Quantity of sugar in food supply linked to diabetes rates, researcher says

Feb. 27, 2013 ? Does eating too much sugar cause diabetes? For years, scientists have said "not exactly." Eating too much of any food, including sugar, can cause you to gain weight; it's the resulting obesity that predisposes people to diabetes, according to the prevailing theory.

But now the results of a large epidemiological study suggest sugar may also have a direct, independent link to diabetes. Researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine, the University of California-Berkeley and the University of California-San Francisco examined data on sugar availability and diabetes rates from 175 countries over the past decade. After accounting for obesity and a large array of other factors, the researchers found that increased sugar in a population's food supply was linked to higher diabetes rates, independent of obesity rates.

Their study was published Feb. 27 in PLOS ONE.

"It was quite a surprise," said Sanjay Basu, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of medicine at the Stanford Prevention Research Center and the study's lead author. The research was conducted while Basu was a medical resident at UCSF.

The study provides the first large-scale, population-based evidence for the idea that not all calories are equal from a diabetes-risk standpoint, Basu said. "We're not diminishing the importance of obesity at all, but these data suggest that at a population level there are additional factors that contribute to diabetes risk besides obesity and total calorie intake, and that sugar appears to play a prominent role."

Specifically, more sugar was correlated with more diabetes: For every additional 150 calories of sugar available per person per day, the prevalence of diabetes in the population rose 1 percent, even after controlling for obesity, physical activity, other types of calories and a number of economic and social variables. A 12-ounce can of soda contains about 150 calories of sugar. In contrast, an additional 150 calories of any type caused only a 0.1 percent increase in the population's diabetes rate.

Not only was sugar availability correlated to diabetes risk, but the longer a population was exposed to excess sugar, the higher its diabetes rate after controlling for obesity and other factors. In addition, diabetes rates dropped over time when sugar availability dropped, independent of changes to consumption of other calories and physical activity or obesity rates.

The findings do not prove that sugar causes diabetes, Basu emphasized, but do provide real-world support for the body of previous laboratory and experimental trials that suggest sugar affects the liver and pancreas in ways that other types of foods or obesity do not. "We really put the data through a wringer in order to test it out," Basu said.

The study used food-supply data from the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization to estimate the availability of different foods in the 175 countries examined, as well as estimates from the International Diabetes Foundation on the prevalence of diabetes among 20- to 79-year-olds. The researchers employed new statistical methods derived from econometrics to control for factors that could provide alternate explanations for an apparent link between sugar and diabetes, including overweight and obesity; many non-sugar components of the food supply, such as fiber, fruit, meat, cereals and oils; total calories available per day; sedentary behavior; rates of economic development; household income; urbanization of the population; tobacco and alcohol use; and percentage of the population age 65 or older, since age is also associated with diabetes risk.

"Epidemiology cannot directly prove causation," said Robert Lustig, MD, pediatric endocrinologist at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital and the senior author of the study. "But in medicine, we rely on the postulates of Sir Austin Bradford Hill to examine associations to infer causation, as we did with smoking. You expose the subject to an agent, you get a disease; you take the agent away, the disease gets better; you re-expose and the disease gets worse again. This study satisfies those criteria, and places sugar front and center."

"As far as I know, this is the first paper that has had data on the relationship of sugar consumption to diabetes," said Marion Nestle, PhD, a professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University who was not involved in the study. "This has been a source of controversy forever. It's been very, very difficult to separate sugar from the calories it provides. This work is carefully done, it's interesting and it deserves attention."

The fact that the paper used data obtained over time is an important strength, Basu said. "Point-in-time studies are susceptible to all kinds of reverse causality," he said. "For instance, people who are already diabetic or obese might eat more sugars due to food cravings."

The researchers had to rely on food-availability data for this study instead of consumption data because no large-scale international databases exist to measure food consumption directly. Basu said follow-up studies are needed to examine possible links between diabetes and specific sugar sources, such as high-fructose corn syrup or sucrose, and also to evaluate the influence of specific foods, such as soft drinks or processed foods.

Another important future step, he said, is to conduct randomized clinical trials that could affirm a cause-and-effect connection between sugar consumption and diabetes. Although it would be unethical to feed people large amounts of sugar to try to induce diabetes, scientists could put participants of a study on a low-sugar diet to see if it reduces diabetes risk.

Basu was cautious about possible policy implications of his work, stating that more evidence is needed before enacting widespread policies to lower sugar consumption.

However, Nestle pointed out that the findings add to many other studies that suggest people should cut back on their sugar intake. "How much circumstantial evidence do you need before you take action?" she said. "At this point we have enough circumstantial evidence to advise people to keep their sugar a lot lower than it normally is."

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 Stanford University Medical Center, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS. The original article was written by Erin Digitale.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. Sanjay Basu, Paula Yoffe, Nancy Hills, Robert H. Lustig. The Relationship of Sugar to Population-Level Diabetes Prevalence: An Econometric Analysis of Repeated Cross-Sectional Data. PLoS ONE, 2013; 8 (2): e57873 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0057873

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/health_medicine/nutrition/~3/nkFyrPM96yk/130227183452.htm

Nazanin Boniadi Deval Patrick Dedication 4 labor day college football scores khan academy Espn College Football

Cyber security firm says freed thousands of enslaved PCs in demo

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A computer security firm said it had freed tens of thousands of infected PCs from a "botnet" that forced enslaved machines to send out spam pharmaceutical ads during a cyber crime-fighting demonstration to top industry executives on Tuesday.

Tillmann Werner, a senior research scientist with a startup known as CrowdStrike, attacked the Kelihos botnet on stage in a rare live demonstration of techniques used to attack cyber crime operations.

He manipulated the messaging system used to control machines enslaved in the botnet, a term used in the security world to describe groups of infected computers that are enslaved in large networks by "herders" who use the machines for tasks including sending spam and attacking corporate networks.

He instructed machines to stop communicating with the servers that had enslaved them and start checking in with a new "command and control" server that he set up to protect the PCs.

For good measure he provided a "black list" of servers controlled by the Kelihos gang, which essentially blocks those computers from ever visiting those sites.

As infected machines visited his command and control server, red dots showed up on a map on a video screen at the front of a conference room at the RSA security conference in San Francisco, winning Werner a round of applause for a rare victory in the fight against cyber crime.

A few hours later, he said that tens of thousands of infected machines had checked into the server of CrowdStrike, which this week unveiled products to help businesses fight sophisticated cyber attacks.

Werner has been using his keyboard to fight cyber crime for nearly 10 years.

"It's a passion," he said. "I'm interested in botnets that are technically challenging."

That passion has kept him persevering in his battle with botnet "herders," or the criminals who control infected machines, despite constant setbacks.

He previously worked with parties including Microsoft Corp and Kaspersky Lab on other efforts to shut down Kelihos and a related botnet known as Waledac, only to see them quickly re-emerge.

"It's an industry," he said. "There is some gang pulling the strings."

(Editing by Jeremy Laurence)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cyber-security-firm-says-freed-thousands-enslaved-pcs-063028925--finance.html

barbara walters tupelo honey

Director Adam Strange Attacked & Killed By Great White Shark (VIDEO)

Director Adam Strange Attacked & Killed By Great White Shark (VIDEO)

An award-winning movie and television director was mauled to death by a Great White shark while swimming off a beach in New Zealand. Adam Strange, 46, was attacked and pulled under water in front of hundreds of tourists on the beach. Three other sharks were drawn to the attack as officers shot 20 shots from ...

Director Adam Strange Attacked & Killed By Great White Shark (VIDEO) Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2013/02/director-adam-strange-attacked-killed-by-great-white-shark-video/

Nexus 7 KDKA Pumpkin Carving Ideas Hurricane Sandy path opm daylight savings sandy

Community sports notes

THE YORK UNITY GIRLS' AAU TEAM is accepting online registration for girls in seventh grade who would like to play basketball at the national level, as well as girls in 10th, 11th, and 12th grade who are interested in playing at the college level.

Visit www.yorkunitysports.com for more info or contact Mike Englar at bbcoachme@aol.com.

AN OLD-TIMERS 3-VS.-3 BASKETBALL LEAGUE will play in March and April with games at York County Tech High School.

Each team of up to seven players age 35 and older will play two nights a week, with games starting at 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays beginning March 4.

Practice or pick-up ball begins Monday and runs 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. Deadline to sign up is Feb. 18, and the league can take up to 16 teams.

Registration costs $100 per player. For more information, contact Mike McPherson at 417-3038 or michaelmcpherson@verizon.net.

