Netflix CEO forecasts steady decline in DVD subscribers

Netflix will focus its energy on streaming video and unique content, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said this week.?

Call it the long goodbye.

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On Wednesday, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said his company expected the number of Netflix DVD subscribers to?"decline?steadily for every quarter, forever," as more users turn to streaming video. Hastings, who was speaking to reporters during a conference call, hastened to add that Netflix would keep?the DVD portion of its business "stable," and "very high functioning," at least for the foreseeable future.?

In the meantime, according to All Things D, Netflix will bulk up its selection of streaming video, and continue to add new unique online content, such as the forthcoming series "House of Cards." In other words, as Peter Kafka of All Things D notes, Netflix will become "a?premium cable channel that gives subscribers lots of viewing choices ? including some stuff they can?t see anywhere else ? but not?unlimited?choices."?

There's certainly room for that kind of service, Kafka adds: "a?maverick Internet video service that could upend all of Hollywood and the TV industry sounds pretty exciting." Netflix, of course, weathered its share of woes last year, including a major dust-up over rate hikes and the rushed introduction of a rental service called Qwikster. Considering Hastings' pessimism toward discs, it's no wonder that Netflix tried to break off from DVD rentals and push that leaky boat out to sea. Of course, its current customers hated that plan, so Netflix later cancelled it.

But this week, the company posted some good news: During the last quarter of 2011, Netflix signed up 610,00 new US customers, almost making up for the 800,000 lost after the summer price hike ? and bringing the total Netflix membership to 24.4 million. That was enough to beat analyst expectations, and give a nice bump to Netflix stock, Bloomberg News and the Washington Post report today.?

For more tech news, follow us on?Twitter @venturenaut. And don?t forget to sign up for the weekly?BizTech newsletter.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/QbHjCRk2gOE/Netflix-CEO-forecasts-steady-decline-in-DVD-subscribers

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Trustee leaves $4.2M to Franklin College

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FRANKLIN, Ind. ? A private central Indiana liberal arts college says it has received a $4.2 million bequest from the estate of a longtime trustee.

Franklin College says the donation came from the estate of Fort Wayne native and longtime Indianapolis resident Effie Joan Behrens. She died in December 2010 after having been a Franklin College trustee since 1991.

The college says 75 percent of her bequest has gone to an endowment for student scholarships and the college's relationship with the American Baptist Church. The Franklin College Board of Trustees directed the remaining money to a capital campaign.

The board's also named the new college softball facility Behrens Field. The college says Behrens had played softball in her youth.

The college announced the donation last week.

Source: http://www.greenfieldreporter.com/view/story/d3f6f753b5ca438b9c87e0ebaa250626/IN--Franklin-College-Donation/

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Nintendo chief promises to do Wii U launch right (AP)

TOKYO ? Nintendo's chief is determined to get right the launch of its next game machine, Wii U, set for this year's holiday shopping season, and acknowledged Friday some mistakes with selling its 3DS handheld.

But Nintendo Co. President Satoru Iwata warned earnings for the fiscal year set to begin April will be the toughest ever for the Japanese manufacturer behind the Super Mario and Pokemon games.

Iwata's remarks come a day after it lowered its annual earnings forecast to a 65 billion yen ($844 million) loss, much larger than the 20 billion yen ($260 million) loss projected earlier. It posted a 77.62 billion yen profit the previous fiscal year.

Iwata blamed the strong yen, which erases overseas earnings, as well as the arrival of smartphones and other devices that offer gaming.

The higher yen slashed nearly 54 billion yen ($701 million) from the company's operating profit for the April-December period.

"I can see how the red ink may be perceived as abnormal," Iwata told analysts and reporters at a Tokyo hotel. "The environment has changed."

The failure of the 3DS handheld, which offers three-dimensional imagery, to take off with enough momentum during the last quarter of 2011 was one of the main reasons for the dismal results, according to Iwata.

The 3DS has gradually started to sell better, but it took a price cut in August. It still lacks a strong lineup of attractive software games, a key factor for a machine to succeed in a big way.

Iwata vowed the company will be better prepared when it introduces the Wii U home console during the 2012 year-end shopping season for a strong comeback.

He declined to give details such as pricing or what the software games available at that time might be.

But he said the Wii U will come with a strong game lineup at the launch as well as secure and safe Internet services that will offer players individual accounts.

