

RICK WALLACE, TOKYO CORRESPONDENT From: The Australian November 29, 2012

A SPOOF report declaring North Korea's portly young leader the "Sexiest Man Alive" for 2012 seems to have caught out China's main state-run newspaper.

The People's Daily Online reported, apparently in all seriousness, that The Onion had crowned Kim Jong-un, the rogue hermit state's playboy leader, this year's top international heart-throb.

'I'll keep that'

'I'll keep that': Prince William fuels Kate Middleton pregnancy rumours after accepting baby gift

28 Nov 2012
By Andy Rudd

Pilot Wills given baby romper suit with a picture of a helicopter and the words “Daddy’s little co-pilot” during Cambridge walkabout

Prince William has fuelled rumours that he and Kate Middleton are planning to have children soon after he accepted a baby present during a walkabout in Cambridge.

Facebook Makes It Official: An External Advertising Network Is Coming Soon

By Mathew Ingram on November 26, 2012

A view of an Apple iPad and iPhone displaying the Facebook app's splash screen

There’s been a lot of discussion over the past few days about the recent changes to Facebook’s (FB) privacy and governance policies—including the revelation that (gasp!) Facebook is not actually a democracy—but one element of the new rules has gotten less attention than it probably should: Namely, the giant social network is going to use the data it has about your likes and dislikes to show you ads outside of Facebook. This is the first real confirmation that the company is going to roll out an advertising network that extends beyond just its own walled garden, and it could turn out to be one of the biggest factors in the success or failure of Facebook’s revenue-growth strategy.

Home prices: Biggest rise in more than 2 years

By Chris Isidore | CNNMoney.com

2012/11/27
In another sign of a housing market rebound, home prices posted the biggest percentage gain in more than two years in the third quarter, according to the closely followed S&P/Case-Shiller index.
The 3.6% increase from a year earlier is more than three times the rise in the previous quarter and was the biggest jump in prices since the second quarter of 2010. But that 2010 rise was much more of a temporary

Marvin Miller

Marvin Miller spoke truth to power, changed sports forever

By Thomas Boswell, Tuesday, November 27,2012

The most important man in sports in the past 40 years died at age 95 on Tuesday. Marvin Miller, whose union won free agency for baseball players in 1975 and thus eventually gained the same fundamental bargaining rights for all pro athletes, lived to see his vilified ideas utterly vindicated. What started as a cause became commonplace. What was once controversial became incontrovertible.

When I started on the baseball beat, there was no free agency, in baseball or any sport. It was a different world. One story from that time defines for me why everything Miller stood for was right — both then and in

$500 million

Record Powerball result of changes to boost sales

2012/11/27
By By DAVID PITT, Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The historic Powerball jackpot boosted to $500 million on Tuesday was all part of a plan lottery officials put in place early this year to build jackpots faster, drive sales and generate more money for states that run the game.
Their plan appears to be working.
Powerball tickets doubled in price in January to $2, and while the number of tickets sold initially dropped, sales revenue has increased by about 35 percent over 2011.

Google’s Search for a Second Act

By Jeff Macke | Breakout 2012/10/18

Google (GOOG) reports third quarter results after the bell today in one of the most highly anticipated events of this earnings season. According to Yahoo Finance the Street is expecting Google to have earned $10.65 per share on revenues of $11.9 billion. As usual, the numbers mean less than the guidance and updates on the company's growing stable of business lines.
With GOOG stock up 30% in the 3 months since their last report, traders have a lot riding on the name. In the attached clip IronFire Capital founder Eric Jackson tells Breakout what he wants to hear from the company tonight.