THE YORK YMCA'S HOFFMAN BASEBALL/SOFTBALL ACADEMY is offering a variety of baseball skill enhancement programs for youth and teens, including hitting and pitching schools, private lessons, conditioning, monthly memberships, and team/league offseason training rentals.

Go to www.YorkCoYMCA.org for details or contact Doug Markel at dmarkel@yorkcoymca.org or 843-7884, ext. 248, for details.

Source: http://www.inyork.com/ci_22632014/community-sports-notes?source=rss_viewed

Rose Bowl 2013 kim kardashian anderson cooper kim kardashian pregnant chicago bears adrian peterson tony romo

Former mayor to speak on KSU Leadership Panel

KENNESAW, Ga. -- Former Atlanta mayor Shirley Franklin will speak at Kennesaw State University's 13th Annual "Lessons in Leadership" forum on February 28.?

The panel, which is organized by KSU's Coles College of Business, is a?free networking event for Executive MBA students and alumni.

The topic of this year's conference is "Think?Globally, Act Locally" and it will be moderated by KSU Provost and VP of Academic Affairs.?

Other panelists include: Senior VP of Retail Sales Operations with AT&T Rudolph Hermond, CEO of Ted's Montana Grill George McKerrow and SVP of Sales and Marketing for NanoLumens Karen Robinson.?

The panel will be held at the Cobb Energy Arts Centre from 5:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m.?

The Cobb Energy Arts Centre is located at 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway.?

Source: http://acworth.11alive.com/news/news/159035-former-mayor-speak-ksu-leadership-panel

second degree murders bobby petrino brian dunn vin scully petrino fired george zimmerman charged big sean

GOP governors take a pragmatic turn (The Arizona Republic)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/287070301?client_source=feed&format=rss

angelina jolie leg daytona artie lange nascar daytona 2012 kasey kahne angelina jolie right leg saving face

Author Terry Brooks signs at Mysterious Galaxy Books in San Diego on Tuesday Mar...

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

Source: http://www.facebook.com/conventionscene/posts/393141134116282

eli whitney blake griffin dunk on kendrick perkins kendrick perkins steve jones emily maynard kola boof burmese python

Review: Google's Chromebook Pixel offers stunning features -- once it starts running

Our review of Google's (GOOG) new Chromebook Pixel laptop got off to a bumpy start when the thing wouldn't even fire up.

A Google spokeswoman initially diagnosed the problem over the phone as a faulty "power brick" because the barrel end of the power source that plugs into the Chromebook Pixel didn't light up green as it's designed to do.

So while we waited for a new power source -- and laptop -- to arrive from Google headquarters in Mountain View, we spent the time passing the Chromebook Pixel around the newsroom and comparing it to one of Google's main

A man uses the Google Chromebook Pixel laptop computer after an announcement in San Francisco, Thursday, Feb. 21. (Jeff Chiu / AP)

competition -- my 11-inch, MacBook Air.

Where the MacBook Air has rounded edges and a shape reminiscent of the old "clamshell" Apple (AAPL) laptops of old, the new 12.85-inch Chromebook Pixel has the sharper edges and muscular look of an F-117 stealth fighter.

While it's slightly narrower than my MacBook Air, the Chromebook Pixel sits a good inch-and-a-quarter deeper and -- at 3.35 pounds -- is considerably heftier.

But the Chromebook Pixel's smoke gray, aluminum skin makes it look very slick and very cool.

Tim Chae, a lead Chrome OS tech, finally arrived from

Mountain View just before deadline and said the power brick wasn't to blame after all. We received a bad laptop, which Chae said has never happened with the Chromebook Pixel.

After typing my gmail address into the new laptop as required, Chae quickly fired it up and put it through its paces.

The Chromebook Pixel's display is loaded with more pixels per inch than any laptop on the market, so images are stunning. And the Pixel's touch-screen capabilities make navigating the Internet and playing with apps a breeze. Keys on the top of the keyboard also allow easy maneuvering around the web.

There is no touch-screen keyboard, however, so you still need to use the old-fashioned keyboard to type in the names of websites and such.

With only enough time left on deadline for a quick test drive, the Chromebook Pixel showed enough pixel power to represent a step forward. But its sizable price tag -- $1,299 for 32 gigs of flash storage and Wi-Fi only, and $1,449 for 64 gigs of flash storage and the ability to connect to Verizon's 4G network -- represents a big enough price jump to give the MacBook Air another look. On the other hand, the Chromebook Pixel comes with a whopping 1,000 gigs of online storage.

Contact Dan Nakaso at 408-271-3648. Follow him at Twitter.com/dannakaso.

Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_22640724/review-google-chromebook-pixel-offers-stunning-features-once-it-starts-running?source=rss_viewed

good morning america jon hamm jon hamm kim kardashian law school rankings ncaa bracket predictions jeff foxworthy heather morris

Nokia reportedly plans wave of cheap phones to combat Chinese upstarts

DEAR ABBY: My wife of six years was recently arrested for wire fraud, involving the receipt of unemployment benefits. She was receiving money when she should not have been. I knew she had applied for benefits since she was laid off; however, I was not aware that she was falsifying documents in order to receive the benefits.I feel hurt, betrayed and offended. I am a retired law enforcement officer and currently an independent fraud investigator. Our relationship had been on the rocks for some time prior to this humiliating event. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nokia-reportedly-plans-wave-cheap-phones-combat-chinese-143515400.html

shell houston open mega millions winners anthony davis palm sunday toure patti smith lottery winners

Mitt Romney to address CPAC next month (cbsnews)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/286210891?client_source=feed&format=rss

leprechaun night at the museum pope shenouda bolton muamba sxsw crystal cathedral st. patrick s day

Geoengineering by coalition to mitigate global warming

Feb. 21, 2013 ? Solar geoengineering is a proposed approach to reduce the effects of climate change due to greenhouse gasses by deflecting some of the sun's incoming radiation. This type of proposed solution carries with it a number of uncertainties, however, including geopolitical questions about who would be in charge of the activity and its goals.

New modeling work from Carnegie's Katharine Ricke and Ken Caldeira shows that if a powerful coalition ever decided to deploy a geoengineering system, they would have incentive to exclude other countries from participating in the decision-making process. Their work is published by Environmental Research Letters and is available online.

Carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of coal, oil, and gas have been increasing over the past decades, causing Earth to get hotter and hotter. Large volcanic eruptions cool the planet by creating lots of small particles in the stratosphere, but the particles fall out within a couple of years and the planet heats upagain. The idea behind solar geoengineering is to constantly replenish a layer of small particles in the stratosphere, mimicking this volcanic aftermath and scattering sunlight back to space.

"Attempts to form coalitions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions have repeatedly hit the wall, because it's difficult to get everybody to participate in a substantive and meaningful way," Ricke said. "Members of coalitions to reduce emissions have incentives to include more countries, but countries have incentives not to participate, so as to avoid costs associated with emission reduction while benefiting from reductions made elsewhere."

But a game-theoretic model developed by Ricke, Caldeira, and their colleague Juan Moreno-Cruz from the Georgia Institute of Technology showed that when it comes to geoengineering, the opposite is true.

Smaller coalitions would be more desirable to the participants, not less, because those members could set the target temperature to their liking without having to please as many parties. Likewise, countries that aren't included in the coalition would actually want to join so that they could move the thermostat, so to speak, in the direction that better suits their interests. Since the costs of geoengineering are so much lower than mitigation, once a coalition has formed and has successfully implemented geoengineering, it would have an incentive to exclude permanently other willing participants.

"My view, aside from any technical result, is that it should remain a central goal to maintain openness and inclusiveness in geoengineering coalitions, so that all people who want a voice in the decision-making process are able to have that voice," Caldeira said.

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 Carnegie Institution.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. Katharine L Ricke, Juan B Moreno-Cruz, Ken Caldeira. Strategic incentives for climate geoengineering coalitions to exclude broad participation. Environmental Research Letters, 2013; 8 (1): 014021 DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/8/1/014021

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/FcVb2ttC3AI/130221143940.htm

Jenny Rivera Pacquiao vs Marquez 4 pacquiao Jim DeMint Dave Brubeck Duck Dynasty frankie muniz

Japan identifies spate of Boeing 787 jet problems

Japanese investigators have identified the causes of fuel leaks and other problems with Boeing's 787 but are still investigating the more serious battery problem that forced an emergency landing in January and the worldwide grounding of the jets.

