Monday, July 22, 2013

California wildfire 49% contained

(CNN) -- Firefighters worked Saturday to get the upper hand on a mountain wildfire in Southern California that forced the evacuation of thousands and destroyed a number of homes and vehicles.

The wildfire, burning near Idyllwild and Fern Valley, has burned more than 27,200 acres since it began Monday, fire officials said. The blaze was 49% contained, they said.

With forecasters predicting scatted mountain showers, fire officials hoped to further corral the blaze in the San Jacinto Mountains that has destroyed at least six homes and damaged a handful of others.

"Firefighter safety is a major concern as rain can also bring flooding and create slick and dangerous working conditions," the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said Saturday.

At the height of the wildfire, evacuation orders were ordered for more than 6,000 people. More than 4,000 homes south of Palm Springs also were threatened.

Evacuation orders remained in effect Saturday for Idyllwild and Fern Valley. Authorities also announced an evacuation warning of the mountain community of Pine Cove, fire officials said, indicating that that area could be evacuated soon.

Evacuation orders were lifted in three communities -- Trails End, Morris Ranch, and Camp Joe Scherman -- on Saturday.

More than 3,400 fire personnel have been dispatched to battle the mountain fire.

Meanwhile, in southwest Oregon, fire crews were working to put out a 500-acre Pacifica Fire burning near the town of Williams.

More than 200 firefighters were working to put out the fire that has destroyed at least one house and was threatening up to 150 buildings as well as an undetermined number of vehicles, fire officials told CNN affiliate KTVL.

CNN's Jennifer Moore contributed to this report.

? & ? 2013 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.

Source: http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/national/california-wildfire-near-idyllwild-and-fern-valley-has-burned-more-than-27200-acres

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Take action to help ban horrific, perverted animal "crush" videos in the Philipp...

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Source: http://www.facebook.com/Inhabitat/posts/10151480976767056

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Sunday, July 21, 2013

Why Instagram Is Key to Facebook's Strategy


Source: Instagram.

It was just last April when Facebook acquired photo-sharing app Instagram for about $1 billion. Back then, Instagram had about 22 million people actively using the app every month. Now, the service boasts 130 million monthly active users. As the service grows, it's important to assess the apps potential and its importance to Facebook.

Protecting its lead in photos
Facebook has always felt that photos were important to the company's strategy. When Facebook acquired instagram, CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted on his timeline that "providing the best photo sharing experience is one reason why so many people love Facebook and we knew it would be worth bringing these two companies together."

Though Zuckerberg clearly assured Instagram fans the service would remain a separate brand from Facebook, he also said Facebook planned to learn from the photo-sharing app. A look at the changes to Facebook's newsfeed and its timeline over the past year clearly show that Facebook did in fact focus on bringing photos front and center. In addition to making more room for photos to fill the display on both desktop and mobile versions of Facebook, the company introduced a Photos feed that highlights nothing but photos from your friends and the pages you like.

Though Facebook has certainly learned from Instagram when it comes to photo sharing, the move was probably mostly defensive. After watching Instagram more than quadruple its monthly active users since Facebook acquired the company, imagine what things would look like if Google or Twitter had acquired Instagram; the photo-sharing app would be one of Facebook's fiercest competitors.

Standing up to Twitter
Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are all increasingly taking on similar characteristics. Just recently, Facebook introduced hashtags on Facebook. In June, Instagram launched video capabilities on Instagram allowing users to capture up to 15 seconds of video.That announcment followed Twitter's launch of video-sharing app Vine in January.

With so much overlap among the three, Facebook's ownership of Instagram helps the company fend off challenges that could arise from Twitter, which in December announced that it had surpassed 200 million monthly active users.

A solid ROI
Finally, Instagram may prove to provide a solid ROI for Facebook over the long haul. As Zuckerberg noted in the first-quarter earnings call, Instagram is growing faster than Facebook did when it was Instagram's size. And Instagram appears to be showing some success with advertisers as well. "I am really optimistic about the business opportunity there, too," Zuckerberg said in the Q1 earnings call. "You already have a lot of brand from folks who advertise with Facebook putting content into Instagram, getting huge engagement rates.?

