7 De Março de 2012 atualizada às 03:35 GMT ajudar
Monday, June 4, 2012
AP survey: More optimism about US jobs and economy
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy is improving faster than economists had expected. They now foresee slightly stronger growth and hiring than they did two months earlier — trends that would help President Barack Obama's re-election hopes.
Those are among the findings of an Associated Press survey late last month of leading economists. The economists think the unemployment rate will fall from its current 8.3 percent to 8 percent by Election Day. That's better than their 8.4 percent estimate when surveyed in late December.
By the end of 2013, they predict unemployment will drop to 7.4 percent, down from their earlier estimate of 7.8 percent, according to the AP Economy Survey.
The U.S. economy has been improving steadily for months. Industrial output jumped in January after surging in December by the most in five years. Auto sales are booming. Consumer confidence has reached its highest point in a year. Even the housing market is showing signs of turning around.
"The economy is finally starting to gain some steam, with consumers and businesses more optimistic about prospects in 2012," said Chad Moutray, chief economist at the National Association of Manufacturers.
On Friday, the government will issue the jobs report for February. Economists expect it to show that employers added a net 210,000 jobs and that the unemployment rate remained 8.3 percent.
The AP survey collected the views of two dozen private, corporate and academic economists on a range of indicators. Among their forecasts:
— Americans will save gradually less and borrow more, reversing a shift toward frugality that followed the financial crisis and the start of the Great Recession.
— Obama deserves little or no credit for declining unemployment. Only one of the 19 economists who answered the question said Obama should get "a lot" of credit. They give most of the credit to U.S. consumers, who account for about 70 percent of economic growth, and businesses.
— The economy has begun a self-sustaining period in which job growth is fueling more consumer spending, which should lead to further hiring.
— European leaders will manage to defuse their continent's debt crisis and prevent a global recession. But the economists think Europe's economy will shrink for all of 2012.
— The economy will grow 2.5 percent this year, up from the economists' earlier forecast of 2.4 percent. In 2011, the economy grew 1.7 percent.
The brighter outlook for jobs follows five straight months of declining unemployment. Employers added more than 200,000 net jobs in both December and January. The unemployment rate is at its lowest level in nearly three years.
One reason the rate has fallen so fast is that fewer out-of-work Americans have started looking for jobs. People out of work aren't counted by the Labor Department as unemployed unless they're actively seeking jobs.
Many economists have been surprised that the stronger economy hasn't led more people without jobs to start looking for work. If many more were looking, the unemployment rate would likely be higher.
Manufacturers have been hiring more consistently than other employers. Moutray expects factory output to rise 4 percent this year, better than in 2011. Manufacturers will have to continue hiring to keep up with demand, he said. That will help lower the unemployment rate to 8 percent by Election Day, he predicts.
"Manufacturers are relatively upbeat about production this year," Moutray said. That will require expanding factories and buying more machinery.
"All that plays into a better year than some people might have been expecting," he added.
The economists forecast that employers will add nearly 1.9 million jobs by Election Day, up from their December projection of nearly 1.8 million.
But Mike Englund of Action Economics is among those who noted that the declining unemployment is due, in part, to fewer people seeking work. Millions of those out of work remain too discouraged to start looking again, or, in the case of many young adults, haven't begun to do so.
"Most of this recent drop in the unemployment rate is due to a mass exodus" from the work force, Englund said.
The economy still has about 5.5 million fewer jobs than it did before the recession began in December 2007.
Still, the falling unemployment rate appears to be raising the public's view of Obama's economic stewardship. In an Associated Press-GfK poll last month, 48 percent said they approved of how Obama was handling the economy, up 9 points from December. And 30 percent of Americans described the economy as "good" — a 15-point jump from December and the highest level since the AP-GfK poll first asked the question in 2009.
The U.S. economy remains under threat from Europe's debt crisis. But those concerns have eased, the AP survey showed.
Several economists credited the European Central Bank's move to provide unlimited low-interest loans to banks with helping prevent an international crisis
"Time fixes all wounds," said Marty Regalia, chief economist at the U.S Chamber of Commerce. "Europe didn't come apart at the seams, and we haven't fallen into the abyss. Every day ... it becomes a little less likely that it will happen."
