Best quarter in Apple's history? Check. Retaking the smartphone crown from Samsung? Check. How about becoming the world's largest PC manufacturer? If you're Canalys and you factor iPads into the equation, then yes, another check. Per the research firm, "client PCs" (which include "desktops, netbooks, notebooks and tabs") grew by 16 percent to hit 120 million in Q4, from which Apple's 20 million units (15 million iPads + 5 million Macs) grabbed the leading 17 percent share. Cupertino's followed by HP, Lenovo, Dell and Acer in that order -- all of whom, save for Lenovo, saw their piece of the PC pie shrink. Not only did their slices shrink, but without slates the entire tart was .4 percent smaller than last year -- meaning that all of the growth in "client PC" segment was due to tablets. With that kind of statistical precedence Windows 8 can't come soon enough, right Stevie B?
Alice.com, the retail platform for household goods, has raised $3.6 million in funding from an undisclosed group of Spanish investors. This current round brings the total funding amount raised by Alice.com to $18.2 million. Launched in June, Alice.com's retail platform allows consumer packaged goods manufacturers, like Procter & Gamble, to sell directly to consumers instead of going through retail channels like Target or Wal-Mart.
Liam Neeson's "The Grey" topped the weekend box office with $20 million, according to studio estimates Sunday, continuing the actor's success as an action star in the winter months.
The Alaskan survivalist thriller opened above expectations with a performance on par with previous Neeson thrillers "Taken" and "Unknown." Those films, both January-February releases, opened with $24.7 million and $21.9 million, respectively.
But the R-rated "The Grey," which has received good reviews, drove home the strong appeal of Neeson, action star. It's an unlikely turn for the 59-year-old Neeson, previously better known for his dramatic performances, like those in "Schindler's List" and "Kinsey."
"Liam is a true movie star, period," said Tom Ortenberg, CEO of Open Road Films. It's the second release for the newly formed distributor, created by theater chains AMC and Regal.
"My guess is that Liam Neeson in action thrillers would work just about any time of year."
January is often a dumping ground for less-stellar releases, a tradition held up by two badly reviewed new wide releases: "Man on Ledge," with Sam Worthington, and "One for the Money" with Katherine Heigl.
"One for the Money" fared better, earning $11.8 million, while "Man on Ledge" opened with $8.3 million.
Those were reasonably solid returns, and, in an unusual twist, were both ultimately for Lions Gate Entertainment. Its film studio, Lionsgate, released the romantic comedy "One for the Money." The action thriller "Man on Ledge" was released by Summit Entertainment, which Lions Gate bought for $412.5 million earlier this month.
"One for the Money" was helped by a promotion with Groupon, the Internet discount site, with which Lionsgate previously partnered for "The Lincoln Lawyer." David Spitz, head of distribution for Lionsgate, said the large number of older, female subscribers of Groupon matched well with the audience of "One for the Money."
Groupon email blasts, he said, had a significant promotional effect.
Last week's box-office leader, "Underworld: Awakenings," Sony's Screen Gem's latest installment in its vampire series, came in second with $12.5 million, bringing its cumulative total to $45.1 million.
The unexpectedly large haul for "The Grey," strong holdovers (such as the George Lucas-produced World War II action film "Red Tails," which earned $10.4 million in its second week) and the bump for Oscar contending films following Tuesday's nominations added up to a good weekend for Hollywood. The box office was up about 15 percent on the corresponding weekend last year.
So far, every weekend this year has been an "up" weekend, after a somewhat dismal fourth quarter in 2011.
"`Mission: Impossible,' I think, really helped reinvigorate the marketplace, and that's carried over into the first part of the year," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "That's good news for Hollywood after the down-trending box office of 2011."
Oscar favorites "The Descendants," Hugo" and "The Artist" sought to capitalize on their recent Academy Awards nominations. Each expanded to more theaters and saw an uptick in business.
Fox Searchlight's "The Descendants," which is nominated for five Oscars including best picture, added 1,441 screens in its 11th week of release. It added $6.6 million and has now made $58.8 million, making it one of Fox Searchlight's most successful releases.
Sheila DeLoach, senior vice president of distribution for Fox Searchlight, said the film's nominations and its recent Golden Globes wins (for best drama and best actor, George Clooney) "played a big role" in its weekend box office.
Paramount's "Hugo," which led Oscar nominations with 11 including best picture, saw a 143 percent jump in business over its last weekend. In its tenth week of release, it earned $2.3 million, bringing its total to $58.7 million.
The Weinstein Co.'s "The Artist," with 10 Oscar nominations including best picture, expanded a modest 235 screens to bring it to a total of 897 screens in its 10th week of release. It earned $3.3 million, with a total of $16.7 million.
The Weinstein Co. is being careful with the black-and-white, largely silent film. Thus far, it has appealed particularly to older audiences.
"It's not the same type of picture as any other picture in the marketplace," said Erik Loomis, head of distribution for the Weinstein Co. "Now that the nominations are out, we're going to look to capitalize on it as best we can. ... We're being very, very meticulous with it. We're not throwing it out there and grabbing every theater we can. At some point, we'll open the floodgates on the movie, maybe closer to the awards."
