Dow edges near record, then sputters; stocks down

Specialist Meric Greenbaum works at his post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013. The stock market pushed higher Thursday afternoon, sending the Dow tantalizingly close to a record high. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Specialist Meric Greenbaum works at his post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013. The stock market pushed higher Thursday afternoon, sending the Dow tantalizingly close to a record high. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Trader Leon Montana, right, works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013. The stock market pushed higher Thursday afternoon, sending the Dow tantalizingly close to a record high. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Specialist Peter Giacchi, right, calls out prices at the closing bell on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013. The stock market pushed higher Thursday afternoon, sending the Dow tantalizingly close to a record high. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

NEW YORK (AP) ? It came oh so close.

The Dow Jones industrial average came within 15 points of its all-time high Thursday afternoon. But the momentum petered out, and the Dow and other indexes broke a two-day winning streak and closed lower.

Economic data and company reports reflected an economy beating investors' low expectations, rather than one growing like gangbusters. Impending government budget cuts also cast a pall for some investors.

"There was no dramatic, great news," said Leon LaBrecque, CEO of LJPR in Troy, Mich. "There's no remarkable economic information. Earnings are pretty much mixed."

The day started with the stock market plodding along before sending investors on a whipsaw day. After gaining a combined 291 points on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Dow spent Thursday morning darting between small gains and losses.

It took a decisive turn upward in the early afternoon. Around 2:30 p.m. EST, it hit 14,149 ? just 15 points from the Oct. 9, 2007 record of 14,164.53.

Then the rally sputtered and stocks turned lower in the final few minutes of trading.

The Dow ended down 20.88 points, or 0.2 percent, to 14,054.49. The Standard & Poor's 500 index slipped 1.31, or 0.09 percent, to 1,514.68. The Nasdaq composite index edged down 2.07, or 0.07 percent, to 3,160.19.

Some said the market's fleeting gain Thursday was more about its general tendency to rise over time, and not necessarily a reflection of a surge in strength for the U.S. economy.

"People have to separate the economy from the stock market," said Ed Butowsky, managing partner of ChapwoodFinance.com in Dallas.

Thursday's data didn't provide a clear picture on the economy.

Company earnings were mixed. J.C. Penney and Barnes & Noble posted losses. Wendy's and Domino's had higher profits. The U.S. economy grew at an annual rate of 0.1 percent in the last three months of 2012 ? better than the original estimate of a 0.1 percent decline, but hardly robust. The number of Americans seeking unemployment aid fell, and the government prepared for federal spending cuts to kick in Friday, a result of Democrats and Republicans not compromising on the budget debate.

"We still have work to do, still a lot of headwinds to face," said Steve Sachs, head of capital markets at ProShares in Bethesda, Md. But, he added, "we're in a better position now than we were three years ago."

Thursday's close means the Dow rose 1.4 percent in February ? respectable, but a slowdown from its 5.8 percent gain in January.

The Dow milestone doesn't mean much in practical terms. It's an index of 30 big-name stocks, such as Disney and General Electric that investors follow as a gauge of how the overall stock market is doing. But professional investors don't change their strategy because of it.

Even so, a Dow record would be important for psychological reasons: It can make people feel like the economy is doing better. That can induce them to spend and invest more. And it reminds people of a time before the financial crisis, which peaked in 2008.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note held steady at about 1.90 percent.

Among stocks making big moves:

?Groupon, the coupons website, plunged 24 percent after reporting late Wednesday that its quarterly loss had expanded. The stock fell $1.45 to $4.53.

?J.C. Penney fell 17 percent after the department store reported a higher-than-expected quarterly loss late Wednesday. The stock dropped $3.59 to $17.57.

? Wendy's, Domino's, clothing chain Chico's and energy drink maker Monster Beverage all rose after reporting higher profit and revenue.

?Barnes & Noble climbed 3 percent, up 51 cents to $15.74. The bookstore chain posted a loss, though its CEO confirmed that the company was still in talks with its founder about a partial buyout.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-02-28-Wall%20Street/id-ac410093c4e14c8085d38f365b7a068e

abercrombie abercrombie Aeropostale Jcpenny ohio state football cyber monday lupus

Today?s misc. links (Unqualified Offerings)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/287854931?client_source=feed&format=rss

frozen planet creighton new smyrna beach st. joseph puerto rico primary manning peyton

Green Blog: Feeding Ourselves on a Warming Planet

As we have often noted here on the Green blog, one of the biggest uncertainties humanity faces regarding climate change is the potential effect on the world?s food supply.

If there?s a risk that global warming and related changes could hit us much sooner and much harder than scientists are expecting, agriculture could be the crucial realm where that occurs. In fact, we have already entered an era of sharply higher global food prices, with climate change as one of the likely causal factors.

A new paper from researchers associated with Tufts University puts the overall risk in perspective. It is billed as a working paper, meaning it has not gone through formal scientific review, but it strikes me as worth highlighting nevertheless. The findings pretty closely match the conclusions presented in some of my reporting from 2011.

The authors, Frank Ackerman and Elizabeth A. Stanton, point out that in the 1990s, research suggested that climate change would be fairly benign for agriculture. The first few degrees of warming would help agriculture expand in chilly regions, and the rising level of atmospheric carbon dioxide would act as plant fertilizer, boosting crop yields, the thinking went. More recent science has cast sharp doubt on some of those conclusions.

Yet the earlier, rosy scenario is still incorporated into a lot of economic models of global warming. As a result, economists sometimes come to the conclusion that relatively modest efforts to tackle climate change are adequate for now.

?Can we muddle along without expensive climate initiatives, and go on living ? and eating ? as before?? the authors of the new paper ask. ?Not for long, according to some of the new research on climate and agriculture.?

I would say the research they cite, though clearly an improvement over the work from the 1990s, is by no means definitive; a major new program designed to improve our predictions about climate and agriculture is still in its early phases. Anyway, what attempt to predict the future is ever definitive?

But anybody who wants a tight synopsis ? less than 20 pages ? of the emerging evidence that we are in trouble on the food supply could do worse than consulting this working paper. It recaps recent findings that the benefits on plant growth of rising carbon dioxide levels may not be as great as originally hoped, that temperature extremes due to climate change may have a severe effect on crop yields, and that fresh water scarcity could exacerbate the problems.

?If warming continues unabated, it will, in a matter of decades, reach levels at which adaptation is no longer possible,? the researchers conclude. ?Any long-run solution must involve rapid reduction of emissions, to limit the future extent of climate change.?

Source: http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/26/feeding-ourselves-on-a-warming-planet/?partner=rss&emc=rss

tebow trade mike the situation jacksonville jaguars jacksonville jaguars benjarvus green ellis shaka smart hungergames

Cell scaffolding protein fascin-1 is hijacked by cancer

Feb. 22, 2013 ? A protein involved in the internal cell scaffold is associated with increased risk of metastasis and mortality in a range of common cancers finds a meta-analysis published in Biomed Central's open access journal BMC Medicine.

The protein, fascin-1, is involved in bundling together the actin filaments which form the internal scaffolding of a cell and are involved in cell movement. Though it is absent, or only present at a low level in normal epithelial cells, several small studies have shown fascin-1 to be increased in many carcinomas, but its role in metastasis and mortality risk has been uncertain.

