Vladimir Zhirinovsky's 1st fight in Russian Duma

Russian TV goes crazy

President Obama urges you to vote Tuesday November 2nd, 2010

UAE can avoid impact of US slowdown

"The local economy can absorb a moderate decline in global oil prices as its huge domestic cash reserves and investment income coming from abroad can compensate for any decline in oil export revenue."- Mohammad Amerah, Abu Dhabi-based economist

Image Credit: ANM archive

story by Gulf News

Abu Dhabi, UAE -- The UAE can cope well if the US economy slows down in the near-term, economic experts told Gulf News on Saturday.

The country has sufficient cash reserves that will mitigate the impact of any fall in global oil prices resulting from a decline in fuel consumption in the world's largest economy and biggest oil importer, they said.

 The US economy expanded at a 2 per cent annual rate in the third quarter and inflation cooled, underscoring the views of Federal Reserve policy makers who say more stimulus will be needed to spur growth.

 "The UAE economy won't be affected much by a slowdown in the US economy. The local economy can absorb a moderate decline in global oil prices as its huge domestic cash reserves and investment income coming from abroad can compensate for any decline in oil export revenue. The two provide the cushion for the UAE economy and government spending," said Mohammad Amerah, an Abu Dhabi-based economist.

 Economist Dr Amjad Hussain at the UAE University in Al Ain said the UAE has already built some resistance to the slowing US and global economies.

 "There will be some impact here of an economic slowdown, but it won't be as severe as it was when the global financial crisis first struck. The UAE is using its resources both internally and externally to protect the country from any economic slowdown coming from outside the country," he said.

Signs of recovery

Jan Willem Plantagie, Regional Head for credit ratings agency Standard and Poor's, said the global economy is currently showing signs of positive growth and the UAE's economic growth is expected to move in line.

"The UAE's economic growth to a large degree will be driven by the demand and price for oil. A small growth is projected for the UAE's economy for 2010 — growth estimates range from close to zero per cent to up to 3.2 per cent. However, a lot will depend on how the fragile recovery in global economy [becomes stronger]," Plantagie said.

The price of oil in the international markets is currently hovering around $82 a barrel. The UAE which exports about 2.3 million barrels of oil per day, derives a major chunk of its income from crude oil exports.

Noted US economist Nouriel Roubini, who correctly predicted the global financial crisis, said last week the US economy is a "fiscal train wreck" waiting to happen that risks ushering in a period of stagnation featuring minimal growth, high unemployment and deflationary pressures.

He said that further quantitative easing likely to be announced by the Federal Reserve next Wednesday will have little effect on US growth in 2011.

Warning for US

Roubini also said the US remains on an "unsustainable fiscal course".

"The risk ... is that something on the fiscal side will snap ... The trigger could be a debt rollover crisis in a major US state government. The worst of the coming fiscal train wreck will be prevented by the Fed's easing," he said.

"But the risk is [Obama]... will then preside over... a Japanese style stagnation, where growth is barely positive, and deflationary pressures and high unemployment linger," he added.

Iran Sanctions

Commentary by Dr. Raymond Tanter http://www.iranpolicy.org/

Although bilateral and multilateral sanctions on the Iranian regime have been tried in the past and failed to stop the Islamic Republic in its quest for the bomb, they are becoming the default option. As Washington’s efforts to engage Tehran falter and threats of military strikes on Iranian nuclear sites do not seem credible, the international community plays its sanctions card along with planned mid-November multilateral negotiations between Tehran and Permanent Five Members of the UN Security Council (China, France, Russia, UK, and the USA) plus Germany.

Ever since my service in the Reagan-Bush White House in the 1980s, I have followed alternating swings between engagement and sanctions in American policy. On top of five main rounds of U.S. sanctions, the UN Security Council has imposed four rounds of sanctions. And there have been other bilateral (e.g., Australia, Canada, and Japan) as well as multilateral (European Union) sanctions against Iran.

Although a participant in UN sanctions against Iran, China is the only major world economic power with significant investments in the energy sector of Iran. But China’s banks and industries are increasingly concerned about the impact of the U.S. Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010. This latest round of American sanctions against Iran could have an impact on whether the China National Petroleum Corporation and China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation reconsider their investments in Iran. A decline in their investments could make it difficult for Iran to meet its needs for refined petroleum products.

Gasoline is important among refined petroleum products because of subsidies by the Islamic Republic. In times of gasoline scarcity, Tehran faces a difficult decision between reducing subsidies to raise prices and depress demand or keeping scarce gasoline cheap and allowing pumps to run dry. Either choice is politically perilous. During summer 2007, Tehran instituted limits on the amount of subsidized gasoline for purchase, resulting in riots at gas stations across the country. A substantial disruption in supplies of domestic or imported gasoline could precipitate additional riots and reinvigorate Iranian dissidents.

Regarding the Iranian opposition, removal of the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq (MEK) from the EU list of terrorist organizations in January 2009 and a July 2010 decision by an American court ordering the State Department to reconsider its process of designating the MEK as a terrorist organization are facilitating a regime change option to complement sanctions and threat to take military action against Iran.

Elimination of the terrorist tag on organizations like the MEK would free it to give additional assistance to Iranian expatriates who are assisting the Iranian street to bring down the Iranian regime; rather than relying on external military force as happened when Washington changed the regime in Baghdad in 2003, there should be an Iranian solution to the problem of the Iranian threat. Otherwise, the international community may have to decide between accepting an Iranian nuclear bomb and bombing Iran.

Professor Raymond Tanter is author of President Obama and Iran: Engagement, Isolation, Regime Change, 2010. Dr. Raymond Tanter, is the President of Iran Policy Committee http://www.iranpolicy.org/

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dr Tanter is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and is an adjunct professor of Political Science at Georgetown University. Dr. Tanter serves as an adjunct scholar at The Washington Institute, researching U.S. policy options toward Iran. From 1981 to 1982, Dr. Tanter served on the National Security Council staff (White House) and was personal representative of the secretary of defense to the 1983-1984 arms control talks held in Madrid, Helsinki, Stockholm, and Vienna. Dr. Tanter has taught at Northwestern, Stanford, University of Michigan, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has served as a fellow at both the Hoover Institution and the Woodrow Wilson International Center. As scholar-in-residence at the American Embassy in Tokyo, Dr. Tanter lectured on petroleum interruption scenarios, with special reference to the Middle East. At Georgetown, he teaches courses on the Arab-Israeli conflict, international security affairs, and ballistic missile defense. He was scholar-in-residence at the Middle East Institute during fall 2001. Professor Raymond Tanter is author of President Obama and Iran: Engagement, Isolation, Regime Change, 2010. Dr. Tanter is a 'Featured Contributing Blogger' at The Review Middle East http://www.thereviewme.com/.

Happy Halloween - Video: "I Put a Spell on You" by Screamin' Jay Hawkins

Vote Sisters Vote!

commentary by Donna Brazile

I voted. Have you?

I voted early so I can focus on helping candidates in the closing days of this important election season.

We all know these elections are going to be tough. Midterm elections are always difficult for the party of the President. If you look at the electoral map, the polling, and the candidates we have on the ballots this year, there’s an excellent chance of us electing men and women who will help us continue on our path to opportunity and prosperity for all.

This election season we can re-elect Denise Nappier, State Treasurer in Connecticut, and send the first Black woman, Terri Sewell from the State of Alabama to Congress. We have the opportunity to elect women of color across the country from Kamala Harris in California, to Yvette McGee Brown in Ohio, to Linda Chavez Thompson in Texas and Frederica Wilson, who will replace Kendrick Meek in Florida.

