penguin face: October 2012

Monday, October 29, 2012

Iran sees conspiracy in box office success of Ben Affleck's 'Argo' (+video)

Based on true events surrounding the 1979 takeover of the US Embassy in Tehran, 'Argo' opened this weekend at No. 2 and rose to the top spot on Monday. Iranians are less enthused.

By Roshanak Taghavi,?Correspondent / October 17, 2012

This film image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Bryan Cranston (l.) as Jack O?Donnell and Ben Affleck as Tony Mendez in 'Argo,' a rescue thriller about the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis.

Claire Folger/Warner Bros./AP

Enlarge

American moviegoers flocked to theaters this weekend to see Ben Affleck's long-anticipated thriller Argo, which has been generating headlines since it was first screened at the Toronto Film Festival last month.?

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Friday, October 26, 2012

Tim Cook addresses Steve Jobs' 7-inch tablet remarks, says iPad mini in a whole different league

Tim Cook says iPad not a 7-inch tablet, in a whole different league

During Apple's Q4 2012 conference call Tim Cook was asked about the iPad mini, and why Apple released it after Steve Jobs had previously called 7-inch tablets "terrible".

Cook responded that Apple wouldn't make one of those 7-inch tablets, which they didn't consider good products for a number of reasons. The iPad mini, according to Cook both during the call and at Apple's iPad and Mac event previously, is 7.9-inches rather than 7-inches, and due to its 4:3 and 1024x768 pixel display, it has 35% more screen real-estate than a 7-inch, typically 16:9, tablet. Including the difference in landscape height, and depending on interface chrome, Cook said that translates into a 50-67% more space.

The iPad mini, because it has the same display as the iPad 2, only at a smaller size, can run all 250,000 iPad apps, compared to the tiny number of competing tablet apps.

Cook sees 7-inch tablets as compromised, and the iPad mini as being in a "whole different league".

When Steve Jobs first made his comments almost exactly 2 years ago, the 7-inch tablet market consisted primarily of the original Samsung Galaxy Tab, and the unveiled but not yet released BlackBerry Playbook.

Neither of those tablets were fantastic then, and while the Galaxy Tab has been replaced with new versions, and the BlackBerry Playbook will eventually be upgraded to BB10, neither have gained much traction since. The Amazon Kindle Fire is more a U.S.-centric content appliance than tablet, with otherwise middling hardware and software. Even the Nexus 7 remains more iPod touch than iPad, still lagging far behind in terms of tablet software.

You can argue Cook's screen size comparisons, but the build quality and software quality of the iPad mini can't be argued, nor can its international content offerings. Whether or not that puts it in a different league remains to be seen, but it's tough to see the iPad mini not becoming the best selling small tablet on the market. And quickly.

Ipad Mini

Nexus 7

Galaxy Tab

Kindle Fire

News

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/P4DbRL0g5sA/story01.htm

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Thursday, October 25, 2012

Indiana Senate seat up for grabs after Mourdock flap?

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aerobraking impeller: Stress Management For Self-Improvement

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Source: http://bermeaivana.typepad.com/blog/2012/10/aerobraking-impeller-stress-management-for-self-improvement.html

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Source: http://akashsharma2547.blogspot.com/2012/10/aerobraking-impeller-stress-management.html

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After Shark Kills Surfer, Central California Beach Closed | WEKU

Surf Beach near Vandenberg Air Force Base along California's central coast is closed after the death of a 39-year-old man who was attacked by a shark Tuesday while surfing.

The man's death came two years and a day after a shark killed a 19-year-old man along the same stretch of the coast.

Word of Tuesday's attack has prompted the Los Angeles Times to post some shark survival tips:

-- "Swim calmly toward shore."

-- "Don't turn your back on the shark" (you need to know where it is).

-- If the shark gets aggressive, hit its "nose, eyes or gills." That might surprise the shark enough to make it go away.

-- Tell authorities, so that they can warn others.

Source: http://weku.fm/post/after-shark-kills-surfer-central-california-beach-closed

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Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Apple to livestream today's 'iPad Mini' event via Apple TV, website

3 hrs.

Rosa Golijan , NBC News

Apple hasn't livestreamed an announcements since October 2010, but it looks like things are changing with today's event. You can tune in online or via an?Apple TV at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET to learn about the latest Apple news live.