Researchers from the University of Bristol combined and reanalysed data from 26 studies looking at five different types of carcinomas. The meta-analysis showed that increased fascin-1 was associated with increased risk of mortality in breast, colorectal and esophageal carcinomas but not in gastric or lung carcinoma. It was also associated with disease progression in breast and colorectal carcinoma, but not lung carcinoma. It was associated with local and distant metastasis in colorectal and gastric carcinomas but there was no involvement of fascin-1 in metastasis of esophageal carcinomas.

These results show that the picture is not simple and that different types of cancer are affected in different ways. The story of fascin-1 not only provides a biomarker and potential avenue for research into anti-cancer therapy but also demonstrates the complexity of cancer.

Josephine Adams and Richard Martin who led this study said, "Our results show that fascin-1 is associated with several types of human carcinomas. The results will help focus further research into fascin-1 as a marker and potential target for cancer therapy to the most relevant types of carcinomas."

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by BioMed Central Limited.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal Reference:

1. Vanessa Y Tan, Sarah J Lewis, Josephine C Adams and Richard M Martin. Association of fascin-1 with mortality, disease progression and metastasis in carcinomas: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Medicine, 2013 (in press) [link]

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/NNO8Aq881R0/130225201820.htm

animal house invincible jesse jackson whitney houston funeral video tyler perry whitney houston r kelly r. kelly

Memory strategy may help depressed people remember the good times

Feb. 25, 2013 ? New research highlights a memory strategy that may help people who suffer from depression in recalling positive day-to-day experiences.

The study is published in Clinical Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

Previous research has shown that being able to call up concrete, detailed memories that are positive or self-affirming can help to boost positive mood for people with a history of depression. But it's this kind of vivid memory for everyday events that seems to be dampened for people who suffer from depression.

Researcher Tim Dalgleish of the Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit and colleagues hypothesized that a well-known method used to enhance memory -- known as the "method-of-loci" strategy -- might help depressed patients to recall positive memories with greater ease.

The method-of-loci strategy consists of associating vivid memories with physical objects or locations -- buildings you see on your commute to work every day, for instance. To recall the memories, all you have to do is imagine going through your commute.

In the study, depressed patients were asked to come up with 15 positive memories. One group was asked to use the method-of-loci strategy to create associations with their memories, while a control group was asked to use a simple "rehearsal" strategy, grouping memories based on their similarities.

After practicing their techniques, the participants were asked to recall as many of their 15 positive memories as they could.

The two methods were equally effective on the initial memory test conducted in the lab -- both groups were able to recall nearly all of the 15 memories.

But the strategies were not equally effective over time.

After a week's worth of practice at home, the participants received a surprise phone call from the researchers, who asked them to recall the memories one more time.

Participants who used the method-of-loci technique were significantly better at recalling their positive memories when compared to those who used the rehearsal technique.

These data suggest that using the method-of-loci technique to associate vivid, positive memories with physical objects or locations may make it easier for depressed individuals to recall those positive memories, which may help to elevate their mood in the long-term.

In addition to Dalgleish, co-authors on this research include Lauren Navrady, Elinor Bird, Emma Hill, Barnaby Dunn and Ann-Marie Golden, all of the Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit.

This research was supported by the U.K. Medical Research Council.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Association for Psychological Science.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal Reference:

1. T. Dalgleish, L. Navrady, E. Bird, E. Hill, B. D. Dunn, A.-M. Golden. Method-of-Loci as a Mnemonic Device to Facilitate Access to Self-Affirming Personal Memories for Individuals With Depression. Clinical Psychological Science, 2013; DOI: 10.1177/2167702612468111

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/mind_brain/depression/~3/l9PNtGchdOo/130225122047.htm

Aaron Ross Sikh temple lollapalooza Nastia Liukin Gabby Douglas hair Kayla Harrison Mars landing

Barnes & Noble Founder Eyes Buyout of Retail Stores | TechnoBuffalo

by Roy Choi | February 25, 2013

Barnes & Noble Inc. Chairman and Founder Leonard Riggio stated he is making a bid to purchase the brick and mortar and online presence of the book retailer. Interestingly though the bid excludes the digital books business, which one would assume has the greatest growth potential, even though the e-book business looks like it will take a bit of hit a hit in Q1.

In April, Microsoft and Barnes & Noble developed a new subsidiary?in the form of Nook Media. Pearson also took a stake in the company, bringing the total value of Nook Media at just shy of $1.8 billion. Under Nook Media, all tablet, digital content and college bookstores would be lumped under this business.?The Nook division has thus far required a lot of investment as it has been needed to develop the infrastructure and feed research and development with launching and sustaining the platform.

While spinning off the retail-end, Riggio is betting on that a large number of people are still wanting to buy physical books. Barnes & Noble currently operates 689 bookstores which generated $996 million in sales during the quarter ending Oct. 27. An analyst has estimated the retail-side is valued at $484.5 million. The deal is expected to be made in cash.

While there are times I want to have a physical copy of a book or magazine, I find that I purchase most of my reading material through Amazon, Kindle Store or iBooks. I think the last few times I?ve been inside of a book store, it was merely a waiting area while I waited for a movie to start or for dinner reservations. But Riggio, knows quite a bit about the book business, maybe he?s got some ace up his sleeve that will turn around Barnes & Noble.

Barnes & Noble to Evaluate Sale of Retail Business

NEW YORK ? (BUSINESS WIRE) ? February 25, 2013 ? Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products, today announced that its Board of Directors has received notice from Mr. Leonard Riggio, the Company?s founder, largest stockholder and Chairman of the Board, that Mr. Riggio plans to propose to purchase all of the assets of the retail business of Barnes & Noble. Mr. Riggio?s plans with respect to a proposal are set forth in an amendment to his Schedule 13D filed today with the SEC.

The process of evaluating a proposal and negotiation of any transaction will be overseen by a Strategic Committee of three independent directors: David G. Golden, David A. Wilson and Patricia L. Higgins, who is Chair of the Strategic Committee. The Strategic Committee has selected Evercore Partners to serve as its financial advisor and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP to serve as its legal advisor.

There can be no assurance that the review of Mr. Riggio?s proposal or the consideration of any transaction will result in a sale of the retail business or in any other transaction. There is no timetable for the Strategic Committee?s review. The Company does not intend to comment further regarding the evaluation of Mr. Riggio?s proposal, unless and until definitive agreements for a transaction are entered into or the Strategic Committee determines to conclude the process.

About Barnes & Noble, Inc.

Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE:BKS) is a Fortune 500 company and the leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products. The company operates 689 Barnes & Noble bookstores in 50 states, and one of the Web?s largest e-commerce sites, BN.com (www.bn.com). Its NOOK Media LLC subsidiary is a leader in the emerging digital reading and digital education markets. The NOOK digital business offers award-winning NOOK? products and an expansive collection of digital reading and entertainment content through the NOOK Store? (www.nook.com), while Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, LLC operates 674 bookstores serving over 4.6 million students and faculty members at colleges and universities across the United States. Barnes & Noble is proud to be named a J.D. Power and Associates 2012 Customer Service Champion and is only one of 50 U.S. companies so named. Barnes & Noble.com is ranked the number one online retailer in customer satisfaction in the book, music and video category and a Top 10 online retailer overall in customer satisfaction according to ForeSee E-Retail Satisfaction Index (Spring Top 100 Edition).

