tameraldlemke-blog

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Apple revenue misses forecasts, shares fall

The September quarterly report was Apple's first under new Chief Executive Tim Cook, who took over in August after co-founder Steve Jobs resigned. The company lost its leading visionary and co-founder when he died October 5.Apple said its revenue rose to $28.27 billion but that was also lower than the average analyst estimate of $29.69 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.The company reported a net profit of $6.62 billion, or $7.05 a share. That fell shy of expectations for earnings of $7.39 per share.It sold 11.12 million iPad tablets and 4.89 million Macs in the September quarter.

#Apple #revenue #misses #forecasts #shares #fall

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Twisted Sister and the Federal Reserve

The Federal Reserve’s “Operation Twist” has set the literary- and musical-allusion juices flowing.  It is all about the Fed selling or not rolling over short-term debt and buying long-term bonds instead in order to keep borrowing costs low. But that is frightfully dull for economists, analysts and reporters trying to get attention for their work. So, so far we have heard: – “Let’s Twist Again”, a reference to the 1960′s Chubby Checker record about the dance craze . Problem is that the second line is “Like we did last summer”, and the Fed did nothing of the sort, launching plain old quantative easing instead. – Twisted Sister might be a contender, but the heavy metal band’s big hit “We’re Not Going To Take It” probably better descibes market reaction to euro zone debt-crisis policy. – “Twist and Shout”,  a reference to the rock song covered by The Beatles, among, others.  This is better. “Well, shake it up, baby, now” could indeed be the clarion call from financial markets for the Fed to so something, almost anything. But “Come on and twist a little closer, now, and let me know that you’re mine” might be going a little far. – So the prize for now goes to literature not music:  ”Oliver Twist”.  Young Master Twist’s  ”Please Sir, I want some more”  just about sums it up. Any others?    

#Twisted #Sister #and #the #Federal #Reserve

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U.S. Catholic bishop charged in alleged porn cover-up

Prosecutors in Jackson County, Missouri, said on Friday that Bishop Robert Finn, 58, became aware of child pornography images on the laptop computer of Reverend Shawn Ratigan in December 2010 but failed to appropriately notify police or state child abuse authorities for five months.Finn's lawyer entered a not guilty plea in court on Friday and the bishop issued a statement saying he would fight the misdemeanor charge -- which carries a penalty of up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine -- "with a steady resolve and a vigorous defense."The diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Missouri, was also charged with the same misdemeanor."This case is about protecting children. I want to ensure there are no future failures to report resulting in other unsuspecting victims," Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said, adding a grand jury handed up the charges October 6.Finn, appointed to head the diocese in 2005, had been under fire over the Ratigan case and he and other church officials have testified before the grand jury. Ratigan faces charges of possessing child pornography after hundreds of images of naked children were found on his laptop computer."Months ago after the arrest of Shawn Ratigan, I pledged the complete cooperation of the diocese and accountability to law enforcement. We have carried this out faithfully. Diocesan staff and I have given hours of testimony before grand juries, delivered documents, and answered questions fully," Finn said.INVESTIGATIONEarlier this year, the diocese hired former U.S. Attorney Todd Graves to investigate, and his report last month concluded that diocese leaders "failed to follow their own policies and procedures" in Ratigan's case.The diocese over the years has faced lawsuits from scores of people who claimed to be sexually abused by priests, mostly in the 1950s through early 1970s. Bishops have been faulted by victims and their lawyers for failing to take action to stop the abuse and to remove priests.The group Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) said numerous officials in Kansas City, and elsewhere, have kept abuse cases secret."We believe others on the church payroll also concealed crimes, misled parishioners and endangered kids," SNAP director Barbara Dorris said in a statement.The clergy sex abuse scandal broke in the Boston diocese more than a decade ago and has since spread around the world.Previously, no American bishop has been charged with covering up such crimes, though numerous lawsuits have alleged high-up church officials concealed abuses and, in some cases, transferred offending priests to unsuspecting parishes.INDICTMENTSA grand jury in Philadelphia in February indicted three priests, a church teacher and Monsignor William Lynn, who oversaw priests in the diocese, the first such indictment of a senior U.S. church official.In 2003, an Ohio judge accepted a no contest plea on behalf of the Cincinnati diocese from Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk and levied the maximum $10,000 fine for five misdemeanor counts of failing to report a felony. That abuse occurred in the 1970s and 1980s, prior to Pilarczyk becoming bishop.Similarly, trials were avoided in the dioceses of Phoenix, Arizona, and Manchester, New Hampshire, where bishops signed agreements with prosecutors admitting cover-ups.In Kansas City, Graves' report said the church's second-in-command Vicar General Robert Murphy made a superficial investigation of Ratigan's computer images and did not promptly report them to a special review board that advises Finn. Instead, Murphy described one of the photos over the phone "in a neutral manner" with a board member, who is a police captain, the report said.In a statement issued in June, Finn said he learned about pictures of an unclothed child on Ratigan's computer in December 2010 and consulted legal counsel and a Kansas City police officer, who was the review board member. The officer said the pictures did not sound like pornography, but he said later he did not actually see the pictures.The Graves report said that while Finn did not know as much as Murphy about the Ratigan case he should have investigated it more fully instead of trusting Ratigan to comply with restrictions about his interactions with children.Finn apologized to parishioners of the diocese for failing to do more to detect and report alleged abuses by Ratigan, accepting "full responsibility for these failures."

