Unclaimed Money

If you're a "Good Morning America" fan, you probably already know about this week's "Show Me the Money" series on helping people find unclaimed money.
So far, it's helped a Pennsylvania woman get her share of $16 billion in unredeemed U.S. Treasury bonds. On Thursday, it helped a West Virginia woman recover $15,000 that had been left for her when her mother died.
GMA's site has a lot of good tips on finding unclaimed property, if you look past all the hyper exclamation points. There's links for searching for unredeemed savings bonds, money from banks that went belly up, and proceeds from any lost life insurance policies. Other pots of cash can be found in apartment deposits and wills of people who died without beneificiaries.

If you're wondering how to search for unclaimed money in Washington, go to the Department of Revenue's Claim Your Cash site.
You can also check to see if the IRS owes you a refund.

P

Three years ago, I got a phone call — Pandora was about to die.
Things were not going well for the Internet radio service at that point. The economy was collapsing, Sequoia would soon give its infamous “RIP, Good Times” presentation, and most importantly for Pandora, it was starting to look like the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) may not lower their rates. This led founder Tim Westergren to suggest that they may have to shut the service down. And we wrote that sadly, it was looking like Pandora may have to be a “sacrificial lamb“.
That’s what makes today so fascinating — and perhaps the feel-good tech story for this generation of web startups. Pandora IPO’d this morning, listing itself on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “P”. While the orignal IPO share price had been set at $7 to $9, the company revised that to $10 to $12, and then set it yesterday at $16. The stock opened today north of $20 a share, where it remains. The market cap is now over $3 billion. Again, this was a company that was going to die.
I got the chance to speak with Pandora head of product and CTO Tom Conrad about the big day — as well as the amazing backstory of the company.
“It’s a beautiful day in New York,” Conrad says with a laugh. When I tell him that’s on the record, he laughs again. “It rained yesterday, but not a cloud in the sky today.” He’s in a good mood, obviously. And he should be. He got to take the company that he has poured his life into for the past seven years public today. He says he’s speaking to me from either “deep in the basement or way up up in a tower” at the NYSE.
“It’s a really exciting time for Pandora. We’re growing really fast. And we’re excited about the opportunity for all the new listeners we have,” Conrad kicks things off by saying. I ask him to back up and start at the beginning.
Pandora was founded in 2000, but it wasn’t known as “Pandora” at the time. Instead, the company was focused on their Music Genome Project, which aimed to extract the DNA from music, as it were, and find commonalities to perfect recommendations. When Conrad joined in 2004, the company was known as Savage Beast — yes, a truly awful name that invokes Savage Garden. In fact, here’s an early blog post form Conrad about Savage Beast that he probably won’t be please with me sharing.
When Conrad came on board, the company had just taken its first real venture capital investment (from Walden Ventures) and Joe Kennedy had just been hired as CEO. The idea was to transform the Music Genome Project from a cool piece of technology that was licensed out to the likes of Best Buy, and (our parent) AOL, among others, to a consumer-facing product. That effort began in December 2004, with design work leading up to that. By the late summer of 2005, the product was ready to go.
And here’s where things get really interesting.
“TechCrunch is a part of this,” Conrad says. “We launched, and the first Barcamp was the following Saturday. I got out of bed that morning and almost didn’t go. But at the last minute, I threw my laptop in the car and drove to Palo Alto,” he says. “By luck, Mike was in the room.”