Join the discussion

Source: http://www.technobuffalo.com/2013/02/25/barnes-noble-founder-seeks-buyoutretail/

Super Bowl 2013 Ray Rice sodastream dan marino godaddy did the groundhog see his shadow Ray Lewis Murder

Blizzard blasts Plains ? again

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) ? The nation's midsection again dealt with blizzard conditions Monday, closing highways, knocking out power to thousands in Texas and Oklahoma and even bringing hurricane-force winds to the Texas Panhandle. Two people have died.

Already under a deep snowpack from last week's storm, Kansas was preparing for another round of heavy snow Monday evening and overnight, prompting some to wonder what it could do for the drought.

"Is it a drought-buster? Absolutely not," National Weather Service meteorologist Victor Murphy said. "Will it bring short-term improvement? Yes."

The storm is being blamed for two deaths on Monday. In northwest Kansas, a 21-year-old man's SUV hit an icy patch on Interstate 70 and overturned. And in the northwest town of Woodward, Okla., heavy snow caused a roof to collapse, killing one inside the home.

Earlier on Monday, blizzard warnings extended from the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles into south-central Kansas. The blizzard warnings were dropped Monday evening for the far western portion of the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles.

Meanwhile to the east, lines of thunderstorms crossed Arkansas, Louisiana and Florida, bringing heavy rain and an occasional tornado warning.

As many as 10,000 people lost power in Oklahoma, as did thousands more in Texas.

"I have a gas cooking stove and got the oven going," said Ann Smith, owner of the Standifer House Bed and Breakfast in Elk City, Okla., late Monday afternoon. Her daughter and grandchildren had come over because they lost power.

"If it gets cold tonight, I guess we'll have to put pallets in the kitchen," Smith said with a laugh.

Colorado and New Mexico were the first to see the system Sunday night, with up to 2 feet falling in the foothills west of Denver.

As it moved into the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles Monday, the storm ground travel to a halt, closing miles of interstates and state highways.

Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Daniel Hawthorne said about a dozen motorists had to be rescued, but no one was injured. The National Weather Service in Lubbock reported at one point that as many as 100 vehicles were at a standstill on Interstate 27.

Extremely strong winds whipped around at least a foot or more of snow in the Texas Panhandle, and a hurricane-force gust of 75 mph was recorded at the Amarillo airport. Amarillo recorded the biggest snowfall total in Texas ? 19 inches, just short of the record of 19.3 ? while Fritch was second with 16.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol closed all highways in the Panhandle and much of the state's northwest because of blizzard conditions. Trooper Betsy Randolph said several dozen motorists have reported being stranded or have abandoned their vehicles.

Chris McBee, a storm chaser, got stuck outside Woodward in northwest Oklahoma in the mid-afternoon. By then, the city was leading Oklahoma's snow totals with 15 inches of snow.

"We were planning to go back to Oklahoma City tonight, but the road was just impassable," McBee told The Associated Press. "You couldn't see 50 feet in front of you." A man with a bulldozer dug out McBee's vehicle.

"He's just helping people," McBee said, adding he assumed the man was still out there. "We tried to pay him and he refused."

While the wintry precipitation is "a shot in the arm," National Drought Mitigation Center climatologist Mark Svoboda said, the drought in the Plains and Midwest is far from over. Svoboda, speaking from Lincoln, Neb., said 12 inches of snow is equivalent to about 1 inch of rain.

"We would need 2-4 feet of snow to just erase the October to present deficits," in Kansas, he said.

Jim Shroyer, a wheat specialist with Kansas State University Extension, said snow is more efficient than summer rain in replenishing soil moistures because rain tends to run off or evaporate during the summer months.

But it can take months or years for pastures and rangeland to recover to the point where there is good forage there for livestock.

"There is a lag coming out of drought where some of these impacts will linger on long after 'climatological drought' is gone," Svoboda said. "And there is always a sense of false security there."

Texas rancher Jay O'Brien warned the storm could be deadly for grazing cattle, with the wind pushing animals into a fenced corner where they could suffocate from the drifts.

"This type of snow is a cattle-killer," he said.

Parts of Kansas are bracing for anywhere from 8 to 24 inches of snow as the system moves through the state overnight. Wichita figures to take another hit after last week's storm that dumped about a foot and a half of snow.

In preparation, many Kansas school districts already have called off Tuesday classes, as has the University of Missouri-Columbia. And Kansas City, Mo., Mayor Sly James declared a state of emergency Monday, as another foot or more could fall, adding to last week's 10 or so inches.

"This one has the potential to be quite serious," James said at a news conference.

Through the day Tuesday, the storm is forecast to spin toward the upper Midwest, bringing snow to Chicago and eventually Detroit before heading toward Buffalo, N.Y, and northern New England in the middle of the week.

___

Associated Press writers Jill Zeman Bleed and Kelly P. Kissel in Little Rock, Ark., Daniel Holtmeyer in Oklahoma City, and Roxana Hegeman in Wichita, Kan., Bill Draper in Kansas City, Mo., and John Milburn in Topeka, Kan., contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/2nd-round-heavy-snow-plains-midwest-2-dead-002811293.html

Yash Chopra George McGovern braxton miller braxton miller Whitney Heichel Tippi Hedren Big Tex

Brokering Lease Option & Seller Finance Deals

I can tell you're excited William, but here's a few reasons agents don't get involved in SF and L/Os.

The agents want to get paid, they are paid on sales, not leases, but either party can pay a fee, usually the L/O is kinda thin so the Realtor may go hungry.

Many RE Brokers don't allow it due to the liability. It's not a state contract and usually a broker won't allow agents to use guru contracts, the E&O coverage may not apply if the broker fails to use approved contracts. A broker may go along if an attorney is involved in each deal.

Another reason brokers shy away is that the agent isn't qualified to do loan underwriting, and the broker takes the responsibility if a deal blows up.

If a property is listed, you have two brokers involved, double trouble. If just one, you're a transactional broker, not a leasing agent, and you can't advise on either side, you simply facilitate the deal, brokers have ethical issues with this in putting someone in an installment contract and not being able to advise and additional liability.

If someone puts a chunck down for an option and they can't get financing, say at the end of 2 years due to problems that should have been avoided, the broker becomes an easy target as well as the agent.

I like options, the key to doing them successfully is knowing how to get the buyer financed at the end, not just putting them in a house, the deal is not done until title changes hands. Most agents look to qualifications at that time, that's not the issue, it's where the buyer is down the road. Getting some there takes a lot of hand holding and dollar for dollar in time and effort, not really worth it to an agent.

Totally agree education is key, but I've never heard of a guru note or LO type teaching underwriting.

You can also bump into SAFE Act issues with residential, screw that up you're likely loose your license. Agents know about the unauthorized practice of law, that's drilled into them, they are less aware of the unauthorized practice of mortgage origination and associated liabilities if they are permitted to originate a mortgage

A good RE Broker will keep an agent from getting hung, not only for his/her protection but also to protect the agent and agency.

Everyone usually thinks I'm being negative, raining on a parade, saying don't do this and don't do that, maybe so, it's because most really think these aspects have real liability and they haven't done enough deals to have problems end up with an attorney or a judge.

Actually, I'm surprised that there is so much fear by landlords of getting sued and never a thought of getting sued by a buyer for predatory lending or due diligence. It's on the rise.