The folks at MacRumors were among the first to notice that today's event will be livestreamed when a little "Apple events" icon began appearing on Apple TV home screens. Selecting the icon brings users to a page which invites them to check out the event at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET. A link to an online livestream appeared on Apple's own website later in the morning.

To watch the live stream on Apple's website, you must use Safari 4 (or later) on Mac OS X 10.6 (or later) or Safari on iOS 4.2 (or later). In order to follow along via Apple TV, you need a second- or third-generation device with software version 5.0.2 (or later).

While watching Apple's livestream, keep in mind that our own Wilson Rothman will be reporting live from San Jose, Calif., and bringing you the latest news and?along with some solid analysis and commentary.

Want more?tech news or interesting?links? You'll get plenty of both if you keep up with Rosa Golijan, the writer of this post, by following her on?Twitter, subscribing to her?Facebook?posts,?or circling her?on?Google+.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/apple-livestream-todays-ipad-mini-event-apple-tv-website-1C6619843

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Nikon patent would perfect the art of camera tossing, protect us from our folly

If you're one of the more daring (or foolhardy) photographers out there, you've tried camera tossing: hurling your camera into the air in the hopes that a timed shot will catch either a unique perspective or an artistic spin. Nikon might not want to stop those shooters from throwing caution to the wind, but its recently published Japanese patent would at least keep those throws to a minimum. Cameras based on the patent could use a built-in accelerometer not just for timing the shot, but to brace for a fall by covering the lens and retracting its barrel on the way down. In theory, the photographer gets a perfect aerial portrait without all the guesswork and a minimum of damage. Call us skeptical that we'll ever see the patent reach a shipping product, though -- even if it was limited to rugged cameras, a mode built almost exclusively around voiding the warranty probably wouldn't sit well with Nikon's accountants.

[Image credit: Zoli B, Flickr]

Filed under: Cameras, Nikon

Nikon patent would perfect the art of camera tossing, protect us from our folly originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 04:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/23/nikon-patent-would-perfect-the-art-of-camera-tossing/

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Revestor Announces National Release of Real Estate App ...

Editor's Note: ?Bill Lyons is the CEO & Founder of Revestor and 1996 Graduate of Coronado High School.

Revestor Announces National Release of Real Estate Application

Revestor recently announced their innovative real estate application has gone national. Revestor?s patent pending algorithms help consumers and investors make smarter buying decisions based on a home?s likely returns. Now, this application is available nationwide.

San Francisco, CA ? (Marketwire ? Oct 23, 2012) Revestor announced their unparalleled real estate technology, previously only available in select cities and metropolitan markets, is now available nationwide. Regardless of geographic location, consumers and investors can use Revestor?s technology in their home-buying process to estimate the risks involved with a home purchase and expectations for future potential performance of specific properties.

Historically, when consumers and investors searched for their next property to invest in, it has been a time-consuming process. Much research and thought goes into gathering reliable information to determine the locations and homes with the best opportunity for a long term positive return on investment. Revestor helps real estate professionals, investors and home buyers do this faster, from the convenience of their iPhone or home. Delivering key financial indicators in a geographic region, consumers and investors alike can make more informed buying decisions, helping their investment and purchase patterns.?

?We are thrilled to offer an application to the national market that actually changes the way people buy homes. It?s a whole new way of looking at real estate from a view most have never seen before. Zillow and Trulia are currently #1 and #2 in the space, with less than 2% of the market, leaving plenty of room for us to take our share? notes Revestor Founder and CEO, Bill Lyons.

?After all the hard work, it is an honor to finally be seen as a formidable competitor. We appreciate the praise and feedback to help us constantly improve and grow? says Revestor CIO, Boris Kaliman.

Like other popular real estate applications, Revestor provides a location-based search for properties. Setting them apart from the traditional 1D platforms, Revestor takes the process multidimensional. Using a unique algorithm, you can locate homes & investment properties, and estimate rents, potential cash flow and return on investment, making buyers better armed to assess potential risks associated with properties.

Home buyers can signup for free, and investors will have an opportunity to upgrade to a ?Premium Account? for a monthly subscription fee which provides advanced searching capabilities, along with more data and alerts. ?Investors will be able to enter their exact investment criteria and get an alert as soon as a property in their filters hits the market. This is a unique and powerful tool for the growing market of residential real estate investors who are purchasing 1million plus properties per year? says Lyons. Revestor will also earn revenue by going after the $8.9B/yr online real estate advertising market by offering advertising to real estate professionals, and unlike other sites, the ads will be ?behaviorally targeted? and are expected to provide a higher-quality lead to the advertiser.