TMobile

T-Mobile USA, Inc. today announced More for Me^™, a nationwide aggregation service that offers consumers the best in daily deals. The service is completely free. Beginning today, consumers using nearly any Android^™-powered smartphone can download the beta version of the T-Mobile More for Me application from Android Market™ to get the best and timely offers, discounts and deals from some of the biggest names in daily deals tailored to their preferences, location and interests.
More for Me is the first nationwide daily deal aggregation service of its kind from a national wireless carrier. Discounts and deals are generated from popular social buying sites, such as LivingSocial – the online source for handpicked experiences at a great value – as well as exclusive offers from T-Mobile and its partners. Customers can get discounts on a wide variety of products and services, making it easier than ever for people to save money while on the go.
“Consumers are constantly looking for ways to save money and are turning to social buying apps in droves,” said Brad Duea, senior vice president, value added services marketing, T-Mobile USA. “With T-Mobile’s More for Me application for Android smartphones, we’re bringing together the leading daily deal sites into one easy-to-navigate place so consumers spend less time searching and more time saving.”
The T-Mobile More for Me application is customizable, enabling consumers to find the most relevant deals, closest to their exact location. Users have the opportunity to see deals from a variety of retailers, in nearly any city, with many deals tailored to meet their specific interests and preferences.
“LivingSocial works directly with merchants in all of our 260+ global markets to craft great deals that drive our valuable members through their door,” said Jake Maas, senior vice president, corporate and business development, LivingSocial. “We are excited to bring our handpicked experiences to the millions of consumers who will enjoy T-Mobile’s new More for Me app.”
T-Mobile Android customers, and anyone with an Android-powered mobile phone using Android 1.6 or higher, can download the More for Me application from Android Market for free today.
In partnership with Out There Media, a global leader in mobile advertising, T-Mobile will expand More for Me to reach virtually all of its customers, regardless of phone type, by offering them the option of receiving free text messages of exclusive offers, discounts and deals. The T-Mobile More for Me application is also expected to be built for other popular mobile operating systems later this summer.
In both the application and opt-in text message experience, T-Mobile More for Me enables consumers to specify their interests and demographic information in order to receive the most relevant offers, deals and discounts.
More information on the T-Mobile More for Me application is available at https://market.android.com/details?id=com.tmobile.moreforme.
About T-Mobile USA, Inc.

Based in Bellevue, Wash., T-Mobile USA, Inc. is the U.S. wireless operation of Deutsche Telekom AG. By the end of the first quarter of 2011, approximately 128 million mobile customers were served by the mobile communication segments of the Deutsche Telekom group — 33.6 million by T-Mobile USA — all via a common technology platform based on GSM and UMTS and additionally HSPA+/HSPA+42. T-Mobile USA’s innovative wireless products and services help empower people to connect to those who matter most. Multiple independent research studies continue to rank T-Mobile USA among the highest in numerous regions throughout the U.S. in wireless customer care and call quality. For more information, please visit http://www.T-Mobile.com. T-Mobile is a federally registered trademark of Deutsche Telekom AG. For further information on Deutsche Telekom, please visit www.telekom.de/investor-relations.
For more information about T-Mobile’s 4G products, please visit http://www.t-mobile.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that reflect the current views of Deutsche Telekom management with respect to future events. These forward-looking statements may include statements with regard to the expected development of revenue, earnings, profits from operations, depreciation and amortization, cash flows and personnel-related measures. You should consider them with caution. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, most of which are difficult to predict and are generally beyond Deutsche Telekom’s control. Among the factors that might influence our ability to achieve our objectives are the progress of our workforce reduction initiative and other cost-saving measures, and the impact of other significant strategic, labour or business initiatives, including acquisitions, dispositions and business combinations, and our network upgrade and expansion initiatives. In addition, stronger than expected competition, technological change, legal proceedings and regulatory developments, among other factors, may have a material adverse effect on our costs and revenue development. Further, the economic downturn in our markets, and changes in interest and currency exchange rates, may also have an impact on our business development and the availability of financing on favourable conditions. Changes to our expectations concerning future cash flows may lead to impairment write downs of assets carried at historical cost, which may materially affect our results at the group and operating segment levels. If these or other risks and uncertainties materialize, or if the assumptions underlying any of these statements prove incorrect, our actual performance may materially differ from the performance expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. We can offer no assurance that our estimates or expectations will be achieved. Without prejudice to existing obligations under capital market law, we do not assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements to take new information or future events into account or otherwise.
In addition to figures prepared in accordance with IFRS, Deutsche Telekom also presents non-GAAP financial performance measures, including, among others, EBITDA, EBITDA margin, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA margin, adjusted EBIT, adjusted net income, free cash flow, gross debt and net debt. These non-GAAP measures should be considered in addition to, but not as a substitute for, the information prepared in accordance with IFRS. Non-GAAP financial performance measures are not subject to IFRS or any other generally accepted accounting principles. Other companies may define these terms in different ways.

