RIM shares dive as fee changes catch market off guard

Shares of BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd plunged more than 20 percent on Friday on fears that a new fee structure for its high-margin services segment could put pressure on the business that has set the company apart from its competitors.
It was the stock's biggest, single-day, percentage price drop since September 2008. But shares were still nearly 80 percent above the year's low, which was reached in September. They started to rally in November as investors began to bet that RIM's long-awaited new BlackBerry 10 phones, which will be unveiled in January, would turn the company around.
The services segment has long been RIM's most profitable and accounts for about a third of total revenue. Some analysts said there was a risk that the fee changes could endanger its service ecosystem and leave the Canadian company as just another handset maker.
The fee changes, which RIM announced on Thursday after market close, overshadowed stronger-than-expected quarterly results. The company said the new pricing structure would be introduced with the BlackBerry 10 launch, expected on January 30.
RIM said some subscribers would continue to pay for enhanced services such as advanced security. But under the new structure, some other services would account for less revenue, or even none at all.
Chief Executive Thorsten Heins tried to reassure investors in a television interview with CNBC on Friday, saying RIM's "service revenue isn't going away".
He added: "We're not stopping. We're not halting. We're transitioning."
Since taking over at RIM in January, Heins has focused on shrinking the company and getting it ready to introduce its new BB10 devices, which RIM says will help it claw back ground it has lost to competitors such as Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics.
But the new services pricing strategy came as a shock to markets, and some analysts cut their price targets on RIM stock.
RIM will not be able to sustain profitability by relying on its hardware business alone, said National Bank Financial analyst Kris Thompson, whom Thomson Reuters StarMine has rated the top RIM analyst based on the accuracy of his estimates of the company's earnings.
Thompson downgraded RIM's stock to "underperform" from "sector perform" and cut his price target to $10 from $15.
Forrester Research analyst Charles Golvin said the move was likely about stabilizing market share: "At the moment, they need to stem the bleeding."
He said the tiered pricing might line up better with RIM's subscriber base as it expands in emerging economies.
RIM's Nasdaq-listed shares closed down 22.7 percent at $10.91 on Friday. The stock fell 22.2 percent to C$10.86 on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
COUNTDOWN TO LAUNCH
The success of the BB10 will be crucial to the future of RIM, which on Thursday posted its first-ever decline in total subscribers. Heins said on CNBC that the company expected to ship millions of the new devices.
He cautioned that this will require heavy investment, which will reduce RIM's cash position in its fourth and first quarters from $2.9 billion in its fiscal third quarter. He said, however, it would not go below $2 billion.
Still, doubts remain about whether RIM can pull off the transformation. Needham analyst Charlie Wolf said the BB10 would have to look meaningfully superior to its competitors for RIM to stage a comeback.
Canaccord Genuity analyst Michael Walkley said it was highly unlikely that the market would support RIM's new mobile computing ecosystem, and he remained skeptical about the company's ability to survive on its own.
"We believe RIM will eventually need to sell the company," said Walkley, who cut his price target on RIM shares to $9 from $10.
Baird Equity Research analysts said BB10 faced a daunting uphill battle against products from Apple, as well as those using Google Inc's Android operating system, and, increasingly, phones with Microsoft Corp's Windows 8 operating system.
Baird maintained its "underperform" rating on the stock, while Paradigm Capital downgraded the shares to "hold" from "buy" on uncertainty around the services revenue model.
"RIM has gone from having one major aspect of uncertainty - BlackBerry 10 adoption - to two, given an uncertain floor on services revenue," William Blair analyst Anil Doradla said.
RIM will have to discount BB10 devices significantly to maintain demand, Bernstein analyst Pierre Ferragu said.
The BlackBerry, however, still offers the security features that helped it build its reputation with big business and government, a selling point with some key customers.
Credit Suisse maintained its "neutral" rating on the stock, but not because it expected BB10 to be a big success.
"Only the potential for an outright sale of the company or a breakup keeps us at a neutral," Credit Suisse analysts said.
Separately on Friday, ailing Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia said it had settled its patent dispute with RIM in return for payments.

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TSX ends flat as RIM buckles, gold miners bounce

 Canada's main stock index ended little changed on Friday as gold miners gained on safe-haven buying amid U.S. budget uncertainty, while BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd plunged more than 20 percent.
The index's materials sector, which includes miners, rose 0.4 percent. Even though the price of gold was near its lowest level in four months, the gold-mining sub-sector added 0.9 percent as investors fretted over stalled U.S. budget talks that could throw Canada's largest trading partner back into recession.
"As our tiptoes are over the (U.S.) fiscal cliff and we're looking over the abyss, the markets are upset obviously, and this is sort of putting a damper on the stocks," said John Ing, president of Maison Placements Canada.
"But we've had a mixed reaction in Canada, mainly because the resources have been much better, like gold for example, which is hedging into the uncertainty (around the budget talks)," he said, noting gold miners had been under pressure for the last two weeks.
Miner Barrick Gold Corp edged up 0.2 percent to C$33.29. Centerra Gold Inc jumped more than 3 percent to C$9.10.
Gold miners are playing catch-up after underperforming throughout the year and could rise further in 2013, said Gavin Graham, president at Graham Investment Strategy.
Shares of RIM dropped 22.2 percent to C$10.86 on fears that a new fee structure for its high-margin services segment could put pressure on the business that has set the company apart from its competitors.
The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index <.gsptse> fell 3.01 points, or 0.02 percent, to end at 12,385.70. It gained 0.7 percent for the week.
Efforts to avoid the looming U.S. "fiscal cliff" were thrown into disarray on Friday with finger-pointing lawmakers fleeing Washington for Christmas vacations even as the year-end deadline for action edged ever closer.
Graham said that until a deal is reached in the U.S. budget talks, investors will avoid economically sensitive Canadian stocks and those most closely tied to the U.S. economy: auto parts manufacturers, forestry companies and resource stocks generally.
"The resource sectors in Canada, which is half of the index, is going to be adversely affected, correctly or not," he said.