5 dividend stocks that insiders like

By Meena Krishnamsetty | MarketWatch 2012/10/18

Sometimes, dividend yields can look attractive because the company's stock price has dropped; this can be a concern if the lower stock price is tied to poorer business performance, which could in turn lead to dividend cuts. It's also generally a good idea to review a history of insider purchases and sales — particularly purchases, as they tend to be more predictive of future performance — when looking at stocks. Here are five stocks which pay high dividend yields, are at least flat year to date, and have seen at least one insider purchase in the last three months:
Aldo Zucaro, CEO of Old Republic International Corporation(ORI), bought about 10,000 shares of the company in August 2012. Old Republic is an insurer whose products include asset insurance (auto, marine, etc.) and specialty coverage. It is unprofitable when looking at the last four quarters, but grew its revenue slightly in the second quarter of 2012 and sell-side analyst consensus is for positive

A Daily Multivitamin Reduces Cancer Risk in Older Men

By Olivia B. Waxman October 18, 2012

There hasn’t been strong evidence to support the idea that vitamins can combat cancer—until now.

In the first rigorous, long-term study of multivitamins and their effect on cancer, older men who took daily vitamins lowered their risk of cancer by 8% compared to men who skipped the supplements over an average of 11 years of follow up.

Participants included 14,641 male U.S. male physicians ages 50 and over for 11 years enrolled in the Physicians’ Health Study. The men were randomly assigned to take a multivitamin —Centrum Silver — or a placebo, and neither they nor the scientists were aware of their status. Overall, they were healthy; two-thirds exercised on a regular basis and only 4% were current smokers. The doctors’ mean age was 64. Nine percent (1,312) reported a history of cancer (excluding nonmelanoma skin cancer).

(MORE: Vitamins and Supplements Linked to a Higher Risk of Death)

Bank of America says housing has ‘begun to turn,’ but mortgages still bring banks headaches

Associated Press, Published: October 17

NEW YORK — For banks, mortgage-making kept profits humming before the financial crisis, then blackened reputations and stamped out earnings when the crisis hit.

Now, the business of mortgage lending is more of a mixed bag.
Bank of America, the country’s second-biggest bank, reported Wednesday that mortgage originations jumped over a year ago — up 18 percent to $21 billion. But the mortgage unit still lost money as the bank worked through problem mortgages issued before the crisis.

Federal Reserve bombing plot foiled in NYC

FBI says man tried to blow up Federal Reserve Bank in NYC

Atlanta Business Chronicle by Carla Caldwell, Morning Call Editor
Date: Thursday, October 18, 2012

Federal prosecutors have charged a 21-year-old Bangladeshi man with conspiring to blow up the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The man, Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis, tried to remotely detonate what he believed was a 1,000-pound bomb in a van he parked outside the building in Lower Manhattan on Wednesday, reports the New York Times.
Nafis, who came to the United States in January on a student visa, worked to make contacts and recruit people to form a terrorist cell to help him carry out an attack, according to a criminal complaint in the case.

The Best and Worst U.S. Cities for Travel Taxes

How Much of Your Vacation Dollar Goes to Levies on Hotel Rooms, Rental Cars and Flights by Municipalities
By SCOTT MCCARTNEY

17, 2012
In Chicago, the tax on a case of Miller Lite beer runs about 9%. That pales in comparison with the 16.4% tax on a hotel room and the 23% tax on car rentals at O'Hare International Airport.

Travel is one of the most heavily taxed activities in the U.S., even though most cities and towns try hard to encourage visitors and tourism. Travelers don't vote where they travel, so cash-strapped cities and states continue to push fees and taxes onto hotel rooms, rental cars and airports. Cigarettes are about the only thing taxed more heavily among consumer purchases.

Is The Idea Of 'Gay Travel' Counterproductive?

10/16/2012
Form huffingtonpost.com

During my recent visit to the all-but-destroyed island of Bali, a local friend convinced me to stay someplace I wouldn't have chosen on my own: Spartacvs, an all-male, clothing-optional resort.

Now, I love naked men as much as the next gay dude with a travel blog. But my sexuality is never among my first considerations when choosing a destination.

Ironically, since Bali's scenery and culture, which are always among my first considerations when choosing a destination, have been badly mutilated by decades of excessive tourism, Spartacvs became something of a refuge for me.

