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Saturday, December 31, 2011
And the winner of the iOS dream device contest is?
If there’s one thing TiPb loves even more than iPhones and iPads, it’s giving cool iPhone and iPad devices, accessories, and apps to our awesome readers. This week we...
Friday, December 30, 2011
Economic Cycles and Investing | The Big Picture
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Please use the comments to demonstrate your own ignorance, unfamiliarity with empirical data, ability to repeat discredited memes, and lack of respect for scientific knowledge. Also, be sure to create straw men and argue against things I have neither said nor even implied. Any irrelevancies you can mention will also be appreciated. Lastly, kindly forgo all civility in your discourse . . . you are, after all, anonymous.
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Source: http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2011/12/economic-cycles-and-investing/
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Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Enterprise Edition and Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010
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Thursday, December 29, 2011
NKorea calls Kim Jong Un 'supreme leader' (AP)
PYONGYANG, North Korea ? North Korea declared Kim Jong Il's son and successor "supreme leader" of the ruling party, military and the people during a memorial Thursday for his father in the government's first public endorsement of his leadership.
Kim Jong Un ? head bowed and somber in a dark overcoat ? stood watching from a balcony at the Grand People's Study House overlooking Kim Il Sung Square, flanked by the top party and military officials. Also on the balcony was Kim Jong Il's younger sister, Kim Kyong Hui, who is expected to play a guardian role for her young nephew.
Given Kim Jong Un's inexperience and age ? he is in his late 20s ? there are questions outside North Korea about whether he is equipped to lead a nation engaged in sensitive negotiations over its nuclear program and grappling with decades of economic hardship and chronic food shortages.
But support among North Korea's power brokers was unequivocal at the memorial service, attended by hundreds of thousands of people filling Kim Il Sung Square and other plazas in central Pyongyang.
"The fact that he completely resolved the succession matter is Great Comrade Kim Jong Il's most noble achievement," Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, told the massive audience at the Kim Il Sung Square.
"Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un is our party, military and country's supreme leader who inherits great comrade Kim Jong Il's ideology, leadership, character, virtues, grit and courage," said Kim, considered North Korea's ceremonial head of state.
Life in Pyongyang came to a standstill as mourners packed the plaza from the Grand People's Study to the Taedong River for the second day of funeral ceremonies for the late leader.
Kim Jong Il, who led his 24 million people with absolute power for 17 years, died of a heart attack Dec. 17 at age 69, according to state media. He inherited power from his father, North Korea founder Kim Il Sung, who died of a heart attack in 1994, in what was the communist world's first hereditary succession.
Attention turned to Kim Jong Un after he was revealed last year as his father's choice among three sons to carry the Kim dynasty into a third generation.
The process to groom him was rushed compared to the 20 years Kim Jong Il had to prepare to take over from his father, and relied heavily on Kim family legacy as guerrilla fighters and the nation's founders.
Kim Jong Un was made a four-star general last year and appointed a vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers' Party. Since his father's death, state media have bestowed on him a series of new titles signifying that his succession campaign was gaining momentum: Great Successor, Supreme Leader and Sagacious Leader.
Kim Jong Un's leadership is not expected to become formal until top party, parliamentary and government representatives convene to confirm his ascension.
He is expected to formally assume command of the 1.2 million-strong military, and become general secretary of the Workers' Party and chairman of the party's Central Military Commission, said Yoo Ho-yeol, a professor at Korea University in South Korea.
In a speech during the memorial, Gen. Kim Jong Gak, a top political officer in the Korean People's Army, said the military will dedicate itself to protecting Kim Jong Un, calling him the "supreme leader of our revolutionary armed forces."
This week's events have been watched closely for clues to who in the military and Workers' Party will form Kim's inner circle of trusted aides during the sensitive transition to leadership.
During the mourning period, Kim made at least five visits to his father's begonia-bedecked bier when the late leader was lying in state at the Kumsusan Memorial Palace, accompanied at times by the old guard that is expected to support him.
At Wednesday's funeral procession, he was accompanied by Jang Song Thaek, Kim Jong Il's brother-in-law and a vice chairman of the powerful National Defense Commission, who has family ties to the military and is expected to be crucial in giving his nephew guidance.
On Thursday, North Koreans packed the main square as well as the plaza in front of a Workers' Party monument of a hammer, sickle and writing brush.
They bowed their heads as eight artillery guns fired; military officers removed their hats while the booms resonated across the square.
North Korea's senior officials, including Kim Jong Il's sister, Kim Kyong Hui, stood in silence on the platform during the gun salute.
Workers, citizens, children and soldiers across the country then bowed for three minutes of tribute to Kim Jong Il as trains and boats blew their sirens.
State TV showed people lined up neatly in rows, or outside their places of work, on sidewalks, in squares, beneath giant portraits of Kim Jong Il.
His two other sons, Kim Jong Nam and Kim Jong Chol, were not spotted at either the funeral or memorial.
___
Associated Press Korea bureau chief Jean H. Lee and writers Hyung-jin Kim, Foster Klug and Sam Kim in Seoul, South Korea, contributed to this report. Follow AP's North Korea coverage at twitter.com/newsjean, twitter.com/APKlug and twitter.com/samkim_ap.
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Apple Share of Ultrabooks to Shrink, Time Machine Glitch When Restoring to New Drive, and More, The 'Book Review
General Apple and Mac desktop news is covered in The Mac News Review. iPad, iPod, iPhone, and Apple TV news is covered in The iNews Review. All prices are in US dollars unless otherwise noted.
News & Opinion
Products & Services
Software
Bargain 'Books
News & Opinion
Apple's Share of Ultrabook Market Will Decline
Computerworld's Gregg Keizer reports that although Apple will sell an increasing number of MacBook Airs over the next two years, its share of the light-and-thin notebook market will fall as computer makers crank out Windows-powered competitors, according to analyst Brian Marshall of International Strategy & Investment Group (ISI) in a Dec. 13 note to clients.
Marshall estimates that Apple will sell 6.3 million MacBook Air notebooks in 2011, 8.4 million in 2012 and 10.4 million in 2013, and that MacBook Air sales accounted for 49% of all Apple's notebook sales in the quarter that ended Sept. 30, 2011.
However, he predicts, even as Apple sells more MacBook Airs, its share of the total "ultrabook" market will decline.
Marshall thinks Apple's 2102 ultrabook (notebooks that weigh less than three pounds, use SSD storage, have a full-sized keyboard and at least an 11" screen) share will diminish to approximately 46% in 2012, and to 32% in 2013, with more Windows PC makers jumping on the ultrabook bandwagon.