The Revestor App, developed in partnership with EvolverMobile, is available through the iTunes store for iPhone and iPod Touch users as a free download. The company is working on future plans that include development for Android, iPad and Windows 8.

About Revestor: Revestor is a new real estate marketplace for consumers and investors to search homes for sale. With their patent pending technology, anyone buying real estate can search the unique application to find homes estimated to offer the best return. Users apply the information to make buying decisions that will benefit them in the long run, whether as a place to rent, live or invest in. For more information, visit http://www.revestor.com.

Contact

Press@revestor.com

Source: http://www.ecoronado.com/xn/detail/2019736%3ABlogPost%3A133323?xg_source=activity

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Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Q3 2012 FireHost Web Application Attack ... - Global Security Mag

Q3 2012 FireHost Web Application Attack Report Shows Marked Increase In Cross-Site Attacks

Secure cloud hosting company, FireHost, has today announced the findings of its latest web application attack report, which provides statistical analysis of the 15 million cyberattacks blocked by its servers in the US and Europe during Q3 2012. The report looks at attacks on the web applications, databases and websites of FireHost?s customers between July and September, and offers an impression of the current internet security climate as a whole.

Amongst the cyberattacks registered in the report, FireHost categorises four attack types in particular as representing the most serious threat. These attack types are among FireHost?s ?Superfecta? and they consist of Cross-site Scripting (XSS), Directory Traversals, SQL Injections, and Cross-site Request Forgery (CSRF).

One of the most significant changes in attack traffic seen by FireHost between Q2 and Q3 2012 was a considerable rise in the number of cross-site attacks, in particular XSS and CSRF attacks rose to represent 64 percent of the group in the third quarter (a 28 percent increased penetration). XSS is now the most common attack type in the Superfecta, with CSRF now in second. FireHost?s servers blocked more than one million XSS attacks during this period alone, a figure which rose 69 percent, from 603,016 separate attacks in Q2 to 1,018,817 in Q3. CSRF attacks reached second place on the Superfecta at 843,517.

Cross-site attacks are dependent upon the trust developed between site and user. XSS attacks involve a web application gathering malicious data from a user via a trusted site (often coming in the form of a hyperlink containing malicious content), whereas CSRF attacks exploit the trust that a site has for a particular user instead. These malicious security exploits can also be used to steal sensitive information such as user names, passwords and credit card details ? without the site or user?s knowledge.

The severity of these attacks is dependent on the sensitivity of the data handled by the vulnerable site and this ranges from personal data found on social networking sites, to the financial and confidential details entered on ecommerce sites amongst others. A great number of organisations have fallen victim to such attacks in recent years including attacks on PayPal, Hotmail and eBay, the latter falling victim to a single CSRF attack in 2008 which targeted 18 million users of its Korean website. Furthermore in September this year IT giants Microsoft and Google Chrome both ran extensive patches targeted at securing XSS flaws, highlighting the prevalence of this growing online threat.

?Cross-site attacks are a severe threat to business operations, especially if servers aren?t properly prepared,? said Chris Hinkley, CISSP ? a Senior Security Engineer at FireHost. ?It?s vital that any site dealing with confidential or private user data takes the necessary precautions to ensure applications remain protected. Locating and fixing any website vulnerabilities and flaws is a key step in ensuring your business and your customers, don?t fall victim to an attack of this nature. The consequences of which can be significant, in terms of both financial and reputational damage.?

The Superfecta attack traffic for Q3 2012 can be broken down as follows:

As with Q2 2012, the majority of attacks FireHost blocked during the third calendar quarter of 2012 originated in the United States (11million / 74 percent). There has however, been a great shift in the number of attacks originating from Europe this quarter, as 17 percent of all malicious attack traffic seen by FireHost came from this region. Europe overtook Southern Asia (which was responsible for 6 percent), to become the second most likely origin of malicious traffic.

Varied trends among the Superfecta attack techniques are demonstrated between this quarter and last:

During the build up to the holiday season, ecommerce activity ramps up dramatically and cyberattacks that target website user?s confidential data are also likely to increase as a result. As well as cross-site attacks, the other Superfecta attack types, SQL Injection and Directory Transversal, still remain a significant threat despite a slight reduction in frequency this quarter.