Amazon to hire more than 50,000 for holiday season

2012/10/16

A box from Amazon.com is pictured on the porch of a house in Golden

(Reuters) - Online retail giant Amazon.com Inc said it will hire more than 50,000 seasonal employees at its fulfillment centers across the United States, as the company and its rivals gear up for the winter holiday season.
Retailers typically add seasonal staff in the weeks leading up to the holiday shopping season to work in stores and help in other areas, such as in distribution and fulfilling online orders.
"Temporary associates play a critical role in meeting increased customer demand during the holiday

Vikram Pandit to Step Down as Citigroup CEO

By CNBC | CNBC
2012/10/16

File photograph of Citigroup's CEO Vikram Pandit giving an interview on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange

Vikram Pandit announced Tuesday that he is stepping down as CEO of Citigroup. The board of directors named Michael Corbat its new chief executive.
President and Chief Operating Officer John Havens also resigned.
After finishing 5.5 percent higher Monday, shares of Citigroup (C) were lower in pre-market trading following the announcement. (Click here to get the latest quotes for Citigroup.)

10 Money Mistakes That Can Ruin a Marriage

By Renee Morad | Money Talks News – Fri, Oct 12, 2012

Couples who reported disagreeing about finances once a week were 30 percent more likely to get divorced than couples who reported disagreeing about them once a month.

As anyone who’s been there knows, there’s no such thing as a friction-free marriage. But arguing can be ominous when the topic is money.
Couples who reported disagreeing about finances once a week were 30 percent more likely to get divorced than couples who reported disagreeing about them once a month, according to a Utah State University study.
In another survey, published in the Forum for Family and Consumer Issues, finances proved to be the leading cause of conflict in marriage, with 39 percent of respondents listing it as their primary issue and 54 percent as their secondary issue.
Here are 10 of the most common mistakes couples make when dealing with money.

1. Not talking enough about finances

Citigroup profit drops as it writes down brokerage unit

2012/10/15
(Reuters) - Citigroup Inc said quarterly profit plunged on a $4.7 billion write-down of its stake in a brokerage operated by Morgan Stanley, but North American mortgage lending revenue increased and capital markets results rebounded.
The New York-based global bank on Monday said third-quarter net income was $468 million, or 15 cents a share, compared with $3.77 billion, or $1.23 a share, a year earlier.
Adjusted earnings, excluding the previously announced write-down and an accounting charge for the change in the value its debt, was $3.27 billion, or $1.06 cents a share, compared with $2.57 billion, or 84 cents a share, a year earlier.

Cramer's Earnings Preview for Next Week

By Drew Sandholm | CNBC

What follows is "Mad Money" host Jim Cramer's "Game Plan" for the week of Monday, Oct. 15.
MONDAY, OCT. 15
Citigroup (C) will report earnings before Monday's opening bell. Although earnings results from rivals JPMorgan Chase (JPM) and Wells Fargo (WFC) failed to excite Wall Street Friday, Cramer thinks the banking sector is still worth a look.
(Related: Big Opportunity in Banks: Pro.)
"The group is cheap. The companies are making tons of money and they will soon be returning billions of dollars to shareholders," Cramer said. "They're making gobs of cash thanks to the robust mortgage market."
Unfortunately for Citi, though, Cramer doubts it will have enough mortgage business to offset its weakness in emerging markets.
"I'd stick with JPMorgan and buy more Wells Fargo before I'd venture into the world of Citigroup, though," he added.
(Read More: Are JPMorgan's Revenue Springs Drying Up?)
TUESDAY, OCT. 16
Coca-Cola (KO) is scheduled to deliver earnings Tuesday morning.
"KO shot the lights out last quarter and I bet it's even better this time because the dollar has gotten weaker versus where it was the last time they reported," Cramer said. "That's going to make for a

Former Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk Dies

Ron Corben
October 14, 2012

BANGKOK — Chinese state media reports that Cambodia's King Norodom Sihanouk, one of Southeast Asia's defining leaders, has died in Beijing. He was 89. King Sihanouk led Cambodia to independence, but war and his role in the murderous reign of the Khmer Rouge marred his life and times.

