Too Much News

AAUW seeking scholarship applicants

admin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 02:00:22 +0000

Staff Report Published: Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 10:04 a.m. Last Modified: Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 10:04 a.m.

The Scholarship Foundation of the American Association of University Women, Manatee County Branch, is accepting applications for academic scholarships to be used at universities, colleges, community colleges and technical institutes for the 2012-2013 school year.

Manatee County girls and women are eligible to apply for funds ranging from $500 to $1,000 for a single year or to be used over several years.

The deadline to submit an application is March 19. Forms are available at www.florida-aauw.org/Branches/manatee.htm.

Last year, the Scholarship Foundation provided more than 15 scholarships totaling $15,500. These included scholarships to Women in Transition, scholarships for general studies and for specific subject areas, including education, nursing, foreign language and environmental studies.

The awards are made primarily to female applicants in Manatee County. One exception includes a scholarship for environmental studies provided by the Manatee-Sarasota Fish and Game Association, which accepts applications from male and female applicants from both Manatee and Sarasota counties.

For more information, send an email to manateeaauw@hotmail.com.

Air Force Association recognizes fair winners

East Manatee students Christos G. Nikitopoulos and Jack W. Bailey were honored by the Sarasota-Manatee Chapter of the Air Force Association for their aeronautical and space-themed projects presented at the Lockheed Martin Manatee Regional Science and Engineering Fair.

The “Shifting Shapes” project by Christos, a student at Haile Middle School, investigated how different wing shapes affected the distance a glider could travel.

Jack, who attends Lakewood Ranch High School, pursued a similar course, investigating how different shapes of nose cones fitted on model rockets would affect the altitude to which they could fly.

Chapter President Mike Richardson presented each winner with a certificate of achievement and achievement medal, an Atlas of Space Exploration published by the Smithsonian Institute. they also received a variety of promotional items provided by the U.S. Air Force and Manatee County Air Force recruiters.

Additionally, on behalf of the Air Force, the chapter recognized two honorable mention winners, Haley Weltzen of Haile Middle School and Stephen Lindsay of Braden River High School, for their projects. they each received an certificate of achievement and an assortment of Air Force items.

Kim Kardashian,yerkürenin en arzu edilir kadınları arasında ilk 10 içinde yer alıyor

admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 21:00:39 +0000

Şubat 01, 2012 | 19:02

Tv yıldızı Kim Kardashian; AskMen.com Internet portalının 1 milyon civarı erkeğin katılımıyla gerçekleşen ″En Arzu Edilir Kadınlar 2012″ (The Most Desirable Woman of 2012) listesinde ilk 10 içinde yer aldı.

Kardashian araştırmada yayınlanan 99 kadın arasında reytingiyle 8. Sırada yer aldı.

″En Arzu Edilir Kadınlar 2012″de ilk sırayı, geçen yıl 3. Sırada olan Kolombiyalı aktris Sofia Vergara aldı.

İkinci sırada 19 yaşındaki model ve aktris Kate Upton, üçüncü sırada Rooney Mara yer almakta.

AskMen.com’a göre ″En Arzu Edilir Kadınlar 2012″de ilk 10 kadın:

10.Candice Swanepoel.

″En Arzu Edilir Kadınlar 2012″ listesinde Lady Gaga, Kate Middleton, Katy Perry, Mila Kunis gibi isimler de yer aldı.

Lenta.ru’nun verdiği haberde 2012 yılı listesinde, benzeri listelerde zaman zaman görünen Jennifer Aniston ve Angelina Jolie isimleri yer almadı.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

Zynga stock closes higher than IPO price for first time

admin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 04:00:47 +0000

After more than a month of public trading, San Francisco social-gaming company Zynga on Friday finally ended a trading session with a stock price higher than what original investors paid in its initial public offering.

With investors jazzed from a Wall Street Journal report that Facebook is considering filing for an IPO next week, Zynga — which derives most of its revenue from the Menlo Park social network — saw its shares increase 5.6 percent Friday to close at $10.05.

Zynga debuted on Wall Street on Dec. 15, after selling 100 million shares to investors at $10 apiece. Almost immediately after hitting the market, the shares dipped below that price, then ended the first day of action at $9.50. Zynga had closed at prices ranging from $8 to $9.75 since its IPO until Friday’s bounce.