An oil leak was caused by an improper paint job that led to a switch not working properly, while inadequate taping led to cracks in cockpit glass, and a faulty part led to braking problems, according to the Transport Ministry's investigation released Friday into problems that occurred with the 787 Dreamliner in January.

The government issued orders to fix the problems with 787s operated by Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways, the country's two major carriers and the biggest customers for Boeing Co.'s new jet.

All 50 of the 787 jets in service around the world have been grounded for more than a month after a lithium-ion battery in a 787 operated by ANA overheated Jan. 16, forcing an emergency landing in western Japan. Earlier in January, a lithium-ion battery caught fire in a Japan Airlines 787 parked in Boston.

Boeing and U.S. authorities are also investigating, but Friday's findings shed little light on the main problem.

The 787 is the first jet to extensively use lithium-ion batteries, which weigh less, charge faster and are more powerful than other kinds of batteries. Japanese manufacturer GS Yuasa makes the batteries for Boeing.

The aircraft manufacturer said earlier this week that it intends to propose to U.S. federal regulators a temporary fix for the batteries.? The official who spoke on condition of anonymity did not disclose details.

A fix for the 787 batteries would require stopping an uncontrolled overheating reaction called "thermal runaway," in which the battery gets hotter and hotter, and short-circuits spread from one battery cell to another.

The battery problems are not necessarily linked to their manufacturer and could come from the myriads of parts and systems connected to the battery.

Separately, the Japanese ministry said this week it had found the ANA jet's auxiliary power unit had been erroneously wired to the main battery that overheated.

ANA, which has 17 Dreamliners in its fleet, and JAL, with seven, have had to cancel hundreds of flights over the 787 woes.

JAL and ANA have released plans for flights without the 787 through the end of March, but have not said what they plan to do in the long term. Both companies have said they are ready to seek compensation from Boeing.

?

?

Source: http://www.emirates247.com/news/world/japan-identifies-spate-of-boeing-787-jet-problems-2013-02-22-1.496042

the night they drove old dixie down levon oklahoma city bombing robbie robertson the curious case of benjamin button secret service prostitute rich ross

Mayor Asks Outside Counsel To Review Directors? Overtime; Uncertainty Remains Over Some Repayments

?

Part Three in a Three-Part Series

PATERSON, NJ ? In a year when Paterson?s overtime spending reached unprecedented levels, there was one group of municipal employees who received a drastic reduction in extra pay in 2012. Those were city directors.

After the city paid out more than $100,000 in overtime to various directors in 2011, the number dropped to less than $1,000 last year, according to records provided to PatersonPress.com under an Open Public Records Act request.

The exception was $706 paid to Public Works Director Christopher Coke. That money came from a $1.3 million federal grant covering an audit of city energy use. Business Administration Charles Thomas said it was a ?one-time payment? and that it was stopped when city officials realized Coke was being paid for his work on the grant as overtime. After that, officials said, Coke was not compensated for the extra time he worked on the grant.

Other city directors who received substantial overtime payments in 2011 got nothing last year. That includes Thomas, who had gotten $23,767 in 2011, Budget Director Russell Forenza, who was paid $22,830 in overtime in 2011, Personnel Director Betty Taylor who had gotten $17,803, and Health and Human Services Director Donna Nelson-Ivy who had gotten $8,548. Even Coke?s $706 in 2012 paled compared to the $17,844 in overtime he received in 2011. [Editor's note: Part of those 2011 payments - that which stemmed from the post-Irene floods -later was returned.]

But Mayor Jeffrey Jones said the question of whether Cabinet members are entitled to overtime remains unresolved as far as he?s concerned. The city has retained an outside law firm to examine the issue and to figure out the best way to compensate senior staff members for the extra hours they work, including the possibility of a formal comp time policy, Jones said.

?Will people be amassing great wealth? No, that?s not the intent,?? said Jones. ?But we?ve got to take care of people for doing a good job. They?re working 24 hours a day on programs that benefit the city. We can?t ask people to work for free. That is so unreasonable and so unfair.?

Jones said the task of coming up with a policy on overtime and comp time was difficult because of the different types of work directors do. ?You can?t say one size fits all,?? he said.

But City Council members say the situation is not as complicated as the mayor makes it out to be. People in ?exempt? positions should not get overtime, no matter what the circumstances are, they say.

In December 2011, the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) completed a review of Paterson?s overtime payments and told the city to recoup payments that the state agency said were improperly made to various managers.

By then, city administrators already had made repayment on overtime stemming from the historic floods that followed Hurricane Irene, which accounted for more than half the extra pay given to administrators in 2011. But the DCA report called for the repayment of any additional overtime paid to city managers that was unrelated to the floods. In particular, the report listed what it deemed as inappropriate overtime given to Thomas, Taylor, Coke and Nelson-Ivy.

The City Council?s own overtime report, completed in February 2012, also called for the repayments. The council last fall also passed a resolution designed to force the repayments, especially after the DCA said the issue might affect Paterson?s Transition Aid allotment.

Thomas last year entered an agreement with the city to repay his overtime. Nelson-Ivy recently did so as well. ?I?m tired of the negative stuff, I?m tired of the negative press,?? Nelson-Ivy said, explaining why she agreed to pay back the money. ?It wasn?t anything I did wrong.??

When asked whether she planned to repay the overtime, Taylor said, ?You?ll have to talk to the business administrator about that.??

Coke said he felt he was entitled to the overtime he received in the past because of the city?s long-standing practice of paying overtime to its public works directors. ?I understand going forward?? that he won?t get overtime, Coke said, ?but I don?t think it?s right.??

City records show that both of Paterson?s previous public works directors received overtime. Manuel Ojeda, who ran the department during former mayor Jose ?Joey? Torres? administration, had been paid more than $38,000 in overtime while he was director. Robert Washington, the director during Martin Barnes? administration, also had gotten overtime, the records show.

Jones said he thought it was unfair to hold his administration to a different standard regarding overtime than what had used by prior administrations.

?We?ve been following the very same practices that were in place when we got here,?? the mayor said.

But Councilman Kenneth Morris said he wasn?t buying Jones? ?past practice? explanation. If something is wrong it?s wrong, no matter whether previous administrations were doing it, Morris said.

When asked about the repayment of the overtime, Morris said the council had done all it can on the issue. He said it was up to the mayor to compel his staff to repay the money in question. ?I?m doing my job, but the taxpayers seem to be giving this guy a free pass on this,?? Morris said of the mayor.

Moreover, Morris said the DCA also was responsible for letting the city off the hook regarding the overtime repayments. The state agency has said it would reduce Paterson?s 2013 Transition Aid by the amount of questionable overtime that hasn?t been repaid. But Morris said the state could have taken a tougher stand on forcing the repayments.

One city official whose overtime stopped in 2012 filed a lawsuit against the city. Forenza, who is not a department head, contends that he is not an exempt employee because he does not have the authority to hire or fire staff and because he supervises less than two workers.

What?s next? Last February, the city council?s report from its overtime hearings called for a variety of suggestion reforms ? new policies, resolutions and ordinances that were supposed to reign in overtime abuses. A year later, few of those have been put in place. PatersonPress.com next Sunday will examine what?s been done ? or not done ? as a result of that report.

?

Source: http://thealternativepress.com/articles/mayor-asks-outside-counsel-to-review-directors-o

nitrous oxide rihanna thug life tattoo arizona governor patrick witt leprosy tampa bay buccaneers birdman

Iced Lemon Biscotti Perfume Oil by LongWinterSoapCo

This is a yummy blend of sweet sugar cookies, spices, and tangy lemon icing.

About .3oz in a little glass bottle complete with roll-on thinger. Individually shrink wrapped, and tested on friends, not animals.

The carrier oils I use are fractionated coconut oil and unrefined hemp seed oil, which make for a light, non-greasy feel when applied. The vitamin e is in there as an antioxidant. You'll notice the shocking lack of alcohol.

Ingredients: Fractionated Coconut Oil; Unrefined Hemp Seed Oil; Fragrance Oil; Tocopherol (Vitamin E)

Have any questions? Contact the shop owner.

Source: http://www.etsy.com/listing/62161632/iced-lemon-biscotti-perfume-oil

fantasy baseball jared sullinger jaleel white levi johnston 2013 srt viper scott walker recall fisker atlantic

Spotlight on Avon's McCoy at CAGNY conference

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Investors bought everything Avon Products Inc Chief Executive Sheri McCoy was selling last week, lifting shares 23 percent on the back of solid results and a confidence the new CEO has a turnaround plan.