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.
Universal and Focus are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp.; Sony, Columbia, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount is owned by Viacom Inc.; Disney, Pixar and Marvel are owned by The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is owned by Filmyard Holdings LLC; 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a group of former creditors including Highland Capital, Anchorage Advisors and Carl Icahn; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC is owned by Rainbow Media Holdings, a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corp.; Rogue is owned by Relativity Media LLC.
If you haven't seen the video of President Obama singing Al Green at a fundraiser at New York City's legendary Apollo Theater last week, you need to.
No matter what you think of his views, the Prez proved with his riff on "Let's Stay Together" that he's got pipes! And we weren't the only ones impressed.
American Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe Tweeted an offer to the Commander in Chief that he can't refuse. Or at least he shouldn't:
"@BarackObama we loved your vocal performance so much we'd love to invite you on to #AmericanIdol this Season for a duet with Al Green."
Now that would be the DVR moment of the decade.
We're gonna guess that Obama will cite scheduling conflicts and pass, but if you think about it, what better way to win over voters in an election year?
Okay, perhaps a robust economy would be a bigger ballot box boost, but you get the idea. The guy's vocal chops need to be showcased more often.
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BURBANK, Calif. ? The television academy's Emmy has her wings. The motion picture academy's Oscar has his sword. But the Screen Actors Guild's statuette, known as "The Actor," may have the hottest bod of the Hollywood award season.
"The Office" actor and SAG award-winner Creed Bratton said the statuette's physique is nothing short of inspiring, especially what he calls its "buns of bronze."
"If you know this god-given tush," the 68-year-old Bratton joked, holding a statuette in one hand, and moving his other hand to his own behind. "That's very, very similar to this."
Bratton, who is nominated again this year at Sunday's SAG Awards, joined first-time nominee Betsy Brandt ("Breaking Bad") and SAG Awards committee member Daryl Anderson at a recent press event held at the Burbank, Calif., foundry where the statuettes are produced.
The Actor's posterior took the spotlight the night of the 2002 telecast, when actress Helen Mirren famously gave it a kiss after winning two awards for her work in "Gosford Park."
Anderson said there was no model for The Actor when it was designed 18 years ago ? just artists' sketches.
"Everybody who was there remembers themselves being the one who went, `Look at that!'" he recalled.
The design of The Actor prompted discussion of its other attributes, as well, among those who made the selection, Anderson said.
"Well, there was a man on the (SAG) board who said, `They say size doesn't matter,' Anderson recalled. "And there was a woman from another (SAG) branch who interrupted to say, `They lie!'"
So, why no "The Actress" statuette?
Anderson stumbled for a bit, as he grasped for a solid reply, revealing that female versions of the statuette were considered. Then he confessed, "Finally, just ... we ran out of time."
JIn this Jan. 6, 2012 photo, John Deere farm tractors are displayed at Sloan's Implement John Deere Dealership, in Virden, Ill. Orders to U.S. factories for long-lasting manufactured goods increased in December after business stepped up spending on machinery and other capital goods. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)
JIn this Jan. 6, 2012 photo, John Deere farm tractors are displayed at Sloan's Implement John Deere Dealership, in Virden, Ill. Orders to U.S. factories for long-lasting manufactured goods increased in December after business stepped up spending on machinery and other capital goods. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)
Locks are displayed inside of the Master Lock company in Milwaukee, Wis., Wednesday, Jan, 25, 2012. Orders to U.S. factories for long-lasting manufactured goods increased in December after business stepped up spending on machinery and other capital goods.(AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? A rebound in business spending on machinery and equipment lifted orders for long-lasting manufactured goods in December, offering more evidence that the U.S. economy is gaining momentum at the start of the year.
Orders for durable goods ? products that are expected to last at least three years ? rose 3 percent last month, the Commerce Department said Thursday. And so-called core capital goods, which are viewed as a good measure of business investment plans, hit an all-time high.
Economists noted that a surge in volatile demand for commercial aircraft also boosted orders. And businesses likely stepped up spending to take advantage of a tax break on equipment, which expired at the end of December.
Still, most analysts saw the report as an encouraging sign for growth in early 2012.
Ian Shepherdson, chief U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics, said bank lending to businesses is accelerating, which should lead to a "huge wave of catch-up" spending by smaller firms.
"This could be a last-gasp surge ahead of the expiration of the 100 percent tax deduction ... but we doubt it," Shepherdson said. "The underlying trend in orders is rising strongly."
A sign of that spending was evident after Caterpillar said its fourth-quarter profit jumped 60 percent. The world's largest maker of construction and mining equipment also issued 2012 guidance above Wall Street predictions.
Economists pay close attention to core capital goods, such as computers and machinery, because they are viewed as a good way of gauging business investment plans.
Demand for these goods rose a solid 2.9 percent in December. And the increase pushed orders for core capital goods to a record $68.9 billion.
Orders have climbed more than 45 percent since hitting a recession low in April 2009. That has kept factories busy and helped the economy grow at a slow but steady pace.
