Migraine to blame for Branson video blunders

The speech issues in the Serene Branson viral film were most likely caused by a migraine. Branson, a media reporter for a local station in Los Angeles, slurred her speech and was fumbling for words in a newscast, the video of which easily went viral. Several thought Branson was either drunk, or had possibly suffered a stroke. Branson has fully recovered after being diagnosed with having had a migraine.

Branson did not have a stroke

The after Grammy Awards coverage was intended to be done by media reporter Serene Branson. KCBS TV sent her to do it. In the Branson Grammy coverage film, the reporter speaks gibberish and seems to have good difficulty talking, and the station quickly cut to another story. Several thought maybe Branson had a stroke while others thought maybe the media reporter had just gotten really intoxicated. However, a battery of medical tests indicated that Branson had suffered a migraine, according to MSNBC. She said that she had felt numb on the right side of her face, had a hard time reading and couldn't form clear thoughts. The speech problem was caused by these things.

The pain of a migraine

In the brain, there is an event that takes place called a migraine which is worse than a headache. A "migraine aura" was what Branson experienced which is much like a stroke in the symptoms that are shown in it, according to the Los Angeles Times. Symptoms for instance a change in vision, seeing lights blurry or brighter than normal, feeling numb, having a hard time talking or other things can all be symptoms of a migraine aura in accordance with WebMD, although it does not take place during all migraines.

Can debilitate individuals

Several who have migraines know how hard it can be to work around them. Many headaches are really terrible although some people can just lie down for a while. Since migraine auras are really severe sometimes, it could be a good idea to seek medical attention. Risk factors like smoking and family history of migraines can increase risk although the reason for them is unknown.

Articles cited

MSNBC

today.msnbc.msn.com/id/41652808/ns/today-entertainment/?gt1=43001

LA Times

latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-serene-branson-20110218,0,5921347.story

Web MD

webmd.com/migraines-headaches/guide/migraines-headaches-overview

GOP uses budget bill in attempt to kill net neutrality

The House GOP war against the Obama administration now consists of net neutrality rules proposed by the FCC. Net neutrality rules are supported by the Obama administration and Democrats in Congress. The rules are intended to keep access to Internet services of the highest quality equal for all Americans. To undermine the new rules, the GOP-controlled House added a rider to a key spending bill that would deprive the FCC of funds needed to enforce net neutrality. This may help the millions of people who take out paydayloans every month just to pay their internet bill.

Net neutrality and connections with the federal spending budget

In an attempt to keep the FCC from implementing new net neutrality rules, the Republican-controlled House approved an amendment to a budget bill needed to fund the federal government to the end of the 2011 fiscal year in June. The amendment to defund FCC net neutrality is one of the few means Republicans have to satisfy their constituents at corporations like Comcast, AT&T and Verizon who control most U.S. Internet access. The legislation process might not go so well though for the net neutrality amendment. It will be really hard for President Obama to veto the amendment if it’s part of the spending budget bill the government needs for funds.

Concerns over net neutrality shown in politics

The net neutrality put out by the FCC is supported by Obama. The Senate Democrats support it as well. The rules passed the Democratic House in December, however U.S. Senate Republicans stalled the measure in anticipation of the GOP gaining control of the House in the new year. Democrats don’t want to talk about the net neutrality defunding amendment. It is something they are refusing to bring up. On March 4, the government funding bill that is currently there will disappear. It is vital that a new spending bill be created. Otherwise, the government may have to stop anything.

Facts about net neutrality

New net neutrality rules are being considered because a few major corporations control Internet access for most Americans. Some people suspect these corporations of colluding with each other to keep rates high and the quality of service low. The FCC hopes to encourage more competition in the Internet service provider sector by preventing major Internet service providers from charging sites for faster access and throttling Internet connections for content providers and consumers who do not pay extra.

Articles cited

Wall Street Journal

online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20110217-718244.html

Politico

politico.com/news/stories/0211/49754.html

Daily Tech

dailytech.com/US+House+Votes+to+Allow+Cable+Providers+to+Throttle+Internet/article20947.htm

Bavarian brewmeister introduces non-alcoholic athletics beverage brand

A beer maker in Germany is positioning its non-alcoholic brand as a recovery drink for sportsmen. Erdinger of Bavaria is hoping that its Alkoholfrei defies the downward trend of non-alcoholic beer sales in the past decade. The German brewer touts the carbohydrates and vitamins present in Alkoholfrei that aren’t offset by dehydration induced by alcohol.