___
AP Economics Writer Derek Kravitz contributed to this report.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Finally, a Comedy Movie About the Economic Crisis!
There comes a point in every breakup, every tragedy you go through in life, where you say, “I just can’t cry anymore.” 
Well, filmmaker Dan Abrams, Science Channel host Josh Zepps and Second City ETC founder Jeff Michalski have decided it’s time to stop crying about the economic crisis and recession ![[cnbc explains]](/CNBCexplainsicon1.gif)
— and start laughing. They’re working on a mockumentary (think “Spinal Tap”) about the economic crisis called “False Profit.” But wait, don’t answer yet. You also get — an investment opportunity! Between them, they’ve worked with some of the most famous names in comedy, from Stephen Colbert to Robin Williams, but they’ve decided that YOU are the one to fund this project.They’ve launched a campaign on Kickstarter.com to raise money for the film. If they get $50,000, they’re totally doing it. (If they don’t, they’ll probably blow the money on cheeseburgers and hair products.) The Kickstarter page includes a trailer for the movie that includes narration in a voice that sounds like Dana Carvey doing George Bush (so read this in that voice): 2.8 trillion dollars …gone. Lehman and Bear Stearns … wiped out. Entire neighborhoods … foreclosed. Europe … breaking apart. And as the world crumbles, everyone is asking one question: “Who’s to blame?” The answer, as it turns out, is Eugene Kramer, a simple Iowa farmer who brought his folksy wisdom to Wall Street at an entry-level trading job in 2004. From the credit crash to the auto bailout, from the euro crisis to Occupy Wall Street, Eugene Kramer caused it all — and now it’s up to him to fix it.If you pledge $10 or more, you get a special digital download before the official DVD is released. At the $25 level, you get a special edition DVD/Blu-ray before the DVD release AND the digital download. For $50, you get all that AND the chance to attend a special online premier (are sequins still appropriate for that? what's the protocol for an online premier?!), plus access to several live streaming workshops on comedy with Michalski. They don't want to be around you until you reach the $100 level, where you get all that AND two tickets to a live screening. And for $250, you get four tickets, blah blah blah, AND an invite to the after-party. (Now we're talking.) You go $500, you also get an "associate producer" credit and at $2,000 or more, you get an "executive producer" credit.We’ve all been burned by some bad investment choices during the past few years, so it’s understandable if some investors are a little skittish. I mean, how can we know for sure they’re not the Bernie Madoffs of comedy and this is nothing more than a Ponzi film that you could have an executive producer credit on that could actually land you interviews with the FBI, SEC and Justice Department?!They assuage any concerns on their Kickstarter page, describing the project as a “gleefully absurdist farce,” in the vein of “Arrested Development” and “Best in Show.” Well, when you put it that way, it sounds better than any of the investments we’ve made in the past few years. Jimmy, hand me my wallet! And, scene. Disclaimer: Due to SEC regulations concerning qualified investments, Kickstarter and the aforementioned filmmakers are unable to sell equity or profit points on this project. So, you will have to be happy with the DVD, producer credit, etc., depending on the investment package you choose. Disclaimer, part deux: Both of Abrams's parents are corporate lawyers.More From CNBC.com: Email us at document.write("");document.write("ponyblog"+"@"+"cnbc.com");document.write('');or drop a line in the comment box below. ![]()
Well, filmmaker Dan Abrams, Science Channel host Josh Zepps and Second City ETC founder Jeff Michalski have decided it’s time to stop crying about the economic crisis and recession — and start laughing. They’re working on a mockumentary (think “Spinal Tap”) about the economic crisis called “False Profit.” But wait, don’t answer yet. You also get — an investment opportunity! Between them, they’ve worked with some of the most famous names in comedy, from Stephen Colbert to Robin Williams, but they’ve decided that YOU are the one to fund this project.They’ve launched a campaign on Kickstarter.com to raise money for the film. If they get $50,000, they’re totally doing it. (If they don’t, they’ll probably blow the money on cheeseburgers and hair products.) The Kickstarter page includes a trailer for the movie that includes narration in a voice that sounds like Dana Carvey doing George Bush (so read this in