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GM's early hopes for the electric Chevy Volt were pretty much dashed by year's end. Even without a he-said-she-said exchange with the government over battery fires.

By Charles B. Stockdale, 24/7 Wall St.

A number of incredible new products were launched this year. Apple introduced the iPhone 4S, a phone with voice command. And Boeing?s 787 Dreamliner? ? a fuel efficient jet built of carbon composite? ? finally had its first commercial flight. But not all products and services launched this year did well. Some failed miserably. 24/7 Wall St. looked at the biggest product launches of 2011 in order to identify the worst of the lot.

24/7 Wall St.: The best- and worst-run companies in America

Products generally fail because they are either inferior versions of already successful products or they have little-to-no demand. Research In Motion?s PlayBook is the greatest example of the former. There was no room for a poorly designed tablet in a market dominated by the upmarket iPad and its inexpensive cousin Kindle Fire. The Playbook was widely panned. RIM publicly blamed its weak sales on competitive shifts in the market, referring to the release of Kindle Fire.

Many companies also often fail to understand consumer sentiment and, as a result, do not accurately estimate demand for the product. When Netflix announced it would spin off its DVD-by-mail service in the form of a new service called Qwikster, customers were outraged. Nobody wanted the new site and nobody wanted to pay extra money for it. As a result, it failed before it even got off the ground. The Qwikster blunder ended up costing Netflix many customers.

These are the biggest product flops of the year.

24/7 Wall St.: 8 beers Americans no longer drink

1. Ashley Push-Up Triangle

?Company: Abercrombie & Fitch

While no stranger to controversy, Abercrombie & Fitch seemed to have crossed a line this time. In March the retailer unveiled its spring line for Abercrombie Kids, a division targeting children ages 8 to 14. Included in the line was the ?Ashley? Push-Up Triangle, a bikini top with padding. The launch prompted a violent response from parent groups. Several child development experts also criticized the top because it sexualized young girls. At first, Abercrombie tried to address the concerns by reclassifying the top as padded and saying it was not intended for very young girls. It stated on Facebook: ?We?ve re-categorized the Ashley swimsuit as padded. We agree with those who say it is best ?suited? for girls age 12 and older.? But while the bottoms are still available, the bikini top is no longer featured on the company?s website.

2. Qwikster

In September Netflix announced that it would be separating its online streaming service and its DVD mail service. Streaming was going to continue under the Netflix brand, while DVD-by-mail was going to operate under a new website called Qwikster. The change and the accompanying increase in prices outraged customers, leading the company to kill off Qwikster before it was even launched. CEO Reed Hastings announced this decision in a blog post on the company?s website in which he began, ?I messed up. I owe everyone an explanation.? The blog post was mobbed with more than 27,000 comments from angry customers. The ordeal cost the company approximately 800,000 customers.

24/7 Wall St.: States where people pay the most (and least) in taxes

3. Volt

?Company: General Motors

GM was originally so excited about the Volt that the company had announced in January it was speeding up its roll-out by six months. But by November the excitement had fizzled out. Larry Nitz, GM?s executive director for vehicle electrification, told Reuters ?It?s naive to think that the world is going to switch tomorrow to EVs (electric vehicles).? Indeed, sales for the vehicle have been consistently low. Only 125 models were sold in July 2011. This was after GM spokeswoman Michelle Bunker was quoted as saying that the Volt was ?virtually sold out? due to its popularity ? a statement later shown to be misguided. Adding insult to injury, Chevy Volts are under investigation for fires involving the cars? lithium-ion batteries. For concerned Volt owners, GM has offered free loaner cars.

4. HTC Status (Facebook phone)

In June of this year, AT&T announced the HTC Status. The Status was the first, and likely the last, smartphone with a dedicated Facebook share button. At the time of its launch, AT&T hoped it would be incredibly popular among Facebook users. ?We can?t wait to put the HTC Status in the hands of our young customers who will waste no time tapping into Facebook to update their friends,? said AT&T Senior VP of Devices Jeff Bradley in a statement. But sales were significantly lower than the company had originally expected, and rumors that the phone would be discontinued quickly spread. Given the ease with which users can access Facebook on other smartphones, the case for owning the Status was not very strong. Despite its low sales, AT&T has defended its product, stating, ?The HTC Status is a great product and our plans for it to be part of our portfolio haven?t changed.?

5. PlayBook

?Company: Research In Motion

The PlayBook was one of the most anticipated consumer electronic products of 2011 and ?one of RIM's most important roll-outs,? as?The Wall Street Journal?put it. It was the company?s first attempt at competing with Apple in the tablet space. Leveraging the success of the BlackBerry, many hoped it would be the businessman?s answer to the iPad. Unfortunately, the BlackBerry App World had few well-regarded apps, critical to compete with the iPad and Apple?s App Store. Following poor sales, RIM lowered its sales target for the second quarter of 2011 to one-third of what it had been originally, according to research firm DigiTimes. In a statement, RIM blamed the poor sales on ?several factors, including recent shifts in the competitive dynamics of the tablet market,? by which it was referring to the popular Kindle Fire. The company attempted to get its product off the ground with aggressive promotions, which caused it to lose $485 million in discounts on the tablet in the third quarter.

24/7 Wall St.: 10 brands that will disappear in 2012

6. Fiat 500

This year, Fiat released its new 500 ? a three-door car that is under 12 feet long. The car was expected to be a big seller, rivaling BMW?s Mini. Even before the car?s launch, however, detractors were predicting failure. Alan Mulally, CEO of Ford, stated in?Panorama?magazine, ?I do not see large market in the U.S.A. for a smaller car than the Fiesta. Those that tried failed.? He was right. According to online magazine?DailyTech,??Fiat expected to sell 50,000 500s during 2011 in North America. Through the first seven months of 2011, Fiat sold fewer than 12,000.? Sales were so poor that Chrysler Group, which manages the Fiat brand in the United States, ousted U.S. chief Laura Soave this past November.

