Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/257894615?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Thursday, October 25, 2012
Bad Credit Payday Loans ? Free From Credit Checking Process ...
Finance | Loans | * Written by Barnes Dante | Tuesday, 23 October 2012 23:47 | Word Count: 569
The money is generated through bad credit payday loans can be used for tackling a varied number of necessities for instance bank overdraft expense, child school or college fees, paying off credit card dues, medical bills, repairing of your domestic appliances, paying light bills, grocery store bills, gas bills and standard expenditure that need quick concentration.
With bad credit payday loans the needy can easily scrounge the funds ranging from ?100 to ?1500 as per their revenue and reimbursement capability. This credit can be accepted for the settlement terms of 2 to 4 weeks. However, the repayment terms are flexible in nature. As a result you should make timely payments of the finance to keep away yourself from paying high penalty charges. There is only one drawback feature that is a bit high rate of interest.
The process of bad credit payday loans is free from credit checking so bad creditors can directly apply and get easy and fast approval. Awful credit records for instance defaults, arrears, IVA, foreclosure, late payments, CCJ?s, missed payments, due payments and other such records are acceptable to enjoy these loans without going through any credit check procedures.? If the payment of these finances is done on the due date, then you can easily mend your poor credit scores.
In order to get fast approval, there are some eligible conditions which you have to fulfill before applying for bad credit payday loans. These specific conditions are as follows:
??????? Your age must be 18 years or more than that.
??????? You need to be a permanent inhabitant of United Kingdom.
??????? You must be having a valid saving and current bank account.
? ????? You must have a fulltime employment from last six months.
??????? You must be an earner at least ?1000 per month
If once you meet with these above mentioned conditions, there is no delay in approval of your required money. That?s all you have to fulfill a simple application form available on the website of the loan. In application form you have to fill your authentic details in right way and then, submit it online. Your amount is sanctioned directly into your active bank account within 24 hours of applying.
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Barnes Dante is a veteran author of loan. Presently, he is penning down of bad credit payday loans and manifolds loans. For getting some more information of instant payday loans, payday loans & no credit check payday loans, etc.
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CUNY AND Deputy Mayor Linda I. Gibbs Announce That ...
October 25, 2012 | The University
Innovative program more than doubles graduation rate of comparison groups
City University of New York Chancellor Matthew Goldstein and Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services Linda I. Gibbs today announced independent findings that City University of New York?s Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) saves almost $6,500 per graduate, even though the initiative spends more on advisement, career services and faculty and academic support.
With 55 percent of the students in the program graduating ? compared to 24 percent in a comparison group at the same CUNY community colleges ? CUNY?s innovative approach to speeding community college students toward graduation is more effective and costs less per graduate than the traditional path toward an associate degree, according to an independent study by Professor Henry Levin of Columbia University?s Teachers College. The Chancellor also announced plans to almost double the program.
?Given ASAP?s effectiveness in helping students reach their academic goals, we plan to expand the initiative from the current 2,312 participants to more than 4,000 by fall 2014,? Chancellor Goldstein said. ?We instinctively felt that ASAP would be worth the investment. Having Dr. Levin ? a respected scholar ?
confirm and quantify that is a most encouraging affirmation.?
?CUNY ASAP is one of the most worthwhile programs we have implemented under the city?s larger anti-poverty efforts,? Deputy Mayor Gibbs said. ?Five years later, this report shows that not only is the program having a large impact on graduation rates, but it also is much more cost-effective than the alternative.?
According to Senior University Dean for Academic Affairs and Dean of the School of Professional Studies John Mogulescu, ?One of the most gratifying aspects of the ASAP program is that it has been successful at all six of our partner community colleges. This is due to the extraordinary work of our campus ASAP staff and the tremendous support and leadership of our community college presidents.?
As part of ASAP ? which also was a blueprint for many aspects of CUNY?s New Community College, which opened this semester ? students enroll full time; immediately address any developmental (remedial) education needs; take courses in continuing cohorts with consolidated schedules, which encourages development of supportive peer networks; receive intrusive advisement (meaning that advisors don?t wait to be asked for advice); take a college-success seminar; and have access to intensive tutoring services.
CUNY ASAP is funded by the Center for Economic Opportunity, which Mayor Bloomberg founded in 2006 to seek innovative ways to reduce poverty. It is one of CEO?s most successful programs to date. A partner with CUNY since ASAP began in 2007, CEO has provided assistance with implementation and evaluation. Most recently, CEO funded the cost-benefit research and outreach to help support CUNY?s plans for scaling up the program.
?CUNY ASAP has been tremendously successful in getting students to graduate within three years,? said CEO Executive Director Kristin Morse. ?The cost-effectiveness report shows that the investment has been well worth the effort and that ASAP actually saves money by significantly increasing the number of graduates.?
When the University began ASAP, it set a bold goal of graduating at least half of its initial students within three years. That represented a doubling of the existing completion rate for similar CUNY community college students and three times the national urban community college rate. ASAP did even better. Three years after its start, 55 percent of the first cohort had graduated, compared to 24 percent in a comparison group at the same CUNY community colleges, according to CUNY?s rigorous internal evaluation.
In the following years, as additional cohorts of students have gone through the program, CUNY found that:
- Remedial students graduate from ASAP at rates similar to those who start community college with proficient skills. After three years, 55 percent of both types of ASAP students earn degrees, compared to 20 percent of non-ASAP students with remedial needs and 25 percent of proficient non-ASAP students.
- Students from underrepresented groups appear to benefit more from ASAP than other students.
- Sixty-three percent of students graduate, transfer to a baccalaureate program or both three years after starting ASAP, compared to 44 percent of a comparison group.
- More importantly, CUNY found, ASAP students graduate at more that double the rates of non-ASAP students, with increases in graduation rates after three years of at least 30 percent.
The independent analysis of ASAP?s performance is the first installment of a two-part cost-benefit study by the Columbia Teachers College team led by Dr. Levin, the William Heard Kilpatrick professor of economics and education and director of the Center for Benefit-Cost Studies of Education. The second part, expected to be completed later this fall, will examine the benefits of timely graduation for both the individual and society.
Levin predicts that as CUNY expands the program, ?the added cost of ASAP services is more than compensated for by a higher production of degrees. The larger investment will result in a lower cost per degree and large aggregated savings of degree production for CUNY community colleges ? What is also noteworthy is the likelihood that ASAP is more likely to succeed with less advantaged students rather than experiencing a high proportion? of dropouts among those who quickly see that they are not likely to complete their studies.
Looking ahead to the study?s forthcoming second part, Levin writes that the benefits of increasing graduation rates will ripple though society. ?ASAP should not be considered only as an added cost, but also as an investment in which there may be a considerable payoff or social return. Graduates experience higher employment and income than non-graduates, as well as greater social status and civic activity. Additional graduates also improve the competitiveness of the labor force and return the investment to the taxpayer in the form of higher tax revenues and lower costs for social services, including public health, criminal justice, and public assistance.?
The report concludes: ?ASAP is so much more effective in producing additional graduates in a timely fashion and ? the cost per graduate for ASAP is comparable to or less than that of the traditional approach. ASAP can increase considerably the number of CUNY community college graduates while actually reducing costs.?
