Seth Rogen Crashes James Franco's 'SNL' Monologue To Address Sony Hack | ||
| | ||
James Franco hosted "Saturday Night Live" this weekend and opened the show by addressing last week's massive Sony hacks. "Something pretty crazy happened this week. I have this movie called 'The Interview' coming out at Sony and this week Sony Studios got all their computers hacked. This is true. These hackers have leaked real personal information about everybody that works at Sony. Social security numbers, emails, and I know eventually they're going to start leaking out stuff about me. So before you hear it from someone else, I thought it would be better if you hear it from me." Franco joked: "Soon you'll know that my email is CuterThanDaveFranco@AOL.com. My password is LittleJamesyCutiePie — and this is all just a real violation of my personal life." Then Seth Rogen joined Franco on stage, to warn his "Interview" co-star: "It's much, much worse than we thought it would be. You're not going to believe this but an hour ago they released some of our private photos from our phones."
Earlier this week, leaked Sony documents revealed Rogen was paid $8.4 million and Franco $6.5 million for their roles in "The Interview," a Sony movie about two journalists who land an interview with the North Korean leader and are then recruited by the CIA to take part in a plot to poison him. North Korea reacted furiously in June when Sony announced its plans for the film, denouncing it as the work of "gangster moviemakers." Franco closed the monologue by adding: "Oh and also, all the girls who got any Instagram messages from me last year, the hackers did it! It was the hackers!" In April, Franco was busted for trying to pickup a teenage fan on Instagram. Watch Franco's full SNL monologue here. SEE ALSO: Sony Hackers Reveal How Much Seth Rogen And James Franco Were Paid For 'The Interview' MORE: LEAKED: Hacked Sony Docs Reveal Top 17 Executives' Multimillion-Dollar Salaries Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
HP’s First Black Professional In Computers Explains Why Tech Lacks Racial Diversity | ||
| | ||
Especially, when it comes to African-American workers, the employment numbers are quite dismal: Apple and eBay are 7% black, while Yahoo, Google, Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter are all roughly 2% black. There may be a lot of reasons for this, but Ken Coleman, special advisor of Andreessen Horowitz, gave four possible reasons for it in a recent interview with Fast Company. Coleman, HP’s first black professional in its computers unit, held executive positions at HP and Silicon Graphics, and if often referred to as Ben Horowitz’s favorite mentor. - Tech forgot about Hispanics, blacks, and women: Coleman argues the society gave tech a pass on racial diversity because there are so many Asians and East Indians working in the sector. Asians, in fact, do make up over 30% of workers at a lot of the tech companies. “We have so many Asians and East Indians that I think people have said, well, that’s diversity, so it’s not an issue,” he says. - Not a meritocracy: The tech industry is often called a meritocracy, in that you will be rewarded if you’re smart and work hard. But Coleman says many interviews tend to be subjective, and it’s no longer a meritocracy if racial bias comes in to play. He says he’s experienced this often in promotion meetings in the past. - Not enough black people in the Bay Area: Coleman says it gets hard to recruit black people in the Bay Area, because there’s not enough diversity here. “If I’m from Detroit or New York or Atlanta, and I don’t see as many people here in Silicon Valley as I’m used to seeing, the environment is not necessarily comforting,” he says. - Trying to reduce risk: If you’re running a company with a bunch of white, male, Stanford and Ive league graduates, then it’s less likely that the you’ll take the risk and hire someone who doesn’t fit in that profile. “My risk meter goes off and there’s a higher bar you have to jump over to make me feel comfortable hiring you,” he says. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
When you look at How Google Convinced Programmers To Do Something Called 'Testing On The Toilet' (GOOG) | ||
| | ||
Google's toilets are famous. Not only are the toilets extremely high tech, but, since at least 2006, they've been used to ensure Google's products are bug free and awesome. It's a culture hack known internally as "Testing on the Toilet." According to Google software engineers, past and present, Google excels at software testing, which means making sure features work like they are supposed to. One way Google got so good was because of a gang of passionate test engineers who called themselves the Google Testing Grouplet. The Grouplet found a novel way to teach good software testing skills to the whole company. They wrote programming quizzes and puzzles that trained people how to spot problems in software. They printed the quizzes out and posted them all over the Googleplex's restrooms, some 500 stalls. The program is still going on today, and still known as "Testing on the Toilet." In 2007, they launched a blog where they posted and encouraged programmers worldwide to do the same. The blog explained: We're unveiling the public release of "Testing on the Toilet": one of Google's little secrets that has helped us to inspire our developers to write well-tested code. We write flyers about everything from dependency injection to code coverage, and then regularly plaster the bathrooms all over Google with each episode, almost 500 stalls worldwide. We've received a lot of feedback about it. Some favorable ("This is great because I'm always forgetting to bring my copy of Linux Nerd 2000 to the bathroom!") and some not ("I'm trying to use the bathroom, can you folks please just LEAVE ME ALONE?").
When asked on Quora what parts of Google's engineering culture people use, Edmond Lau gave a thoughtful response. Lau worked at Google from 2006-2008, was an early employee at Quora, and is now at Quip. He's also the author of the upcoming book The Effective Engineer's Handbook. He wrote: Every week, a group of Googlers would plaster the walls of bathroom stalls worldwide with one-page sheets that shared the week's testing tip. One week, the one-pager might discuss dependency injection and provide a simple example of how to use it in various languages; another week, it might share how to set up a tool for measuring test coverage of your team's codebase. The "Testing on the Toilet" initiative was a quirky and fun way to teach engineers something new and useful as they were doing their business. It also highlighted one of the key strengths of Google's engineering culture: efficiently disseminating a consistent and opinionated set of best practices to a large engineering organization. And maybe there's another moral to the story: If you want to capture people's attention, catch 'em with their pants down. SEE ALSO: 20 Incredibly Useful Free Apps From Microsoft Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Some Google employees liked this so much they took it with them (or something like it) to their new jobs when they moved on. Mobile Is Revolutionizing The Way Merchants Accept Payments And Manage Their Businesses | ||
| | ||
The mobile point-of-sale (mPOS) first shook the payments industry with Square's simple mobile card reader, which attached to smartphones and tablets. It gave small and micro merchants a simple and inexpensive way to accept and track credit and debit card payments. Since then, the industry has exploded with mPOS solutions, but they don't all live up to the hype and many of the businesses that provide them have struggled to figure out how to effectively monetize the merchants they acquire. In a new report from BI Intelligence, we cut through the mPOS hype by analyzing the needs of the retailers that have adopted the technology, and interviewing merchants to find what works and what doesn't. Access the Full Report By Signing Up For A Trial Membership Today >> Here are some of the key takeaways:
In full, the report:
Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Facebook Threw A Lavish Holiday Party At AT&T Park Last Night (FB) | ||
| | ||
To kick off the holiday season, the company threw an extravagant holiday party last night at AT&T Park in San Francisco. The entire park, which was reserved for the company, was washed in Facebook-blue lights. The bannered entryway featured a step and repeat covered with the Facebook logo where guests could pose in front of the World Series trophy. The San Francisco Giants Lou Seal mascot was also on hand. The party itself took place inside giant tents erected in the middle of the field. One massive tent held a packed dance floor which was illuminated by giant baseballs and the letters “FB” in lights. Another area featured a giant clear Facebook “F” logo filled with baseballs. There was a full bar and tons of food. Facebook also erected rows of beer pong tables emblazoned with their logo inside the clubhouse. A live band was set up for guests to sing karaoke. Facebookers and their friends roamed the park taking selfies and partying late into the evening. Facebook's giant party tents covered the entire baseball field. Hundreds of people lined up to enter the massive event. Everyone was given the opportunity to pose with the World Series trophy. "Does life get any better?" Facebook's Alex Helm posted. See the rest of the story at Business Insider  | ||
| |
Facebook certainly has reason to celebrate this year. Their mobile ad revenue has taken off, they bought messaging service WhatsApp for $22 billion, and Instagram has been on the rise. This Is A Life-Changing Application That Every iPhone 6 Owner Should Download (AAPL) | ||
| | ||
One of the best things about the new iPhone is that it comes with a step tracker built in. This means, if you buy an iPhone 5S, an iPhone 6, or an iPhone 6 Plus, you'll be able to track how much you walk in a day. This makes the iPhone a fantastic fitness gadget. It also eliminates the need for wearable devices like the Nike FuelBand, or FitBit Force. Before I got the iPhone 5S earlier this year, I had been wearing a Nike FuelBand. I liked that it tracked my activity and motivated me to get off my butt and move around. But, I hated how it felt on my wrist. It was bulky and uncomfortable. With the iPhone, I don't need the FuelBand, or a FitBit, or anything else. It's all right in the phone I keep in my pocket. You can see your steps in Apple's Health app. But, even better than Apple's Health app is Pedometer++, a super simple application that tracks steps. It also tracks elevation changes, providing a look at how many flights of stairs you've climbed in the day. Every single person who owns an iPhone 5S, 6, or 6 Plus should download Pedometer++. It's free. If you like it, and you want to be generous, you can "tip" the developer $0.99, $2.99, or $5.99 through an in-app payment.
It also serves up your steps in a widget in the notification center, if that's more your thing. The developer who made it, David Smith, said in a blog post last year, "This app has generated more guilt than anything else I’ve ever created. I am constantly hearing from people who say that they open the app and are shocked at how little they actually move in a day. I know for myself it wasn’t until I actually measured it that I realized how sedentary my life was. It is sobering to see that you only took 2,000 steps in a day and realize just how unhealthy that likely is." It's true! I use a standing desk, and commute to New York City every day. I thought for sure that I was moving around a bunch. It turns out that in an average day, I wasn't hitting 10,00o steps on my own. The Pedometer app is pushing me to move around a little bit more, which should be better for my health in the long run. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Pedometer tracks how many steps you take based on data from the chip in phone that tracks your steps. The app displays your steps for the day as a constantly updating badge on the outside of the app. The inside of the app displays your steps in a bar chart. Four Drones To Help You Start Flying [Up To 55% Off] | ||
| | ||
We're bringing prices down even further — here’s a roundup of deals not to miss. We and our friends at Stack Commerce put together four drones that will make it easy to take to the skies.