Strong belief that Alkoholfrei can be successful in the United States, Erdinger claims

It is new to make a non-alcoholic beer seem like an athletics drink although beer has been associated with sports marketing for a long time in the U.S. In Europe, Alkoholfrei has been promoted as a fitness beverage. Erdinger has done this since 2001. Erdinger has been giving out free samples at major competitions and grass roots sporting events. In Europe, Alkoholfrei has become very popular. In forty-five U.S. states, it’s possible to get Erdinger products that are sold. In North America, Alkoholfrei merchandise will be promoted to get more sold. In Fort Kent, Maine, the Feb. World Cup biathlon happened. Along with skis and rifles, the European sportsmen had mugs of Alkoholfrei.

Beer is a sports drink for most

The color of Erdinger's Alkoholfrei is auburn. A foamy head is on there too. The beverage tastes like beer too. This is despite the truth that there isn't any alcohol in it. The beverage is promoted as "isotonic" and for sports. This is because it can help recover sportsmen from a workout because of all the carbohydrates and vitamins in it. Sodium, potassium, carbs and B vitamins are in beer typically along with ethanol although the recovery of an athlete isn't impacted by the levels in these compounds of beer, athletics nutritionists say. At least without the alcohol, Erdinger Alkoholfrei will help sportsmen rehydrate.

Will genuine German beer flavor, matter to Americans?

In the 1990s, non-alcoholic beer became part of the U.S. industry. It started with Sharps from Miller and O'Douls Anheuser-Bush. But sales for those brands have been in decline for more than a decade. The flavor of genuine German beer is in Alkoholfrei. This is what Erdinger is intending to convince Americans that don't like the idea of beer without alcohol. The energy drink without a sugar high and a German beer without a buzz are severe drawbacks to the beverage. Americans might be unwilling to pay $10 for a six pack of Erdinger Alkoholfrei.

Information from

San Francisco Chronicle

sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fn%2Fa%2F2011%2F02%2F21%2Fstate%2Fn084141S20.DTL

USA Today

usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2011-02-13-3781689740_x.htm

Business Week

businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9LHEP0G0.htm

Curveball confirms suspicions he lied about Iraq weapons of mass destruction

An informant called "Curveball" who was credited with intelligence used to start the Iraq war has confessed that he lied to the CIA. Curveball is an Iraqi named Rafid Ahmed Alwan al-Janabi. He told his handlers a story about concealed labs where Iraqi scientists worked on biological weapons. Lies about Iraqi WMD were told, Curveball said, to encourage Bush into a war that would depose Hussein. This is a story a pay day loan couldn’t have bought to make up.

Lie from Curveball something Powell and Bush continue

Claims by Curveball that Iraq had WMD have long been discredited. It has been something Curveball would always say is truth. He would say he never lied. On February 16, he said he lied though. He told this to the Guardian. Al-Janabi got out of Saddam Hussein's Iraq and went to Germany. He then said that all over Iraq there were hidden bioweapons when talking to German intelligence. United States Secretary of State Colin Powel spoke to the United Nations while George W. Bush gave a State of the Union address in 2003 to confirm the truth in Curveball's claims. Bush admits that WMD were not really in Iraq after the U.S. invaded Iraq in March 2003.

Tale from Curveball worries CIA

When al-Janabi got there, it was hard to believe him. German intelligence was not so sure about what was going on. The asylum application was what former CIA in Europe Tyler Drumheller thought al-Janabi's false testimony was about. CIA Chief George Tenet was warned by Drumheller that Curveball was not reliable since he never believed the story. After al-Janabi fesses up, Drumheller told The Guardian that if Curveball lied to oust Saddam Hussein, then he is “one of the world’s greatest strategic planners.”. Another thing Drumheller mentioned was that the Bush administration needed evidence to go to war for the public. That is why they used Curveball's story.

Curveball faces backlash for coming clean

The man called Curveball said he was proud of helping the Bush administration start the Iraq war, which has killed almost 4,500 U.S. military personnel and more than 100,000 Iraqi civilians. However in his adopted home of Germany, a German politician said al-Janabi violated a warmongering law that makes actions that lead to war a criminal offense. Even though it had been known that al-Janabi lied, $4,000 a month was being paid to him still by German intelligence. In Iraq, politicians scorned his stated desire to return and called for his permanent exile.