Businesses cut back on core capital goods in October and November, which drew some concerns from economists. The Federal Reserve on Wednesday also cited the decline while warning that the economy remains vulnerable.
Paul Ashworth, chief U.S. economist at Capital Economics, said that the slowdown in business investment would be reflected in overall economic growth for the October-December quarter, which the government will release on Friday. He estimated the economy grew at an annual rate of 2.4 percent in the fourth quarter, even though business investment probably was stagnant during that period.
"The good news is that the growth rate of business investment should accelerate again in the first quarter," Ashworth said. That will help to offset a projected slowdown in consumer spending. He estimates growth in the current quarter at around 2 percent.
The overall December rise in orders for durable goods was led by an increase of 18.9 percent in demand for commercial aircraft. Orders for autos and auto parts rose 0.6 percent.
Excluding transportation, orders would have risen 2.1 percent in December, the best showing in this category since a 2.6 percent rise last March.
Demand was up for primary metals such as steel, machinery and communications equipment.
An increase in total durable goods orders bolstered the view sketched by other data showing the economy picked up in recent months.
Companies are hiring more, factories are making more goods and more people are buying cars. Still, the threat of a recession in Europe is likely to be a drag on the global economy.
Manufacturing has been a bright spot in the current recovery. U.S. factory activity has been lifted a surge in exports but economists are worried that the growth in exports could falter if overseas markets such as Europe show signs of slowing. Europe accounts for about one-fifth of U.S. exports.
I've been living the desert dream lately, channeling my alter ego of a 'desert rat' in Palm Springs where I am lucky enough to have a home. That soul-stirring expanse of sky and day-long stretches of winter sun topped off by the cool mountain air in the evenings really helps me to reset and reframe after a crazy week in my Hollywood office. The snowbirds are in town right now, jetting into Palm Springs airport from San Francisco, Chicago, Minneapolis and Toronto to escape a harsher winter. And it only adds to the people-watching potential that I love about this part of the world. I've been starting most days with breakfast at Jake's or Cheeky's and then taking a drive along Palm Canyon, scouting around for collectables at the estate sales and my favorite furniture and design stores. A friend of mine calls it 'trinketeering' and it's one of my favorite ways to spend the weekend. When I'm in town I never miss a morning at Misty's Consignment store (www.mistysconsignments.com). Owner Misty Davis has amazing connections, especially within the Old Movie Colony, and receives daily deliveries of vintage jewelry, impeccable mid-century furniture, and great art. I hate the thought that I could be missing out on a must-have piece if I don't get there!
But it's not just about what's in store but who's in store. I've been clocking some incredibly chic women on their own trinketeering excursions, working their resort wear and a refreshingly low-key look. But let's not confuse low key with low fi; these women are still glamazons which means there's great grooming and diligent maintenance going on but they're far more covert about it. Complexions can only be described as perfection: clear, refined, with an almost imperceptible wash of dewy base. [Watch this space: sheer, dewy tints of hydrating foundation and tinted moisturizers are making a comeback!] Eyelashes are artfully extended by way of mascara or super subtle lash extensions while cheeks are very carefully contoured - no obvious flush of blush! Gravity isn't really on anyone's side let's face it, but these Palm Springs princesses have found a way to coax it into submission and it's all subtle sculpting and soft, skin-like shades that enhance your natural features. I'm definitely tuning into a strong nude makeup vibe edging its way back into makeup bags and onto the streets and it has inspired me to put color to one side and explore the face-shaping, eye-opening capabilities of a more neutral, nude palette for next season. 2012 is all about skinspiration!
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Follow Napoleon Perdis on Twitter: www.twitter.com/NapoleonPerdis
NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Apple's first quarter in the post-Steve Jobs era was a success.
Apple reported that it sold more than 37 million iPhones and some 15.5 million iPads during its last quarter after the market closed Tuesday. Its shares jumped more than 6 percent and hit an all-time high Wednesday, leapfrogging Apple past Exxon Mobil to once again become the most valuable company in the world.
In what seems to be a quarterly routine, analysts scrambled to raise their target prices for the company following its earnings announcement. Among the highest target: $670, 50 percent above its Tuesday close.
A stock as popular with investors as Apple typically has contrarians pointing to signs of trouble. But there are several reasons why simple contrarianism might not pan out this time.
GO TO THE SOURCE
The best way to play Apple's earnings? Buy Apple.
Despite gaining more than 25 percent over the last year, Apple still looks like a value stock to many investors.
"The stock is cheaper now than the day I bought it," said Stephen Coleman, head of St. Louis-based Daedalus Capital. Coleman began buying Apple at $11.20 in February 2004, he said. Since then, he's notched a 3,888 percent gain.
Apple is trading at a price to earnings ratio of 12. The broad Standard & Poor's 500 index, meanwhile, trades a P/E multiple of about 13. By comparison, Amazon.com, Apple's most direct competitor in the tablet market, trades at a P/E of 98.
The company is trading at a discount according to other metrics as well. Based on its growth rate, the company's intrinsic value is $533.40 per share, a nearly 20 percent jump from its current share price of $446.66, according to Starmine. Its gross margins increased 4.4 percent from the prior quarter, according to Michael Holt, an analyst at Morningstar.