Unclaimed Money

There are $16 billion worth of U.S. savings bonds that have already reached their maximum value but haven't been claimed.
You may wonder how somebody could lose track of an investment like this. The thing is, savings bonds take 20 to 40 years to mature, so people sometimes just forget about them.
But it's worth checking, because the average successful search turns up bonds worth about $1,000.
Jerry Williams of Pennsylvania remembers seeing patriotic promotional ads as a girl. So when she became a young working woman, she started buying savings bonds.
It was like an old-fashioned 401k.
"It's just been a blessing in our lives," Williams said.
When Williams saw a "Good Morning America" link about unclaimed savings bonds, she didn't think she'd find any because she had always kept hers in a safe and thought she'd cashed them all in.
"I thought, 'oh well, I'll just do it anyway.' Bang -- there it was. And it was a thrill," she told "GMA."
"Count me in" is what Lorraine Silva and 70 others said when the Treasury Department was looking for volunteers to help reunite citizens with their savings bonds.
"It's very rewarding to feel that you've done something to make somebody happy and to perhaps change their life in some way," Silva said.
In some cases, bonds are so old that workers have to search microfilm archives for documentation.
The government's savings bond push was such a success that it takes a million microfilm reels in a room the length of a football field to hold all of the records.
Sure enough, some of those records were Williams'.
When Silva called with the good news, Williams was stunned. She had invested $50 and figured she'd get a hundred back, but got $521 instead -- 10 times her original investment.
"I thought, I'm just going to plant flowers," she said. "$500 worth. $500 worth of flowers. I'm just planting them."
That would make a beautiful ending to the story, but there's more. I suggested Williams search for savings bonds in her husband's name.

She found some.
And then, while "GMA" was at Williams' house, she found still more unredeemed savings bonds for her daughter, Becky Maholic.
Maholic now continues the tradition, buying savings bonds for her son.
"It'll be exciting to see if my son ever has the same excitement. Lost money that's found," Maholic said.
In the end, the Williams family received checks for a total of $924.
If you're now inspired to check for savings bonds in your family's name, it's easy. And it's worth checking back often because the government adds another half million bonds to the database every month as they mature.
So what's the largest dollar amount of savings bonds owed to any one person?
Somebody out there is the lucky owner of 13,000 savings bonds worth a total of $2.5 million.

Office Furniture

Bush Business Furniture (BBF) -- a global manufacturer of case goods office furniture and the commercial division of Bush Industries -- announced today it will showcase at NeoCon 2011 its transactional business capabilities and how furniture dealers can tap into a burgeoning $1 billion market.  Highlighting its unique value proposition for furniture dealers, BBF will display its office furniture lines and how they fit into four distinctive transactional market scenarios, including:  the remote office space, the office at home, the traditional small business, and the non-traditional small business.
Since its rebranding as BBF a year ago, the division is growing to become a leading source of office furniture for the transactional market customer.  To support furniture dealers seeking to serve these customers and expand their revenue streams, BBF has increased its sales team to include additional independent sales representatives in geographic regions from coast-to-coast.  Recent additions include: Gd Brower Inc., Mackintosh Contract and Options Business Furniture, Inc.
"It's been nearly a year since we rebranded our commercial division as BBF, and in that short period of time, BBF clearly is establishing itself as a leader in serving the needs of the transactional customer," said Jim Sherbert, CEO of Bush Industries. "We offer tremendous value and facilitate the process for dealers who want to take advantage of transactional business without changing how they are doing business now."
BBF will feature at NeoCon (7^th Floor, Showroom #4102) how its product and service capabilities are designed to help dealers meet the changing needs of their customer base while remaining profitable.  BBF targets transactional customers in all business scenarios, ranging from the corporate employee working remotely and the entrepreneur launching a business from home to the small graphic design firm or other non-traditional business office.  The product lines BBF will display at the show include Momentum, Sector, Milano2, Quantum, Enterprise and Syndicate.  The service capabilities BBF will feature help dealers serve the transactional customer better with free space planning, fast shipping, co-branded marketing programs, aggressive showroom discount package and Bush's trademarked Install 360 program.
"BBF brings value to dealers through our service capabilities, which are unmatched in the industry and provide dealers the opportunity to tap into new revenue streams traditionally left to office superstores and others," said Mike Chefalo, Vice President of Product Management, Commercial Products for Bush Industries.  "Not only do we offer an extensive range of superior quality office furnishings, but we provide fast delivery and installation with our Install 360 program and complimentary space designing that enables designers to provide their customers with office furniture solutions that meet their space requirements and needs."

BBF provides a broad scope of commercial grade products and services, which are aligned to the transactional requirements of all businesses, as well as specific market niches such as the serious office-at-home professional.  While BBF furniture is commercial quality, it is specifically designed to fit the shipping and installation needs of the transactional market by meeting standard ground shipping criteria, quick assembly, etc.  The company specializes in simplified ordering and fulfillment for smaller installations and immediate needs, appealing to furniture dealers who don't have the resources and infrastructure to support them.
BBF's NeoCon 2011 Showroom to Feature Customer Scenarios
To demonstrate the value BBF offers dealers, the company has designed this year's showroom at NeoCon to demonstrate how its products and services address four transactional customer scenarios:

• Office@Home – The entrepreneur launching a business or the business consultant with an office at home typically has a limited budget, but needs high-quality furniture immediately for an office space that fits within their home environment.  They may need space design assistance and delivery and installation service.