Articles cited

The Guardian

guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/16/colin-powell-CIA-curveball

New York Times

nytimes.com/2011/02/16/world/middleeast/16curveball.html

Los Angeles Times

latimesblogs.latimes.com/chatter/2011/02/curveball.html

First plastic heart beat for three days

The Smithsonian Institution has millions of products in its vaults that many never get to see. The Smithsonian released a photograph of the first plastic heart earlier this month, honoring Valentine’s Day. For 3 24 hour days and nights, the plastic heart beat before being swapped out. This kind of medical engineering no doubt took a huge personal loan to produce.

Background of the plastic heart that beat for 3 days and nights

In 1969, the first ever plastic heart was implanted in a human being. The plastic heart was developed by Dr. Domingo Liotta and implanted by Dr. Denton A. Cooley. Without approval, the plastic heart was taken out of Dr. Liotta's lab by Dr. Cooley and implanted. A human transplant heart was found after the plastic heart beat for three days in the patient. A trend started with the plastic heart. This was after the patient passed away, even with the human heart. Pictures of the plastic heart were unveiled on St. Valentine's Day by the Smithsonian Institution which is where it now resides.

Development through the years of plastic hearts

The plastic heart implant was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2004 after the first "plastic" heart got implanted in 1969. The first viable plastic heart transplant that beat for a long time was evolved in 1982. It was called the Jarvick-7. The plastic heart that was approved in 2004 is used as a temporary replacement until a human heart could be found for transplant. In 2006, the Food and Drug Administration approved a permanent plastic heart transplant, the AbioCor Implantable Replacement Heart. Currently, plastic hearts can only be supported with 13-pound devices carried in a backpack and costs $18,000 a year to maintain.

Is it feasible to create a self-contained heart?

There is nevertheless a dream for a plastic heart. The dream started in 1969 though. Though plastic hearts that keep an individual alive are now accessible, they require maintenance and heavy equipment to be kept very close. Between the three-day plastic heart and the 13 pound backpack heart, there were 30 years. That means that it might be decades before a self-contained heart is created even though researchers are working on it.

Information from

News Desk

newsdesk.si.edu/snapshot/liotta-cooley-artificial-heart

New York Times

nytimes.com/2007/11/27/health/27docs.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=denton%20cooley&st=cse

American Heart Association

americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4444

Passing away might not end student loan obligations

Students in the United States owe a lot of money. There is over $885 billion owed in private student loans. While students are on the hook for the majority of that debt, some households are facing heart-wrenching decisions. Some families are being held accountable for student debt even after the student dies.

Market student loans have currently

There are a number of people getting student loans. There is a federal loan program that offers loans to students. Per student, $5,000 a year is offered. Much of the time, that isn't enough. Books at school cost half that alone most of the time. Private student education loans are not always government-backed and often require cosigners for students with little or no credit history. It is not that hard to get a student loan. They are easier to get than no fax payday loans in some cases. One of the reasons it is so easy, however, is because student education loans are not affected by bankruptcy — they’re practically impossible to write off.

Student loans and dying

As families in Nevada, Texas and across the country have discovered, passing away does not necessarily cancel out student education loans. If there is a cosigner on an education loan, the responsibility of paying back the loan transfers to the cosigner. This leaves several parents who are grieving the passing away of their child with the added, unexpected responsibility of paying back thousands of dollars worth of debt for their adult kids.

Defaulting after dying

Student loans that have no cosigner, much like any unsecured loan, are technically considered to be “in default” if the loan holder dies. There is estate left when this person dies. Anything could be taken to pay the debt back. The estate sometimes cannot pay the debt. In these cases, the loan is written off by the bank. The majority of the time, the debt is passed along since cosigners are typically needed to qualify for the loan.

Articles cited

Wall Street Journal

online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704741904575409510529783860.html

KCTV5

kctv5.com/news/26796636/detail.html

Carmelo Anthony to Lakers: An enchanting combo

The Denver Nuggets haven’t been anything to write home about this season, however the potential of an Anthony trade has created a stir. Carmelo Anthony trade destinations have been several, including the New York Knicks. However now a big name has thrown its hat into the ring, reports ESPN. Carmelo to the Lakers might be the next big NBA headline.