Traveling The World Brings Andrew McCarthy Home

by NPR STAFF

October 14, 2012

In actor Andrew McCarthy's parallel career as a travel writer, he serves as an editor at large at National Geographic Traveler.

He's an 80s teen heartthrob who turned to travel writing — and now soul searching. A few years ago, Andrew McCarthy decided to confront the fears that had followed him his whole life. As he prepared to marry the women he loved, he headed out around the world to find the part inside of himself that just kept saying "no" to everything good in his life.

Growth of business travel spending is slowing, study finds

Firms are expected to spend 2.6% more this year than in 2011, when spending climbed 7.2% compared with the previous year.

By Hugo Martín, Los Angeles Times
October 15, 2012
After a dramatic slump during the economic recession, spending on business travel in the U.S. climbed in 2010 and 2011.

But business travel spending is slowing down, perhaps a sign of anxiety in corporate America over the still-shaky economy, turmoil in Europe and slower growth in China, said a report by the Global Business Travel Assn., the trade group for the world's travel managers.

HP on Gartner figures: We're still on top

By Charlie Osborne for Between the Lines | October 11, 2012
According to figures released by research firm Gartner, PC maker HP was knocked off its perch when Lenovo claimed the top-spot in worldwide PC sales.

However, the computer firm was not about to back down quietly in the face of its Chines rival; instead, HP has gone for Gartner's jugular .. albeit politely not mentioning the research firm by name.

Spanish Yields Retreat

By TOMMY STUBBINGTON and MICHELE MAATOUK
October 11, 2012

Bond yields on Spanish government debt eased back from earlier highs Thursday, while Spain's benchmark equity index pared losses and the rest of the region's stock markets edged higher, as investors grew hopeful that Standard & Poor's Corp.'s downgrade of Spain's credit rating would force the country's hand in seeking a bailout.
With Moody's Investors Service already assessing Spain's credit-worthiness at its lowest investment level, the country is a step closer to losing its membership in key bond indexes, which could in turn prompt selling of the nation's bonds, push yields even higher and force the government to seek a bailout.

Teachers Make Money Selling Materials Online

By DONNA GORDON BLANKINSHIP Associated Press
SEATTLE October 11, 2012 (AP)

Kristine Nannini spent her summer creating wall charts and student data sheets for her fifth grade class — and making $24,000 online by selling those same materials to other teachers.

Teachers like Nannini are making extra money providing materials to their cash-strapped and time-limited colleagues on curriculum sharing sites like teacherspayteachers.com, providing an alternative to more traditional — and generally more expensive — school supply stores. Many districts, teachers and parents say these sites are saving teachers time and money, and giving educators a quick way to make extra income.

There is a lot of money to potentially be made. Deanna Jump, a first-grade teacher at Central Fellowship Christian Academy in Macon, Ga., is teacherspayteachers.com's top seller, earning about $1 million in sales over the past two years. She believes the site has been successful because educators are looking for new ways to engage their students, and the materials are relatively inexpensive and move beyond textbooks

Travel industry must cater for modern 'jigsaw families', says expert, as single parents seek better deals on holidays

Mum on a beach with two children and a dog

By TRAVELMAIL REPORTER
PUBLISHED: 04:05 EST, 11 October 2012
Holiday companies will increasingly be looking to attract single parent and multi-generational families, a trends forecaster has predicted.
William Higham, founder of consumer trends company Next Big Thing, said the rise of ‘jigsaw families’ meant that escaping for a break is no longer just about mum, dad and two children.

Einstein's Math May Be Compatible With Faster-Than-Light Travel, Mathematicians Say

By: Clara Moskowitz, LiveScience Senior Writer
Published: 10/09/2012 on LiveScience

Although Einstein's theories suggest nothing can move faster than the speed of light, two scientists have extended his equations to show what would happen if faster-than-light travel were possible.