• The Remote Worker – The remote worker could be in a non-traditional office space away from a central business hub or a corporate employee who has been sent home to work due to an office closing or downsizing.  They also will have budget constraints, but still need dealer services, as well as deliver and installation for an atypical office environment.

• Traditional Small Business – Most small businesses have fewer than 10 employees, but still require quality furniture with professional space planning and installation/delivery services.  It's a small order for some dealers, but where else can small businesses turn for the furnishing solutions they require?

• Non-Traditional Small Business – The non-traditional small business can range from a graphic design firm to gaming developers.  They want contemporary furnishings that address their technology and collaboration needs.  But, they likely have a limited budget and unusual office space that requires dealer services.

BBF's comprehensive selection of furnishing solutions for the workplace span from its latest Momentum and Sector collections to its space-conscious Syndicate and Enterprise collections.  A broad spectrum of furniture sizes and styles are available, with finish options, base and leg details, and line extensions that make it easy to add-on pieces and expand to and within any office environment. All of BBF's products are tested to meet or exceed professional ANSI-BIFMA standards for safety and performance and are backed by a 10-year or limited lifetime warranty.  New products are continuously being developed and added as the market demands.
About Bush Industries, Inc.
Bush Industries, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of case goods and ready-to-assemble furniture designed for office and home applications. The company operates two North American divisions – BBF and Bush Furniture – along with its Rohr division in Germany and its China operations. With a 50-year legacy built on quality, safety, reliability and durability, Bush Industries is the trusted leader in designing furnishing solutions that meet work and home needs. The company is headquartered in Jamestown, N.Y., with manufacturing and distribution facilities located in western New York, Pennsylvania, China and Germany.