Ecommerce businesses need to be aware of the risks that this period may present it to its security, as Todd Gleason, Director of Technology at FireHost explains, ?You?d better believe that hackers will try and take advantage of any surges in Christmas shopping. They will be devising a number of ways they can take advantage of any web application vulnerabilities and will use an assortment of different attack types and techniques to do so. When it?s a matter of confidential data at risk, including customer?s financial information ? credit card and debit card details ? there?s no room for complacency. These organisations need to know that there?s an increased likelihood of attack during this time and it?s their responsibility to take the necessary steps to stop such attacks.?

Source: http://www.globalsecuritymag.com/Q3-2012-FireHost-Web-Application,20121022,33176.html

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The Presentation Mistake You Don't Know You're Making - Heidi ...

by Heidi Grant Halvorson??|?? 8:00 AM October 23, 2012

During an interview, your potential new boss asks you to briefly describe your qualifications. At this moment, you have a single objective: be impressive. So you begin to rattle off your list of accomplishments: your degrees from Harvard and Yale, your prestigious internships, your intimate knowledge of essential software and statistical analysis. "Oh," you add. "And I took two semesters of Spanish in college." Not technically an impressive accomplishment, but since the company does a lot of business in Latin America, you figure some Spanish is better than none at all.

Or is it?

Actually, it isn't. You've just fallen victim to a phenomenon that psychologists have recently discovered, called the "Presenter's Paradox." It's another fascinating example of how our instincts about selling ? ourselves, our company, or our products ? can be surprisingly bad.

The problem, in a nutshell, is this: We assume when we present someone with a list of our accomplishments (or with a bundle of services or products), that they will see what we're offering additively. If going to Harvard, a prestigious internship, and mad statistical skills are all a "10" on the scale of impressiveness, and two semesters of Spanish is a "2," then we reason that added together, this is a 10 + 10 + 10 + 2, or a "32" in impressiveness. So it makes sense to mention your minimal Spanish skills ? they add to the overall picture. More is better.

Only more is not in fact better to the interviewer (or the client or buyer), because this is not how other people see what we're offering. They don't add up the impressiveness, they average it. They see the Big Picture ? looking at the package as a whole, rather than focusing on the individual parts.

To them, this is a (10+ 10+ 10+ 2)/4 package, or an "8" in impressiveness. And if you had left off the bit about Spanish, you would have had a (10 + 10+ 10)/3, or a "10" in impressiveness. So even though logically it seems like a little Spanish is better than none, mentioning it makes you a less attractive candidate than if you'd said nothing at all.

More is actually not better, if what you are adding is of lesser quality than the rest of your offerings. Highly favorable or positive things are diminished or diluted in the eye of the beholder when they are presented in the company of only moderately favorable or positive things.

Psychologists Kimberlee Weaver, Stephen Garcia, and Norbert Schwarz recently illustrated the Presenter's Paradox in an elegant series of studies. For example, they showed that when buyers were presented with an iPod Touch package that contained either an iPod, cover, and one free song download, or just an iPod and cover, they were willing to pay an average of $177 for the package with the download, and $242 for the one without the download. So the addition of the low-value free song download brought down the perceived value of the package by a whopping $65! Perhaps most troubling, when a second set of participants were asked to play the role of marketer and choose which of the two packages they thought would be more attractive to buyers, 92% of them chose the package with the free download.

More just seems like it must be better when you are on the presenter's end, even though it doesn't seem that way at all when you are on the consumer's end. And somehow, despite the fact that we are all both presenters and consumers in our everyday lives, we just don't make the connection.

The same pattern emergences when you are creating deterrents or negative consequences to discourage bad behavior. In another study, participants were asked to choose between two punishments to give for littering: a $750 fine plus two hours of community service, or a $750 fine. 86% of participants felt that the fine plus community service would be the stronger deterrent. But they were wrong ? in fact, a separate set of participants rated the $750 with the two hours of community service as significantly less severe than the fine alone. Once again, they reasoned that the overall punishment was on average less awful because two hours of community service isn't so bad.

If the bias in presenter thinking is so pervasive, how can we stop ourselves from making this kind of mistake? The short answer is that we need to remind ourselves when making any kind of presentation to think of the big picture. What does the package I am presenting look like taken as a whole, and are there any components that are actually bringing down its overall value or impact? Three 10's and a 2 is not better than three 10's. A free carwash with the purchase of any new car is not going to make your cars seem more valuable. If your very expensive luxury hotel rooms offer ocean views, silk sheets, and a Jacuzzi, don't mention the ironing board in the closet or the coffeepot. And unless you speak Spanish well, keep your ability to count to ocho and ask where la biblioteca is to yourself.