Marshall projects that no Windows PC maker will beat Apple, but Hewlett-Packard and Lenovo will come closest, with Microsoft's release of Windows 8 next year to help boost non-Apple ultrabooks sales, noting in his research note that "Success hinges on reaching mainstream notebook PC prices close to $700, or 30% below the base 11.6" MacBook Air model at $999."
Marshall anticipates some 30 to 50 ultrabook announcements at the Jan. 10-13 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
Publisher's note: This is like predicting that Windows' share of the operating system market, Internet Explorer's share of the browser market, or the iPad's share of the tablet market will decline. When you so completely dominate a market, there's really nowhere for your share to go but down, and since Apple pretty much invented the ultrabook category (the MacBook Air came out before the term ultrabook had even been coined), the conclusion is obvious. It is interesting to see the trajectory being predicted - and remember how none of the 10" Android tablets have yet made a dent in iPad sales. dk
Link: Apple's Share of 'Ultrabook' Market Set to Plummet, Analyst Predicts
Glitch in Backing Up after Data Restore from Time Machine
MacGroup blogger Chita Hunter notes that there was one item from a laptop drive failure a few weeks ago that didn't end at all as expected, despite having a a full clone backup, an emergency Lion USB thumb drive, and a Time Machine backup.
Once home, the laptop was booted up from the thumb drive, restored from the Time Machine drive, and seemed fine, but running SuperDuper at the end of the day, it was noted that the backup seemed to be taking longer than normal, although it completed, but an attempted Time Machine backup the next day found Time Machine overwriting existing data.
It is deduced that with a new drive ID, even though the info on the new drive was from a Time Machine restore, the drive is still a new different entity to Time Machine, with data on the new drive considered new data.
Something to consider if you're restoring your date to a new drive from Time Machine.
Editor's note: Your editor does Time Machine backups periodically, but depends mainly on Carbon Copy Cloner (donationware). cm
Publisher's note: Your publisher doesn't use Time Machine, but depends on SuperDuper ($28) to create bootable hard drive clones. dk
Link: Hiccup in MacBook Pro Replacement Data Restore from Time Machine
Products & Services
Aegis NetDock - Mac Edition 3-in-1 Notebook Docking Station
PR: Apricorn has announced a new Mac Edition of their Aegis NetDock ($229 for 1?TB model), an ultra-compact 3-in-1 USB Docking Station, combining a 4-port USB hub, dual layer DVD burner, and hard drive in a footprint smaller than a stapler. An ideal accessory for Apple's MacBook Air especially, the Aegis NetDock instantly adds desktop functionality and optical drive support via a single USB connection.
Compact Design
With its attractive candy-red enclosure and space-saving vertical stand facilitating a tiny footprint small enough to fit on the most cluttered desk, the Aegis NetDock is a perfect solution for mobile professionals, students, and those looking for a simple way to connect all of their mobile devices.
4-Port USB Hub
Ideal for connecting and charging Apple "i" devices, including iPhone, iPad, and iPod, the NetDock's 4-port USB Hub with two "Always On" USB ports enables you to connect up to four USB devices using a single USB port on your MacBook or MacBook Air.
Dual Layer DVD Burner
The Aegis NetDock's optical drive is perfect for installing the latest software, playing games, or watching a DVD. Need to burn your latest iMovie or iLife project to a DVD? With its Dual Layer recording engine you can record up to 8.5 GB of data per DVD, virtually doubling data storage capacity on a DVD recordable disc from the single layer recording capacity of 4.7 GB.
High Capacity Hard Drive
Fully compatible with Time Machine, the Aegis NetDock's built-in 500 GB or 1?TB hard drive also gives you plenty of space to store your media collection, photos, and videos in one local and always-accessible location.
The Aegis NetDock is also available without a hard drive. The easy open enclosure enables you to add, swap, or change out the hard drive in a snap. The enclosure fits any 2.5" 9.5mm SATA hard drive.
Green Energy Efficient Design
In addition, the Aegis NetDock's energy efficient design incorporates an auto "ON" and "OFF" feature, automatically turning on when connected to your MacBook and powering down when not in use.
"With so many mobile professionals and students using the MacBook Air as their primary computer, the ability to conveniently add desktop features when needed makes the Aegis NetDock an ideal companion for the MacBook Air," says Mike McCandless, VP of Sales & Marketing at Apricorn. "Its tiny size, affordable price, and comprehensive feature set make the Aegis NetDock an appealing addition."
Warranty - 1 year
- With 500 GB Hard Drive - $199 ($124 after mail-in rebate)
- With 1 TB Hard Drive - $229
- Without Hard Drive - $69
Web Exclusive Offer - $75 Mail-in rebate and get free Shipping on Aegis NetDock 500 GB (Free Shipping Available in Continental US only)
Apricorn's Aegis NetDock is available from online retailers and Apricorn's website.
Publisher's note: Bear in mind that, unlike Apple's $79 external SuperDrive for the MacBook Air, this is not a bus-powered device. I comes with an AC adapter, which also allows the two "always on" ports. The included hard drives are 5400 rpm with an 8?MB buffer - performance lovers may want to buy the bare NetDock and add a faster hard drive. dk
Link: Aegis NetDock - Mac Edition
Sonnet Echo ExpressCard/34 Thunderbolt Adapter
PR: Thunderbolt technology offers amazing speed (up to 10 Gb/s) and versatility, supporting high-resolution displays plus high-performance data devices through a single, compact port. It's next generation I/O technology available today. But what about connecting existing FireWire and eSATA peripherals as well as high speed memory cards?
Sonnet's Echo ExpressCard/34 Thunderbolt Adapter expands Thunderbolt connectivity to support more than just storage systems and monitors, adding an ExpressCard/34 slot to any computer to which it's connected, enabling you to use a wide variety of ExpressCard/34 cards to add a range of interfaces and capabilities to your system.
For example, this adapter lets you add more FireWire ports or an eSATA interface through a single Thunderbolt adapter, allowing you to choose your connections and add more to your setup. Because this adapter supports hot-swapping, you can select and change the ExpressCard to use as needed. It supports most Sonnet ExpressCard/34 cards (with a PCI Express interface), such as their models with FireWire interfaces, CompactFlash and SDXC card readers, and select eSATA controllers. It also will support most specialty bus-interface products like the interface adapter for AJA io Express.
Setup for this Sonnet adapter is simple - just connect it directly to your computer or at the end of a Thunderbolt device chain with a Thunderbolt cable (not included, sold at the Apple Store). That's it. There is no software to install and no power supply to plug in. Plug the ExpressCard/34 card into the Echo ExpressCard/34 Thunderbolt Adapter as you would into a notebook computer's ExpressCard slot, install software for the adapter if necessary, and you're ready to work.