7. Mars Needs Moms

Following the release of?"Avatar" in 2009, Hollywood had a new cash cow in the form of 3-D films. This all changed with the release of director Simon Wells?s "Mars Needs Moms" ? a flop of epic proportions. Disney, of course, was expecting another hit. The film cost $175 million to make. In its opening weekend it brought in just $6.9 million. According to movie data website The Numbers, "Mars" lost an estimated $130 million in worldwide gross sales, the biggest money loser of all time. Journalist Brooks Barnes wrote in the?New York Times,??In the movie business, sometimes a flop is just a flop. Then there are misses so disastrous that they send signals to broad swaths of Hollywood.? "Mars"signaled that the market has become saturated and that digitally animated family films are not the sure thing they once were.

Source: http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/29/9743447-the-biggest-product-flops-of-2011

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Christmas sales of Apple and Android phones and other devices were so strong that activations and app downloads skyrocket on Christmas Day. App downloads for iOS and Android phones and tablets are expected to reach 10 billion this year. ?

Christmas is a time for giving and for many, the gift was gadgets.?Android?and?iOS?devices saw a year over year 140 percent jump in activations this Christmas, with application downloads sailing past the historical norm.

Skip to next paragraph

Smartphones and tablets have surpassed the luxury phase, and are proliferating the market as every day household items. Though it still hasn?t taken over feature phones, which still own around 60 percent of the market, smartphones are widely adopted. Because of that adoption, they are being given as gifts left and right, with 2011 being the biggest year for Android and iOS devices as of yet.

According to Flurry, an app analytics provider, Android and iOS device activations averaged around 1.5 million a day for December until Christmas, when it shot up 358 percent to 6.8 activations. That is to say, lucky boys and girls across the globe open Santa?s gifts to find Xooms, iPhones, iPads, and more. Indeed, the iPad was on children?s most wanted lists.?According to a Nielsen report, 44 percent of kids in the United States requested an iPad for the holidays. If children aged 6-12 years old could get the tablet they desired, their second choice was an iPod Touch or iPhone.

But what do you do with your newly unwrapped toys on Christmas? You play with them! And thus, Christmas day yielded a huge spike in app downloads, the soul of iOS and Android phones and other devices. Flurry expects?Apple?will see 10 billion app downloads this year, that?s more than downloads from 2008, 2009 and 2010 combined. Android will also see 10 billion downloads, tripled from it?s 3 billion total downloads seen this past May.

Prior to Christmas day, December app sales were steady around 1.8 million a day. Then, when everyone was finished opening gifts on the 25th, app downloads jumped 125 percent to 242 million. The rise started around 7 am and continued throughout the day until it peaked at around 8 pm and fell as holiday meal-stuffed people drifted off to sleep.

Perhaps?Apple?s Siri commercial featuring Santa?isn?t as silly as it comes off. Smart devices are becoming the norm, and I wouldn?t be surprised if Rudolph gets laid off in exchange for the Siri?s sleek purple microphone.

SEE ALSO:

LCD display makers to pay $553M in price-fixing conspiracy?case?
AOL media talent loss continues: Joystiq editor departing for?Vox

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/zC-rF5nT2Go/iOS-and-Android-phones-tablets-Activations-soar

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John E. Lawson, Jr., on December 26, 2011, of Washington Twp. Age 62. Beloved husband of Pam (nee Connors). Devoted father of Shawn (Janneen Padlo), Josh and Katie "Davy" Lawson (Steven). Dear brother of James. Loving pop-pop of Shawn Jr., Richie, Lee Lee, Spencer and Lex. Also survived by his faithful granddogs Shamus, Chipper and Skeeter. At the request of John, services will be private. "A Life Well Lived Is Worth Remembering"

Source: http://wfmzonline.tributes.com/show/John-E.-Lawson-93016303

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Source: webdev.credittrends.moodys.com --- Wednesday, December 28, 2011
The euro is at its lowest level in almost a year against the U.S. dollar. ...

Source: http://credittrends.moodys.com/pro/article.asp?cid=227300

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MADALLA, Nigeria ? In the chaos after the Christmas terror attack on a Catholic church, one mortally wounded man cradled his wounded stomach and begged a priest for religious atonement. "Father, pray for me. I will not survive," he said.

At least 35 people died at St. Theresa Catholic Church and dozens were wounded as radical Muslim militants launched coordinated attacks across Africa's most populous nation within hours of one another. Four more people were killed in other violence blamed on the group known as Boko Haram.

It was the second year in a row that the extremists seeking to install Islamic Shariah law across the country of 160 million have staged Christmas attacks. Last year, a series of bombings on Christmas Eve killed 32 people in Nigeria.

On Monday, tried to clean the sanctuary of the damaged church, while one man wept uncontrollably amid the debris. Crowds gathered among the burned-out cars in the dirt parking lot, angry over the attack and fearful that the group will target more churches.

Rev. Father Christopher Jataudarde told The Associated Press that Sunday's blast happened as church officials gave parishioners white powder as part of a tradition celebrating the birth of Christ. Some already had left the church at the time of the bombing, causing the massive casualties.

At least 52 people were wounded in the attack, said Slaku Luguard, a coordinator with Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency. Victims filled the cement floors of a nearby government hospital, some crying in pools of their own blood.