The Wii U will come with new ways of playing that will almost make the term "home console" obsolete, Iwata said. It will also offer mobile gaming. The machine has a touch-panel controller.

Nintendo has long competed against rival game makers, such as Sony Corp. and Microsoft Corp. These days, all face the threat from hit devices like the iPad and iPhone from Apple Inc. that also offer games.

Iwata's comments also showed Nintendo is growing less cautious about the Internet, which in the past it had brushed off as mainly for hard-core gamers.

Kyoto-based Nintendo has built its reputation on making games fun to play for casual and newcomer players.

"We are going to put to use our bitter experience with the 3DS," said Iwata.

___

Follow Yuri Kageyama at http://twitter.com/yurikageyama

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/japan/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120127/ap_on_hi_te/as_japan_nintendo

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Video: Rep. Giffords says farewell to the House

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Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/46138701#46138701

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Safety regulator: `We pulled no punches' on Volt (AP)

WASHINGTON ? The government "pulled no punches" in investigating battery fires in the Volt, General Motors' prized electric car, the head of the federal auto safety agency told Congress on Wednesday.

At a combative House hearing, Republicans questioned whether the government's partial ownership in the automaker created a conflict of interest for the Obama administration in the Chevrolet probe, which began after a test car caught fire in June, three weeks after a side-impact test.

The government still owns 26.5 percent of GM's shares.

"We pulled no punches" during the investigation, said David Strickland, who heads the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Then asked if the company got a pass from his agency, he replied, "No, absolutely not."

But Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, who led the hearing by the House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee, said he found it "deeply troubling" that the agency waited until November to notify the public about the fire.

Strickland said he would have gone public immediately if there were an imminent safety risk. He said it would have been irresponsible to tell people that something was wrong with the Volt while experts looked into the cause of the fire.

In response, the committee chairman, Republican Darrell Issa, R-Calif., said, "I hear you, I don't believe you."

Issa added: "The fact is, your administration is not up to speed to maintain safety in an electric age."

Republicans questioned whether the delay was because of new mileage standards that were negotiated last year. Strickland insisted there was no connection and said he had not been pressured by anyone from the administration on the investigation.

After the first fire, two others occurred later related to separate safety tests, and the agency opened an official investigation on Nov. 25. That ended last week, with the government concluding that the Volt and other electric cars don't pose a greater fire risk than gasoline-powered cars. The agency and General Motors know of no fires in real-world crashes.

GM chairman and CEO Daniel F. Akerson said sarcastically that while the company designed the Volt to be a great car, "unfortunately, there is one thing we did not engineer. Although we loaded the Volt with state-of-the-art safety features, we did not engineer the Volt to be a political punching bag. And that, sadly, is what the Volt has become.

"For all of the loose talk about fires, we are here today because tests by regulators resulted in battery fires under lab conditions that no driver would experience in the real world."

But the Republicans' aim was on the safety agency, as Issa told Strickland, "You guys screwed up by keeping a secret."

Democrats came to the administration's defense.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, said there was no evidence that politics played a role in NHTSA's handling of the case, and he was concerned that the hearing could undermine electric car technology.

Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings, the committee's top Democrat, told Strickland he believed him.

"Your integrity has been questioned, your honesty has been questioned," Cummings said. "And then the question becomes, what is that all about?" He accused Republicans of "swatting" at things to make a political point.

Jordan took exception. "That's not what this hearing's about."

Cummings responded: "This hearing is not about safety. This hearing is about an attack" on the Obama administration's support for GM and the electric car industry.

At first, GM blamed the safety agency for the June fire, saying NHTSA should have drained the battery to prevent any fires after the test. But the company quickly retreated and said it never told the agency to drain the battery. GM executives also said there was no formal procedure in place to drain batteries after crashes involving owners.

Now the company sends out a team to drain the batteries after being notified of a crash by its OnStar safety system.

The Volt has a T-shaped, 400 pound battery pack that can power the car for about 35 miles. After that, a small gasoline generator kicks in to run the electric motor. The car has a base price of about $40,000.

Issa told reporters that the committee will continue its investigation.

"It won't be on General Motors," he said. " It will be primarily on the government that we oversee that has once again been less than as good they should have been in public safety on automobiles."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/uscongress/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_go_co/us_volt_fires

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Sullinger leads No. 4 Ohio St past Penn St 78-54 (AP)

COLUMBUS, Ohio ? Jared Sullinger had 20 points and 13 rebounds, and No. 4 Ohio State took advantage of Penn State's slow start to roll to a 78-54 victory on Wednesday night.