Don't underestimate Instagram
Instagram is a growing part of Facebook's business. So in addition to several other metricsto focus on when the company reports earnings on Wednesday, don't forget to look out for a business update on Instagram.

Though Facebook's acquisition is definitely one positive step the company has taken in its short life as a publicly traded company, it will certainly face many challenges. The tech war is a tough one. It's incredible to think just how much of our digital and technological lives are almost entirely shaped and molded by just a handful of companies. Find out "Who Will Win the War Between the 5 Biggest Tech Stocks" in The Motley Fool's latest free report, which details the knock-down, drag-out battle being waged by the five kings of tech. Click here to keep reading.

Copyright ? 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/07/20/why-instagram-is-key-to-facebooks-strategy/

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Moody's issues credit warning on Nokia

HELSINKI (AP) ? Moody's Investors Services says Nokia Corp.'s second quarter earnings are credit negative, citing a continued drop in sales.

The ratings agency already has Nokia on review for downgrade, so Friday's warning suggests a move is more likely. The agency expects any downgrade to be limited to one notch.

It said it is particularly concerned about how quickly Nokia, which posted a 227 million euro loss for the quarter, is burning through cash.

It noted Nokia's net cash would likely fall to 1 billion euros after the purchase of Siemens' stake in Nokia Siemens Networks, a telecommunication systems venture. That would be below the 1.5 billion euros necessary to maintain the current Ba3 rating.

Once the world's largest maker of mobile phones, Nokia has struggled to compete in the smartphone segment.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/moodys-issues-credit-warning-nokia-160207867.html

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Four Homeless Men Kept Prisoner in Texas for 10 Years

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Source: www.ibtimes.com --- Saturday, July 20, 2013
Four men found in 'deplorable' conditions in house in Houston, Texas. ...

Source: http://www.ibtimes.comhttp:0//www.ibtimes.co.in/articles/492736/20130720/homeless-elderly-houston-texas-witness-rescue.htm

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Obama Midwest Visit: President To Make Economic Pitch In Illinois, Missouri

  • Situation Room

    May 1, 2011: President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, along with members of the national security team, receive an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden in the Situation Room of the White House, May 1, 2011. Seated, from left, are: Brigadier General Marshall B. "Brad" Webb, Assistant Commanding General, Joint Special Operations Command; Deputy National Security Advisor Denis McDonough; Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton; and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. Standing, from left, are: Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; National Security Advisor Tom Donilon; Chief of Staff Bill Daley; Tony Blinken, National Security Advisor to the Vice President; Audrey Tomason Director for Counterterrorism; John Brennan, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism; and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. Please note: a classified document seen in this photograph has been obscured. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

  • Head Pat

    May 8, 2009: President Barack Obama bends over so the son of a White House staff member can pat his head during a family visit to the Oval Office May 8, 2009. The youngster wanted to see if the President's haircut felt like his own. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

  • Fist-Bump

    Dec. 3, 2009: President Barack Obama fist-bumps custodian Lawrence Lipscomb in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building following the opening session of the White House Forum on Jobs and Economic Growth, Dec. 3, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

  • Mohawk Baby

    July 4, 2012: President Barack Obama holds a baby while greeting guests during an Independence Day celebration on the South Lawn of the White House, July 4, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

  • The President

    July 26, 2012: President Barack Obama holds a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House, July 26, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

  • Oval Office Chase

    July 9, 2012: President Barack Obama runs around his desk in the Oval Office with Sarah Froman, daughter of Nancy Goodman and Mike Froman, Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics, July 9, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

  • First Couple

    June 13, 2012: President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama wave goodbye to President Shimon Peres of Israel on the North Portico of the White House following the Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony and dinner in his honor, June 13, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

  • Holocaust Museum

    April 23, 2012: President Barack Obama tours the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., with Elie Wiesel, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Holocaust survivor, and Sara Bloomfield, museum director, April 23, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

  • Golden Girl

    June 11, 2012: President Barack Obama talks with Betty White in the Oval Office, June 11, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