Despite weighing just over an ounce, the Extreme Micro Drone 2.0 (46% off) is impressively equipped with gyro-based stabilization and a camera — in fact, this is the only micro drone in the world with a swiveling lens. Being so compact means it can fly indoors and out, and it can pull 360º flips. A really nice all-rounder that is forgiving on newbies and ships globally for free. Get 46% off the Extreme Micro Drone 2.0 ($74.99 incl. global shipping) Don't forget to use the code droneinsider10 for an extra 10% off.
The Code Black (55% off pre-orders) looks like it emerged from the Batcave, and it has the kind of features the Dark Knight would demand. It is a great out-of-the-box flyer, with a HD camera on board, and it is small enough to fly anywhere. Plus, it can perform the all-important flips. If you order by Dec. 1, the Code Black will ship in time for Christmas, but the price will rise come mid December. Get 55% off the Limited Edition Code Black drone + HD Camera ($89 incl. shipping; pre-order) Don't forget to use the code droneinsider10 for an extra 10% off.
Panther Spy drone (55% off), which uses its size for durability. The rotors are surrounded by protective foam, but given that it has gyro stabilization, those guards shouldn’t be needed all that often. It also has a 720p camera, 2.4GHz transmission for good range, and 360º flips in its tricks locker. Get 55% off the Panther Spy drone with HD camera ($110 incl. shipping) Don't forget to use the code droneinsider10 for an extra 10% off.
There’s a reason why Richard Branson backed the 3DRobotics IRIS+ (3% off) — it is an incredible machine. Along with nice manual controls, this thing has a GPS to pilot itself along any flight paths you designate, and it can even intelligently track objects. With a GoPro mounting, that means the IRIS+ is ideal for capturing your sporting exploits hands free, and a flight range of 16-22 minutes is unusually long. Get 3% off the 3DRobotics IRIS+ ($750 incl. shipping) Don't forget to use the code droneinsider10 for an extra 10% off. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
This year is going to be dominated by personal drones. Why? Because they’re incredibly fun to fly, and becoming increasingly affordable. 
Creators Of The Newest Anonymous Gossip App Taking Over High Schools Admit They Don't Have A Plan To Combat Bullying | ||
| | ||
You might remember Yik Yak, the anonymous gossip app that spread like wildfire back in the Spring. The app, which allows users to post anything they want for anyone within 2 miles of their location to see, was crazy popular at high schools and colleges around the country. Now the app that's stirring up trouble is called "After School," a social network specifically created for high school students. After School, which launched in mid-November, has been making school administrators and parents nervous. Re/code reports that "one user in Michigan posted that he/she was bringing a gun to school, resulting in a police and FBI investigation," but that the threat eventually was cleared. Like Yik Yak, which first spread through high schools in the Northeast, After School is making its starting rounds in Detroit, where various school districts have taken action by alerting parents via email about the app. One Michigan high school began a petition to remove the app from Apple's App Store indefinitely. Re/code talked to After School’s creators — Cory Levy and Michael Callahan (of One, a San Francisco-based social media startup), and asked them some questions about their app and about how they plan on combatting the obvious strain of bullying that goes hand-in-hand with anonymous apps such as theirs. “Our job is to protect our users. … At this point we don’t have a 100 percent solution as to what that means,” Callahan told Re/code. “Our main goal is to remove the worst of the worst.” This was the case during the gun threat, which set off the app’s automatic alert system at 2 am Monday morning. Callahan and Levy say they called the local authorities and the school to report the post. The crux of the issue is After School’s unexpected popularity. Since launch, users from more than 14,000 different high schools across the country have already downloaded the app, says Levy. For comparison, there are roughly 24,500 public high schools in total in the United States. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Here’s The Perfect Gift For Any Apple Fan (AAPL) | ||
| | ||
You won't find the best gift for the Apple fan in your life at the Apple Store. But that's because Apple doesn't sell many books. "Iconic: A Photographic Tribute to Apple Innovation" by Jonathan Zufi is a coffee table book that explores the company's most remarkable and eye-pleasing products. The book even looks at Apple's packaging over the years. It's like having your own personal Apple museum. By chronicling Apple products from the company's founding to the present, the book tells a story of evolution and progress. The book has more than pictures, though. "Iconic" also includes essays from Apple insiders and influencers like cofounder Steve Wozniak and journalist Jim Dalrymple. Like most Apple products, "Iconic" comes in multiple editions and prices ranging from $54.30 (available on Amazon) to $250. For instance, the "Ultimate Edition" comes in a clamshell case with an embedded LED that pulses like a MacBook on sleep mode. Details like that one make "Iconic" much more than a book. It'll please any Apple fan who already has an iPhone, iPad, or MacBook, but would like to know where those devices came from. SEE ALSO: Here's Apple's Next Great Business Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
17 People Whose Incredible Work Ethic Paid Off | ||
| | ||
It's nice to be talented, but the old saying is true: "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard." Despite their obvious gifts, successful people like Kobe Bryant, Tim Cook, and Sheryl Sandberg wouldn't be where they were today without having insane work ethics. This is an update of a post originally written by Max Nisen. Apple CEO Tim Cook routinely begins emailing employees at 4:30 in the morning. Steve Jobs left incredibly big shoes for Cook to fill. However, the man got the top job for a reason. He's always been a workaholic, and Fortune reports that he begins sending emails at 4:30 a.m. A profile in Gawker reveals that he's the first in the office and last to leave. He used to hold staff meetings on Sunday night in order to prepare for Monday. Mary Barra rose to the top of General Motors after 33 years at the company. Barra started at the very bottom of General Motors at age 18, when she enrolled in an engineering college sponsored by the company. There, she spent half the year inspecting parts at a Pontiac plant, according to Fortune. She worked her way up the ladder with smart decision-making and a willingness to give the company everything she had. The Financial Times reports colleagues recall her being the first person in the office every morning and responding to emails after 11 p.m. In 2013, her dedication was rewarded when she was named GM's first ever female CEO. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban didn't take a vacation for seven years while starting his first business. At first glance, Cuban's amazing success looks like a stroke of luck. He sold his first company at the peak of its value and got into technology stocks at exactly the right time. Cuban writes on his blog that it took an incredible amount of work to benefit from his luck. When starting his first company, he routinely stayed up until 2 a.m. reading about new software, and went seven years without a vacation. See the rest of the story at Business Insider  | ||
| |
Jeff Bezos Slams Silly Google Perks Like Massages | ||
| | ||
Amazon president, chairman, and CEO Jeff Bezos explains why Amazon doesn't feel the need to keep up with the amenities of other silicon valley startups. Edited by Devan Joseph. Special thanks to Justin Gmoser and Sam Rega. Follow BI Video: On Facebook Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff Thinks Most VCs Don't Add Any Value To Startups (CRM) | ||
| | ||
But Salesforce.com wasn’t the hottest startup when its founder and CEO Marc Benioff first launched the company back in 1999. In fact, Benioff was turned down multiple times by some of the biggest venture capital firms in Silicon Valley. “No venture capitalist would give us money. We raised all the money privately. I was thrown out of Sequoia three times, US Venture Capital three times,” Benioff told Andreessen Horowitz’s cofounder Marc Andreessen in an interview that took place in October at Tech Summit 2014 (The audio file of their conversation was posted on Andreessen Horowitz’s website on Friday). So instead of VCs, Benioff turned to his long-time mentor and friend, Oracle founder Larry Ellison. Benioff was an Oracle executive at the time, but Ellison, his boss, allowed Benioff to pursue other side projects, like Salesforce.com, and even brainstormed together for new ideas. Benioff would work on Salesforce.com in the mornings and Oracle in the afternoons. One day, in June of 1999, three months after launching Salesforce.com, Benioff walked into Ellison’s office to give an update on his startup. After hearing its progress, Ellison told Benioff, “I really think you should just take six months off and focus on this full-time, because this is going better than anybody could have expected.” Ellison, in fact, liked Salesforce.com so much that he ended up investing $2 million in seed money and joining the board of directors, according to Benioff’s book, “Behind the Cloud.” Until then, Salesforce.com was self-financed by Benioff. By 2000, Salesforce.com was growing like a “runaway train,” Benioff says, and the rest is history. During his conversation with Andreessen, Benioff stressed this is why he usually tells other entrepreneurs to seek private money first instead of venture capital. “Why even go to venture capitalists? You should just raise money privately, unless someone like yourself (Andreessen) actually adds value because you’re an entrepreneur. But most of them aren’t going to give you any value anyway.” SEE ALSO: Y Combinator Partner Explains How To Ask For Millions Of Dollars From A Stranger In 30 Seconds Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Salesforce.com, now worth over $37 billion, is considered one of the most successful enterprise companies in the world. Here's What London Looks Like In The New 'Assassin's Creed' Game | ||
| | ||
The next title in Ubisoft's blockbuster "Assassin's Creed" series is coming out next year and it's going to be set in Victorian London, gaming news site Kotaku first reported. Kotaku managed to get a 7-minute preview of what the next game will look like. In the new game set in 19th century London, the player is an assassin tasked with killing members of the secretive Knight's Templar organisation. Here's what London will look like in the new game:
Kotaku says that the preview video showed the main character fighting enemies on the roof of one of London's stagecoaches. You can even see gas lanterns lining the street in the background:
After that fight, the assassin follows his target into Charing Cross station, one of Victorian London's busiest areas. He dons a top hat to fit in with the crowd:
The new game will also let you swing through Charing Cross station on a grappling hook before stabbing unsuspecting pedestrians, as seen here:
It's also reported that the in-game version of Victorian London features dirty back alleys, gambling in pubs, moving steam trains, and the River Thames. After Kotaku posted the leaked images, Ubisoft took the unusual step of confirming the leaked game, issuing this statement to media outlets: It is always unfortunate when internal assets, not intended for public consumption, are leaked. And, while we certainly welcome anticipation for all of our upcoming titles, we're disappointed for our fans, and our development team, that this conceptual asset is now public. The team in our Quebec studio has been hard at work on the particular game in question for the past few years, and we're excited to officially unveil what the studio has been working on at a later date. In the meantime, our number one priority is enhancing the experience of Assassin's Creed Unity for players. The "Assassin's Creed" series is known for presenting amazingly real looking settings of different cities. Previous games have taken place in 15th-century Florence, Venice, America during the Revolution, and Paris. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Your Phone Is More Powerful Than The Computer In The Spaceship NASA Launched This Week | ||
| | ||
The Orion spaceship, which NASA launched this week as a first step on a mission to take astronauts to Mars, has a less powerful computer than your smartphone. It's widely known that today's smartphones have more computing power than all of NASA did when it started sending astronauts to the moon. But that was almost 50 years ago! Why would a rocket today have such a basic computer in it? Because it's designed for reliability, not power, reports Computerworld. NASA engineer Matt Lemke explained that the rocket will be battered by gravity and radiation, so the computer has lots of modifications to help it withstand the barrage. There are also two backup computers on board. They're all Honeywell computers originally built for the Boeing 787, and include 12-year-old IBM processors. The Orion is unmanned in this launch, which is meant to test out key systems for reliability. But NASA is planning a bunch of future missions for it, including lassoing an asteroid and carrying astronauts to Mars. SEE ALSO: Awe-Inspiring Images From Friday's Orion Launch Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Facebook Is To Blame For A Huge Proportion Of 'Dark Traffic' Swamping The Web, But It's Working On A Fix (FB) | ||
| | ||
So-called "dark traffic" is a huge problem for publishers and website owners. It's useful to be able to look at your analytics, but when a huge proportion of referral traffic is listed as "direct" (and aside from a homepage, it's very unlikely users are typing full URLs into their browser to go directly to a page) it's difficult to know where to focus to boost your audience. Now new research from the analytics firm Chartbeat, as well as confirmation from major publishers, shows that Facebook's mobile apps are largely responsible for the swathes of dark traffic being directed toward websites. We already knew Facebook was the principal source of social referral traffic for most digital publishers. But Facebook has been underselling itself. Fortunately for publishers and website owners, it appears that Facebook is working on a fix. The term "dark social" was coined by Alexis C. Madrigal, a senior editor at The Atlantic, who found that more than half of the website’s referral traffic was seemingly untraceable. Dark traffic refers mostly to when links have been shared via an online chat, email, or app rather than through a browser or a specific social app through which referrals can be easily tracked. Chartbeat has found in some cases dark social account for 65% of a website's traffic, averaging at about a third across its network. Most analytics platforms (Google Analytics, Adobe Omniture, Chartbeat) have a huge section in their reports called "direct," which counts all those apps that users use to click on links "direct to a site." Facebook is one of them — alongside sources like Reddit, Gmail, and IM apps. Twitter, on the other hand, has a special "t.co" URL shortener, which means Twitter referrals are always easily trackable. The problem with Facebook not using a shortener like this is that a huge proportion of its users access the site via only the mobile app. We know 703 million people visit the site via their mobiles daily, and presumably the majority of those do so via the app. That's a massive wave of referral traffic going unidentified. Chartbeat, which this week began tracking Facebook users more effectively using a different method (more on that later), has published a blog post that clearly marks out the Facebook/dark social impact. Last month the analytics company began to look at time series data for specific articles to identify patterns in traffic and correlate that with the "dark social" number. Take a look at the chart below. The dark traffic spikes at the same time the article began going big on Reddit, and then again when it started picking up pace on Facebook.
