Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/03/justin-bieber-thanks-fans-for-birthday-support/
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Monday, March 4, 2013
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Apple shareholder drops lawsuit on preferred stock
In this Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2012, file photo Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks during an event to announce new products in San Jose, Calif. Apple CEO Tim Cook sought to assure shareholders Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2013, that the company is working on some "great stuff" that may help reverse a sharp decline in its stock price. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)
In this Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2012, file photo Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks during an event to announce new products in San Jose, Calif. Apple CEO Tim Cook sought to assure shareholders Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2013, that the company is working on some "great stuff" that may help reverse a sharp decline in its stock price. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? A disgruntled shareholder pressing Apple to create a new class of preferred stock has dropped a lawsuit that became a moot point after the iPhone and iPad maker changed the agenda at its annual meeting earlier this week.
Lawyers for hedge fund manager David Einhorn of Greenlight Capital notified U.S. District Judge Richard Sullivan in a letter sent Thursday that they no longer plan to pursue the lawsuit . Sullivan closed the case, which began three weeks ago in New York.
Einhorn had already achieved his goal last week when Sullivan issued a preliminary ruling blocking an Apple Inc. proposal that would have required shareholder approval before preferred stock could be issued. Apple withdrew the proposal from the agenda at its annual meeting held Wednesday.
Two shareholders who attended the annual meeting said they were disappointed that they weren't able to vote in favor of a proposal, which they described as an example of sound corporate governance.
Shareholders had reason to be even more discouraged Friday as Apple's stock touched a new 52-week low, deepening a roughly six-month slide that has wiped out more than $240 million of the company's market value.
Apple might be able to ease the pain of a 39 percent drop in its stock price by doling out some of its $137 billion cash hoard to shareholders instead of letting the money idle at a time when interest rates at near record lows.
Einhorn, whose fund owns 1.3 million Apple shares, filed his lawsuit to preserve Apple's ability to issue dividend-paying preferred stock without having to take the extra step of gaining shareholder approval. He is pushing Apple to issue preferred stock that would guarantee a 4 percent dividend.
Apple CEO Tim Cook dismissed Einhorn's lawsuit as a "silly sideshow" at an investment conference a few weeks ago and again Wednesday at the company's annual meeting. During a question-and-answer session with shareholders Wednesday, Cook said Apple's board is in "very, very active discussions" about what do with all its cash.
Apple, which is based in Cupertino, Calif., also has said it is considering whether to introduce another proposal that would require a shareholder vote on preferred stock. If another proposal is submitted, it probably wouldn't happen until Apple holds another annual meeting next year.
The company last year instituted a quarterly dividend of $2.65 per share on its common stock in a move that returns about $10 billion annually to shareholders. Apple's cash stash has grown by about $39 billion during the past year as customers bought its products in record numbers.
Despite Apple's success, investors are worried that the company's growth will soon taper off as it contends with fiercer competition in the smartphone and tablet computer market. The company also hasn't introduced a breakthrough product since the October 2011 death of Steve Jobs, Apple's charismatic co-founder and Cook's predecessor as CEO. It's most recent creation, the iPad, came out three years ago, raising concerns that Apple's well of innovation has run dry.
Cook sought to reassure shareholders that Wednesday's annual meeting, telling them that Apple is working on some "great stuff," including some products outside its core line-up of iPods, iPhones, iPads and Mac computers.
That vague promise hasn't excited Wall Street.
Apple's slumping stock fell to a new 52-week low of $430.78 on Friday before rebounding slightly in afternoon trading to $431.19, down $10.31, or 2.3 percent. The shares hit a record high of $705.07 in September when the iPhone 5 went on sale.
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Order in the chaos of a cell membrane
Mar. 1, 2013 ? An explanation has been proposed for the way in which ordered structures arise in cell membranes. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam have discovered how complex compounds of sugar and lipids -- known as glycolipids -- order themselves in cell membranes into rafts, namely small, highly organised domains. The arrangement of glycolipids on the surface of plant and animal cell membranes regulates numerous cellular processes. If errors occur in this process, diseases like PNH and BSE can arise.
Lipids, i.e. fats and fat-like substances, arise all over the human body. They are the body's most important energy storage system and are crucial structural components of cell membranes. Compounds formed from complex sugar components and fats are known as glycolipids. Those are vital communicators found in the membranes of every human cell, and constantly exchange information about the type and state of the cell. Numerous metabolic processes depend on glycolipids and their recognition. Even the immune system identifies and combats many pathogens using certain sugar structures located on the surface of the pathogen cells.