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First photos of BlackBerry 10 ‘N-Series’ QWERTY smartphone leak

As Research In Motion (RIMM) begins its attempt to mount a comeback for the ages in 2013, it will place its early hopes on two high-end smartphones. The first is the BlackBerry Z10, and we’ve already seen it in a number of leaks. The second is a QWERTY-equipped touchscreen phone similar to the current BlackBerry Bold 9900, and it has just been pictured for the first time in photos published by Chinese blog cnBeta.com. No additional information accompanied the photos, however earlier reports stated that the smartphone will include a 720 x 720-pixel display with a pixel density of 330 ppi. Another image of the BlackBerry 10-powered N-Series phone follows below.

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Fifth-gen iPad reportedly due in March along with Retina iPad mini

Rumors that a second-generation iPad mini with a Retina display is set to launch ahead of Apple’s typical annual schedule next year have been swirling, and now it appears Apple’s (AAPL) full-size iPad may be sticking to its new semiannual release schedule. According to a report from Japanese blog Makotakra that cites an anonymous “inside source,” Apple plans to launch a new thinner, lighter 9.7-inch iPad as soon as March 2013. The fourth iPad model was just released last month alongside the iPad mini, but March was also suggested in recent Retina iPad mini rumors. Makotakra states that the new iPad will adopt styling queues from the current iPad mini model, unifying the look of Apple’s larger tablet with the iPad mini and iPhone 5.

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Find room for God in fast-paced world, pope says on Christmas eve

Pope Benedict, leading the world's Roman Catholics into Christmas, on Monday urged people to find room for God in their fast-paced lives filled with the latest technological gadgets.
The 85-year-old pope, marking the eighth Christmas season of his pontificate, celebrated a solemn Christmas Eve mass in St Peter's Basilica, during which he appealed for a solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict and an end to the civil war in Syria.
At the mass for some 10,000 people in the basilica and broadcast to millions of others on television, the pope wove his homily around the theme of God's place in today's modern world.
"Do we have time and space for him? Do we not actually turn away God himself? We begin to do so when we have no time for him," said the pope, wearing gold and white vestments.
"The faster we can move, the more efficient our time-saving appliances become, the less time we have. And God? The question of God never seems urgent. Our time is already completely full," he said.
The leader of the world's some 1.2 billion Roman Catholics said societies had reached the point where many people's thinking processes did not leave any room even for the existence of God.
"Even if he seems to knock at the door of our thinking, he has to be explained away. If thinking is to be taken seriously, it must be structured in such a way that the 'God hypothesis' becomes superfluous," he said.
"There is no room for him. Not even in our feelings and desires is there any room for him. We want ourselves. We want what we can seize hold of, we want happiness that is within our reach, we want our plans and purposes to succeed. We are so 'full' of ourselves that there is no room left for God."
PEACE CANDLE
Bells inside and outside the basilica chimed when the pope said "Glory to God in the Highest," the words the gospels say the angels sang at the moment of Jesus' birth.
Earlier on Monday the pope appeared at the window of his apartments in the apostolic palace and lit a peace candle, as a larger-than-life nativity scene was unveiled in St Peter's Square below.
Reflecting on the gospel account of Jesus born in a stable because there was no room for Mary and Joseph in the inn, he said when people find no room for God in their lives, they will soon find no room for others.
"Let us ask the Lord that we may become vigilant for his presence, that we may hear how softly yet insistently he knocks at the door of our being and willing.
"Let us ask that we may make room for him within ourselves, that we may recognise him also in those through whom he speaks to us: children, the suffering, the abandoned, those who are excluded and the poor of this world," he said.
He asked for prayers for the people who "live and suffer" in the Holy Land today.
The pope called for peace among Israelis and Palestinians and for the people of Syria, Lebanon and Iraq and prayed that "Christians in those lands where our faith was born may be able to continue living there, that Christians and Muslims may build up their countries side-by-side in God's peace."
The Vatican is concerned about the exodus from the Middle East of Christians, many of whom leave because they fear for their safety. Christians now comprise five percent of the population of the region, down from 20 percent a century ago.
According to some estimates, the current population of 12 million Christians in the Middle East could halve by 2020 if security and birth rates continue to decline.
At noon (1100 GMT/6 AM ET) the pope will deliver his twice-yearly "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and the world) blessing and message from the central balcony of St Peter's Basilica.

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The arduous art of the chocolate taster