The Buckeyes (18-3, 6-2 Big Ten) won their third in a row and fifth in six games while tuning up for Sunday's big home showdown with No. 20 Michigan. The Wolverines, Ohio State and Michigan State came into the week tied for the top spot in the Big Ten.

The Nittany Lions paid tribute to Joe Paterno by wearing black bands on their jerseys. Paterno, Penn State's football coach for 46 years and the winner of a major-college record 409 games, died Sunday at age 85. A public viewing and funeral was held earlier on Wednesday.

William Buford added 15 points and Aaron Craft had 11 ? all in the first half ? as the Buckeyes built a lopsided lead.

Big Ten scoring leader Tim Frazier had 16 points and Jermaine Marshall 14 for Penn State (10-12, 2-7), which has lost its last 17 meetings with Ohio State.

In the waning moments, Ohio State's student section prepped for the game against the Buckeyes' chief rival by singing "We Don't Give A Damn For the Whole State of Michigan."

The Buckeyes improved to 15-0 at home this season while running their home winning streak to 37 in a row ? the second-longest streak in the country behind Kentucky's 47 straight.

Already ahead 38-18 at halftime, Ohio State benefited from a flagrant foul and a technical foul against the Nittany Lions in the opening 2 minutes of the second half.

Frazier was called for the flagrant foul when he swung an elbow that caught Craft in the jaw. Moments later, first-year coach Patrick Chambers was whistled for yelling at the officials.

Sullinger had a layup and a dunk ? both off assists from swingman Sam Thompson ? in a 7-0 run that swelled the Buckeyes' lead to 56-29. From then on, a crowd of 16,907 was just biding its time before heading for the parking lots.

Penn State endured a miserable first half, shooting just 22 percent (7 of 32) and falling behind by as many as 23 points.

The Nittany Lions had just one field goal and two points over the first 8 minutes and were outscored 15-2. They came in shooting 39 percent from the field for the season but made only one of their first 14 field goals.

Frazier was dogged wherever he went by Buckeyes defenders. He was 2 of 9 from the field at halftime.

Craft opened the scoring with a spinning reverse layup off an assist from Sullinger, who made it 4-0 with a baby hook. After Buford hit a pair of foul shots, Deshaun Thomas added a short jumper for an 8-0 lead.

Marshall, who had half of the Nittany Lions' points at the break, hit a perimeter jumper to finally break the ice at the 15:02 mark. After the Buckeyes coasted to a 24-6 lead, he hit back-to-back outside jumpers.

But the Buckeyes were the story of the opening half. Craft, who hit his career high of 19 against Penn State last January, had 11 at the break on 4-of-4 shooting from the field. Buford chipped in with eight points and five rebounds, while Sullinger had seven points and eight boards and Thomas had six and six.

Penn State is in the midst of a stretch of three straight games vs. Top 25 teams, two on the road. The Nittany Lions lost at No. 11 Indiana 73-54 on Sunday and play No. 25 Wisconsin on Tuesday.

The Buckeyes finished up hitting half of their 50 shots from the field. Penn State mustered just 31.3 percent (20 of 64).

___

Follow Rusty Miller on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/rustymillerap.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120126/ap_on_sp_co_ga_su/bkc_t25_penn_st_ohio_st

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GBC supports Caribbean finance | European CEO

Global Bank of Commerce is an important force within a Caribbean financial sector that is attracting a host of international investors. European CEO speaks to Brian Stuart-Young, CEO of GBC

How have banks in the Caribbean adjusted their internal compliance regulations in order to tighten security?
A key issue for Caribbean banks ? and indeed any bank that lacks a support network of parent offices located in major financial centres ? has been the maintenance and strengthening of correspondent banking relationships. Caribbean banks require relationships with other banks operating in major money centres through which they can conduct international cash clearing and transfer services; they are entirely reliant on correspondent facilities from banks that provide intermediary services.

Given the various international issues that have caused heightened scrutiny over correspondent relations ? coupled with the global demands to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing ? the Caribbean Association of Indigenous Banks (CAIB) has achieved stronger relationships through establishing a code of principles by which member banks will demonstrate compliance in line with international standards. The initiative has been encouraged by correspondent banks currently conducting business with Caribbean banks.