How to Retire Rich: 6 Smart Steps at Ages 50-66

Focus on the finish line. It's time to get serious about saving, and maybe cutting costs.
By Sandy Block and Jane Bennett Clark | Kiplinger

At this point, retirement isn't a far-off goal you'll worry about someday when you're ready for your second hip replacement. Unless you plan to work until you drop, retirement is staring you in the face.

That means it's time to get deadly serious about saving, especially if you haven't saved enough. And that's true for most people: Nearly a third of Americans age 55 and older have saved less than $10,000 for retirement, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute. Only 22% have saved $250,000 or more.

Zito Has Chance to Pull Giants Even With Reds

By JOE KAY AP Baseball Writer
CINCINNATI October 10, 2012 (AP)

Joaquin Arias hit the ball, put his head down and ran. All he knew was that the Giants' season depended upon how fast he made it to first.

"That's the fastest I've ever run to first," the infielder said.

He won the playoff dash, taking advantage of third baseman Scott Rolen's momentary bobble to beat the throw. Arias' foot hit the bag, and the Giants suddenly had a little hope.

After managing only one hit through the first nine innings, the Giants took advantage of a passed ball and Rolen's error in the 10th inning for a 2-1 victory that cut the Cincinnati Reds' lead in the division series to 2-1.

A team that's struggled just to get hits is suddenly feeling like it has a chance against long odds. The Giants are trying to become the first team to overcome a 2-0 deficit in a best-of-five series by winning three straight on the road.

"I think we have to be really happy that we came away with a win tonight because we didn't swing the bats very well at all," said Buster Posey, who singled as part of the winning rally.

Toyota recalls 138,000 cars in UK

Potential fault with electric window switch prompts free check and remedy.
By Paul Hudson and Andrew English10:23AM BST 10 Oct 2012

Toyota has recalled 138,000 cars in the UK because of a potential fault with the master switch for the electric windows.
It affects certain RAV4, Auris, Yaris and Corolla models built between September 2006 and December 2008.
There has been one reported case in the UK but no reported accidents related to this issue.
The recall comes only days after Japanese rival Honda recalled 77,000 CR-V cars made at its Swindon factory between 2002 and 2006, due to an electrical fault with the master switch for the electric windows that could potentially lead to a fire.
Toyota says that the power window master switch (PWMS) on the driver's door may over time begin to feel uneven or notchy when it is operated. The switch is not designed to be lubricated with commercially available lubricants and that application of these could lead to overheating and/or

IMF Sees European Banks Facing $4.5 Trillion Sell-Off

By Sandrine Rastello and Simone Meier - Oct 10, 2012

The International Monetary Fund said European banks may need to sell as much as $4.5 trillion in assets through 2013 if policy makers fall short of pledges to stem the fiscal crisis, up 18 percent from its April estimate.

Kobe Bryant To Retire?

2012/10/9

http://sirifarm.com/

To:

From:

Depart:		Stops:
Return:		Stops:

Adults (15-64)	Children (2-14)	Seniors (65+)
Child Ages:

Couple Guy Ritchie and Jacqui Ainsley 'are getting married'

Couple Guy Ritchie and Jacqui Ainsley 'are getting married'
thesun.co.uk
2012/10/9

Guy Ritchie and Jacqui Ainsley on night out

GUY Ritchie is reportedly engaged to model Jacqui Ainsley.
Madonna’s ex-hubby recently proposed to his girlfriend – who’s expecting their second child – according to UsMagazine.com.
The Sherlock Holmes director, 44, began dating Jacqui, 30, in 2010, and the couple welcomed their first child, son Rafael, in September last year.

Mila Kunis is voted the sexiest woman alive in new poll

Tuesday Oct 9 2012
Ashton Kutcher's girlfriend has beaten Rihanna into second place.

The Black Swan actress - who has been pictured stepping out with Ashton Kutcher - came first in the Esquire magazine poll, swiping the title from former winner Rihanna.