Source: http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/10/the_presentation_mistake_you_d.html

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Keep Low Interest Rates From Killing Your Retirement Income ...

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Get the best Financial Tips at Credit Visionary

Yields on most of today?s fixed-income investments are at or near historic lows.

Money market funds are generating little if any return. Certificates of deposit aren?t doing too much better.

Even 10-year Treasury bonds are only yielding around 1.75%. A slow recovery, ongoing debt problems in Europe and uncertainty about future economic growth have sent many investors rushing to the safety of Treasury bonds, driving down yields.

And the problem isn?t going to get better anytime soon. In mid-September, the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank announced its latest round of ?quantitative easing? or QE3. Designed to stimulate the economy, the move is expected to keep interest rates low through at least the middle of 2015.

This is a dangerous environment for those searching for sources of retirement income.

Low Rates Kill Retirement Income

Low interest rates are a problem for virtually all investors, but are particularly troublesome for retirees, who need their assets to generate income to supplement Social Security and private pensions to help pay for day-to-day living expenses.

This is just another obstacle facing Americans, who have already not saved enough, in assuring themselves a secure retirement.

According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute 2012 Retirement Confidence Survey, only 14% of workers say they are ?very confident? that they have saved enough money to live comfortably in their retirement years.

While part of the problem is due to simply not setting aside enough money, the difficulties are compounded by the changing retirement landscape. A generation ago, our parents and grandparents depended on Social Security, a private pension and a small nest egg to pay for retirement.

Not so today.

According to an ING retirement survey, Retirement Across the Ages, only about 47% of those over age 65 are receiving payments from a traditional pension plan. For younger workers, that number drops significantly. And the promise of receiving a significant amount of money from Social Security weakens with each passing year.

That means that people who are retired today, or those who plan to retire soon, need the money they have accumulated in 401(k) plans, IRAs and private savings to work even harder for them. Otherwise, they risk not having enough assets to fund a retirement that could last for 20 to 30 years or more.

The Hunt for Retirement Income

All of this leaves retirees searching for income in an environment where yields above 1% or 2% are very difficult to find without making a long-term commitment. But there are alternatives.

Here are just a few options that retirees might consider.

Cut your expenses. This first suggestion is more about financial planning and less about the investments you select. But it deserves a mention. For some people, making the transition from your earning years to retirement is difficult. Theories vary about how much income you need in retirement but experts suggest that you plan to have 70% to 80% of your pre-retirement earnings. If you are healthy and planning to travel, that amount could be higher. If you are less healthy, that amount could still be higher due to increased medical expenses.

Either way, most people need to trim their expenses when they retire. If necessary, work with a financial counselor who can offer budgeting assistance and make suggestions on where you can cut back.

Remember, the lower your expenses, the less income you need and the less chance you will have to invade principal to help pay those expenses.

Widen your horizons. Simply put, you may need to take on more risk to generate the income you require.

While the traditional advice has always been that retirees cut their exposure to risk as they get older, that advice simply may not work in today?s historically low interest-rate environment. Rather, investors may need to be willing to take on more risk until such time as the interest rates on traditional retirement investments such as money market funds, certificates of deposit and government bonds return to more acceptable levels.

Stay diversified. Even if you are already retired and need a portfolio that generates income, it?s important that your investments still have an element of growth. If you are 68, for example, your retirement could last another 15 years or more. That means investing in stocks and other assets that have the potential to grow in value is important to make certain you don?t outlive your assets.
Related: To discover six great dividend stocks, Click here.

Consider other investments. Government and corporate bonds aren?t the only ways to generate income.

Here are some investment alternatives you should consider.

Immediate fixed annuity. Although interest rates are low and expenses can be high, purchasing an immediate annuity with a portion of your assets can be a good way to generate an income stream that you can?t outlive. While variable annuities may sound attractive, they aren?t generally a good investment for older investors because it takes too long to cover the expenses the insurance company charges.

Exchange-traded funds. Investors are increasingly turning to exchange-traded funds that specialize in dividend stocks to generate yield-and some growth. According to Martin Hutchinson, Global Investing Strategist for Money Morning, investors can use higher-yielding dividend stocks as a partial replacement for bonds. And, he says, ?their dividend yield is just as reliable as a bond yield, and should increase with inflation and economic growth.?