Madrigal wrote in a new blog post published this week that he too conducted a test earlier this year. He set up an Atlantic post "deep in the sand of time" so only people who were part of the test would find it. He then posted a link to the story on his Facebook page and told his friends to click to it only if they were using the mobile app. He then looked at the referrers (of which he knew 100% were coming from Facebook). A smattering of people showed up on his Adobe Omniture analytics report as coming from Facebook.com, but the rest showed up as "type/bookmarked." For the most part, those who had been clicking on their mobiles had gone untraced:
Figuring that those numbers would be tightly correlated with the overall number of Facebook mobile visitors, Madrigal compared Facebook mobile referrals with dark social. The correlation was pretty clear.
As a result of its tests, Chartbeat has started looking more closely at the "user agent," a tag of code users leave when they visit a website that identifies the type of browser they use and their operating system. It also usually reveals some information about where they originated from. Most analytics systems don't dig deeply into this type of information. Some publishers have developed methods to dig further into their own website analytics to uncover the "user agent," which reveals Facebook as the source of the direct referral traffic. Both The Guardian and BuzzFeed said on Twitter on Thursday night they had been digging further into user agent data for a while. But that takes both time and expertise to set up that most publishers don’t have. Trinity Mirror (owner of the UK newspapers The Daily Mirror and The People) digital director Malcolm Coles (who is soon to take up the same role at the Telegraph Media Group, owner of The Daily Telegraph) told Business Insider that analytics companies had told him Facebook was "finally" fixing the problem. A separate tweet from the digital analytics company Parse.ly has also suggested Facebook has a fix in the latest updates to its mobile apps. Business Insider contacted Facebook for further details, but the company said it had nothing to share. Tanya Cordrey, chief digital officer at Guardian News and Media, told Business Insider the Guardian noticed its "dark traffic" audience had dropped around 20% on November 12, and on the same day there was a similar rise in Facebook referral traffic. That was also the same day Facebook released an iOS app update, so it appears the company is already working on the referral issue. As a result of those changes The Guardian's average dark traffic percentage has fallen from between 10-15% to around 7-10%, Cordrey adds. "The main effect has been that people have underestimated the impact Facebook has on their traffic and that people have maybe been overestimating the impact of Twitter," Coles said. But he adds that until every app owner — Reddit, Whatsapp email browsers, and so on — does the same thing by creating bespoke automatic URL shorteners, the problem of "dark social" will not go away any time soon.
| ||
| |
RANKED: The Best Smartphones In The World (VZ, T, DT, S) | ||
| | ||
If you're waiting until the last minute to buy a smartphone for the holidays, we have you covered. Here's our monthly list of the best smartphones you can buy. We update this list approximately once a month. Our rankings are based on a variety of factors including design, software and hardware features, content selection, carrier availability, and price. We only consider phones that are available in the U.S. at the time of publication. We list approximate prices for what phones cost without a contract. Prices vary from carrier to carrier and retailer to retailer. You can see November's smartphone rankings here. #17 BlackBerry Passport BlackBerry's newest smartphone is the square-shaped BlackBerry Passport. It's fat and wide compared to all other smartphones, a design BlackBerry hopes will help it stand out. It also has a physical keyboard, a rare thing these days. Unfortunately, early reviews for the Passport were pretty negative. Price: $600 unlocked from BlackBerry #16 Amazon Fire phone Amazon's first smartphone, the Fire phone, generated a lot of hype before it launched in July. But just about every critic bashed it. It's an interesting device thanks to its screen's 3D effects, but it doesn't have the same vibrant app ecosystem as the iPhone or Android phones. Click here for the Amazon Fire phone review >> Price: Starts at $450, only on AT&T. #15 Nokia Lumia 830 The Nokia Lumia 830 is one of the newest phones from Microsoft. It runs the Windows Phone 8 operating system and has a sharp 5-inch screen. An added bonus: AT&T will give you a free FitBit Flex fitness tracker with the Lumia 830. Price: About $450 on AT&T See the rest of the story at Business Insider  | ||
| |
The Best Programming Languages Every Beginner Should Learn | ||
| | ||
Computer science is a booming industry in the US — and it pays extremely well. There's always demand for sharp, talented engineers, which is why learning how to code can seem like an attractive option. But, as is the case with any new skill, it can be difficult to know where to start. Here are a few steps you should take early on and programming languages that are best-suited for beginners. Before you learn a language, start with 'drag and drop' programming."Drag and drop" programming is a basic technique that allows you to build code by dragging and dropping blocks or some other visual cue rather than manually writing text-based code. It makes it easy to understand the basics of programming without getting caught up in meticulous character placement, according to Hadi Partovi, co-founder of a website that offers online coding courses called Code.org. "Once you've learned the basic concepts using drag and drop, you'll immediately want to learn [how to] do the real thing," Partovi said to Business Insider. There are plenty of programs out there that can help you get started with drag and drop programming, including MIT Scratch and Code.org's Code Studio, and Google Blocky. Python is one of the easiest languages to start with.Python is an easy language for beginners, according to Partovi, because there's less of an emphasis on syntax. So, if you forget your parentheses or misplace a few semicolons, it shouldn't trip you up as much as it might if you were coding in a different language. But Javascript is one of the most useful languages to know as a developer.Javascript isn't as easy as Python, but it runs on every single platform out there — Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android among others. Every single Web browser, and even new types of devices like smartwatches use Javascript at some capacity, Partovi said. "Once you reach that level of critical mass, it's not going away," Partovi said. Once you have the hang of Javascript, try playing with Ruby and Ruby on Rails.Ruby on Rails is a great tool that can help you with the backend aspect of your programming. Although Ruby and Ruby on Rails have similar names, there's actually an important difference. Ruby is a scripting language, just like Python, but Ruby on Rails is a Web app framework built on Ruby. In other words, Ruby is the language, while Ruby on Rails is a tool that makes it easy to use the Ruby language to build websites. What makes Ruby and Ruby on Rails so attractive, according to Partovi, is that there's very little prototyping involved. This means that once you have the code written, it's pretty easy to get the final product up and running. BONUS: Get familiar with HTML...you're going to need it if you want to build a website.While HTML isn't a programming language in the sense that Python, Ruby, and Javascript are, you still need it to build a website. HTML is used to describe how your website looks, while other languages like Javascript power the interactive components, such as what happens when you clock a button on the site. SEE ALSO: RANKED: The Highest Paying Programming Languages Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
A New Car Hire Service In London Lets You Rent A BMW And Leave It Anywhere | ||
| | ||
A new car hire scheme called DriveNow launched in London on Thursday. It's basically the motorised equivalent of the city's famed Boris Bikes. Boris Bikes is the name given to London's fleet of pay-per-hire cycles, which can be picked up and returned to different docking stations around the capital and paid for with a debit or credit card. DriveNow is a car hire service by BMW and Sixt. It's different to most others, which require reservations and set time frames. Instead, it works on a pay-as-you-go basis. Users have to pay a registration fee of £29, and then look for free cars nearby via the DriveNow smartphone app. The company operates a 39 pence-per-minute policy, with a £20 cap. It's 32-pence-per minute for members who regularly use it. It gets a lot more expensive when using its packages, which start at £35 for three hours and end at £120 for 24 hours. Importantly, the cars are available for one-way trips — after use they can be parked anywhere within a certain area of the city. That's different to other car hire services like Zipcar, where cars have to be returned to a designated lot.