This year’s mid-term election is our second coming–the second coming of women who followed in the remarkable footsteps of Shirley Chisholm, Cardiss Collins, Patsy Mink, Yvonne Braithwaite Burke, Barbara Jordan, Katie Hall, Eleanor Holmes Norton, and Maxine Waters.

If African Americans and Hispanic women go to the polls to help Democratic candidates, we CAN win even in the difficult states. With a strong African American and Latino turnout, we can elect a Senator, re-elect a Governor, elect an Attorney General, and elect statewide candidates in Georgia, Oregon in my home state of Louisiana, and in cities across the nation. We’re counting on African American and Hispanic voters of all ages and genders. I want to take a moment to address in particular the black women and young people reading this blog. We’re counting on you! Your votes could make all the difference in cities like Louisville, Tallahassee, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Chicago and Houston just to name a few.

While growing up in New Orleans, Louisiana I desperately searched for role models who not only looked like me, but also those who would inspire me to have courage in the political arena. I was lucky, was able to learn by watching women like Shirley Chisholm, Marian Wright Edelman, and Barbara Jordan.

Reminiscent of Sojourner, Harriett, Ida, Septima, Ella, Fannie, Rosa, Coretta, Dorothy and now yes, YOU! We must vote to continue the change. This midterm election is too important and it’s up to us. Listen to Aretha—“sisters are doing it for themselves!”

Our voter turnout was historic in 2008 and WE surged along with first time voters and elected Barack Obama as the President of the United States of America.

Ignore what the pundits tell you: the outcome of this election is up to US. We have the power to shape the future. You have the power to help President Obama by delivering change that matters. So please, get involved – volunteer and vote.

It’s important for us to realize the necessity of good voter protection efforts around the country.

Be ready for anything and be persistent knowing that nothing is going to stop you from voting. Don’t be confused by deceptive messages, negative ads or pundits telling you it’s all over.

Across the nation we have thousands of lawyers and trained observers going to polling places helping to protect your right to cast your vote. We are here to support you.

If you have a problem or have questions about the voting process, go to www.raiseyourvote.com – we have information about every state.

Or call our National Voter Protection Hotline, 1-800-311-VOTE.

Our candidates are depending on African American voters to help put them over the top to victory!

We need you right now. With your help, we can win this.

You’ve got the numbers! You’ve got the power! Use it!

In the spirit of those who dare, Vote Sisters Vote!

In the spirit of those who blazed a trail so the rest of us could follow, Vote Sisters Vote!

In the spirit of those who never gave up the dream of one day casting a ballot, Vote Sisters Vote!

Once again, your one vote can, must, and will always make a difference.

Vote Sisters Vote!

Donna Brazile

Rev. Al Sharpton on voting November 2nd -- or -- early voting

Benzinga's Top Performing Industries (ROIAK, MVG, SIRI, SLW, SSRI, AXU, IPI, KMX)

story by Benzinga
written by Craig Jones

Broadcasting - Radio industry jumped 4.22% on Friday, and in the space Radio One, Inc. (NASDAQ: ROIAK) led the gainers with an increase of 7.41%. Sirius XM Radio Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI) spiked 5.08%, and closed at $1.50.

Silver industry also had a good trading session. It traded 3.46% higher, and Mag Silver Corp (ADR) (AMEX: MVG) was the best performer in the space. Silver Wheaton Corp. (USA) (NYSE: SLW) gained 4.36%, while Silver Standard Resources Inc. (NASDAQ: SSRI [FREE Stock Trend Analysis]) added 3.14%.

Nonmetallic mineral mining industry traded 2.53% higher today. Alexco Resource Corp. (USA) (AMEX: AXU) jumped 5.26%, and Intrepid Potash, Inc. (NYSE: IPI) gained 4.12%.

Auto dealerships did pretty well today. This industry traded 2.24% higher, led by CarMax, Inc (NYSE: KMX). KMX gained 5.12% today, and closed at $30.99.

Movie production and theaters industry dropped 2.45% today as Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC) slipped 4.46%, and closed at $13.50.

Life insurance industry lost 1.76%, and Genworth Financial (NYSE: GNW) was the worst performing stock in the space. GNW dropped 9.94%, and closed at $11.33. China Life Insurance Company Ltd. (ADR) (NYSE: LFC) dropped 3.70%, and closed at $65.77.

Medical equipment wholesale fell 1.66% in Friday's trading session. Henry Schein, Inc. (NASDAQ: HSIC) struggled today, and dropped 4.21%. It had a volume of 1.4M traded shares.

Personal computers industry dropped 1.39% on Friday as Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL [FREE Stock Trend Analysis]) traded lower. Dell (DELL) lost 1.34%, and Apple (AAPL) fell 1.40%.

Diversified electronics closed today's trading session with a decline of 1.37%. In the space, Power-One, Inc. (NASDAQ: PWER) fell 6.38%, and Electro Scientific Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ: ESIO) dropped 5.91%.

All three indexes the DJIA (DIA), S&P 500 (SPY), and Nasdaq Composite (QQQQ) finished flat for the day and traded in a narrow, sideways direction. We moved the support levels on the DJIA and S&P 500 up slightly based on the recent market action (and left the resistance levels the same-see below). For the Nasdaq support is the same and we moved the resistance level down a little (see below). Overall, the main takeaway is there has been alot of significant activity recently with little price progress. The prudent approach for stocks (based on the recent stock market direction) continues to be not to open new positions, take profits, and limit losses.

Suspicious Packages Found On Flights Heading To US

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

October 29, 2010 4:22 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon, everybody. I want to briefly update the American people on a credible terrorist threat against our country, and the actions that we're taking with our friends and our partners to respond to it.

Last night and earlier today, our intelligence and law enforcement professionals, working with our friends and allies, identified two suspicious packages bound for the United States -- specifically, two places of Jewish worship in Chicago. Those packages had been located in Dubai and East Midlands Airport in the United Kingdom. An initial examination of those packages has determined that they do apparently contain explosive material.

I was alerted to this threat last night by my top counterterrorism advisor, John Brennan. I directed the Department of Homeland Security and all our law enforcement and intelligence agencies to take whatever steps are necessary to protect our citizens from this type of attack. Those measures led to additional screening of some planes in Newark and Philadelphia.

The Department of Homeland Security is also taking steps to enhance the safety of air travel, including additional cargo screening. We will continue to pursue additional protective measures for as long as it takes to ensure the safety and security of our citizens.

I've also directed that we spare no effort in investigating the origins of these suspicious packages and their connection to any additional terrorist plotting. Although we are still pursuing all the facts, we do know that the packages originated in Yemen. We also know that al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, a terrorist group based in Yemen, continues to plan attacks against our homeland, our citizens, and our friends and allies.

John Brennan, who you will be hearing from, spoke with President Saleh of Yemen today about the seriousness of this threat, and President Saleh pledged the full cooperation of the Yemeni government in this investigation.

Going forward, we will continue to strengthen our cooperation with the Yemeni government to disrupt plotting by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and to destroy this al Qaeda affiliate. We'll also continue our efforts to strengthen a more stable, secure and prosperous Yemen so that terrorist groups do not have the time and space they need to plan attacks from within its borders.

The events of the past 24 hours underscores the necessity of remaining vigilant against terrorism. As usual, our intelligence, law enforcement and Homeland Security professionals have served with extraordinary skill and resolve and with the commitment that their enormous responsibilities demand. We're also coordinating closely and effectively with our friends and our allies, who are essential to this fight.