I know pretty much what John does and in Texas I believe he has it nailed when his "system" is appropriate. Brian G. also does a lot of L/Os. Not sure about others. Nothing wrong with a creative deal if it works, but for an agent that takes on a whole other flavor.

So, @William Velazquez, how do you address these issues?

Source: http://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/21/topics/83916-brokering-lease-option-and-seller-finance-deals

BCS Rankings 2012 vampire diaries derek jeter Red Bull Stratos Redbull Stratos steve mcnair vice presidential debate

ZTE Grand Memo preview: Destined to get lost in the phablet crowd

ZTE Grand Memo

One thing is quite clear: Samsung?s (005930) gamble on the 5-inch handset market is catching fire. Manufacturers seem to be scrambling to concoct their very own iteration of the ?phablet,? clearly attempting to capitalize on the newly forged market space created by the world?s largest Android manufacturer. Unfortunately, where Samsung led with innovation and foresight, most of these other companies seem to be playing a rather embarrassing game of catch up. Case in point is ZTE (0763).

[More from BGR: Samsung is just trolling us now, and it?s not alone]

The Grand Memo is ZTE?s flagship phone, sporting a quad-core Qualcomm chip (running at an undisclosed clock speed), 1GB of RAM, 16GB of on-board storage, and a 3,200 mAh battery. Lots of bells and whistles, with the requisite sensors and radios, and a rather impressive 13-megapixel rear facing camera. All running underneath a 5.7-inch TFT HD display. The display is not full HD, only 720p here, but its 257 pixels per inch provides a decent viewing experience.

[More from BGR: Another major security flaw discovered on iPhone [video]]

Great? but, nothing here to differentiate it from the pack of ?me too?s? running wild through the halls of Mobile World Congress. In practice, the phone is slick and responsive, though ZTE?s version of Android 4.1.2 seems to add more confusion than functionality. The manufacturer?s skin shoots deep into the OS, with almost every stock Android app replaced with some bizarre-looking ZTE variant.

The most useful customization comes in the form of ZTE?s mi-POP, a small set of basic controls that can be placed according to the user?s preference. Home, back, and menu keys, as well as a small keyboard and number pad make single-handed use a bit more practical, though holding a device of this size with one hand is never going to be convenient or comfortable. Aside from this small bit of thoughtful concession to the user experience, however, we couldn?t find much that warranted more than a passing glance.

The problem is not performance or hardware design. The phone looks fine and performs fluidly. But the market is close to buckling under the weight of these big phones, and there?s simply no reason, save for a few choice software customizations,?to opt for the Grand Memo over any other 5-inch-plus handset.

The ZTE Grand Memo will launch in China in March for an undisclosed sum. No plans for a U.S. release have been announced.

This article was originally published on BGR.com

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/zte-grand-memo-preview-destined-lost-phablet-crowd-000551156.html

national archives brock lesnar kentucky jayhawks wwe wrestlemania oakland shooting mega millions winning numbers

First female South Korean president takes office

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? Park Geun-hye has become South Korea's first female president and returned to the presidential mansion where she grew up with her dictator father.

As president, Park will face stark divisions both in South Korean society and with rival North Korea, which detonated an underground nuclear device about two weeks ago. South Koreans worry about a growing gap between rich and poor, and there's pressure for her to live up to her campaign suggestion that she can return the country to the strong economic growth her strong-man father oversaw.

Park technically took over as the clock struck midnight. Her swearing-in ceremony Monday was to be attended by tens of thousands, including international dignitaries.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/first-female-south-korean-president-takes-office-012949189.html

islands 2013 nissan altima masters par 3 contest google augmented reality glasses wonderlic test texas tornado fantasy baseball

Apple iPhones found to be 3 Times More Reliable than Samsung

FixYa, a product Q&A destination on the web and mobile, announces the release of a new report comparing the number of fix-it requests across top smartphone manufacturers ? pitting them head-to-...

Drop to Full Story below YouTube Videos Tweets

Updates to this story

?

Advertisement

Update: 2

Quote:
"Our newest FixYa report looks at lines like the iPhone, Galaxy, or Lumia, and through a careful analysis of issues versus market share, we?ve been able to directly compare manufacturers using a reliability score. The result is an accurate and fair method of scaled approach to fairly compare these top companies to truly see who is the most reliable, and who is barely even competing."

Source: International Business Times

FixYa, a product Q&A destination on the web and mobile, announces the release of a new report comparing the number of fix-it requests across top smartphone manufacturers ? pitting them head-to-head to see which smartphone line is the more reliable.

The FixYa Smartphone Reliability Report covers the Apple iPhone, Motorola Droid, Samsung Galaxy, and Nokia Lumia smartphone lines, with Apple roughly three times more reliable than Samsung, five times more reliable than Nokia, and a whopping 25 times more reliable than Motorola. By looking at the top issues with each manufacturer, the FixYa Smartphone Reliability Report seeks to provide clarity to consumers by highlighting the main troubleshooting trends across these four standout companies.

So why on earth are consumers buying something else than an iPhone? ;)

Via FixYa.

?

Don't miss ...

Viral Stories

'); script.type = 'text/javascript'; script.src = 'http://widget.crowdignite.com/widgets/27698?_ci_wid=_CI_widget_'+_CI.counter; script.async = true; ref.parentNode.insertBefore(script, ref); })();

Source: http://www.i4u.com/2013/02/53415/apple-iphones-found-be-3-times-more-reliable-samsung

Martin Luther King, Jr. Mlk Quotes Elder Scrolls Online joe biden michelle obama lupe fiasco jason wu

2 scuba divers die off Calif.'s Monterey Co. coast

CARMEL, Calif. (AP) ? Authorities say two scuba divers have died while diving off the coast of California's Monterey County.

Calfire spokesman Daniel Berlant says emergency crews were sent to Point Lobos State Reserve around 2:45 p.m. Friday where they found lifeguards performing CPR on one of the divers.

Lifeguards and firefighters got in a boat and found the second diver floating just offshore.

CPR was also performed on that person, but both divers were pronounced dead after being taken to a hospital.

The names, additional details about the victims and what killed them have not been released, but authorities say one was a male and one was a female.

The reserve where the divers died is a popular diving area about four miles south of Carmel.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/2-scuba-divers-die-off-calif-monterey-co-191156494.html

jersey shore Pasquale Rotella Michael Clark Duncan michael jackson courtney stodden Ncaa Football Scores Plaquemines Parish

Kobe scores 40, Lakers hold off Blazers 111-107

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, left, goes up for a shot as Portland Trail Blazers center Meyers Leonard defends during the first half of their NBA basketball game, Friday, Feb. 22, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, left, goes up for a shot as Portland Trail Blazers center Meyers Leonard defends during the first half of their NBA basketball game, Friday, Feb. 22, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard is slapped in the face by Portland Trail Blazers center J.J. Hickson during the first half of their NBA basketball game, Friday, Feb. 22, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard, right, puts up a shot as Portland Trail Blazers center J.J. Hickson defends during the first half of their NBA basketball game, Friday, Feb. 22, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard attempts to dunk during the first half of their NBA basketball game against the Portland Trail Blazers, Friday, Feb. 22, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, right, puts up a shot as Portland Trail Blazers forward Nicolas Batum, of France, defends during the first half of their NBA basketball game, Friday, Feb. 22, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Back on the court after days of mourning, the Los Angeles Lakers grinded out a gritty win thanks to a vintage performance from their biggest star.