First study the colour, then the nose, the structure and taste: as for any good wine, tasting chocolate is both a treat and a serious art, requiring regular practice to fine-tune the senses.
And who better to offer a lesson in chocolate tasting than Pierre Herme, the French master pastry chef?
"You start by looking at the texture," he explained at a recent tasting organised in Paris by the "Chocolate Crunchers' Club" -- a 150-strong fellowship created three decades ago to celebrate a common passion for the cocoa bean.
"I rough it up a bit first -- crushing it to test its resistance," Herme said, pressing a blade onto various parts of the chocolate bonbon on his plate.
Then comes the time to taste, paying close heed to "intensity, acidity, the lightness of the texture, the finish" -- how the flavour lingers after each mouthful -- "and for flavoured chocolates the balance between the chosen aroma and the chocolate itself."
Without forgetting the most important of all: "pleasure."
Five times a year the club's members gather around some of France's top artisans to taste all manner of cocoa-based treats -- from truffle bars to mousses, biscuits, patisseries and ice creams.
The ritual is always the same: each taster needs a small knife, a glass of water and some bread to cleanse the palate.
"The knife is essential, especially for chocolate bonbons," explained Claude Lebey, the doyen of French food critics and one of the founders of the club, gathered for the occasion in a Paris mansion.
"You have to slice the sweets in two, to see the thickness of the coating. It should offer resistance, but should not be too thick either, or it stops you from tasting what is inside."
Lebey confesses to keeping chocolate stashed away in various corners of his apartment so he can indulge in a quick nibble at any moment.
"Hmm, the coffee in this one is dosed just right," he mused approvingly, sucking on a bonbon named "Brasilia", created by Jean-Paul Hevin -- a star Parisian chocolatier with his own stores in Japan and Hong Kong.
"It's a dark chocolate ganache, but I added a bit of milk to bring out the scent of the coffee," explained Hevin, who uses ground coffee from Colombia and Brazil -- rather than instant as is often the case.
The club's expert crunchers sample another bonbon, this one flavoured with Earl Grey tea.
"The bergamot could be a little more pronounced," reckoned one taster. "Yes -- but that's risky, bergamot will easily crush any other flavour," tempered another.
For Hevin, "getting the right dose between different flavours is particularly difficult, it takes months of work."
"Most often I will put the accent on the chocolate, above any other flavour."
But sometimes, on a smoked tea bonbon for instance, he does the opposite: "I am a big tea fan, so on this one I pulled out the stops so you can really taste it. I wanted something more powerful, more virile.

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One Big Reason Not to Rush into Early Retirement

You might want to think twice about retiring early.  That’s because, new research has shown a link between early retirement and premature death.
Research by Andreas Kuhn, Jean-Philippe Wuellrich and Josef Zweimüller found that men, in particular, had an increased risk of death before age 67 when they retired early. To prove this, the researchers looked at a group of blue-collar workers from Austria, born between 1929 and 1941.
"We find that a reduction in the retirement age causes a significant increase in the risk of premature death for males, but not for females," the research said. "The effect for males is not only statistically significant but also quantitatively important. According to our estimates, one additional year of early retirement causes an increase in the risk of premature death of 2.4 percentage points (a relative increase of about 13.4 percent, or 1.8 months in terms of years of life lost)."
[10 Easy Paths to Self Destruction]
According to the research, this can be attributed to negative health habits of people during retirement.  These habits, which include smoking, drinking, unhealthy diet and limited exercise, contribute to 78 percent of casual retirement deaths, while smoking and drinking alone result in 32 percent of casual retirement deaths.
"Our results also suggest that preventive health policies should be targeted to (early) retirees," the research said. "Policies that induce individuals to adopt healthy (or avoid unhealthy) behaviors may have disproportionately positive health consequences for workers who (are about to) permanently withdraw from the labor market.

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Spring/Summer hair trends: five new looks to try

Spring/Summer hair doesn't just have to mean tousled waves or blonde highlights, so take inspiration from the Spring/Summer 2012 catwalk shows and experiment with candy color or victory rolls.
Slicked back
Get the hair gel at the ready because slicked-back styles were all over the Spring/Summer 2012 runways, with everyone from Victoria Beckham to Mugler embracing the mullet-influenced style. Labels including Giambattista Valli, Rebecca Taylor, BCBG Max Azria and Viktor & Rolf also kept tresses smoothed off the forehead for a streamlined and almost futuristic look.
Candy color
Hair color has got bold for this season, with candy colors including purple and pink replacing classic springtime looks such as ombré tresses or beachy blondes. During the Spring/Summer 2012 shows labels including Issey Miyake, Narciso Rodriguez and Thakoon showcased the trend, with the latter painting models locks blue, orange, purple or pink. Models at DSquared2 had pink streaks in their hair, while Peter Som livened up blonde locks with orange strands. Celebrities have taken to the trend too, with Katy Perry and January Jones just some of the big names reaching for the dye.
Retro quiffs
Having already made an impact during the Fall/Winter season, the quiff has confirmed its staying power and will be back for Spring/Summer 2012 after showing up at shows from the likes of Limi Feu and Rochas. While a retro aesthetic dominated at many presentations, Haider Ackerman showcased punkier varieties and Ohne Titel worked the trend for shorter styles. Meanwhile, Jean Paul Gaultier championed the victory roll for a perfect pin-up look.
Futuristic up dos
Cone-shaped chignons offered an interesting new silhouette at the Spring/Summer 2012 shows, with Rochas, Narciso Rodriguez and Issey Miyake all sculpting long locks into the most streamlined of shapes which had a science fiction feel. Meanwhile, exaggerated silhouettes were seen at Fendi with its "fobs" (faux bobs), and Diane von Furstenberg embraced dramatic beehives. Be warned: these styles require plenty of hairspray and close attention to detail.
Experimental braids
Braids were one of the most popular up-do styles on the Spring/Summer 2012 runways, whether in messy fishtail form at Michael Kors or sleek at Peter Pilotto and Danielle Scutt. Low slung braids were seen at Ashish, while romantic plaits were wrapped around the head at Moschino and Valentino. Stars including Dianna Agron have been seen working the fishtail headband trend on the red carpet recently, while Jennifer Lawrence's The Hunger Games alter ego Katniss Everdeen's side French braid has become the subject of numerous YouTube tutorials.

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US late-night host Conan O'Brien shares his workout playlist

This week, famed American late-night talk show host Conan O'Brien shared his favorite music for staying motivated in the gym.
While not known for his rock-hard gym body, O'Brien is a fitness fan and music lover, and he released his top 16 playlist of gym-friendly tunes as part of his weekly series for streaming service Rdio's Guest DJ.

Here is Conan's playlist or in certain countries, stream it here at Rdio.