Carmelo Anthony to Lakers trade taking place

It is very possible for a Carmelo Anthony to Lakers trade to occur. Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak explained that he is open to trade to the Los Angeles media just a couple days after Lakers legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson said the change was needed. In Los Angeles, Music Television personality La La Vazquez as wife of Carmelo Anthony bought a home with her husband. Lakers representatives have coyly denied interest.

How the Lakers are doing

The Lakers have been trying to find a solution with all the high-profile losses that have happened although currently they sit at 36-16 with the first is the Pacific Division. The Lakers need a strong scorer. That means Anthony would work perfectly. He’s a dominant scorer who can pull up for the jumper or abuse smaller players down low (‘Melo is 6-foot-8, 230 pounds). With Pau Gasol, Bryant and Lamar Odem, the Lakers would be unstoppable. Guarding them would be hard.

The sacrifice the Lakers are prepared to make

It is possible that the Carmelo and Lakers deal will not go through, reports ESPN. If this is the case, Andrew Bynum will probably be who the Lakers choose on. Most are concerned about Bynum's durability although he can stop interior scorers easily. The current NBA bargaining agreement would work with a trade of Carmelo Anthony for Andrew Bynum even though Nuggets want to shed salary meaning more players can be offered, reports ESPN.

Anthony trading ideas

The LA Lakers aren't the only team talking to the Denver Nuggets about Carmelo Anthony trade. The NY Knicks are talking too. After months of speculation, none of the potential trades – some of which involve the Minnesota Timberwolves to make a three-team deal – have come to fruition. There were calf and ankle injuries that Kicks forward Wilson Chandler sustained. That means the trade has not occurred yet.

Information from

ESPN

sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/news/story?id=6101304

ESPN Los Angeles

espn.go.com/blog/los-angeles/lakers/post/_/id/15841/the-philosophy-of-trading-andrew-bynum

Los Angeles Times

latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2011/02/dont-count-on-carmelo-anthony-coming-to-lakers.html

Lakers’ Ron Artest on how to guard Carmelo Anthony

youtube.com/watch?v=a-QTcU9YEi8

Roundup of leading advertisements and big blunders at the Super Bowl

Almost 48 % of people that tuned into Television on Sunday night had the Super Bowl on. The best Super Bowl commercials of 2011 were best for very different reasons; some because they were cute, others because they were incredibly controversial. The Super Bowl National Anthem 2011 was the surprise mistake of the night, instead of the Black Eyed Peas halftime show. Too bad there is not a payday loan big enough to undo that error.

Checking out the best 2011 Super Bowl commercials

The advertisements touched nerves in the 2011 Super Bowl. The Doritos Super Bowl Commercial 2011 was the winner of a user-created contest, however has been lambasted by some for being “sophomoric.”

youtube.com/watch?v=0kfLd52jF3Y

This year, there’s a best Super Bowl commercial about Darth Vader. It was a big winner. There were millions that watched the Volkswagen commercial when it was released before the Super Bowl. According to most viewer votes, the Darth Vader commercial was the big winner of the 2011 Super Bowl.

youtube.com/watch?v=R55e-uHQna0

When it comes to controversy, Groupon did it well. It was probably the most debatable out of all the Super Bowl commercials. You will find many that were enthusiasts of Groupon before the commercial played but are now upset with the political struggle being made fun of.

youtube.com/watch?v=vXGYK1eP_wo&feature=player_embedded

2011 Aguilera messes up the National Anthem

When it comes to mess ups in the Super Bowl, the Christina Aguilera Super Bowl flub is definitely noticed. Christina Aguilera was "butchering" the national anthem according to several. Blunders are likely to take place on live Television though. Several others point this out.

youtube.com/watch?v=WB61wXKROtw

Putting the Black Eyed Peas in the 2011 halftime show

The 2011 choice for Super Bowl halftime how was the Black Eyed Peas. A popular art group instead of a "classic" group like this hadn't been chosen since the "wardrobe malfunction" that happened. That isn’t to say that the Black Eyed Peas halftime show came off without a single error. Microphone blunders were evident. Others say the Black Eyed Peas are more of a recording group rather than live performers — and their Tron-like show was all lights, no energy.

youtube.com/watch?v=IJZUxR_dQz4

Price of Cyclone Yasi to Australia can be in the billions of dollars

Australia has been enduring some of the worst weather ever documented in the history of the nation. Cyclone Yasi, a huge storm, slammed to the coast of the state of Queensland recently. Just after Queensland experienced some of the most detrimental flooding on record there; the Category Five storm slammed to the coast with wind speeds upwards of 200 miles an hour. At the least, the destruction from Cyclone Yasi will cost Australia $2 billion or more. Australia has such a high amount of damage that personal loans on it’s own would never be big enough to cover the expenses of fixing the destruction. Article source – Cost of Cyclone Yasi to Australia will be in the billions by MoneyBlogNewz.