Key Features
- Expands Your Computer's Connectivity and Capabilities - Enables you to use ExpressCard/34 adapters with Thunderbolt technology-equipped computers
- Fast Interface - High-performance 10 Gb/s Thunderbolt technology, 2.5 Gb/s ExpressCard/34 interface
- Supports Common ExpressCard/34 Adapters - Supports Sonnet CompactFlash and SDXC readers; FireWire, and select eSATA adapters
- Supports Specialty ExpressCard/34 Adapters - Supports ExpressCard adapters for specialty devices such as AJA io Express
- SxS Memory Card Compatibility - Based on testing in our lab, we expect the Echo ExpressCard/34 Thunderbolt Adapter to be fully compatible with SxS media cards and transfer data at the full card speed once Sony makes available an updated driver that is Thunderbolt technology aware.
Versatile Connectivity via Thunderbolt
Sonnet's Echo ExpressCard/34 Thunderbolt Adapter opens a world of connectivity options to any Thunderbolt technology-enabled computer. ExpressCard/34 adapters, originally intended for use with notebook computers, offer users additional connectivity and functionality beyond what's available through their computers stock configuration. With Sonnet's EchoExpressCard/34 Thunderbolt Adapter, you can have an eSATA Thunderbolt adapter, a FireWire 800 Thunderbolt adapter, or an SDXC or CF Thunderbolt adapter. Sonnet says additional options will be available soon.
Echo ExpressCard/34 Thunderbolt Adapter Specifications
- Warranty - 1-year
- Bus Interface - PCI Express x1
- External Connectors:
- 1 Thunderbolt
- 1 ExpressCard/34
- Data Transfer Speeds - Up to 2.5 Gb/s
- Supported ExpressCard/34 Adapter Types - PCIe-based with driver support for Thunderbolt Technology
- Dimensions (W x D x H): 2.7" x 4.0" x 1.3" (6.7 x 10.0 x 3.4 cm)
- Mac Compatibility - Mac with Thunderbolt Technology
- Mac OS 10.6.8+
- Mac OS X Lion compatible
Requires Thunderbolt cable, available at the Apple Store.
Link: Sonnet Echo ExpressCard/34 Thunderbolt Adapter
Ergonomic Solutions from RTA Products
PR: RTA Products LLC has announced announce two new ergonomic solutions lines, 2COOL and The Sharper Image, which feature innovative ergonomic laptop stands and tablet accessories.
Most people spend hours at the computer each day, which often leads to neck strain and overall fatigue. The Sharper Image and 2COOL ergonomic laptop stand collections feature sleek, modern silhouettes, that raise your laptop's monitor to an eye level position, while a built in keyboard and touch pad increases productivity. Built in fans and additional USB ports are just icing on the cake!
With the advent of our innovative ergonomic laptop stands and mobile accessories lines, our goal is to revolutionize how consumers experience their laptops and other portable devices such as iPad and ebook readers, said Gabe Dickstein, managing director of RTA Products. Each RTA Products stand and tablet case was developed to be ergonomically and aesthetically pleasing, to ensure that users can enjoy their devices for hours without compromising on comfort or style.
2COOL and The Sharper Image Ergonomic Solutions
RTA Products new ergonomic solutions provide tech-savvy professionals with accessories that meet their technological needs and enhance the look of their devices. Both lines offer laptop stands in silver, black or white and tablet cases in Techniflex synthetic leather. All laptop stands are Apple & PC compatible.
Featured 2COOL and The Sharper Image products include:
2COOL
Sleek Chill Laptop Stand with Keyboard (2C-SK31H2): An ergonomic laptop stand featuring three silent cooling fans, a two-port USB hub and full-size keyboard with built in touch pad.
Trendy Laptop Stand with Keyboard (2C-SK11H2): This trendy laptop stand offers an ergonomic solution with a durable full-size keyboard including numeric keypad, light display and touchpad.
Pro-Cooling Stand with Keyboard (2C-SK02H2): An ergonomic designed cooling solution, the pro-cooling stand includes a durable full-size keyboard, one silent, oversized fan and a USB port to connect to other devices.
iPad Portfolio with Bluetooth Keyboard (2C-TCK02C): A stylish, ergonomic solution, this portable iPad tablet case provides a Bluetooth connection to a spill- and dust-proof keyboard. (For iPad and iPad 2.)
The Sharper Image
Notebook Stand with Keyboard (RTA-SISK31): This ergonomic laptop stand offers three silent cooling fans to keep a laptop from overheating, as well as a 2-Port USB hub to connect to other devices, and a touchpad and full-size keyboard made of durable ABS plastic.
White Laptop Stand with Built-In Keyboard (RTA-SISK11): With an ergonomic design laptop stand features a built-in full size keyboard and fully functional touchpad with left and right buttons which allows you to work on your laptop with ease. Also includes an open back design that allows heat to escape keeping laptop cool.
iPad Portfolio with Bluetooth Keyboard (RTA-SITCK02): Featuring a Bluetooth notebook-style keyboard and lightweight Techniflex synthetic leather case, this ergonomic solution is designed to make working in small spaces simple.
Ergonomic Laptop Stand Collections and Workspace Solutions
RTA Products easy-to-use website features each and every product in the 2COOL, TechniMobili, and The Sharper Image lines, and allows users to easily find the ergonomic solution that suits their needs simply by searching the product line, product number, category, and/or material they desire.
In addition, the site provides engaging instruction manuals, assembly tips and assembly videos as well as a blog where consumers can find the latest and greatest news about RTA Products and exciting information about related industry topics.
2COOL solutions and The Sharper Image products can also be found online at Amazon.com, Wayfair.com (formerly CSN.com) and ATGStores.com, as well as in store at Fry's Electronics.
For more information on where to buy RTA's ergonomic, stylish alternatives to traditional workspace solutions, email hello@rtaproducts.com for a complete list of e-retailers.
Link: 2COOL
Link: Sharper Image
Software
iBrightness Overrides OS X Auto Brightness, Puts You in Control
PR: XCool Apps has announced iBrightness, their latest app designed for Apple's MacBook line of portable computers. iBrightness is now available on the Mac App Store and is targeted at filling the gap for one of the most basic features that should have been built-in to each MacBook that Apple sells.
Whenever we turn the power adapter on or off, our MacBooks will automatically adjust the screen brightness. However, it switches the brightness according to what it thinks is right, sometimes depending on what it feels like, even when we switched off the automatic brightness setting.
"We work on our Macs the whole day," say the developers, "and we grew tired of our MacBooks constantly forgetting the brightness level that we have set whenever we change power sources, so we came out with the idea for iBrightness."