1. Vampire Weekend, "A-Punk"
2. The Dovells, "You Can't Sit Down"
3. Cheap Trick, "Dream Police"
4. The Raconteurs, "Steady, As She Goes"
5. Jay-Z, "99 Problems"
6. The Police, "So Lonely"
7. Kings of Leon, "Use Somebody"
8. Ronnie Hawkins, "Forty Days"
9. The Who, "The Real Me"
10. Naughty by Nature, "Everything's Gonna Be Alright"
11. Thin Lizzy, "The Boys Are Back in Town"
12. The Brian Setzer Orchestra, "Jump Jive An' Wail"
13. Electric Six, "Danger! High Voltage (Soulchild Radio Mix)"
14. Green Day, "Basket Case"
15. Boz Scaggs, "Lido Shuffle"
16. Elvis Presley, "Promised Land"

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The Challenges of Launching an Encore Career

Many people dream about launching a second career in a field they have always wanted to try. But the transition into an encore career can be a long and costly process.
Most people earn a significantly lower amount of money (43 percent) or no money at all (24 percent) during the transition from one job to the next, according to a recent MetLife Foundation and Civic Ventures survey conducted by Penn Schoen Berland. The online survey of 253 adults between ages 44 and 70 who are currently in encore careers found that over half (57 percent) of these older workers had to tap their personal savings to make ends meet during the transition.
"That transition is not necessarily a very easy or a sure thing," says Jim Emerman, executive vice president of Civic Ventures. "The financial hardship of the transition, while not really surprising, really jumped out at us as one of the big challenges."
It often takes a significant amount of time for older workers to launch second careers. Three quarters of the survey respondents currently in encore careers experienced an employment gap of longer than 6 months. And a third (34 percent) of these older workers were unemployed for two or more years before they found another job. Some people used that time to volunteer (23 percent) or retrain by taking college courses (20 percent).
When Lisa Roger, 53, a former software engineering project director, was laid off in 2009, she faced a substantial reduction in income for about 14 months. She had to use her savings, collect unemployment benefits, and sign up for COBRA continuing health coverage to make ends meet. During the transition she participated in the Encore Hartford program in Storrs, Conn., a fellowship that helps experienced professionals transition to the nonprofit sector. She eventually found a new job as a family self-sufficiency services manager for the Norwalk Housing Authority. "Today I don't make nearly the salary that I did as a software engineer and I am ok with that," Roger says. "The work is incredibility rewarding. I know I am making a difference." The new job has caused her to reevaluate her retirement plans. "I used to feel that I was going to retire at a really early age, before 65," Roger says. "The career that I am in now, I see myself going beyond that because it is so rewarding."
Older workers are motivated to make a career change by a variety of financial and personal reasons. Insufficient income (28 percent) and inadequate savings (25 percent) were among the top reasons for making the switch. But realizing that some lifetime goals have yet to be fulfilled (28 percent) and a desire to make a bigger difference in the world (21 percent) also play a large role in decisions to move on to something new. Sometimes the transition is sparked by health problems (15 percent), an empty nest (11 percent), or hitting a specific age such as 50 (12 percent). Some people also speak of a spiritual calling into a new line of work (12 percent).
Most people switched into new jobs at for-profit businesses (22 percent) or nonprofit organizations (20 percent). Education (19 Percent), health care (15 percent), and government agencies (6 percent) are also popular second career choices. "Some people will work longer in their current jobs, whatever they are, and other people will want a change," says Emerman. Often the new job comes with shorter hours and a more flexible schedule. People in encore careers work an average of 30.5 hours per week, the Civic Ventures survey found.
Almost half of people who made a career change (47 percent) did so between ages 50 and 59. Only 3 percent of those surveyed changed careers at age 60 or older. The typical person in an encore career expects to continue working for an average of another 11 years and eventually retire at an average age of 69. They have an average of 24 years of work experience.
Many individuals need to keep working for the income (69 percent) and benefits (30 percent). Other people launch second careers to stay active and productive (58 percent), pursue a new challenge (6 percent), and because they simply enjoy the work (31 percent). Some older workers also want to give something back by helping others in the community (35 percent) and staying involved with other people (19 percent).
"People are living much longer and they are healthier, and so they want to stay engaged. People need and want and are able to work longer," says Emerman. "If people are out of work now or worried about their current job, the idea of a next career that combines continued financial security with personal satisfaction and something that they are passionate about is very strong."

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Connecticut Job Shops and Contract Manufacturers Join the MFG.com Manufacturing Marketplace

Connecticut manufacturers prove to be uniquely qualified for entrance into the largest global manufacturing ecosystem.

Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) December 18, 2012
MFG.com, the world’s largest online manufacturing marketplace for made-to-order parts, announced that prominent Connecticut-based manufacturers have joined the MFG.com marketplace.
A few of the recent additions include:

Perfection Screw & Rivet Co. is an ISO 9001:2008 certified, family-owned cold heading job shop located in Wolcott, CT. With a foundation of quality customer service, cost reduction and employee education, Perfection Screw & Rivet Co. has an impeccable record of satisfying customers. Capabilities include fasteners and hardware, machining, rapid prototyping, cold forming, cold headed parts, cold head machining, cold form parts, screws, rivets and knurling.
Windmade Products is a turn-key powder coating, sheet metal fabrication and machining service provider. As the exclusive manufacturer of Neumade Products, Windmade Products is a leading provider of high quality projection room equipment for the cinema industry. Windmade Products services a wide variety of industries and customers throughout the Northeast with a simple commitment to provide quality work, at a competitive price, delivered on time and in full. Capabilities and services include in-house powder coating, sheet metal fabrication, machining, assembly, kitting, warehousing and fulfillment.
Nerjan Development Co. is a family-owned, AS 9100, ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 9001:2008 certified precision CNC milling and turning electro mechanical assembly job shop located in Stamford, CT. Established in 1967, Nerjan Development Co. provides manual and CNC milling, turning, and drilling to meet customer specifications. Nerjan machines a wide variety of metals and plastics to sensitive and accurate dimensions.
Shearwater Engineering & Manufacturing LLC (S.E.A.M.) is located in Brooklyn, CT and has been providing manufacturing valves and components for 35 years. Their experience with valve assemblies for the marine and aerospace industries has been extended to power plants, paper mills, railroads, waste management plants and hydraulic manifolds for machines. S.E.A.M. specializes in the manufacturing of complex, controlled geometric parts. By utilizing state-of-the-art programming technology, they have achieved superior results in the processing and machining of strategic materials such as Monel, Inconel, and titanium, as well as the normal alloys of steel and aluminum.
“We are proud to announce the acceptance of these quality suppliers from Connecticut into the MFG.com marketplace. By introducing companies like Perfection Screw & Rivet Co., Windmade Products, Nerjan Development Co. and Shearwater Engineering & Manufacturing into our marketplace, buyers and sourcing professionals are further reassured that they can trust the suppliers in the MFG.com marketplace,” said Mitch Free, Founder and CEO of MFG.com. “MFG.com is excited to work with these suppliers from Connecticut to help them grow their businesses and develop win-win customer relationships with our buyer members.”
About MFG.com

MFG.com is the largest online marketplace for the manufacturing industry, facilitating interaction between buyers and manufacturers. MFG.com enables sourcing professionals and engineers to quickly and easily locate quality suppliers for CNC Machining, Injection Molding, Metal Stamping, Metal Fabrication and many other processes through an easy-to-use online marketplace. With more than $115 billion in RFQs passing through the marketplace, MFG.com has helped thousands of manufacturers - ranging from small machine shops to large conglomerates - increase sales and grow profits. MFG.com is a global business, with offices in the U.S., Europe, Asia and Mexico.

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Vint Cerf, Award-Winning Computer Scientist and Chief Internet Evangelist for Google, Joins TruthMarket™ Board of Advisors

Dr. Vint Cerf, one of the true “Fathers of the Internet,” an international authority on digital communications and outspoken advocate for a free and open Internet adds global perspective to TruthMarket’s Platform for Crowd-funding Public Challenges to False Political, Commercial and Science Claims.

Atherton, California (PRWEB) December 18, 2012
Today Truth Seal Corp. announced that Vinton G. Cerf, Ph.D. has joined the TruthMarket™ Board of Advisors. TruthMarket is an online Marketplace for Truth Telling™. It provides ordinary citizens with a platform to “crowd-fund” and execute grass roots campaigns that publicly expose misrepresentations and false political, commercial and science claims, while highlighting true claims and offering cash rewards to successful campaign creators, sponsors and challengers.
Widely known as one of the "Fathers of the Internet," Dr. Cerf is the co-designer of the TCP/IP protocols and the architecture of the Internet. He is known for his pioneering insights and innovative contributions to technologies that further advance the Internet and its important role is fostering open, global dialogue. Explaining his decision to join the TruthMarket Board of Advisors, Dr. Cerf notes that, “in a world of false dichotomies and factual denial, the TruthMarket concept seems set to clear away the fog of uninformed debate."
“We’re very enthusiastic about Dr. Cerf joining our Board of Advisors. He will be adding important philosophical and technological insights to a growing cadre of reputable experts committed to challenging manipulative speech, false claims and distorted facts,” said Rick Hayes-Roth, Ph.D., Founder and CEO of Truth Seal. “Dr. Cerf’s contributions to the culture of modern communication and his insightful positions have attracted a strong following of like-minded people supportive of truth in public affairs. We look forward to having them participate in TruthMarket campaigns."
“Truth Seal has been actively recruiting reputable authorities like Dr. Cerf for the Board of Advisors,” stated Mark L. Feldman, Ph.D., Board Member and investor. “Advisors known for their high integrity are important to TruthMarket’s mission to increase truth and trust throughout the information space.” Feldman adds that "more announcements of public figures joining the TruthMarket Board of Advisors can be expected."
About Vinton G. Cerf, Ph.D.
Vinton G. Cerf is vice president and chief Internet evangelist for Google. Cerf has held positions at MCI, the Corporation for National Research Initiatives, DARPA, Stanford University, UCLA and IBM. Vint Cerf is president of ACM and served as chairman of the board of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and was founding president of the Internet Society. Widely known as one of the "Fathers of the Internet," he received the U.S. National Medal of Technology in 1997, the Marconi Fellowship in 1998 and the ACM Alan M. Turing award in 2004. In November 2005, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and in April 2008 the Japan Prize. He is a Fellow of the IEEE, ACM, and AAAS, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, the Computer History Museum and the National Academy of Engineering. Cerf holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Stanford University and Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees in Computer Science from UCLA and holds over 20 honorary degrees from universities around the world.
About TruthMarket
TruthMarket is a division of Truth Seal, a California Corporation. TruthMarket is designed to be popular online platform that enables everyone to campaign for truth in public dialogue. The primary objective is to increase truth and trust throughout the public information space – online and offline – by publicly exposing false claims and highlighting true claims. TruthMarket’s ultimate goal is to predispose all public dialogue toward truth telling.
Trademarks

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Alibaba Becomes Largest e-Commerce Company - Impact for Retail Brands

Simon Jackson, chief commercial officer at brand protection company NetNames, comments on the news that Alibaba has become the largest ecommerce company in the world.