Cyclone Yasi has hurt agriculture areas

Just after the Australian state of Queensland had experienced the most detrimental flooding in a century, Cyclone Yasi slammed to the region. Right before hitting, the cyclone went from a Category 4 to a Category 5. Initially the size of Hurricane Katrina, the storm grew to nearly the size of the United States, according to the Christian Science Monitor. There’s a ton of destruction that was brought on by the storm in Queensland which means the chief agricultural areas of Australia were hurt. The agricultural losses are already thought to be at least $1 billion, with another billion in impaired property. An estimated 30 percent of the sugar cane crop in Australia is expected to be lost, which could cost as much as $500 million. About 75 percent of the Australian banana crop was lost too.

Food costs across the world go up

News of the possibility of the cyclone and crops lost went around. Reuters reports that this brought on a huge rise in food prices. The U.S. lost a ton of wheat in the snowstorms that hit while Australia lost a ton of banana and sugar cane crops in this storm. Together, the price of bread, sugar and bananas are all going up. Wheat costs in America have been going up for a while now. The winter storm, or "Stormageddon," is already causing this There is snow and ice on half of the United States Now there are even freezing temperatures hitting.

A lot of hurt from La Nina

There is a weather pattern that has caused the weather to take place the way it has this year. This is because it is a "La Nina" year, the Telegraph reports. There is lower ocean surface temperatures and atmospheric pressure because of it. El Nino is opposite of this. In the U.S. and Canada, there are colder, wetter winters experienced during La Nina. It also causes milder summers to occur. In the southern hemisphere, the rainy season generally has heavier rainfall and stronger cyclones.

Articles cited

Christian Science Monitor

csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2011/0204/US-sized-Cyclone-Yasi-could-cost-Australia-more-than-2-billion

Reuters

reuters.com/article/2011/02/03/us-food-prices-idUSTRE71223720110203?pageNumber=1

The Telegraph

telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/8297904/Cyclone-Yasi-La-Nina-and-record-ocean-temperatures-behind-storm.html

4th quarter accidents involved Disney carousel fatality

As a part of their quarterly injury report, Disney has documented a carousel death. Three major accidents were reported by Disney Parks in the three-month reporting period they have worked out with the State of Florida. There are very few injuries to the average park visitor. All three park visitors were over seventy one years of age. This kind of coverage might cause Disney the need to sign up for personal installment loans to spin this publicity.

Disney carousel fatality due to heart condition

The Prince Charming carousel was something a 76-year old woman rode in Dec. 2010. She collapsed and perished after exiting the rise. The grandmother apparently had a pre-existing heart situation which was exacerbated by the carousel. Even though the Prince Charming Regal Carousel at the park is a very tame ride, there is warning signs posted that individuals should not ride with heart conditions.

Other accidents prior to Disney carousel fatality

There were three major accidents in the last quarter of 2010 that occurred at Disney World Theme Park. The 76-year old death was one of them. A 76-year-old woman fell from a moving platform and injured her leg, and a 71-year-old woman broke both her hip and shoulder after riding the Prince Charming Regal Carousel. There are not any age requirements in the park for rides when it comes to being too old. Elderly individuals can still ride all of the rides.

Reports of the Disney carousel fatality for safety purposes

FL doesn't do any inspections of the major theme parks around Orlando. The rides aren't regulated either. Instead, the theme parks each submit quarterly reports to the state outlining the accidents that occur at their parks. No injuries were reported by the other theme parks while the carousel death was documented from Disney. The Prince Charming Regal Carousel is located in Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. Every three months there were about 5 million visitors there. A .000059 percent injury rate was documented for Walt Disney World.