that voice): 2.8 trillion dollars …gone. Lehman and Bear Stearns … wiped out. Entire neighborhoods … foreclosed. Europe … breaking apart. And as the world crumbles, everyone is asking one question: “Who’s to blame?” The answer, as it turns out, is Eugene Kramer, a simple Iowa farmer who brought his folksy wisdom to Wall Street at an entry-level trading job in 2004. From the credit crash to the auto bailout, from the euro crisis to Occupy Wall Street, Eugene Kramer caused it all — and now it’s up to him to fix it.If you pledge $10 or more, you get a special digital download before the official DVD is released. At the $25 level, you get a special edition DVD/Blu-ray before the DVD release AND the digital download. For $50, you get all that AND the chance to attend a special online premier (are sequins still appropriate for that? what's the protocol for an online premier?!), plus access to several live streaming workshops on comedy with Michalski. They don't want to be around you until you reach the $100 level, where you get all that AND two tickets to a live screening. And for $250, you get four tickets, blah blah blah, AND an invite to the after-party. (Now we're talking.) You go $500, you also get an "associate producer" credit and at $2,000 or more, you get an "executive producer" credit.We’ve all been burned by some bad investment choices during the past few years, so it’s understandable if some investors are a little skittish. I mean, how can we know for sure they’re not the Bernie Madoffs of comedy and this is nothing more than a Ponzi film that you could have an executive producer credit on that could actually land you interviews with the FBI, SEC and Justice Department?!They assuage any concerns on their Kickstarter page, describing the project as a “gleefully absurdist farce,” in the vein of “Arrested Development” and “Best in Show.” Well, when you put it that way, it sounds better than any of the investments we’ve made in the past few years. Jimmy, hand me my wallet! And, scene. Disclaimer: Due to SEC regulations concerning qualified investments, Kickstarter and the aforementioned filmmakers are unable to sell equity or profit points on this project. So, you will have to be happy with the DVD, producer credit, etc., depending on the investment package you choose. Disclaimer, part deux: Both of Abrams's parents are corporate lawyers.More From CNBC.com: Email us at document.write("");document.write("ponyblog"+"@"+"cnbc.com");document.write('');or drop a line in the comment box below. More from The Pony Blog: ponyblog.cnbc.com
Rumour: Samsung Galaxy S3 set for April Release
Although it hasn’t even been announced yet, the Samsung Galaxy S3 is allegedly set for an April release. This means that an announcement should be coming between now and then, leaving very little time in between.
Perhaps this is why Samsung decided to pull the announcement of the S3 out from the MWC so that it would have it’s own spotlight, rather than be lost in the noise of quad-core phone announcements from other manufacturers. As for specs, there are still a lot of rumours floating around but we can expect to see at least a 1.5GHz quad-core processor. Most likely the Exynos and an even larger screen at around 4.8 inches. Some rumours claim an edge to edge design. Expect the camera to be even better, but doubts are it can best the current camera king, the Nokia 808 PureView.
It seems Samsung is taking a page out of Apple’s marketing book and believes it deserves top billing at it’s own launch event. Can Samsung quiet the buzz already building for Apple’s inevitable iPhone5 announcement? Maybe for a little while at least.
[VIA]
Why Apple Wins: Better Beats "New"
By Melissa Daniels | Mon Mar 12, 2012 1:40 pm
At Apple, being new isn't good enough, according to design leader Jonathan Ive -- it's only improvement that gives way to innovation and builds the company's successful brand philosophy.Ive opened up about the company's design process in a rare interview with the Evening Standard, boiling it down to "designing and prototyping and making." Those three steps are essential to advancing development, Ive said, shedding light on how Apple consistently produces top products.
The noted designer's comments suggest why the Cupertino, Calif.-based company's competitors may have failed to win over Macs, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad, all of which Ives oversaw. By offering devices that, in Ives words, fit with the mission "to create simple objects, objects that you can't imagine any other way," Apple manages to edge out competitors trying to beat it with something "new" that may not necessarily improve the overall product.