Joining Levin in writing the report was co-author Emma Garcia, a doctoral candidate in the economics and education program in Teachers College?s Department of Educational Policy and Social Analysis and a research assistant in the Center for Benefit-Cost Studies in Education.?Master?s student James Morgan assisted them. CUNY?s Offices of Academic Affairs and Institutional Research and Assessment commissioned the Teachers College study. The report is available at both www.cuny.edu/asap and www.nyc.gov/ceo. ?-
ASAP also shined in a separate study in which 900 students were randomly assigned to the program, according to preliminary results released in June. MDRC, a leading public policy research organization, found that ASAP increases full-time enrollment, credits earned, completion of developmental coursework and first- to second-semester retention. ASAP?s initial effects are larger than those of most community college programs that MDRC has studied. The MDRC preliminary report is at http://www.mdrc.org/publications/637/overview.html.
ASAP cost $6.5 million a year through FY 2010 and then increased to $6.8 million in FY 2011. The New York City Center for Economic Opportunity provided additional funds to include an evening/weekend ASAP program at Borough of Manhattan Community College. The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust and the Robin Hood Foundation also supported ASAP.
The City University of New York is the nation?s leading urban public university. Founded in 1847 as The Free Academy, the University has 24 institutions: 11 senior colleges, seven community colleges, the William E. Macaulay Honors College at CUNY, the Graduate School and University Center, the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, the CUNY School of Law, the CUNY School of Professional Studies and the CUNY School of Public Health. The University serves over 269,000 degree-credit students and 269,808 adult, continuing and professional education students. College Now, the University?s academic enrichment program, is offered at CUNY campuses and more than 300 high schools throughout the five boroughs of New York City. The University offers online baccalaureate degrees through the School of Professional Studies and an individualized baccalaureate through the CUNY Baccalaureate Degree. More than 1 million visitors and 2 million page views are served each month by www.cuny.edu, the University?s website.
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Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Fact Check: President Obama Jawbones Mitt Romney On ?Let Detroit Go Bankrupt?
video
The President opened by attacking Gov. Romney over his investments in companies that ship jobs to China, a note he hit all night like a Morse code operator. He quickly moved on to Detroit, saying ?If we had taken your advice, Governor Romney about our auto industry, we would be buying cars from China, instead of selling cars to China.?
Romney lost style points by whining ?I just want to take one of those points, again, attacking me is not talking about an agenda for getting more trade and opening up more jobs in this country,? then moved to defend his statements on the auto rescue. ?The president mentioned the auto industry and somehow I would be in favor of jobs being elsewhere. Nothing could be further from the truth. I?m a son of Detroit. I was born in Detroit. My dad was head of a car company. I like american cars.?
This, by the way, was a near-verbatim recitation of the third paragraph of his infamous op-ed. Authenticity!
?My plan to get the industry on its feet when it was in real trouble was not to start writing checks,? Romney continued. ?It was President Bush that wrote the first checks. I disagreed with that. I said these companies need to go through a managed bankruptcy, and in that process they can get government help and government guarantees, but they need to go through a bankruptcy to get rid of excess cost and the debt burden that they had built up.?
?Governor Romney that?s not what you said,? President Obama cut in.
?You can take a look at the op-ed. I am still speaking,? Romney snipped. ?I said we would provide guarantees and that what is what was able to allow these companies to go through bankruptcy, to come out of bankruptcy. Under no circumstances would I do anything other than to help this industry get on its feet. And the idea that as has been suggested that i would liquidate the industry, of course not.?
?Let?s check the record,? the President said, recalling Romney?s humiliation at the second debate. ?People in Detroit don?t forget.?
On the key question of whether Mitt Romney recommended government help to ?go through bankruptcy,? Mitt Romney is wrong. In his op-ed, he only referenced post-bankruptcy loan guarantees:
The federal government should provide guarantees for post-bankruptcy financing and assure car buyers that their warranties are not at risk.
That?s A) not the same thing as a loan, and B) not helping them ?through bankruptcy.? Without bridge loans from the government, there was no private capital available at the time to get them through bankruptcy, and even those commies at The Economist agree there would have been some liquidation. Romney?s plan was, essentially, to let the car companies crash hard enough to kill off retiree benefits and decent-paying jobs, then let some private financiers, with government guarantees, waltz in and buy the bones on the cheap.
To the extent that this debate makes any difference at all in this election, it will be in how this exchange is played, and replayed, in Ohio.
Here?s the clip, from Fox News:
Follow Tommy Christopher (@TommyXtopher) on Twitter.
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Companies hiring the most right now
Though unemployment fell to 7.8% in September, the job market isn?t recovering fast enough for the 12.1 million Americans who remain jobless. However, data just released by Simply Hired does offer them a glimpse of hope.
Simply Hired, a search engine that hosts more than 8 million listings from job boards, company sites and the web, found that some of America?s biggest and brightest companies are looking to fill thousands of position. We put together a list of the 10 firms doing the heaviest hiring right now.
The picture we offer does not reflect a precise number of available jobs. An opening can be listed in more than one place and can remain online for a time after it?s filled. Nevertheless, the numbers do offer a strong, broad gauge of which companies are expanding and taking on the most new workers.
AT&T has a total of 35,479 job openings, making it the No. 1 company for hiring right now. The telecommunications giant is looking to fill retail positions, sales spots, and management jobs, among others.
With 23,769 listings, Family Dollar Stores is No. 2. The North Carolina-based price-point retail chain is looking for store managers, customer service representatives, and human resources coordinators, among others.
Rounding out the top three is Toys ?R? Us. Headquartered in New Jersey, the toy retailer sells merchandise in more than 875 Toys ?R? Us and Babies ?R? Us stores. The company is currently looking for 17,073 new employees. Like the other retailers, Toys ?R? Us is bringing on thousands of part-time seasonal workers right now, to prepare for the holidays.
?Looking at the top 10 hiring companies in the nation, we can clearly see that seasonal hiring is in full swing as a number of retail companies top the list,? says Gautam Godhwani, co-founder and chief executive of Simply Hired. ?We?ve seen growth in retail job openings for the past couple months; September alone experienced a 16 percent increase from the previous month,? he adds. ?The National Retail Federation agrees that companies are hiring more employees this season compared with last year, up to 625,000 workers. This increase in hiring continues to slowly increase consumer confidence as the nation emerges from the recession.?
About half of the 13,979 Best Buy (No. 5) postings are for part-time, seasonal, contract or temporary positions, likely due to holiday hiring. A good chunk of Macy?s openings also fall into those categories, but not quite as many. Of the retailers 10,543 listings, about 4,000 are not full-time.
However, not all of these companies are looking for so many seasonal workers. For instance, a majority of the 14,233 job openings at Kindred Healthcare (No. 4) are full-time positions.? The same goes for Bank of America (No. 7), which is currently looking to fill 10,211 spots, and No. 8 Starbucks, which has 9,832 openings.
More on Forbes:
? 2012 Forbes.com
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49508983/ns/business-careers/
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Ellen DeGeneres receives Mark Twain Prize for American Humour in Washington
Ellen DeGeneres wins Mark Twain Prize, wonders: ?Why didn?t I get this sooner??