Master limited partnerships. These trade like stocks and provide the equipment companies need to drill or transport oil and gas. Because the law requires them to pay out 90% of their income, a portion of which is tax-free, their high yield makes them a great retirement investment, although not in an IRA or retirement plan. But some companies have introduced master limited partnership mutual funds and ETFs that might work.

Alternative investments. Some alternative investments are a great way to generate income. These include managed futures, REITs that are not traded on exchanges and long/short funds, which use a strategy similar to hedge funds. But be careful, some of these investments are riskier than simple stocks, bonds and mutual funds. So look carefully before you invest.
It Won?t Last Forever

Creating retirement income today is more difficult than it has ever been. But the good news is that low interest rates on bonds, certificates of deposit and government securities won?t last forever.

Reevaluate your portfolio regularly as your goals and market conditions change.

Eventually, yields will go up again and it will be easier to find good sources of retirement income that you need to create a safe and secure future.

Article Source

Source: http://www.creditvisionary.com/keep-low-interest-rates-from-killing-your-retirement-income?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=keep-low-interest-rates-from-killing-your-retirement-income
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Monday, October 22, 2012

Flagging sales sting Potash, nitrogen boosts Agrium

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) - Canadian fertilizer companies Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc and Agrium Inc appear likely to tell significantly different stories when they release third-quarter earnings.

Potash Corp's profits look to fall sharply from last year as a standoff with China and India hampers sales.

Agrium , meanwhile, will benefit from its greater exposure to nitrogen, a soil nutrient farmers apply annually that is enjoying rich margins due to low costs of the key ingredient, natural gas.

Potash Corp flagged its concerns last week about sales to the world's two biggest potash consumers, cutting its full year 2012 guidance and pegging third-quarter earnings per share at the low end of the 70- to 90-cent range it had previously offered.

"They've just got a volume issue right now, which you might argue is a price issue," said Charles Neivert, analyst at Dahlman Rose & Co. "Either way, they're just not selling any product and India and China are out of the market."

New deals were originally expected by late summer. But they are now are not seen until December or early 2013. North American supplies have piled up to 39 percent over the five-year average as of September.

Potash Corp, the world's biggest producer of its namesake nutrient, will report third-quarter earnings on October 25, followed by Agrium on November 7. The two companies, along with Mosaic Co sell their Saskatchewan-produced potash offshore through the marketing agency Canpotex.

Signing contracts with China and India will not solve all problems. Potash prices are currently skewed higher because those lowest-cost buyers aren't in the market, Neivert said.

"Don't be surprised if the price is not that attractive," said analyst Robert Winslow of National Bank Financial. "I can't imagine that Potash Corp and Canpotex and the group are going to get (both) high prices and high demand. We've seen that's inconsistent with Economics 101."

Potash Corp's quarter was helped by better performance in nitrogen, but its phosphate division could also suffer from pressure on exports, Neivert said.

Analysts, on average, expect Potash Corp to report earnings per share of 78 cents for the July-September quarter, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

A year ago, Potash Corp notched up earnings per share of 96 cents for the quarter.

AGRIUM BUOYED BY NITROGEN

Agrium won't absorb the same blow from stalled contract talks in the July-September quarter as Potash, because of its well-timed maintenance shutdown of its Vanscoy, Saskatchewan mine, said analyst Edlain Rodriguez of Lazard Capital Markets.

Nitrogen, not potash, is its most important product, accounting for about one-third of its EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization).

Nitrogen is the most widely-used fertilizer, and one that farmers generally apply every year to foster plant growth and improve yields, unlike potash and phosphate that U.S. farmers may taper back following a devastating drought.

On Friday, Yara International ASA beat third-quarter earnings expectations, and its performance was helped by above-average nitrogen prices from a strong U.S. autumn application season, said Scotia Capital analyst Ben Isaacson.

Shares of Agrium, the world's No. 3 nitrogen producer, and CF Industries Holdings Inc have outperformed the fertilizer sector this year, jumping 59 and 43 percent so far.

Agrium also has its stable retail business of selling seed, chemicals and fertilizer to farmers in the United States, Australia and Canada, which should fare well in the quarter, Neivert said.

Agrium, which is under pressure from its biggest shareholder to split its wholesale and retail divisions, is expected to report earnings of $1.83 per share, down slightly from $1.85 a year ago.