Timberland

U.S. stocks traded mixed Monday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 4.7 points to 11957 but the Standard & Poor's 500 slid 1 point to 1270 and the Nasdaq Composite lost 6.7 points to 2637. Among the companies whose shares are actively trading in the session are Timberland Co. (TBL), Transatlantic Holdings Inc. (TRH) and Graham Packaging Co. (GRM).
Branded-apparel company VF Corp. (VFC, $101.93, +$10.13, +11.04%) agreed to buy Timberland ($42.79, +$12.80, +42.66%) for about $2 billion, taking advantage of the footwear company's beaten-down stock price to boost its outdoor and action-sports businesses. VF's offer of $43 a share represents a premium of 43% to Friday's close. Other footwear companies including Wolverine World Wide Inc. (WWW, $38.82, +$1.65, +4.44%) and Brown Shoe Co. (BWS, $9.49, +$0.41, +4.52%) also gained.
Transatlantic Holdings ($48.36, +$4.35, +9.88%) and Allied World Assurance Company Holdings AG (AWH, $55.58, -$2.49, -4.29%) Sunday said they had agreed to a merger of equals to create a global reinsurer with equity of nearly $7 billion.
Graham Packaging ($25.88, +$3.93, +17.90%) said it received a competing takeover offer valued at about $1.64 billion from a third party, which its board determined could lead to a superior proposal to its pending $1.45 billion takeover by Silgan Holdings Inc. (SLGN, $41.13, -$2.02, -4.68%).
Wendy's/Arby's Group Inc. (WEN, $4.63, +$0.11, +2.43%) agreed to sell most of its struggling Arby's chain for $130 million in cash to a group led by private-equity firm Roark Capital Group in a deal that leaves it with an 18.5% ownership stake in the fast-food restaurant.
Quanex Building Product Corp. (NX, $16.49, -$1.61, -8.88%) swung to a loss in its fiscal second quarter on weak sales in its engineered-products unit, and the company warned growth in the economy and pace of recovery in residential-housing activity have slowed.
Other Stocks In Focus: Morgan Stanley upgraded its stock-investment rating on lithium-ion battery maker A123 Systems Inc. (AONE, $5.04, +$0.52, +11.48%) to overweight, saying, "Near-term catalysts and revenue visibility offer favorable risk-reward." Despite rising Monday, the stock is down 47% this year, including 18% in June. But through year's end, Morgan Stanley sees A123 benefiting from things including several auto makers moving from prototypes to volume production and margins rising on increased capacity utilization.
Aetna Inc. (AET, $42.90, +$0.04, +0.09%) agreed to buy Genworth Financial Inc.'s (GNW, $10.26, +$0.16, +1.53%) medicare-supplement business for about $290 million, as Genworth continues to narrow its focus to retirement and protection products.
Alaska Air Group Inc.'s (ALK, $62.62, +$1.07, +1.74%) board has authorized the airline to buy back up to $50 million of its common stock.
Alliance One International Inc. (AOI, $3.01, -$0.51, -14.49%) shares hit a two-year low after the company said it swung to a loss in its fiscal year ended March, as sales and other operating revenue fell 9.3%. The leaf-tobacco seller noted it continues to work through global oversupply and modified manufacturer sourcing strategies that have affected its results.
In a surprise move, home-building company Beazer Homes USA Inc. (BZH, $3.00, -$0.15, -4.76%) said Chief Executive Ian J. McCarthy will step down and be replaced by Allan Merrill, the current chief financial officer.
Shares of flu-vaccine developer BioCryst Pharmaceuticals Inc. (BCRX, $4.08, +$0.53, +14.93%) rallied Monday in the wake of a report that researchers have identified a newly mutated strain of the swine flu, or H1N1, virus that appears to be resistant to the two leading treatments for the disease, Roche Holding AG's (RHHBY, $41.89, +$0.23, +0.55%) and Gilead Sciences Inc.'s (GILD, $39.89, -$0.34, -0.85%) Tamiflu and GlaxoSmithKline PLC's (GSK, $41.89, +$0.32, +0.77%) Relenza. The new strain, however, didn't appear to be as resistant to BioCryst's experimental flu-treatment peramivir. The data were published by researchers associated with the World Health Organization in the current issue of the medical journal Eurosurveillance. Peramivir is currently in Phase III testing.
Carnival Corp. (CCL, $35.14, -$0.66, -1.84%) said it underestimated the impact of itinerary changes and higher fuel prices for the second half of the year, with impacts from crises in the Middle East, North Africa and Japan now expected to cut an additional 15 cents a share from earnings.
J.P. Morgan upgraded its stock-investment rating on Chico's FAS Inc. (CHS, $13.92, +$0.53, +3.96%) to overweight from neutral, saying that, within a backdrop of a rationalizing competitive landscape, Chico's also has a number of company-specific margin-enhancing opportunities.
Citigroup Inc. (C, $38.60, +$0.68, +1.79%) will cut its stake in India's Housing Development Finance Corp. Ltd. (500010.BY) to below 10%, two people familiar with the matter told Dow Jones Newswires Monday.
CytRx Corp. (CYTR, $0.81, +$0.02, +1.91%) said a study shows its cancer-inhibitor candidate, bafetinib, was clinically active in a group of leukemia patients for whom several other treatments failed.
Honeywell International Inc. (HON, $55.68, +$0.15, +0.27%) agreed to buy mobile-computer maker EMS Technologies Inc. (ELMG, $32.87, +$8.07, +32.54%) for about $491 million, a move that expands Honeywell's mobile-computing business into the warehousing and port segments. Honeywell's $33-a-share cash tender offer is a 33% premium to EMS's Friday close of $24.80.