Ellen DeGeneres, who broke ground in 1997 as the first lead character on prime-time TV to reveal she was gay, is winning the nation?s top humour prize.
The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announced Tuesday that DeGeneres will receive the 15th annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. She will be honoured Oct. 22 with a lineup of star performers in a tribute show that will be recorded for broadcast at a later date.
Ellen DeGeneres, an American entertainer and prominent gay rights advocate, received the highest U.S. award for achievement in comedy on Monday.
Receiving the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center, the national showcase for arts, DeGeneres was praised as a pioneering female comic whose edgy variety show has helped define the format for daytime television in recent years.
But several guests also highlighted the comedian?s groundbreaking decision 15 years ago to go public with her sexual identity in a career-rattling move the comedian said was a necessary step for personal dignity.
?I did it for me and it happened to help a lot of other people and cause a big ruckus,? DeGeneres, 54, told reporters before the tribute, summarizing her decision in 1997 to come out publicly as gay in tandem with her on-screen character in a move that sparked controversy and prompted some advertisers to flee.
The Twain prize, named after the 19th century satirist, is the nation?s highest honour for achievements in comedy.
A native of New Orleans, DeGeneres spent her twenties as an itinerant comedian on the Los Angeles nightclub circuit until prominent spots on late night television led to her own primetime sitcom.
The original show, Ellen, featured DeGeneres in the lead role as a bookshop owner in an idiosyncratic neighborhood. While the show got a boost after the star came out of the closet, it was over a few years later.
She later returned to the standup stage, and hosted the 2001 Emmy awards, which was postponed twice after the September 11 attacks ? a somewhat subdued celebration that allowed her to try to lighten the national mood.
Several guests said that DeGeneres brought a compassion to her comedy that is rare in the field.
?The rest of us comics come from really messed-up, dark childhoods. She might have come from that, I don?t know. But it?s not what she puts forth,? said John Leguizamo, who joined the tributes. ?She just puts out this beautiful goodwill.?
In the last 10 seasons on television, DeGeneres has left her mark with a daytime variety show which she often uses as a way to promote a commitment to gay equality.
?For a lot of people, Ellen is their only homosexual friend,? said late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel.
DeGeneres is the fourth woman to receive the award since its inception in 1998.
Comedian and actor Will Ferrell won last year. Past award winners have included Bob Newhart, Steve Martin, Richard Pryor and Bill Cosby.
Monday night?s ceremony will be broadcast on PBS on October 30.
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Tuesday, October 23, 2012
DuPont to slash 1,500 jobs to counter falling sales
By Reuters
DuPont reported a lower-than-expected quarterly profit on Tuesday and announced 1,500 job cuts as part of a cost savings program designed to offset falling sales around the world.
The move by DuPont, a member of the Dow Jones industrial average?and the maker of Kevlar bulletproof fiber and Corian countertops, marks one of the more extreme reactions to slipping demand and global economic uncertainty so far in this earnings season.
DuPont's sales fell 9 percent to $7.4 billion in the third quarter, while analysts on average had expected $8.15 billion. Demand fell most sharply in Asia and Europe, hurt by higher prices for titanium dioxide paint pigment and solar panel parts.
The company posted net income of $10 million, or a penny per share, compared with $452 million, or 48 cents per share, a year earlier.
Excluding one-time items, DuPont earned 44 cents per share. By that measure, analysts on average expected 46 cents, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
The company plans to lay off 1,500 workers around the world - about 2 percent of its 70,000-person workforce - in the next 12 to 18 months as part of a restructuring plan it hopes will save about $450 million.
DuPont expects to earn $3.25 to $3.30 per share this year, below the $3.93 that Wall Street has forecast.
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UCI to announce decision on Armstrong case
GENEVA (AP) ? Cycling's governing body is set to announce Monday whether it will ratify Lance Armstrong's lifetime ban and the loss of seven Tour de France titles ordered by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.
International Cycling Union President Pat McQuaid will announce at a 7 a.m. EDT news conference whether the UCI will accept USADA'S decision to strip Armstrong of his Tour titles or appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Following that, it will be the turn of Tour de France organizers to have their say as the race prepares to celebrate its 100th edition next year.
Tour President Christian Prudhomme is awaiting the UCI's decision, saying he will remove Armstrong's name from the record books if the UCI takes away his titles.
Armstrong won consecutive Tours from 1999-2005. Prudhomme said the Tour will have no official winners for those races if the UCI strips Armstrong of his wins.
Cyrille Guimard, a former sprinter who won seven Tour stages, has been highly critical of the UCI and thinks Armstrong may be let off.
"It's not Armstrong's interest which is at stake in this affair, but the interest of all those who are involved closely or from afar," Guimard told RMC radio Sunday. "I'm fairly skeptical. An amnesty is in the pipeline."
If Armstrong's victories are not reassigned there would be a hole in the record books and it would mark a shift from how organizers treated similar cases in the past.
When Alberto Contador was stripped of his 2010 Tour victory for a doping violation, organizers awarded the title to Luxembourg's Andy Schleck. In 2006, Oscar Pereiro was awarded the victory after the doping disqualification of American rider Floyd Landis.
USADA also thinks the Tour titles should not be given to other riders who finished on the podium, such was the level of doping during Armstrong's era.
The agency said 20 of the 21 riders on the podium in the Tour from 1999 through 2005 have been "directly tied to likely doping through admissions, sanctions, public investigations" or other means. It added that of the 45 riders on the podium between 1996 and 2010, 36 were by cyclists "similarly tainted by doping."
Armstrong has kept a low profile since USADA's 200-page report stunned the sports world.
On Sunday, he greeted about 4,300 cyclists at the Livestrong charity's fundraiser bike ride, before retreating into privacy as he braced for the UCI's decision.
Armstrong spoke briefly, telling the crowd he's faced a "very difficult" few weeks. But he did not otherwise mention USADA's report detailing evidence of performance-enhancing drug use by himself and his teams.
"I've been better, but I've also been worse," said Armstrong, who has lost some of his big sponsors ? like Nike and Trek Bicycle ? and also stepped down as chairman of Livestrong.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/uci-announce-decision-armstrong-case-080359996--spt.html
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Exec says he never heard man was Spears' manager
FILE - In this Feb. 11, 2012 file photo, singer Britney Spears arrives at the Pre-GRAMMY Gala & Salute to Industry Icons with Clive Davis honoring Richard Branson in Beverly Hills, Calif. Testimony has opened in a defamation lawsuit against Britney Spears' parents, with a top record executive, Barry Weiss, saying on Monday, Oct. 22, 2012, he was never told that plaintiff Sam Lutfi was her manager. (AP Photo/Vince Bucci, file)
FILE - In this Feb. 11, 2012 file photo, singer Britney Spears arrives at the Pre-GRAMMY Gala & Salute to Industry Icons with Clive Davis honoring Richard Branson in Beverly Hills, Calif. Testimony has opened in a defamation lawsuit against Britney Spears' parents, with a top record executive, Barry Weiss, saying on Monday, Oct. 22, 2012, he was never told that plaintiff Sam Lutfi was her manager. (AP Photo/Vince Bucci, file)
FILE - In this Friday, Oct. 19, 2012 file photo, Britney Spears' parents, Lynne Spears, left, and Jamie Spears arrive at court in Los Angeles. Testimony has opened in a defamation lawsuit against Britney Spears' parents, with a top record executive, Barry Weiss, saying on Monday, Oct. 22, 2012, he was never told that plaintiff Sam Lutfi was her manager. (AP Photo/Nick Ut, File)
LOS ANGELES (AP) ? A top recording executive testified Monday that he was Britney Spears' "lifeline" during the darkest days of her well-documented meltdown and never heard that she had a new manager named Sam Lutfi.