Forging new ground is where Apple succeeds, or as Ives says, "if we can't make something better, we won't do it."
As the senior vice president of industrial design for Apple, Ive is widely acclaimed as one of the world's most influential designers both within the design world and beyond. Ive was knighted by the Queen in his home country of England, was also named Designer of the Year by the Design Museum London, and received the title of Royal Designer for Industry by The Royal Society of Arts.
With such recognition, the designer rarely opens up about what goes on in Apple's creative team. But his recent interview shed light on how Apple stays focused on its mission -- and suggests how competitors can wander from the path during the race to the next big thing.
"Most of our competitors are interested in doing something different, or want to appear new -- I think those are completely the wrong goals," he told the Evening Standard. "A product has to be genuinely better. This requires real discipline, and that's what drives us -- a sincere, genuine appetite to do something that is better."
That appetite is readily filled in the market, with Apple breaking iPhone sales records at the end of 2011 with 37 million worldwide sales. Sales jump while other manufacturers see decline in a shaky economy, and that demand for Apple products is intrinsically related to the "something that is better" manifesto.
Apple's success in the future is assured by some analysts who say its customer loyalty and return rate project long-term stability. When Apple does release a new product or feature, it's a problem-solving tactic, like Siri voice recognition, which offers multiple services to users without installing technology for technology's sake.
Design is different at Apple, Ive says, because designing, prototyping and making are all part of the same process. Separating those, he says, makes it suffer. Ive acknowledged it is difficult to describe the design process, but there is much to glean of his insights into high standards and razor-sharp focus.
As rival companies attempt to take away sales from Apple, Ives and Apple engineers are staying focused on what they have to offer, honing in on their own philosophy. As the public learns more about what goes on inside one of the most powerful technology companies in the world, the philosophy behind Apple's success is sure to inspire the next wave of innovators, designers and those who dare to think differently.
Tue Mar 13, 2012 4:04 pm | By AT&T is expanding its LTE service, and Tim Cook sold off more of his stock in Apple. Meanwhile, Verizon had some sporadic outages, Apple denies Proview's claims on its iPad name and Twitter snapped up Posterous, a blogging platform.
Tue Mar 13, 2012 2:46 pm | By Apple's is reducing the price of the iPad 2 with the release of the new iPad, boosting the company's educational initiatives by making tablets more affordable for schools.
Tue Mar 13, 2012 1:39 pm | By IPads drastically help doctors boost their productivity, according to a study, highlighting how mobile technology is revolutionizing healthcare.
Tue Mar 13, 2012 10:58 am | By Chinese factory workers say Apple overlooked safety hazards after an explosion last December, as the company struggles to maintain its reputation amid mounting public concern.
Mon Mar 12, 2012 4:15 pm | By The Apple-Samsung battle heats up, RIM's BlackBerry loses a key sector of customers and other stories from today's news.
Editorials & Opinion By Kat Asharya
The Justice Department approved the $4.5 billion purchase of over 4,000 Nortel patents to major Android rivals like Apple and RIM, guaranteeing no end in sight to the legal battles entangling the mobile industry. Gingrich pins hopes Tuesday on big Georgia win
ATLANTA (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich is banking on a big win in Georgia Tuesday to keep his fading hopes of winning the nomination alive.
"It looks now like in Georgia we will carry the state by four or five times the margin that Romney had in Michigan," Gingrich told supporters in Alcoa, Tenn., Monday.
The former House speaker was hoping that momentum from an expected win in the state he represented in Congress for 20 years would propel his campaign, which has struggled since his lone victory in the Jan. 21 South Carolina primary.
But he sent signals he would continue by campaigning in Alabama Tuesday before the votes in Georgia are counted. Likewise, Gingrich plans to begin airing ads this week in Alabama and Mississippi. Both states hold their primaries Mar. 13.
Gingrich leads by wide margins in Georgia polls. He trails former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in Tennessee, although the race there is tight and Gingrich was closing the gap in some surveys.
"We have the chance to win a stunning victory here in Tennessee," Gingrich told 200 supporters near Knoxville.