Besides allowing you to freely adjust your brightness level straight from the menu bar, iBrightness sits in the menu bar, waiting for your Mac's power source to change and then re-adjusts the screen brightness according to what you have previously set. No more guessing if the screen will be too dim when you move away from the power socket, or if it will be too bright because you turned to the power adapter. iBrightness is here to keep the guessing game away.
iBrightness Features
- Automatically adjust your portable Mac's screen brightness when switching power source
- Separate brightness levels for each power source: battery or power adapter
- Adjust screen brightness levels easily from the comfort of your menu bar
- Option to run app on system startup (recommended)
iBrightness is designed for portable Macs like the MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro running Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard or above. You may run this app on non-portable Macs, but with reduced functionalities.
System Requirements
- Apple Macintosh computer
- Designed for MacBook, MacBook Air or MacBook Pro
- Requires Mac OS X 10.6 or later
- 0.5 MB
iBrightness 1.0 is available at 99? (or its equivalent amount in other currencies) and is available worldwide exclusively through Apple's Mac App Store in the Utilities category.
Link: iBrightness
Bargain 'Books
For more deals on current and discontinued 'Books, see our 13" MacBook and MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, 15" MacBook Pro, 17" MacBook Pro, 12" PowerBook G4, 15" PowerBook G4, 17" PowerBook G4, titanium PowerBook G4, iBook G4, PowerBook G3, and iBook G3 deals.
We also track iPod touch, iPod classic, iPod nano, and iPod shuffle deals. 
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/lowendmac/hGTC/~3/ViyfSfxWl0g/1223.html
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Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Bloomberg Sports Week 17 New York Giants vs Cow...
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Kim Jong Il's heir meets with SKorean delegation
Members of the South Korean mourners group including Chairwoman of Hyundai Group Hyun Jeong-eun, center, pay their respects over the body of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il at Kumsusan Memorial Palace in Pyongyang, North Korea, Monday, Dec. 26, 2011. (AP Photo)
Members of the South Korean mourners group including Chairwoman of Hyundai Group Hyun Jeong-eun, center, pay their respects over the body of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il at Kumsusan Memorial Palace in Pyongyang, North Korea, Monday, Dec. 26, 2011. (AP Photo)
Mourners line up in Kim Il Sung Square to pay respects to late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang, North Korea, early Monday, Dec. 26, 2011. (AP Photo)
Mourners react after paying respects to a portrait of late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea, early Monday, Dec. 26, 2011. (AP Photo)
Mourners line up in Kim Il Sung Square to pay respects to late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang, North Korea, early Monday, Dec. 26, 2011. (AP Photo)
Members of the South Korean mourners group including Lee Hee-ho, the wife of former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, center, pay their respects over the body of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il at Kumsusan Memorial Palace in Pyongyang, North Korea, Monday, Dec. 26, 2011. Lee is part of an 18-person group allowed by South Korea to attend the Dec. 28 funeral of late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. (AP Photo)
PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) ? North Korea's next leader burnished his diplomatic skills, welcoming a private South Korean mourning delegation as state media called Kim Jong Un a "sagacious" leader and revealed a new title that gives him authority over political matters.
Kim Jong Un has rapidly gained prominence since the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, on Dec. 17, and his brief meeting with a group led by a former South Korean first lady and a prominent business leader shows Seoul that he is assured in his new role.
State media have showered Kim with new titles. On Saturday, the North referred to him as "supreme leader" of the 1.2 million-strong armed forces and said the military's top leaders had pledged their loyalty to him. On Monday, the Rodong Sinmun newspaper described him as head of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party ? a post that appears to make him the top official in the ruling party.
Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency also called Kim Jong Un a "sagacious leader" and "dear" comrade while reporting that he paid respects Monday to his father, whose body is lying in state at Kumsusan Memorial Palace. State media have already dubbed him as a "great successor" and an "outstanding leader."
It was the fourth time the North's media reported that the younger Kim had visited the memorial palace since his father's death, according to Seoul's Unification Ministry.
Also on Monday, a South Korean delegation stood in a line on a red carpet and bowed silently during their visit to the Kumsusan palace, where Kim's bier is surrounded by flowers and flanked by an honor guard.
Kim Jong Un gave the South Koreans his thanks after they expressed condolences and sympathy, KCNA said. Seoul's Unification Ministry confirmed the meeting in a statement but didn't elaborate.
The lead delegates were the widow of former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, who engineered a "sunshine" engagement policy with the North and held a landmark summit with Kim Jong Il in 2000, and Hyundai Group Chairwoman Hyun Jeong-eun, whose late husband had ties to the North.
Their meeting with Kim Jong Un could be intended to push South Korea to pursue previously agreed upon cooperative projects that would give North Korea much-needed hard currency, said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at Seoul-based University of North Korean Studies.
Footage from AP Television News in North Korea earlier showed the South Koreans being greeted by North Korean officials during a stop at a factory park in the North Korean border town of Kaesong. North Korea sent delegations to Seoul when the women's husbands died.
Monday's meeting appeared to be Kim Jong Un's first reported meeting with South Koreans since his father's death.
The Kim family has extended its control over the country of 24 million people to a third generation with Kim Jong Un, who is in his late 20s and was revealed last year as his father's choice among three sons for successor.
Kim Jong Il, who ruled North Korea for 17 years, wielded power as head of three main state organs: the Workers' Party, the Korean People's Army and the National Defense Commission. His father, North Korea founder Kim Il Sung, remains the nation's "eternal president" long after his 1994 death.
Kim Jong Un was named a vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party last year, but was expected to ascend to new military and political posts while being groomed to become the next leader.
Monday's reference to his new title was in a commentary in the Rodong Sinmun newspaper, the mouthpiece of the Workers' Party, urging soldiers to dedicate their lives "to protect the party's Central Committee headed by respected Comrade Kim Jong Un." Rodong Sinmun has also called on the people to become "eternal revolutionary comrades" with Kim Jong Un, "the sun of the 21st century."
The language echoed slogans used for years to rally support for Kim Jong Il, and made clear that the son is quickly moving toward leadership of the Workers' Party, one of the country's highest positions, in addition to the military.
North Korea refers to Kim Il Sung as the "sun" of the nation, and his birthday is celebrated as the "Day of the Sun." State media have sought to emphasize Kim Jong Un's role in carrying out the Kim family legacy throughout his succession movement.
His titles are slight variations of those held by his father, but appear to carry the same weight. It was unclear whether the nation's constitution had been changed to reflect the transfer of leadership as when Kim Jong Il took power after his father's death.
Mourning continued, meanwhile, despite frigid winter weather, in the final days before Kim Jong Il's funeral, which is set to take place Wednesday, and a memorial Thursday.