Barry Weiss, who headed Jive Records, the label on which Spears recorded, said his only contact from Lutfi in 2007-08 was when Weiss asked him for assurance that Spears would be on set to record a music video for her "Blackout" album.
"Britney was pretty erratic at the time," Weiss testified during trial in a defamation lawsuit brought by Lutfi against Spears' parents.
Lutfi claims he was Spears' personal manager and deserves millions as his share of her income during that period.
The defamation suit stems from the way Lutfi is depicted in a book written by Spears' mother that detailed the star's meltdown.
The trial took an early recess Monday and will resume Tuesday.
Conservators of Spears' estate, including her father, Jamie, who was in court, contend that Lutfi was never her manager but was simply a user who inserted himself into Spears' life and preyed on her vulnerabilities.
Weiss told of working closely with her former personal manager, Larry Rudolph, but said he was never told Lutfi had assumed the role.
"Sam Lutfi never introduced himself or came in for a meeting. He never discussed records or a record contract," Weiss said.
"He helped us get a video made," Weiss acknowledged. "He was trying to keep Britney on the set."
But in the end, Weiss said he saw Lutfi's role as a "gofer ... like a personal assistant."
Weiss said the singer would discuss with him the album's packaging, choice of a single record and creative matters normally discussed with a manager.
"There was no manager involved," Weiss said. "She was estranged from her family. I felt I was a lifeline for her. She was texting me constantly from her cellphone."
Weiss said that he had known Spears since she was 16 when he signed her for a contract with Jive Records.
"She's a superstar, a household name in every country in the world," Weiss said.
On cross-examination by Lutfi's attorney, Weiss said Spears' current contract requires one more album. Weiss said he has been in talks to persuade Spears to join him at his new label.
"It would be nice to be back together, if that happened," he said.
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Monday, October 22, 2012
Scientists Link Deep Wells To Deadly Spanish Quake
Human-induced earthquakes are usually caused by water injection, or more precisely by increasing pore fluid pressure which in turn has the effect of decreasing the rock's confining pressure. Basically, the water inside the rock pushes out in all directions with a (typically very high) pressure related to the height of the water column in hydrostatic communication with it above. The rock above is also pushing down, but other considerations aside, this confining pressure from the weight of the rocks tends to lock faults together preventing them from moving. The effective confining pressure is reduced by the pore fluid pressure pushing the rock apart. If you add to the water column the extra weight of the water may be minuscule compared to the increase in pressure caused by the greater height of the water column. That extra pore water pressure can then allow other forces, previously held in check by the rock's confining pressure, to break the fault causing an earthquake.
The most common place for this to occur is in filling new reservoirs and in deep waste injection wells used for disposal of fluids from oil and gas production. Suck quakes are usually very small, but I think they've been observed in rare cases above magnitude 5.
Removing water is a much less common cause of earthquakes. Pumping, for both water and oil, can ground subsidence, but rarely earthquakes. It will, however, subtly affect the balance of forces on a fault, so it's not inconceivable that it could cause a fault already near the breaking point to slip. I'd be curious to see the fault geometry and movement on the fault that caused the earthquake in Span.
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Re: Can I change the Base Font in FTM 2012? - Family Tree Maker ...
Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.
Source: http://boards.ancestry.co.uk/topics.software.famtreemaker/9083.1.1/mb.ashx
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Sunday, October 21, 2012
Banks responding slowly to mortgage demand
By Dan Wilchins and Rick Rothacker, Reuters
Big U.S. banks are hiring mortgage bankers to meet a surge in demand for home loans and refinancings, but they are still struggling to process applications, which could undermine the Federal Reserve's attempts to stimulate the economy.?
Jonathan Ernst / Reuters
Banks are hiring to meet increased demand in the home loan business.
Since the Fed announced its plan in September to buy up to $40 billion of mortgages a month, consumer mortgage rates have fallen more slowly and by less than they would have done in more normal times.?
On average, 30-year home loan rates are down just 0.18 of a percentage point this week from Sept. 13, when the Fed announced its latest stimulus program. Some analysts estimate that in more normal markets, rates would have fallen by roughly 0.31 of a percentage point or more. That could save a home buyer thousands of dollars over the lifetime of a mortgage.
The dysfunction in the mortgage market, which has yet to fully recover after its battering in the U.S. housing bust and subsequent financial crisis, means most benefits from the Fed's new stimulus plan may be accruing to banks instead of consumers.
Banks still committed to the home loan business are hiring to meet increased demand, but fewer banks are committed to the business after the 2007-2009 mortgage crisis pulverized some of the biggest lenders in the United States and wounded many others.
Capacity constraints work in the banks' favor. Profit margins for home lending are more than double their usual level, JPMorgan Chief Executive Jamie Dimon told investors last Friday. The major U.S. banks, including JPMorgan Chase & Co, Wells Fargo & Co and Citigroup Inc, all said mortgage operations boosted third-quarter profits.
Lenders making mortgages say they do not want to hire too many staffers only to lay them off when volume declines. The Mortgage Bankers Association estimates that banks will make $1.47 trillion of home loans this year for home purchases and refinancings, but then just $1.04 trillion in 2013, a decline of nearly a third.
"We are trying to ... not over hire," Andy Cecere, chief financial officer at U.S. Bancorp, said in an interview on Wednesday.
Top U.S. mortgage lender Wells Fargo added about 2,000 people in the third quarter as volume surged. Chief Financial Officer Tim Sloan said in an interview the bank is responding to the impact of the Fed's plan. Chase has increased its number of loan officers by 23 percent over the last year, and expects to keep hiring aggressively, said Kevin Watters, head of mortgage originations at JP Morgan Chase.
But mortgage applications are also jumping, rising nearly 17 percent in the week ended Sept. 28. With demand that strong and no staffers to handle extra business, banks have little reason to cut rates much. In a speech on Monday, New York Federal Reserve President William Dudley acknowledged that difficulty, noting the Fed's efforts to stimulate the economy in recent years would have had a bigger economic impact if consumer mortgage rates were falling more.
Bank staffing issues are a headache for mortgage applicants already struggling with tough appraisals and wary lenders. Many borrowers tell Kafka-esque stories of bureaucracy, where what used to be a 30- to 60-day process has stretched to 90 days or more.
Profit bonanza
The mortgage business has grown much more concentrated. The top two mortgage lenders made 14 percent of mortgage loans in 2000, 29 percent of mortgages in 2006, and 44 percent in the first half of 2012, according to Inside Mortgage Finance data.?
Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase are the top two lenders now, and their predecessor companies were the top in 2000.