The company has experienced a renaissance of sorts in analyst’s eyes since announcing last week that it is seeking partners for potential online gambling ventures.

“We know from listening to our players that there’s an interest in the real-money gambling market. We’re in active conversations with potential partners to better understand and explore this new opportunity,” Zynga said in an email statement Jan. 20.

Zynga runs one of the most popular fake-money online poker games, Zynga Poker, on Facebook and Google (GOOG)+, and launched the first in a planned series of other casino games this week, Zynga Bingo.

The gambling news arrived just before Zynga’s IPO quiet period ended, allowing analysts to weigh in this week with stock targets — the point at which analysts believe investors should sell the stock. the average price target for 15 firms covering the stock is higher than the company’s $10 IPO price at $11.08, according to a TechCrunch analysis of StreetInsider numbers.

Zynga’s next big test will be its first earnings report and quarterly guidance as a public company, which is scheduled for Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14. the company did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment for this report.

Contact Jeremy C. Owens at 408-920-5876; follow him at Twitter.com/mercbizbreak.

Pets rescued from Japan’s Fukushima radiation zone

admin — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:00:34 +0000

Members of United Kennel Club Japan (UKC Japan) care for pets which are rescued from inside the exclusion zone around the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, at the group’s pet shelter in Samukawa town, Kanagawa prefecture on Jan. 25. Dogs and cats that were abandoned in the Fukushima exclusion zone after last year’s nuclear crisis have had to survive high radiation and a lack of food, and they are now struggling with the region’s freezing winter weather. a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and massive tsunami on March 11 triggered the world’s worst nuclear accident in 25 years and forced residents around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to flee, with many of them having to leave behind their pets.

Dogs which were rescued by United Kennel Club Japan (UKC Japan) from inside the exclusion zone around Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, are seen inside cages at the group’s pet shelter in Samukawa town, Kanagawa prefecture on Jan. 25.

Reuters reports that United Kennel Club Japan, led by Yasunori Hoso, has been trying to save pets from the no-go zone:

Hoso said he aims to carry on until the last dog in his shelter is returned to its owner or finds a new home.

“When dogs are returned, many owners are really grateful and a limited few are not so grateful. But when it comes to dogs, all of them, without exception, become really ecstatic when they get reunited with their owners,” Hoso said.

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Cher Lloyd's necklace: Get the look – Female First

admin — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 19:00:24 +0000

Rate this article

Cher Lloyd has been turning heads with her unique style since she burst on to our screens turning her ‘Swag’ on, on the X Factor.

Since then, she’s risen to a popstar with catchy songs and an even bigger wardrobe.

A fan of mixing bold colours and prints to create her own signature style, in her latest video Want you Back, Cher is seen wearing a striking lollipop necklace from Tatty Devine.

You can get the exact necklace from Jewellery Store at Amazon.co.uk, £30.

The Swagger Jagger singer is also wear a cream jumper with hers, so why not try this one from Dorothy Perkins.

Cream lace detail jumper

The light colour will make sure that the necklace stands out.

And, it’ll keep you warm in this cold weather.

Available from Dorothy Perkins, now £20 reduced from £38.

Pair the jumper with a pair of tan leather shorts to toughen up the look and apply your silhoutte to the look.

Wearing something tighter on one half of the body stops the look from being shapeless.

Tan Leather Shorts

These tan real leather shorts are in investment that will only get better with age.

Buy them from Miss Selfridge. And they’re on sale too! Reduced to £25 from £60. Must Have!

Femalefirst Taryn Davies

The Verdict: “The Grey,” “Man on a Ledge” and “One for the Money” hit theaters

admin — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:00:24 +0000

“The Grey”

Starring: Liam Neeson, Dermot Mulroney, Frank Grillo

Directed by: Joe Carnahan

Rating: R for violence/disturbing content including bloody images, and for pervasive language.

Plot: a group of oil rig workers are stranded in snowy Alaska when their plane crashes. They’re forced to fight for their lives in the brutal cold while also avoiding the wolves that may provide an even bigger danger to their survival. all the while, Ottway (Neeson) is motivated by the desire to find his way back to his wife.

The Verdict: Neeson is back as an action star, his go-to genre lately, and this certainly seems to have some potential. It’s hard to say, though, whether this one will deliver or leave its viewers feeling a little empty.