(PRWEB UK) 18 December 2012
“The news that Chinese online marketplace Alibaba has become the largest ecommerce company in the world has important implications for brand owners in the retail and consumer goods industries. The fact that Alibaba’s gross merchandise volume of $157 billion, for just two if its sites, adds up to more than Amazon and eBay combined shows China’s exponential growth into the world’s biggest retail market and reveals just how much retail traffic is moving online.
However, these spectacular figures, bring in to focus the growing threat of counterfeit products available online. Netnames is working in partnership with Alibaba to tackle counterfeit products which, for NetNames customers, can be as high as 70% of products offered on global marketplaces. This is a serious issue for brand owners as these products divert revenue, particularly in retail and luxury goods sectors where replica goods are most common.
So what can brand owners do to protect against this threat? By actively monitoring those selling fake products online via auction sites, organisations are able to identify where the goods are being offered for sale and can work with the platform providers to have them removed from the internet. In the past 12 months, NetNames has worked together with Alibaba to remove thousands of listings of counterfeit items from their websites, equating to millions of dollars of potential revenue – proof that action can be taken to remove a significant proportion of this threat.

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Samsung waves the white flag in European Apple patent suits

Even though Samsung (005930) won an important victory against Apple (AAPL) in the United States this week, the company has apparently decided to abandon some of its efforts on the European front. The Verge reports that Samsung “will drop its lawsuits against Apple for standards-essential patent infringement in Germany, the U.K., France, Italy and the Netherlands.” A Samsung spokesperson told The Verge that the company’s motives for dropping the suits were largely (and implausibly) altruistic and done “in the interest of protecting consumer choice” since “we strongly believe it is better when companies compete fairly in the marketplace, rather than in court.” In reality, The Verge notes that Samsung has been under investigation by European officials all year over allegations that it didn’t license its standard essential patents on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms.

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Romtec Announces New Sidewalk Restroom

Romtec Inc. is bringing its expertise in public restroom design to the urban marketplace with The Sidewalk Restroom.

Roseburg, Ore. (PRWEB) December 18, 2012
Romtec Inc. is bringing its expertise in public restroom design to the urban marketplace with The Sidewalk Restroom. Urban restrooms have been a source of difficulty for many metropolitan areas across the United States, and the Sidewalk Restroom provides a new industry solution for an old problem.
The Sidewalk Restroom is an affordable, tough steel structure that uses Romtec’s unique approach to restroom design. Romtec differentiates itself by pre-engineering and prefabricating its buildings while including a satisfactory array of design options. The Sidewalk Restroom offers a number of custom options, allowing each structure to complement its city, ward, borough, or suburb. The options range from aesthetics to hardware, utilities to materials, and design to communications.
“For 30 years, Romtec has offered customers public restroom buildings and restroom accessories at a fair price,” said Mark Sheldon, Vice President of Romtec, Inc. “The Sidewalk Restroom was created using Romtec’s experienced approach and by utilizing the industry’s best materials and design standards.”
Many cities have tried and failed to address the facility needs of their communities. These failures occur for a number of reasons, but primarily, urban restrooms have been too fancy and too sophisticated. The Sidewalk Restroom is a simple structure that uses design principles to encourage users use the facility quickly and exit.
Romtec’s Sidewalk Restroom is tough and practical. The interior offers a stainless-steel toilet, a stainless-steel toilet paper dispenser, and a hand-sanitizer dispenser. The space is ventilated by traditional top and bottom louvers, which also limit privacy to discourage unwanted activities. The facility is attractive, functional, and provides users with a safe and convenient restroom.
In its standard configuration, the Sidewalk Restroom is both the nation’s lowest cost option and the best urban restroom to own and maintain. With these features and benefits, the Sidewalk Restroom by Romtec is worth a look. Visit the website, http://www.thesidewalkrestroom.com, for more information.

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Red Hat shares up on acquisition and 3Q results

Red Hat Inc.'s shares jumped Friday on the software company's solid third-quarter results and plans to acquire cloud-based software company ManageIQ. THE SPARK: Red Hat said late Thursday that it would buy privately held ManageIQ for $104 million in cash. The Raleigh, N.C., company also reported that it earned 29 cents per share for its fiscal third quarter on an adjusted basis, up a penny from the prior year and in line with analyst expectations. Its revenue for the period increased 18 percent to $343.6 million, which beats the $338 million that analysts polled by FactSet had forecast. THE BIG PICTURE: ManageIQ's software helps businesses deploy and manage private clouds. Red Hat said the deal will expand the reach of its public-private cloud setups for its customers. The acquisition is expected to have no material impact to Red Hat's revenue for its fiscal year ending in February. THE ANALYSIS: Stifel Nicolaus analyst Brad R. Reback said that the company has been able to maintain momentum even in a difficult environment and he thinks the latest deal offers an interesting longer-term angle for its business. He thinks the company is well positioned to generate at least 15 to 20 percent billings growth in the future. He reiterated a "Buy" rating and a $65 price target on its shares. SHARE ACTION: Shares gained $2.25, or more than 4 percent, to $54.86 in afternoon trading. Shares have traded between $39.19 and $62.75 in the past 52 weeks.

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Minecraft sells almost 4.5 million copies on Xbox 360 as other indie games continue to struggle

Big-budget games such as Halo 4 and Call of Duty: Black Ops II might brag about how they rule the Xbox 360 in terms of sales, but indie games can also compete – if they’re addictive enough and offer enough value. Take Minecraft, an indie game developed by Markus “Notch” Persson’s company Mojang. According to Mojang, Minecraft, an indie game originally made for PC and ported to the Xbox 360 seven months ago has sold 4,476,904 copies as of the end of November with 40,000 to 60,000 copies sold every week. Minecraft is an anomaly because it doesn’t boast high-definition graphics that ooze of detailed lighting effects and didn’t cost millions of dollars to make, and yet it is the third-most played game on Xbox LIVE. According to Gamasutra’s analysis and breakdown of November’s Xbox Live Arcade sales, only three other indie games managed to break 1 million copies downloaded last month. See below for the chart. As you can see, every other game on Xbox Live Arcade other than Castle Crashers, Fruit Ninja Kinect, Happy Wars and Counter Strike: GO isn’t seeing the same type of success Minecraft is. The lesson here is developers should always focus on the product and the users. If the gameplay mechanics are solid, the experience is fluid and bug-free, the gamers will come.