DriveNow is currently available in three London boroughs, Islington, Hackney, and Haringey, but is in talks to expand to other areas of London. In the future, the company sees other core UK cities, such as Birmingham and Manchester, as places to move in to. Joseph Seal-Driver, head of operations in the UK, says DriveNow is changing the way people get around. He tells Business Insider: "We're encouraging spontaneity. We're different to other services. I think what sets us apart is that we don't have pre-booking and are completely flexible — it suits urban areas." The company, which uses the BMW 1 Series and the MINI Countryman exclusively, was first launched in Germany three years ago. The company currently operates in eight European cities and DriveNow hopes to achieve similar success in London, its eighth market. "If I want to drive to a restaurant, a quick journey to a restaurant with my girlfriend would cost less than a taxi (a standard charge would be £7.80 for 20 minutes)" Seal-Driver says. "And then I could just park it and leave it there — so I can have a few drinks." Ben Plowden from Transport for London, said in a statement provided by DriveNow: "The mayor and TfL has long supported the growth of car sharingschemes across London, as they can help encourage more alternative travel choices." Here are some of the cars in action:Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Google's New Ad Strategy Could Delay A Bunch Of Tech IPOs (GOOG) | ||
| | ||
Joe Apprendi, CEO of adtech startup Collective, is really enthusiastic about Google's new interest in transparency in the online advertising business. He thinks that the buying and selling of ads online is going to go through a "complete reassessment" in the next couple of years as clients figure out just how much of their money is wasted or taken in online fraud. And that, he told Business Insider during a break from a visit to Collective's London office, could make a bunch of companies think twice about whether they want to file IPOs or not. Some of those companies are looking at the experience of Rocket Fuel, an ad network that went public in September 2013 and months later was the subject of class action lawsuits, alleging the company's stock fell after it failed to disclose that a significant portion of its ads were being clicked on by fraudulent botnets. Earlier this week, Google disclosed that 56% of the ads appearing on its platforms aren't actually seen by anyone. While that seems bad for Google — why would you want to run ads that don't get seen? — Google is probably betting that by alerting its client base to the fact that it cares about non-functioning ads it will gain those clients' trust in the future. Those "unviewable" ads are ads that are served on a page but not seen by the user, perhaps because they were low on the page and the reader didn't scroll down that far. Currently advertisers are paying for those ads even though no one sees them. "Non-viewable ads will be worthless by this time next year," Apprendi says. "They're already technically worthless." Apprendi is betting that his company — which offers clients complete transparency about how their money is spent, the cost of the inventory bought and the results they get — is well placed to gain clients that want to know whether consumers can actually see the ads they're buying. Or whether bots are clicking on them. But the industry's switch from its current Wild West condition — Group M once offered clients pricing on a controversial "non-disclosed" basis — to one of full disclosure will be wrenching. Dirty laundry will be aired. Rocket Fuel will not likely be the last adtech company facing allegations from shareholders that it served lousy inventory. (And to be fair to Rocket Fuel, everyone is in the same boat here.)
Collective has previously been regarded as an IPO candidate. It has 400 employees and gross revenue of about $200 million. But Apprendi sounded unenthusiastic about the prospect this week. "Being well-capitalised and private is better than 'open kimono' right now." Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
That will have a knock-on effect in terms of the larger adtech companies considering going public. ( Steve Jobs Gives Posthumous Testimony In Apple Trial | ||
| | ||
New York (AFP) - Three years after the tech world mourned his passing, Apple mastermind Steve Jobs was back from the dead giving posthumous testimony in a video at a US antitrust trial. Jurors in an Oakland court have been submerged since the beginning of the week in a debate over whether consumers who bought Apple's iPod between 2006 and 2009 were effectively forced to purchase their music from the California titan's online iTunes store. Jobs' testimony from a few months before his death in October 2011 was played at the hearing Friday. In excerpts published by online news site "The Verge," he said that Apple was "very concerned" about retaliatory measures that could be taken by record companies if songs purchased in iTunes and downloaded to an iPod were then copied onto somebody else's computer. "We went to great pains to make sure that people couldn't hack into our digital rights management system because if they could, we would get nasty emails from the labels threatening us that they were going to yank the license," Jobs said. He argued that "lots of hackers" were trying to break into the system, and as a result, Apple had to be constantly "revving the iTunes and iPod software, closing any holes that might be in it, or any problems it might have." If these changes meant that competitors became locked out, then they were only "collateral damage," he said. Plaintiffs in the class-action suit argued that the repeat changes prevented other online music stores -- and potentially less expensive ones at that -- from adapting their own systems fast enough for their music to be used on the iPod. This, they said, meant iPod owners had to make purchases on iTunes. The plaintiffs are claiming $350 million in damages. US law allows the judge to triple that sum. The trial continues next week. Jobs died at the age of 56 after battling cancer for several years. His death came less than two months after ceding company leadership to Apple's current CEO Tim Cook.
Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Pakistan's Hafeez suspended over bowling action: ICC | ||
| | ||
Dubai (AFP) - All-rounder Mohammad Hafeez was suspended for an illegal bowling action the International Cricket Council said Sunday, becoming the second Pakistan player after Saeed Ajmal to face sanction in the past three months. Hafeez, 34, had his action reported during the first Test against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi last month. "The ICC confirmed that an independent analysis has found the bowling action of Pakistan's Hafeez to be illegal and, as such, the off-spinner has been suspended from bowling in international cricket with immediate effect," the ICC said. The analysis revealed that all his deliveries exceeded the 15 degrees level of tolerance permitted under the regulations, the ICC added. Hafeez can apply for a reassessment after he has modified his bowling action in accordance with the rules, the ICC said. The analysis was performed on 24 November by the ICC's accredited team of human movement specialists using the National Cricket Performance Centre in Loughborough, England. The suspension is a further blow for Pakistan before the next year's World Cup as they are already reeling from leading off-spinner Ajmal's suspension in September. Hafeez, who also opens the batting, gives balance to the one-day international side having taken 122 wickets in 149 matches. He will now miss Pakistan's five one-day internationals against New Zealand, the first of which is in Dubai on Monday. Hafeez will have to undergo remedial work and becomes the sixth bowler suspended under a crackdown by the ICC launched in June this year. Besides Ajmal, Sri Lanka's Sachitra Senanayake, New Zealand's Kane Williamson, Zimbabwe's Prosper Utseya and Bangladesh's Sohag Gazi have also been suspended. Only Bangladesh's pace bowler Al-Amin Hossain was reported by umpires and then cleared on bio-mechanical analysis. Zimbabwe's Malcolm Waller and the United Arab Emirates' Salman Farooq and Mohammad Shahzad are others who have been recently reported for suspect actions. Under the ICC rules, bowlers are permitted to straighten their bowling arm by no more than 15 degrees during delivery. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Why Europeans Don't Refrigerate Eggs But Americans Do | ||
| | ||
British supermarkets don't refrigerate eggs. It's not unusual to find stacks of egg cartons sitting alongside canned beans, boxes of dry cake mix, or other traditionally nonperishable foods. This is unlike the US, where eggs are found in the refrigerated dairy aisle with the butter, cheeses, and milk. The difference is linked to the way that eggs are farmed and processed in the US compared with in the UK and other European nations. In the US, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) requires that eggs destined for supermarket shelves — called graded eggs — are washed and sprayed with a chemical sanitiser before they are sold to the public to reduce the risk of salmonella infection. In the UK, Grade A hen eggs may not be washed because the process is thought to "aid the transfer of harmful bacteria like salmonella from the outside to the inside of the egg," according to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland. Forbes contributor Nadia Arumugam has previously noted that USDA graded eggs could not be legally sold in the UK (and the other way around) because of these different preparation methods. The Salmonella RiskSalmonella can infect eggs in one of two ways. The bacteria can be passed on from an infected hen to the inside of the egg as it's developing, or it can get onto the outside of the shell after the egg is laid by coming into contact with the hen's feces. In the US, large-scale laying houses are preferred over the free-range systems commonly used in the UK. The factory farm environment means more eggs can be produced on a smaller amount of land, but it also makes eggs more susceptible to contamination, even with good sanitary practises. As a result, eggs are moved directly from the hen house to a conveyor belt that takes them through a washer. The eggs are then sprayed. It's critical that the eggs are washed properly — otherwise the washing can actually the increase the chances of bacteria seeping into the shell from feces on the outside of it. "Wetting a dirty shell provides moisture in which bacteria may breed and assists their growth and penetration through the shell," the USDA's Egg Grading manual explains. To get around the chance of that happening, the washing solution has to be hot enough — a minimum of 32.2 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit) — to prevent the egg's contents from contracting slightly as the egg cools and drawing dirty water in through the shell, according to the USDA. Europe takes a different approach to prevent salmonella contamination. "The priority in egg production is to produce clean eggs at the point of collection, rather than trying to clean them afterwards," according to food safety officials in Ireland. "There is also a suggestion that not allowing cleaning eggs in the EU might help maintain good farm husbandry and practises," Mark Fielder, a professor at London’s Kingston University and medical microbiology expert, told Business Insider. Additionally, scientists have found that the washing process may damage an outside layer of the egg shell known as the cuticle. Without that chemical barrier, it becomes easier for bacteria to penetrate the inside of a clean egg. Cooler temperatures might prevent the eggs from deteriorating as quickly as well as the growth of bacteria. Fielder believes that refrigeration is related to "whether local advice recommends this practice or not." Once eggs are washed, the USDA stipulates that clean eggs be immediately moved to cooler rooms that maintain a temperature of 7.2 degrees C (45 degrees F) or lower. Dirty eggs may be stored in temperatures of up to -17.8 degrees C (60 degrees F). The Right Refrigeration MethodsAfter an egg is refrigerated, it must be kept at that temperature. "A cold egg left out at room temperature can sweat, facilitating the growth of bacteria that could contaminate the egg," according to the United Egg Producers association. "Refrigerated eggs should not be left out more than two hours." That's why the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention recommends that US consumers keep eggs refrigerated at temperatures of 40 degrees F — to prevent illness from bacteria. "In the EU it is generally suggested that eggs are stored at an ambient temperature of around 17 to 23 degrees C (62 to 73 degrees F)," Fielder says. But there's another reason the UK is not as concerned about washing eggs as the US: Salmonella is not as big of a health concern in Britain. Egg farmers began vaccinating their hens in 1997, after thousands of people were sickened by the bacteria. Although vaccination has been linked to a rapid decline of salmonella cases in the UK, US regulators have still not mandated immunisations, although many of today's eggs producers do vaccinate their hens. In 2010, the FDA said it would not legally require the vaccination of hens because "there was not enough evidence to conclude that vaccinating hens against salmonella would prevent people from getting sick," The New York Times reported. Farmers also complained that it would be expensive. Instead, the FDA controls the threat of salmonella through regular testing, refrigeration standards, and strict sanitary codes in hen houses and processing areas, The Times said. Salmonella is the most common cause of food poisoning in the US, according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The organisation estimates that more than 140,000 people get sick each year from eating eggs contaminated with the bacteria, which triggers non-life-threatening (though unpleasant) symptoms like diarrhoea, cramps, and vomiting.