Why aren't Apple shares trading higher? The market appears to be discounting Apple's ability to maintain its earnings growth now that it has a dominant position in the smartphone and tablet markets, analysts said. The company's forward price to earnings ratio is now just 11.1 times future earnings, according to Starmine.
High forward P/Es typically imply that investors expect earnings growth to accelerate. In 2003, for instance, the company traded at a forward P/E ratio of 80 after introducing the iPod some two years earlier, according to Starmine.
Apple also has nearly $100 billion in cash on its balance sheet. Possible options for that staggering sum is something that the company is "actively discussing," said Peter Oppenheimer, Apple's CFO, on its earnings call.
The company's cash pile equates to $103 per share, noted T. Michael Walkley, an analyst at Canaccord Genuity. "With Apple expected to cross $100 billion in cash during the March quarter, we believe this milestone might push Apple to announce a dividend," he wrote in a note to clients.
Investors may be reluctant to buy any stock hitting an all-time high.
"The $430 region was formerly resistance on Apple, but with the huge gap up after earnings on Wednesday, that level now becomes very strong support," said Gareth Feighery, a founder of options education firm MarketTamer.com in Philadelphia.
Feighery suggests a strategy that sees limited downside and risk for Apple shares with a so-called February $430-$420 bull put spread - buying the lower strike put and selling the higher strike put. This trade essentially allows an investor to profit from the spread as long as shares don't fall below $430.
The spread involves the sale of the $430 strike put to finance the purchase of the $420 strike put to collect a premium of $1.39. The strategy offers a risk return of 16.1 percent based on the shares trading at $448.
The danger is if shares fall below $430, and if assigned, the investor would be obligated to buy the stock at $430. The purpose of the $420 put purchase is to limit risk if the shares
were to drop precipitously and offers protection, Feighery said.
Equity put options convey the right to sell shares at a preset price any time up until expiration and are often used by investors to insure their long stock positions against a potential decline in shares.
LOOK OVERSEAS
With its roles as both manufacturer and, increasingly, consumer of iPhones, China is a key part of Apple's strategy.
Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, told analysts that China "is an extremely important market for us and we continue to look at how to grow it further."
Investors can benefit from Apple's growth in China.
China Unicom is currently the only one of China's three mobile service companies to offer an iPhone with a service contract. China Unicom will likely continue to grow earnings as the country's consumers upgrade their services.
"We believe China Unicom should benefit the most from the 3G migration in China," Edward Fung, head of research at Kim Eng, wrote in a January 20 note to clients.
Tsz Wang, an analyst at DBS Group Research, rates the company a buy because of its strength in the broad smartphone market. "We stress that entry-level smartphones is the key growth driver as it makes smart devices affordable to lower-spending users," Wang wrote in a January 20 note to clients.
U.S. investors may want to look at funds with relatively large positions in China Unicom, rather than attempt to buy shares directly. The Prudential Financial Great China fund, for instance, invests 5.6 percent of its assets in China Unicom, according to Thomson Reuters data.
The iShares FTSE China 25 Index Fund (FXI) and Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock Index (VWO) also have large positions in the company.
Investors should be cautious before buying companies like Nokia and Samsung that currently have a larger share of China's mobile market than Apple, said Neil Mawston, an analyst at Strategy Analysts.
"Nokia without question should be worried," he said. "Apple has crushed many players in this market and they are now attacking Nokia in the developing region."
Investors may instead want to buy low-priced companies that manufacture components that go into Apple's products, Mawston said. Intel, for instance, trades at a P/E of 11 and offers a dividend of 3.1 percent.
(Reporting By David Randall, additional reporting by Doris Frankel; Editing by Walden Siew, Phil Berlowitz)
We've seen several laptops lately that peg the intersection of the desktop replacement and budget categories at around $700. The Acer Aspire TimelineX 5830TG-6614 is a bit steeper at $779.99 list, but don't dismiss it: For one thing, we've seen online resellers offering it for around $750. For another, the 15.6-inch Aspire is loaded with everything from Intel Wireless Display (WiDi) to a discrete Nvidia graphics adapter that actually passed our gaming tests at medium resolution and detail settings.
As you might guess from its model number, the Acer 5830TG-6614 is a refreshed version of the Aspire TimelineX 5830TG-6402 ($799.99 direct, 3.5 stars) we tested in August. Besides a $20 price cut and the addition of WiDi 2.0?which beams the notebook's display to an HDTV equipped with an extra-cost ($100 or so) Belkin, D-Link, or Netgear adapter?the changes include slightly faster graphics and processing hardware.
Design
Unchanged from August is the Aspire's handsome cobalt blue aluminum lid with chrome Acer logo and matching blue plastic palm rest; the black chiclet-style keys are framed in a silver aluminum keyboard surround. There's a numeric keypad, with small but dedicated Home, End, PgUp, and PgDn keys, to the right of the primary keys; the touchpad is centered under the latter (actually, under the space bar), so some users perceive it as being too far to the left. I had no complaints myself?I quite enjoyed typing on the laptop, and the touchpad, though a little small compared to some of the jumbo ones you see today, worked smoothly, with comfortable left and right buttons instead of invisible clickpad corners.