However, it seems Mila won't get too carried away with the honour, as she told the mag that she is very focused on staying true to herself.

Venezuela’s Chavez re-elected to extend socialist rule

DIEGO ORE AND EYANIR CHINEA
CARACAS — Reuters
Monday, Oct. 08 2012

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez scored a comfortable election victory that could extend his rule to 20 years and vowed to deepen his self-styled socialist revolution that has polarized the South American OPEC nation.

Tens of thousands of ecstatic supporters thronged the streets around the presidential palace in downtown Caracas, pumping fists in the air and shouting Mr. Chavez’s name after the former soldier beat opposition candidate Henrique Capriles by more than 9 percentage points.

Alaska Airlines: Operations Returning to Normal

By DOUG ESSER Associated Press
October 8, 2012 (AP)
Alaska Airlines said flights were running close to normal late Monday after a fiber-optic outage shut down its ticketing system for more than four hours, causing the airline and its regional carrier to cancel 78 flights, affecting nearly 7,000 customers.

More than 130 other flights departed during the disruption, but some were delayed for as long as four hours, the airline said.

"Flights are running real close to schedule right now in all major cities. We expect tomorrow to be back on track completely," airline spokeswoman Marianne Lindsey said Monday evening.

Physics Nobel goes to Serge Haroche and David Wineland

9 October 2012

This year's Nobel prize in physics has been awarded to two researchers for their work with light and matter at the most fundamental level.

Serge Haroche of France and David Wineland of the US will share the prize, worth 8m Swedish krona (£750,000; $1.2m).

Their "quantum optics" work deals with single photons and ions, the basic units of light and matter.

Foxconn workers strike over iPhone 5 demands, labor group says

By Julianne Pepitone @CNNMoney October 6, 2012

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Thousands of factory workers at Foxconn went on strike Friday to protest their working conditions on the iPhone 5's production lines, according to a report from an independent workers' rights organization.
Workers at Foxconn's plant in Zhengzhou, China, were furious after management enacted "overly strict demands" for production of Apple's (AAPL, Fortune 500) new iPhone 5, according to a report late Friday from China Labor Watch (CLW), a New York-based advocacy group that works closely with sources in China.

Sticker shock at California gas stations

By John Blackstone October 6, 2012

(CBS News) MILL VALLEY, Calif. - Many Americans saw gas prices go up a bit this week. Californians saw them skyrocket. Nationally, the average stands at $3.81 a gallon, up roughly two cents. But in California, prices exploded to a record high average of $4.61 a gallon --that's up 47 cents in a week and makes it the most expensive gas in the country. This could only happen in California.

Travel: Niagara Falls area, Canada gear up for big battle re-enactment

Oct 5, 2012

'Battle of Queenston Heights,' an oil painting attributed to James B. Dennis, depicts a major clash between American and British forces on Oct. 13, 1812. The battle will be re-enacted next weekend. / Image courtesy RiverBrink Museum, Queenston, Ontar

by Warren Gerds
Green Bay Press-Gazette

FILED UNDER
Life & Style

Canadian citizen Des Corran is pumped about next weekend. He’s a re-enactor with the Royal Newfoundland Regiment*, and he’s participating in the re-creation of the Battle of Queenston Heights.

Two hundred years ago on Saturday, American and British soldiers and their support forces engaged in the first major battle of the War of 1812 at Queenston, Canada, which is a few miles north of Niagara Falls.

Some perspective: Green Bay is near one end of the Niagara Escarpment, and Niagara Falls is near the other end of the massive, looping geological formation.

As rock solid as the escarpment has been for eons, politics around the time of the War of 1812 included shifting sand.