| ||
| |
Hugh Hefner Issues Statement Distancing Himself From Friend Bill Cosby | ||
| | ||
Earlier this week, another woman came forward claiming Bill Cosby sexually assaulted her at the Playboy Mansion in 1974 when she was just 15-years-old. The woman, Judy Huth, filed a lawsuit and a police report accusing Cosby of getting her and a friend drunk before inviting them to the Playboy Mansion, telling them to lie about their age if it came up and then "performing a sex act on himself without her consent." Cosby has been a frequest visitor of the Playboy Mansion and longtime friend of Hugh Hefner's, but now the 88-year-old Playboy founder has issued a statement distancing himself from the comedian: "Bill Cosby has been a good friend for many years and the mere thought of these allegations is truly saddening. I would never tolerate this kind of behavior, regardless of who was involved." Meanwhile, Cosby denies Huth's allegations, accusing her of lying in a bid to extort him. The comedian's lawyer says Huth reached out to Cosby and "demanded money in exchange for silence after first purportedly trying to sell her story to tabloids a decade ago," according to GossipCop. The Associated Press notes that the woman "claims ... she discovered its impact on her within the past three years, which allows her to file the lawsuit under California law." "Huth claims she was emotionally and psychologically damaged from the incident," TMZ reported. "As for why she filed so late, Huth claims she was so mentally scarred, that she only recently connected her psychological issues with the alleged incident." SEE ALSO: The Backstory Behind The Shocking Bill Cosby Rape Allegations Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Tributes planned for Hughes at Australia-India Test | ||
| | ||
Adelaide (Australia) (AFP) - Cricket Australia said Sunday they will stage a number of tributes to the late Phillip Hughes at this week's first Test against India at the Adelaide Oval. The Australian players will wear Hughes' Test cap number 408 on their playing shirts for the match, while players and team management will also wear black armbands in honour of their former team-mate. Prior to the start of play on Tuesday, the Australian and Indian teams will stand before a large 408 painted on the Adelaide Oval's playing surface as they observe a video tribute to Hughes, narrated by former Australia Test captain and prominent cricket commentator Richie Benaud. Following the tribute, which will be displayed on screens at the Adelaide Oval, the team and spectators will be asked to stand for 63 seconds of applause in recognition of Hughes's final unbeaten score. Hughes, 25, died on November 27 from bleeding on the brain, two days after being knocked unconscious by a bouncer while batting for South Australia in Sydney, plunging the cricketing world into mourning. "It's been an incredibly sad time since Phillip's passing," Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland said. "With the international season re-commencing on Tuesday, it is appropriate to pause once more and honour a modest hero who thrilled the nation and in so doing won an enduring place in our hearts. "We hope that the cricket community can come together to join the Australian and Indian teams in the pre-match tribute. "This is an opportunity for those that embraced him so fondly to say goodbye." Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
'Buckwheat panic' grips Russians as economic sanctions bite | ||
| | ||
Moscow (AFP) - With its warm, fluffy brown grains, buckwheat is the ultimate comfort food for Russians and as sanctions hit home, it is flying off the shelves in a shopping frenzy dubbed the "buckwheat panic". Hard-hit by falling oil prices and Western economic sanctions imposed over the Kremlin's role in the Ukrainian crisis, Russia is seeing a catastrophic depreciation of the ruble and steep inflation. But while Russians grumble about the rising price of chicken, cheese or sausage, it was only when rumours spread of buckwheat supplies running low that shoppers dashed out to fill their trolleys. Buckwheat "is not just a food, it is a national idea," Russia's leading business daily, Vedomosti, wrote recently in an editorial. While in the West buckwheat is seen more as a trendy food for the health conscious, in Russia it is a traditional staple, predating potatoes. The cereal, which originates from India and Nepal, was first introduced to the Russians in the 13th century by the Mongol invaders. It was cultivated by Byzantine monks, leading to its name in Russian of "grechka," which sounds like Greek. Buckwheat can be eaten at any meal in Russia, whether simmered with milk as a porridge for breakfast, served with chopped liver for lunch, or even stuffed inside a roast piglet at a special dinner. It is ubiquitous in the cafeterias of Russian schools and kindergartens, hospitals, military barracks and prisons. This autumn as Russians began to feel the effects of sanctions and the retaliatory embargo on most Western foods ordered by President Vladimir Putin, news spread of a low harvest in Russia's buckwheat heartland -- the Altai region in Siberia. Due to a drought, Russia's buckwheat harvest fell this year to just under 600,000 tonnes, against the usual 700,000 tons. - Buying just in case - That was hardly a disaster, but media reports were enough to spark panic demand among consumers with people storming shops across several regions. "In Moscow, people see a television news report about a buckwheat crisis in Penza", a city 600 kilometres (350 miles) away, and "in just four days they buy up buckwheat stocks that would normally be enough for two months," the Moskovsky Komsomolets daily wrote. One supermarket chain in the northwestern city of Saint Petersburg even introduced a five-pack limit for buckwheat purchases. Even though buckwheat is homegrown and so little affected by sanctions or the falling ruble, the price of a packet of buckwheat rose from around 30 rubles to 50 rubles ($0.93) in Moscow and doubled in some regions. "People store up on buckwheat -- which can be kept for a long time -- because they do not know what to expect from the (Western) sanctions," said Galina, a trader at a Saint Petersburg food market. There have been "buckwheat crises" in the past, most recently sparked by a 2010 drought, said Alexei Makarkin, a political analyst with the Centre for Political Technologies. But what is different now is that "there is no question of a real shortage of buckwheat," said Dmitry Rylko of the Institute for Agricultural Market Studies. While initially there was no problem with supplies, "excessive demand sparked" the buckwheat crisis, said Alexey Alexeyenko, a senior official at Russia's food safety agency, Rosselkhoznadzor. Russian media called the phenomenon "hysteria" or even "buckwheat psychosis." A survey conducted in late November by the Levada Center pollster found that almost a third of Russians had stocked up on buckwheat in recent weeks. Buckwheat stockpiling is more a symbol of troubled times, Rylko said, calling it "a sacred food for Russians that disappears at the onset of any signs of crisis." The Kremlin's retaliatory embargo banning Western food imports has hit Russian consumers hard. Prices have gone up 30 to 40 percent for basic foods such as eggs, pork, chicken, frozen fish and sausage since the counter sanctions were imposed. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
China 2015 GDP target in focus as stimulus expectations heat up | ||
| | ||
Beijing (AFP) - China is poised to cut its growth target for the first time in three years and ramp up stimulus as the economy comes under increasing downward pressure, analysts say ahead of a key policymakers' conference expected this week. President Xi Jinping and other top leaders are trying to put China's increasingly affluent consumers at the centre of the world's second-largest economy, rather than investment and exports, and are ready to tolerate slower expansion in GDP to achieve more sustainable growth. But how much lower is the question, with China's economy assailed on multiple fronts including a deflating property bubble, high debt levels, and the threat of deflation hovering in the background. Economists will be looking for clues in next year's gross domestic product (GDP) growth target, which is likely to be decided at the annual Central Economic Work Conference. The gathering -- which is not announced in advance -- is expected this week, although its conclusions will probably not be formally unveiled until March. Separately, main monthly economic statistics are due this week, with analysts expecting weakening industrial production growth and chronically low inflation. The closely watched economic conference brings together key officials to decide policy for the coming year, with topics expected to include monetary policy, the consumer price index (CPI) target, and further economic reforms. "We expect the government to lower its 2015 economic targets for GDP growth to 7.0 percent from 7.5 percent in 2014 and CPI inflation to 3.0 percent from 3.5 percent," Nomura economists wrote. "We believe the government will need to ease policy further -- even to meet a lower GDP growth target -- due mainly to strong headwinds from the property market correction, severe overcapacity in upstream industries and high local government debt." China last lowered the target in 2012 to 7.5 percent from 8.0 percent and a drop to 7.0 percent would be the lowest since 2004. Slowing growth this year prompted the central bank to carry out a surprise interest rate cut last month, reducing benchmark borrowing costs for the first time in more than two years. The move wrong-footed many economists, who had expected policymakers to continue with a series of fine-tuning measures introduced from April onwards on concerns that the economy needed a boost. The cut showed that top leaders "are certainly worried to a certain point" about the economy, Bank of America Merrill Lynch economist Lu Ting told AFP. They are likely to take a similar step during the first half of next year, he added, while also reducing the amount of cash banks must keep on their books -- the reserve requirement ratio -- to free up money for lending.