“Man on a Ledge”

Starring: Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Banks, Jamie Bell

Directed by: Asger Leth

Rating: PG-13 for violence and brief strong language.

Plot: Nick Cassidy (Worthington) was convicted of stealing a $40 million diamond. Now the escaped convict has launched a plot to proclaim his innocence. he walks onto a ledge, drawing police and public attention while his friends attempt a break-in to help clear his name. Negotiator Lydia Mercer (Banks) tries to sort things out while convincing Cassidy to come off the ledge.

The Verdict: while the trailer certainly seems to tease some of the most important plot details, I wouldn’t be surprised to see it end up being something of a misdirection that sets up viewers for even bigger surprises. Either way, this appears to have an exciting story with complex characters that should make for an enjoyable thrill ride.

“one for the Money”

Starring: Katherine Heigl, Jason O’Mara, Daniel Sunjata

Directed by: Julie Anne Robinson

Rating: PG-13 for violence, sexual references and language, some drug material and partial nudity.

Plot: Stephanie Plum (Heigl) is unemployed and has her car seized by a debt collector. In need of a job, she becomes a recovery agent for a bail bond company. She’s not sure if she has what it takes for the job. one of the first people she’s supposed to bring in is a former high school love interest, Joe Morelli (O’Mara).

The Verdict: Based off the best-selling 16-book mystery series by Janet Evanovich, this movie should have a built-in fan base. but Heigl, who also is an executive producer, is still trying to find her niche beyond romantic comedies. This one is sure to have its laughs and good moments, and it should tell us much more about whether Heigl can deliver in this genre.

Bid to reshape Japan Post Group into four company units

admin — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:00:18 +0000

The Japan Post Group could be restructured from five companies into four, with the mail delivery subsidiary Japan Post Service merged with the postal retail subsidiary Japan Post Network, under a new cross-party political agreement.

The move would reportedly see the abandoning of previous government proposals to turn the Group into a three-company structure prior to privatisation, part of a postal reform bill that has been stuck in political limbo for the past two years.

Details emerged yesterday of high-level talks between the main political parties in Japan on Friday regarding how to stem the poor performance at the national postal service.

The new restructuring model would see a merged Japan Post Service and Japan Post Network operating alongside separate Japan Post Insurance and Japan Post Bank companies, with all three under the control of Japan Post Holdings.

The previous three-company proposal had been for Japan Post Service and Japan Post Network to merge with Japan Post Holdings, which would control the insurance and banking companies.

Unnamed sources told the Japanese national newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun this week that agreement between the Democratic Party of Japan, the Liberal Democratic Party and new Komeito could pave the way for a fresh attempt to privatise Japan Post.

To do so, a ban on the sale of government-held Japan Post shares would need to be lifted. however, the newspaper said the meeting of the parties had fallen short of agreeing whether to sell off government shares in the Group’s insurance and banking subsidiaries.

The opposition Liberal Democratic Party favours the sale of all shares of the Japan Post Bank and Japan Post Insurance, while the other, governing parties would like the government to retain more than a 33% share in the companies.

Business lobbies from the banking and insurance sectors are urging a complete privatisation of the Post Bank and Post Insurance companies, concerned at the advantages the businesses have with government backing.

Losses

Japan Post Group has a network of around 24,529 post offices across the country, including 20,233 of its own branches and 4,296 contracted post offices, along with 1,110 delivery service branches and 2,536 collection and delivery centres, delivering around 64m pieces of mail each day to about 31m homes and businesses.

The company has spent much of the last year recovering after the March 2011 earthquake, but even before the disaster has found its growth in revenue “significantly outpaced” by an increase in staff costs and in collection, delivery and transport costs, along with an ongoing 3% annual decline in mail volumes.

In the year up to March 2011, the mail delivery company Japan Post Service registered a net operating loss of 103.4bn yen, delivering 19.8bn postal items through the year, 340m parcels through its Yu-Pack service and 2.6bn pieces of advertising mail through its Yu-Mail service.

Selling off government shares in Japan Post Group could potentially bring in 6 trillion yen to help with recovery efforts from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Japan Post Group last month lost a lawsuit over the name of its Yu-Mail service, with a Tokyo district court deciding it was too similar to a Yu-Mail trademark registered by a catalogue company in Sapporo in 2004. Japan Post Group is planning to appeal the ruling.

