Apple’s stock has taken a brutal beating since last year, but a report says the company’s retail stores are bringing in more money per customer than ever. … Read More
Washington Signals Dollar Deep Concerns
Over the past month there has been a statistically improbable concurrence of events that can only be explained as a conspiracy to protect the dollar from the Federal Reserve’s policy of Quantitative Easing (QE). … Read More
Yahoo poised to buy Tumblr for $1.1 billion – report
A source close to the deal told The Wall Street Journal that the agreement was approved in a meeting by telephone on Friday. He said the deal could be announced as early as Monday. Tumblr climbed to success shortly after launching in 2007 by making it easy for people to post blogs and photos, follow other people on Tumblr, and receive updates. It is continuing to grow at a rapid pace – the site had reached about 117 million unique users worldwide in March, up from around 58 million a year earlier, according to comScore. Upon acquiring Tumblr, Yahoo would gain a social media site which hosts communication and blogging for millions of people. However, the site generates little profit. Tumblr, which began placing ads on its site just last year, generated $13 million in revenue last year, Tumblr Chief Executive David Karp said in a recent statement. Yahoo believes it could help the blogging site bring in more money by selling ads and boosting its own revenue in the process, sources said. Yahoo Chief Executive Marissa Mayer, who joined the company last summer, became interested in Tumblr a couple of months ago, a source said. Acquisitions were expected to be part of Mayer’s strategy although she has only acquired small companies in the past. In the fall of 2011, Tumblr’s $85 million venture-capital investment valued the company at $800 million. Yahoo is also expected to deliver an update about its Flickr photo-sharing site on Monday, according to a source. … Read More
Insult and punishment: Russian MPs mull softer penalty for religious offenses
The ‘anti-blasphemy’ bill was submitted to the Russian parliament’s lower house in September, in the wake of infamous case against the punk band Pussy Riot.The draft law – bitterly criticized by rights activists and lawyers – passed first reading in April when MPs voted to add a new article to the Russian Penal Code.Under the bill, public insults and humiliation of divine services as well as believers’ feelings was to be punished with a fine of up to 300,000 roubles ($US 9,500), up to 200 hours of forced labor or up to three years in prison. Vandalism and desecration of holy sites would cost the offender up to 500,000 roubles (over $US 15,000) or up to 5 years behind bars.Ahead of the second out of three required readings, the Duma’s committee on law worked out amendments to the legislation. The initial idea to add a new article to the code was dropped. Instead, lawmakers suggest amending the existing Article 148 (‘Obstruction of the Exercise of the Right of Liberty of Conscience and Religious Liberty’).The committee also changed the wording of bill which has been slammed by opponents for being too loose and could therefore lead to outrage.Now, if new version of the bill is passed, a person could be sent to court for “public actions which indicate obvious disrespect towards society and aimed at insulting believers’ religious feelings.” An offender would have to pay up to 300,000 roubles in fines, or a sum of money equivalent to their two years’ salary. One could also be sentenced to up to 240 hours of compulsory community service or up to a year in jail.The Duma committee also proposes that these offenses committed in places for religious ceremonies or services must be subject to fines of up to 500,000 roubles ($US15,000), or a sum of money equivalent to offenders salary for up to 3 years. Alternatively, violators may face up to 480 hours of compulsory community service or up to three years in prison.Besides that, the lawmakers recommended to toughen criminal liability for illegal obstruction of activities of religious organizations or administration of religious ceremonies. Such violations must be subject to fines of up to 300,000 roubles. If committed by an official or with the use of force, such crimes could be punished with up to one year behind bars.The idea to protect believers’ feelings by the law was prompted by a large number of sacrilegious situations and events that took place in 2012. Apart from infamous Pussy Riot’s “punk prayer” staged in the Moscow’s main cathedral, there were also desecration of icons, the Nazi and Satanist graffiti in churches and synagogues and cutting down of memorial Orthodox crosses in various Russian regions. … Read More
Gamers spend more money on iOS than dedicated handhelds
For a long time we've heard chatter suggesting that smartphone gaming could pose a serious threat to dedicated handheld devices like the Nintendo 3DS and Sony PlayStation Vita. A new report from App Annie shows that these claims might be substantiated after all, as gamers actually spent more money on… … Read More
Money to be Made on Immigration Reform? Gerald Celente Blasts The Temple of Money Lenders [PR E12]
http://www.youtube.com/v/v0CWI2PG6y4?version=3&f=videos&app=youtube_gdata See original: Money to be Made on Immigration Reform? Gerald Celente Blasts The Temple of Money Lenders [PR E12]
Samsung makes 95 percent of all Android smartphone profits
During the first quarter of 2013, Android smartphones led to an impressive $5.3 billion in profits across all of the companies selling them. That's a lot of money, but who is actually benefiting the most? Turns out, Samsung is responsible for 94.7 percent of the total profit from the mobile OS, according… … Read More