That makes the spotlight even brighter on McCoy when she takes center stage on Thursday at an important industry analyst conference and details that turnaround. Among her biggest challenges: fix the company's technology problems, and help the sales representatives generate more cash.

"She has to start speaking with specificity," said Kathy Gersch, a co-founder of Kotter International, which helps companies implement strategies and whose clients include Coty Inc , a smaller rival that tried to buy Avon last year.

"It's not just about fixing the company anymore. It's about moving the company into the future."

So far, McCoy and finance chief Kimberly Ross, have taken early steps to cut costs, stanch an exodus of representatives in top markets like Brazil and Russia, and start talks with U.S. officials to settle a costly overseas bribery probe.

Wall Street gives McCoy and Ross kudos for being frank about the depth of Avon's problems and for taking tough steps like cutting 1,500 jobs in December as part of plan to save $400 million in costs a year by 2015; and exiting Vietnam and South Korea where it is too far behind rivals.

The quarterly performance turned in on Tuesday showed some of that progress, cheering investors who had become disappointed by the broken promises in the later years of the tenure of Andrea Jung, McCoy's predecessor.

But that is just a start.

"We'd like to see a detailed plan of how they will fix the business, not just stop the bleeding," Sanford C. Bernstein & Co analyst Ali Dibadj said. He was unconvinced that there "is enough fat in the cost-structure to cover for the significant reinvestment" that the company needs."

An Avon spokeswoman declined to give details of the presentation McCoy and Ross will give at the Consumer Analyst Group of New York, the venue where new managements often offer their grand vision for a turnaround strategy.

Few expect a laundry list of projects. But 10 months into her tenure, McCoy now should know the business well enough to be more expansive.

McCoy has said not to expect a linear recovery for Avon. U.S. sales remain a disaster, falling 12 percent last quarter, and Avon is largely missing out on Asia's boom in cosmetics spending.

Last year, McCoy stated her goal of reaching mid-single digit percentage sales growth by 2016, and for an operating margin in the low teens. Those are ambitious targets, considering sales fell 5 percent last year, while operating margin was 6.5 percent.

Barclays Capital in a note, said that the shares' current level, now above $20, prices in Avon achieving those goals.

So for shares to rise higher, McCoy will have to convince the Street, Avon can do better than just stanch the bleeding.

MCCOY'S TO DO LIST

High on the list are details of what technology investments Avon will make to fix long term problems that have alienated countless sales representatives and cost it sales.

Avon's computer software systems, by all accounts, are inadequate for a company of its size and complexity, operating in dozens of countries.

That has led to poor inventory management, product shortages and shipment mistakes, frustrating the "Avon Ladies" on whom the company depends almost entirely for selling its products.

In Brazil, Avon's top market, poor implementation of a new computer system has been a big source of frustration for sales representatives, many of whom also represent rivals such as Natura Cosmetics SA . The company is making some progress with fixing its systems there, winning back some reps last quarter.

Another thing the analysts want to know is how the company intends to make being an Avon Lady more lucrative.

Last quarter, it took steps like offering accident and risk insurance to Mexican representatives who meet their goals.

And in Russia, sales returned to growth, helped in part by a line of high-end, color cosmetics made just for that market. Morningstar analyst Erin Lash told Reuters that she wants to hear more about products developed for specific markets.

Ultimately, though, it is money that talks. Avon reps keep a smaller cut of their sales than those of Mary Kay Cosmetics, for example, and other rivals, and that has to change.

"We suspect the company will have to increase its rep compensation by a meaningful amount in order to reduce its turnover rate," UBS analyst Nik Modi wrote in a note to clients.

Whatever McCoy and Ross tell investors at CAGNY, these first few months of rolling up their sleeves, doing prosaic but important things like paying down some debt, and showing early results, have won them a lot of wiggle room.

"There are positive indications that Avon's turnaround efforts are starting to have an impact," BMO Capital Markets Connie Maneaty wrote. "The financial cloud is lifting."

(Reporting By Phil Wahba; Editing by Brad Dorfman, Ed Tobin and Leslie Gevirtz)

(This story corrects country to Mexico, not Brazil, in 6th to last paragraph)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/spotlight-avons-mccoy-cagny-conference-153239459--finance.html

Eclampsia Kendrick Lamar JJ Abrams New Orleans Pelicans chris brown hillary clinton apple stock

Pope Benedict XVI?s Successor and Change in the Church

Feb 14, 2013 12:09pm

Catholics around the world just marked Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. But even this holiest period in the Church calendar seemed to be overshadowed by the stunning news just prior. Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation, effective Feb. 28.

It was the first time in more than 700 years that a Pope willingly chose to step down. Even the heavens seemed to react with shock as a photographer captured a lightning strike on St. Peter?s Basilica in the Vatican hours after the pope?s announcement.

The most pressing questions are who Benedict?s successor will be and what changes, if any, the new pope may introduce.

As pontiffs before him had done, Benedict resisted forces of modernity which called, for example, on a changing role for women. His successor is not likely to change course.

?The pope follows in the teaching of the Church. That?s over a 2,000-year-long tradition. A particular pope does not have the freedom to make choices that are contradictory to the tradition,? said Rev. Mark Morozowich, dean of the School of Theology and Religious Studies at The Catholic University of America, in an interview with Christiane Amanpour.

Instead, Morozowich said he believed the next pope will continue to work on the issues of most pressing concern to the Catholic Church, including the sexual abuse scandal which first came to light more than a decade ago in the United States.

?Accountability is the key,? said Morozowich. ?That a person might fall and might commit a sin is something that I think we all understand. But that these people have been protected and somehow allowed to go on is unconscionable. Benedict has made great steps in seeking forgiveness.?

?Vatileaks? was another scandal that plagued the pope?s reign. His personal butler, Paolo Gabriele, was convicted of aggravated theft for stealing and leaking documents that seemed to shine a light on power struggles, corruption and a lack of transparency at the Vatican.

?The Church continues to need to be transparent in all of its dealings,? said Morozowich. ?Whether it be in evaluating clergy, whether it be the evaluation of its financial dealings, we have nothing to hide. We should be a very open house.?

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2013/02/pope-benedict-xvis-successor-and-change-in-the-church/

irs Grammy nominations 2013 Lynsi Torres Fall Out Boy Alabama hostage mta Beyonce Superbowl

Report: Jerry Buss hospitalized with cancer

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Lakers owner Jerry Buss has been hospitalized with cancer, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.

The 79-year-old Buss has spent time in the intensive care unit at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, according to the Times, which quoted Buss' son, Jim, Thursday saying his father was "doing fine." Several current and former Lakers players, including Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson, have visited Buss.

Team spokesman John Black said the team has no plans to comment on Buss' health out of respect for the family's wishes. Buss spokesman Bob Steiner said information would have to come from the Lakers.

"Dr. Jerry Buss, thinking about u & wish I could be there, get well soon," former Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal tweeted Thursday. "I cant wait 2 see u on 4/2/13 (hash)LoveYou."

The Lakers will retire O'Neal's No. 34 jersey on April 2.

Buss has been hospitalized several times in recent years, including a stint last July for dehydration. He was treated for blood clots in his legs in December 2011.

A former aerospace engineer and real-estate developer, Buss has been a prominent name in American sports since he bought the Lakers, the NHL's Los Angeles Kings and the Forum from Jack Kent Cooke in 1979. Buss immediately transformed the Lakers into the NBA's most glamorous franchise, winning 10 NBA championships under his watch.

The Lakers won five titles in nine years during the 1980s, earning a reputation as basketball's most exciting team with their glamorous Showtime style led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Johnson, who was Buss' first draft pick. O'Neal and Kobe Bryant then led the Lakers to a threepeat from 2000-02 under coach Phil Jackson before Bryant and Pau Gasol won two more titles in 2009 and 2010.

Buss' children moved into leadership roles with the Lakers in recent years. Jim Buss, the Lakers' executive vice president of player personnel and the second of Buss' six children, has taken a leading role in basketball decisions, while daughter Jeanie plays a major role in running the franchise's business side.

Yet Jerry Buss was deeply involved the Lakers' most recent major moves, including the acquisitions of Steve Nash and Dwight Howard last summer, along with the firing of coach Mike Brown and the hiring of Mike D'Antoni early this season.

Source: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BKN_LAKERS_JERRY_BUSS?SITE=TXCOL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Telemundo real housewives of beverly hills Pink Floyd 12 12 12 Concert miley cyrus miley cyrus amazing race

U.S. government risks financial exposure from climate change - GAO

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government is at high risk of financial exposure from climate change, the Government Accountability Office said on Thursday, two days after President Barack Obama vowed to tackle the issue with or without Congress' help.