How do these principles help to build the reputation of Caribbean banks?
In keeping with the principles espoused by the Wolfsberg Group ? a body of 11 major banks that provide international correspondent banking services ? CAIB?s Advocacy Committee has developed the Caribbean Principles. This set of principles establish risk management standards for members and comply with related international standards to support the reputation and operational integrity of Caribbean banks.

How does Antigua ensure that it does not fall into the category of a tax haven?
Antigua?s jurisdiction boasts a robust mutual legal regime which facilitates a transparent process under which information may be exchanged. The destination would never allow itself ? or the banks operating within it ? to be used as a secret tax haven, and it recognises the requirements for tax compliance and anti-tax fraud policies.

Notably, Antigua?s jurisdiction system was one of the first Caribbean jurisdictions to establish a Tax Information Exchange Agreement with the US, and has held tax treaties with the UK and the Caribbean Commonwealth Community for many years. Moreover, it successfully completed more than a dozen tax information exchange agreements by the last quarter of 2009, which made it tax compliant with OECD requirements, and subsequently placed it on the OECD?s ?white list?.

How does Antigua manage mutual legal assistance services, especially considering secrecy laws?
Antigua is firmly committed to mutual cooperation and the preservation of a safe financial sector environment. It has ratified mutual legal assistance in anti-money laundering and anti-financing of terrorism matters as provided for under its Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters, which provides mutual assistance for all countries that are members of the British Commonwealth, the US and for other countries for which Antigua and Barbuda has signed mutual legal assistance treaties.

Significantly, the jurisdiction is a member of the Egmont Group through Antigua?s supervisory authority, the Office of National Drug and Money Laundering Control Policy (ONDCP). The policy has been put in place to aid communications between different financial intelligence units to prevent money laundering and the financing of terrorism.

How does the imposition of global banking regulations affect Antigua?
The impact of the financial crisis has touched banking worldwide and Antigua is well aware that only the safe and strongly regulated jurisdictions will survive. The regulatory environment of banks providing international financial services is strongly supervised for the safe and ethical depository of foreign currencies and the delivery of wealth management solutions.

The jurisdiction undergoes regular peer evaluation by the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force as well as reviews by the World Bank and the IMF, all of which give enhanced scrutiny to the operations of the financial centre. The supervision of banks is divided with domestic commercial banks under the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, and international service banks are licensed and regulated by the Financial Services Regulatory Commission (FSRC) and must maintain internal policies to govern compliance with international standards.

What makes Antigua attractive for investors and businesses seeking international ecommerce services?
The remarkable growth of the internet and mobile services is impacting economies around the world, and Antigua is no exception. Antigua provides ideal support for information technology services and internet-driven business opportunities that demand more sophisticated financial services. Modern financial services include internet banking, telephone banking, wire transfers in major currencies, corporate and trust administration, pension and fund management, as well as electronic commerce facilities that allow online sales of international services and products. These are powerful financial tools that enable businesses to compete in an international and open market environment, and also stimulate more convenient person-to-person payments.

Are there any related services that may benefit investors and businesses?
A significant enabling factor for ecommerce services is Antigua?s Global Processing Centre, which is a world-class card processing facility that hosts a platform to support all types of local and international transactions for card issuing, ATM, point of sale and web-based Ecommerce services. The processing data centre is fully PCI certified annually and helps to support enhanced due diligence for card holders by filtering all cardholder identities through the OFAC list and other relevant lists, and by hosting card customer due diligence information for its bank clients. The centre?s platform is currently integrating with a mobile platform to support mobile commerce and wallets, which will allow it to play a greater role in facilitating small payments in the region.

How do you predict Antigua and Global Bank of Commerce will develop over the next five to 10 years?
In today?s financial world, five to 10 years is a very long time. Antigua is traditionally a premier tourism destination and has successfully developed its service sector. It then expanded its services to provide international financial services, and its future is still dependent on these two pillars for growth.

With regards to the financial sector, it is likely that the growth will primarily occur in the provision of technology-driven financial services for banks in the region, rather than within the area of simple deposit services. Global Bank of Commerce has always been a leader in payment services, and we expect our portfolio to grow with the enabling support of Global Processing Centre. The face of payments is changing, especially small payments, bill payments, micro-finance and remittances. We expect that Antigua and its banks will play a strong role in the development of these emerging financial services.