People continued lining up Monday in central Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung Square, where a massive portrait that usually features Kim Il Sung has been replaced by one of Kim Jong Il, to bow before his smiling image and to lay funeral flowers. Heated buses stood by to give mourners a respite from the cold, and hot tea and water were distributed from beverage kiosks.
___
Associated Press writers Foster Klug, Hyung-jin Kim and Jiyoung Won in Seoul, South Korea, and AP Korea bureau chief Jean H. Lee contributed to this report. Follow AP's Korea coverage at twitter.com/newsjean and twitter.com/APKlug.
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Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Military Wives take out Xmas No.1
Last updated 14:04 26/12/2011
A choir of wives of soldiers serving in Afghanistan topped the British singles charts this week, beating X Factor winners Little Mix to the Christmas No. 1 spot and outselling the rest of the top 12 put together.
Wherever You Are by Military Wives, a song written using excerpts from letters sent between military couples, sold 556,000 copies, the Official Charts Company said.
All proceeds from the single go to The Royal British Legion and the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen Families Association.
"It's a testament to the Military Wives' hard work and the nation's support of them as well as the power of choral singing," said Gareth Malone, the choirmaster who put the group together for a BBC television series, The Choir.
"I'm delighted they have found their voice."
The 100-strong Military Wives choir dislodged from the top spot a cover of Irish singer-songwriter Damien Rice's Cannonball by Little Mix, a group of four girls that won this year's X Factor television singing contest.
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- Reuters
Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/music/6190497/Military-Wives-take-out-Xmas-No-1
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Fire Ravages North Tulsa Church On Christmas Eve
TULSA, Oklahoma -
Tulsa firefighters battled?a structure fire at?a north Tulsa church early Saturday. Crews were called to the?Cornerstone FWB Church?shortly after 10 a.m.
Neighbors gathered outside to watch the longtime church go up in smoke.
When crews arrived at the church, heavy smoke was pouring from the attic. Firefighters searched the building and found no one inside, according to Public Information Officer Stan May of the Tulsa Fire Department.
The initial attack on the fire was hampered by problems with the water supply.
"Firefighters were almost to the seat of the fire when we lost our water supply and had to pull the firefighters out for a little bit to re-establish the water supply," he said. "By the time they got back in, it had continued to spread in the attic."
A back-up crew hooked up a secondary line to another hydrant, he said.
Thick?smoke could be seen billowing from the structure in the 4900 block of East Latimer, near Admiral and Yale, for over an hour. May said the blaze appeared to have started in the southeast corner of the building's attic, but the cause will be determined by fire investigators.
Church members were quickly on scene trying to clean up items including a wooden pulpit and Nativity scene.
"This is a shock," said Donald Phelps, who plays piano?at the church. He?was married in the church in 1965.
"At least nobody was there," he said.
"Well, I was starting to cry earlier. I'm still on the verge of it," Phelps said. "My son was baptized here. My mother died last year ? I was going through her stuff earlier, and she had a certificate from when I went to Vacation Bible School here when I was a kid."
Onlookers, including several church members who rushed over, were helpless as the church caved in.
"There's a lot of memories that's going to go along with the loss, but at the same time, we can build new ones and trust in the Lord," said church leader Shawn Rogers.
"We're still going to serve the Lord and we're still going to be glad and happy on this Christmas Eve, on Jesus' birthday."
The church has a secondary building where they will be able to hold services.
On Sunday, the church is holding its candlelight Christmas service at 11 a.m. That service will be held in the family life building next to the church.
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Source: http://www.newson6.com/story/16389205/tulsa-fire-crews-bat
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Monday, December 26, 2011
Russell makes her pitch to college-bound players
Homecomings are always happy for Sara Russell. But this one was extra special.
Not only did Russell arrive for the holidays to visit her folks, who formerly lived in the Mount Sicker Road area and are now in Ladysmith, she got to spend time helping out some of the region?s emerging fastpitch talent.
Russell, 28, nee Wallace, was a dynamic pitcher in her heyday in the Duncan fastpitch program. She?s now coaching ball and teaching at Covenant College, a small Christian college, in Lookout Mountain, Georgia.
Russell loves giving back to the game whenever she can and made a stop at Frances Kelsey Secondary School Saturday to conduct an identification camp for young players, along with husband William, and offer tips to players seeking to go the scholarship route to her school or others.
?Coaching?s my passion,?? said Russell. ?College level is just spectacular.??
She remembers her days growing up in Duncan well. The star pitcher led Duncan teams to World Series tournaments in Portland, Oregon at the Little League Major level in 1994 and later to Kalamazoo, Michigan as a 16-year-old.
Stan McKinlay, her coach at the time who also helped out at the clinic, remembers her as a solid all-around player.
?There isn?t anything she couldn?t do,?? he said.
Russell attended Mid-Continent University in Mayfield, Kentucky from 2001 to 2005.
?It was a wonderful experience,?? she said. ?We won a conference tournament and went to regionals and once went to a national tournament.??
Russell hadn?t visited other schools and didn?t know what to expect, but it turned out to be a shrewd move. It?s also where she met her future husband and they were married in July of 2006.
Russell coached at Mid-Continent during the 2005-06 season, became a teacher?s aide in the spring of 2007 and has been at Covenant College from 2008 to the present where she runs the ball program for the Div. 3 school efficiently.
?I saw some girls I would love to get my hands on,?? she said in looking over the talent at the camp. ?There were some girls, ?I?ll take you right now.???
One of them, Ashley Schenk of Victoria, is actually in the process of gaining acceptance to Covenant and being added to Russell?s roster.
Russell gave the girls tips for preparing themselves. Researching schools and making a highlight video are important elements, she indicated.
Russell advised athletes to visit the schools they?re most interested in and learn about the athletic and academic programs. ?Don?t just fall in love with one aspect of the school,?? she said.
Russell has many contacts and is more than willing to help the girls.
?I really didn?t know where they were at as far as knowledge,?? she said. ?I really think this is still new territory for everybody.??
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Source: http://www.cowichannewsleader.com/sports/136036928.html
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Doctors, moms take on No. 1 polluter in Utah (AP)
SALT LAKE CITY ? When winter comes to Utah and atmospheric conditions trap a soup of pollutants close to the ground, doctors say it turns every resident in the Salt Lake basin into the equivalent of a cigarette smoker.
For days or weeks at a time, an inversion layer in which high pressure systems can trap a roughly 1,300-foot-thick layer of cold air ? and the pollutants that build up inside it ? settles over the basin, leaving some people coughing and wheezing.