For the first time, the non-partisan congressional watchdog added fiscal exposure from climate change to its "High Risk List" of measures the federal government needs to fix.

"Climate change is a complex, crosscutting issue that poses risks to many environmental and economic systems ? including agriculture, infrastructure, ecosystems, and human health ? and presents a significant financial risk to the federal government," the agency said.

There are now 30 programs and operations the GAO considers at high risk for waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement, or that need broad-based transformation, from the management of federal oil and gas resources to enforcement of tax laws.

"GAO added this area because the federal government is not well positioned to address the fiscal exposure presented by climate change and needs a government-wide strategic approach with strong leadership to manage related risks," the agency said in a statement.

The government owns extensive infrastructure, including military bases; insures property through the National Flood Insurance Program; and provides aid to victims of natural disasters, making it especially vulnerable to the impact of climate change, GAO said.

Climate change, believed by many to be spurred by human activities that release heat-trapping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, has been linked to more extreme weather, sea level rise that can make storm surges more damaging, and worsening heat waves, wildfires and droughts.

The connection between more frequent severe natural events and climate change is not universally accepted.

In addition to the risk from climate change, GAO also warned of potential gaps in environmental satellite data starting as soon as 2014, which could make weather forecasts and warnings for hurricanes, storm surges and floods less accurate and timely.

"TOP RISK TO TAXPAYERS"

This problem was also added to the High Risk List, a biennial report which can be seen online at http://www.gao.gov/highrisk.

Obama's State of the Union address on Tuesday highlighted the physical risks posed by climate change, rather than the financial vulnerabilities, but he stressed that the problem could be addressed while also fueling economic growth.

While the president said he hoped to work with Congress on a market-based solution, he added that he would go ahead with executive orders if Congress failed to act.

Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer and Independent Bernie Sanders introduced legislation on Thursday to curb emissions of carbon dioxide, levying a $20 tax for each ton of this climate-warming substance over a set limit. That limit would be 5.6 percent annually over a 10-year period, raising up to $1.2 trillion in revenue over 10 years that would largely be returned consumers, the bill's sponsors said.

Congress has failed to pass a carbon-curbing law, most recently in 2010, and prospects for passage this year are bleak.

The leaders of a congressional climate change task force applauded the GAO listing as a possible prod to Congress to take action.

California Representative Henry Waxman, who co-chairs the task force and is the ranking Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, called it a "huge development."

"Congress can't ignore an issue that its own auditors say is a top risk to taxpayers," Waxman said in a statement. "The costs of inaction on climate change will be much higher than the costs of responsible action."

(Reporting By Deborah Zabarenko, additional reporting by Valerie Volcovici; editing by Ros Krasny and Jackie Frank)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-government-risks-financial-exposure-climate-change-gao-203425821.html

day light savings daylight saving time 2012 grapes of wrath silent house nfl mock draft project m colts

You can lose a lot of time getting shapes and other objects in ...

First, stop dragging and nudging!

Next, locate the Align button. It is in several locations: Home tab, Drawing group, Arrange button and on the Format and Picture tools contextual tabs in the Arrange group. Select objects and choose the alignment style you prefer. If you want objects to begin at the same vertical location on the slide, select Align Top.

If you need objects evenly distributed horizontally, place the first and last ones at the left and right. Select them all and choose Distribute Horizontally.

Like what you've read? ...Republish it and share great business tips!

Attention: Readers, Publishers, Editors, Bloggers, Media, Webmasters and more...

We believe great content should be read and passed around. After all, knowledge IS power. And good business can become great with the right information at their fingertips. If you'd like to share any of the insightful articles on BusinessManagementDaily.com, you may republish or syndicate it without charge.

The only thing we ask is that you keep the article exactly as it was written and formatted. You also need to include an attribution statement and link to the article.

" This information is proudly provided by Business Management Daily.com: http://www.businessmanagementdaily.com/34502/you-can-lose-a-lot-of-time-getting-shapes-and-other-objects-in-powerpoint-to-line-up "

Source: http://www.businessmanagementdaily.com/34502/you-can-lose-a-lot-of-time-getting-shapes-and-other-objects-in-powerpoint-to-line-up

gingrich wife cheryl burke sarah burke mega upload santorum wins iowa

MINI of Baltimore to provide transportation for pet wedding

In honor of Valentine?s Day, MINI of Baltimore will provide transportation, with tin cans in tow, for the dog and cat newlyweds at the Baltimore Humane Society?s annual pet wedding at 2 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 14.

A set of cats and dogs will be married in a ceremony officiated by the Rev. Angelica Taggart, with flowers provided by Metzler?s Scentsational Florals and music by Guitars of Pikesville.

This partnership is the continuation of an ongoing fundraiser called, ?Like Us; Love Furballs? that started Feb. 1 and continues through March 8. MINI of Baltimore is giving dollars for Likes in an effort to share the love with area furballs. For every new Like on MINI of Baltimore?s Facebook Page through March 8, MINI of Baltimore will donate $1 to the Baltimore Humane Society (up to $5,000).

For more information on MINI of Baltimore?s fundraising campaign for the Baltimore Humane Society, and upcoming furball events, visit LikeUsLoveFurballs.com

###

MINI of Baltimore County is a family owned and operated dealership under Priority1 Automotive Group, at 9804 Reisterstown Road, Owings Mills, MD 21117.

Source: http://www.yorkblog.com/pets/2013/02/12/mini-of-baltimore-to-provide-transportation-for-pet-wedding/

Nate Silver stock market stock market Obama Acceptance Speech 2012 dow jones Selena Gomez ariel winter

How to avoid vacation-destroying arguments

Erin Gifford ? ? ? 14 hrs.

It never fails. You spend a lot of time and money on a romantic getaway, then you and your partner get into a disagreement over where to eat or when to go snorkeling and the vacation is ruined, or at least on the verge of collapse.

?Vacations, while purportedly about rest and recreation, can often be quite stressful. People are out of their routine and the expectations to have a good time may be high,? said Lesli Doares, a relationship coach. ?Any dissatisfaction that is already present in the relationship may be kindling lying in wait for a conflagration to erupt from the mildest disagreement.?

?Typically couples don't argue about new things. Rather, they tend to bicker about the same things over and over,? noted Christina Steinorth, author of "Cue Cards for Life: Thoughtful Tips for Better Relationships." ?If you know this, fix the initial problem -- whether by taking less luggage or preparing a better budget. This can change the pattern of your interactions and stop an argument from starting in the first place.?

To keep the good times keep rolling on your next getaway, check out five of the most popular argument starters and tips to keep calm and carry on.

What time to get to the airport
Be willing to meet in the middle when it comes to leaving for the airport to reduce ill will, suggests Steinorth. However, it?s sometimes best to simply honor the leave time of the most anxious person. Having one person overly stressed is never a good way to kick off a vacation.

Driving and managing directions
If you are driving, figure out how to get where you?re going before you get in the car. Print out directions or set the GPS, then talk to the driver about what he or she needs from the navigator. Build in time to get lost, too, since it?s bound to happen at some point on your journey. If you get lost and things start to get heated, bite your tongue, pull over, get out of the car and look at the scenery for a few minutes.

What activities to do and when
Talk about activities you each want to do ahead of time, like before you even book the trip. Make individual lists, then decide jointly which activities to do so you both are excited about the trip. ?If one of you is set on doing something the other won?t enjoy, agree to do it solo,? said Doares. ?Otherwise, willingly participate in your partner?s activities and create a shared experience.?

Spending too much money
Eliminate spats over money by agreeing on a budget before you start your trip. ?Anytime you can prepare ahead of time, you will always help reduce the possibility of an argument later,? saod Steinorth. Be open to exceptions, but consider whether a purchase is worth an argument if your partner doesn?t agree.

What to eat and where
Divide up vacation days and let each partner choose where to eat and when every other day. Come to this agreement before you leave for vacation to minimize cuisine complaints once on your trip. ?Veto power should only be exercised if there is truly nothing on the menu for one person to eat, or if it will blow the budget,? Doares said.

If you do find yourself spiraling toward conflict on vacation, give yourself some time before you engage, Steinorth suggests. "When we lash out immediately, we tend to come across more harshly than we intend, which sets up a harsh response."