Pope Benedict XVI denounced the bombing at his post-Christmas blessing Monday, urging people to pray for the victims and Nigeria's Christian community.

"In this moment, I want to repeat once again with force: Violence is a path that leads only to pain, destruction and death. Respect, reconciliation and love are the only path to peace," he said.

The African Union also condemned the attacks and pledged to support Nigeria in its fight against terrorism.

"Boko Haram's continued acts of terror and cruelty and absolute disregard for human life cannot be justified by any religion or faith," said a statement attributed to AU commission chairman Jean Ping.

On Sunday, a bomb also exploded amid gunfire in the central Nigeria city of Jos and a suicide car bomber attacked the military in the nation's northeast. Three people died in those assaults.

After the bombings, a Boko Haram spokesman using the nom de guerre Abul-Qaqa claimed responsibility for the attacks in an interview with The Daily Trust, the newspaper of record across Nigeria's Muslim north. The sect has used the newspaper in the past to communicate with public.

"There will never be peace until our demands are met," the newspaper quoted the spokesman as saying. "We want all our brothers who have been incarcerated to be released; we want full implementation of the Sharia system and we want democracy and the constitution to be suspended."

Boko Haram has carried out increasingly sophisticated and bloody attacks in its campaign to implement strict Shariah law across Nigeria. The group, whose name means "Western education is sacrilege" in the local Hausa language, is responsible for at least 504 killings this year alone, according to an Associated Press count.

Last year, a series of Christmas Eve bombings in Jos claimed by the militants left at least 32 dead and 74 wounded. The group also claimed responsibility for the Aug. 26 bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Nigeria's capital Abuja that killed 24 people and wounded 116 others.

While initially targeting enemies via hit-and-run assassinations from the back of motorbikes after the 2009 riot, violence by Boko Haram now has a new sophistication and apparent planning that includes high-profile attacks with greater casualties.

That has fueled speculation about the group's ties as it has splintered into at least three different factions, diplomats and security sources say. They say the more extreme wing of the sect maintains contact with terror groups in North Africa and Somalia.

Targeting Boko Haram has remained difficult, as sect members are scattered throughout northern Nigeria and the nearby countries of Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

Analysts say political considerations also likely play a part in the country's thus-far muted response: President Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian from the south, may be hesitant to use force in the nation's predominantly Muslim north.

Speaking late Sunday at a prayer service, Jonathan described the bombing as an "ugly incident."

"There is no reason for these kind of dastardly acts," the president said in a ceremony aired by the state-run Nigerian Television Authority. "It's one of the burdens as a nation we have to carry. We believe it will not last forever."

___

Jon Gambrell reported from Lagos, Nigeria and can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/terrorism/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111226/ap_on_re_af/af_nigeria_violence

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Starting in July of 2012, the United States Army will deploy three Boeing A160 Hummingbird drones to Afghanistan as part of a one-year trial program. Unlike the Predator drones already in combat, the A160 is a rotor-based aircraft capable of vertical take-offs and landings. What's more, the craft will be affixed with the DARPA-developed ARGUS-IS imaging system -- which boasts a 1.8 gigapixel camera the Army says can "track people and vehicles from altitudes above 20,000 feet." The A160 Hummingbird platform will provide the Army with the ability and flexibility to: take off and land without a runway; fly for twelve hours or more without refueling; and monitor up to 65 enemies of the State simultaneously. Test flights of the unmanned chopper are scheduled for early 2012 in Arizona, but residents hoping to get a glimpse of the A160 in action best have great eyesight -- the ARGUS-IS system can see targets from almost 25 miles down range. Oh, and don't forget to smile when you look up. You want to look your best for the eye in the sky, right?

US Army's A160 Hummingbird drone-copter to don 1.8 gigapixel camera originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Dec 2011 23:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://www.mediabistro.com/joblistings/jobview.asp?joid=127622&c=rss

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In addition to landing on Sony Ericsson?s line of XPERIA smartphones, Google?s Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich platform will also be hitting Sony?s tablet. The Japanese consumer electronics giant had recently introduced two tablet models, the Sony Tablet P and the Sony Tablet S, and Ice Cream Sandwich is expected on both models according to an announcement by Sony?s UK division.

Sony Tablet? is evolving, and we?d like to keep you informed with the latest updates.
Today we?re happy to confirm that an update to Android 4.0 will be available for Sony Tablet. Details including timing will be announced in due course, so please stay tuned.
Just recently we released the Software Development Kit for Sony Tablet P.? For more information on this and future updates please visit us at?Sony Tablet Evolution.
Best regards
Lee

The Tablet S is the company?s first Playstation Certified tablet while the Tablet P ushers in a dual-screen form factor.

Via: Phandroid

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Gottabemobile/~3/skA9ymDxuho/

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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) ? Hollywood leading man Matthew McConaughey has proposed to his longtime girlfriend and the mother of their two children, model Camila Alves, the actor said in a posting on celebrity website Whosay.com

McConaughey, star of such films as "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" and "The Lincoln Lawyer," posted a picture of him and Alves kissing near a Christmas tree on Sunday with the message "just asked camila to marry me, merry Christmas."

WhoSay.com is a website that hosts many celebrity accounts. A spokesman for the actor confirmed that McConaughey posted the message but gave no further details.

McConaughey, 42, and Alves, 28, have been a couple for several years. They have two children, Levi, 3, and Vida, who turns 2 next month.

(Reporting by Bob Tourtellotte; Editing by Ian Simpson)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111226/people_nm/us_mcconaughey

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Be sure to use the Albritton mug

Church breaks ground for new facility

On Nov. 20, the pastors, Administrative Board and members of the congregation of the Briary Run Church held a ground breaking service on their church property on Briary Run Road.