In 2006, Countrywide Financial Corp ? now owned by Bank of America Corp ??and Wells were the top. Bank of America last year stopped buying loans from other banks after suffering billions of dollars of losses from its exposure to home loans, which has cut its volume in half and limited smaller banks' capacity to lend.
Bankers are unsure how long the refinancing bonanza will last.
JPMorgan Chase CEO Dimon told investors the mortgage boom will continue "next quarter, maybe for a couple of quarters after that but it won't last for that much longer."
Citigroup Chief Financial Officer John Gerspach told investors on Monday that figuring out how long the refinancing boom will last is "one of the big questions facing a lot of institutions at this point in time."
Smaller banks are struggling with the same questions.
Matt Williams, president of Gothenburg State Bank in Gothenburg, Neb., and incoming chairman of the American Bankers Association, said his bank was not adding staff even though its 28 employees were "stressed to the max right now."
Williams said his bank, with $125 million in assets, expects rates eventually will go up, cutting demand for refinancing.
Mortgage demand was rising even before the Fed announced its latest plan to buy home loans, but that announcement immediately lowered bank funding costs. The effect on bank revenues will take longer to show up, because it takes months to process and close mortgage applications.
For consumers, capacity constraints among mortgage lenders mean rates are not falling as much as they theoretically could.
The average 30-year consumer mortgage rate was 3.37 percent, Freddie Mac said on Thursday ? about 1.13 percentage points higher than rates investors in mortgage bonds would accept, as measured by the "secondary rate" for mortgages guaranteed by Fannie Mae.
In the second half of 2011, the gap between consumer mortgage rates and the secondary rate averaged closer to about 0.9 percentage point, suggesting lenders could cut rates another 0.23 point. However, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae boosted fees for guarantees by 0.1 of a percentage point in August, meaning the difference may be only about 0.13 of a percentage point.
Additional reporting by David Henry and Michelle Conlin in New York and Emily Stephenson in San Diego.
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Lawyers, CEOs helped Obama win Sept. money battle
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Attorneys, business owners and retirees were among those who helped President Barack Obama maintain slim financial supremacy over Republican challenger Mitt Romney last month, with the president raising $181 million as he entered the last full month in the fight to keep his job.
An Associated Press review of newly released financial reports found at least $11 million from lawyers and at least $3 million from investors and bankers, some of whom cooled to the president earlier this election when critics say he cracked down on Wall Street and pushed for consumer-protection reforms. About $22 million more came from retired Americans, records show.
Their contributions, among hundreds of thousands of others, went hand-in-hand with record donations to an outside political group helping Obama win a second term.
All told, a swath of small-dollar contributions helped Obama and the Democratic Party best Romney and the GOP by more than $10 million last month. The president's fundraising haul topped the more than $114 million he and the Democrats raised during the month of August, and the cash Obama pulled in last month was slightly less than his record-breaking $190 million from September 2008.
Financial support to Obama and Romney are putting the presidential election on track to cost nearly $2 billion, thanks to mountains of cash earmarked to both campaigns and independent "super" political committees working on their behalf. Wealthy Americans are increasingly picking up the tab this year, at times giving millions of dollars apiece to super PACs that have buoyed costly advertising.
September's reports show major financial support going to both Republican and Democratic super PACs, with the pro-Romney Restore Our Future PAC reporting it collected $14.8 million in September, the group's second-most lucrative month. Meanwhile, Priorities USA Action, the pre-eminent Obama-supportive super PAC, said it raised a record $15.3 million.
"People who support the president know that we've come too far to go back now," Priorities senior strategist Bill Burton said. "We're ahead a little bit now, but it is time to close the deal."
Both campaigns and super PACs have made an all-out push for contributions as Election Day quickly approaches. The contributions are funding a record-breaking campaign operation for both candidates, which translates to paying a legion of campaign staff and hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of television ads.
So when it came to contributions directly to Obama's campaign, business owners and some Wall Street types helped pick up the tab, even if they didn't make up a majority of total contributions. Obama's donors in September included more than 4,000 CEOs, records show, and his campaign continued to tally millions pouring in from key battleground states.
Yet Obama hardly has a lock on winning the financial fight.
Republican super PACs have helped to match or exceed Obama's TV ad spending in dozens of media markets in battleground states. Ad spending data obtained by the AP from April through early October found pro-Romney spending has exceeded pro-Obama ad spending by at least $65 million across the nine states expected to decide the election: Colorado, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, Iowa and Wisconsin.
Obama broke presidential fundraising records four years ago, but has found himself financially outgunned for much of the summer, thanks in part to super PACs supporting Romney. Meanwhile, an AP review of campaign data this fall found Obama out-raising Romney in most of the 11 states that at one point were pivotal to win the election.
Obama and the Democratic Party had a combined $103.9 million left in the bank by September's end, reports stated. By comparison, Romney and the Republican Party were left with $145.7 million left to spend during the final full month of the campaign.
Reports detailing revenues and expenses for the first half of October are due to the Federal Election Commission by Oct. 25. Those will provide the public with the last financial snapshot before the Nov. 6 election.
___
Follow Jack Gillum on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jackgillum
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lawyers-ceos-helped-obama-win-sept-money-battle-213523453--election.html
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Saturday, October 20, 2012
Marc Benioff: Windows 8 Is Going To Be 'The End ... - Business Insider
Marc Benioff, CEO of Microsoft rival Salesforce, decided to take some big shots at Microsoft's forthcoming operating system, Windows 8.
Speaking to reporters he said the redesigned operating system is going to be the "end of Windows," and it will make Windows "irrelevant." Sean Ludwig of VentureBeat was on hand to record his comments.
Benioff also said he spoke with an executive who happens to be a Salesforce client and she said she wasn't going to move her company to Windows 8. He then wondered aloud whether CIOs would upgrade to Windows 8 or look at other options since traditional computers are less important today than ever.
Treat all of these comments skeptically. Benioff likes to stir things up. He ripped Apple during the new iPad event. He said Yammer sold too soon when it had a $1.2 billion sale to Microsoft. There are more examples, but those are two recent things to give you an idea.
With his Windows comments, he seems to be speaking off the cuff. Plus, people have been calling for Microsoft's demise for years. It's a resilient company that's not going anywhere. Arguably it's irrelevant compared to Google, Apple, and Amazon.
That said, Microsoft is taking a big risk with a radically redesigned Windows 8. We've read mixed reviews of the product, and even some feedback that says it's baffling. However, people hate change. And the initial negativity around Windows 8 could very quickly dissipate once people start using it.
Update: Someone sent this story to Microsoft's head of communications Frank X. Shaw on Twitter and here's his response: "the only word that comes to mind is 'bloviate''.
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/marc-benioff-windows-8-is-going-to-be-the-end-of-windows-2012-10
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Five tasks that you should outsource to grow your business ...
Growing a successful small business requires a range of skills that very few people have in their entirety. Bringing specialist people into a company is vitally important to its success, but hiring full time staff to your business can be both expensive and can potentially drain businesses? resources.
One alternative to hiring is to outsource certain specialist roles to ensure you are getting the best results for your business, but without the worry of employing full time staff.