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/travel/itineraries/how-avoid-vacation-destroying-arguments-1C8346340

Mayans camilla belle NASA Robert Bork instagram mark sanchez christina aguilera

Comcast doubles down on TV in $16.7B deal for NBCU

FILE - In this Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012 file photo, the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is lit during the 80th annual tree lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Center in New York. Comcast said Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013, that it's buying General Electric's 49 percent stake in the NBCUniversal joint venture for $16.7 billion several years early, as the company takes advantage of low borrowing costs and what CEO Brian Roberts called a "very attractive price."(AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

FILE - In this Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012 file photo, the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is lit during the 80th annual tree lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Center in New York. Comcast said Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013, that it's buying General Electric's 49 percent stake in the NBCUniversal joint venture for $16.7 billion several years early, as the company takes advantage of low borrowing costs and what CEO Brian Roberts called a "very attractive price."(AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

FILE - In this Friday, Aug. 21, 2009, file photo, the NBC logo glows in neon lights among other iconic signs at its headquarters in New York. Comcast said Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013, that it's buying General Electric's 49 percent stake in the NBCUniversal joint venture for $16.7 billion several years early, as the company takes advantage of low borrowing costs and what CEO Brian Roberts called a "very attractive price." (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)

FILE - This combination of Associated Press file photos shows, left, a sign outside the Comcast Center in Philadelphia in July 2010 and right, the entrance to the Universal Studios theme park in Los Angeles, on Dec. 3, 2009. Comcast said on Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013, that it's buying General Electric's 49 percent stake in NBCUniversal joint venture for $16.7 billion. Comcast Corp. had bought a majority stake in the television and movie company in 2011. It had planned to take a larger stake in it over time. (AP Photo)

FILE - In this file photo made July 15, 2009, General Electric and NBC logos adorn the GE Building in New York's Rockefeller Center. Comcast said Tuesday that it?s buying General Electric?s 49 percent stake in the NBCUniversal joint venture for $16.7 billion several years early, as the company takes advantage of low borrowing costs and what CEO Brian Roberts called a ?very attractive price.? (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Comcast's $16.7 billion deal to buy the remaining half of NBCUniversal ahead of schedule represents a resounding vote of confidence in the future of TV, even as the growth of Internet video reshapes the entertainment landscape.

The decision was driven largely by Comcast Corp.'s belief that it would end up paying substantially more for General Electric Co.'s remaining 49 percent stake if it had waited until 2018, as had been envisioned in 2011 when the nation's largest cable TV provider acquired majority control of NBCUniversal.

"We didn't have to do this now. We chose to do it," Comcast CEO Brian Roberts said in a Wednesday interview on CNBC. "We're bullish on the businesses we're buying."

Shares of both Comcast and GE increased Wednesday following the late Tuesday announcement.

The flagship NBC network, once seen as the deal's albatross, has been on the turnaround. Broadcast TV revenue rose 5 percent last year, even after excluding the Super Bowl and the Olympics. Theme parks, the Universal Pictures movie studio and pay TV networks such as USA and SyFy have grown, too.

As the advertising market has rebounded with the economy, so have the fortunes of NBCUniversal and other media companies such as CBS Corp. and ABC owner The Walt Disney Co. That made the latest transaction seem like a savvy one at a relatively modest price.

"I think the television business has turned out to be much more powerful as an advertising medium than people were thinking five years ago," said Jonathan Taplin, a professor specializing in digital media at the University of Southern California. "Comcast made a really smart move in believing that TV would continue to be a really important part of the advertising picture for years to come."

When the deal was first announced in late 2009, NBC's audience ratings were sagging badly, raising doubts about the future of the broadcast pioneer that once boasted stars such as Johnny Carson, Jerry Seinfeld, Bob Hope, Milton Berle and Tom Brokaw.

More recently, though, NBC has bounced back with a new hit in "The Voice" and has a consistent ratings leader in "Sunday Night Football" during the fall and early winter. By last fall, NBC could boast for the first time in a decade that it was drawing the most viewers in the 18-to-49-year-old demographic prized by advertisers. Overall, NBC still ranked behind CBS and ABC, but at least it was no longer bringing up the rear in fourth place, as had been the case for several years.

Higher ratings translate into more advertising revenue, even though Comcast gets two-thirds of its revenue as a cable-TV and Internet access provider. NBC's improved success from TV shows also figures to bring in higher licensing fees from the Internet video services run by Netflix Inc. and Amazon.com Inc.

NBC's turnaround is one of the main reasons Roberts wanted to take complete ownership of NBCUniversal now.

"We thought that we would have to pay more later," Roberts said in an interview Tuesday with The Associated Press.

"We really have known we wanted to buy 100 percent from the beginning of the transaction. We wanted to learn the business," he added. "We feel that now is an opportune time."

The deal, expected to be completed by the end of March, values NBCUniversal at $34 billion, not including $5 billion in debt. That's about 13 percent higher than two years ago, when Comcast's investment valued the company at about $30 billion, also excluding debt.

Compare that to CBS's stock price, which has more than doubled, or Disney's, which has risen 41 percent, since then. That makes the transaction for the rest of NBCUniversal a steal.

Several analysts said Wednesday that Comcast got a great deal. Analyst Matthew Harrigan at Wunderlich Securities said GE "mispriced" the $16.7 billion deal.

But Comcast's chief financial officer, Michael Angelakis, said in a conference call Wednesday that GE got a good deal as well, adding that GE gets a lot of cash to invest elsewhere. In a separate call, GE Chief Financial Officer Keith Sherin said the company thought it was "an attractive exit price."

Complete ownership will let Comcast benefit more from the rising price of sports rights and other TV programs. It avoids solely being in the uncomfortable position of passing those costs onto customers. And long-term rights deals between the TV networks and their cable and satellite distributors have ensured the importance of TV, even as Web video is on the rise.

Diversification was one reason Comcast bought a majority stake in NBCUniversal two years ago.

Jonathan Atkin, an analyst with RBC Capital Markets, contrasted Comcast's fortunes with the woes of Time Warner Cable Inc., whose shares have plunged 13 percent since it reported in late January that profit margins would be squeezed this year by higher programming costs.

"Look at what happened to Time Warner Cable," Atkin said Tuesday. "Comcast, as a slightly more diversified conglomerate, is less exposed to that."

Besides buying the rest of NBCUniversal, Comcast agreed to pay GE another $1.4 billion for other assets that include one of New York's best-known landmarks, NBC's headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. The building also was the setting for the NBC comedy series "30 Rock," a fictional version of the broadcast network that skewered the management of both GE and Comcast before airing its final episode two weeks ago.

By selling the rest of its NBCUniversal stake, GE is unraveling part of the legacy of former Chairman Jack Welch. In 1986 he bought RCA and NBC to help his industrial conglomerate get a reliable source of cash while overseas manufacturing competition loomed.

Getting cash sooner rather than later made GE a motivated seller this time. The Fairfield, Conn., company plans to use the money to buy back stock and "to invest in our industrial business," GE CEO Jeff Immelt said in a statement Tuesday.

Comcast, which is based in Philadelphia, said it would finance the deal with $11.4 billion of cash on hand, $4 billion in debt owed to GE, $2 billion from its own credit lines and $725 million in preferred stock issued to GE. In issuing new debt notes to GE, Comcast is able to lock in today's historically low interest rates. It also gives a use for the $5.3 billion it raised from the sale of wireless spectrum to Verizon and its stake in the A&E TV networks to Disney and Hearst last year.

Comcast's stock rose $1.16, or 3 percent, to close Wednesday at $40.13. In opening trading, it hit $42, matching an all-time high set in March 1999. GE's stock rose 81 cents or 3.6 percent, to $23.39. The day's high of $23.48 was the highest level for the stock since 2008.

GE's history with NBC goes back to 1919, when it co-founded the Radio Corporation of America. RCA created NBC in 1926 as the nation's first radio network, figuring that people would buy its radios if they had interesting things to listen to. RCA took full ownership of NBC in 1932.

The network began TV broadcasts in 1939 and produced TV's first star in 1948 when Berle became a beloved figure. GE bought NBC back in 1986 for the cash flow. Though it faced fierce competition over the decades, NBC was formidable in the 1990s, with Thursdays declared a "must-see" night of television.

As part of Comcast's takeover, NBC Universal changed its corporate logo to NBCUniversal ? without the space, the peacock or the globe silhouette. In December, as the network bounced back, Comcast appended NBC's peacock logo on top of its corporate name in a new logo of its own.