Kobe Bryant scored 40 points, Dwight Howard had 19 points and 16 rebounds, and Los Angeles capped a trying week with a 111-107 victory over the slumping Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night.

Hours after longtime Lakers owner Jerry Buss was buried, and a day after a moving memorial service punctuated by eulogies from Bryant and other franchise greats, the team got back to basketball with a much-needed victory at Staples Center.

"It's been a tough week," Howard acknowledged. "But as a team and a city and an organization, we're coming together. And it's great. We need all the support we can get from our fans, and the Buss family needs the support from us. So we're getting there. You could see the effort and emotion that we have on the court."

During his eulogy, Bryant publicly challenged his teammates in the audience to win a championship in Buss' memory ? even though the Lakers are 3? games behind Houston for the final Western Conference playoff spot with 26 games remaining.

"Kobe said what he had to say. But as a team, we understand how important the second half of the season is for us and what we want to accomplish," Howard said. "We've had a lot of ups and downs this year, and we want to do whatever we can to get this right. Kobe and myself understand that. It starts with me and him, as far as being on the same page. And on defense, it starts with me."

Bryant scored 11 points in the final 5? minutes as the Lakers won for the seventh time in 10 games.

Antawn Jamison had 16 points off the bench, helping to hand Portland its season-worst seventh straight loss. The Trail Blazers have lost five consecutive road games and 10 of their last 11 away from the Rose Garden, leaving them 11th in the conference standings.

Portland led 82-80 after three quarters, and the lead changed hands 11 times before Steve Nash's layup gave the Lakers a 107-105 lead with 1:44 to play. Bryant fumbled the ball out of bounds on the Lakers' next possession, but the Blazers couldn't capitalize and Bryant closed it out with four free throws in the final 13 seconds.

Bryant finished 9 for 9 from the line and 15 of 23 from the floor, but still called it "somewhat of an off-shooting night."

"I had to be a little bit more assertive ? but at the same time make plays for my team," said Bryant, who committed five turnovers. "I've been having off-shooting nights for the last month. We just need to continue to focus and approach every game like it's a playoff game."

Howard, looking for his sixth rebounding title in seven seasons, came in averaging an NBA-best and career-high 11.8 boards per game. The Lakers are 19-12 when he gets double digits in rebounds, and 11 of those losses have come on nights when he grabbed 14 or more. They wasted 26 boards in a home loss to Denver on Jan. 6, and 20 in a Dec. 11 loss at Cleveland.

"I think a lot of us are playing a lot harder. I know for myself, I'm in better shape now and I'm able to do more. So that's going to get better," Howard said. "I think I have to really come out every night with the same intensity and the same effort. I have to do a better job of playing hard, and I'm going to try."

J.J. Hickson had 22 points and 11 rebounds for Portland, and Nicolas Batum also scored 22. Two-time All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge finished with 15 points in 34 foul-plagued minutes after picking up his fifth personal with 8 minutes remaining.

Damian Lillard added 19 points. All of Portland's starters scored in double figures, while the bench produced just 14.

Hickson, who came in fifth in the NBA with a 56.5 field goal percentage, shot 8 for 10 in the first half and had 16 points ? including a 20-footer with 2.6 seconds on the clock to give the Blazers a 55-53 lead at the break.

"I like the way our team fought," Portland coach Terry Stotts said. "We've had a rough stretch, but we came out and played aggressively. We pushed the tempo and did a lot of good things out there. I thought we played well enough to win the game, but unfortunately we didn't."

NOTES: The Lakers (27-29) haven't been under .500 this deep into a season since 1993-94, when they were 21-35 after 56 games and finished 33-49. That was the first of only two times that the team didn't make the playoffs during Buss' term as owner, which began in 1979-80. ... The Lakers are 5-13 when Bryant commits five or more turnovers. ... Bryant hit a 3-pointer in the first quarter that snapped his string of 16 consecutive misses from behind the arc. He is only 2 for 39 since Jan. 20, when he misfired on his last two attempts. "I didn't realize I was shooting so poorly from the 3," Bryant said. "It was one of those things where I was facilitating and taking a 3 here and there, a 3 here and there. All of a sudden, it adds up. It just irked me it's not going down." ... Hickson was 11 for 15 from the field, extending his club-record streak to 18 consecutive games of shooting 50 percent or better. ... No Lakers player scored 30 or more points in the team's previous 17 games since Jan. 15, when Bryant and Howard each had 31 in a 104-88 home win against Milwaukee. ... The Blazers haven't lost more than seven straight games in the same season since 2005-06, when they dropped their final eight and 19 of their last 20. They begin a four-game homestand Sunday against the Celtics, who have beaten Portland six straight times and won 13 of the past 14 meetings. ... The Blazers have lost six straight road games against the Lakers, and are 5-20 against them at Staples Center since the arena opened in 1999-00.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-02-23-BKN-Trail-Blazers-Lakers/id-5f884f6982b249f28e614c67896635f4

george st pierre aldon smith friday night lights nick santino bruce arians the misfits hook

I'm a black female and I met this Asian guy I'm really into but I'm so unsure because all his Facebook pictures are with Asians (family, friends) . We both live in Germany but he's stationed here he's in the U.S. army. Idk I'm just soo unsure

Anonymous asked: I'm a black female and I met this Asian guy I'm really into but I'm so unsure because all his Facebook pictures are with Asians (family, friends) . We both live in Germany but he's stationed here he's in the U.S. army. Idk I'm just soo unsure

I would go based off us the way he acts around you.?To be honest, I usually pursue Asian guys who have a diverse group of friends. I find that when they have a more diverse group of friends, they seem to be more comfortable around black women and open to AMBW. Things are usually easier with them.?

Thats just me, and I don?t want to discourage you. There are Asian guys out there who only have Asian friends, but are still open to other cultures. Just because you only have a certain group of people around you doesn?t necessarily mean you?re closed minded. We have had submissions from girls living in Asia who have found their husbands and boyfriends there. They?re surrounded by Asians, but was still open to dating a black girl.?

I?d rather you take the plunge and pursue him, then be too scared to try and be left wondering ?what if?. Good luck, and keep us updated.?

Source: http://blackwomenasianmen.tumblr.com/post/43834098812

miss universe canada don draper

Digital economy ?to create 18,000 jobs?

Digital economy ?to create 18,000 jobs?

Friday, February 22, 2013

By John Walsh, Business Correspondent

The digital economy has the potential to create 18,000 jobs over the next three years and the internet sector has the potential to double its contribution from 3% to 6% of GDP over the same period, according to a report.

The UPC report on Ireland?s digital future, which was conducted by Am?rach Research, found that revenues from the internet economy could double to ?11.3bn by 2016 if current trends continue.

?This will be underpinned by 2.6m Irish online shoppers spending ?5.7bn (7% of all consumer spending) in 2016, compared to ?3.7bn in 2012.?

Speaking at a breakfast briefing in Dublin yesterday to launch the report, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said creating an Europe-wide single market for the digital economy was one of the top priorities for Ireland?s EU presidency.

?In the near future, 90% of global trade will be done outside the EU. We must be ready for these digital markets and online trading will be crucial.?

Mr Kenny said Ireland?s national digital strategy had made a lot of progress in a short time. The focus of this strategy was digital adoption to ensure that every citizen and small-to-medium sized business in the country embraced the online space.