Measuring 1.2 by 14.9 by 9.8 inches (HWD) and weighing 5.4 pounds, the 5830TG-6614 has an appealingly angular design. The 15.6-inch widescreen has the same 1,366-by-768 resolution that's ubiquitous in the class?if you want more space, you'll have to either pay for the likes of the Dell XPS 15z ($1,534 direct, 4 stars) or opt for a 17.3-inch system such as the HP Pavilion dv7-6b55dx ($699.99 list, 4 stars). Sufficient for viewing videos in 720p, the display offers a glossy finish and fairly narrow viewing angles. The laptop's audio is a good partner for those videos, with above-average sound from the Dolby Home Theater speakers mounted above the keyboard.
Features
WiMAX or other mobile broadband is absent, but otherwise the TimelineX has a full complement of wireless features: Besides WiDi, there's 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. There's also Clear.fi, a proprietary streaming technology that lets Acer products (such as the Aspire and an Iconia tablet) share multimedia content over a home Wi-Fi network.
On the Aspire's right side are three USB 2.0 ports and a dual-layer DVD?RW drive, with an SD/MMC/xD/MS Pro memory card slot on the front edge. Ethernet, microphone, and headphone jacks are on the left side, as are VGA and HDMI ports and one USB 3.0 port. The last can be used to charge a cell phone or other device; a handy utility lets you specify whether to allow USB charging only when the laptop is plugged in or discontinue it when the latter's battery sinks to a certain percentage.
The Acer's 640GB, 5,400rpm hard drive is smaller than the 750GB drives found in competitors like the Lenovo IdeaPad Z570-10249ZU ($699.99 list, 3.5 stars), but still offers plenty of room for your documents and multimedia files. It's also packed with more than its share of bloatware, from a slew of house-brand utilities to usual suspects like Microsoft Office Starter 2010 and a 60-day trial of McAfee Internet Security to New York Times and Nook e-readers and Netflix and eBay links. Acer backs the Aspire with a two-year mail- or carry-in parts-and-labor warranty and one-year international travelers' warranty offering access to service centers abroad for owners who carry a copy of the original sales receipt.
Performance
The 5830TG-6614 is built around Intel's 2.4GHz Core i5-2430M, the same dual-core, four-thread processor found in our Editors' Choice Asus U56E-BBL6 and numerous competitors, with 6GB of DDR3 memory. It's not surprising, then, that many of its benchmark scores are virtual ties with those laptops'. Its PCMark 7 score of 2,388, for instance, is well within the margin of error of the 2,376 of the Lenovo Z570-10249ZU, and its Photoshop CS5 time of 4 minutes 8 seconds is just six seconds behind that of the Asus U56E-BBL6 and HP dv7-6b55dx.
The Aspire strides to the front, however, in graphics tests, thanks to its 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 540M discrete graphics adapter. Running at 1,024-by-768 resolution with medium quality and detail settings, the Acer posted a playable 39.1 frames per second (fps) in Lost Planet 2 and a better-than-playable 58.1fps in Crysis, as well as nearing the impressive 10,000-point mark (9,551) in 3DMark06.
Nvidia's Optimus technology automatically switches from the GeForce adapter to the Core i5 chip's more placid integrated graphics when running visually undemanding applications, which boosts battery life. Indeed, though I'm by nature biased against batteries sealed inside laptop cases so they can't be swapped out, it's hard to criticize the Acer's too much, because it lasted a hardy 9 hours 1 minute in our MobileMark 2007 test?trailing its 5830TG-6402 predecessor (9:57) and the HP Pavilion (9:33), but besting the Asus (7:42) and Lenovo (5:30).
Overall, the Aspire TimelineX 5830TG-6614 comes within a whisker of unseating the Asus U56E-BBL6 as our budget laptop Editors' Choice, the latter clinging to its title by dint of its lower price and removable battery. But if you're looking for an affordable desktop replacement that won't fold when you fire up a few games, the Acer is a strong candidate.
BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS:
COMPARISON TABLE Compare the Acer Aspire TimelineX 5830TG-6614 with several other laptops side by side.
More laptop reviews: ??? Acer Aspire TimelineX 5830TG-6614 ??? Toshiba Portege Z830-S8302 ??? HP Pavilion dm1-3010nr (Verizon) ??? Dell Latitude E6420 XFR ??? Lenovo IdeaPad U400 ?? more
MOGADISHU, Somalia ? U.S. military forces helicoptered into Somalia in a nighttime raid Wednesday and freed two hostages, an American and a Dane, while killing nine pirates, officials and a pirate source said.
The Danish Refugee Council confirmed the two aid workers, American Jessica Buchanan and Dane Poul Hagan Thisted, were freed "during an operation in Somalia." Buchanan, 32, and Thisted, 60, had been working with a de-mining unit of the Danish Refugee Council when they were kidnapped.
President Barack Obama appeared to refer to the mission before his State of the Union address in Washington Tuesday night. As he entered the House chamber in the U.S. Capitol, he pointed at Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in the crowd and said, "Good job tonight."