For more information please call 268-480-2240, fax 268-462-1831 or visit? www.globalbankofcommerce.com

Posted on January 23, 2012.

This entry was posted in Finance. Bookmark the permalink.

Source: http://www.europeanceo.com/finance/gbc-supports-caribbean-finance

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The Nuts and Bolts of Investing

The Nuts and Bolts of Investing

by David Fessler, Investment U?s Energy and Infrastructure Specialist
Monday, January 23, 2012

No, this isn?t another investment primer to add to the thousands already out there. It?s actually about nuts and bolts. Real ones. Billions of them. As well as hundreds of thousands of other types of fasteners, connectors and tools.

One of the hobbies I enjoy with my two sons is working on and restoring vintage automobiles. If you?ve ever ?enjoyed? this yourself, you know it?s no secret that you need lots of nuts and bolts, and a myriad of other fasteners and connectors, too.

And even if you have tons of them like I do, there?s a real good chance that the one you need is the one you don?t have. I seem to run into this problem just about every weekend.

Home Depot and Lowe?s have many of the run-of-the-mill fasteners you?re likely to need, but if your project calls for an unusual one, or you?re a commercial contractor looking to buy a five-gallon bucket or a truckload of them, Home Depot and Lowe?s won?t help you.

The place that will is a Fastenal Company (Nasdaq: FAST) store. Fortunately for me, one just opened not too far away from our house. With 2,585 stores located around the country, chances are there?s one near you, too.

Fastenal wholesales and retails construction and industrial supplies, including nuts and bolts. It also sells other fasteners, hydraulic tools, cutting tools, plumbing, electrical supplies, chemicals, paints and janitorial supplies.

The company plans to continue opening new stores this year, with plans to add between 100 and 150 throughout the United States. The company?s stores chalked up revenue of $697.8 million, an increase of 22% year over year for the same quarter. Last quarter?s profits rose 34% to $87.5 million, or $0.30 per share.

While revenue was above estimates, profits were at the low end of the company?s expected range. It attributed vendor incentives and lower freight utilization to the slip in profits.

The company?s CEO, Will Oberton, believes this quarter?s results will be even better than last. ?Overall it was a disciplined quarter on margin.?

Oberton believes margins will significantly increase in the coming quarter, and that the vendor incentives and lower freight utilization were seasonal issues.

Investors seem to believe the company, too. The stock recently eclipsed its 52-week high, and closed last week within a few cents of it.

Why would we be recommending a stock like Fastenal that?s up over 77% in just the last year? Two reasons:

• The first, it?s yet another backdoor indication that the construction industry is slowly recovering, and that?s a proxy for the housing market.

• Second, with plans to open over 100 new stores in 2012, there?s still plenty of room for growth. Stores become accretive to the bottom line of the company almost from the day they?re opened.

As the U.S. economy slowly recovers, the nuts and bolts of the economic growth will be supplied by Fastenal. It?s the perfect time to consider backing up the truck and adding this ?nuts and bolts? growth stock to your portfolio.

Good Investing,

David Fessler

Any investment contains risk. Please see our disclaimer
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Source: http://www.investmentu.com/2012/January/nuts-and-bolts-of-investing-nasdaq-fast.html

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Tenn. vet using Facebook to help lost pets

COLONIAL HEIGHTS, Tenn. (AP) -- A veterinarian in East Tennessee has created a Facebook page to reunite lost pets with their owners.

Andrew Proffitt says he started "Lost and Found Pets of the Tri-Cities" about six months ago. He told the Times-News that the idea came after getting calls from people who found animals and didn't know what to do with them and calls from pet owners who had lost their animals.

Even though the site is only a few months old, Proffitt said it is already expanding. He says he met with the Kingsport and Sullivan County animal shelters this month and they plan to pool resources so that lost pets can be found more easily.

Source: http://www.volunteertv.com/home/headlines/Tenn_vet_using_Facebook_to_help_lost_pets__137848178.html

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Fines pending for Ind. House Dems in labor battle

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) ? Indiana's House Democrats are bracing for major financial pain as they begin a third day blocking a bill that would make Indiana the first state in more than a decade to enact right-to-work legislation.

Fines of $1,000 daily for each Democrat could hit Friday depending on what Republican House Speaker Brian Bosma decides to do.

But Democratic Rep. Vanessa Summers says she is ready to suffer the fines as a single mother who lost her home and is putting her son through college.