As we obtain more information we will keep the public fully informed. But at this stage, the American people should know that the counterterrorism professionals are taking this threat very seriously and are taking all necessary and prudent steps to ensure our security. And the American people should be confident that we will not waver in our resolve to defeat al Qaeda and its affiliates and to root out violent extremism in all its forms.

Thank you very much.

_______________________________________________________________________________

story by AP

WASHINGTON DC  — President Barack Obama declared Friday that authorities had uncovered a "credible terrorist threat" against the United States following the overseas discovery of U.S.-bound packages containing explosives aboard cargo jets. Obama said both had been addressed to Jewish organizations in the Chicago area.

The disclosures triggered a worldwide alert amid fears that al-Qaida was attempting to carry out fresh terror attacks.

The events "underscore the necessity of remaining vigilant against terrorism," the president said. The packages both originated in Yemen, but Obama did not explicitly assign blame to al-Qaida, which is active in the Arab nation and long has made clear its goal of attacking the United States.

The events unfolded four days before national elections in which discussion of terrorism has played almost no role.

Obama stepped to the podium in the hours after officials disclosed that authorities in Dubai intercepted an explosive device bound for a Chicago-area Jewish institution. The second package was aboard a plane searched in England, and officials said it contained a printer toner cartridge with wires and powder.

That second package was aboard a plane in East Midlands, north of London.

Obama did not identify any institution that had been targeted.

Several other cargo planes at airports along the Eastern Seaboard of the United States also were searched, and officials said no explosives were found. An Emirates Airlines passenger jet carrying cargo from Yemen was escorted from the Canadian border to New York City by two military fighter jets, U.S. officials said. They said it was a precautionary action.

An FBI spokesman in Chicago, Ross Rice, said both suspicious packages had been sent from the same address in Yemen.

The president refrained from assigning blame to Yemen's al-Qaida branch, but officials who spoke on condition of anonymity said they were increasingly certain that was the source. The same group was responsible for the attempted bombing of a U.S.-bound airliner last Christmas.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity, citing the ongoing investigation.

White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan later told reporters that the explosives "were in a form that was designed to try to carry out some type of attack," but he provided no further details.

"The forensic analysis is under way," he said, adding, "Clearly from the initial observation, the initial analysis that was done, the materials that were found in the device that was uncovered was intended to do harm."

Florida Senate candidate Congressman Kendrick Meek denies Clinton asked him to quit

story by NBC news service

MIAMI — A Florida Democrat running a distant third in the state's three-way Senate race again denied Friday that former President Bill Clinton asked him to withdraw from the race in order to help Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, a former Republican who is running as an independent.

Democrat Kendrick Meek told NBC's TODAY show that he had discussions about the race in Florida with Clinton during the former president's visits to the state to campaign on his behalf. But he denied that Clinton asked him to step down. "I never once told him that I was getting out and he never once asked me to get out."

A number of media on Thursday, including Politico and CNN, reported Clinton had tried to persuade Meek to drop out of the race to prevent a win by the contest's frontrunner, Republican Marco Rubio.

"The argument was: 'You can be a hero here. You can stop him, you can change this race in one swoop,'" a Democrat familiar with the conversations told Politico.

According to the Politico report, Meek agreed, and planned to endorse Crist, but then failed to go ahead with the withdrawal. Politico cited Clinton spokesman Matt McKenna.

Meek denied there was any plan for him to drop out. He also rejected poll numbers showing him getting only about 15 percent of the vote in next Tuesday's election.

Crist's campaign, for its part, said in a statement: "While this story is accurate, the Governor's focus is on uniting common-sense Democrats, independents, and Republicans behind his campaign because he is the one candidate who can defeat Tea Party extremist Marco Rubio and deliver bipartisan results for Florida in Washington."

The governor also confirmed to MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann that the discussions did occur, saying he had "numerous phone calls" with people close to President Clinton.

A Meek withdrawal would boost the chances of Crist, who was a Republican when he became governor in 2007 but left the party when polls indicated Rubio would trounce him in the August Republican primary election.

In a Quinnipiac University poll released on Thursday, Rubio, who is widely seen as a rising Republican star, led with 42 percent compared to 35 percent for Crist. Meek trailed with 15 percent.

National opinion polls show the Republicans on track to win enough seats to take control of the U.S. House of Representatives, which could put the brakes on President Barack Obama's legislative agenda. Surveys show Democrats are also likely to lose Senate seats but they may keep a slim majority.

Thousands affected in Benin floods

The West African nation of Benin struggles to cope with the worst floods in 50 years that have hit two thirds of the country.  Aid agencies and the government are trying to help, but have little resources in the poor country of Benin. Cholera was present before the floods and could spread, and malaria is also a danger. Al Jazeera’s Jonah Hull reports from Cotonou, Benin.

On The One Year Anniversary Of The Photo of the Day: White House Photographer Pete Souza's releases his ten favorite pictures

story by Pete Souza

President Barack Obama meets with members of his Cabinet in the Cabinet Room of the White House, January 29, 2010. The President’s chair is marked with a plaque engraved with the date of his inauguration. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

• Pete Souza is answering your questions in a live video chat tonight, Thursday, October 28th at 7:00 p.m. EDT. Watch live and learn how you can join the conversation here http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/10/26/open-questions-pete-souza-white-house-photography

Pete Souza: "A year ago, my photo editors suggested we start posting a "Photo of the Day" (POD) on the White House website. The idea was to show pictures that viewers do not see anywhere else: behind-the-scenes images of the President and other aspects of life at the White House. (Visit WhiteHouse.gov/Photos for the latest Photo of the Day galleries.)

In the past year, we have selected a new POD at least five days a week (weekend postings depend on the President’s activities). The most popular pictures are ones involving fun moments with the President, or pictures of the family dog, Bo. But, given my extraordinary access, we also try to show the President doing what he spends most of his time doing: running the country.

I chose the following ten pictures to represent the past year of POD’s. They are not necessarily the “best” ten, but are ones that show the variety of situations we have to choose from."
Read more »

Indonesia tsunami kills 370; toll expected to rise

Tsunami survivors make their way past damaged houses after their village was hit by Monday's earthquake-triggered tsunami at Parorogat village, Pagai island, West Sumatra, Indonesia, on Thursday, Oct. 28, 2010. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

story by Boston Globe

MENTAWAI ISLANDS, Indonesia—Rescuers searching islands ravaged by a tsunami off western Indonesia raised the death toll to 370 Thursday as more corpses were wrapped in body bags or buried by neighbors. Officials said hundreds of missing people may have been swept out to sea.

Elsewhere in Indonesia, the volcano that killed 33 people earlier this week began erupting again, though there were no reports of new injuries or damage. Mourners held a mass burial Thursday during a lull in Mount Merapi's rumblings.

The twin catastrophes struck within 24 hours in different corners of the seismically charged region, severely testing the nation's emergency response network.

Islanders dug graves and slung up tarps to sleep under in one of the areas hardest hit by a 10-foot (three-meter) wave that swept houses off their foundations and deposited the shattered remains in the jungle. Many residents who fled to the hills were refusing to return home for fear the sea might lash out again.

Officials say a multimillion-dollar warning system installed after a monster 2004 quake and tsunami broke down one month ago because it was not being properly maintained. A German official at the project disputed that, saying the system was working but the quake's epicenter was too close to the Mentawai islands for residents to get the warning before the killer wave hit.

Search and rescue teams -- kept away for days by stormy seas and bad weather -- found roads and beaches with swollen corpses lying on them, according to Harmensyah, head of the West Sumatra provincial disaster management center.