Both Potash Corp and Agrium could feel pressure to some extent by the worst U.S. drought in a half-century, analysts say, although the brunt would be felt in the fourth quarter, when U.S. farmers apply fertilizer.

Still, as U.S. farmers saw their crops wither this summer, it is likely that some held off on ordering potash and phosphate fertilizer for the fall, since a poor crop would leave more nutrients in the soil, Neivert said.

Fifteen of 30 brokers rate Potash a buy or strong buy, down from 17 a month ago, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Twenty of 29 analysts rate Agrium as a buy or strong buy, unchanged from last month.

(Reporting by Rod Nickel in Winnipeg, Manitoba; Editing by Janet Guttsman and Bob Burgdorfer)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/flagging-sales-sting-potash-nitrogen-boosts-agrium-182037521--finance.html

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HEALTH and FITNESS | Stop Smoking Self Hypnosis Audio - Typepad

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Why these sisters are voting 'No' on same-sex marriage ? Politics ...

MEXICO, Maine ? Their deep belief in God and Christian teachings is being boiled down to sound bites by the ?mainstream media,? and they say the ongoing debate over same-sex marriage in Maine is being dominated by those who support the idea.

That?s how Carol Daigle and her sisters, Valerie Litalien and Cindy Terrill, feel about Question 1 on the Nov. 6 ballot.

Deeply devoted to their religions ? Litalien is Catholic; Terrill and Daigle are Baptist ? the sisters sat together in the front pew of Daigle?s church Friday and spoke passionately about their beliefs and fears.

They are coming out publicly to say they oppose same-sex marriage, but they worry they will be cast as being hateful or bigoted.

?If this is the age of tolerance,? Daigle said, ?why aren?t we being heard? We are not threatening to harm anybody. We are not saying you should be in jail for any of this, but what we are saying is this degrades the foundation of the family and society, promotes diseases and dysfunction and tears down the person?s dignity.?

Daigle said she wanted to meet in her church and sit where she could see the cross behind the pulpit. Litalien had a rosary wrapped around one hand. She said she leans on her faith, prays on a regular basis and knows that God meant for men and women to be together in marriage, not same-sex couples.

?When people say they don?t see how it?s wrong, I say to them if you can show me in the Bible where God says it?s right, then I will agree with you,? Terrill said.

The sisters said that as much as they hear that gays and lesbians are discriminated against, it feels now that those who oppose same-sex marriage are the ones being treated with bias. Terrill said she lost a job over her views, and Litalien worries about saying where she lives for fear of retaliation.

?We are now the ones being forced into the shadows,? Daigle said. She said Maine voters decided the issue once when a citizen referendum overturned state legislation legalizing same-sex marriage.

?So, why are we doing this again?? Daigle asked. ?We didn?t bring this to them; they brought it to us. No means no.?

Many simply don?t dare to speak up for fear of being labeled hateful, Daigle said.

?Do you know how much courage it takes to go out in front of people and put up signs not to redefine marriage?? she asked. ?How much courage it takes to put it on the back of your car? You could have your windows broken.?

They know some in the Christian Civic League who have applied for and been granted concealed weapon permits because they faced death threats and other types of harassment.

?I?m not going to say all of them, but there is a radical segment ? just like someone can say it?s radical Muslims, there?s only a section of them ? there?s a radical segment of pro same-sex people that are extremely radical, and they will stop at nothing to get what they want,? Daigle said. ?Those are the ones that are forcing us into the shadows.?

The sisters say they want people to know they don?t hate gay people.

Litalien told a story of how a gay couple she knew helped her find a religious film for her grandson after the child was recovering from an illness that left him near death.

?We love them as a person, but we don?t have to agree with their lifestyle; but we love them as a person,? Litalien said.

She, Terrill and Daigle are among seven siblings including two other sisters and two brothers. They said the whole family was raised going to church. Although they now practice different versions of Christianity, they said they all believe in the same God.

?We are crying foul because anyone who disapproves of the lifestyle is being told they hate (gays and lesbians),? Litalien said. ?We are Christians and we are commanded to love. And my heart breaks for them being encouraged to stay in a harmful lifestyle that degrades the body and corrupts the soul. But we have no right to hate them and no right to tell them what they can and cannot do, but on that same note, we don?t have to accept same-sex marriage as normal and natural.?

Source: http://bangordailynews.com/2012/10/21/politics/why-these-sisters-are-voting-no-on-same-sex-marriage/

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Video: Missing Starbucks barista found dead

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Sunday, October 21, 2012