  • Venus In Transit

    April 24, 2012: President Barack Obama stops to view the moon and Venus before boarding Marine One in Boulder, Colo., April 24, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

  • 'Sweet Home Chicago'

    Feb. 21, 2012: President Obama joins in singing "Sweet Home Chicago" during the "In Performance at the White House: Red, White and Blues" concert in the East Room of the White House, Feb. 21, 2012. Participants include, from left: Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews, Jeff Beck, Derek Trucks, B.B. King, and Gary Clark, Jr. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

  • The Redeemer

    March 20, 2011: "The Obama family was scheduled to tour the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio before dinner one night. But when heavy fog rolled in, they canceled the visit. After dinner, the fog had dissipated somewhat so they decided to make the drive up the mountain. It was quite clear when they arrived and then the fog started to roll back in. I managed to capture this silhouette as they viewed the statute one last time just before departure." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

  • Water Fight

    June 11, 2011: "The top photograph shows the President having a water gun fight with his daughter Sasha on her birthday weekend at Camp David. Unbeknownst to me, David Lienemann captured a similar photo of the Vice President on the very same day." (Official White House Photos by Pete Souza and David Lienemann)

  • Christmas Card

    Dec. 11, 2011: President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and their daughters, Malia, left, and Sasha, right, sit for a family portrait in the Oval Office, Dec. 11, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

  • MLK Memorial

    Oct. 14, 2011: President Barack Obama tours the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial in Washington, D.C., Oct. 14, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

  • Balloon Man

    Oct. 11, 2011: "This photograph by Chuck Kennedy has to catch your eye. It shows Guinness Book of World Records holder John Cassidy performing a balloon act for First Lady Michelle Obama in the Diplomatic Reception Room following a Let's Move event." (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

  • Mandela

    June 21, 2011: First Lady Michelle Obama meets with former President Nelson Mandela of South Africa at Mandela's home in Houghton, South Africa, June 21, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)

  • Joplin, Mo.

    May 29, 2011: President Barack Obama greets Hugh Hills, 85, in front of his home in Joplin, Mo., May 29, 2011. Hills hid in a closet during the tornado, which destroyed the second floor and half the first floor of his house. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

  • Daycare

    June 9, 2011: President Barack Obama greets children at a day care facility adjacent to daughter Sasha's school in Bethesda, Md., following her 4th grade closing ceremony, June 9, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

  • Tucson Shooting

    Jan. 10, 2011: President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama walk towards the White House after observing a moment of silence for the victims of the Arizona shooting, on the South Lawn, Jan. 10, 2011. White House staff joined the President and First Lady for the moment of silence.(Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

  • What's Up?

    March 7, 2011: President Barack Obama, Prime Minister Julia Gillard of Australia, and members of the Australian and American delegations look up at the presidential seal in the Oval Office ceiling following their bilateral meeting, March 7, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

  • Inclement Weather

    May 31, 2010: "The skies opened up on Memorial Day outside of Chicago. When the lightning began, the Secret Service told the President that it was too dangerous to proceed. He took the stage by himself and informed the audience that his speech was canceled and that for everyone's safety, they should return to their busses. Later, he boarded a few of the busses to thank them for attending and apologized for not being able to speak." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

  • Power Walk

    July 20, 2010: President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron walk across the South Lawn of the White House, July 20, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

  • Oil Spill

    May 28, 2010: President Barack Obama and Lafourche Parish President Charlotte Randolf, left, inspect a tar ball as they look at the effect the BP oil spill is having on Fourchon Beach in Port Fourchon, La., May 28, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

  • Finally

    March 21, 2010: President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and senior staff, react in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, as the House passes the health care reform bill, March 21, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

  • First Pitch

    March 31, 2010: President Barack Obama practices his pitching form with personal aide Reggie Love and Jake Levine in the Rose Garden of the White House, March 31, 2010. The President threw out the ceremonial first pitch on opening day of the baseball season prior to the game between the Washington Nationals and the Philadelphia Phillies.