Summers and other Democrats have denied Republicans the numbers needed in the House to push a bill that would bar private unions from collecting mandatory fees.

Republicans put the new fines in place after Democrats blocked the measure last year with a five-week walkout.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-06-Indiana-Right%20to%20Work/id-974648180d5c47cd892484747c1817b6

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AT&T expands LTE coverage to eleven new markets, including NYC, San Francisco and Los Angeles

In one announcement, AT&T has nearly doubled its LTE coverage by officially flipping the switch on eleven new markets. The list of cities includes New York City metro, San Francisco / Oakland / San Jose, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Diego, Raleigh and Austin. We've seen the service flicker on and off in most of these cities as real-life tests were conducted, and the high-speed connection's also been available in certain parts of New York, but it's great to see these become official. AT&T also declared that LTE expansion should be complete by the end of 2013, though we expect most major cities to be hit far earlier. Check out the full press release for more details.

Continue reading AT&T expands LTE coverage to eleven new markets, including NYC, San Francisco and Los Angeles

AT&T expands LTE coverage to eleven new markets, including NYC, San Francisco and Los Angeles originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Jan 2012 11:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/05/atandt-expands-lte-coverage-to-eleven-new-markets/

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My Thoughts on Vintage Baseball

I thought I'd take a moment to post on my favorite forum some of my thoughts about baseball that have been in my head for a long time. Pretty random thoughts. I'm sure you have your own as well. Let's find out.
Happy New Year everybody.

To this day I confuse Max Bishop and Bing Miller.

Is Nick Altrock in every team photo of all time?

Hey did you know that when the Yankees dealt Urban Shocker to the Browns they got Eddie Plank in return who retired before reporting?

Jeff Tesreau goes with Claude Passeau who goes with Paul Derringer

Of all the old timers I think about, I want to hear John McGraw's voice the most. How bout you? What player would you like to hear speak?

Don't really like composite photos. I much rather enjoy the thought of the team getting together for a pciture than a printer piecing together existing photos.

Is that actually Jimmy Collins leaping in the Red Belt post card series?

Do you ever go on baseball reference.com, look up a player and then try to guess other players who have similar stats? They have 'similarity scores' at the bottom of each player's page - and it is downright addicting!

When Harry Hooper went to the White Sox how did the Boston fans react?

Isn't it exciting when you see an old publication choose not to use the typical photos of players? I mean Cobb sliding into Jimmy Austin is great but c'mon editors...

Oh and I'd also give like my right arm to hear an interview with one Mr. Rube Waddell.

Does anyone else feel that Goudeys and Diamond Stars are okay but if you want to really get to know a guy you gotta have his exhibit card? (see Eppa Rixey)

I think it maybe time for me to read up on Hugh Jennings and see what made him so great; I'm getting a little tired of his dance, so a shot of education may help me appreciate him more.

and while we're on ol' Hughie, anyone have any candid shots of him? In every photo I see of him, he's either Ee ya-ing or shaking hands in a super posed shot with an opposing manager. gettin' a little boring.

Does anyone else hate the Yankees but love their cards from the early 1920's? Miller Huggins? Bullet Joe Bush? Those sweaters? Babe wasn't Babe juuuuuuust yet. Steinbrenner wasn't born till '30. They were gathering their power.

And how much do you love Lou's exhibit card calling him, Henry L. Gehrig? That's like calling Bono, Paul D. Hewson.

Whenever I come across a player who spent time as a pitcher AND as a hitter/fielder. I'm never 100% comfortable with them.

"Dots Miller!" And a nickname was born.

If you are a fan of vintage baseball and haven't listened to the recordings from Lawrence Ritter's The Glory of Their Times you are doing yourself a big injustice. You will be revited. I guarantee it.

Boy there are a lot of players on B&W caramel cards I don't know. WWI era players. I just never took the time to get to know them. Maybe 2012 I'll go Ivy Wingo on myself.

But I do know that Hank Gowdy is quite often the answer.

Do you remember when you first started collecting and thought certain players were superstars when they really weren't? Like for me Bobby Thomson was a huge name and I couldn't believe it when a dealer left him in with the commons. Not to mention - Rico Petrocelli, John Roseboro, Whitey Lockman, Ron Fairly and bringing it back to vintage - Zeke Bonura, Wild Bill Hallahan, Alvin Crowder, Pepper Martin come to mind. Red Ames is actually still in this category.