"There's no safe level of particulate matter you can breathe," said Salt Lake City anesthesiologist Cris Cowley, who is among a number of Utah doctors raising the alarm over some of the nation's worst wintertime air.
The doctors and a lobby group of Utah mothers are blaming a company that mines nearly a mile deep in the largest open pit in the world for contributing one-third of Salt Lake County's pollution. The rest is from tailpipe and other emissions.
They have filed a lawsuit against Kennecott Utah Copper, accusing it of violating the U.S. Clean Air Act. The company operates with the consent of state regulators who enforce the federal law.
The company is the No. 1 industrial air polluter along Utah's heavily populated 120-mile Wasatch Front and operates heavy trucks and power and smelter plants. It says the claims are "without merit."
Kennecott cites the blessing of Utah regulators for expanded operations and new controls that hold emissions steady.
Utah's chief air regulator, however, acknowledged Kennecott is technically violating a 1994 plan adopted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that limited the company to hauling 150 million tons of ore a year out of the Bingham Canyon Mine.
Utah has twice allowed the company to exceed that limit, most recently to 260 million tons, as the company moves to expand a mine in the mountains west of Salt Lake City. In each case, Utah sought EPA's consent, but the EPA didn't take any action.
The lawsuit could force EPA's hand, said Bryce Bird, director of the Utah Division of Air Quality.
Bird said the old limit would defeat changes Kennecott made to curb dust and emissions since 1994.
The EPA rules that set production instead of emissions limits puts many companies in a similarly "awkward position" and undermines confidence in Utah's air pollution permits, Bird said.
Kennecott disputes the doctors' figure and says it contributes about 16 percent of Salt Lake County's overall emissions.
An examination by The Associated Press of emissions figures provided by Kennecott to state regulators shows the company's share of pollutants ranges from 65 percent of Salt Lake County's sulfur dioxide emissions to 18 percent of its particulates.
Particulates are tiny flecks of dust that doctors say can attract heavy metals. The particulates are ingested through the nose and lungs and can become lodged in brain tissue. They are especially damaging to the development of children.
Medical research has found that the first few minutes of exposure to air pollution does the most damage, with many people's bodies able to react and fight off longer bouts of exposure, the doctors said.
Yet exposure to dust, soot and gaseous chemicals constricts vessels and send blood pressure soaring, making some people's hearts flutter and spiking emergency hospital visits while putting fetuses in the womb at risk, the doctors say.
"Rio Tinto is making our blood vessels act as if they were seven years older," said Dr. Claron Alldredge, an opthamologist at LDS Hospital. "One year after returning to Utah after practicing elsewhere, I began to have high blood pressure myself."
Kennecott is a subsidiary of the international mining conglomerate Rio Tinto, which posts billions of dollars of profit a year and can afford to clean up its act, said Cherise Udell, founder of Utah Moms for Clean Air.
"This is not an attempt to shut down their mine," she said.
Kennecott said its takes improving air quality seriously, and Bird noted that while Kennecott is Salt Lake County's largest industrial source of air pollution, it has accomplished the largest reductions through better emissions controls.
"Kennecott has and continues to operate within the parameters of its air permits and is consistently in compliance with U.S. EPA and Utah Division of Air Quality regulations, which are based on strict standards for protecting human health," the company said.
The doctors are members of Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment, which joined Udell's group in the lawsuit filed at Salt Lake City's federal court last week by lawyers for WildEarth Guardians of Santa Fe, N.M.
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Sunday, December 25, 2011
letras: O que achou dos diferentes visuais da Rihanna no clipe de You Da One? ? http://t.co/6IUXikDA
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How to Take Great Holiday Photos with Your iPhone [Photography]
Holidays are the perfect time to capture magic moments with friends and family and take the time get creative with your photography. Here are some simple tips to get the best photos from your iPhone.
Shoot Outdoor Lights Before It Gets Too Dark
The best time to capture outdoor festive lights with an iPhone is during "blue hour" just before it goes completely dark. Catching the lights while you have enough ambient light will help you avoid getting blurry photos. You can help by using both hands to steady your iPhone while using the stabilizer mode. If you plan on doing a lot of night photography consider investing in a little tripod, the Glif or the Gymbl Pro make great options. Avoid leaning your iPhone on walls or ledges unless you have a protective case, one gust of air or curious cat paw can send your beloved iPhone tumbling onto the hard, unforgiving concrete floor.
Capture the Sentimental Details
It's the small sentimental things that make your holiday special. Take shots of your favourite ornament, candles, table placings, and bows on gifts. To get great macro shots, position your iPhone at least 2? away from your subject and tap the screen to focus. Use a second finger to get the proper exposure. Make sure you don't get too close or the iPhone won't focus! Also, you may want to add a bit of external light. For the above shot, I held a small twinkle light in front of the ornament to get more light on Santa and the reindeer.
Use Your Headphones as a Remote to Snap Shots in Low Light
One of the challenges with taking great holiday shots in low light is camera shake. If you are shooting ornaments in a dimly lit room use a tripod and your headphones as a cable release.
Change Your Perspective by Shooting From a Low Angle
The beauty of shooting with an iPhone is that you can easily move it around and even position it on the floor to get really interesting shots. Changing the angle that you shoot from changes the size of your subject and also plays on the the light and shade and patterns on objects. Get low and make presents look huge as your kids tear open gifts. Play with perspective by shooting from underneath the tree or below a plate of cookies.
Use Focus Settings to Capture Amazing Bokeh Lights
One way to get "wow" holiday shots from your iPhone is to position an object in the foreground of a lit tree or some twinkle lights. The lights in the background will become small out of focus light circles called "bokeh". The trick is to position the object at least 5-10ft away from the lights. Tap to focus on the object and make sure the lights in the background are out of focus, then adjust the exposure by tapping with your second finger. If you aren't getting any bokeh, you need to move the object further away from the background lights.
Compose and Fill the Frame for Great Holiday Portraits
Photographs of your friends and family are the most precious holiday memories. It's easy to forget to compose shots with an iPhone, so turn on the grid mode and fill the frame with your subject by getting close and cropping out any background distractions. Since my friends and family are shy, Squatchi agreed to pose for me amid a fervent present wrapping session.
Focus on One Point of Interest
Holiday photos can often get cluttered with people, colours, and lights that all distract from what you are shooting. You can use the Depth of Field FX in Camera+ to blur out the distractions and bring your subject to the forefront. Tap on your photo in the Lightbox and hit FX. You'll find Depth of Field in the Special FXs.