The Taoiseach called on the banks to deal with the 100,000 mortgages in distress in order for these people to be freed up to start spending in the economy again and contribute towards the recovery.

?I see no reason why that by 2016 we cannot be recognised as the best small country in the world to do business.?

The Taoiseach urged that science and technology be embraced at every level of the education system.

?I can?t tell you exactly where the job opportunities will be in five years, but there are trends and they are pointing towards the digital economy.?

The more investment Ireland could attract, the more it would stoke domestic economic activity. He said this Government was open to all ideas that would spur growth in the future and urged all business leaders to write to his administration with any appropriate suggestions.

Credibility had been restored to Ireland?s international perception because the Government had staked its reputation on setting goals and sticking to these targets, the Taoiseach said.

?The digital economy has a major role to play in our country?s economic recovery, with Ireland on its way to becoming the digital capital of Europe. We welcome the arrival of global digital brands into Ireland and the contribution they make to our economy and society. The ongoing challenge for Government is to prevent a two-tier digital economy from developing and to ensure that Irish small and medium sized businesses are encouraged to embrace the opportunities new digital technologies can offer.

?I want to see all Irish businesses live up to their potential and have the ability to compete globally. For the Government?s part, we will work to create a supportive and flexible enterprise environment so that Ireland?s digital economy can continue to go from strength to strength.?

Home

Source: http://feeds.irishexaminer.com/~r/iebusiness/~3/VYVsEDEIjF4/

watergate mlb pregnant man outside lands 2012 lineup beloved ufc results water for elephants

Locked iPhone Sales Challenged in Hong Kong

? Invalid email address.

? You can't enter more than 20 emails.

? Seperate multiple addresses with Commas.

? Must enter an email address.

? You must enter the verification code below to send.

? Invalid entry: Please type the verification code again.

Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323549204578319533001159230.html?mod=rss_asia_whats_news

Red Cross CMA Awards 2012 election day Electoral College map nyc marathon nyc marathon willie nelson

Page Not Found - Yahoo!

Please check the URL for proper spelling and capitalization. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Yahoo!, try visiting the Yahoo! homepage or look through a list of Yahoo!'s online services.

Please try Yahoo Help Central if you need more assistance.

Source: http://rss.news.yahoo.com/rss/weightloss

affordable care act the line us soccer bobby brown arrested the happening black panthers mauritania

Video: Italy's 'Three Ring Election Circus'

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

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/50909509/

jessie j jessie j David Boudia David Rakoff Bourne Legacy Chad Johnson London 2012 Soccer

Possible 6-inch mammoth tooth found waters off NH

RYE, N.H. (AP) ? A New Hampshire fisherman has discovered whale vertebrae, porpoise skulls and an old fuel tank that he thought was a treasure chest. Now, he may have hit the big time: a possible mammoth tooth.

Mike Anderson, of Rye, was fishing for scallops near Rye Harbor, N.H., on Tuesday when he noticed a 6-inch, triangular object.

Will Clyde, a University of New Hampshire associate professor of geology, says it may be a fossilized mammoth tooth.

He says mammoth and mastodon bones have been dragged up before in nearby waters, although they're more commonly found in the western and southern parts of the country. He wants to take a closer look.

Anderson tells the Portsmouth Herald (http://bit.ly/15xDlOr) he wants to find a tusk next.

___

Information from: Portsmouth Herald, http://www.seacoastonline.com

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/possible-6-inch-mammoth-tooth-found-waters-off-214553430.html

crystal cathedral st. patrick s day brandon lloyd brandon lloyd celtic thunder fabrice muamba collapse prometheus trailer

RedBus Continues To Dominate In India, But That?s Not What Makes Them Special

As I start my trip in India along with Dave McClure’s “Geeks On A Plane,” I started to read about all of the startups in India that are used to proving that the country is making inroads and is relevant. It’s a story that I’m very familiar with in emerging markets: a group of VCs and entrepreneurs that want to prove that India is worthy of time, effort and, more importantly, investment. One of the companies that I had heard quite a bit about is called RedBus.in, a service that has standardized and centralized India’s bus system. Having been to India before, I kind of laughed at the notion of that being possible, even after having read Sarah Lacy’s fantastic piece about them from two years ago. This was supposed to be one of the “ones,” the company that is supposed to make the investment world make the pilgrimage to Bangalore, India, which is about 18 hours worth of flights away from Silicon Valley. I visited the RedBus offices, which don’t seem to have change much since Lacy described them, but I did notice something new. I spent time in India two years ago, so trust me on this. It was a sign that happily announced that RedBus was hiring. It doesn’t sound like much – maybe a sign that the company is growing – but it was my first signal that something very special was happening in these offices. Our entire “tour” packed into RedBus’ conference room, and once we were introduced to the team it didn’t feel like we were in India. We were in a successful startup’s office and they were about to matter-of-factly explain to us why and how they’ve disrupted a system in a country that had no business being disrupted. All Aboard Buses in India are a lifeline, along with manual and motorized rickshaws. There’s not much joyriding happening in this country; it’s very much a “point A to point B” proposition. When I say that, I mean that a group of friends aren’t going out to a club. Someone is going to the market to bring food back for their family. When it comes to travelling outside the city in which residents live, the bus is the only option. There are thousands of buses. They’re cheap compared to trains and flights, and people will take a 23-hour bus ride from one side of

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/ZMgdnVxO_-w/

etch a sketch the host hoodie hoosiers temperance world bank kim kardashian flour bomb

8 Wing Trenton participates in multinational military exercise in the U.S.

More than 50 airmen and airwomen from 8 Wing Trenton will be participating in the Joint Operational Access Exercise (JOAX) 13-02 at Pope AFB, North Carolina, U.S. from February 20 to March 1, 2013.

?Maintaining an important balance between the training and employment of our resources is our priority,? said 8 Wing Commander, Colonel Sean Friday. ?8 Wing?s active participation in JOAX 13-02 will provide a high readiness training opportunity to our personnel, encompassing the concepts of modern combat and interoperability with our allies.?

?

Participating squadrons from 8 Wing Trenton are 436 (Transport) Squadron, which will be sending a CC-130J Hercules aircraft, and 429 (Transport) Squadron, which will be sending a CC-177 Globemaster III aircraft, along with their teams of aircrew, maintainers, loadmasters, traffic technicians, and other support staff. This exercise will further hone their skills in planning and executing air operations within a multinational environment.

?

?Our air mobility support will take the form of tactical airdrop and air transport missions as part of a large multinational package,? said 8 Wing detachment commander, Major Tyler Holland. ?In this exercise, our team will be able to validate our knowledge and skills in operating out of a deployed operating base.?

?

This exercise is hosted by the United States Army 82nd Airborne Division. The Canadian participation includes the 3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment, and other soldiers from 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group, and air mobility assets of the Royal Canadian Air Force out of 8 Wing Trenton. The exercise will employ tactical and strategic airlift platforms, heavy weapons and paratroopers and will integrate a U.S.-Canadian wings exchange.

?

Colonel Friday noted that Canadians have a long history of working jointly with other nations. ?Exercises such as JOAX are valuable as we get to work with our allies under realistic training scenarios, exchange best practices, and learn how we can better operate with other nations? militaries.?