- Shares soar -
The Chinese Communist Party's powerful Politburo gathered Friday ahead of the economic conference, with the official Xinhua news agency citing a statement that in 2015, the government will "keep the economy operating within a reasonable range". It gave no details on precise measures that might be taken. ANZ economist Liu Li-Gang said that authorities need to push broader reforms beyond tweaks to monetary policy. "China should allow rapid development of its capital markets in the future to replace banks as the pillar of the financial system," he said. "Or else it's very likely that a credit contraction-led economic slowdown will emerge." But the slowing growth outlook has not dented enthusiasm for Chinese shares, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite index leaping 38.8 percent so far this year. Much of the improvement has come in the wake of the interest rate cut and amid expectations for more stimulus. Growth in industrial production, which slowed in October, is likely to have taken another hit in November, economists say, as China ordered factories in and around Beijing to close to ensure blue skies for the APEC summit. The figure is due on Friday, two days after the monthly inflation statistics. Consumer and producer price inflation have both been weak in China, and the latter has been negative for more than two years. Capital Economics economists Julian Evans-Pritchard and Mark Williams see CPI falling to a near-five-year low of 1.5 percent in November, down from 1.6 percent in October, with further falls ahead. Still, they described worries about the threat of deflation as "overdone". "With the prices of industrial inputs falling, but factory gate prices of finished consumer goods flat, many firms are actually better off," they wrote. "Meanwhile, since much of the downward pressure on inflation is the result of global price falls, consumption in real terms should receive a boost." Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Rate cut calls grow as Australian economy falters | ||
| | ||
Sydney (AFP) - Pressure is building on Australia's central bank to cut interest rates from their record lows as growth in the resources-driven economy, already faltering on the back of China's slowdown, takes a further hit, analysts say. The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has repeatedly said it will continue to maintain a "period of stability in interest rates", but softening GDP growth figures last week sparked a flurry of economists forecasting further monetary policy easing. That would take the cash rate below 2.5 percent, where it has been for 16 months. "The GDP read... is creating a very dark shadow over the state of the Australian economy with income growth now in recession," IG markets strategist Evan Lucas said. The data showed the economy expanded by just 0.3 percent in the third-quarter, far below consensus estimates of 0.7 percent, to take the annual growth rate to a below-trend 2.7 percent. "The pressure on growth in 2015 is ratcheting up as key commodities remain in bear markets and if housing cools, this will only accelerate," added Lucas. The slowdown in China, Australia's largest trading partner, is already weighing on the resources sector and hurting the wider economy. Continuing fears about the health of the world's second-largest economy, which helped fuel Australia's unprecedented mining investment boom, has been reflected in the local dollar's high sensitivity to fluctuating Chinese data. Just last week, the exchange rate slumped to a fresh four-year low after weak manufacturing figures raised concerns about China's growth outlook.
- Tumbling commodity prices -
The new forecasts are in part driven by a plunge in commodity prices and the lack of a similar decline in the exchange rate to soften the blow. Lower prices, particularly for Australia's biggest export iron ore, were also eroding the national income, Treasurer Joe Hockey said. The mining investment boom has helped Australia avoid recession for more than two decades, but the rebalancing towards non-resources led growth has been uneven. While record low interest rates have fuelled a surging housing market, consumer confidence has floundered amid tepid wages growth and following a tough federal budget in May in which the government pledged to cut back on welfare and spending. There has also been a slower-than-expected pick-up in business investment outside the mining sector, while the unemployment rate has been rising, hitting an almost 12-year high of 6.2 percent in October. These factors have seen Australians continue to save at near record levels and balk at taking on more debt. "The baton change in the economy has been delayed and we are now facing the environment where mining is a lot weaker than expected because of commodity price falls globally," Macquarie Bank's head of Australian economic research James McIntyre told AFP. "And we haven't been positioned adequately on the non-mining side to pick it up."
- Bearish outlook -
The RBA's willingness to consider measures to curb investor lending for housing, which would allow the central bank to drop the cash rate without fearing that residential property would become overheated, has also opened the door to easing. Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs and Westpac Bank all last week forecast 50 basis points of cuts next year to take the cash rate down to 2.0 percent. They were joined by AMP Capital, which predicts a 25 basis points easing in February or March and a 50 percent chance of another cut in 2015. If one or more cuts do occur next year, the RBA is hopeful they play a key role in encouraging activity in non-mining industries. A lower cash rate could also help make the Australian dollar less attractive to investors and thus weaken the exchange rate, especially if commodity prices continue to tank, McIntyre said. "In terms of rate cut impacts on the economy... what you haven't seen is the currency fall, which then shifts demand back onshore and gives the non-mining sector a catalyst to begin investing," he said. "I think that's the one that the RBA is going to have to -- reluctantly -- focus monetary policy on next year." Not all analysts believe lower rates are needed, with some gaining cheer from stronger-than-expected October retail sales data released Thursday. HSBC's chief economist for Australia Paul Bloxham, who continues to forecast an extended period of unchanged rates, warned commentators needed to be careful not to overstate the impact of falling commodity prices. "Unlike the previous sharp, negative terms of trade shock where commodity prices fell, this time around, the key offset is that there's still a strong ramp-up in export volumes on the horizon," Bloxham told AFP. "The biggest part of this is the (liquefied natural gas) sector, where we expect to see a 330 percent rise in exports over the next three to four years." Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
One of 43 missing Mexican students identified among remains | ||
| | ||
Mexico City (AFP) - At least one of 43 missing Mexican students has been identified among charred remains found in a landfill, raising new fears they were all slaughtered in a case roiling the government. Authorities sent badly burned remains to an Austrian medical university last month after a police-backed gang confessed to killing the students and incinerating their bodies in the southern state of Guerrero in September. "One of the pieces (of bones) belongs to one of the students," a Mexican federal official told AFP on Saturday on condition of anonymity, without providing further details. If all 43 are confirmed dead, it would rank among the worst mass murders in a drug war that has killed more than 80,000 people and left 22,000 others missing since 2006 in Mexico. The case has drawn international condemnation, highlighted Mexico's struggle with corruption and undermined President Enrique Pena Nieto's assurances that his security policy was bearing fruit. The body's identification was confirmed by a spokesman for the families at a new protest Saturday over the case in Mexico City, where thousands waved black flags and called for Pena Nieto's resignation. Family spokesman Felipe de la Cruz said that despite the information, relatives would continue searching for the 42 others. The parents have rejected claims the students were killed, demanding that the government find them alive and leading their own searches around Guerrero. "If they think that we will start to cry over the fact that one of our boys matches with DNA, they are wrong," de la Cruz told the crowd. "We will find the other 42." The victim was identified as Alexander Mora, one of the students from the Ayotzinapa teachers college in Guerrero. His relatives received the news from independent Argentine forensic experts hired by the families who had suggested sending the remains to Austria. - Few identifiable remains - Authorities say the aspiring teachers vanished after gang-linked police attacked their buses in the city of Iguala on September 26, allegedly under orders from the mayor and his wife in a night of terror that left six other people dead. The police then delivered the 43 young men to members of the Guerreros Unidos drug gang, who told investigators they took them in two trucks to a landfill, killed them, burned their bodies and dumped them in a river. Despite the confessions, prosecutors stopped short of declaring the students dead, saying they would wait for DNA test results from Austria's Innsbruck University. Prosecutors have warned that few remains had a chance of being identified. Mario Patron, an attorney representing the families, said that while Mora's remains were found on the bank of a river near the landfill, it does not necessarily mean all the others were killed there too. "The authorities must explain the whereabouts of the others," Patron told AFP. The attorney general's office scheduled a news conference for Sunday to discuss the investigation. - Pena Nieto vows reforms - The case has turned into the biggest challenge of Pena Nieto's two-year presidency. His approval rating has plunged to around 40 percent, the worst for a president in almost two decades. Pena Nieto returned to Guerrero last week for the first time since the students went missing more than two months ago. The case has put security back at the center of Mexico's agenda, shattering Pena Nieto's attempt to move the narrative away from the drug war to his internationally acclaimed energy and economic reforms. The Mexican leader will host the Ibero-American summit in the eastern city of Veracruz on Monday and Tuesday. Late last month, Pena Nieto unveiled a plan to enact constitutional reforms aimed at disbanding the country's notoriously corrupt municipal forces, replacing them with state agencies. But security experts have voiced skepticism, saying the plan should tackle corruption at the state and federal levels too. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Seth Rogen Crashes James Franco's 'SNL' Monologue To Address Sony Hack | ||
| | ||
James Franco hosted "Saturday Night Live" this weekend and opened the show by addressing last week's massive Sony hacks. "Something pretty crazy happened this week. I have this movie called 'The Interview' coming out at Sony and this week Sony Studios got all their computers hacked. This is true. These hackers have leaked real personal information about everybody that works at Sony. Social security numbers, emails, and I know eventually they're going to start leaking out stuff about me. So before you hear it from someone else, I thought it would be better if you hear it from me." Franco joked: "Soon you'll know that my email is CuterThanDaveFranco@AOL.com. My password is LittleJamesyCutiePie — and this is all just a real violation of my personal life." Then Seth Rogen joined Franco on stage, to warn his "Interview" co-star: "It's much, much worse than we thought it would be. You're not going to believe this but an hour ago they released some of our private photos from our phones."