Use Photo Flash Light to Capture Beautiful Food Photos
In between eating plates of cookies, brightly wrapped chocolates, and delicious buffets of yum, snap some photos of your holiday treats. iPhone food photography can turn ugly pretty quickly if you don't light things properly, so if you are in a dimly lit room or restaurant, instantly add light by using photo flashlight (a continuos light source). Just tap on the flash icon in the shooting screen and choose the photo flashlight icon. Tap on your subject to get focus. Tap again with a second finger to get a second exposure point to get the perfect exposure.
Tell the Story with Captions
Make sure you capture the "story" of your holidays from decorating cookies to putting up decorations to loved ones arriving at holiday gatherings. Tell the story of these moments by adding fun captions. First, add a border and then tap the captions button.
Head Outdoors for Winter Nature Shots
You can capture some of the most spectacular sunsets during winter. Photograph barren frozen landscapes with stark silhouetted trees, or snow covered winter berries. It's hard to get good photos if your hands are cold! Get some touch-screen compatible gloves so you can use your iPhone outside in cold temperatures. When your hards aren't freezing you can spend the time to compose and focus on taking great shots.
Magic memories only happen once. Good thing you always have your iPhone in your pocket!
Lisa Bettany is a photographer and co-creator of the #1 top selling iPhone photo app, Camera+ (our favorite iPhone camera app). In her spare time, Lisa enjoys watching zombie flicks, drinking a good cuppa tea, and capturing the world with her iPhone.earthquake when is daylight savings 2011 what time is it lsu vs alabama cain gingrich debate andy rooney dies andy rooney dies
Saturday, December 24, 2011
We know that a lot of our Facebook fans and followers are artists, or at the ver...
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Source: http://www.facebook.com/spokeart/posts/344850912196397
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European Companies Limit Always-On Communications (NewsFactor)
As the holiday vacation arrives, it's good to remember that there once was a time when people didn't get e-mail at all hours of the day or night. Now, Volkswagen has agreed to give German workers a taste of that world.
Following a union agreement, the largest European carmaker will limit work-related e-mails on the BlackBerry smartphones of about 1,200 workers to a half-hour before and a half-hour after the workday for its staff. Mobile devices will still be available for calls by those workers, at any time.
No Longer 'Switch Off'
According to news reports, the agreement only relates to those workers covered by collective bargaining, thus apparently leaving executives to the same always-on schedule. The Trades Union Congress has issued a statement cautioning that Volkswagen's solution may not work in other organizations.
Another German company, Deutsche Telekom, created a Smart Device Policy in 2010 that allows workers to have a communication-free time when they're not at work. At the time, the company said that mobile communication devices have advantages, but they also create conditions where employees can no longer "switch off" their worktime.
Communication overload is also being addressed by other European companies. For example, international IT services company Atos Origin proclaimed an ambition in February to become a "zero e-mail company" within three years. CEO and Chairman Thierry Breton said in a statement that "we are producing data on a massive scale that is fast polluting our working environments and encroaching into our personal lives."
'Unsustainable for Business'
Thierry said the volume of work-related e-mail was "unsustainable for business," with managers spending five to 20 hours weekly on e-mails, using 25 percent of their time searching for information, and finding that only about 15 percent of the e-mails received in a day were useful.
He added that his company was "taking action to reverse this trend" of internal e-mail pollution, "just as organizations took measures to reduce environmental pollution after the industrial revolution." To counter this informational time drain, Breton said that Atos Origin has set up collaboration tools and social community platforms, to track ideas on subjects.
"Businesses need to do more of this," he said, because "e-mail is on the way out as the best way to run a company and do business." The company said that the use of the social media tools has, according to initial feedback, reduced e-mail by 10 percent to 20 percent.
In an interview with the BBC, Breton, who has been the chief executive and chairman of France Telecom and the French minister of economy, finance, and industry, noted that newly graduated young employees were not using e-mail that much anymore, having transitioned to social media. He said using e-mail for external communications with other organizations is still useful, while internal e-mail is used largely as a communication tool, a place to store content, or for other uses beyond e-mail's original intent.
Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20111223/bs_nf/81513
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Friday, December 23, 2011
Toyota aims to sell 8.48 million vehicles in 2012
FILE - In this Nov. 10, 2011 file photo, a visitor checks out Toyota models on display at a Toyota show room in Tokyo Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011. Toyota is aiming for a comeback, targeting global sales of 8.48 million vehicles in 2012 and an even bigger number in 2013, after being battered this year by the March disaster in Japan and flooding in Thailand. (AP Photo/Junji Kurokawa, File)
FILE - In this Nov. 10, 2011 file photo, a visitor checks out Toyota models on display at a Toyota show room in Tokyo Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011. Toyota is aiming for a comeback, targeting global sales of 8.48 million vehicles in 2012 and an even bigger number in 2013, after being battered this year by the March disaster in Japan and flooding in Thailand. (AP Photo/Junji Kurokawa, File)
FILE - In this April 4, 2011 file photo, new vehicles damaged by the March 11 tsunami are placed in a Toyota Motor Corp. parking lot at Sendai port, in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan. Toyota is aiming for a comeback, targeting global sales of 8.48 million vehicles in 2012 and an even bigger number in 2013, after being battered this year by the March disaster in Japan and flooding in Thailand. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)
FILE - In this May 23, 2011 file photo, Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda speaks during a joint press conference with Salesforce.Com chief executive Marc Benioff in Tokyo about Toyota and U.S. Internet company Salesforce.com's alliance to launch "Toyota Friend," a private social network for Toyota owners that works similar to tweets on Twitter. Toyota is aiming for a comeback, targeting global sales of 8.48 million vehicles in 2012 and an even bigger number in 2013, after being battered this year by the March disaster in Japan and flooding in Thailand. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara, File)
TOKYO (AP) ? Toyota is aiming for a comeback, targeting record global sales of 8.48 million vehicles in 2012 and an even bigger number in 2013, after being battered this year by the March disaster in Japan and flooding in Thailand.
Toyota Motor Corp., Japan's top automaker, relinquished its title as the world's biggest in global vehicle sales for the first half of this year, sinking to No. 3 trailing U.S. rival General Motors Co. and Volkswagen AG of Germany.
Toyota's global vehicle sales for this year total 7.9 million vehicles, including group companies, down 6 percent from the previous year, it said in a statement Thursday.
General Motors Co. has not yet released its global sales numbers for this year. The Detroit-based automaker had been at the top for more than seven decades until Toyota took the crown in 2008.
Toyota's targets for 2012 and 2013 do not include group companies such as Daihatsu Motor Co. and Hino Motors, and so aren't directly comparable with any forecasts from GM and Volkswagen.
Toyota said the sales target for calendar 2012 is based on achieving 20 percent growth from its global sales this year and would be a record high for the company, underlining its turnaround ambitions.