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New Sony online store offers remote downloads to PlayStation and mobile devices

Continuing its efforts to make buying digital content for PlayStation consoles easier, Sony’s (SNE) quietly flipped the switch on for its Sony Entertainment Network Store. The new Web store finally allows games, movies and TV shows for the PlayStation 3, PS Vita, PSP, Xperia tablets and Xperia smartphones to be purchased through a Web browser and then queued up for download to a designated device. Content can be purchased with credit cards, pre-paid cards and even PayPal. Currently available only in Europe, Sony says the new SEN Store will launch in the U.S. next week and is part of the company’s latest round of updates that put it on equal footing with Microsoft’s (MSFT) Xbox LIVE for Xbox 360. As gamers would know, the Xbox 360 has had the ability to buy and download games remotely from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace Web store for a while now.

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Syrian rebels now have a tank operated with a PlayStation controller

As Syria's rebels work to overthrow the tank-equipped Assad regime, they've learned that it helps to have tanks of their own. They deserve bonus points for integrating video game technology. This is no exaggeration. Have a look at the opposition forces' "100 percent made in Syria" armored vehicle, the Sham II. RELATED: What Dennis Kucinich Really Said in Syria Named for ancient Syria and assembled out of spare parts over the course of a month, the Sham II is sort of rough around the edges, but it's got impressive guts. It rides on the chassis of an old diesel car and is fully encased in light steel that's rusted from the elements. Five cameras are mounted on the tank's exterior, and there's a machine gun mounted on a turning turret. Inside, it kind of looks like a man cave. A couple of flat-screen TVs are mounted on opposite walls. The driver sits in front of one, controlling the vehicle with a steering wheel, and the gunner sits at the other, aiming the machine gun with a PlayStation controller. RELATED: It's Never a Good Idea to Put Your Torture Victims on YouTube Sham II is heading up to the devastated city of Aleppo to join the combat forces there. Meanwhile, rebel forces continue to close in on Damascus and Assad's shrinking regime. Diplomats have already begun to speculate about what the Syrian president's next move would be. We do know that Assad has been exploring the option of seeking political asylum in the Middle East or in Latin America. However, it looks more likely that Assad and his cronies will retreat to the Alawite-controlled mountains on Syria's Mediterranean coast. The only other alternative -- chemical weapons attack notwithstanding -- would be for Assad to stay in the palace and fight to the end. And can you imagine standing helpless as a fierce machine like Sham II roared up the palace steps? Run, Bashar. Run.

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Zynga moves to enter US gambling market

NEW YORK (AP) -- Online games company Zynga said it has asked Nevada gambling regulators for a decision that could pave the way for it to enter the U.S. gambling market. This follows Zynga's October disclosure that it has signed a deal to offer online poker and casino games, played with real money, in the U.K. It plans to launch those games in the first half of 2013. Zynga Inc. said in an email late Wednesday that it is seeking an "application for a preliminary finding of suitability" from the Nevada Gaming Control Board. This, the company says, is part of its plan to enter regulated "real-money gaming," that is, gambling markets. Zynga has not said what it plans to do with a gaming license. But the company, whose games are played primarily on Facebook, has faltered in recent months and is looking for additional revenue sources beyond online games such as "FarmVille 2" and "Words With Friends." The San Francisco-based company says the process with Nevada regulators should take 12 to 18 months. If Zynga passes the first regulatory hurdle, it can then apply for a gaming license in the state. That, the company said, takes two to three months. Zynga's stock rose 17 cents, or 7.1 percent, to close Thursday at $2.49. The company went public about a year ago, when its stock priced at $10 per share.

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Tennis-Australian Open prize money raised to record levels

Dec 20 (Reuters) - Australian Open organisers increased prize money for the early losers at the opening grand slam of the season to record levels on Thursday, a move which is likely to quell player unrest and end talk of a strike. The Australian Open will now pay more prize money per round than any other tournament, with increases also coming in doubles and qualifying matches, but mixed doubles saw a money freeze. The biggest increases were for first round losers in the men's and women's singles, who will now receive A$27,600 ($29,000), representing a 32.7 percent boost from 2012, with those exiting in the second round taking home $45,500, up 36.6 percent. The move is likely to appease the players council, led by 17-times grand slam champion Roger Federer, who had been calling for more revenue from the four elite tournaments to be passed down to those hitting the shots. "Our motivation is to make a major contribution toward helping ensure professional tennis players can make a decent living," Craig Tiley, the Australian Open tournament director, said in a statement. "As we have said in the past, it is a real issue and needs to be urgently addressed throughout the sport." In October, Tiley's team announced that the players would be vying for a share of a record A$30 million for the Jan. 14-27 event without giving the breakdown of how that money would be divided. Serbia's Novak Djokovic and Victoria Azarenka of Belarus pocketed A$2.3 million each for their singles successes and a repeat next month in Melbourne would give them A$2.43 million. While the multi millionaires at the top of the game will appreciate the extra rewards, the players scrambling to make the top 100 of the men's and women's rankings and those who mainly compete in doubles will be happier. MAIN DRAW At the 2012 event, Israeli doubles veterans Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram shared A$9,500 for their first-round loss to the American Bryan brothers, offering little in the way of winnings once expenses had been taken into account. A similar result next month will see the pair collect A$12,500. "That is why the biggest increases are in the earlier rounds, qualifying and doubles which in effect rewards a lot of the lower-ranked players for their achievements which, by the way, should not be undersold," "To just reach the main draw of a slam, a professional tennis player has to be among the top 100 in what is one of, if not the most, competitive professional sport in the world," Tiley added. "At the same time, we also still want to continue to recognise the incredible drawing power and contribution of the top players." On Monday, the men's governing body, the ATP, gave a lukewarm response to the U.S. Open increasing prize money for the 2013 edition by $4 million to a record $29.5 million. "The ATP remains committed to continuing discussions on this issue, with the objective of ensuring that the players' share of the revenues at the U.S. Open truly reflects the value that they generate for the event," the body said. Tiley said his team had been in full discussion with the players and tours before announcing their increases with more likely to come "It is always a balance which is why we undertook unprecedented consultation on this subject with the tours and players who have been extremely supportive," Tiley said. "We will not be stopping here. There will be more talks and more increases during the next four years. This is just a very positive first step."