___

Liedtke reported from San Francisco. AP Technology Writers Barbara Ortutay and Peter Svensson in New York and AP Business Writer Bree Fowler in New York contributed to this story.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-02-13-Comcast-NBC-General%20Electric/id-524aab96192242158b706ad7da8a0905

national enquirer kate gosselin helicopter crash matt jones whitney houston in casket photo resolute national enquirer whitney houston casket photo

Asia stocks up on strong US corporate earnings

BANGKOK (AP) ? Asian stock markets rose Wednesday after strong U.S. corporate earnings sent the Dow close to its record high. Japanese shares faltered, however, as the yen rebounded against the dollar.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei index fell as the yen strengthened against the dollar following a pledge by finance ministers from the world's largest economies to refrain from intentionally weakening their currencies. The Nikkei 225 was down 0.2 percent to 11,344.45.

Australian stocks hit their highest intraday level in nearly three years. The S&P/ASX 200 was up 1.1 percent to 5,011.60. South Korea's Kospi advanced 1.1 percent to 1,966.76. Benchmarks in Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines also rose.

Markets in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan were closed for Lunar New Year holidays.

Finance ministers from the world's major advanced economies said in a statement following a meeting in Brussels that they remained committed to exchange rates driven by the market, not government or central bank policies.

Traders interpreted the statement as a message directed at Japan, where the yen has plummeted against the dollar since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took office and pushed the central bank for ultra-loose monetary policy.

Central bank governor Masaaki Shirakawa, who has appeared at odds with Abe's views on monetary policy, is resigning next month, giving the government an opportunity to find a successor more sympathetic to its aims.

The Bank of Japan begins a two-day policy meeting Wednesday but analysts said no new initiatives were expected in light of the impending leadership change.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose to its highest close of the year after positive results from two big U.S. consumer brands, beauty products maker Avon and luxury clothing and accessories company Michael Kors. Consumer spending accounts for 70 percent of economic activity in the U.S.

The Dow rose 0.3 percent to 14,018.70, within 1 percent of its record of 14,164 it set in October 2007. The S&P 500 gained 0.2 percent to 1,519.43. The Nasdaq composite fell 0.2 percent to 3,186.49.

Benchmark oil for March delivery was down 8 cents to $97.59 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose 48 cents to finish at $97.51 on the Nymex on Tuesday.

In currencies, the euro rose to $1.3452 from $1.3444 late Tuesday in New York. The dollar fell to 93.25 yen from 93.52 yen.

___

Follow Pamela Sampson on Twitter at http://twitter.com/pamelasampson

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/asia-stocks-strong-us-corporate-earnings-030318980--finance.html

fun. hepatitis c symptoms david bradley david foster wallace pinterest attwireless taylor swift zac efron

Yamana Gold: Strong Upside Potential From This Low Debt Producer

In the gold mining sector Yamana Gold Incorporated (AUY) is a leader and a company worth considering for your investment portfolio. While there are many different factors to look at and consider when investing, in the article below I will look at the debt side of the company. I will analyze Yamana Gold's total debt, total liabilities, debt ratios and WACC. From this analysis we should get an idea if the company is highly leveraged, how much it is paying for its debt, what it's paying in taxes and how much to expect in return for investing in this company over the long-term.

Gaining knowledge about a company's debt and liabilities is a key component in understanding the risk of a company. In 2008 and 2009 we were able to see some of the repercussions that highly leveraged companies with large amounts of debt succumbed to. Taking into account the debt side of a company might not reveal the "pop" on the upside that an investor would like, but it will help ensure that the company is able to keep its capital and use it for growth in the future.

All material is sourced from Google Finance, Morningstar and Yamana Gold's webpage.

1. Total Debt = Long-Term Debt + Short-Term Debt

Total debt is the sum of long-term debt, which is debt that is due in one year or more, and short-term debt, which is any debt due within one year.

• 2008 - $472 million + $84 million = $556 million
• 2009 - $529 million + $0 million = $529 million
• 2010 - $487 million + $0 million = $487 million
• 2011 - $432 million + $0 million = $432 million
• 2012 TTM - $766 million + $0 billion = $766 million

Yamana Gold's total debt has increased since 2008. In 2008, the company reported a total debt of $556 million. In 2012 TTM (trailing twelve months), the company's total debt increased to $766 million. This indicates a very minimal increase in total debt over the past 4 years. Over the past 5 years, Yamana Gold's total debt has increased by 37.77%.

2. Total Liabilities

Liabilities are a company's legal debts or obligations that arise during the course of business operations, so debts are one type of liability, but not all liabilities. Total liabilities is the combination of long-term liabilities, which are the liabilities that are due in one year or more, and short-term or current liabilities, which are any liabilities due within one year.

• 2008 - $2.827 billion
• 2009 - $2.959 billion
• 2010 - $3.055 billion
• 2011 - $3.325 billion
• 2012 TTM - $3.814 billion

Yamana Gold's liabilities have also increased over the past 5 years. In 2008, the company reported liabilities at $2.827 billion; in 2012 TTM, the company reported liabilities at $3.814 billion. Over the past 5 years, Yamana Gold's liabilities have increased by 34.91%.

In analyzing Yamana Gold's total debt and liabilities, we can see that the company currently has a total debt of $766 million and liabilities at $3.814 billion. When looking at the above numbers we can see how the recent acquisition of Extorre Gold Mines Limited (XG) for $450.9 million added to the company's total debt and liabilities. Yamana Gold's total debt has increased by 37.77% while total liabilities have increased by 34.91%. As the company's amount of debt and amount of liabilities have increased over the past 5 years, the next step will reveal if the company has the ability to pay them.

Debt Ratios

3. Total Debt to Total Assets Ratio = Total Debt / Total Assets

This is a metric used to measure a company's financial risk by determining how much of the company's assets have been financed by debt. It is calculated by adding short-term and long-term debt and then dividing by the company's total assets.

A debt ratio of greater than 1 indicates that a company has more total debt than assets; meanwhile, a debt ratio of less than 1 indicates that a company has more assets than total debt. Used along with other measures of financial health, the total debt to total assets ratio can help investors determine a company's level of risk.

• 2010 - $487 million / $10.299 billion = 0.05
• 2011 - $432 million / $10.770 billion = 0.04
• 2012 TTM - $766 million / $11.496 billion = 0.07

Yamana Gold's total debt to total assets ratio has increased over the past three years. As the total debt to total assets ratio have increased, this indicates that since 2010, the company has added more total debt than asset value. As the number is currently well below 1, this indicates that the company has more assets than total debt. Because this number is extremely low, this metric indicates very low financial risk to the company.

4. Debt ratio = Total Liabilities / Total Assets

Total liabilities divided by total assets. The debt ratio shows the proportion of a company's assets that is financed through debt. If the ratio is less than 0.5, most of the company's assets are financed through equity. If the ratio is greater than 0.5, most of the company's assets are financed through debt. Companies with high debt/asset ratios are said to be "highly leveraged." A company with a high-debt ratio or that is "highly leveraged" could be in danger if creditors start to demand repayment of debt.

• 2010 - $3.055 billion / $10.299 billion = 0.30
• 2011 - $3.325 billion / $10.770 billion = 0.31
• 2012 TTM - $3.814 billion / $11.496 billion = 0.33

In looking at Yamana Gold's total liabilities to total assets ratio over the past three years, we can see that this ratio has also increased. The ratio has increased from 0.30 in 2010 to 0.33 in 2012 TTM. As the 2012 TTM numbers are below the 0.50 mark, this indicates that Yamana has not financed most of the company's assets through debt. As the number has increased very slightly, so is the risk to the company.

5. Debt-to-Equity Ratio = Total Liabilities / Shareholders' Equity

The debt-to-equity ratio is another leverage ratio that compares a company's total liabilities with its total shareholders' equity. This is a measurement of how much suppliers, lenders, creditors and obligators have committed to the company versus what the shareholders have committed.

A high debt-to-equity ratio generally means that a company has been aggressive in financing its growth with debt. This can result in the company reporting volatile earnings. In general, a high debt-to-equity ratio indicates that a company may not be able to generate enough cash to satisfy its debt obligations, and therefore is considered a riskier investment.

• 2010 - $3.055 billion / $7.244 billion = 0.42
• 2011 - $3.325 billion / $7.445 billion = 0.45
• 2012 TTM - $3.814 billion / $7.682 billion = 0.50

Compared to 2010, Yamana Gold's debt-to-equity ratio has increased. The ratio has increased from 0.42 to 0.50. As the ratio is currently below 1, this indicates that shareholders have invested more than suppliers, lenders, creditors and obligators. 0.50 indicates a moderately low amount of risk for the company. As the ratio is below 1 and considered moderately low, so is the risk for the company.