The automaker's current sales record of 8.43 million vehicles was attained in 2007.
"It won't be a surprise to me if Toyota reaches a new record in global sales," said Mamoru Katou, auto analyst at Tokai Tokyo Research. Hybrids remain popular in Japan, the Camry sedan is doing well in the U.S. and demand is robust in emerging markets, he said.
Toyota has been making up for sales declines in North America and Japan with momentum in relatively new but booming markets such as China and India.
The manufacturer behind the Prius hybrid and Lexus luxury models said it plans to sell 8.95 million vehicles around the world in 2013, not including group companies.
Toyota said it had not yet figured out forecasts for group companies. It is possible the target may exceed 9 million vehicles, had they been included.
Targeted overseas sales of 6.95 million vehicles this year, up 19 percent year-on-year, would also be a new record for Toyota if attained.
Toyota acknowledged many uncertainties, which could push the numbers in either direction. One possible plus is the extension of Japanese government incentives for green vehicles, according to Toyota.
Toyota, with its strong hybrid lineup, has been a major beneficiary of such incentives.
Still, Toyota has gone through some hard times lately.
The global financial crisis in 2008 was behind a serious sales plunge in the key North American market.
Then came the massive recalls, mostly in the U.S., that tarnished Toyota's once pristine reputation for quality amid speculation it had not been as forthright as it should have been about defects.
Toyota was on a gradual recovery track when the March 11 earthquake and tsunami struck in northeastern Japan, damaging suppliers and disrupting production because of a severe parts shortage.
Production got slammed again later in the year, although on a smaller scale, from flooding in Thailand.
Toyota also said it expects to produce 8.65 million vehicles next year, up 24 percent from 6.97 million this year. It expects to produce 8.98 million vehicles in 2013, it said. Those numbers do not include group companies.
Michael Robinet, managing director of IHS Automotive Consultants in Northville, Michigan, said a global sales lead doesn't matter as much as how much money the company makes per vehicle, its model portfolio and overall profit.
A difference of several tens of thousands of vehicles is not significant for automakers that sell millions of vehicles like Toyota and GM, he said.
"It doesn't matter all that much when you're already in the 9 million to 10 million unit range," Robinet said.
___
AP Auto Writer Tom Krisher contributed from Detroit.
___
Follow Yuri Kageyama on Twitter at http://twitter.com/yurikageyama
Associated PressBP: Rig partner liable for own punitive damages
BP wants to shield itself from having to compensate Halliburton for punitive damages, fines and penalties the cement contractor may face for its role in the deadly 2010 rig explosion and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Billions of dollars are potentially at stake as a federal trial scheduled for February approaches. The civil trial, which is expected to last eight weeks, is being held to assign shares of fault to the companies involved in the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history. It also was to determine whether rig owner Transocean can limit what it pays those making claims under maritime law.
London-based BP PLC said in court papers Wednesday the law and its contract with Halliburton don't permit BP to be held responsible for covering punitive damages ultimately faced by Halliburton, which is based in Houston.
The explosion off Louisiana killed 11 rig workers and led to more than 200 million gallons (757 million liters) of oil spewing from a well a mile (two kilometers) beneath the sea, according to government estimates. BP owned the well and was leasing the Deepwater Horizon rig from Swiss-based Transocean Ltd.
BP also said the court should deny Halliburton's request that BP indemnify Halliburton for other costs it has incurred related to the spill. It said the request is premature since the trial hasn't started.
BP has spent considerable legal firepower trying to deflect blame for the disaster.
It has already spent or committed tens of billions of dollars on cleaning up the Gulf and compensating fishermen, condo owners, restaurants and other businesses and individuals harmed by the oil spill. However, that sum could pale in comparison to what it faces depending on court rulings, the outcome of the trial and any fines and penalties ultimately imposed by government agencies.
BP claims every single safety system and device and well control procedure on the Deepwater Horizon rig failed.
BP also has accused Halliburton of fraud for allegedly concealing critical information about cement tests it conducted. An oil well must be cemented properly to avoid blowouts.
BP has argued that a botched cement job led to the Macondo well blowout.
Halliburton, Transocean and other companies involved in the disaster have made counterclaims against BP.
A report issued in September by the U.S. Coast Guard and the agency that regulates offshore drilling concluded that BP bears ultimate responsibility for the disaster. BP has asked the court to keep that report out of the civil trial.
___
Follow Harry R. Weber at http://www.facebook.com/HarryRWeberAP
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Thursday, December 22, 2011
Court backs stripping Chinese tire import duties (AP)
WASHINGTON ? An appeals court has ruled that Chinese-made goods shouldn't be subject to certain kinds of import duties imposed by the U.S. Commerce Department.
The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington upheld a ruling Monday that the duties, called "countervailing" duties, can't be applied to Chinese-made goods because it doesn't have a market economy. Chinese goods are still subject to anti-dumping duties.
Chinese tire makers GRX International Tire Corp., Hebei Starbright Tire Co. and Tianjin United Tire & Rubber International had challenged the imposition of countervailing duties. Countervailing duties are intended to tax items whose sale price when exported is subsidized by a company's home government.
The Commerce Department sought to impose the duties in 2007. The court ruled that congressional moves in 1988 and 1994 barred them.
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December 28th, 2011 at 2:42 pm
Now you need one for long (demographic) waves. As in, Generation A grows up during a crash, saves strongly, creates conditions for growth. Generation B thinks their parents are foolish Scrooges, spends, increasing growth but building up debt. Generation C sees grows up during debt-fueled growth, enjoys the good times, but then has to deal with the crash. Repeat.
December 28th, 2011 at 4:29 pm
A number of the cycle charts show ?rising inflation? as a characteristic of an economy slowing/ entering a recession. At the same time, the charts suggest stocks and commodity prices start falling. Is this contradiction apparent?
Why are prices increasing during a recession when (presumably) velocity slows? Outside of the 70?s stagflation or Volcker ?ringing out? inflation by inducing a recession (contractionary monetary) in the early 80?s, why would we associate a recession with increasing prices? Text Book. Inflation is expansionary. Right?
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December 28th, 2011 at 6:53 pm
nice qualitative charts. do they stand up to actual market data? if so, let?s see it.
December 29th, 2011 at 8:29 am
Beware of overly general charts ? such as the 2nd (red & green) one.
Finance during early recession and bear market? How did that work out for y?all in 2008?
December 29th, 2011 at 9:31 am
so when does the bond yields start rising when central bankers don?t want it to rise ??
December 29th, 2011 at 5:02 pm
I find this helpful. Investment professionals know this but it?s helpful to see visually. The problem that I see is identifying where you are currently in the cycle. I thought I knew but I am not so sure anymore?.