#US #Catholic #bishop #charged #in #alleged #porn #coverup

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Apple to hold private memorial for Jobs Sunday: source

The event is separate from an October 19 celebration that Apple plans for all its employees at its Cupertino campus. An Apple spokesman would only confirm a private service, without elaborating.According to the invitation, guests have been asked to RSVP to Emerson Collective, a philanthropic organization founded by Jobs' wife, Laurene Powell Jobs, the Journal reported.

#Apple #to #hold #private #memorial #for #Jobs #Sunday #source

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UPDATE 1-Graphic Packaging to close Indiana plant, cut jobs

The Marietta, Georgia-based company makes paperboard packaging for food, beverage and other consumer products.The company said the closure will have little to no impact on current or future orders.Graphic Packaging, whose customers include ConAgra Foods , Pepsi and Kraft , said it will move business from the La Porte plant to other facilities in the United States.Graphic Packaging's shares closed at $3.86 on Tuesday on the New York Stock Exchange.

#UPDATE #1Graphic #Packaging #to #close #Indiana #plant #cut #jobs

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Festival cheer rings diabetes alarm for Indians

But health experts warn that the festivities, coupled with genetic predisposition and lifestyle changes brought about by the increasing prosperity of the middle class, is contributing to the country being called the world's "diabetes capital," with the highest number of diabetics in any nation.The string of festivals, starting with Durga Puja and Dussehra and ending with Diwali, take place in accordance with the Hindu calendar and the dates change every year. The first two were on Oct 6 and Diwali falls on Oct 26 this year."For the next one month or so, it is all either festivals or outings," says Anoop Misra, chairman at New Delhi's Fortis-C-DOC, Centre of Excellence for Diabetes, Metabolic Diseases and Endocrinology."During this time, the rate of obesity goes up, sugar control of established diabetics goes down and those who are predisposed to develop diabetes also show diabetes."Festivals in India are synonymous with eating and gifting sweets, and most food and confectionery shops are decked with an assortment of goodies in colourful wrappings meant for traditional presents.Two all-time favourites are rasgullas, a soft, spongy ball made from cottage cheese, and the conch-shaped samdesh, made from jaggery. A popular holiday treat is milk-based kaju barfi.But experts warn the festival fun -- and, not least, the culture of sweet-eating that peaks then -- can help trigger long-term health problems, with diabetes only the start.The disease is characterised by high levels of sugar in the blood and can lead to more serious complications such as heart disease and stroke, damage to the kidneys or nerves, and blindness.But the culture of consuming sweets is hard to shake off, especially during festivals."Everybody (in India) has a sweet tooth, including me," said Ramachandran, a man in his 50s polishing off a plate of sweets at a New Delhi restaurant."(Diabetes) is not because of sweets. It's because people are too lazy (to exercise)," he added.MIDDLE CLASS DISEASE?The majority of those with diabetes have Type 2, which is linked to obesity and lack of exercise. India, with 62.4 million cases, has the world's highest number of diabetics.Misra said numbers are rising at an alarming rate because of a newly rich middle class that increasingly consumes junk food while adopting more sedentary lifestyles."Their awareness about healthy eating is very low," he said.Recent studies have shown the numbers of diabetics is also rising fast in villages, where people are traditionally more active and have not previously been exposed to fast food restaurants and refined snacks.Nutritionist Uma Gupta attributes it to increasing stress and people adopting city culture, among other causes.A recent study commissioned by the Indian Council for Medical Research found that in the last one year, the number of diabetics in India increased by 11.6 million, while another 77.2 million are pre-diabetics -- a precursor to Type 2 diabetes where a person's blood sugar levels are higher than normal.Experts warn that the country's health infrastructure could soon be unable to deal with the burden."(Diabetes) is a forerunner of multiple diseases including heart disease and cancer ... I don't think our present health system can counter this pressure," Misra said.The situation is made worse by a tendency for people to wait until they have a real health problem before doing anything, said Gupta."Take measures now, improve your lifestyle. Otherwise, hospitals will not have space for you, doctors will not have time to treat you," she added."Treatment should start from your plate itself."

#Festival #cheer #rings #diabetes #alarm #for #Indians