Gingrich campaigned doggedly across Tennessee Monday, while a key supporter, former candidate Herman Cain, campaigned for him in Oklahoma before joining him at a rally in Chattanooga.
Gingrich touted himself as the only candidate experienced with the issues facing the nation, drawing on his four years as House speaker during the Clinton administration.
"The biggest difference in this race between the three major contenders is one of us has consistently shown leadership," Gingrich told about 150 people in the upstairs conference room of a Food King grocery store in Kingsport, Tenn.
Gingrich has been helped by four political action committees, including one financed largely by billionaire casino mogul Sheldon Adelson.
Yet Gingrich sought to portray a win in Georgia as a triumph in light of heavy spending on anti-Gingrich attack ads by the pro-Romney political action committee Restore Our Future.
IPads Help Doctors Work More Efficiently
By Melissa Daniels | Tue Mar 13, 2012 1:39 pm
IPads drastically help doctors boost their productivity, according to a study, highlighting how mobile technology is revolutionizing healthcare.Research from the University of Chicago found iPads helped 68 percent of residents avoid delays in patient care, and 90 percent used it routinely for clinical duties.
Technology can help speed up medical care in many ways, but a tablet condenses several steps and provides portability so doctors don't trek all over a hospital to check records, medicine and patient care. The efficiency is set to increase even further as tablets become less exclusive and gain popularity with medical professionals.
Researchers studied tablet use of 115 doctors for four months, finding the devices help order tests, review results, keep patient records or check medical journals. Most doctors said it cut out an hour of their daily workload, and 78 percent said it made them feel more efficient.
"Residents face a vast and increasing workload packed into tightly regulated hours," said researcher Dr. Bhakti Patel. "They spend much of their time completing documentation and updating patient charts. This study indicates that personal mobile computers can streamline that process."
Having more patient information at doctors' fingertips could mean quicker service, good news to anyone whose spent hours waiting in an emergency room. As the benefits of iPads become clear, and as medical personnel join in the trend, it could catch on in hospitals around the world if departments choose to invest in the devices.
But the change does bring up questions on privacy and security. Test orders or results could be misinterpreted by an autocorrect or clicking a wrong number. There's the element of distraction, as email applications and web browsers could result in potentially risky multi-tasking.
Also, iPads containing patient health records will need to include certain security measures to prevent others from seeing the data, or risk jeopardizing it in the case of a misplaced devices.
Such issues may find solutions as device-assisted doctors become more common. Already the medical field is subject of a swarm of apps hitting both smartphone and tablet markets, and medical professionals in some hospitals are already using mobile devices to communicate with one another.
Hospitals are taking steps to join the many advantages of mobile technology to help speed up and improve patient care. And as organizations across the industry evolves with best practices, even more medical-specific apps and programs will likely aid doctors in hospitals and clinics, as well as emergency situations worldwide.
Tue Mar 13, 2012 4:04 pm | By AT&T is expanding its LTE service, and Tim Cook sold off more of his stock in Apple. Meanwhile, Verizon had some sporadic outages, Apple denies Proview's claims on its iPad name and Twitter snapped up Posterous, a blogging platform.
Tue Mar 13, 2012 2:46 pm | By Apple's is reducing the price of the iPad 2 with the release of the new iPad, boosting the company's educational initiatives by making tablets more affordable for schools.
Tue Mar 13, 2012 10:58 am | By Chinese factory workers say Apple overlooked safety hazards after an explosion last December, as the company struggles to maintain its reputation amid mounting public concern.
Mon Mar 12, 2012 4:15 pm | By The Apple-Samsung battle heats up, RIM's BlackBerry loses a key sector of customers and other stories from today's news.
Mon Mar 12, 2012 1:40 pm | By At Apple, being new isn't good enough, according to design leader Jonathan Ive -- it's only improvement that gives way to innovation and builds the company's successful brand philosophy.
Editorials & Opinion By Kat Asharya
The Justice Department approved the $4.5 billion purchase of over 4,000 Nortel patents to major Android rivals like Apple and RIM, guaranteeing no end in sight to the legal battles entangling the mobile industry.
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