A Western official told The Associated Press that the raid was carried out by U.S. military forces. A second official said the helicopters and the hostages flew to a U.S. military base called Camp Lemonier in the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the information had not been released publicly.
Panetta visited Camp Lemonier just over a month ago, A key U.S. ally in this region, Djibouti has the only U.S. base in sub-Saharan Africa. It hosts the military's Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa.
The Danish Refugee Council said both freed hostages are unharmed "and at a safe location." The group said in a separate statement that the two "are on their way to be reunited with their families."
The two aid workers appear to have been kidnapped by criminals ? sometimes referred to as pirates ? and not by Somalia's al-Qaida-linked militant group al-Shabab. As large ships at sea have increased their defenses against pirate attacks, gangs have looked for other money making opportunities like land-based kidnappings.
A pirate who gave his name as Bile Hussein said he had spoken to pirates at the scene of the raid and they reported that nine pirates had been killed. A second pirate who gave his name as Ahmed Hashi said two helicopters attacked at about 2 a.m. at the site where the hostages were being held about 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of the Somali town of Adado.
Maj. Kelly Cahalan, a military spokeswoman at U.S. Africa Command in Stuttgart, Germany, said she had no information on the raid. A spokeswoman at the Pentagon had no immediate comment. U.S. military rescue operations are typically carried out by highly trained special forces.
The Danish Refugee Council had earlier enlisted traditional Somali elders and members of civil society to seek the release of the two hostages. The two were seized in October from the portion of Galkayo town under the control of a government-allied clan militia. The aid agency has said that Somalis held demonstrations demanding the pair's quick release.
Their Somali colleague was detained by police on suspicion of being involved in their kidnapping.
The two hostages were working in northern Somalia for the Danish Demining Group, whose experts have been clearing mines and unexploded ordnance in conflict zones in Africa and the Middle East.
Several hostages are still being held in Somalia, including a British tourist and two Spanish doctors seized from neighboring Kenya, and an American journalist kidnapped on Saturday.
___
Associated Press reporter Jason Straziuso in Nairobi, Kenya, contributed to this report. Houreld reported from Nairobi.
It is hard to over-estimate the importance of the South Carolina Republican primary. It was the second earthquake to hit the East Coast within the last six months ? but this one could have far greater aftershocks.
Continue Reading
The epicenter is the Republican Party. With its future now radically altered, it could have profound implications for the nation.
This could rank with California in 1964, North Carolina in 1976 and New Hampshire in 1980. Barry M. Goldwater in the Golden State, Ronald Reagan in the Tar Heel State and Reagan, again, in the Granite State, all ran as insurgents at crucial times for the GOP. All won major victories over moderate opponents, changing the party?s future ? and the nation?s.
At the Republican convention in 1960, Goldwater was not happy with Richard M. Nixon?s nomination. The Arizona senator stormed at conservatives to ?grow up,? stop complaining and get to work to take over the party. Four years later, they did.
Goldwater had been deeply concerned about the then-vice president?s recent concessions to New York Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller. Goldwater felt that ?Tricky Dick? had displayed weakness by going to New York essentially to kiss the ring of the leading GOP moderate. It was dubbed the ?5th Avenue Compact.? But Goldwater acidly labeled it, ?Munich of 5th Avenue.?
This indeed undermined Nixon?s presidential effort. Some staunch conservatives, who might once have favored the longtime red-basher Nixon, decided to support Democrat John F. Kennedy instead ? because he portrayed himself as more anti-communist.
When Goldwater ran in 1964, the nomination race came down to the key California primary against Rockefeller. Rocky had money and California?s cosmopolitan culture on his side. He had the TV networks and the newspapers. He didn?t, however, have the voters. Goldwater won a stunning victory that propelling him to a win on the first convention ballot.
By 1968, Nixon had learned his lesson. He had also convinced leading conservatives, including William F. Buckley, to support him over then-Gov. Ronald Reagan. But Nixon?s White House years helped convince conservatives not the trust the GOP establishment ? and establishment supplicants like Nixon.
In 1976, Gerald R. Ford, advised by Henry Kissinger, Donald Rumsfeld and others, pursued Nixon?s liberal policies. He seemed to almost push Reagan into challenging him in the primaries, hurling personal insults at the Gipper.
Reagan lost the first five primaries. By North Carolina, he was $2 million in debt, reeling and opposed by virtually everyone in the GOP establishment. And I mean everybody.
In Raleigh, N.C., Reagan received a telegram signed by numerous GOP officials, telling him to get out of the race. Paul Laxalt was with him and Reagan exploded, telling Laxalt that the Republicans who signed the missive ?could go [do something to] themselves,? according to Laxalt.
Newt Gingrich has stormed to an upset victory over Mitt Romney in the South Carolina GOP primary with a pair of strong debate performances that most voters said was important to their choice.
Within minutes, the former speaker of the House was looking ahead to the next contest Jan. 31.
"Thank you South Carolina!," he tweeted. "Help me deliver the knockout punch in Florida."
In exit polls, most voters said they made up their minds in the last few days of the campaign. Two-thirds said the debates were an important factor in their vote.