Some wore face masks as they wrapped corpses in black body bags on Pagai Utara, one of the four main islands in the Mentawai chain located between Sumatra and the Indian Ocean.

Agus Zaenal, of the West Sumatra provincial disaster management agency, raised the official toll Thursday to 370, up from 343 earlier in the day. He said 338 people are still missing.

Harmensyah said the teams were losing hope of finding those missing since the wall of water, triggered by a 7.7-magnitute earthquake, crashed into the islands on Monday.

"They believe many, many of the bodies were swept to sea," he said.
Read more »

Top 10 Focus Stocks of The Day: CML, VOCS, ROIAK, OII, RFMD, FFIV, JDAS, QTM, PGI, NTGR

story by cnanalst.com

Below are today's top 10 focus stocks. These momentum stocks are attracting a lot of interest from traders.

• Compellent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:CML) is today's 1st best focus stock. Its daily price change was 32.3% in the previous trading day. Its upside potential is -15% based on brokerage analysts' average target price of $22 on the stock. It is rated positively by 33% of the 18 analyst(s) covering it. Its long-term annual earnings growth is 25% based on analysts' average estimate.
• Vocus, Inc. (NASDAQ:VOCS) is today's 2nd best focus stock. Its daily price change was 19.8% in the previous trading day. Its upside potential is 1% based on brokerage analysts' average target price of $22 on the stock. It is rated positively by 64% of the 11 analyst(s) covering it. Its long-term annual earnings growth is 20% based on analysts' average estimate.
• Radio One, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROIAK) is today's 3rd best focus stock. Its daily price change was 19.1% in the previous trading day. Its upside potential is -33% based on brokerage analysts' average target price of $1 on the stock. It is rated positively by 0% of the 1 analyst(s) covering it. Its long-term annual earnings growth is 52% based on analysts' average estimate.
• Oceaneering International (NYSE:OII) is today's 4th best focus stock. Its daily price change was 15.7% in the previous trading day. Its upside potential is -2% based on brokerage analysts' average target price of $62 on the stock. It is rated positively by 55% of the 20 analyst(s) covering it. Its long-term annual earnings growth is 11% based on analysts' average estimate.
• RF Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:RFMD) is today's 5th best focus stock. Its daily price change was 15.2% in the previous trading day. Its upside potential is 11% based on brokerage analysts' average target price of $8 on the stock. It is rated positively by 65% of the 20 analyst(s) covering it. Its long-term annual earnings growth is 16% based on analysts' average estimate.

Read more »

Top Performing Industries For October 28 (LVS, BBW, HMA, ROIAK)

story by Benzinga
written By Monica Gerson

At 10:20 am, the Dow gained 0.05% to 11,131.92, the broader Standard & Poor's 500 index moved up 0.09% to 1,183.56 and the NASDAQ composite index lost 0.08% to 2,501.30.

The industries that are supporting the market today are:

Resorts & Casinos: This industry jumped 5.82% by 10:20 am. The top stock within the industry was Las Vegas Sands Corp (NYSE: LVS), which rose 9.40%. LVS reported better-than-expected Q3 earnings.

Toy & Hobby Stores: This industry rose 4.44% by 10:20 am ET. The top performer in this industry was Build-A-Bear Workshop Inc (NYSE: BBW), which gained 6.59%. BBW posted upbeat Q3 results.

Hospitals: This industry moved up 3.03% by 10:20 am, with Health Management Associates Inc (NYSE: HMA) moving up 8.62% to gain the top spot. HMA reported a 40.0% y/y surge in its Q3 earnings per share and lifted earnings guidance for FY10.

Broadcasting - Radio: The industry, which gained 2.88%, saw Radio One Inc (NASDAQ: ROIAK) as the top gainer. ROIAK's shares rose 6.25%. ROIAK's PEG ratio is 0.06.

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT AT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS EVENT

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

___________________________________________________________________________________

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, everybody. (Applause.) Everybody, please have a seat. Thank you so much.

Let me just be clear. Biden’s boss is Dr. Jill Biden. (Laughter.) So let there be no confusion about that.

I want to begin, obviously, by recognizing my Vice President for the unbelievable leadership that he has shown for more than two decades on this issue -- fighting alongside all the advocates who are here today. (Applause.) Great work.

He started holding hearings on domestic violence back in 1990. He wrote and gathered the support to pass the Violence Against Women’s Act -- a law that has saved countless lives, transformed how we address these all-too-pervasive crimes. And as Vice President, he hasn’t let up. He is helping us to step up our efforts across all the relevant federal agencies. So nobody feels more passionately about this than Joe, and I am grateful to him for all of his leadership. We're really proud of him. (Applause.)

I also want to thank Valerie Jarrett, my senior advisor and chair of our Council on Women and Girls. Valerie has helped ensure that the issues that we’re talking about today -- the concerns of women and girls -- are addressed at the highest levels of our government.

I want to acknowledge Lynn Rosenthal, the first-ever advisor at the White House -- (applause.) So we're proud of Lynn. I guess you know her. (Laughter.) She’s been calling you up a little bit. But she’s doing great work helping to advise us on these issues.

I want to thank Judge Susan Carbon, the Director of the Office on Violence Against Women at the Department of Justice. (Applause.) We're proud of what we're doing here.

I want to thank my Secretary for Health and Human Services, Secretary Sebelius, who is helping to coordinate our efforts.

And finally, I want to thank everybody who is here today for the work that you’re doing to stop domestic violence and to help its survivors. You’ve got champions like Senator Frank Lautenberg and Congresswoman Donna Edwards who have done extraordinary work in Congress. You’ve got leaders like Mayor Mitch Landrieu of New Orleans. And I think you already heard about some of the interesting work that they’re doing down in that city.

There are so many organizations that are represented here today -- we are very proud of you and what you do. I'm thrilled to see Joe Torre, who’s here, who understands this issue personally and deeply, and for him to lend his name to this is extraordinarily important. And we hope that the Dodgers do better next year. (Laughter.) My White Sox aren't doing so hot, either. (Laughter.)

As you all know, domestic violence was for far too long seen as a lesser offense. As Valerie said, it was frequently treated like a private matter. Victims were often just sent home from the hospital without intervention; children were left to suffer in silence. And as a consequence, abuse could go on for years. In many cases, this violence would only end with the death of a woman or a child.

And we've come an incredibly long way since that time. We have changed laws. We’ve made progress in changing the way people think about domestic abuse. As Joe pointed out, we’ve reduced the incidence of domestic violence. And we’ve done so in no small part because of the advocacy of your organizations and the willingness of victims to tell their own stories, even when it’s difficult.

And if there’s one group that I want to thank, am grateful for, it’s people who are willing to tell their stories -- because it’s hard. It’s hard stuff. When Joe Torre stands up and talks about growing up in an abusive household, about being afraid to come home when he saw his dad’s car parked in the front of the house, and finding a refuge in baseball -- that connects in a way that no speech by a politician can connect.

As a consequence, he started Safe at Home, a foundation for children going through what he went through, and it’s helping kids all across the country.

We’re joined by Lori Stone and Ruth Glenn, both of whom were victims of years of violent abuse in their marriages. And they’re sharing their stories in the hope that nobody else has to experience the pain and fear that they lived with every day.

Those stories remind us of how cruel, how menacing domestic violence can be -- because it happens at home, the place where you should feel safe. Because the abuse comes at the hands of the people who are supposed to love you and trust you. Because escaping domestic violence is not only associated with a great deal of fear but also incredible financial and legal challenges that often leave victims of abuse feeling trapped.