The congregation sold its property on West Road in December 2010 to the Jumping Run Church, and since has been holding services in the former Five Star building on Sussex Street, across from Walmart.

In May, the church agreed to purchase 33 acres on Briary Run Road to build its new facilities. Site work and construction, by Jarman Construction Company, will begin within the next few weeks.

The congregation will continue to meet at the Sussex Street building until the new facility is finished. The anticipated move-in date is this summer.

For more information, call The Rev. Chris Rooks, pastor, at 252-361-8062.

?

Farmer?s market to close for winter

The Lenoir County Farmer?s Market will be?open on Friday and Saturday with plenty of New Year?s collards and sweet potatoes.

After Saturday, the market will close for the winter, to re-open when the strawberries are ready, probably in mid-April. Watch The Free Press, your email and Facebook for re-opening information.

The staff appreciates everyone?s loyalty and support of local agriculture this year.

?

Bridge club names winners

The Fairfield Duplicate Bridge Club played a regular game Dec. 20.

The winners were: Tempie Pierce and Sarah Mullikin, first; Billie Jean Wooten/Nancy Barwick and Pearl Schechter/Joe Goldwasser, second-place tie; and Eva Balknight/Jenny Holt, Annie Bennings/Deloris Booker and Pinkey Harper/Geneva Hood, three-way tie for fourth.

A regular game will be played at 9:50 a.m. Tuesday at Fairfield Center. The club welcomes and encourages all bridge players.

For more club information, call 252-523-6791.

?

Beefeater misnamed in recent photo

In the Weekend section of Thursday?s Free Press, an article announced an annual event to which the community looks forward this time of year.

The Boar?s Head and Yule Log Festival at St. Mary?s Episcopal Church is full of pomp and pageantry, and the Beefeaters play their part in guarding the manor.

In the photo of the Beefeaters, which ran with the story, David Albritton was incorrectly identified as Richard Albritton.

Source: http://www.kinston.com/articles/church-78760-run-new.html

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Apple (AAPL) is unique among America's mega caps due to the company's ongoing rates of revenue and earnings growth. From $108.25 billion in revenue reported in the fiscal year ended in September, Apple will surpass $170 billion in revenue this fiscal year and reach over one-quarter trillion dollars in revenue in FY2013. At a current market cap of $375 billion, the shares trade at about 14.5 times trailing twelve month earnings of $27.68 per share and at about 8.75 times my projected FY2012 earnings of $46 per share.

Because of the company's frenetic rates of revenue and earnings growth, Apple is in an equity class all its own. Apple will deliver a third consecutive fiscal year of revenue growth above 50% and eps growth above 60%. This fiscal year's strong performance begins with what I call "Apple's monster quarter."

Apple's Monster Quarter

Apple's first fiscal quarter of FY2012 will be fourteen weeks in length. It stretches from September 25, 2011 to December 31, 2011. The additional week in the quarter will encompass the immediate post-Christmas period. The quarter also includes the initial release of the iPhone 4S in the United States and other launch countries. The additional shipping week, the new Sprint agreement for the iPhone and pent-up demand for the recently refreshed smartphone handset will deliver revenue growth greater that 60% in the quarter and eps growth exceeding 80%.

AAPL's Discount To Current And Future Growth

The chart below illustrates how much the rate of Apple's share price appreciation has fallen behind the rate of earnings growth over the past four quarters. Despite the 82.7% growth in earnings per share in FY2011, at Apple's closing price of $403.33 on Friday, December 23rd, the share price has risen only 24.64% year-over-year. The dates selected for the charts in this article represent the first trading day of the month following the release of quarterly earnings and the closing price on Friday, December 23, 2011.

A more dramatic illustration below indicates Apple's price-earnings multiple has fallen in an inverse relationship to the rising cash per share over the past 22 months.

Rising cash coupled with a falling price-earnings multiple indicates a market expectation Apple's rates of revenue and earnings growth will soon begin to slow. There's a disconnect between the perceived limits to Apple's continuing strong growth and the reality of the company's potential for growth. Apple is the quintessential enterprise growth story of the new millennium.

Over the past 18 months, cash per share has steadily risen as a percentage of the share price. The market has continued to discount Apple's potential for organic earnings growth despite the company's consistently strong financial performance.

The Market Misread Of The Apple Growth Story

In a recently posted article titled Where Apple Makes Its Money, I explored the company's potential for continued revenue and earnings growth through global expansion. Apple is currently addressing only a fraction of the global market for the company's digital lifestyle products. By FY2013, two-thirds of Apple's revenue will be sourced from regions outside of the United States with strong growth fueled by product sales in currently underserved markets.

The only practical limits to Apple's revenue and earnings growth over the next two years have nothing to do with competing products despite media efforts to create sales contests. Rather, Apple's rates of growth will be governed by how quickly Apple can expand its product sales presence in currently underserved markets such as China, Brazil and India and how quickly the company can expand production to meet incessant global demand.

Apple's Pending Share Price Advance

The current Street consensus for FY2012 calls for revenue growth of 28.8% to $139.40 billion and earnings growth of 25.6% to $34.77. For FY2013 the consensus estimates are even more perverse. These estimates not only discount Apple's potential for growth in currently underserved markets, the estimates suggest these markets don't exist. Apple's annual eps growth rate will remain above 50% through FY2013.

The December Quarter Outcome

In addition to the 14-week December quarter, reported iPhone sales will benefit from the initial release of the iPhone 4S early in the period. Apple's decision to migrate the new handset's release to the December quarter not only dampened September quarter results, it moved the release to the next fiscal year.