Xenios Thrasyvoulou is the founder and CEO of PeoplePerHour, a global online marketplace that connects businesses with freelance workers. Here, he give Business Matters his views on some of the areas of business that are vital for driving growth, but can also be successfully outsourced.
1. Branding
No sooner has a business idea come to the mind of an entrepreneur, thoughts will turn immediately to branding. If your staff are the muscles of your company that help things move forward, and the accounts are the beating heart that ensures the business ticking along, then branding is your soul.
Branding represents everything you are and personifies your business, so getting it right is vital. And that means everything from the design and feel of the website, designing a company logo that stands out, to producing materials such as business cards, compliment slips, email signatures and and company branded documents.
Outsourcing to a branding expert does not mean that you sacrifice your thoughts or dreams about how your company is represented, but a professional marketer will be able to help you communicate your vision in a way that both inspires and engages your customers.
2. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
For those of you not familiar with SEO, this is the process of improving the visibility of your website on search engines. Recent figures suggest that when using a search engine, 79 per cent of people will automatically click on the first link that comes up. So in order to attract new business through your website, it is important that your company appears near the top.
Unless you have the technical expertise to build an SEO programme you are almost certainly going to need to bring in an individual or agency to help you out ? but the value of rising in the search term ranking could make a massive difference to your business.
3. Copywriting
Writing engaging and informative content is a skill. While it may seem in the first instance that developing content for a website or sales material is something that can be done in-house to help save money, ensuring that the content is suitable for the audience and will help attract new business will ultimately serve your business better and is worth the investment.
4. PR
While most companies will initially invest in extravagant (and often expensive) marketing campaigns to help promote their business; PR can be a cheaper and more impactful alternative. PR is more of an art than a science and so getting the right team or individual on board is essential. As well as being able to write and have a creative flair, a good PR will have a calm head and a good book of contacts.
Building relationships with journalists, is key to building a media profile, but it can be frustrating and ultimately time consuming. That?s where the experienced PR comes in.
PR is not rocket science, but it will eat into your time if you decide to take responsibility for raising the media profile of your business.
5. Accounts
Businesses are built on the foundations of good accountancy. It may not be everyone?s cup of tea but ensuring that your finances are under control is vital to ensuring the success of your business. Outsourcing this role to a professional accountant will not only mean that you are aware at a moment?s notice of how your business is performing, but will also allow you to free up vital time to help you focus on growing your business.?
Source: http://www.bmmagazine.co.uk/advice/11767/five-tasks-that-you-should-outsource-to-grow-your-business/
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Russian advice leaflet for migrants stirs outrage
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) - A leaflet depicting migrant workers as talking work tools has stirred outrage among human rights activists in Russia's second largest city and prompted accusations of state-sponsored xenophobia.
The leaflet, whose authors say it was intended to promote tolerance, provides advice on medical assistance, safety and observing immigration rules. It has cartoons depicting migrant workers as a broom, a paint roller and paintbrushes.
"In fact it sets those who come to us and those who live here against each other. It has nothing to do with promoting tolerance," Alexander Shishlov, human rights ombudsman for St. Petersburg, told the RIA news agency.
One picture shows the animated tools smiling as they wait at an airport. The Russians greeting them, who include a doctor and a policeman, are all depicted as human beings.
Another drawing shows the "tools" facing a doctor who tells them how to avoid being infected with AIDS and says that by law they should go home immediately if they test positive.
Russia attracts millions of migrants from former Soviet Union states, which depend on their remittances.
In cities they are often attacked by skinheads and other nationalists, and are easy prey for corrupt police who extort bribes for minor violations. Polls show xenophobia increasing.
Many migrants toil at construction sites for meager salaries and live in crowded barracks where infectious diseases are widespread and which are regularly raided by the Federal Migration Service.
The leaflet, which was approved by St. Petersburg mayor's office, tells migrants not to wear tracksuits, not to go outdoors in bathrobes and avoid wearing national dress to avoid "attracting attention which is not always needed".
The "Look Into The Future" charity, which published the brochure, said it saw no problem with it, adding the cartoons' impact had been tested on focus groups before release.
"No single migrant expressed a negative attitude or outrage. None of them associated themselves with these characters," said Gleb Panfilov, the charity's head.
(Reporting by Liza Dobkina writing by Gleb Bryanski; editing by Andrew Roche)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/russian-advice-leaflet-migrants-stirs-outrage-160049651--finance.html
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Friday, October 19, 2012
Bishop's 2012 Independence Message
I am not here casting a negative eye on the need to learn from others who have advanced in some positive way, in the area of our particular need. After all, the first word of the theme speaks of partnering, connoting a disposition of openness and willingness to learn from others. The truth is that, even mere survival is not possible in today?s world without a significant ability to relate and collaborate with others. Such relationships are required on the domestic, communal, regional and international levels. For purposes of our national celebration, however, let us turn inward for a moment.
We can begin by asking the question: what disposition ought we to have as a nation, to engender the sort of growth that would accord with the deepest sentiments of our people? What philosophy do we operate from? The answer to these questions will determine the quality of our advancement; whether they are geared towards helping our people to be truly independent, in the correct sense of the word, or even properly interdependent, or whether it leaves more questions hanging as regards our ability to attain greater freedom by our religious, educational, and other social structures. Not until these questions are properly answered can we speak of progress and development worthy of its name.
It must be realized, first and foremost, that genuine progress and development is about people. All infrastructural and other advancements, to attain their true value must, of necessity, be at the service of people. It is essentially about the quality of relationship that they provoke to achieve the short and long-term national and even domestic goals; ultimately, the enhancement of human life.
It cannot be doubted that physical structures have a significant place in the scheme of human advancement. For example, people need to have proper homes; a country needs proper roads, good hospitals, schools that are well integrated and other important social structures. However, these are all ineffective without the caliber of people to use them, lest they quickly go to ruin.
In my vision, therefore, a model of development that would be conducive to a small nation such as ours would need to be properly calculated, resonating with the local culture and never an imposition. We in Dominica are in a unique position to learn from the mistakes of other nations, including some of our Caribbean neighbours.
In light of this I feel compelled to ask the questions: what is so progressive about our reality when our crime is on the rise? What is so developmental about us when people are becoming more impersonal and selfish? What kind of progress do we see in the fact that increasingly people have little regard for others, basic etiquette is something of the past, and good civics is wanting?
As we enter the 34th year of self-determination, my challenge to all of us is that we focus on the common good of all our people so as to reap the long-term benefit of a truly developed nation. Needless to say, it requires the effort of all and sundry, those who, by virtue of their position in our society are called to make specific contributions, such as the Government, Church, Judiciary, law enforcement departments, professionals, businesses, educational and health institutions, the fisheries and agricultural sectors, and every rank and file member of the society of our Nature Isle. I submit therefore, that the only viable way forward is through partnership, as the national theme suggests. Let us therefore embrace that call for the prosperity and good health of our nation.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DOMINICA!
Source: http://www.dioceseofroseau.org/2012-independence-message/
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New way to save blood from ravages of chemo treatment
ScienceDaily (Oct. 18, 2012) ? Chemotherapy kills blood cells as well as cancer cells, often with fatal results. Now Yale stem cell researchers have identified a method they hope one day will help cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy maintain a healthy blood supply, they report in the Oct. 18 issue of the journal Cell Reports.