Gingrich led among the state's conservatives, tea party supporters and born-again Christians. Romney held a small advantage among moderate and liberal voters, and those who are not born-again Christians.
Group settings can diminish expressions of intelligence, especially among womenPublic release date: 22-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Paula Byron pbyron@vt.edu 540-526-2027 Virginia Tech
In the classic film "12 Angry Men," Henry Fonda's character sways a jury with his quiet, persistent intelligence. But would he have succeeded if he had allowed himself to fall sway to the social dynamics of that jury?
Research led by scientists at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute found that small-group dynamics -- such as jury deliberations, collective bargaining sessions, and cocktail parties -- can alter the expression of IQ in some susceptible people. "You may joke about how committee meetings make you feel brain dead, but our findings suggest that they may make you act brain dead as well," said Read Montague, director of the Human Neuroimaging Laboratory and Computational Psychiatry Unit at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, who led the study.
The scientists used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate how the brain processes information about social status in small groups and how perceptions of that status affect expressions of cognitive capacity.
"We started with individuals who were matched for their IQ," said Montague. "Yet when we placed them in small groups, ranked their performance on cognitive tasks against their peers, and broadcast those rankings to them, we saw dramatic drops in the ability of some study subjects to solve problems. The social feedback had a significant effect."
"Our study highlights the unexpected and dramatic consequences even subtle social signals in group settings may have on individual cognitive functioning," said lead author Kenneth Kishida, a research scientist with the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute. "And, through neuroimaging, we were able to document the very strong neural responses that those social cues can elicit."
The researchers recruited subjects from two universities and administered a standard test to establish baseline IQ. The results were not viewed until after a series of ranked group IQ tasks, during which test takers, in groups of five, received information about how their performances compared to those of the other group members.
Although the test subjects had similar baseline IQ scores -- a mean of 126, compared to the national average of 100 -- they showed a range of test performance results after the ranked group IQ tasks, revealing that some individuals' expressed IQ was affected by signals about their status within a small group.
The researchers wanted to know what was happening in the brain during the observed changes in IQ expression. The subjects were divided into two groups based on the results of their final rank -- the high performers, who scored above the median, and the low performers, who scored at or below the median. Two of every group of five subjects had their brains scanned using fMRI while they participated in the task.
Among the researchers' findings:
1. Dynamic responses occurred in multiple brain regions, especially the amygdala, the prefrontal cortex, and the nucleus accumbens -- regions believed to be involved in emotional processing, problem solving, and reward and pleasure, respectively.
2. All subjects had an initial increase in amygdala activation and diminished activity in the prefrontal cortex, both of which corresponded with a lower problem-solving ability.
3. By the end of the task, the high-performing group showed a decreased amygdala activation and an increased prefrontal cortex activation, both of which were associated with an increased ability to solve more difficult problems.
4. Positive changes in rank were associated with greater activity in the bilateral nucleus accumbens, which has traditionally been linked to learning and has been shown to respond to rewards and pleasure.
5. Negative changes in rank corresponded with greater activity in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, consistent with a response to conflicting information.
6. Neither age nor ethnicity showed a significant correlation with performance or brain responses. A significant pattern did emerge along gender lines, however. Although male and female participants had the same baseline IQ, significantly fewer women (3 of 13) were in the high-performing group and significantly more (10 of 13) fell into the low-performing group.
"We don't know how much these effects are present in real-world settings," Kishida said. "But given the potentially harmful effects of social-status assignments and the correlation with specific neural signals, future research should be devoted to what, exactly, society is selecting for in competitive learning and workplace environments. By placing an emphasis on competition, for example, are we missing a large segment of the talent pool? Further brain imaging research may also offer avenues for developing strategies for people who are susceptible to these kinds of social pressures."
"This study tells us the idea that IQ is something we can reliably measure in isolation without considering how it interacts with social context is essentially flawed," said coauthor Steven Quartz, a professor of philosophy in the Social Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory of Caltech. "Furthermore, this suggests that the idea of a division between social and cognitive processing in the brain is really pretty artificial. The two deeply interact with each other."
"So much of our society is organized around small-group interactions," said Kishida. "Understanding how our brains respond to dynamic social interactions is an important area of future research. We need to remember that social dynamics affect not just educational and workplace environments, but also national and international policy-making bodies, such as the U.S. Congress and the United Nations."
###
The research appears in the Jan. 23, 2012 issue of the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B in the article, "Implicit signals in small group settings and their impact on the expression of cognitive capacity and associated brain responses," by Kenneth Kishida; Dongni Yang, a former postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine; Karen Hunter Quartz, a director of research in the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies of the University of California, Los Angeles; Steven Quartz; and Read Montague, corresponding author, who is also a professor of physics at Virginia Tech. The research was supported by grants from the Wellcome Trust and the Kane Family Foundation to Montague and the National Institutes of Health to Montague and Kishida.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Group settings can diminish expressions of intelligence, especially among womenPublic release date: 22-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Paula Byron pbyron@vt.edu 540-526-2027 Virginia Tech
In the classic film "12 Angry Men," Henry Fonda's character sways a jury with his quiet, persistent intelligence. But would he have succeeded if he had allowed himself to fall sway to the social dynamics of that jury?