Indicated by the graphs above, Apple's price-earnings multiple contracted in 2011 as share price appreciation lagged behind the pace of growth in earnings. The share price will begin to recover as the calendar moves closer to the release of the December quarter results and Apple signals to the market the rates of revenue and earnings growth realized in fiscal years 2010 and 2011 will continue for a third consecutive year.

Although geo-political and macro economic factors impacted Apple and the broader market during 2011, the release of the iPhone 4S in the December quarter put additional pressure on the share price in late summer and fall. The September quarter results absent the iPhone refresh stalled share price appreciation in the fourth calendar quarter, leading to a sustained contraction in the price-earnings multiple. The amplified December quarter outcome and the revised analyst estimates for FY2012 and FY2013 that will immediately follow are the catalysts for share price appreciation this winter.

Conclusions

I maintain a $640 price target on the shares. A recovery to a trading range between 16 times and 18 times trailing 12-month earnings will occur early in 2012 following the results from "Apple's monster quarter" and the significant analyst upgrades to revenue and earnings estimates that will follow. The sales performance of the iPhone 4S and the anticipated late winter/early spring refresh of the iPad line will be share price catalysts in the first half of the current fiscal year. But it's Apple's continuing push into previously underserved global markets that will sustain the share price advance in the latter half of FY2012 and early FY2013. Apple has passed its share price nadir relative to earnings and my models forecast a breakthrough above $500 per share by early April 2012. The December quarter outcome will move trailing 12-month earnings to over $32.50 per share.

Apple's twin drivers for growth are product innovation and continued global expansion. Both drivers will move the share price dramatically higher in FY2012.

Robert Paul Leitao

Disclosure: The author is long AAPL shares

Source: http://seekingalpha.com/article/315947-apple-s-monster-quarter-and-the-pending-share-price-advance?source=feed

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[unable to retrieve full-text content]

Source: androidcommunity.com --- Thursday, December 22, 2011
Watch Denver Nuggets vs Phoenix Suns Live NBA Game via Free Online Streaming without paying a single dime. Thanks to the latest internet web browser free HD streaming technology you will never miss your favorite NBA game ever again! To watch Denver Nuggets vs Phoenix Suns Live NBA match you do don't need any additional hardware and/or equipment. All you need is a PC or Laptop and an internet connection and you can enjoy today's NBA match ( Denver Nuggets vs Phoenix Suns ) from the comfort of your own home. http://tinyurl.com/DenverNuggets-PhoenixSuns http://tinyurl.com/DenverNuggets-PhoenixSuns Basketball fans from all over the world can finally watch their favorite teams online, via free streaming technology. To watch Denver Nuggets vs Phoenix Suns and the other 11 Live NBA game taking place today, click on the link below to start free internet streaming. Enjoy Denver Nuggets vs Phoenix Suns and good luck to your favorite NBA team! When the links to the stream for the Denver Nuggets vs Phoenix Suns live broadcast event are shown, the general rule that will let you know if you need extra software installed is to look at the first column on our schedule - the one that says P2P. http://tinyurl.com/DenverNuggets-PhoenixSuns http://tinyurl.com/DenverNuggets-PhoenixSuns If that column says YES then you will need to install the software for the application that is listed in the fourth column - The one that says Type. If you have that a ...

Source: http://androidcommunity.com/forums/f12/watch-denver-nuggets-vs-phoenix-suns-live-nba-free-streaming-81926-new/

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Sports action cameras are pretty neat: they’re tough, and they let you shoot video you’d never capture with a regular camera–poolside parties, skydiving and even as a “security” camera to catch bad drivers when you’re out on your bike. But as we all have cellphones with great video cameras already, who wants to buy another [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/nn7QY7IeikQ/

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Given that indoor tanning beds were officially classified as a human carcinogen in 2009 -- up there with cigarettes and asbestos -- it should be fairly obvious that frequent tanning-booth exposure would increase your risk of skin cancer.

Indeed, the evidence linking indoor tanning with melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, and squamous cell carcinoma, one of the more common forms of the disease, is "convincing," according to the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer. But the research concerning tanning beds and basal cell carcinoma, the third and most frequent major type of skin cancer -- which accounts for some 80% of all skin cancer cases in the U.S. -- has thus far been inconsistent. (See pictures of a photographer's intimate account of her mother's cancer ordeal.)

Basal cell carcinoma, a slow-growing cancer, has traditionally been a disease of middle age. But it's been appearing with increasing frequency in people under 40, especially in women -- a demographic that also happens to like indoor tanning -- suggesting a link. So researchers at the Yale School of Public Health sought to study the association.

The study included 376 people under 40, who had been diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma between 2006 and 2010. They were matched with a control group of 390 dermatology patients who were diagnosed with minor skin conditions like cysts and warts. All participants had skin biopsies, and all were drawn from a Yale University database.

The researchers interviewed each participant about their UV exposure -- both in tanning beds and outdoors. They also asked about their history of sunburns, sunscreen use, family history of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers, and their self-reported eye, skin and hair color.

The conclusion: people who had ever used a tanning booth were 69% more likely to develop early-onset basal cell carcinoma than never tanners. Those who used tanning booths more regularly -- for at least six years -- were more than twice a likely to develop basal cell carcinoma, compared with never tanners.

The study found that women were far more devoted than men to indoor tanning, which might help explain why 70% of all early onset basal cell carcinomas occur in females. The authors concluded that about 27% of cases of early onset disease -- including 43% of cases in women -- could be prevented if people simply stopped using tanning booths.