Earlier this week, leaked Sony documents revealed Rogen was paid $8.4 million and Franco $6.5 million for their roles in "The Interview," a Sony movie about two journalists who land an interview with the North Korean leader and are then recruited by the CIA to take part in a plot to poison him. North Korea reacted furiously in June when Sony announced its plans for the film, denouncing it as the work of "gangster moviemakers." Franco closed the monologue by adding: "Oh and also, all the girls who got any Instagram messages from me last year, the hackers did it! It was the hackers!" In April, Franco was busted for trying to pickup a teenage fan on Instagram. Watch Franco's full SNL monologue here. SEE ALSO: Sony Hackers Reveal How Much Seth Rogen And James Franco Were Paid For 'The Interview' MORE: LEAKED: Hacked Sony Docs Reveal Top 17 Executives' Multimillion-Dollar Salaries Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Moscow metro's Wi-Fi revolution as city gets wired | ||
| | ||
Moscow (AFP) - Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin built Moscow's spectacularly beautiful metro as an example to the world, a symbol of "radiant Communist future". Now under strongman Vladimir Putin there are plans to make it the most connected in the world, with free, fast Wi-Fi even in the deepest tunnels. By the end of the year, all lines of the Russian capital's famous subway system -- the world's second busiest, with some seven million passengers a day -- will be connected to broadband Internet. Opened in the 1930s, the metro was as much a monument to Soviet ambition as a transport system, with extremely deep lines and stations staggeringly decorated with mosaics, frescos, stained glass and heavy chandeliers. Now organisers say its internet connectivity will be equally impressive, letting busy commuters check email and even download the classics of Russian and world literature for free while riding to work. Moscow commuters, renowned as voracious and sophisticated readers, can now flick between Tolstoy and Orwell's 1984 depending on their moods. "There is nothing like it in the world," the wireless network's operator, Maxima Telecom, told AFP. "In some cities, Wi-Fi is available in the stations but not in the tunnels. Moscow is the only city in Europe where the service is available in trains." Some 710,000 passengers in 3,500 of the metro's 5,000 carriages already connect daily to the network. - Censorship fears - Maxima Telecom was the sole major mobile operator in Russia that dared in 2013 to join the ambitious government-initiated project for which no public money is being spent. The company, which committed to invest an estimated one billion rubles ($21 million/17 million euros) to fund the initiative, hopes for a return on investment from ads which pop up on the page through which visitors must pass to access the Internet. The home page offers both free and paid-for access broadcasts to public television and radio stations, movies, electronic books and magazines. The IT industry is showing rapid growth in Russia, but in recent years -- which saw Putin consolidating his grip on power -- fears increased about censorship and other political factors that could stall its further development. In October, Putin denied that he intends to impose "total control" over cyberspace, but recent reports said new restrictions filtering Internet content nationwide could be adopted by parliament by the end of this year. - 'Taxi revolution' - Russia's leading IT companies -- such as search engine Yandex, Mail.ru e-mail platform, VKontakte and Odnoklassniki social networks -- have long outperformed their US competitors on the domestic market. In Moscow, where living standards are considerably higher than in the rest of Russia, smartphones are ubiquitous and nearly all restaurants and bars offer free Wi-Fi access -- often accessible without a password. Keen to improve Moscow's dull image of a city of infernal traffic jams and endless winter, local authorities have stepped up efforts to broaden Internet access in public spaces. In 2011, Internet giant Yandex launched a ride-hailing smartphone application, Yandex.Taxi, which "created a shock" in Moscow, the head of the service, Grigori Dergachev, told AFP. "There are 10,000 cars online and one can have a cab anywhere in less than ten minutes" instead of the hour required before the services was introduced. Despite Russia's economic problems and fierce competition by rivals Uber and Israeli GetTaxi, the number of Yandex.Taxi customers is growing rapidly and just exceeded one million orders per month, said Dergachev. The service "is very profitable". In September, Yandex launched another service, Master, that helps Muscovites find a plumber, mover, cleaner or other forms of help in their households, later expanding it to Saint-Petersburg. "The taxi revolution has already happened (...) and Moscow is one of the leading cities in the world in terms of online orders," said Lev Volozh, who was behind the launch of Yandex.Taxi and Yandex.Master. "For services, we hope to get the same result." Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
N. Korea denies carrying out hack attack on Sony Pictures | ||
| | ||
Seoul (AFP) - North Korea denied involvement Sunday in a cyber attack on Sony Pictures, but praised it as a "righteous deed" potentially carried out by its supporters to protest against a film featuring its leader Kim Jong-Un. "The hacking into the Sony Pictures might be a righteous deed of the supporters and sympathizers with the (North) in response to its appeal," the official KCNA news agency stated. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Ledecky closes US swim title meet with third win | ||
| | ||
Los Angeles (AFP) - US phenom Katie Ledecky closed USA Swimming's short-course Championships with a third title in Greensboro, North Carolina. The 17-year-old, who holds the long course world records in the 400m, 800m and 1,500m freestyles, won the 1,650-yard freestyle in 15min 13.30sec on Saturday to break her own American record. The victory followed her triumphs in the 200-yard and 500-yard freestyle events. Connor Jaeger lowered the American record in the men's 1,650-yard free that had stood since 2012 with a victory in 14:23.52. Nathan Adrian, the Olympic 100m freestyle gold medalist in 2012, won the 100-yard free, adding the title to his 50-yard and 200-yard free victories. Other final-day winners gave the meet an international flavor. Canada's Brooklyn Snodgrass won the women's 200-yard backstroke, South Africa's Dylan Bosch took the 200-yard butterfly and France's Thomas Dahlia won the 200-yard breaststroke. For a national championships the meeting was a relatively low-key affair, swum in short-course yards rather than the international standard of meters and coinciding with the short-course World Championships in Doha. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Rodgers faces tough task to replace Gerrard | ||
| | ||
Liverpool (AFP) - Brendan Rodgers knows he faces a huge task to successfully replace Steven Gerrard after leaving the Liverpool captain out of his team's starting line-up for the 0-0 draw with Sunderland at Anfield. Reds boss Rodgers was left to rue his decision to rest Gerrard on Saturday in order to have the former England midfielder fully fit for Tuesday's vital Champions League clash with Basel. It was a move that followed on from resting Gerrard eight days earlier, when Liverpool laboured to beat Stoke City 1-0, and, on this occasion, Rodgers was forced to use his talismanic midfielder as a substitute after 67 minutes as his team attempted to record what would have been a third consecutive league victory. Instead, they were left frustrated and Liverpool fans were left to wonder what life will be like for their team should Gerrard reject the one-year, rolling contract that is currently on offer from his boyhood club. "That's something we're looking for but it's very hard to replace that quality," Rodgers said. "Certainly it's something we need to find - a player of that stature, that quality. "He's still got that talent and world-class ability. At this stage of his career, it's up to me to manage that in order for him to play games. Going forward, that is something we will look for. "We have a big month in December, there's a lot of big games. I felt the management of Steven is fine, there's no problem with that. But we can't always rely on him. "The contribution has to come from throughout the team – he can't be the catalyst every single game and of course he plays on Tuesday now." - Occasional absence - Gerrard's occasional absence is in no way as damaging as their failure to replace Uruguay forward Luis Suarez, sold to Barcelona in the close-season, or the constantly injured Daniel Sturridge. With those pair no longer scoring at will for Liverpool, they have only scored seven league goals in as many home games this season. "The players are giving their all, they are giving everything they have," said Rodgers. "Maybe most teams come here a bit deeper and you have to give credit to Sunderland, they defended well. "But that is where the team is at. We're a different team to last year, different players at the top end of the field. Players like Rickie Lambert are giving their all and working very hard. "The supporters are used to seeing goals and creativity but it's a different team with different players. We have to continue to work hard and that is what we'll do." Admirable as the Sunderland showing may have been, they have goal concerns of their own with the team averaging less than a goal a game this season and manager Gus Poyet admits the answer may lie in a renewed January bid for Liverpool's Fabio Borini, who was on loan with the Wearsiders last term. "It's difficult to say. He was the answer last year but we couldn't get him in the summer," said Poyet. "We will see what happens. I would love to but the bottom line is he is not with us and we have to concentrate on what we've got. "We were quite good today. In the Premier League, a point is difficult, three points is massive so have to make sure that of our next three or four games, we win two or three." Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Typhoon tears down homes in disaster-weary Philippines | ||
| | ||
Legaspi (Philippines) (AFP) - Typhoon Hagupit tore apart homes and sent waves crashing through coastal communities across the eastern Philippines on Sunday, creating more misery for millions following a barrage of deadly disasters. The typhoon roared in from the Pacific Ocean and crashed into remote fishing communities of Samar island on Saturday night with wind gusts of 210 kilometres (130 miles) an hour, local weather agency Pagasa said. The wind strength made Hagupit the most powerful storm to hit the Philippines this year, exceeding a typhoon in July that killed more than 100 people. "Tin roofs are flying off, trees are falling and there is some flooding," Stephany Uy-Tan, the mayor of Catbalogan, a major city on Samar, told AFP by phone minutes after Hagupit made landfall. Fearful of a repeat of last year when Super Typhoon Haiyan claimed more than 7,350 lives, the government undertook a massive evacuation effort ahead of Hagupit that saw millions of people seek shelter. Hagupit was forecast to take three days to cut across the Philippines, passing over mostly poor central regions, while also bringing heavy rain to the densely populated capital of Manila slightly to the north. The government warned of storm surges up to five metres (16-feet) high in some areas, flash flooding, landslides and winds strong enough to tear apart even sturdy homes. Tens of millions of people live in the typhoon's path, including those in the central Philippines who are still struggling to recover from the devastation of Haiyan, which hit 13 months ago. Haiyan was the strongest storm ever recorded on land, with winds of 315 kilometres an hour, and generated tsunami-like storm surges that laid to waste entire towns. As day broke on Sunday, many areas across the eastern Philippines were uncontactable and it was impossible to know how badly they were damaged, Red Cross secretary general Gwendolyn Pang told AFP. In those that were reachable, residents and officials reported terrifying winds and waves that destroyed homes, although with most people in evacuation centres there were hopes casualties would be few. In Tacloban, one of the cities worst-hit by Haiyan, palm-thatch temporary houses built by aid agencies for survivors of last year's typhoon had been torn aport, vice mayor Jerry Yaokasin told AFP.