Research led by scientists at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute found that small-group dynamics -- such as jury deliberations, collective bargaining sessions, and cocktail parties -- can alter the expression of IQ in some susceptible people. "You may joke about how committee meetings make you feel brain dead, but our findings suggest that they may make you act brain dead as well," said Read Montague, director of the Human Neuroimaging Laboratory and Computational Psychiatry Unit at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, who led the study.
The scientists used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate how the brain processes information about social status in small groups and how perceptions of that status affect expressions of cognitive capacity.
"We started with individuals who were matched for their IQ," said Montague. "Yet when we placed them in small groups, ranked their performance on cognitive tasks against their peers, and broadcast those rankings to them, we saw dramatic drops in the ability of some study subjects to solve problems. The social feedback had a significant effect."
"Our study highlights the unexpected and dramatic consequences even subtle social signals in group settings may have on individual cognitive functioning," said lead author Kenneth Kishida, a research scientist with the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute. "And, through neuroimaging, we were able to document the very strong neural responses that those social cues can elicit."
The researchers recruited subjects from two universities and administered a standard test to establish baseline IQ. The results were not viewed until after a series of ranked group IQ tasks, during which test takers, in groups of five, received information about how their performances compared to those of the other group members.
Although the test subjects had similar baseline IQ scores -- a mean of 126, compared to the national average of 100 -- they showed a range of test performance results after the ranked group IQ tasks, revealing that some individuals' expressed IQ was affected by signals about their status within a small group.
The researchers wanted to know what was happening in the brain during the observed changes in IQ expression. The subjects were divided into two groups based on the results of their final rank -- the high performers, who scored above the median, and the low performers, who scored at or below the median. Two of every group of five subjects had their brains scanned using fMRI while they participated in the task.
Among the researchers' findings:
1. Dynamic responses occurred in multiple brain regions, especially the amygdala, the prefrontal cortex, and the nucleus accumbens -- regions believed to be involved in emotional processing, problem solving, and reward and pleasure, respectively.
2. All subjects had an initial increase in amygdala activation and diminished activity in the prefrontal cortex, both of which corresponded with a lower problem-solving ability.
3. By the end of the task, the high-performing group showed a decreased amygdala activation and an increased prefrontal cortex activation, both of which were associated with an increased ability to solve more difficult problems.
4. Positive changes in rank were associated with greater activity in the bilateral nucleus accumbens, which has traditionally been linked to learning and has been shown to respond to rewards and pleasure.
5. Negative changes in rank corresponded with greater activity in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, consistent with a response to conflicting information.
6. Neither age nor ethnicity showed a significant correlation with performance or brain responses. A significant pattern did emerge along gender lines, however. Although male and female participants had the same baseline IQ, significantly fewer women (3 of 13) were in the high-performing group and significantly more (10 of 13) fell into the low-performing group.
"We don't know how much these effects are present in real-world settings," Kishida said. "But given the potentially harmful effects of social-status assignments and the correlation with specific neural signals, future research should be devoted to what, exactly, society is selecting for in competitive learning and workplace environments. By placing an emphasis on competition, for example, are we missing a large segment of the talent pool? Further brain imaging research may also offer avenues for developing strategies for people who are susceptible to these kinds of social pressures."
"This study tells us the idea that IQ is something we can reliably measure in isolation without considering how it interacts with social context is essentially flawed," said coauthor Steven Quartz, a professor of philosophy in the Social Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory of Caltech. "Furthermore, this suggests that the idea of a division between social and cognitive processing in the brain is really pretty artificial. The two deeply interact with each other."
"So much of our society is organized around small-group interactions," said Kishida. "Understanding how our brains respond to dynamic social interactions is an important area of future research. We need to remember that social dynamics affect not just educational and workplace environments, but also national and international policy-making bodies, such as the U.S. Congress and the United Nations."
###
The research appears in the Jan. 23, 2012 issue of the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B in the article, "Implicit signals in small group settings and their impact on the expression of cognitive capacity and associated brain responses," by Kenneth Kishida; Dongni Yang, a former postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine; Karen Hunter Quartz, a director of research in the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies of the University of California, Los Angeles; Steven Quartz; and Read Montague, corresponding author, who is also a professor of physics at Virginia Tech. The research was supported by grants from the Wellcome Trust and the Kane Family Foundation to Montague and the National Institutes of Health to Montague and Kishida.
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The 5830TG-6614 is built around Intel's 2.4GHz Core i5-2430M, the same dual-core, four-thread processor found in our Editors' Choice Asus U56E-BBL6 and numerous competitors, with 6GB of DDR3 memory. It's not surprising, then, that many of its benchmark scores are virtual ties with those laptops'. Its PCMark 7 score of 2,388, for instance, is well within the margin of error of the 2,376 of the Lenovo Z570-10249ZU, and its Photoshop CS5 time of 4 minutes 8 seconds is just six seconds behind that of the Asus U56E-BBL6 and HP dv7-6b55dx.
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