That's a tall order, considering that some 30 million Americans use indoor tanning beds each year. Policy changes, such as the recent California ban on teen tanning, may help, the authors suggest. So would behavioral interventions aimed at women -- at least one study in 2010 found that the best way to get young women to tan less was to warn them about the skin-wrinkling effects of tanning-bed exposure, not the risk of skin cancer.

"Importantly, indoor tanning is a behavior that individuals can change. In conjunction with the findings on melanoma, our results for [basal cell carcinoma] indicate that reducing indoor tanning could translate to a meaningful reduction in the incidence of these two types of skin cancer," said Leah M. Ferrucci, first author of the paper and a postdoctoral fellow at the Yale School of Public Health, in a statement.

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erichahall

TRIPOLI, Libya ? U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta arrived in Tripoli Saturday, taking advantage of the ouster of Moammar Gadhafi in an eight-month civil war to become the first Pentagon chief to set foot on Libyan soil.

But Panetta has indicated that the U.S. will give more time to the Libyans to gain control of the militias that overthrew Gadhafi before determining how to help the fledgling government.

At a news conference with Libyan Prime Minister Abd al-Raheem al-Keeb, Panetta said that he was confident that the new Libyan government is reaching out to all of the disparate groups and would bring them together so they will be part of "one Libya." Panetta, who was joined by Gen. Carter Ham, commander of U.S. Africa Command, said the United States would provide whatever assistance the Libyans needed.

The Libyan prime minister told reporters that he was optimistic that they will be able to deal with the militias.

Panetta's route into the city on Saturday took him past lush orange groves, carcasses of bombed buildings and the charred and graffiti-covered compound once occupied by Gadhafi. Flying from rooftops were the green, black and red flags, adorned with a star and a crescent, belonging to the new government. Amid the Arabic graffiti splashed across the walls of the compound was a short comment in English: "Thanx US/UK."

Panetta also made an emotional visit to what historians believe is the gravesite of 13 U.S. sailors killed in 1804. Those deaths were caused by the explosion of the U.S.S Intrepid, which was destroyed while slipping into the Tripoli harbor to attack pirate ships that had captured an American frigate.

Panetta walked into the small walled cemetery with more than two dozen gravestones, and over a corner where five large but simple white gravestones mark the graves of the American sailors. The stones read "Here lies an American sailor who gave his life in the explosion of the United States Ship Intrepid in Tripoli Harbour, Sept. 4, 1804."

Panetta placed a wreath at the site, and then observed a moment of silence. He also left behind a memento of his visit on top of one of the stones, a Secretary of Defense souvenir coin.

While eager to encourage a new democracy that emerged from Libya's Arab Spring revolution, the U.S. is wary of appearing as trying to exert too much influence after an eight-month civil war. At the same time, however, leaders in the U.S. and elsewhere worry about how well the newly formed National Transitional Council can resolve clashes between militia groups in the North African nation.

Ahead of Panetta's visit, the Obama administration announced it had lifted sanctions the U.S. imposed on Libya in February to choke off the Gadhafi regime's funds while it was violent suppressing peaceful protests. The U.S. at the time blocked some $37 billion in Libyan assets, and a White House statement said Friday's action "unfreezes all government and central bank funds within U.S. jurisdiction, with limited exceptions."

Recovery of the assets "will allow the Libyan government to access most of its worldwide holdings and will help the new government oversee the country's transition and reconstruction in a responsible manner," the White House said.

But the continuing violence in Libya, including recent skirmishes between revolutionary fighters and national army troops near Tripoli's airport, reflects the difficulties that Libya's leaders face as they try to forge an army, integrating some of the militias and disarming the rest.

Officials acknowledge that process could take months, and that they can't force the militias to go along.

Panetta told reporters Friday that his visit to the Libyan capital will give him a better sense of the situation and allow him to pay tribute to the people for bringing down Gadhafi and trying to establish a democratic government.

"It seems to me they are working through some very difficult issues to try to bring that country together," said Panetta. "It's not going to be easy. This is not a country that has a tradition of democratic institutions and representative government. This is going to take some work "

But he said he has seen indications that the Libyans are making progress.

"I think that any country like Libya that was able to do what they did and show the courage that they did in making the changes that took place there ? I'm confident that ultimately they're going to be able to succeed in putting a democracy together," he said.

Panetta said the U.S. is prepared to provide Libya any assistance it needs.

By traveling to Libya, however, Panetta was highlighting the different approaches that the U.S. and other countries are taking with respect to rebellions against tyrannical leaders.

The U.S. and NATO provided months of military power and assistance to the Libyan rebels, but officials have made it clear they do not intend to do the same in Syria despite the furor over President Bashar Assad's crackdown on pro-reform demonstrators.

Panetta, who met with Turkish officials Friday, said they did not discuss any specific steps to increase pressure on Assad to step down.

But they talked about the need to work together with other nations to "get Assad to do the right thing."

At some point, he said, he believes that the type of uprisings that happened in Libya and elsewhere across the Middle East will take place in Syria.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111217/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_us_libya

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erichahall

FORT BRAGG, North Carolina (Reuters) ? President Barack Obama welcomed home some of the last U.S. troops from Iraq on Wednesday, marking a symbolic end to the nearly nine-year war that strained America's armed forces and damaged its standing worldwide.

Addressing soldiers at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, home of the 82nd Airborne Division, Obama stopped short of declaring victory in Iraq but called the winding down of the conflict "an extraordinary achievement."

"It is harder to end a war than to begin one," he told about 3,000 soldiers gathered in an airplane hangar as they punctuated his speech with cheers and hollers.