That’s what we have to change. And I say that not only as a President, but as a son, as a husband, as the father of two daughters. Now, we’ve made a great deal of progress in recent years. But everybody in this room understands that our work is not yet finished. Not when there’s more we can do to help folks looking to restart their lives and achieve financial independence. Not when there’s more to do to ensure that the victims of abuse have access to legal protection. Not when children are trapped in abusive homes -- especially when we know the lingering damage and despair that this can cause in a child’s life. Not when one in every four women experiences domestic violence -- and one in six women are sexually assaulted -- at some point in their lives.

It’s not acceptable. And I know that Valerie and Joe spoke about some of our efforts in detail, but I just want to highlight a few key parts of what is a new, coordinated effort to protect victims and break the cycle of abuse.

We’re helping the victims of violence to overcome the financial barriers they often face getting back on their feet. And Lori’s experience serves as an example. Lori had not only -- had suffered abuse at the hands of her husband physically, he also destroyed their credit. And she had to spend her limited savings on legal representation to keep custody of her children.

So we’re going to start taking steps to connect survivors with jobs, to help them save, to make it easier for them to rebuild their credit, to make sure that no one has to choose between a violent home and no home at all. (Applause.)

Secretary Donovan at the Department of Housing and Urban Development is releasing new rules today to prevent the victims of domestic violence from being evicted or denied assisted housing because a crime was committed against them. That’s not right. And we’re going to put a stop to it. (Applause.)

We’re also doing more to help the victims of domestic violence access legal services and protections. So today, the Justice Department is releasing new tools and best practice to judges, to advocates, to law enforcement to help ensure that protective orders are issued and enforced. And the Vice President and the Justice Department are launching a new effort to help victims of domestic abuse find lawyers to represent them pro bono. You heard Joe talk about that. That's critical. That's important. (Applause.)

As the advocates in this room can attest, when a victim of abuse leaves a violent relationship it’s often a particularly vulnerable time. I know that’s when Ruth Glenn was viciously attacked by her husband. And there are many stories like this -- too many stories. We need to make sure that we’re doing everything we can for victims in this critical period -- to ensure that folks who are seeking help and protection get that help and get that protection. That’s our responsibility.

So these are just a few of the steps that we’re taking. But the bottom line is this: Nobody in America should live in fear because they are unsafe in their own home -- no adult, no child. And no one who is the victim of abuse should ever feel that they have no way to get out. We need to make sure every victim of domestic violence knows that they are not alone; that there are resources available to them in their moment of greatest need. And as a society, we need to ensure that if a victim of abuse reaches out for help, we are there to lend a hand.

This is not just the job of government. It’s a job for all of us. So I want to thank all of you for the work that you do in your respective communities. And I want you to know that this administration is going to stand with you each and every step of the way.

So congratulations on your great work. We've got more work to do. And I couldn't be prouder to be part of this effort. Thank you very much, everybody. (Applause.)

Vote on November 2nd - or - early voting

Protecting the Right to Vote and Prosecuting Ballot Fraud

Department of Justice

Office of Public Affairs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Protecting the Right to Vote and Prosecuting Ballot Fraud

WASHINGTON – In anticipation of the upcoming election, the department today provided information about its efforts, through the Civil Rights and Criminal Divisions, to ensure that all qualified voters have the opportunity to cast their ballots and have their votes counted, without incidence of discrimination, intimidation or fraud.

Civil Rights Division:

The Civil Rights Division is responsible for ensuring compliance with the civil provisions of federal laws that protect the right to vote, and with criminal law prohibiting discriminatory interference with that right.

The Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section enforces civil provisions of federal laws that protect the right to vote including: the Voting Rights Act; the National Voter Registration Act; the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act; and the Help America Vote Act. Among other things, these laws prohibit discrimination based on race or membership in a minority language group; prohibit intimidation of voters; provide that voters who need assistance in voting because of disability or illiteracy can obtain assistance from a person of their choice; require minority language election materials and assistance in certain jurisdictions; provide for accessible election machines for voters with disabilities; require provisional ballots for voters who assert they are eligible but whose names do not appear on poll books; provide for absentee ballots for service members and U.S. citizens living abroad; and require states to ensure that citizens can register at driver license offices, public assistance offices and other state agencies; and include requirements regarding maintaining voter registration lists.

The Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section enforces federal criminal statutes that prohibit voter intimidation and suppression based on race, color, national origin or religion. As it has in the past, on Election Day, Nov. 2, 2010, the Civil Rights Division will implement a comprehensive program to help ensure ballot access that will include the following:

The Civil Rights Division will announce later this week which states will have federal personnel as election monitors and observers at polling places.

Civil Rights Division attorneys in both the Voting and Criminal Sections in Washington, D.C., will be ready to receive election-related complaints of potential violations relating to any of the statutes the Civil Rights Division enforces. Attorneys in the division will take appropriate action and will consult and coordinate with local U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and with other entities within the Department of Justice concerning these complaints on and after Election Day, as appropriate.

Civil Rights Division staff will be available at special toll-free numbers to receive complaints related to ballot access (1-800-253-3931) (TTY line 1-877-267-8971). In addition, individuals can also report complaints, problems or concerns related to voting via the Internet. Forms may be submitted through a link on the department’s Web page:www.justice.gov/ .

Criminal Division and the Department's 94 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices:

The Department’s Criminal Division oversees the enforcement of federal laws that criminalize voter fraud and protect the integrity of the federal election process.

The Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and the Department’s 94 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices are responsible for enforcing the federal criminal laws that prohibit various forms of election fraud, such as vote buying, multiple voting, submission of fraudulent ballots or registrations, destruction of ballots or registrations, voter intimidation, alteration of votes and malfeasance by election officials, as well as federal civil law prohibiting voter intimidation that does not involve discrimination or intimidation on grounds of race or color.

The department’s Ballot Access and Voting Integrity Initiative requires that each of the department’s U.S. Attorneys’ Offices coordinate with state law enforcement and election officials before the federal general elections regarding the handling of election-related matters in their respective districts. In addition, the department provides annual training for the Assistant U.S. Attorneys who serve as District Election Officers (DEOs) in their respective districts, which the department conducted this year on Aug. 31 and Sept.1. DEOs are responsible for overseeing potential election crime matters in their districts and coordinating with the department’s election crime experts in Washington, D.C.

On Nov. 2, 2010, these offices will work together and with the FBI to ensure that complaints from the public involving possible voter fraud are handled appropriately and expeditiously. Specifically:

• Federal prosecutors within the Public Integrity Section, the DEOs in U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, FBI officials at headquarters in Washington, D.C., and special agents serving as Election Crime Coordinators in the FBI’s 56 field offices will be on duty while polls are open to receive complaints from the public and take appropriate action.

• Public Integrity Section prosecutors will also be available to consult and coordinate with the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and FBI regarding the handling of election crime allegations.

• Voter fraud complaints may be directed to any of the local U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, the local FBI offices or the Public Integrity Section (202-514-1412). A list of U.S. Attorneys’ Office can be found at www.justice.gov/usao/offices/index.html and a list of FBI offices can be found at: www.fbi.gov.

Both protecting the right to vote and combating voter fraud are essential to maintaining the confidence of all Americans in our system of government.