Glycosylphosphatidylinositols (GPIs) belong to the group of natural glycolipids. They are found on the surface of plant and animal cell membranes, where they appear either as free molecules or as membrane anchors for various proteins. The arrangement in clusters and their preference for denser and, in part, highly-organised micro-domains in the membrane are seen as essential for the effective functioning of a cell. These minuscule clusters are extremely important for the regulation of many cellular processes, and their malfunction can have very serious consequences. For example, it has been proven that the accumulation, missing or alteration of GPI-anchored molecules can trigger the development of serious diseases like BSE and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH). Scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Golm near Potsdam have gained new insight into how GPIs structure themselves in membranes.
Crystalline lipid areas never previously observed in membranes
It was assumed up to now that the arrangement of the GPIs in clusters and rafts was determined by the water-repelling section of the glycolipids embedded in the cell membrane. The chemical structure of the hydrophobic ends is actually responsible for strong interactions with similarly rigid neighbouring molecules. If the number of the molecules that interact with each other is big enough, rigid and partly organised domains may arise like icebergs on the surface of the ocean.
Cristina Stefaniu and her colleagues have now discovered that, in addition to the hydrophobic ends, the large GPI head groups, which contain sugar, mainly contribute to the formation of the rafts. This means that the hydrophylic part of the molecule is able to build strong interactions with the neighbouring GPI molecules. This part of the molecule is located precisely on the boundary between the membrane surface and the liquid medium. "The interactions between neighbouring GPI molecules result in the formation of crystalline orders that have not previously been observed for other membrane lipids," says Cristina Stefaniu.
Hydrogen bonds connect the hydrophylic head groups
The scientists reached this new conclusion about the order in membranes by studying a model molecule. This is a GPI fragment that was synthesised by the groups headed by Peter Seeberger and Daniel Var?n Silva and that imitates the behaviour of entire GPIs. It forms a very thin film, just one molecule thick, on the surface of the water. This so-called monolayer is the simplified model of a half cell membrane which the researchers analysed using synchrotron x-ray scattering. "Surprisingly, the highly ordered structure in the GPI monolayer is predominantly determined by the bulky hydrophilic head groups that connect through hydrogen bonds," says Stefaniu. A hydrogen bond is a relatively weak chemical bond and usually links two molecules through the bonding of a hydrogen atom from one molecule with an oxygen or nitrogen atom from the other molecule. Thus the monolayers of the GPI fragment are characterised by both the order of the hydrophilic lipid chains and the crystalline arrangement of the GPI head groups.
"The molecular lattices observed here have not yet been described for lipid monolayers," says Cristina Stefaniu. "A similar order forms in lipid bilayers if they are stored at temperatures close to zero degrees Celsius." The strong interactions between the head groups can only be disrupted and the molecular lattice destroyed through the addition of a highly concentrated urea solution, which breaks the hydrogen bonds, eliminates the strong interactions of the head groups and destroys the molecular lattice. In addition, the scientists proved that ordered clusters can arise in mixtures of the GPI fragment with typical membrane lipids, which only form unordered films. Thus, the GPIs are able to generate order in the chaos of a membrane. This special skill could be very important for the GPI interactions in real cell membranes.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- Cristina Stefaniu, Ivan Vilotijevic, Mark Santer, Daniel Var?n?Silva, Gerald Brezesinski, Peter H. Seeberger. Subgel Phase Structure in Monolayers of Glycosylphosphatidylinositol Glycolipids. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2012; 51 (51): 12874 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201205825
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/Tel7Ws9r9ic/130301051615.htm
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Exclusive: Glencore bartered with firm linked to Iran nuclear program
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Commodities giant Glencore supplied thousands of tons of alumina to an Iranian firm that has provided aluminum to Iran's nuclear program, intelligence and diplomatic sources told Reuters.
The previously undisclosed barter arrangement between Glencore, the world's biggest commodities trader, and the Iranian Aluminum Company (Iralco) illustrates how difficult it is for Western powers to curb Iran's ability to trade with the rest of the world. Even as the West imposes stringent restrictions on banks that do business with Iran, United Nations diplomats say that Tehran keeps finding new ways to do business with willing partners.
Reuters first learned about Glencore's barter deal with Iralco, and an aluminum supply contract that Iralco had with Iran Centrifuge Technology Co (TESA), from a Western diplomatic source in early November. That was about six weeks before the European Union's December 2012 decision to levy sanctions on Iralco for supplying aluminum metal to TESA, which is a subsidiary of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI).