I am finally over getting Amos Rusie and Addie Joss mixed up.

Not for nothing but Frank Chance only had six seasons with over 100 hits.

Who wins an arm wrestle - Rabbit Maranville or Willie Keeler? Correct Rabbitt does.

And that reminds me, I gotta look up Willie Kamm.

So what would kids do, go to the candy store and buy strip cards off the role while the store owner cut them? Would they say, "give me 5 players?" Have we ever seen an entire role of these cards still rolled?

Why doesn't the hobby seem to like 1936 Goudeys Wide Pens? The shots are pretty cool. Do we not like our cardboard to actually be thin paper? (see Sporting News supplements)

And how do I know Joe Sewell was a nice guy? When he responded to my mom's request for an autograph for her son's 15th birthday he wrote on the bottom of her letter - "thanks for remembering me".

Anyone else want to tell what they've always been thinking?

Happy New Year. Have a great 2012.

peter

Source: http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=145535&goto=newpost

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Gingrich: 'I feel Romney-boated' (AP)

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa ? Struggling to reverse a slide in his standing, Republican presidential contender Newt Gingrich said Sunday he'd been "Romney-boated" in Iowa and suggested his GOP rival would buy the presidency if he could.

The sharp words against Mitt Romney, a multimillionaire many times over who is in strong contention to win Iowa, come two days before voters here weigh in on the Republican field. It was part of a stepped-up effort by Gingrich to contrast himself with Romney, and the candidate said he would adopt an even more aggressive strategy when the race moves to New Hampshire, the former Massachusetts governor's backyard.

Gingrich's nautical attack was a reference to a 2004 TV ad campaign by a group called the "Swiftboat Veterans for Truth" that bloodied Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. This year, Gingrich has faced an onslaught of negative TV advertisements by a group aligned with Romney.

Asked Sunday whether he felt that he had been "swiftboated," Gingrich replied, "I feel Romney-boated."

It was his second swipe of the day at the Republican frontrunner.

Speaking to reporters after attending morning Mass at the St. Ambrose Cathedral in Des Moines, Gingrich said the amount Romney will eventually spend on his various campaigns will rival the spending of billionaire New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

"Romney would buy the election if he could," Gingrich said.

A new Des Moines Register poll put Gingrich in fourth place, after leading the field a few weeks ago.

Gingrich, who has pledged to run a positive campaign, sought to make up ground by attacking Romney ? and promised more to come.

Even as he attacked Romney, Gingrich insisted he would not go negative ? which he defined as distortions and lies ? but would work to correct misleading charges against himself and draw a clearer contrast with Romney. He said a counter-offensive would probably include television ads.

"New Hampshire is the perfect state to have a debate over Romneycare and to have a debate about tax-paid abortions, which he signed, and to have a debate about putting Planned Parenthood on a government board, which he signed. And to have a debate about appointing liberal judges, which he did," Gingrich told reporters at a stop in Marshalltown.

"And so I think New Hampshire is a good place to start the debate for South Carolina."

"Romneycare" is what critics call Massachusetts' 2006 health care overhaul, which Romney signed into law and which served as a template for the national health care overhaul under President Barack Obama that conservatives detest.

Gingrich ignored the fact that in the past he has advocated for coverage mandates that are included in both overhauls.

Unlike some Republicans who are making a beeline for South Carolina, Gingrich said he would campaign in New Hampshire.

_____

Follow Shannon McCaffrey at www.twitter.com/smccaffrey13

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120101/ap_on_el_pr/us_gingrich

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Romney says Paul doesn't represent mainstream

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is greeted by supporters during a campaign appearance at a Hy-Vee grocery store, Friday, Dec. 30, 2011, in West Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is greeted by supporters during a campaign appearance at a Hy-Vee grocery store, Friday, Dec. 30, 2011, in West Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Republican presidential candidate, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, campaigns at the Cass County Community Center in Atlantic, Iowa, Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Republican presidential candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks during a campaign stop in Des Moines, Iowa, Friday, Dec. 30, 2011. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) ? An Iowa victory within reach, an increasingly confident Mitt Romney on Friday cast chief GOP presidential rival Ron Paul as a fringe candidate and said: "I'm working harder than anyone to make sure he's not the nominee."