TODAY: Valerie Jarrett and Lynn Rosenthal to Hold Press Conference Call to Discuss the Administration’s Unprecedented Coordinated Effort to Combat Violence Against Women

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of Media Affairs

_______________________________________

WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, October 27th, Valerie Jarrett, Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor, and Lynn Rosenthal, White House Advisor on Domestic Violence, will host an on-the-record conference call with reporters to discuss the Obama Administration’s unprecedented coordination across the federal government to combat violence against women. Jarrett and Rosenthal will discuss key initiatives announced today by a number of agencies to help protect victims of domestic violence and end the cycle of abuse. The call is scheduled to take place at 5:00 p.m. EDT, immediately following the President and Vice-President’s event at the White House honoring Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

WHAT: Valerie Jarrett and Lynn Rosenthal to Hold Press Conference Call to Discuss the Administration’s Unprecedented Efforts to Combat Violence Against Women

WHEN: Wednesday, October 27, 2010, at 5:00 PM EDT

RSVP: Members of the media who wish to participate should call (800) 288-8960 and ask to join the “White House Call.”

Labels Reject Radio Royalty Offer.

The National Association of Broadcasters has done what a year ago would have been unthinkable. With a vote by the Joint NAB Board agreeing to terms of a tentative deal already agreed to by the Radio Board, the broadcast group yesterday offered to pay musicians and record labels tens of millions of dollars in performance royalties. Yet an agreement with the music industry appears no closer.

260 dead in Haiti from Cholera

Reggae Star Gregory Isaacs Dies Of Cancer

story by NewsOne

Gregory Isaacs, the Jamaican reggae singer whose smooth style earned him the nickname “Cool Ruler,” has died at the age of 59.

The BBC reports that Isaacs died Monday at his London home. He had been diagnosed with lung cancer.

His wife Linda said Isaacs was “well-loved by everyone, his fans and his family,” and would be greatly missed.

Born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1951, Isaacs began recording in his teens. With his sinuous baritone and romantic songs, he became a leading proponent of the mellow “Lovers Rock” style of reggae.

Isaacs was best known for the title song from his 1982 album “Night Nurse.”

His career was derailed for a spell by drug use, but he released a well-received final album, “Brand New Me,” in 2008.

**BREAKING NEWS*** Radio Board forwards royalty offer.

story by Inside Radio

The NAB Radio Board voted today to present the record labels with a list of terms by which broadcasters would agree to embrace a performance royalty. Terms of what stations would pay will vary depending on whether Congress goes along with an FM-on-cell phone mandage. Before the labels are presented with the outline, the NAB Joint Board of Directors must sign-off on the proposal. That could come tomorrow.

"NAB remains 100% opposed to performance fee legislation pending in Congress," NAB Radio Board chair Caroline Beasley says. "However, in a good faith effort to resolve this issue in the best interests of both radio and the music industry, we have endorsed a solution ensuring that broadcasters have a foothold in digital platforms of tomorrow."

The outlined proposal includes:

• Permanent removal of the Copyright Royalty Board from rate-setting of transmissions of terrestrial on-air music or Internet streaming.
• Resolution of the "AFTRA issue" outside of the legislative process by the musicFIRST coalition that would facilitate simulcast of over-the-air radio commercials on the Internet.
• MusicFIRST's acknowledgment and recognition of the unparalleled promotional value of terrestrial radio airplay.
• Simplified airplay reporting requirements similar to the model used by ASCAP/BMI.
• Congressionally-mandated radio-activated chips in mobile devices such as cell phones and BlackBerry smartphones, with an acceptable phase-in period and inclusion of HD Radio chips when economically feasible.

The Radio Board says if a legislative mandate becomes initially unattainable, radio broadcasters would agree to an initial performance fee payment of 0.25% of net industry revenue. Under this scenario, the performance fee would mirror the actual percentage of radio-activated mobile phones in the United States. Once market penetration of radio-activated mobile devices reaches and maintains a level of 75% of all mobile devices, broadcasters agree to pay the full 1% terrestrial transmission performance fee.

Assuming a successful mandate of radio-activated chips in mobile devices, streaming rates for webcasts and through 2016 would be reduced. In the event that a legislative mandate for radio chips in mobile devices is not achieved, the streaming rate reduction would not take effect until 50% of mobile phones have radio chips.

Read the complete Board’s proposed term sheet below:

Term Sheet for Performance Rights Agreement

The attached term sheet describes the structural framework for an agreement between the musicFirst coalition and the NAB to proceed towards legislation under which broadcasters would agree to make payments, strictly to the limited extent described below and subject to implementation of all the terms described, for performances associated with the music played on terrestrial radio and broadcast streaming. In exchange, members of the musicFirst coalition agree to recognize the promotional value that plays on terrestrial radio provide and further agree to work cooperatively with the broadcast entities to enact legislation to implement all aspects of this framework in a mutually agreeable manner. It is specifically understood that if any term of this framework is not enacted, the agreement of the parties is null and void.  It is further specifically understood that any change to the terms of the agreement must be by mutual agreement of the parties.

Term Sheet for Performance Rights Agreement:
Read more »

Monday Night Football: Giants versus Cowboys tonight -- see game on-line --

written by Kelly McGill

Week 7 of the national football league is all but complete with one game to play tonight as two rivals go head to head from Cowboys Stadium. The New York Giants travel to take on Dallas in this NFC East matchup between two teams going in opposition directions to begin the 2010 season.

The Giants come in to the game leading the division with a impressive 4-2 record led by 7 year veteren QB Eli Manning who has passed for 1,479 yards and 10 touchdowns. The New York offensive attack has been very well balanced blending in a great running game featuring RB Ahmad Bradshaw, who leads the team in rushing with 582 yards and 3 touchdowns on 5.3 yards per carry in just 6 games.

Dallas won the division finishing with a 11-5 record last year and had high expectations going in to the 2010 season. The team has been a major disappointment starting off the season with a 1-4 record. A win tonight puts the Cowboys back within striking distance, and back in the race in the NFC east divison, while a loss would drop them to 3 games behind the Giants and all but end any playoff hopes.

Have you found a place to watch monday night football online? Assuming you already have connection to the internet and a computer you can download the live-football-channels software directly on to your computer and watch New York Giants vs Dallas Cowboys live streaming telecast coverage in high definition. The website provides full coverage of NFL and College football enabling fans to follow each team, each game from now until january. Watch nfl games online in high definition with the option to view multiple games at one time. This feature is especially helpful on a busy Saturday and Sunday.

Click Here to Watch Giants vs Cowboys Live Monday Night Football Online

Matchup: New York Giants vs Dallas Cowboys
Date: October 25
Venue: Cowboys Stadium
Watch Online: http://Live-Football-Channels.com

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The download process is quick and easy taking less than 1 minute, and you will be on your way to watching live monday night football. The software comes with a 3 year membership in which you will have unlimited access to college Football and live nfl games throught the entire season. Included with your package is a free digital video recorder which will enable you to watch live football streaming coverage and record either the entire game or your favorite moments. Test it out tonight when your watching the Giants vs Cowboys live online through Live-Football-Channels

The 10 top-earning dead celebrities

1. Michael Jackson

story by Forbes

Michael Jackson never graced Forbes' annual richest-celebrities list in his lifetime. But the deceased singer earned more than any star on that list except Oprah Winfrey in the 12 months that ended Sept. 30.

With gross earnings of $275 million, Jackson is No. 1 on the magazine's 10th annual list of top-earning dead celebrities. Jackson, who died in June 2009 at age 50, had a better year, in terms of earnings, than the two most-profitable living musical acts -- U2 and AC/DC -- combined.