Beaten-down shares of eResearch Technology Inc. (ERT, $5.88, +$0.39, +7.10%) got a boost after Benchmark upgraded the clinical-research firm to buy while increasing EPS targets amid the company's "continued modest pace of hiring." Benchmark--which had eResearch at sell five weeks ago--went on to say: "Our recent meeting with ERT's new management supported the view that the results in Q1 were depressed by higher than usual cancellations that appear to be periodic and not suggestive of a broader trend. Lacking unusual cancellations and with slower investment spending, we now believe ERT could reach the upper end of its earnings guidance."
Baird said its "field research points to a sharp deceleration in semiconductor order trends in 2Q," leading to downgrades on Fairchild Semiconductor International Inc. (FCS, $15.35, -$1.34, -8.03%) and Diodes Inc. (DIOD, $22.21, -$1.40, -5.93%) to neutral from outperform, along with cuts in estimates and price targets to a handful of others. The firm noted "lead times have come down significantly," with inventories stacking up and demand waning. And if the back-to-school season turns out weaker than expected, "we could see a further slowdown in orders in 3Q," Baird says.
Ford Motor Co. (F, $12.89, -$0.46, -3.45%) must pay almost $2 billion in damages to thousands of dealers after a judge upheld a jury verdict against the auto maker earlier this year, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Forest Laboratories Inc. (FRX, $38.71, +$0.76, +2.00%) said it received notice that one of billionaire activist investor Carl C. Icahn's affiliates intends to nominate four candidates for Forest's nine-member board.
Gerber Scientific Inc. (GRB, $11.02, +$2.90, +35.65%) agreed to be acquired by technology investment firm Vector Capital Corp. for about $281.8 million, which follows Gerber's efforts to restructure. The deal, worth $11 a share in cash, represents a 35% premium over Friday's close.
Greenhill & Co. (GHL, $50.78, +$0.86, +1.72%) sold all of its interests in the U.S. buyout fund Greenhill Capital Partners II L.P. for about $45 million to certain investors advised by J.P. Morgan Asset Management.
Harvest Natural Resources Inc. (HNR, $12.18, +$1.67, +15.89%) disclosed Monday it has discovered oil in a West African offshore well. The well was spudded April 28 and is being drilled to test the potential of the pre-salt Gamba and Dentale Formations. It has reached a vertical depth of 9,953 feet.
Blood-test product maker Immucor Inc. (BLUD, $20.06, +$0.48, +2.45%) gained following Sunday night's disclosure that CEO Gioacchino De Chirico has stepped down and will be succeeded by Joshua Levine, whose last job was running breast-implant maker Mentor until its 2009 acquisition by Johnson & Johnson (JNJ, $66.91, +$0.82, +1.24%). WJB Capital expected a gain, though hesitated in saying so as it "didn't want to imply that Nino did anything wrong or that we don't like the guy. The unfortunate reality is that Nino took over a company that immediately fell under multiple investigations and made a transformational acquisition that hasn't panned out yet." It added, "Given Immucor bulls' mantra that BLUD is cheap and potentially a good takeover target, this hire will likely be well received."
Iron Mountain Inc.'s (IRM, $32.31, +$0.40, +1.25%) board authorized a 33% increase to its quarterly dividend, marking another leg in the data-management company's plan to return $2.2 billion of capital to shareholders by 2013.
Kodiak Oil & Gas Corp. (KOG, $5.60, -$0.37, -6.20%) reduced its production outlook for the year due to the impact of damaging weather during the first half of the year at its Williston Basin operations in North Dakota and Montana.
Privately held diversified company MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings Inc. said it has offered to acquire all the shares of M&F Worldwide Corp. (MFW, $24.01, +$7.05, +41.57%) it doesn't already own in a deal that values the company at $464 million. The deal, worth $24 a share, represents a 42% premium over Friday's closing price.
Magellan Health Services Inc. (MGLN, $53.01, +$2.23, +4.39%) said Arizona has extended its Maricopa County Medicaid contract to provide behavioral health services for 15 months, through September 2013.
Sidoti raised its stock-investment rating on Maidenform Brands Inc. (MFB, $26.95, +$0.68, +2.59%) to buy from neutral, citing valuation and saying the recent pullback in the stock largely reflected the weak overall market and an earnings miss by a competitor.
Information-technology company Ness Technologies Inc. (NSTC, $7.61, +$0.93, +13.92%) (NSTC.TV) said Friday it has agreed to be acquired by a Citigroup Inc. (C, $38.61, +$0.69, +1.82%) private-equity fund for $307 million. Under the deal, an affiliate of Citi Venture Capital International will pay $7.75 a share in cash, a 16% premium to the stock's Friday close.
Petroleum Development Corp., or PDC Energy, (PETD, $29.11, -$3.64, -11.11%) shares slumped after a surprise disclosure Saturday that director James Trimble is replacing Richard McCullough as CEO, effective immediately. The company attributed the management change during a conference call to determining it needs a leader with deeper operational background and with a more sophisticated sense of exploration and production industry and operations. C.K. Cooper analyst Joel Musante noted it was more of an abrupt announcement than a smooth change, with investors likely reacting to uncertainty on the future direction of the company.
The board of Regions Financial Corp. (RF, $6.01, -$0.14, -2.20%) is investigating whether executives delayed public disclosure of loans that were going sour during the financial crisis, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing court documents and people familiar with the matter.
Tower Semiconductor Ltd. (TSEM, $1.08, +$0.04, +3.85%) forecast a second-quarter revenue range above analysts' estimate, noting the mid-range is a record high.
Needham Research upgraded its stock-investment rating on TTM Technologies Inc. (TTMI, $13.96, +$0.59, +4.41%) to strong buy from buy, saying the company boasts an impressive customer list with some of the leading players in technology, while operating at the vanguard of a highly consolidated space. The firm added that any opportunity to pick up such a "high-quality company at such a discount should be seized upon."
Under Armour Inc. (UA, $67.52, +$3.40, +5.30%) rallied as Sterne Agee upgraded the athletic-apparel retailer to buy and boosted its price target by one-third to $80 amid continued 30% growth in its apparel sales and increased direct-to-consumer purchases as UA opens more stores.
Xerox Corp. (XRX, $9.60, +$0.20, +2.13%) got a Barron's bounce after OSS Capital Management's Oscar Schafer touted the stock, saying Xerox's $6.4 billion acquisition of Affiliated Computer Services last year accelerated its transformation into a higher-growth technology services provider. He added that Xerox is the "industry leader" in the document business, noted its formidable cash-flow prospects and said "there are a lot of cheap large-cap technology stocks out there, but Xerox seems to have fewer issues."
Sidoti upgraded its stock-investment rating on Zoll Medical Corp. (ZOLL, $57.19, +$1.05, +1.87%) to buy from neutral, saying the company's LifeVest wearable external defibrillator product will likely boost sales growth and margins while the core defibrillator business will likely reach a normal run rate by 2013 on less-constrained hospital capital budgets and solid international growth.