6. Capitalization Ratio = LT Debt / LT Debt + Shareholders' Equity

(LT Debt = Long-Term Debt)

The capitalization ratio tells the investors the extent to which the company is using its equity to support operations and growth. This ratio helps in the assessment of risk. Companies with a high capitalization ratio are considered to be risky because they are at a risk of insolvency if they fail to repay their debt on time. Companies with a high capitalization ratio may also find it difficult to get more loans in the future.

• 2010 - $487 million / $7.731 billion = 0.06
• 2011 - $432 million / $7.877 billion = 0.05
• 2012 TTM - $766 million / $8.448 billion = 0.09

Over the past three years, Yamana Gold's capitalization ratio has increased from 0.06 to 0.09. This implies that the company has less equity compared with its long-term debt. As this is the case, the company has had less equity to support its operations and add growth through its equity. As the ratio is increasing, financially this implies a slight increase of risk to the company but as the ratio is only 0.09 this implies extremely low financial risk.

7. Cash Flow to Total Debt Ratio = Operating Cash Flow / Total Debt

This coverage ratio compares a company's operating cash flow with its total debt. This ratio provides an indication of a company's ability to cover total debt with its yearly cash flow from operations. The higher the percentage ratio, the better the company's ability to carry its total debt. The larger the ratio, the better a company can weather rough economic conditions.

• 2010 - $615 million / $487 million = 1.26
• 2011 - $1.226 billion / $432 million = 2.83
• 2012 TTM - $1.129 billion / $766 million = 1.47

Over the past three years, the cash flow to total debt ratio has increased. The ratio has increased from 1.26 in 2010 to 1.47 in 2012 TTM. As the ratio is above 1, this implies that the company has the ability to cover its total debt with its yearly cash flow from operations.

Based on the five debt ratios listed above, we can see that Yamana Gold has very little financial risk based on its debt and liabilities. Even though there has been an increase in the ratios thus indicating an increase of risk to the company from a debt point of view, the ratios are very low and show no signs of creating financial distress to the company. As the price of gold looks to be strong in 2013, the company should be able to make money on its assets and not be burdened by massive amounts of debt and debt obligations. The next step will reveal how much the company will pay for the debt incurred.

Cost of Debt

The cost of debt is the effective rate that a company pays on its total debt.

As a company acquires debt through various bonds, loans and other forms of debt, the cost of debt is a useful metric. It gives an idea as to the overall rate being paid by the company to use debt financing.

This measure is also useful because it gives investors an idea as to the riskiness of the company compared with others. The higher the cost of debt, the higher the risk.

8. Cost of debt (before tax) = Corporate Bond rate of company's bond rating.

• Senior debt notes rate of 5.53% with a maturity of December 21, 2014. = 5.53%
• Current cost of Debt as of January February 11th 2013 = 5.53%

9. Current tax rate (Income Tax Total / Income Before Tax)

• 2008 - $20 million / $429 million = 4.66%
• 2009 - $137 million / $317 million = 43.21%
• 2010 - $161 million / $552 million = 29.16%
• 2011 - $270 million / $818 million = 33.01%
• 2012 TTM - $343 million / $706 million = 48.58%

2009 - 2012 TTM 5-year average = 38.49%

From 2009 - 2012 TTM Yamana Gold has averaged tax rate of 38.49%.

10. Cost of Debt (After Tax) = (Cost of Debt Before Tax) (1 - Tax Rate)

The effective rate that a company pays on its current debt after tax.

• .0553 x (1 - .3849) = Cost of debt after tax

The cost of debt after tax for Yamana Gold is 3.40%

Cost of Equity or R Equity = Risk Free Rate + Beta Equity (Average Market Return - Risk Free Rate)

The cost of equity is the return a firm theoretically pays to its equity investors (for example, shareholders) to compensate for the risk they undertake by investing in their company.

• Risk Free Rate = U.S. 10-year bond = 1.95% (Bloomberg)
• Average Market Return 1950 - 2012 = 7%
• Beta = (Google Finance) Yamana Gold's Beta = 0.71

Risk Free Rate + Beta Equity (Average Market Return - Risk Free Rate)

• 1.95 + 0.71 (7-1.95)
• 1.95 + 0.71 x 5.05
• 1.95 + 3.59 = 5.54%

Currently, Yamana Gold has a Cost of Equity or R Equity of 5.54%, so investors should expect to get a return of 5.54% per-year average over the long term on their investment to compensate for the risk they undertake by investing in this company.

(Please note that this is the CAPM approach to finding the cost of equity. Inherently, there are some flaws with this approach and that the numbers are very "general." This approach is based off of the S&P average return from 1950 - 2012 at 7%, the U.S. 10-year bond for the risk-free rate which is susceptible to daily change and Google finance beta.)

Weighted Average Cost of Capital or WACC

The WACC calculation is a calculation of a company's cost of capital in which each category of capital is equally weighted. All capital sources such as common stock, preferred stock, bonds and all other long-term debt are included in this calculation.

As the WACC of a firm increases, and the beta and rate of return on equity increases, this is an indicator of a decrease in valuation and a higher risk.

By taking the weighted average, we can see how much interest the company has to pay for every dollar it finances.

For this calculation, you will need to know the following listed below:

Tax Rate = 38.49% (Yamana Gold's four-year average Tax Rate)

Cost of Debt (before tax) or R debt = 5.53%

Cost of Equity or R equity = 5.54%

Debt (Total Liabilities) for 2012 TTM or D = $3.814 billion

Stock Price = $16.02 (February 11th, 2013)

Outstanding Shares = 751.46 million

Equity = Stock price x Outstanding Shares or E = $12.038 billion

Debt + Equity or D+E = $15.852 billion

WACC = R = (1 - Tax Rate) x R debt (D/D+E) + R equity (E/D+E)

(1 - Tax Rate) x R debt (D/D+E) + R equity (E/D+E)

(1 - .3849) x .0553 x ($3.814/$15.852) + .0554 ($12.038/$15.852)

.6151 x .0553 x .2406 + .0554 x .7594

.0082 + .0421

= 5.03%

Based on the calculations above, we can conclude that Yamana pays 5.03% on every dollar that it finances, or 5.03 cents on every dollar. From this calculation, we understand that on every dollar the company spends on an investment, the company must make $.0503 plus the cost of the investment for the investment to be feasible for the company.

Debt Side Summary

All indications above reveal that Yamana Gold is a financially sound company on the debt side. Even though Yamana Gold purchased Extorre Gold Mines Limited in August for $450.9 million my analysis indicates that the company could afford the transaction without causing financial stress to the company. Because Yamana purchased Extorre Gold Mines, the analysis indicates a slight increase of risk to the shareholder from a debt point of view. Having stated this, the risk increase is very small and the overall risk to the shareholder from the debt side is quite low. The CAPM supports this statement by revealing that the investor needs 5.54% year-over-year over the long term to get good value on their money.

Cerro Moro project in Argentina

Even though the purchase of Extorre Gold Mines Limited in August 2012 added debt to the company's balance sheet, the project looks to be able to add significant earnings and production growth in the future. With the purchase of Extorre Gold Mines Limited came the Cerro Moro mine project in Argentina. Yamana Gold is expecting this mine project to add approximately 200,000 ounces of gold equivalent per year beginning in 2015 when they estimate production to begin. Yamana chairman and CEO Peter Marrone stated, "This would represent an increase in production of more than 10 per cent and additional growth in cash flow and earnings."

Analysts Outlook

Currently, many analysts have a positive outlook for Yamana Gold. Over the next five years analysts at MSN Money are estimating an average of 11.80% growth in earnings year over year, which is well above the industry average of 8.40%. On February 4th, analysts at Barclays gave Goldcorp a rating of "Overweight" with a target price of $22.00. A $22.00 price target signifies an upside of 37.32% from this point.

Summary

The above analysis reveals that Yamana Gold Incorporated is a very financially sound company on the debt side with upside moving forward. The analysis indicates that Yamana Gold did not overextend itself with the purchase of Extorre Gold Mines Limited and has set itself up nicely for growth in the future. Currently, analysts have a $22.00 price target on this stock. As the chart below indicates, this is excellent opportunity to invest in a financially sound gold mining company with future prospects and good upside potential.

Chart sourced by (finviz)

Disclosure: I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. (More...)

Source: http://seekingalpha.com/article/1177851-yamana-gold-strong-upside-potential-from-this-low-debt-producer?source=feed

madonna half time m.i.a super bowl coin toss best superbowl commercials madonna super bowl halftime kelly clarkson super bowl giants super bowl 2012