8 Social Security Myths Exposed

By Renee Morad | Money Talks News – Tue, Oct 2, 2012

Will Social Security be around when I retire?
That’s a question lots of Americans are probably asking themselves, though it’s certainly not the only thing we might be wondering when it comes to Social Security. Given our national retirement program’s handbook of 2,728 rules and countless interpretations, few participants are likely to thoroughly understand it.
To help shed light on Social Security, we recently set out to separate fact from fiction. Below are some of the most common Social Security myths, along with explanations:
Myth: Social Security funds are running dry, so I should collect as soon as possible

good news:US jobless rate

US jobless rate falls to 7.8 pct., 44-month low

US unemployment rate falls to 7.8 pct. in September, lowest since Jan. 2009; hiring increases
By Christopher s. Rugaber, AP Economics Writer | Associated Press Fri, Oct 5, 2012
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The U.S. unemployment rate fell to 7.8 percent last month, dropping below 8 percent for the first time in nearly four years. The rate fell because more people found work, a trend that could impact the presidential election.
The Labor Department says employers added 114,000 jobs in September. The economy also created 86,000 more jobs in July and August than first estimated. Wages rose in September and more people

Samsung Expected to Reach End of Record Run

By REUTERS
Published: October 5, 2012

SEOUL — Samsung Electronics reported a record quarterly profit of 8.1 trillion South Korean won, nearly double the figure of last year, as strong sales of high-end televisions and Galaxy smartphones more than offset reduced orders for chips and screens from Apple, its main rival and leading customer.

Most analysts, however, expect a run of four record quarters — the most recent worth $7.3 billion — to end in December, as the South Korean group, one of the world’s leading makers of smartphones, televisions and memory chips, increases its marketing, countering the new Apple iPhone 5 and other products in a crowded smartphone market, valued at $200 billion globally.

Time-travel fantasy ‘Looper’ may be most creative of its genre

Posted: Friday, October 5, 2012
By Michael Huckaby / movie reviews

“Looper” is a gripping and stylish time-travel fantasy, perhaps the most creative of this genre ever made. Written and directed by Rian Johnson (“Brick”), the futuristic storyline is cleverly contrived, explaining just enough to make the narrow concept plausible.
Unlike most thrillers, the compelling movie includes romance and an emotionally powerful thread exploring flawed characters fighting to regain their humanity.
The opening introduces Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) standing in a Kansas cornfield. He checks his antique pocket watch and then stares at a tarp spread out before him. Suddenly, a hooded and hog-tied man materializes on the tarp. Joe coolly blows him away, removes several silver ingots (his pay) taped to the body, wraps the corpse in the tarp and dumps it in a nearby incinerator.

Hawaiian tourism office launches promotional campaign in Taiwan

Oct 04, 2012

The Hawaiian tourism office in Taiwan launched a promotional tour package on Wednesday in cooperation with local travel agencies to take advantage of a potential tourism boost from Taiwan’s inclusion in the US’ Visa-Waiver Program.

The Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau’s office in Taipei said the seven-day tour would depart from Taiwan on Nov. 1 — the day Taiwan’s US visa-waiver status takes effect — and will cost under NT$70,000 (US$2,380) per person.

Bizarre Species of Miniature Dinosaur Identified

By JOHN NOBLE WILFORD
Published: October 3, 2012

Not every dinosaur grew up to be a mighty predator like Tyrannosaurus rex or a hulking vegan like Apatosaurus. A few stayed small, and some of the smallest dinosaurs that ever lived — tiny enough to nip at your heels — were among the first to spread across the planet more than 200 million years ago
Fossils of these miniature, fanged plant-eaters known as heterodontosaurs, or “different toothed reptiles,” have turned up as far apart as England and China. Now, in a discovery that has been at least 50 years in the making, a new and especially bizarre species of these dwarf herbivores has been identified in a slab of red rock that was collected in the early 1960s by scientists working in South Africa.

In a report published Wednesday in the online journal ZooKeys, Paul C. Sereno, a paleontologist at the University of Chicago and a dinosaur specialist, described the strange anatomy of the newfound member of the heterodontosaur family and gave the new species the name Pegomastax africanus, or “thick jaw from Africa.” He also apologized in an interview for not getting around sooner to this piece of research.

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