The source showed Reuters a Western intelligence report concerning Glencore's arrangement with Iralco. It described how Baar, Switzerland-based Glencore provided Iralco with thousands of tons of alumina last year in exchange for a lesser amount of aluminum metal. The report's authenticity was confirmed by U.N. diplomats.
It is not known whether any of the aluminum produced by Iralco from Glencore's alumina raw material actually ended up with TESA. As part of AEOI, TESA has been subject to U.N. sanctions in place since 2006.
In a statement to Reuters, Glencore said it first learned about the TESA-Iralco relationship in December and immediately "ceased transactions" with Iralco. It said its last actual trade as part of the barter arrangement was in October 2012, two months before the EU move.
Glencore acknowledged that it did sign the barter deal with Iralco in August 2011, saying it was perfectly legal and denied any wrongdoing by the firm or attempts to help Iran bypass sanctions. It declined to provide details about the barter deal, the value of which is unclear.
Iralco did not respond to an emailed request for a comment. Iran's U.N. mission said it was not in a position to comment.
Iran denies allegations by Western powers and their allies that it is seeking atomic weapons and has refused to stop enriching uranium. As a result, in addition to four rounds of U.N. sanctions, Iran has faced much tougher U.S. and EU measures, specifically targeting its financial and energy sectors.
ALUMINUM TUBES
Aluminum can be used to make aluminum tubes for uranium enrichment gas centrifuges, though most newer gas centrifuges are made of a carbon composite material. Aluminum is also used in everything from cars to aircraft, buildings and cans.
Glencore had supplied Iralco with about five tons of alumina for every ton of aluminum that Glencore received in return, according to the intelligence report. Given that on average it takes only about two tons of alumina to produce one ton of aluminum, the barter deal may have left Iralco with more aluminum after processing the alumina than it supplied to Glencore.
Iralco covered costs inside Iran, while all activity involving foreign currency payments was covered by Glencore, including shipping costs and insurance, according to the intelligence report.
In its statement, Glencore said: "Glencore complies with applicable laws and regulations, including applicable sanctions. We closely monitor all new legal developments to ensure that we continue to be in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including applicable sanctions."
The company said that alumina and aluminum metal were not prohibited commodities under the sanctions, and that bartering is one of the oldest and most transparent forms of transaction and an accepted method in the metals business.
Swiss authorities said they saw no evidence of U.N. or Swiss sanctions violations by Glencore. Iralco is not under U.S. or U.N. sanctions.
The intelligence report described the Glencore deal as a good way for Tehran to get around global financial restrictions, though it did not say that Glencore violated sanctions.
OFF THE GRID
A U.N. expert panel has repeatedly reported to the U.N. Security Council that Iran has learned to dodge sanctions with the aid of shell companies and intermediaries and a small group of friendly countries. But it has become extremely difficult for any Iranian firm to make or receive payments abroad due to sanctions on Iranian banks - including the central bank - and the barring of Iran from the international banking clearinghouse SWIFT.
The appeal of barter deals is that because payments are made in goods rather than money, transactions are kept off the international financial grid and are less likely to be identified by governments trying to curb Iran's nuclear program.
"From Iran's point of view, the business offered through the exchange agreement (with Glencore) offers a model that can be replicated for trade in a range of commodities that it requires, by reaching similar deals with other foreign companies that have commercial interests but are reluctant to deal with Iran in the current circumstances," the intelligence report said. "Each side benefits from the trade agreement, while risks of exposure through inevitable contact with third parties are dramatically reduced."
The EU said it imposed sanctions on Iralco in December because the company was allegedly "assisting designated entities to violate the provisions of U.N. and EU sanctions on Iran and is directly supporting Iran's proliferation sensitive nuclear activities." The EU said that Iralco had a contract to supply aluminum to Iran's centrifuge firm TESA from the middle of 2012, according to the official EU bulletin on the sanctions.
A source close to Glencore said that Iralco received its last alumina shipment from Glencore in September while Glencore received its last delivery of aluminum from Iralco in October.
The source declined to comment when asked if the firm continued to do other business with Iran. Glencore announced an end to its fuel sales to Iran in January 2010 to avoid breaching U.S. sanctions.
CONTROVERSY
The U.S. Treasury Department declined to comment specifically on Glencore's dealings with Iralco, though a Treasury official told Reuters anyone providing alumina to Iran can face U.S. sanctions under new rules taking effect on July 1.