Articles cited

theme Park Insider

themeparkinsider.com/flume/201004/1895/

Washington Post

washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/07/AR2011020702235.html

Perchlorate zeroed in on with new Environmental Protection Agency water supply standards

The EPA made a large announcement Wednesday morning. The water supply standards, federally, are receiving an update. This announcement comes just a couple years late. In 2008, the EPA petitioned to update drinking water specifications, but the Bush administration disallowed it. These brand new rules deal with 17 individual chemicals. The biggest headline chemical is perchlorate. People hopefully won’t need to take out a pay day loan to purchase their drinking water filtered. This should help every person have healthy drinking water. Resource for this article – EPA drinking water standards to get a 2011 update by MoneyBlogNewz.

Environmental Protection Agency water supply standards

The EPA is responsible for setting specifications of allowable contaminants in drinking water. Almost all drinking water contains something other than pure hydrogen dioxide — minerals, dissolved solids and thousands of chemicals can be in water. The EPA regulates how much of a wide variety of chemicals and bacterial contaminants can be in water before further purification steps have to be taken.

Perchlorate within the EPA drinking water standards

There is a naturally happening chemical called perchlorate. It’s used in rocket fuel, bleach, fertilizers and fireworks when manufactured. The iodine uptake in the thyroid can be affected by the perchlorate although it isn't dangerous to human health otherwise. Clinical depression, neurological disorders, preterm births and obesity are all things that less iodine does. Perchlorate is limited by many states already; however, perchlorate contamination might be what 4 percent of municipal water has in it, which 17 million people drink.

The specifications the Environmental Protection Agency have for water supply with VOC compounds

The new 2011 EPA regulations for water supply contain limits on more than just perchlorate. Volatile organic compounds, otherwise known as VOC compounds, are also going to be regulated. There will be brand new limits on 17 chemicals, including perchlorate. Volatile organic compounds are usually found in industrial manufacturing and solvents and can have a wide variety of detrimental effects. In general, VOC compounds are considered dangerous. The brand new Environmental Protection Agency regulations are set to take impact this year.

Information from

CNN

cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/02/02/epa.water.chemical/index.html?npt=NP1

Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thyroid_hormones#Related_diseases

The Daily launch unwraps age of iPad-only newspapers

On February 2, Murdoch announced The Daily, an iPad-only newspaper that will "take the best of traditional journalism" and meld it with cutting-edge technology, accounts TechCrunch. In accordance with accounts, The Daily costs 14 cents on a daily basis, 99 centers weekly or $39.99 per year. Subscribing is as simple as a single click. The first two weeks of The Daily are free of charge. At least you won’t need a payday cash advance to test it out for 2 weeks. Resource for this article – The Daily newspaper launches as an iPad exclusive by MoneyBlogNewz.

How the Daily is a new creature

The Daily is one thing new to everybody. This is thinking about most brands like Wall Street Journal have been moving to online ways of staying in business. When it comes to print news and newscasts on TV, there appear to be fewer individuals interested in it. This is why Murdoch thinks reaching new generations could have to be done with portable tablet technology. As there is no built-in audience that will expect The Daily to conform to print journalism conventions, Murdoch has the chance to define one thing new.

"We have license to experiment. We believe The Daily will be the model for how stories are told," said Murdoch.

iPad newspaper for the Daily

The Daily is an iPad newspaper. Murdoch plans on having news stories updated all day long on it. Users familiar with the animated, 3-D graphical Cover Flow interface of iTunes will have no trouble navigating through The Daily’s stories. Users can change news to be to a specific area or personal preference while stories can have high definition video and panoramic photos.

Membership price to appeal to advertisers

It has been really hard to attract big advertisers meaning free online media delivery has been unsuccessful for most besides Google News. A lot of iPad users might be interested within the Daily considering the low price that comes with it. Nevertheless, Rupert Murdoch states it is high enough to get several marketers interested in participating.

The start up costs for The Daily was relatively low at $30 million while it will only cost $500,000 a week to keep up. Murdoch believes the Daily can be successful considering this and that marketers and iPad users will be drawn in.

Articles cited

The Daily

thedaily.com/

Tech Crunch

techcrunch.com/2011/02/02/murdoch-the-daily-will-cost-0-14-per-day-or-1-per-week/

Rupert Murdoch on The Daily vs. the Wall Street Journal

youtube.com/watch?v=E1BmRzg0I3U

Hedge fund director Paulson - Criminal or expert?