  • 3D

    Feb. 1, 2009: "During a Super Bowl watching party in the White House theatre, the President and First Lady join their guests in watching one of the TV commercials in 3D." (Official White House photo by Pete Souza)

  • Bo

    March 15, 2009: "The Obama family was introduced to a prospective family dog at a secret greet on a Sunday. After spending about an hour with him, the family decided he was the one. Here, the dog ran alongside the President in an East Wing hallway. The dog returned to his trainer while the Obama's embarked on their first international trip. I had to keep these photos secret until a few weeks later, when the dog was brought 'home' to the White House and introduced to the world as Bo." (Official White House photo by Pete Souza)

  • Moment Of Reflection

    Jan. 20, 2009: "President-elect Barack Obama was about to walk out to take the oath of office. Backstage at the U.S. Capitol, he took one last look at his appearance in the mirror." (Official White House photo by Pete Souza)

  • Snowball Fight

    Dec. 19, 2009: "Snowball in hand, the President chases Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel on the White House colonnade. To escape, Rahm ran through the Rose Garden, which unfortunately for him, was knee-deep in snow." (Official White House photo by Pete Souza)

  • Nobel

    Dec. 10, 2009: President Barack Obama looks at the Nobel Peace Prize medal for the first time at the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo, Norway, Dec. 10, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

  • Presidential Trio

    Jan. 16, 2010: "President Obama had called on the two former Presidents to help with the situation in Haiti. During their public remarks in the Rose Garden, President Clinton had said about President Bush, 'I've already figured out how I can get him to do some things that he didn't sign on for.' Later, back in the Oval, President Bush is jokingly asking President Clinton what were those things he had in mind." (Official White House photo by Pete Souza)

  • Wounded Warriors

    Oct. 8, 2009: President Barack Obama watches as members of the National Naval Medical Center's Marine Wounded Warrior basketball team play on the White House basketball court, Oct. 8, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

  • Shoot The J

    Oct. 8, 2009: President Barack Obama takes a shot during a game with Cabinet secretaries and members of Congress on the White House basketball court, Oct. 8, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

  • Grand Canyon

    Aug. 16, 2009: President Barack Obama looks at the Grand Canyon in Arizona on Aug. 16, 2009. (Official White House photo by Pete Souza)

  • Ted Kennedy

    April 21, 2009: President Barack Obama and Sen. Ted Kennedy walk down the South Lawn sidewalk at the White House April 21, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

  • The Pope

    July 10, 2009: President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama meet with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican on July 10, 2009. (Official White House photo by Pete Souza)

  • Punch

    July 13, 2009: President Barack Obama feigns a punch while talking about health care reform with Nancy-Ann DeParle, Peter Orszag, Phil Schiliro and Larry Summers in the Outer Oval Office, July 13, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

  • Teasing

    June 26, 2009: President Barack Obama jokingly reacts to news that staffer Nora Becker will be leaving to pursue a joint MD and PhD in healthcare economics, during the White House staff picnic on the South Lawn, June 26, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

  • Nancy Reagan

    June 2, 2009: President Barack Obama and former First Lady Nancy Reagan walk side-by-side through Center Hall in the White House, June 2, 2009. To the left of Mrs. Reagan hangs her official White House portrait as First Lady. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

  • Cairo Visit

    June 4, 2009: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recounts a story to President Barack Obama, Senior Advisors David Axelrod and Valerie Jarrett, outside the Sultan Hassan Mosque in Cairo, Egypt, June 4, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

  • The Sphinx

    June 4, 2009: President Barack Obama tours the Egypt's Great Sphinx of Giza (left) and the Pyramid of Khafre, June 4, 2009. (Official White House photo by Pete Souza)

  • Behind The Camera

    Feb. 18, 2009: President Barack Obama takes aim with a photographer's camera backstage prior to remarks about providing mortgage payment relief for responsible homeowners at Dobson High School, Mesa, Ariz., Feb. 18, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

  • First Day

    Jan. 21, 2009: President Barack Obama walks into the Oval Office for his first full day in office, Jan. 21, 2009. His Personal Aide Reggie Love stands nearby. (Official White House photo by Pete Souza)

  • Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/19/obama-midwest-visit_n_3623726.html

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    Saturday, July 20, 2013

    Cuba's '1-percenters': They aren't bankers

    Economy

    8 hours ago

    Cuban artist Dionel Delgado, pictured here, is one of Cuba's well-paid painters.