Jackson's posthumous earnings have been bolstered by shrewd negotiations by his estate, including a merchandising deal and the rights to his name and likeness for the Sony film "Michael Jackson's This Is It," which has grossed more than $300 million.

2. Elvis Presley
Earnings: $60 million

3. J.R.R. Tolkien
Earnings: $50 million

4. Charles Schulz
Earnings: $33 million

5. John Lennon
Earnings: $17 million

6. Stieg Larsson
Earnings: $15 million

7. Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel)
Earnings: $11 million

8. Albert Einstein
Earnings: $10 million

9. George Steinbrenner
Earnings: $8 million

10. Richard Rodgers
Earnings: $7 million

Five myths about young voters

story by Washington Post
written by Heather Smith

In 2008, young voters swept President Obama and a Democratic majority into office. He spoke to them, texted them, involved them -- and they showed up. Now, with the midterms approaching, the president is again trying to energize these voters. At an event last month at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, he told the crowd, "We can't sit this one out."

That's the worry among Democrats and a constant refrain from both sides: Young voters are fickle and will stay home. It's just one of the myths being peddled about young voters and what it will take to get them to the polls next week.

1. Democrats need young voters to show up Nov. 2. Too bad they won't.

2. With Facebook and text messages, there's no need to knock on doors anymore.

3. After 2008, everyone learned how to energize new voters.

4. There is a huge enthusiasm gap between the mostly Democratic new voters from 2008 and the tea party movement.

5. Obama has rekindled his campaign magic with big rallies in battleground States.

Read more »

Realco guns tied to 2,500 crimes in D.C. and Maryland

story by Washington Post
written by David S. Fallis

Outside a baby shower in Landover three years ago, Erik Kenneth Dixon snapped. As he argued with his sister and her boyfriend in a parking lot, the 25-year-old man whipped out a .45-caliber Glock and shot her in the leg. Then he chased down her boyfriend, firing between cars and at the running man's feet until he slipped on wet grass. As the prone man held his hands up in futile defense, Dixon executed him, firing seven times.

By law, Dixon was prohibited from owning a gun. He had spent almost three years in prison for shooting at a man. But three months before the baby-shower killing, he gave his girlfriend $335 and took her to an old brick house on a commercial strip just beyond the District line in Forestville, home to a gun shop called Realco.

"He knew which one he wanted and picked it out," the woman would later tell police.

Dixon's Glock was one of 86 guns sold by Realco that have been linked to homicide cases during the past 18 years, far outstripping the total from any other store in the region, a Washington Post investigation has found. Over that period, police have recovered more than 2,500 guns sold by the shop, including over 300 used in non-fatal shootings, assaults and robberies.

Realco has been known as a leading seller of "crime guns" seized by local police, but a year-long Post investigation reveals the magnitude of Realco's pattern and links the guns sold by the store to specific crimes. The Post compiled its own databases of more than 35,000 gun traces by mining unpublicized state databases and local police evidence logs.

The Post investigation found that a small percentage of gun stores sells most of the weapons recovered by police in crimes - re-confirming the major finding of studies that came out before federal gun-tracing data were removed from public view by an act of Congress in 2003. For the most part, these sales are legal, but an unknown number involve persons who buy for those who cannot, including convicted felons such as Dixon, in a process known as a "straw purchase." Such sales are illegal for the buyer and the store, if it knowingly allows a straw purchase. But cases are hard to prove. Law enforcement officials rarely prosecute gun stores, deterred by high bureaucratic hurdles, political pressure and laws that make convictions difficult.

The investigation also found that:

• Nearly two out of three guns sold in Virginia since 1998 and recovered by local authorities came from about 1 percent of the state's dealers - 40 out of the 3,400 selling guns. Most of those 40 had received government warnings that their licenses were in jeopardy because of regulatory violations. But only four had their licenses revoked, and all are still legally selling guns after transferring their licenses, reapplying or re-licensing under new owners.
• A gun store in Portsmouth, Va., transformed over the past seven years from a modest family-owned business into one of the state's top sellers of "crime guns," leading Virginia in the category of how quickly its guns moved from the sales counter to crime scenes.
• The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which investigates gun trafficking and regulates the firearms industry, is hamstrung by the law, politics and bureaucracy. The agency still has the same number of agents it had three decades ago. It can take as long as eight years between inspections of gun stores. And even when inspectors turn up evidence of missing guns, they cannot compel a dealer to take inventory.

In Maryland, Realco towers over the other 350 handgun dealers in the state as a source of guns confiscated in the District and Prince George's County, the most violent jurisdictions in the area. Nearly one out of three guns The Post traced to Maryland dealers came from Realco. The rest were spread among other shops across the state.

The store is a paradox for law enforcement and politicians. Its owners say they scrupulously follow handgun laws. State and federal regulators have documented only minor problems in numerous inspections.
Read more »

Shares of Belo Rank the Highest in terms of Debt To Equity Ratio in the Broadcasting Industry (BLC, ETM, ROIAK, CETV, CBS)

story by Smartrend
written by Chip Brian

Below are the top five companies in the Broadcasting industry as measured by their Debt To Equity ratio. The Debt/Equity ratio measures a company's leverage and a high level often implies that a company has financed much of its growth with debt.

• Belo (NYSE:BLC) has a Debt/Equity ratio of 9.21x based on total debt of $989.7 million.
• Entercom Communications (NYSE:ETM) has a Debt/Equity ratio of 5.25x based on total debt of $713.8 million.
• Radio One (NASDAQ:ROIAK) has a Debt/Equity ratio of 3.18x based on total debt of $657.1 million.
• Central European Media Enterprises (NASDAQ:CETV) has a Debt/Equity ratio of 1.13x based on total debt of $1.3 billion.
• CBS (NYSE:CBS) has a Debt/Equity ratio of 0.71x based on total debt of $6.5 billion.

Income Gap Between Rich, Poor - THE WIDEST EVER!

Census Bureau Finds Record Income Equality; Richest 20% of Americans Earn Nearly Half of All Nation’s Income

story by AP

The income gap between the richest and poorest Americans grew last year to its widest amount on record as young adults and children in particular struggled to stay afloat in the recession.

The top-earning 20 percent of Americans - those making more than $100,000 each year - received 49.4 percent of all income generated in the U.S., compared with the 3.4 percent earned by those below the poverty line, according to newly released census figures. That ratio of 14.5-to-1 was an increase from 13.6 in 2008 and nearly double a low of 7.69 in 1968.

A different measure, the international Gini index, found U.S. income inequality at its highest level since the Census Bureau began tracking household income in 1967. The U.S. also has the greatest disparity among Western industrialized nations. At the top, the wealthiest 5 percent of Americans, who earn more than $180,000, added slightly to their annual incomes last year, census data show. Families at the $50,000 median level slipped lower.

“Income inequality is rising, and if we took into account tax data, it would be even more,” said Timothy Smeeding, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor who specializes in poverty. “More than other countries, we have a very unequal income distribution where compensation goes to the top in a winner-takes-all economy.”

The New Normal: What to Expect of Our Economy Warren: Middle Class Has Suffered for 30 Years Lower-skilled adults ages 18 to 34 had the largest jumps in poverty last year as employers kept or hired older workers for the dwindling jobs available, Smeeding said.

The declining economic fortunes have caused many unemployed young Americans to double-up in housing with parents, friends and loved ones, with potential problems for the labor market if they don’t get needed training for future jobs, he said.

Rea Hederman Jr., a senior policy analyst at The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, agreed that census data show families of all income levels had tepid earnings in 2009, with poorer Americans taking a larger hit. “It’s certainly going to take a while for people to recover,” he said.