Source: http://www.aviation.ca/2013022115015/news/canada/military/15015-8-wing-trenton-participates-in-multinational-military-exercise-in-the-u-s

2012 pro bowl postsecret ufc on fox 2 supercross christina aguilera etta james funeral sundance film festival the flintstones

New therapeutics could accelerate wound healing

Feb. 19, 2013 ? In "before" and "after" photos from advertisements for wound-healing ointments, bandages and antibiotic creams, we see an injury transformed from an inflamed red gash to smooth and flawless skin.

What we don't appreciate is the vital role that our own natural biomolecules play in the healing process, including their contribution to the growth of new cells and the development of new blood vessels that provide nutrients to those cells.

Now, UCLA researchers led by Heather Maynard, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry and a member of UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute, are working to take advantage of our body's ability to heal itself by developing new bio-mimicking therapeutics that could be used to treat skin wounds.

Among the key players involved in natural wound-healing is a signaling molecule known as basic fibroblast growth factor, or bFGF, which is secreted by our cells to trigger processes that are involved in healing, as well as embryonic development, tissue regeneration, bone regeneration, the development and maintenance of the nervous system, and stem cell renewal.

bFGF has been widely investigated as a tool doctors could potentially use to promote or accelerate these processes, but its instability outside the body has been a significant hurdle to its widespread use, Maynard said.

Now, Maynard and her team have discovered how to stabilize bFGF based on the principle of mimicry. Relying on the growth factor's ability to bind heparin -- a naturally occurring complex sugar found on the surface of our cells -- the team synthesized a polymer that mimics the structure of heparin. When attached to bFGF, the new polymer makes the protein stable to the many stresses that normally inactivate it, rendering it a more suitable candidate for medical applications.

The research is published Feb. 17 in the online edition of the journal Nature Chemistry and will appear in an upcoming print edition of the journal.

UCLA co-authors of the research include graduate students Thi Nguyen and Caitlin Decker, former postdocs Dr. Sung-Hye Kim and Dr. Darice Wong, and Joseph Loo, professor of chemistry and biochemistry.

The research was federally funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.

Our ability to heal from wounds is essential to our survival. When those natural healing processes are compromised, serious wounds can lead to infection and other health problems. People with diabetes, for example, can have wounds that heal very slowly. The resulting chronic wounds are debilitating and can lead to loss of limbs or even death. Yet, despite the need for wound dressings that can stimulate the body to heal wounds, very few are curative.

"This very important clinical need is the motivation behind our research," Maynard said.

The importance of fibroblast growth factor was recognized in 1973, when biologist Hugo Armelin discovered that this previously unknown chemical, extracted from the pituitary gland, successfully caused cells to divide. Since then, researchers have applied fibroblast growth factor to wounds such as foot ulcers resulting from diabetes, but the treatments have not been very effective. What scientists now recognize, Maynard said, is that these growth factors typically lose their activity quickly in storage.

Knowing that other key biomolecules have been stabilized before with the help of polymers, Maynard and her team developed a strategy to maintain bFGF activity by taking advantage of its known structure and binding capabilities. Their new polymer, p(SS-co-PEGMA), mimics heparin's natural ability to stabilize the growth factor.

After showing that p(SS-co-PEGMA) was non-toxic to human cells important in wound healing, they used it to conjugate bFGF and demonstrated that they could keep the growth factor active outside of the body for extended periods of time, even after it is exposed to heat, cold, enzymes that would normally break it down, and acidic conditions like those found in the wound injury setting. Moreover, they showed that this bound bFGF functions just like normal bFGF to trigger the same signaling pathways involved in the healing process.

The advance is an important step in the use of growth factors for therapy. The ability to stabilize bFGF means that it can be potentially stored, shipped and made available for use by doctors and patients when needed any time and anywhere, Maynard said.

The group is testing their new material with dermatologists Dr. Lloyd Miller, an associate professor of dermatology at Johns Hopkins University, and Dr. Jenny Kim, an associate professor of clinical medicine and dermatology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, a member of the CNSI, and chief of dermatology for the Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System. The group is also researching ways to stabilize other proteins involved in wound healing and ways to make bFGF more active.

"This stable bFGF-polymer conjugate may also be useful in diseases other than wound healing -- for example, vocal chord repair, cardiac repair and bone regeneration," Maynard said. "More generally, we think that this idea of making polymers that mimic natural stabilizers is useful in a wide range of fields."

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of California - Los Angeles. The original article was written by Davin Malasarn.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal Reference:

1. Thi H. Nguyen, Sung-Hye Kim, Caitlin G. Decker, Darice Y. Wong, Joseph A. Loo, Heather D. Maynard. A heparin-mimicking polymer conjugate stabilizes basic fibroblast growth factor. Nature Chemistry, 2013; 5 (3): 221 DOI: 10.1038/nchem.1573

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_science/~3/0Veq-L5lW0k/130220100749.htm

my sisters keeper kirby sarah palin cbi the shins atomic clock daylight savings time

Access to International Liquidity for Greece's Corporates? Yes, it is ...

Gone are the days when Greece?s CFOs called their house banks asking for money and a cheque would promptly arrive in the post (or near enough). Gone are the days when borrowers shoved their bankers in a room and let them fight over ever-decreasing pricing and lead roles for multi-million euro syndications. Today?s borrowers benefit from no such goodwill as Greek banks have limited liquidity, even for their longest-standing clients. So how can Greece?s CFOs access liquidity in this environment?

This article argues that Greece?s exporting corporates should make themselves attractive, raise their hand and shout out loud to market themselves abroad. No bank is going to come knocking, so the corporate needs to go looking. The international loan markets are active; volumes in 2012 may have been lower than 2011, but banks are lending. And before you hastily argue: ?but, we are in Greece?? there are ways to mitigate that ? lending is all about structure and price. So which Greek exporters can access international liquidity? How can their CFOs tap into this elusive pot of cash? Drawing on 14 years experience in the international loan markets, this author shares some thoughts.

Dealogic reports US$783.2 billion of syndicated loans in EMEA during 2012. Eastern European borrowers raised US$60.9 billion; Central European borrowers raised US$4.2 billion. Whilst Southeast Europe is not reported separately, a quick search through Thomson Reuters reveals six ?Greek? syndicated loans since June (see above).

International lenders to Greek borrowers do exist: Arab Bank, Arab National, Barclays, BNP Paribas, Citi, Credit Suisse, Emirates, First Gulf, HSBC, ING, Japan Bank for International Cooperation, Mashreq, PPF Banka, Raiffeisen, Samba, Soci?t? G?n?rale, Standard Chartered, United Bulgarian Bank. They may not be the usual suspects, but all are named lenders in one or more of the above syndications. Leaf Tobacco A. Michailides also tapped the international loan markets in 2012, but details are undisclosed; its bankers include Deutsche Bank and FBN (UK).

The loan product is a private instrument, seldom disclosed unless the borrower is listed, so this is not an exhaustive list. Still, conclusions may be drawn on why these borrowers succeeded. Their common elements are: significant business either generated abroad or exported; fixed assets (or long-term contracts) to offer as security; multi-million euro businesses. But, not all have internationally recognised brands. Not all are listed. Not all can access long-term (5-year) money. Not all required a foreign-domiciled borrower.

The overriding common element amongst them? They tried! They tried and they had the stamina to pursue structured loans with high probability of success. It couldn?t have been easy, but they certainly succeeded.