Swiss companies have been bound by U.N. sanctions ever since Switzerland joined the United Nations in 2002. While Switzerland implemented sanctions on Libya and Syria, it has reasserted its traditional neutrality over Iran and opted not to adopt some of the more stringent measures passed by the EU and the United States.
Glencore has been involved in controversies before. It was founded as ?Marc Rich & Co' in 1974 by Marc Rich, who was charged by the U.S. authorities in the early 1980s with evading taxes and selling oil to Iran during the 1979-81 hostage crisis. He fled to Switzerland where he lived as a fugitive for 17 years before being pardoned by then U.S. President Bill Clinton just before he left office in 2001. After a bet on the zinc market failed, the firm struggled badly and Rich eventually sold it through a management buyout in 1994.
(Additional reporting by Emma Farge in Geneva; Editing by Martin Howell and Jean Yoon)
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Friday, March 1, 2013
Police find all 3 women in SUV in Vegas Strip attack found
LAS VEGAS (AP) ? A week after a shooting and spectacular fiery crash on the Las Vegas Strip, police said Thursday they have found and talked with all three women who were in an SUV with driver and accused shooter Ammar Harris.
Harris, 26, a felon and self-described pimp whose Internet posts show him with fists full of money and boast of a high-rolling lifestyle with prostitutes, is the subject of a multi-state manhunt following the Feb. 21 gunfire and chain-reaction crash that left three people dead and at least five people injured.
Late Wednesday, police found SUV passenger Tineesha Lashun Howard in another state, and Las Vegas police Capt. Chris Jones said for the first time that police previously found and interviewed two other women who were with Howard in Harris' black Range Rover SUV during the shooting.
The gunfire killed a self-prompted rapper driving a Maserati, and the sports car slammed into a taxi that burst into flames, killing the driver and passenger.
Jones wouldn't release the names of the other passengers in Harris' SUV, but said none had been charged with a crime. Police are concerned about their safety, the police captain said.
"There is no other person wanted in this case other than Harris," Jones said. "No one else faces charges."
Howard, a 22-year-old from Miami with a history of prostitution arrests, also uses the names Yenesis Alfonzo or Yani. She was identified by police on Tuesday as a person of interest in the case who might have been in danger. Jones wouldn't say Thursday where she was found.
Las Vegas police also sought Thursday to stop the circulation of several photos the department issued Tuesday and Wednesday in the search for Harris. Police said they depict people other than Howard.
Harris was arrested last year in Las Vegas in a 2010 prostitution case using the name Ammar Asim Faruq Harris. He was charged with robbery, sexual assault, kidnapping and coercion with a weapon, and police sought charges of pandering by force and felon in possession of concealed weapon. Court records show that case was dismissed last June.
Harris was convicted in South Carolina in 2004 of felony possession with intent to sell a stolen pistol and convicted that same year in Atlanta of a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge.
He is sought in Las Vegas on three murder warrants.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/police-3-women-suv-vegas-attack-found-183645895.html
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Watch SpaceX's Dragon capsule liftoff at 10:10AM ET today
You've no doubt seen plenty of video of SpaceX rocket launches on this very site, but let's face it, nothing compares to seeing a live launch. Great news for fans of watching things slip the surly bonds of Earth: the commercial space company's Dragon capsule is set to do precisely that atop a Falcon 9 carrier rocket at 10:10AM ET this very morning -- you know, roughly half an hour from now. The unmanned rocket will deliver supplies to astronauts aboard the International Space Station. And if you're not currently within driving distance of Cape Canaveral and in possession of the the proper clearances, you're still in luck. You can watch a livestream of the event unfold in the source link below. And for more space action, make sure to check out the latest episode of the Engadget Show.
Update: We have liftoff!
Update 2: While the rocket liftoff seems to have gone according to plan, the company has reported a problem with the capsule. According to a tweet from Elon Musk, there's an "issue with Dragon thruster pods. System inhibiting three of four from initializing. About to command inhibit override."
Filed under: Science
Via: The Next Web, Space
Source: Livestream.com
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/9mk0qOMdY6M/
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OUYA Android Gaming Console To Start Shipping To Backers March 28
OUYA, the Kickstarter-funded Android gaming console, has already shipped developer consoles, but had yet to specify an exact date when backers could expect their production devices. Today, the company announced that it will be shipping the first OUYA consoles out to backers beginning March 28, ahead of a June retail launch.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/IdjJBhEwawo/
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