The findings are part of a broad array of U.S. census data being released this month that highlight the far-reaching impact of the recent economic meltdown. The effects have ranged from near-historic declines in U.S. mobility and birth rates to delayed marriage and the first drop in the number of illegal immigrants in two decades.

The census figures also come amid heated political debate in the run-up to the Nov. 2 elections over whether Congress should extend expiring Bush-era tax cuts. President Barack Obama wants to extend the tax cuts for individuals making less than $200,000 and joint filers making less than $250,000; Republicans are pushing for tax cuts for everyone, including wealthy Americans.

The 2009 census tabulations, which are based on pre-tax income and exclude capital gains, are adjusted for household size where data are available. Prior analyses of after-tax income made by the wealthiest 1 percent compared to middle- and low-income Americans have also pointed to a widening inequality gap, but only reflect U.S. data as of 2007.

Among the 2009 findings:

• The poorest poor are at record highs. The share of Americans below half the poverty line - $10,977 for a family of four - rose from 5.7 percent in 2008 to 6.3 percent. It was the highest level since the government began tracking that group in 1975.
• The poverty gap between young and old has doubled since 2000, due partly to the strength of Social Security in helping buoy Americans 65 and over.
• Child poverty is now 21 percent compared with 9 percent for older Americans. In 2000, when child poverty was at 16 percent, elderly poverty stood at 10 percent.
• Safety nets are helping fill health gaps. The percentage of children covered by government-sponsored health insurance such as Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program jumped to 37 percent, or 27.6 million, from 24 percent in 2000. That helped offset steady losses in employer-sponsored insurance.

The 2009 poverty level was set at $21,954 for a family of four, based on an official government calculation that includes only cash income. It excludes noncash aid such as food stamps.

Arloc Sherman, a senior researcher at the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, noted the effects of expanded government programs in cushioning the impact of skyrocketing unemployment. For example, the Census Bureau estimates that 3.6 million people would have been lifted above the poverty line if food stamps were counted - a number that would have reduced the 2009 poverty rate from the official 14.3 percent to 13.2 percent.

Sheldon Danziger, a University of Michigan public policy professor, said while the U.S. has developed policies to combat poverty, it has trouble addressing ever-widening income inequality - even with a growing federal deficit and previous warnings by former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan about soaring executive pay.

An Associated Press-GfK Poll this month found that by 54 percent to 44 percent, most Americans support raising taxes on the highest U.S. earners. Still, many congressional Democrats have expressed wariness about provoking the 44 percent minority so close to Election Day. “We’re pretty good about not talking about income inequality,” Danziger said.

President Obama's Weekly Address: Letting Wall Street Run Wild Again 10-23-2010

Google Q3 Earnings Call Transcript

story by 123jump

The Internet search engine stated quarterly revenues rose 23% to $7.29 billion. Net income in the quarter soared 32% to $2.17 billion helped by improved economic conditions and increase in advertising budgets. Earnings grew to $6.72 per share, versus $5.13 per share in the prior-year quarter.

Jane Penner -- Senior Manager, Investor Relations

Good afternoon, everyone and welcome to today''s third quarter 2010 earnings conference call. With us are Patrick Pichette, Chief Financial Officer; Jonathan Rosenberg, Senior Vice President, Product Management and Nikesh Arora, President, Global Sales Operations and Business Development. First, Jonathan and Patrick will provide us with their thoughts on the quarter, then Nikesh will join Patrick and Jonathan to answer your questions.

Also, as you know, we recently began distributing our earnings release exclusively through our investor relations website located at investor.google.com. So please refer to our IR website for our earnings releases as well as supplementary slides that accompany the call. This call is also being webcast from investor.google.com. A replay of the call will be available on our website in a few hours.

Now, let me quickly cover the Safe Harbor. Some of the statements we make today may be considered forward-looking, including statements regarding Google''s future and investments in our long-term growth and innovation, the expected performance of our business and our expected level of capital expenditures. These statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially.

Please note that these forward-looking statements reflect our opinions only as of the date of this presentation and we undertake no obligation to revise or publicly release the results of any revision to these forward-looking statements in light of new information or future events. Please refer to our SEC filings for a more detailed description of the risk factors that may affect our results.

Please note that certain financial measures we use on this call such as operating income and operating margin are also expressed on a non-GAAP basis and have been adjusted to exclude charges relating to stock-based compensation. We have also adjusted our net cash provided by operating activities to remove capital expenditures, which we refer to as free cash flow. Our GAAP results and reconciliations of non-GAAP to GAAP measures can be found in our earnings press release.

Question-And-Answer Session

Operator

The question-and-answer session will be conducted electronically today. If you’d like to ask a question, you may do so by pressing the star key followed by the digit one on your touchtone telephone. If you are using a speakerphone, please make sure your mute button is turned off to allow your signal to reach our equipment. Once again, it’s star one for question and we’ll pause for just a moment to assemble the queue. And we’ll take our first question from James Mitchell from Goldman Sachs.

James Mitchell – Goldman Sachs

Great. Thank you. I'll ask two separate questions, if I may. First one, if I look at your paid lead growth, it's been remarkably consistent in not decelerating. I think it was 4% sequentially in the third quarter of 2008, 4% sequentially in the third quarter of 2009 and then 4% sequentially in the third quarter of 2010. Is that because your query growth is also fairly consistent or are you supplementing query growth with monetization initiatives that increase paid lead take-up?

And then, secondly and separately, thank you extremely much for disclosing the billions in terms of mobile and display advertising. But within the $2.5 billion-plus of display advertising, how do you account for advertisers spending through the DoubleClick Ad Exchange? Is that on a gross or net basis? Thank you.

Eric E. Schmidt

I'll try to take the first question. Certainly, the highest correlation between ad clicks and anything else is query growth. So, that's going to certainly by far dwarf any other factor. I think the other factors that we are seeing is that the new formats that we have, which I'd mentioned, certainly drive click growth as well. And I mentioned that those formats appear on 10% of the queries.

If you try some of those, like Halloween costumes, you'll see that they make the ads much more compelling, as do things like merchant ratings, if you type in laser printers. So, by improving the ad formats, we are increasing the relative number of clicks because the clickthrough rates go up.

Patrick Pichette

Great. On the other one, the Ad Exchange is included in -- so if you think of the elements, the Ad Exchange, the DoubleClick platforms, all these are included in display and it's done on a gross basis. Thank you for your question. Let's go to the next question, Courtney.

Operator

And I’ll take our next question from Spencer Wang from Credit Suisse.

Spencer Wang – Credit Suisse

Thanks and good afternoon. I guess, since you guys are sharing some numbers this time, I was just wondering if we could just delve into the YouTube numbers a little bit. Of the 2 billion views, Jonathan, I was wondering what -- roughly what percentage of total views is that currently? And then, you guys have talked in the past about getting closer and closer to profitability. I was wondering if you could, just give a sense of where you are with respect to profitability as well. Thank you.

Patrick Pichette

So on profitability, let me jump on that one first, which is we have not made any comments on it. You will remember we talked about it a long time ago because there was so much distortion in the market. We just thought it was okay to kind of set the clocks properly, but since then we have not and will not comment on it. On the billions….

Jonathan J. Rosenberg

This is Jonathan. So there is basically two points that we've given that you can use to connect those dots. We've said that traffic over -- that we have over 24 hours of video uploaded every minute and over 2 billion views per day. When you couple that with the 2 million monetized views per week, I think you can get to the answer that you're looking for.
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