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Cricket-Thumb injury rules Southee out of South Africa tour

Dec 20 (Reuters) - Fast bowler Tim Southee has been ruled out of New Zealand's tour of South Africa due to a thumb injury which is expected to keep him off the field for up to two months, the country's cricket board said on Thursday. Southee, who was the most impressive bowler for New Zealand during their drawn test series in Sri Lanka, suffered the injury while diving in the field during a domestic match. "Tim Southee has unfortunately been ruled out of the test series against South Africa," a New Zealand Cricket (NZC) statement quoted physiotherapist Paul Close as saying ahead of Friday's opening Twenty20 game in Durban. "He landed heavily on his thumb while fielding, with scans indicating the ligament has fully ruptured and retracted. "After consultation with NZC medical staff and a hand specialist it was decided the best course of action is for him to have surgery." The right-arm paceman, 24, took eight wickets in the second test in Sri Lanka which New Zealand won to level the two-test series 1-1. New Zealand have not yet decided on a replacement for Southee for the tour, where the visitors will play two tests, three one-day internationals and three Twenty20 matches. "He will commence rehabilitation immediately following the procedure, with a view to him returning to cricket during the home summer," Close added.

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Thumb injury rules Southee out of South Africa tour

Reuters) - Fast bowler Tim Southee has been ruled out of New Zealand's tour of South Africa due to a thumb injury which is expected to keep him off the field for up to two months, the country's cricket board said on Thursday. Southee, who was the most impressive bowler for New Zealand during their drawn test series in Sri Lanka, suffered the injury while diving in the field during a domestic match. "Tim Southee has unfortunately been ruled out of the test series against South Africa," a New Zealand Cricket (NZC) statement quoted physiotherapist Paul Close as saying ahead of Friday's opening Twenty20 game in Durban. "He landed heavily on his thumb while fielding, with scans indicating the ligament has fully ruptured and retracted. "After consultation with NZC medical staff and a hand specialist it was decided the best course of action is for him to have surgery." The right-arm paceman, 24, took eight wickets in the second test in Sri Lanka which New Zealand won to level the two-test series 1-1. New Zealand have not yet decided on a replacement for Southee for the tour, where the visitors will play two tests, three one-day internationals and three Twenty20 matches. "He will commence rehabilitation immediately following the procedure, with a view to him returning to cricket during the home summer," Close added. "The procedure is likely to keep him out of the game for 6-8 weeks."

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Rugby-Australian Johnson named Scotland interim head coach

LONDON, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Australian Scott Johnson has been named Scotland's interim head coach for next year's Six Nations championship and the June tour of South Africa.
The 50-year-old takes over Andy Robinson whose three-year tenure ended last month following a poor run of results.
Johnson, a former Australian Under-21 international, joined Scotland this year as an assistant coach following a stint at Welsh club Ospreys.
"Scott has a wealth of experience of international rugby, which was instrumental in his appointment earlier this year as our senior assistant coach," Scottish Rugby CEO Mark Dodson said in a statement on the union's website (www.scottishrugby.org) on Thursday.
"He has coached with Australia, Wales and the USA and knows what it is to prepare teams to win on the international battleground."
The Scotland role will be Johnson's second as an interim head coach. He led Wales in three tests in 2006.
"It's an honour to take charge of the national team for our imminent campaign," Johnson said.
"I will be doing everything I can to bring the best out of our players as we all seek to achieve winning performances."

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RPT-Cricket-Thumb injury rules Southee out of South Africa tour

(Repeats without change to text)
Dec 20 (Reuters) - Fast bowler Tim Southee has been ruled out of New Zealand's tour of South Africa due to a thumb injury which is expected to keep him off the field for up to two months, the country's cricket board said on Thursday.
Southee, who was the most impressive bowler for New Zealand during their drawn test series in Sri Lanka, suffered the injury while diving in the field during a domestic match.
"Tim Southee has unfortunately been ruled out of the test series against South Africa," a New Zealand Cricket (NZC) statement quoted physiotherapist Paul Close as saying ahead of Friday's opening Twenty20 game in Durban.
"He landed heavily on his thumb while fielding, with scans indicating the ligament has fully ruptured and retracted.
"After consultation with NZC medical staff and a hand specialist it was decided the best course of action is for him to have surgery."
The right-arm paceman, 24, took eight wickets in the second test in Sri Lanka which New Zealand won to level the two-test series 1-1.
New Zealand have not yet decided on a replacement for Southee for the tour, where the visitors will play two tests, three one-day internationals and three Twenty20 matches.
"He will commence rehabilitation immediately following the procedure, with a view to him returning to cricket during the home summer," Close added.
"The procedure is likely to keep him out of the game for 6-8 weeks.

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