SIRI

Three ex-securities traders were convicted on Monday on all counts of fraud and conspiracy to execute insider trading on awaiting mergers, in another success for prosecutors in their investigation of doubtful trading on Wall Street.
Two Brothers Zvi Goffer and Emanuel Goffer and a third trader, Michael Kimelman, their ex-partner at trading company Incremental Capital LLC, decided to go to inquiry when dozens of other insider trading defendants in the broad investigation have pleaded guilty.
Let’s have a look on some highly traded stocks at NASDAQ.

Sirius XM Radio Inc. (NASDAQ:SIRI) shares declined 5.75% to $1.88. Its stock has reported a 14% retreat over the first seven trading sessions present month, with no main news. Emotional trades appeared to be the major cause for the sell-off.

Sirius’ product is largely distributed by means of automakers and retail locations as well as via Sirius’ own website. Sirius XM has relations with key automobile makers for example Ford, General Motors and Toyota, which help make its existence in the US automobile space.

Level 3 Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:LVLT) today declared that it has obtained five awards in ATLANTIC-ACM’s 2011 North America Business Services Survey. The awards distinguish Level 3’s leadership in providing voice and data services that meet the requirements of enterprise customers.
Its shares reported the loss of 0.45% to $2.19 with the total traded volume of 41.76 million shares.
Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) jumped 0.67% to $15.22 with the total traded volume of 33.57 million shares less than average volume of 77.20 million. Its market capitalization is $83.74 billion.
Its earning per share was $1.27 with the net profit margin of 16.78% and its operating margin was 16.78%. It gained 15.81% return on equity.
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) reported the gain of 1.54% to $24.07 with the overall traded volume of 21.87 million shares. Its total outstanding shares are 8.42 billion shares with the market capitalization of $203.06 billion.
Company’s 5 years revenue rate remained 9.45%. Its current ratio was 2.76 and debt to equity was 0.22. Its beta value stands at 1.05 times and return on investment was 32.49%.

Harley Davidson

This weekend, Jon Huntsman came as close as he could to announcing his candidacy for the Republican nomination without actually announcing it. He said that he had thought a lot about the decision to run, but still needed to firm things up at home. “One more sit-down with the family this week, and I think we will check that box,” he said. Certainly, Huntsman, official or not, is engaging in the activities of an otherwise fully fledged candidate. He spent the morning on Saturday chatting with voters at a Harley-Davidson dealership in Manchester, New Hampshire, where he wore a black leather jacket with GOVERNOR stitched onto the front. (He is a former governor of Utah, and more recently had been the ambassador to China.) Huntsman, an avid motorcyclist, said that if he ever occupied the White House he would bring his Harley with him to Washington. (A few weeks ago, after Sarah Palin rode a borrowed motorcycle around the monuments in the nation’s capital, she wrote on her blog, “There’s no better way to see D.C. than on the back of a Harley!”)
Rain prevented Huntsman from arriving at the northernmost stop on his trip, the Laconia Motorcycle Week rally. He had originally planned to ride his bike there from Concord, but it had always been difficult to imagine the silver-haired Ambassador poking through the leather-goods tents or enjoying the cover band working its way through “Black Water.” Tanya Furbish, who is thirty-five, was working in a pop-up whiskey station, and was officially undecided about the G.O.P. field. She wore bluejeans, a bathing-suit top, and a plastic poncho. “I don’t like his record on health care in Massachusetts,” she said. Was she referring to Huntsman or to Mitt Romney, a rival? “I think you know what I mean,” she said.