High probability of success: is there a hidden formula behind this notion? Of course not. This article does not for one moment begin to argue that any Greek corporate can borrow international money. But it does argue that by ensuring certain key elements, corporates raise their ?attractiveness? to international lenders. Let us start with the bare minimum:

• Stable or growing revenues
• 3 years positive EBITDA
• Strong financial ratios
• Good banking history
• Significant reliance on (growing) exports
• English speaking CFO.

The first four requirements should be no surprise to any CFO. Unless there are solid revenues, positive EBITDA, reasonable gearing and leverage ratios and good borrowing track record, then a company is not bankable, even in the good times. Assuming these criteria are met, let?s move onto the next: exports.

Exporting companies are partially shielded from domestic realities of declining growth. Diversified revenue streams and recurring cash from (growing) international markets, point towards a business that is resilient, irrespective of the domestic situation. A significant proportion of revenues from abroad ? ideally from several markets and under long-term contracts to solid clients, is key. If this is the starting point, then the rest becomes easier. By default, not all of Greece?s corporates are eligible, but there are definitely some.

Oh, and the CFO absolutely needs to speak English.

In addition to the bare minimum requirements, there are certain ?nice-to-haves? to facilitate a positive credit decision:

• Long-term client contracts
• Fixed assets
• International presence
• Size.

Long-term client contracts for banks to take assignment over, are a great asset. One year renewing contracts are alright, but the longer-term the contract, the longer-term the loan. Clients abroad carry weight with banks in their own country, making it easier to tap into that bank market for funding. Why? Because a Greek producer contracted to sell (anything) to Makro UK can assign this contract to UK banks and borrow against it. UK banks are far more comfortable with long-term Makro UK risk than they are with any Greek corporate. Similarly, a tomato processing plant that has sold to Napolina for years may approach Italian banks, a soy processing plant that has long-term contracts with Bunge Poland could tap into Polish banks etc.

Greece seems to have developed a niche strength in the technology sector, with the majority of the world?s mobile marketing companies located here and many more involved in software and other ICT. With limited reliance on domestic revenues, despite not having fixed assets, the technology sector is understood by international banks and several of these companies could raise loans abroad. Many banks absolutely understand cashflow lending and have been offering such for decades, to many sectors. But fixed assets are always an advantage ? a chain of retail premises, a factory, a quarry. Just a nice to have.

Another great asset is presence abroad and in anticipation that little value will be placed on any Greek parent guarantee, a subsidiary abroad needs to be creditworthy. Bank credit committees consider a variety of factors when making credit decisions, with country risk being key. Each country is assigned an internal risk rating that governs both lending appetite and the margin required to make adequate returns. Country ratings are integral to each and every bank risk-return model and no corporate, even the bluest of blue-chips can penetrate the country ceiling. Today, appetite for Greek country risk is either non-existent, or requires too high a margin. So a physical presence abroad allows a loan structure with a foreign-domiciled borrower, as in the case of Intralot, Archirodon etc. Having a borrower in a different jurisdiction, with cashflows generated abroad, ideally not touching Greece, means that banks can assign a different country risk rating. Even Albania country risk is likely better than Greece these days (although Cyprus is not).

Finally, size does matter. Take two companies in the solar power sector, both generating revenues from long-term international off-takers. Inevitably, one reporting ?30m in revenues is more likely to attract foreign lenders, than one reporting ?10m. It doesn?t mean the smaller company is automatically excluded, but when banks charge 2% or 3% or 4% of the loan in up-front fees and the work involved is exactly the same irrespective of loan size, inevitably, the larger deal will trump the smaller. To tackle a heavily structured, bespoke loan for a Greek corporate, banks need good fees. It is, what it is.

A tried and tested structure, historically used to mitigate country risk, is the trade finance loan. Short-term in nature, so not applicable to all corporates, it is a structure used for soft commodity exports, metals, oil. It often involves an off-shore special purpose vehicle as borrower (seller), with buyers paying directly into the lenders? collection account. If Africa is one of the largest trade finance markets for banks, why not Greece?

Project finance works for construction projects with concession agreements and long-term off-takers, eg. for renewables. Such loans rely heavily on the contracting party for the build, so a Chinese construction company building solar power plants in Greece can facilitate project financing in the form of deep-pocketed Chinese banks. Add a foreign off-taker and the project absolutely becomes bankable. This is done all across the emerging markets; why not in Greece?

Loans are all about structure and price; the former to partly mitigate risk and the latter to compensate adequately for the remaining risk. Even if a corporate does not export commodities, or if there is no construction project, there are still loans that fit. In these times it is worth exploring alternative legal structures ? create a new holding company in the Netherlands and transfer into it all key contracts. Or, a manufacturing company with Balkan subsidiaries can ring-fence its more creditworthy assets to borrow using a bespoke structure:

Finally, it is worth mentioning that international banks commonly use risk insurers, who, for a premium, insure exposure against a loan. Yes, of course the borrower pays for that premium, but the option is there for a CFO to consider. The most common mistake of Greek corporates today? They are not exploring enough options.

A crucial exercise that corporates should perform when seeking a loan in this environment, is to prepare before approaching the banks. From ensuring a ?bankable? set of projections, to seeking legal advice on structures, to a well-articulated Request for Proposal to banks ? yet, these are steps most often omitted by CFOs. If corporates were better prepared for international lenders, perhaps tapping into those available pockets of liquidity might just be achievable. No promises and no certainties, but CFOs owe it to their shareholders to at least try.

Liquidity is available; not widely and not deep pockets of it, but it is certainly available. Greek corporates need better preparation and possibly expert guidance through bespoke structures that differ from plain term loans, but the experience and the appetite to assist is plentiful. Lawyers, loan advisors, tax advisors and specialist banking teams have all done this before ? we are not re-inventing the wheel here. The question remains however: are Greece?s CFOs willing to venture into unchartered territory? More importantly: do Greece?s CFOs have the stamina to even try?

__________

?Tweet this article?

http://www.cfoagenda.gr/

__________

About the Author

Sophia Papasavva is a Partner at EM Finance Consulting (?EMFC?), a borrower?s side advisor that bridges the gap between corporates and the finance community. EMFC helps translate funding needs into bankable propositions and navigates borrowers through the entire loan process. Prior to establishing EMFC, Sophia was a loans banker for 12 years, originating, structuring, executing and syndicating loans for borrowers in challenging jurisdictions including Afghanistan, Bolivia, Brazil, DR Congo, El Salvador, Egypt, Ghana, Hungary, Kenya, Palestine, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and several others. Sophia has successfully closed loan financings ranging from simple bilaterals to complex multi-billion dollar syndications. Her expertise lies in arranging structured, bespoke financings for corporates and SMEs in emerging markets. Sophia may be contacted at sophie@emfinanceconsulting.com or followed on Twitter at @Sophie_EMFC.

?

Note

This article was submitted by the author in English; it was subsequently edited and translated into Greek by the editorial team of CFO Agenda.

Source: http://www.emfinanceconsulting.com/2013/02/21/access-to-international-liquidity-for-greeces-corporates-yes-it-is-possible-cfo-agenda-february-2013/

kelly clarkson national anthem halftime show super bowl halftime show 2012 ahmad bradshaw halftime super bowl 2012 super bowl score madonna super bowl performance