The team, under the direction of Jun Lu, assistant professor of genetics at the Yale Stem Cell Center and Yale Cancer Center, studies how blood cells regenerate. Lu is particularly interested in roles played by tiny bits of genetic material called microRNAs in the production of blood and the function of blood stem and progenitor cells, which help determine the type of blood cell created. Chemotherapy kills these types of progenitor cells, making it difficult for blood to regenerate. While red blood cells can be replaced by transfusions, white blood cells and platelets often do not recover well, leaving cancer patients prone to infections and bleeding.
Using a novel technique to analyze simultaneously large numbers of microRNAs in living mice, the researchers identified several that are involved in blood formation. When they disabled one of these microRNAs, miR-150, they found that mice were able to more efficiently regenerate white cells and platelets depleted by chemotherapy. Mice without this microRNA showed no ill health effects. Conversely, mice with active miR-150 had difficulty generating new blood cells.
"We hope that finding specific microRNAs involved in blood formation will provide us ways not only to help cancer patients survive chemotherapy, but to make chemotherapy more efficient," Lu said.
Other Yale authors of the study include Brian D. Adams, Shangqin Guo, Haitao Bai, Yanwen Guo, Cynthia Megyola, Jijun Cheng and Kartoosh Heydari. Researchers from The Scripps Research Institute, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and Shanghai First People's Hospital also contributed to the study.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Yale University.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- Brian D. Adams, Shangqin Guo, Haitao Bai, Yanwen Guo, Cynthia M. Megyola, Jijun Cheng, Kartoosh Heydari, Changchun Xiao, E. Premkumar Reddy, and Jun Lu. An In Vivo Functional Screen Uncovers miR-150-Mediated Regulation of Hematopoietic Injury Response. Cell Reports, 2012; DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2012.09.014
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/7_-XdcFE_Qw/121018162648.htm
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Thursday, October 18, 2012
Nike severs ties to Armstrong "with great sadness"
FILE - In an 80-foot billboard at 34th Street and 7th Avenue in Manhattan, Lance Armstrong and Nike challenge New Yorkers to "Run Like Lance" in an Oct. 2, 2006 file photo. Nike said Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2012 that it is severing ties with Armstrong, citing insurmountable evidence that the cyclist participated in doping and misled the company for more than a decade. (PRNewsFoto/NIKE, Inc., File)
FILE - In an 80-foot billboard at 34th Street and 7th Avenue in Manhattan, Lance Armstrong and Nike challenge New Yorkers to "Run Like Lance" in an Oct. 2, 2006 file photo. Nike said Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2012 that it is severing ties with Armstrong, citing insurmountable evidence that the cyclist participated in doping and misled the company for more than a decade. (PRNewsFoto/NIKE, Inc., File)
FILE - In this Oct. 7, 2012, file photo, Lance Armstrong competes wearing Nike gear in the Rev3 Half Full triathalon in Ellicott City, Md. Nike said Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2012 that it is severing ties with Armstrong, citing insurmountable evidence that the cyclist participated in doping and misled the company for more than a decade. (AP Photo/Steve Ruark, File)
NEW YORK (AP) ? Nike has severed ties with cyclist Lance Armstrong, citing insurmountable evidence that he participated in doping and misled the company about those activities for more than a decade.
The clothing and footwear company said Wednesday that it was terminating Armstrong's contract "with great sadness."
"Nike does not condone the use of illegal performance enhancing drugs in any manner," it said in a statement.
Armstrong said Wednesday, just minutes before the announcement from Nike, that he was stepping down as chairman of his Livestrong cancer-fighting charity so that the organization can steer clear of the whirlwind surrounding its founder.
A representative for Armstrong could not be immediately reached for comment.
Nike Inc., based in Beaverton, Ore., said it plans to continue its support for Livestrong. Anheuser-Busch and the sunglasses company Oakley have already pledged ongoing support for the organization.
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency released a massive report last week detailing allegations of widespread doping by Armstrong and his teams when he won the Tour de France seven consecutive times from 1999 to 2005.
The 41-year-old Armstrong, who overcame life-threatening testicular cancer, retired from cycling a year ago. He announced in August that he would no longer fight the doping allegations that have dogged him for years.
Nike's courting of top celebrity athletes is well known, as are the inherent risks companies assume when doing so.
After Tiger Woods ran his SUV over a fire hydrant in November 2009, eventually bringing to light his infidelities, Accenture, AT&T Inc. and Gatorade cut ties with him. But EA Sports and Nike stood by the golfer.
Nike signed NFL quarterback Michael Vick to a contract during his rookie year in 2001, but ended that pact in August 2007 after he filed a plea agreement admitting his involvement in a dogfighting ring. Vick spent 21 months in prison.
Nike re-signed Vick, who plays with the Philadelphia Eagles, in July 2011. The company said at that time that it didn't condone Vick's actions, but was supportive of the positive changes he had made to better himself off the field.
Shares of Nike edged slightly higher in early trading.
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Rookie QB rules no longer apply
RG3, Luck & Co. may force teams, pundits to re-think expectations for new signal callers
APRobert Griffin III has the Redskins off to a 3-3 start, but that doesn't begin to descibe his NFL impact, writes Scott Kascmar.
ANALYSIS
By Scott Kacsmar
NBCSports.com contributor
updated 12:03 a.m. ET Oct. 17, 2012
The 2012 NFL season will be remembered for many things, but one of the most interesting stories is the progression of the rookie quarterbacks.
This could be the year the book was rewritten on rookie expectations. The fearless five starters are still healthy and holding onto their jobs as we head into Week 7, an encouraging sign.
There has never been a season in the modern era (since 1950) where five rookie quarterbacks started in Week 1, but that was the case with Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Ryan Tannehill, Brandon Weeden, and Russell Wilson.
Only Wilson ? go figure, the only one who was a third-round pick ? has led his team to a winning record (4-2), but he has the best defense and plays in the league's most run-heavy offense. Part of what makes this group stand out historically is the way they have been relied upon so heavily and quickly in their careers.
When you look at all rookie quarterbacks since 1960 through their first six games, these five from 2012 are among the most prolific ever.
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While Cam Newton had a record 1,847 passing yards at this point last season, there are three 2012 rookies who rank 2-4. Wilson may lack the yards, but he is the only rookie quarterback since 1960 with eight touchdown passes through six games.
Each rookie is managing a very different situation this season, and some have enjoyed more help than others so far.
Andrew Luck, Colts (2-3)
The most impressive part about Luck is his ability to take everything the coaches give him and effectively run the offense like a veteran. It is easy to see why he was such a highly-respected prospect out of Stanford.
Luck has been excellent in two-minute drills and running the hurry-up offense. The Colts ran a team-record 89 offensive snaps in their 30-27 comeback win from a 21-3 deficit against Green Bay.
He is very effective out of the shotgun, has been incredible at avoiding sacks and scrambling for first downs on key third downs, and had a three-game stretch where he led the team to a go-ahead score in the final 60 seconds of each game.