Despite lingering questions about whether the United States should have invaded the Middle Eastern country, the last American troops "will cross the border out of Iraq with their heads held high," Obama said.

"Of course, Iraq is not a perfect place. But we are leaving behind a sovereign, stable and self-reliant Iraq, with a representative government that was elected by its people," he said. "We are ending a war not with a final battle, but with a final march toward home."

As of this week, there were about 5,500 U.S. troops left in Iraq, down from more than 170,000 at the height of the war that Obama's predecessor George W. Bush started in the wake of the September 11, 2001, attacks.

Michelle Obama, speaking just before her husband, injected a hint of campaign rhetoric by crediting the president for winding down the war. "He's kept his promise to responsibly bring you home from Iraq," she told the Fort Bragg soldiers.

Leaving Iraq fulfills a pledge that helped Obama win the presidency in 2008 and allows the White House to focus more on Afghanistan as well as economic worries at home, where the high jobless rate will be a major concern for voters next year.

But critics have accused Obama of ignoring warnings from U.S. and Iraqi military commanders about the dangers of a full departure by the end of this year, the timetable that Bush's advisers had laid out and the current president stuck to.

Republican contenders for the 2012 presidential race and some policy experts have said Iraq's security forces are ill-equipped to keep order in the oil-producing country and have warned new insurgent violence or upheaval could embolden Iraq's neighbor and long-time foe Iran.

UNPOPULAR WAR

Senator John McCain, who ran against Obama for the presidency in 2008, said Obama should have convinced Baghdad to allow a small number of American troops to stay in Iraq beyond this year to help assist Iraqi security forces maintain the peace.

"It was a sad case of political expediency triumphing over military necessity, both in Baghdad and Washington," he said, calling Obama's decision to end talks about keeping some U.S. forces in Iraq represented "a failure of leadership."

Some 4,500 American troops and at least 60,000 Iraqis died in the Iraq war, which Obama has said would cost more than $1 trillion all told - a significant contributor to Washington's current fiscal strains.

The Democrat owes his White House tenure in part to his opposition to the Iraq war, which grew unpopular in the United States when military fighting morphed into sectarian violence and it became clear that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was not hiding weapons of mass destruction and supporting al Qaeda militants, as the Bush administration had claimed.

As an Illinois state legislator, Obama gave a stirring speech in 2002, warning that invading Iraq would plunge the United States into a "dumb war." He used his anti-war stance to distinguish himself in the Democratic presidential run-off from Hillary Clinton, who voted in Congress to go to war in Iraq.

In office, Obama moved quickly to scale back what his aides had dubbed "Bush's war" and to shift the military's focus to Afghanistan and its border with Pakistan, which he called the neglected battleground in the fight against al Qaeda.

Commentators now see that conflict as "Obama's war" and believe his presidency will be judged more on the outcomes of the Afghan campaign than on developments in Iraq, especially after the U.S. killing of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden earlier this year.

In Fort Bragg, Obama thanked soldiers and their families and said he was confident the U.S. departure from Iraq as well as the eventual transition from Afghanistan would leave the United States in a better position overall.

"Because of you, we are ending these wars in a way that will make America stronger and the world more secure," he told the troops.

Sgt. Major Millard View, who served in Iraq every year since the war began in 2003, and returned to the United States in April, said it had been "a tough road" for American forces who had to keep the peace and also help rebuild a broken country.

"The average soldier had to be a soldier on the one hand and city mayor on the other hand," he said.

(Writing by Laura MacInnis; Additional reporting by Matt Spetalnick; Editing by John O'Callaghan and Cynthia Osterman)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111214/ts_nm/us_iraq_usa_obama

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erichahall

BEIJING (Reuters) ? China's plan for a new $300 billion sovereign wealth fund is as much a warning to Washington as it is a body blow to Brussels.

It's the clearest sign yet of Beijing's waning faith in bonds issued by Europe and the United States. Europe's festering debt debacle, record low yields on U.S. Treasuries and a depreciating dollar all add weight to the view in China that the time is ripe to change investment tack.

"China has decided that real assets are better than broken debt fix promises and low interest rates," says Paul Markowski, president of MES Advisers and a long-time external adviser to China's monetary policymakers on global financial markets.

Beijing has watched for two years as Europe's crisis has choked growth and demand in China's biggest export market and stoked default risks on the near $800 billion of euro zone government bonds it is estimated to own.

It has been a painful lesson.

After all, China had actively bought euro assets to guard its $3.2 trillion reserve pile against over-exposure to U.S. dollars, which have lost about a third of their value in the last 10 years as U.S. Treasury yields have sunk to record lows.

Reuters reported last week that the People's Bank of China plans to create the new vehicle with two funds, one for Europe and one for the United States, making China in aggregate the world's biggest sovereign wealth fund investor. The plan originated before Europe's debt crisis, sources said.

That gels with comments from investment sources with links to China's monetary authorities and foreign reserve managers who detect a clear desire in Beijing to acquire real assets in return for supplying fresh funds to bridge U.S. deficits and recapitalize European financial institutions and governments.

HAPPIER RETURNS

The $300 billion figure is consistent with the sum that Markowski and others calculate China has in excess reserves -- the amount beyond what Beijing would need to tackle a balance of payments crisis or a domestic funding emergency.

"They want underlying assets. Equities, corporate bonds, real estate -- anything that governments want to flog," said one source involved in foreign exchange trading for official institutions such as central banks.

The source singled out bidding for the Portuguese government's stake in utility firm Energias de Portugal, which would net roughly 2.5 billion euros for Lisbon, as typical of the path indebted countries will have to follow in future to persuade reserve managers to part with additional cash [ID:nL6E7NC0UN].