"I don't think Ron Paul represents the mainstream," Romney added, criticism that illustrates an attempt to bloody the Texas congressman who, like Romney, is in strong contention to win Tuesday's lead-off caucuses.

The libertarian-leaning Paul, campaigning on the western side of the state, didn't respond.

Romney commented on Paul's candidacy during morning television interviews after appearing with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie before several hundred people outside a grocery store near Des Moines.

Mindful not to ignore another key state, Romney was dashing to New Hampshire later in the day for more appearances and also rolled out a fresh TV ad there. He returns to Iowa on Saturday afternoon and plans to remain in the state through caucus night. It's an indication of just how confident his team has become about possible victory in a state that derailed his candidacy four years ago.

There's reason for that optimism.

A new NBC-Marist poll shows Romney and Paul virtually tied for the lead among likely caucus-goers, with Rick Santorum surging into third, Rick Perry inching up to fourth and Newt Gingrich sliding to fifth. Michele Bachmann was at the back of the pack. Perhaps more striking, tea party supporters are essentially divided evenly across the Republican field.

The race, to be sure, remains fluid and many Iowans still are undecided.

But Romney was expressing increasing optimism as his rivals scrambled to win over cultural conservatives and religious voters who haven't rallied behind one candidate, possibly paving the way for a victory by the former Massachusetts governor seen by some as less consistent on issues this bloc holds dear.

"I'm not planning on being disappointed," Romney said, speaking about Tuesday's caucuses. "No thing is a sure thing at this stage, but it feels terrific."

He also defended negative ads by his allies that have pounded Gingrich and argued that the former House speaker has done more damage to himself than any ads have.

"Speaker Gingrich's numbers have gone down more in New Hampshire than they have here," Romney said.

Gingrich, meanwhile, showed a little emotion at an event in Des Moines with mothers. Recalling his late mother's struggle with depression and mental illness, Gingrich choked and wiped away tears. He allowed the he does "policy much easier than I do personal."

The moment was reminiscent of Hillary Rodham Clinton's teary-eyed response to a question just before the 2008 Democratic primary in New Hampshire. The episode was credited with humanizing her in the eyes of voters. She won the primary.

Romney also refused anew to commit to releasing his income tax returns, saying: "If I become president, why, then I can decide that."

Illustrating an all-out effort to win the caucuses, Romney implored Iowans in a video to show up at precinct caucuses Tuesday and vote for him.

At the early morning event, he appeared energized by the crowd as he delivered his standard campaign speech focused on President Barack Obama. "He just played his 90th round of golf," Romney said, knocking the president for vacationing in Hawaii as the crowd stood on cold, light rain.

Christie, a Republican backed by the conservative and tea party wings of the GOP, playfully told the crowd to vote for Romney or "I will be back, Jersey style."

With four days to go, public and private polling show Romney and Paul in strong contention to win the caucuses, with coalitions of support cobbled together from across the Republican political spectrum and their get-out-the-vote operations ? beefed up from their failed 2008 bids ? at the ready. They're the only two with the money and the organizations necessary to ensure big turnouts on Tuesday.

Three others ? Santorum, Perry and Gingrich ? will have to rely largely on momentum to carry supporters to the caucuses. Each was working to convince fickle conservatives that he alone would satisfy those who yearn for a nominee who would adhere strictly to GOP orthodoxy.

Bachmann was working to convince backers that her cash-strapped campaign was not in disarray after a top Iowa supporter abandoned her to back Paul.

She appeared Friday with Iowa Rep. Steve King, her closest congressional ally, at a caf? in his district. But he offered only kind words for the congressman and not the endorsement that she and some of her rivals have so eagerly sought.

___

Associated Press writers Thomas Beaumont, Mike Glover, Kasie Hunt, Brian Bakst and Shannon McCaffrey contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2011-12-30-GOP%20Campaign/id-5383dcde343b491fa86930fa92c2310f

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Update: Facebook Officially Releases ?Messenger For Windows? Desktop Client Following Leak

[Update 12/29/2011 5:20pm: Facebook tells me it has now made the Messenger for Windows?download link publicly available?in its?Help Center. Users can also learn details about the client there. Still no sign of a Mac version, though.] The client includes notifications and the Ticker which link back to Facebook.com, and therefore could drive engagement with the website. Messenger could also pull market share away from other desktop chat clients like AOL Instant Messenger and Windows Live Messenger.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/ON0WijpD3T8/

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