Luck has already thrown for over 300 yards in three of the five games; one more would tie Peyton Manning?s rookie record. He had 280 yards at the Jets in Week 6, though it was his worst game of the season.
The Colts run a lot of vertical routes and the running backs have just nine catches on the season. Luck is getting almost no yards after the catch from his receivers, as everything has been tightly contested and tackles are being made right as the Colts catch passes. Reggie Wayne has been a huge help and he is having a great season for Luck, but the young receivers are struggling to get open.
Concerns going forward are that the coaches ? that being interim coach Bruce Arians as Chuck Pagano battles leukemia ? may be putting too much responsibility on Luck. He is on pace for 803 drop backs this season, which would easily be a NFL record.
Some more screens, more play action (easier plays) could help Luck, as right now the running game has not been great and the offense is too fixated on wide receivers.
Playing with such an inexperienced team, the two road games have been the toughest (at Chicago and the Jets), and Luck has been pressing in each after getting behind early. Compared to the other rookies, Luck has faced the toughest set of defenses.
There will of course continue to be growing pains, but the future looks bright in Indianapolis.
Robert Griffin III, Redskins (3-3)
The quarterback known as RGIII is off to a hot start in what could be a historic season. It began with that big performance in New Orleans to start the season: 19-of-26 for 320 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, and a 139.9 passer rating.
Of course the Saints look like hot garbage on defense this season, but it was one of the all-time debut games. Griffin has only been intercepted twice on 161 pass attempts this season. He may only have five passing touchdowns, but has already rushed for six.
Cam Newton received a lot of buzz for his dual-threat ability last season, but so far Griffin has been a more efficient passer and even more effective runner.
Through just six games Griffin has rushed 55 times for 379 yards (6.89 yards per carry). Only Bobby Douglass (475 yards in 1972) and Michael Vick (441 yards in 2006) have had more yards rushing by a quarterback through six games.
While Griffin has the skills to set some rushing records, he also is taking aim at Ben Roethlisberger?s rookie passer records for passer rating (98.1) and completion percentage (66.4 percent). Griffin is completing 70.2 percent of his passes and has a 100.5 passer rating.
Griffin had a late game-winning drive against Tampa Bay that was very impressive.
Mike Shanahan is showing he could still coach quarterbacks when not stuck with someone else?s trash. The Redskins have really tailored an offense to take advantage of Griffin?s unique skill set, and he has been put in the best situation to succeed individually among the rookie quarterbacks.
Calling lots of screens and short passes allows Griffin to get the ball out quickly to playmakers and get in a rhythm. Check the difference in how each rookie quarterback is throwing passes behind the line of scrimmage and deep (21+ yards) and the amount of yards after catch (YAC) received.
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Luck and Wilson have aired it out more, while Weeden and Griffin have often thrown short. Tannehill is in between the two.
The big concern with Griffin is his running style, size and injuries. He already suffered one concussion and could not finish the game. Washington?s backup plan also being a rookie (fourth-round pick Kirk Cousins) makes it even more important he avoids such big hits. He is more Michael Vick than he is Newton, though Griffin is more developed as a passer than both at this point.
Ryan Tannehill, Dolphins (3-3)
When watching Hard Knocks on HBO, it did not seem Tannehill would have any weapons to throw to, but Brian Hartline has exploded with games of 111 and 253 yards this season.
The latter came in Arizona when Tannehill passed for 431 yards, which is one short of Newton?s rookie record set last year (432 yards).
It was a rough start for Tannehill to have to go to Houston in Week 1, and his three straight interceptions in the second quarter gave Miami no shot that day. Never mind that the Dolphins followed it up with a fumble and fourth straight giveaway. That was a 30-10 rout.
However, in the last four games we have seen a much better quarterback and a very competitive Miami team. Reggie Bush is running the ball well and Cameron Wake leads one of the better defenses in the AFC.Tannehill has rarely been spectacular like some of the other rookies, but he has been solid and has a legitimate claim that he should have won his last four starts. Miami just had to make a game-winning field goal in overtime against the Jets, but Dan Carpenter missed. They had a 4th and 10 to stop Arizona, but Kevin Kolb converted for the touchdown.
Without those plays, Tannehill would be 4-1 with two comebacks and game-winning drives. Joe Philbin may only be a rookie coach, but he has an offensive background and has Tannehill and the Dolphins playing much better than expected at 3-3.
Brandon Weeden, Browns (1-5)
The Browns were the last team to register a win this season, but at least they ended their losing streak, and Weeden had his first comeback/game-winning drive on his 29th birthday.
It was easy to say Weeden stepped into the worst situation just because it is Cleveland, but he has good pieces on the offensive line and the team used premium draft picks on running back Trent Richardson and wide receiver Josh Gordon. Greg Little never makes any catch easy on himself, and Mohamed Massaquoi has continued to disappoint.
After that horrendous Week 1 debut versus Philadelphia (12-of-35 for 118 yards, 0 TD, 4 INT, 5.1 passer rating), it was not clear Weeden really belonged in this league, but there has been improvement ever since. His unusual age means he must develop faster than some of these other guys, but he is also not the same investment when being just the No. 22 pick.
Not to write Weeden off yet, but he seems much more system dependent than the rest of the rookies, and Pat Shurmur?s coaching staff (Brad Childress as offensive coordinator) may not be the long-term answer. Improvising on the fly, throwing under pressure, touch-passing, in all of these areas Weeden appears to be lagging behind in the 2012 class.
Russell Wilson, Seahawks (4-2)
While Weeden?s stock may have fallen because of his age, Wilson?s discrimination was more due to his height (5-11).
After such an impressive preseason, Wilson beat out Matt Flynn for the starting job and has lived up to the billing in the real games. His early career may be known best for Hail Mary passes ? losing on two of them in college at Wisconsin and winning against Green Bay on the Golden Tate play ? but a few more games like Sunday versus New England and those moments will be forgotten.
Wilson became the fourth rookie to take out the Bill Belichick-coached Patriots as he completed 16-of-27 passes for 293 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT and a 133.7 passer rating. Russell outplayed Tom Brady in the fourth quarter, throwing a 46-yard game-winning touchdown to Sidney Rice with 1:18 remaining in a 13-point comeback win.
Russell has had a chance late in four games this season, and converted twice in big fashion versus flagship teams like the Patriots and Packers. He will get another crack in prime time this Thursday in San Francisco in a battle for first place in the NFC West.
Though limited in his attempts, Wilson does already have eight touchdown passes and may be the best deep-ball passer in the 2012 class. Wilson is 10-of-22 on passes thrown more than 21 yards this season, and has five touchdowns.
Should Seattle start to open up the offense and give him more chances, Wilson could be a dark horse as the lone rookie quarterback to lead his team into the postseason this year.
Not bad for the little guy out of the third round.
Scott Kacsmar (@CaptainComeback) writes for Cold, Hard Football Facts, Bleacher Report, Colts Authority, and contributes data to Pro-Football-Reference.com and NFL Network.
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More newsAPRookie QB rules no longer apply
??Kacsmar: This could be the year the book was rewritten on rookie expectations. When you look at all rookie quarterbacks since 1960 through their first six games, these five from 2012 are among the most prolific ever.
Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/49433625/ns/sports-nfl/
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