Granted, Chinese investors won't be warmly received everywhere -- a sovereign wealth fund showing up in Paris or Madrid with an offer to buy up public infrastructure would probably come away disappointed.

"It's easier said than done," said one Hong Kong based investment banker who has advised Chinese clients on overseas acquisitions. "One idea is that China could buy up agricultural land. They've also eyed ports in the past. They just don't want to do anything that's politically unpopular."

There are domestic pressures, too. China Investment Corp (CIC), the country's existing sovereign wealth fund, was sharply criticized within China for money-losing investments in U.S. investment bank Morgan Stanley and private equity firm Blackstone Group in 2007.

But with a European debt crisis and the U.S. triple-A rating no longer a given, China's state investors have good reasons to push into new kinds of assets.

"There is a great deal of discomfort (among reserve managers) over what the concept of a risk-free asset is," said Gary Smith, the London-based global head of official institutions at BNP Paribas Investment Partners.

Doubts about the safety of government bonds in developed markets where fiscal balance sheets are battered and inflation risks are high in the face of exceptional monetary stimulus have seen Smith's clients allocate new cash to inflation-linked bonds this year and even move into higher risk emerging markets.

"Of course your risk goes up if you invest in emerging markets, but if your risk has already gone up in what you previously considered risk-free assets, then the relative disadvantage of emerging markets has gone down."

That analysis speaks volumes to reserve managers and wealth funds, opening up a raft of new investment opportunities that developed economies had not previously had to compete against.

Data shows China's shift into real-world assets is under way.

China's outward foreign direct investment (FDI) hit $68 billion in 2010 after more than doubling in 2008 to $52 billion from $23 billion in 2007, according to Karl Sauvant, executive director of the Vale Columbia Center on Sustainable International Investment at Columbia University and an expert on global FDI.

Sauvant's institute estimates China will strike $1-2 trillion in FDI deals over the coming decade, adding to its existing portfolio of over $300 billion.

ONCE IN A LIFETIME

Whether China's change of focus is all borne of European debt and dollar debasement or a desire to move China's economy up the value chain, a new mood in Beijing is evident to many.

"Many foreign firms have advanced technology and they are having business difficulties and at the brink of bankruptcy. This is the opportunity that occurs only once in a thousand years," Zheng Xinli, an influential government adviser, was quoted as saying last week by Hong Kong's Wen Wei Po newspaper.

It's at least the best time in 15-20 years to buy European listed equity, even adjusting for the tattered price-tags on European financial stock, says JP Morgan analyst Mislav Matejka.

Euro zone shares are trading at a 46 percent price-to-book value discount to the United States, making it the cheapest region in the world for a global equity investor, says Matejka.

Independent China policy expert Andy Xie agrees.

"European stocks are cheap," said Xie. "Many European companies earn profits all over the world. It makes sense for Asian central banks to shift their reserves from overpriced government bonds like US Treasuries into such stocks. It would pump money into the euro zone through a channel that benefits Asian countries over time."

(Additional reporting by Michael Flaherty; Editing by Don Durfee, Brian Rhoads and Dean Yates)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/china/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111214/bs_nm/us_china_wealth

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erichahall

(Reuters) ? State lawmakers this year introduced more immigration-related bills than in 2010, but enacted fewer laws as state officials waited on the sidelines to see how court challenges to Arizona's get-tough legislation played out, the National Conference of State Legislatures said on Tuesday.

The increase in bills introduced in state legislatures comes as lawmakers have continued to express frustration with the federal government's inaction on illegal immigration.

Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, South Carolina and Utah in 2011 enacted far-reaching and controversial immigration laws, following the example of Arizona's watershed 2010 bill cracking down on illegal immigrants.

Court challenges against all those bills are pending, and judges have blocked provisions of most of those laws.

Those states have required police to attempt to determine the immigration status of certain people they encounter, the Conference said in a report.

Arizona's law cracking down on illegal immigrants was quickly challenged in lawsuits and had key provisions blocked by the courts, and that led lawmakers in 2011 to enact fewer bills on immigration, said Ann Morse, author of the Conference's report.

"There was a sense of let's have a debate about some of the concerns in our community about immigration, but ultimately let's let it play out in the courts," Morse said.

While the Arizona bill and similar legislation sparked criticism from groups that advocate for Latinos and immigrants, other states such as California went the other way in 2011 by enacting bills that help illegal immigrants attend college.

In all, state lawmakers have introduced a total of 1,607 bills that were immigration-related this year, the Conference said in its report.

By comparison, about 1,400 bills were introduced in 2010 and 208 were enacted, the organization said.

In 2011, there have been 197 state laws on immigration enacted, the lowest figure since 2006.

The number of governors' vetoes on immigration-related bills was up this year to 15, compared to 10 in 2010, it said.

"The immigration issue is not going away," Virginia state Senator John Watkins, a Republican and co-chair of the NCSL task force on immigration and the states, said in statement.

"As long as we fail to have a federal solution, state legislatures will continue the policy debate and develop local responses, whether it's verification and authentication or combating human trafficking," he said.

Lawmakers in eight states, all of them far from the southern border with Mexico, did not enact any laws relating to immigration in 2011, the Conference said in its report.

On Monday, the Supreme Court said it will decide if key parts of Arizona's tough 2010 immigration law can proceed. The final ruling could have implications for the similar laws passed in other states.

Also on Monday a federal judge blocked part of an Alabama immigration law that would require mobile home owners to show proof of U.S. citizenship or legal residency when registering the vehicles with the state.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis: Editing by Jerry Norton)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111213/us_nm/us_immigration_states

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