Hedge fund director John Paulson bet against the health of the U.S. housing sector by funneling cash into credit default swaps in opposition to subprime mortgages, which effectively ensured that as homeowners defaulted he would receive a massive cash advance on his investment in failure. Thanks to the bursting of the United States real estate bubble and some shrewd choices with United States financial records, Paulson is a billionaire. He will not be obtaining a payday cash advance to pay for his mortgage anytime soon. Resource for this article – Hedge fund manager John Paulson – Crook or guru? by MoneyBlogNewz.

John Paulson and the Citigroup venture

Paulson is every little thing that is wrong with Wall Street, according to many. After earning approximately $15 billion betting in opposition to the United States real estate industry in 2007 – and being labeled a "guru" for doing so – Paulson moved to the other side of the investment speculation fence. His bet now is that the U.S. economy will get better. This involved a series of investments in various indexes, also as an "after the fall" outlay in favor of rebounding house prices and a bet on high gold prices. About $1 billion was earned this year by Paulson's stake in Citigroup using Paulson & Co. Over the past year, Citigroup’s share price shot up 50 percent.

Currently, Paulson & Co. owns a ton of money in investments. About $35 billion is what the business is responsible for. Where most hedge funds eschewed the more volatile elements of the sector past year, Reuters reports that Paulson and business took small financial lumps early this year, yet managed to swing things around into double-digit gains. There was a 35 percent jump in 2010 in Paulson's gold investments while the Paulson Advantage Plus fund went up 17 percent.

Why does 17 percent matter?

When it comes to Paulson being successful, the Globe and Mail points out that the 15 percent gain that the S&P 500 had is not much farther down than the 17 percent the Paulson Advantage Plus Fund gained. But the Canadian newspaper’s viewpoint could just as easily be considered sour grapes. Even though Paulson did invest "against-the-bubble" hurting the economy in order to make himself millions, the federal regulators did not do anything about it. The majority are upset about this though. They say it is not an excuse to do what he did.

Information from

The Guardian

guardian.co.uk/books/2010/mar/07/the-greatest-trade-ever-by-gregory-zuckerman-review-heather-stewart

The Globe and Mail

theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/markets/markets-blog/paulsons-5-billion-haul-big-deal/article1886319/

Reuters

reuters.com/article/2011/01/25/us-hedgefunds-paulson-idUSTRE70O4G820110125

Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credit_default_swap

John Paulson and Joe Stiglitz on the mispricing of risk

youtube.com/watch?v=l8G-b315B6E

Ford Motors posts highest revenue in ten years

The economic outlook for the Ford Motor Co. has CEO Alan Mulally smiling, writes Automotive News. On Jan. 28, experts predict that Ford Motors will reveal numbers that prove that 2010 was the company’s most profitable year since 2000. Not only that, but it would be the second straight lucrative year under Mulally.

Ford has a ‘money machine’ making 48-cents per share

A Thomas Reuters survey was done on the Ford Motor's fourth quarter $30.57 billion revenue. Before taxes, that is 48 cents per share profit. With that rate of gains, the fourth quarter earnings would be about $1.7 billion. That's pretty good. For the entirety of 2010, Ford’s revenue would then total $8 billion, a fine showing after an equally fine first three quarters at $6.37 billion in net income, the company’s best total for the opening three quarters of a year since 1998

Automotive News accounts that a profit of $2.72 billion was what the annual net profit was in 2009 for Ford Motors which came from total revenue of $118.31 billion. The company is doing well due to Ford car quality, Mulally explained. J.D. Power & Associates ranked Ford Motors among the best mass-market brands recently. Ford ranked fifth behind luxury brand Porsche overall in the J.D. Power survey.

"Ford is building better cars since (Mulally) came in," said fund manager Gary Bradshaw of Dallas-based Hodges Capital Management, which owns 100,000 common and 100,000 preferred shares of Ford stock. "He’s just making this company a money machine."

Ford Motors never took Troubled Asset Relief Program funds

One aspect of Ford’s recent success is consumer confidence, bolstered by the truth that the automaker didn’t accept TARP cash like General Motors and Chrysler. In 2006, Ford leveraged assets for $23 billion in private loans with "the world's largest home-equity loan" according to Mulally. While the automaker is dealing with that debt in good stead, that hasn’t kept car-buying consumers away.

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CEO Alan Mulally on Ford’s direction in 2011

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