    Justin Solomon / CNBC

    Cuban artist Dionel Delgado, pictured here, is one of Cuba's well-paid painters.

    In most parts of the world, artists struggle to make a living. In Cuba, they're part of the wealthiest 1 percent of the population.

    Two quirks of fate have led to an explosion of well-paid artists on the island: an exception to the U.S. embargo on Cuban goods that allows Americans to spend money on Cuban art, and an accident of Cuban history that lets artists keep the money they earn.

    Dionel Delgado, 29, is emblematic of financially successful Cuban artists. His new gallery is in an apartment he just bought in a prime ground-floor location in old Havana that gets lots of tourist foot traffic.

    As he painted a large, lush landscape of the Cuban countryside, he told CNBC, "A big part about my work is about the landscape. The love of my country, my space, my dream space."

    Don't try to buy the work however?it's already sold to a Mexican gallery for $10,000. He said that, on average, he sells a painting every two months.

    Thousands of Americans travel legally to Cuba every year under what the Treasury calls "people to people" licenses. Remember Jay-Z and Beyonc?'s trip? On such junkets, American tourists are prohibited from buying any kind of souvenir?except books, music and art.

    As a result, as one moves through old Havana, some of the most prevalent items for sale aren't T-shirts, hats or magnets, but paintings. The government put up a new building a few years ago expressly for art vendors.

    Vendors there don't have to be as successful as Delgado to make a good living. Most of the paintings for sale to tourists are $100 or less. Selling just one a month, a painter makes more than double the average Cuban, who earns only $19 a month in a government job.

    Artists have held a special place in the Cuban economy since the early 1990s?an extremely difficult period in which the Soviet Union cut off the billions of dollars in subsidies it had supplied to Fidel Castro's government. Even food was hard to come by. During that time, the government carved out a special exemption for musicians and artists, allowing them to travel freely in and out of the country and, more importantly, to be self-employed as artists and to keep the money they made.

    The exemptions made them rich compared with other members of Cuban society, as well as more cosmopolitan.

    Abel Barroso Arencibia, 46, who specializes in wood carvings, agrees that artists are lucky to hold a special place in the Cuban economy.

    Barroso is in the middle of a major renovation on his apartment. Two museums in New York?the Whitney Museum of American Art and Museum of Modern Art?hold his pieces in their collections. He has traveled all over the world, from the U.S. to Japan, and was able to do so long before other Cubans, who received that right only at the beginning of this year.

    Also remarkable is that the Cuban government seems willing to tolerate art that could be interpreted as critical of it. Barroso, for example, is working on a woodcut of a tablet computer. It obviously doesn't work, but the "apps" on the wooden machine are all related to emigrating from Cuba.

    Barroso makes many woodcuts of communication devices. He calls the work an "ironic" commentary on technology. When asked if it's a criticism of the government?given that most Cubans don't have a cellphone or access to the Internet?he responds, "How it's interpreted is up to the viewer."

    Besides landscapes, Delgado has created a series of large-format paintings that depict fake magazine covers. He said he was inspired by Norman Rockwell, famous for painting real magazine covers that portray an idyllic American life.

    One of Delgado's magazine cover paintings shows people preparing to jump over the malecon?the famous seawall in Havana?in inner tubes. It's a scene repeated by thousands of Cubans who, desperate to leave, took to the open ocean.

    When asked if the painting is intended as a criticism of the government, Delgado said no, adding that "it talks about the troubles of Cuba."

    "It's normal for all the Cubans to have this constant on our minds," he said. For a Cuban, the sea means "one way to take his dreams out there, the American dream," he added. "It's a reflection of ... how many people take this option, you know? For finding a way, you know?"

    ?By CNBC's Michelle Caruso-Cabrera

    ? 2013 CNBC LLC. All Rights Reserved

    Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/663286/s/2ee57731/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Cbusiness0Ccubas0E10Epercenters0Ethey0Earent0Ebankers0E6C10A687330A/story01.htm

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