Source: Post&Parcel/Japan Post/Daily Yomiuri

Tags: Japan, Japan Post Group, privatisation, restructuring

DGA Award Nominations Make Mark On The Road To Oscar – SHOOTonline

admin — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 06:00:23 +0000

Type: NewsCategory: NewsOptions: Varied Award Shows–From ASC to WGA, VES to ADG, Golden Globes–Offer possible Preview of 2012 Academy Award NomineesLOS ANGELES, January 20, 2012, a SHOOT Staff Report — Editor’s note: this marks the fourth installment of SHOOT’s “The Road To Oscar” series. this week we look at the awards show season leading up to

Japan’s Reconstruction Plans Hit Some Walls

admin — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 23:00:08 +0000

how do you protect coastal areas from a once-in-a-millennium tsunami? You don’t, planners in Japan have concluded. so they are rebuilding the coastal seawalls washed away by the 11 March 2011 tsunami to their original specifications.

This is not madness. Speaking at press conference in Tokyo today, Tatsuo Hirano, the government’s minister for reconstruction, explained that the seawalls topped by last March’s massive waves were designed to withstand tsunamis expected to recur once every 200 to 300 years. And they proved “quite effective” in protecting harbors and low-lying coastal areas from the routine tsunamis and storm surges that regularly hit Japan’s Pacific Coast, he said. Building something to resist what experts have concluded is a once-in-a-thousand-years event is not cost effective. so current plans are to rebuild the seawalls pretty much as they were.

what to do about the coastal residential areas inundated last March is a thornier problem. Experts believe it would be best to move residential areas inland and uphill, and turn those low-lying lands into parks, forests, or farms. “People agree on the concept,” said Hirano, a native of the hard-hit Iwate Prefecture. But as for where to rebuild and what kind of community to create, “it is very difficult to come to an agreement.” so “you can see long stretches (of coast) where there is no reconstruction work at all,” he said.

To protect lives, the “highest priority should go to training people to evacuate,” Hirano said. Communities are also investigating escape towers—sturdy, tall buildings that could provide shelter on upper floors.

Japan is expecting to spend 10 years rebuilding the devastated Tohoku region. But Hirano pledged “to get as much done as possible in the first 5 years.”

How Big Money Bought Our Democracy, Corrupted Both Parties, and Set Us Up for Another Financial Crisis

admin — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 04:00:33 +0000

January 22, 2012 | Advertisement

"Crony capitalism is about the aggressive and proactive use of political resources, lobbying, campaign contributions, influence-peddling of one type or another to gain something from the governmental process that wouldn’t otherwise be achievable in the market. And as the time has progressed over the last two or three decades, I think it’s gotten much worse. Money dominates politics."

Those are the words of former budget director for President Reagan, talking to Bill Moyers in this week’s episode of Moyers & Company. Continuing to focus on the intersection of money and politics, Moyers’ new program talks to Stockman about the financialization of the economy, re-regulating the big banks, the Fed’s enabling of Wall Street, and how the banks buy influence with politicians to ensure favorable treatment.

“as a result,” Stockman says, “we have neither capitalism nor democracy. We have crony capitalism.”

He names names–Larry Summers and Tim Geithner, General Electric’s Jeffrey Immelt, and more–who are deeply involved still in the Obama administration.

"If you have a former community organizer who was trained in the Saul Alinsky school of direct democracy, appointing the worst abuser, the worst abuser of crony capitalism, GE, who came in and begged for this bailout, to head his Jobs Council, when obviously GE’s international corporation, they’ve been shifting jobs offshore for decades, then it becomes so obvious that we have a new kind of system, and that we have a real crisis."

Moyers also talks with Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times business and finance reporter Gretchen Morgenson, who tells him, "you and I don’t have a lobbyist and so we are not represented in this melee."

She continues, "There is no balance here. There’s a drastic imbalance between the people who created the problem and the people who had to pay the problem and it has not been addressed."

When Moyers asks if a crisis like the one in 2008, the meltdown that nearly collapsed the financial system, could happen again, Morgenson replies, "It will happen again."

Watch the full episode below.

Moyers & Company Show 102: On Crony Capitalism from BillMoyers.com on Vimeo.

Veteran journalist Bill Moyers is the host of the show “Moyers & Company,” premiering January 2012. More at www.billmoyers.com.