- 'Better prepared' -
However there was no repeat of the storm surges that did the most damage during Haiyan, known locally as Yolanda. "There is a collective sigh of relief. The initial assessment is that there are no casualties. We were better prepared after Yolanda, up to 50,000 people were packed in evacuation centres," he said. "But the transitional shelters made of nipa (palm thatch) were blown away. Our biggest challenge is how to provide for those who were displaced because of that." In the eastern region of Bicol that is due to be hit throughout Sunday and Monday, authorities said they were aiming for 2.5 million people -- half the local population -- to be in evacuation centres. At dawn on Sunday, huge waves pounded the coast of Legaspi, a major city in Bicol that was due to feel Hagupit's full force later in the day. Walls of seawater more than one-metre high crashed above the city's seawall and sprayed water and debris onto the deserted Legaspi Boulevard, according to an AFP reporter. The Philippines endures about 20 major storms a year which, along with regular earthquakes and volcano eruptions, make it one of the world's most disaster-plagued countries. The storms regularly claim many lives but they are becoming more violent and unpredictable because of climate change, according to the United Nations and many scientists. Haiyan was the world's deadliest natural disaster last year. In 2011 and 2012, there were consecutive December storms that together claimed more than 3,000 lives and were the word's deadliest disasters of those years. And in July this year, Typhoon Rammasun killed 111 people when it cut across Manila, paralysing the capital for days, and other parts of the main island of Luzon. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Ludacris Is Still Driving Around In A 1993 Acura Legend | ||
| | ||
. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
New Yorkers protest in rain after Gurley funeral | ||
| | ||
New York (AFP) - New Yorkers took to the streets Saturday in further protests to denounce a spate of killings of unarmed black men by white police officers as relatives buried a 28-year-old father of one. Despite heavy rain, dozens of demonstrators gathered in Times Square and later in Union Square, where the crowd huddled under umbrellas and shouted "I can't breathe" egged on by cries of "louder, louder." "I can't breathe" were the final words gasped repeatedly by Eric Garner, a 43-year-old father of six who died in July after a police chokehold that was caught on amateur video footage. A coroner's report ruled Garner's death a "homicide" after police held him in a chokehold. A grand jury's decision on Wednesday not to indict the white officer responsible has now triggered four consecutive nights of protests in New York and other major cities across the United States, mobilizing thousands. But so far, Saturday's protests were far fewer and more limited than the large turnouts earlier in the week. Another protest was scheduled later in the evening in Brooklyn. There were also small rallies held in the US cities of Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and Tampa Bay. In the morning, civil rights activist Al Sharpton's National Action Network held an event in Harlem attended by actor Spike Lee. On Friday, demonstrators staged "die-ins," by lying on the ground at Columbia University, Grand Central Station and after pouring into Macy's flagship store in Herald Square and the Apple store on Fifth Avenue. Another grand jury decision not to prosecute the white officer who shot dead unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, on August 9 also triggered riots as well as peaceful protests. Friends and relatives on Saturday attended the funeral of Akai Gurley, who was shot dead when a police officer opened fire in a dark staircase at a Brooklyn apartment building as he walked with his girlfriend late on November 20. Dozens of mourners paid their respects at the Brown Memorial Baptist Church, where Gurley's gray coffin was covered in a huge spray of red and white flowers. The 28-year-old, whose mother lived in Florida, had been planning a surprise Thanksgiving trip to introduce her to his young daughter when he was killed. - Calls for justice - Activist Kevin Powell, who delivered the eulogy, thanked Mayor Bill de Blasio and the city of New York for paying for the funeral but issued a passionate rallying cry for change and justice. "Akai was innocent, innocent, innocent," he told the mourners. "This is modern-day lynchings, over and over again. Akai Gurley was simply the latest victim of this," he said, calling for homicide charges to be brought against his killer. "Let's do everything we can to prevent any more situations like this." Clinton Miller, a Christian minister, said that clergy and activists would work together to ensure that justice would prevail. "We ask that you would allow brother Akai's name to live forever in our hearts as we continue to fight for what's right in this country and this world," he said. "We will all work together to pursue justice." A grand jury is set to weigh charges in the case, the latest in a series that has again brought to the fore the distrust felt by many African Americans toward police. Gurley's funeral included music from gospel singers, accompanied by a drummer and keyboard player, as well as the reading of a poem by the victim's sobbing young brother, comforted by a relative. A video montage of his life was shown from when he was a toddler to a proud father carrying his young daughter and pointing to the camera grinning. A handful of elected officials, including New York City Public Advocate Letitia James, and various activists also attended the ceremony. Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson said he would present all the evidence for a grand jury to decide whether charges should be brought. New York's police commissioner has said Gurley was a totally innocent victim. After rookie cop Peter Liang discharged the bullet that struck Gurley, he and partner Shaun Landau did not respond to radio contact for more than 6.5 minutes, the New York Daily News said. A neighbor instead phoned for the ambulance that rushed Gurley to the hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Take A Look At LaGuardia's Incredibly Stylish New American Express Lounge | ||
| | ||
. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Vonn back on top with downhill win | ||
| | ||
Lake Louise (Canada) (AFP) - Lindsey Vonn led the United States to a historic World Cup podium sweep on Saturday, cementing her return from injury with a triumph in the second Lake Louise downhill. For her first victory since a high-speed crash in early 2013, the four-time overall World Cup champion charged down the 3km course in a time of one minute, 50.48 seconds, finishing 0.49 seconds ahead of teammate Stacey Cook. Julia Mancuso rounded out the American sweep by finishing third with a time of 1:51.05. It was the first US one-two-three in the alpine World Cup. "Every day has gotten better here," said Vonn, who let out a whoop of delight when she saw her time. "Today I went a little bit more aggressive than I did yesterday and took some more chances. I'm finally feeling confident going fast again. "I'm pushing the limits and I want more speed," Vonn added. "I haven't had that yet until today." The American speed queen tore her right knee ligaments and broke a bone in her leg in a super-G crash in February 2013 at the alpine World Championships. She returned to racing nine months after the accident but her comeback was cut short when she re-injured the knee, forcing her to miss the Sochi Olympics where she had hoped to defend her 2010 Olympic downhill title. Vonn started her 2014-15 season comeback on Friday when she finished eighth in the first of two weekend downhills in the Canadian Rockies. Canada's Larisa Yurkiw placed fourth Saturday with a time of 1:51.22 and Viktoria Rebensburg of Germany was fifth in 1:51.24. This marked the 15th career win for Vonn in "Lake Lindsey". Vonn, who is racing with a brace on her right knee, won her first race in the Canadian Rockies in December 2004. She said her experience at Lake Louise helped her in conditions made difficult by poor light. "There's been some changing terrain here over the last couple days," she said. "Every day is a little bit different. I tried to pay a little more attention to that because obviously you couldn't see it today. The light was really bad, but I know this course really well." Vonn's performance caught the eye of boyfriend Tiger Woods, who was struggling with illness in his own return to competition across the continent in Florida on Saturday. "I competed and Linds won," the golf star said on Twitter, briefly summing up the day for the high-profile couple. Three-time US Olympian Cook just missed posting her first career World Cup victory. She has now reached four podiums -- all runner-up finishes in the downhill. Mancuso, who won a gold medal in the giant slalom at the 2006 Turin Games, finished second in the Lake Louise super-G two years ago. The Lake Louise races continue Sunday with a super-G Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Record-breaking Ronaldo leads Real to new high | ||
| | ||
Madrid (AFP) - Cristiano Ronaldo netted a record 23rd hat-trick in La Liga and his 200th goal in the Spanish top flight as Real Madrid equalled a Spanish record of 18 consecutive wins in all competitions with a 3-0 win over Celta Vigo on Saturday. Ronaldo passes Telmo Zarra, whose record as La Liga's all-time top goalscorer was recently usurped by Lionel Messi, and Madrid legend Alfredo di Stefano who both scored 22 hat-tricks to reach his double century of La Liga goals in just 179 games. Carlo Ancelotti's men have now matched the winning run record set by Frank Rijkaard's Barcelona side in the 2005/06 season, and have the chance to go one better at home to Ludogorets in the Champions League on Tuesday. Ronaldo rolled home a contentious penalty nine minutes before half-time after referee Alberto Undiano Mallenco ruled that Jonny Castro had pulled down the World Player of the Year as he tried to latch onto a cross before smashing home a loose ball inside the area midway through the second-half. The Portugal captain then sealed his latest record mark when he converted Marcelo's cross at the far post nine minutes from time. Champions Atletico Madrid enjoyed a comfortable 2-0 win at Elche and remain four points behind their city rivals in the table. "The figures that he is reaching are crazy," said Madrid defender Sergio Ramos of Ronaldo's latest achievements. "The truth is that it is a privilege for Real Madrid to have a player like him. You have to invent words to define him. He is breaking all the records, perhaps he is even in the best form of his career." European champions Real killed off many of their opponents in the opening stages during their stunning run, but they had to be patient on Saturday as a mixture of profligate finishing and good defending by the Galician outfit held them at bay. Sergio Ramos should have marked his 300th La Liga appearance for Los Blancos with a goal when he miscued from close range after Sergio Alvarez had parried a header from Ronaldo. Castro then made a brilliant last-ditch challenge to prevent Ronaldo at the back post before the Portuguese star sent a stunning overhead-kick flying onto the roof of the net.
- Controversial penalty - However, when the breakthrough came it was in controversial circumstances as there appeared to be little contact between Castro and Ronaldo. It made no difference to Ronaldo, though, as he stepped up and confidently dispatched the spot-kick. Celta had offered nothing of an attacking threat in the first-half, but came close to an equaliser at the beginning of the second period when Fabian Orellana pulled a shot just wide of the target. The hosts were further disrupted when James Rodriguez hobbled off to be replaced by Alvaro Arbeloa. Yet, the Colombian's absence didn't affect their flow going forward as Alvarez had to beat away a fierce drive from Bale at the end of a quick counter-attack. Ronaldo killed the game as a contest moments later when Toni Kroos's deflected pass looped into his path, giving Alvarez no chance with a sweetly struck volley. Karim Benzema should have handed Ronaldo his record when he opted to go for goal with a poorly attempted chip rather than square it to his teammate who had a open goal moments later. It didn't matter, though, as a typical energetic burst from Marcelo took him into the Celta box and Ronaldo was on hand to turn the ball home at the far post. Atletico were also comfortable victors at Elche to register their fifth consecutive win in all competitions and move into second place above Barcelona, who entertain Espanyol on Sunday. Jose Gimenez fired them in front with his first goal for the club after good work from Koke and Arda Turan early on. Eight minutes after the restart Atletico made the game safe when captain Gabi won possession just inside the Elche half and clipped a delightful ball over the top for Mario Mandzukic, whose near post effort surprised Przemyslaw Tyton in the home side’s goal. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
HP’s First Black Professional In Computers Explains Why Tech Lacks Racial Diversity | ||
| | ||
Especially, when it comes to African-American workers, the employment numbers are quite dismal: Apple and eBay are 7% black, while Yahoo, Google, Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter are all roughly 2% black. There may be a lot of reasons for this, but Ken Coleman, special advisor of Andreessen Horowitz, gave four possible reasons for it in a recent interview with Fast Company. Coleman, HP’s first black professional in its computers unit, held executive positions at HP and Silicon Graphics, and if often referred to as Ben Horowitz’s favorite mentor. - Tech forgot about Hispanics, blacks, and women: Coleman argues the society gave tech a pass on racial diversity because there are so many Asians and East Indians working in the sector. Asians, in fact, do make up over 30% of workers at a lot of the tech companies. “We have so many Asians and East Indians that I think people have said, well, that’s diversity, so it’s not an issue,” he says. - Not a meritocracy: The tech industry is often called a meritocracy, in that you will be rewarded if you’re smart and work hard. But Coleman says many interviews tend to be subjective, and it’s no longer a meritocracy if racial bias comes in to play. He says he’s experienced this often in promotion meetings in the past. - Not enough black people in the Bay Area: Coleman says it gets hard to recruit black people in the Bay Area, because there’s not enough diversity here. “If I’m from Detroit or New York or Atlanta, and I don’t see as many people here in Silicon Valley as I’m used to seeing, the environment is not necessarily comforting,” he says. - Trying to reduce risk: If you’re running a company with a bunch of white, male, Stanford and Ive league graduates, then it’s less likely that the you’ll take the risk and hire someone who doesn’t fit in that profile. “My risk meter goes off and there’s a higher bar you have to jump over to make me feel comfortable hiring you,” he says. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