Other rallygoers felt that it was too early to think about another election. One young man, who was getting a tattoo in front of an R.V.-turned-parlor, said he hadn’t thought about the race yet at all. “That’s something I’ll start looking at four, maybe five, months from now,” he said. It’s a good thing for Huntsman that autumn is fine for motorcycling, too.

Under Armour

Under Armour

Shares of Under Armour Inc. gave up early gains Friday, a down day for the market, a day after revealing growth plans and new products that impressed some analysts.

The company, which sells athletic clothing, shoes and accessories at its own stores and other sporting goods stores, told analysts on Thursday about its plans to double 2010 sales, which were at about $1 billion, by 2013.

Under Armour also outlined plans for new products including water-repellent hoodies, according to analysts who attended Thursday's presentation at the company's Baltimore headquarters. Under Armour also hopes to expand in women's clothing with yoga pants and new sports bras.

The company also said it plans to remodel its stores and could open more. It also plans to update its fixtures and add floor space at some of the retailers where it sells its gear, including Dicks Sporting Goods Inc. and Sports Authority. It also plans to launch a new website to drive online shopping, according to William Blair & Co. analysts.

Stifel Nicolaus analysts upgraded the stock from "Hold" to "Buy," saying they were impressed by greater "management depth" and the detail of the company's growth plans.

But KeyBanc analysts Edward Yruma and Charu Sharma sounded a note of caution. They said that the push into women's clothing will put Under Armour in direct competition with fast-growing Lululemon Athletica Inc. They also noted that Under Armour, like other companies, faces rising costs for the raw materials it needs to make and transport its products. The company, they wrote, "has solid growth prospects, but ... there is not much room for error."

In April, the company said that first-quarter revenue rose 36 percent, and net income rose 69 percent.

Friday, the company's shares were trading down about 1 percent to $64.57 at midday after peaking as high as $67.07. Shares are still above Wednesday's closing price. The Dow Jones industrial average and the S&P 500 also were down about 1 percent.

Infiniti

The deal is, get the most output from the least input.
Yes, this is the philosophy of the lazy man. But engineers also use this as the definition of efficiency.
The overall efficiency of fossil-fuelled automobiles — how much of the latent energy of the fuel is converted into motion — is somewhere around 20 to 25 per cent. Much of the rest is lost to heat.
If we can recoup and re-use some of that energy — well, it's free. Sort of.
That's the principle behind every hybrid car: capture the heat lost to braking, and use it to help power the car. The engineers can decide to use this power to move the car farther, or to move it faster, or some combination of the two.
Most hybrids are distance-oriented—go farther on the same amount of fuel.
Infiniti is exploring the other side of the equation with the M35h, what the company is calling the first “true performance luxury hybrid sedan.” It's on sale now, priced at $67,300.
(I wonder what the marketing manager for the Lexus GS450h hybrid, which goes pretty quick itself, thinks of that claim.)
The M35h begins with the all-new-a-year-ago M sedan, Consumers Reports' highest-rated luxury sedan. It recently received a Ward's Automotive “interior'' award. And in the only opinion poll that really matters, sales are up 158 per cent over the previous model.
Into this, Infiniti has baked a hybrid powertrain that in overall concept is similar to what GM (Yukon), Chrysler (Aspen) and Mercedes-Benz (S-Class) have done. It's even (although to a less-similar-looking extent) similar to Honda's Integrated Motor Assist system.
In other words, replace the torque converter with an electric motor, which can add that regenerated energy to the drive wheels, and also act as a starter motor as needed.
The engine is Nissan's corporate 3.5 litre V6, modified to run on the “Atkinson” cycle, as do most hybrids.
Without getting into too much technical detail, this cycle delays the closing of the intake valves on the compression stroke, which allows some of the intake charge to escape back into the intake manifold.
This reduces the pumping losses inside the cylinder, resulting in an engine that is (a), about 10 per cent more fuel-efficient, but (b), considerably down on low-end torque production.
This torque deficiency is more than made up for by the introduction of the electric motor, which quite conveniently generates its maximum torque at zero r.p.m.
The car can scoot from rest to 100 km/h in the low-five second range, which is pretty quick.
More than outright performance, Infiniti is aiming for a direct performance “feel,” with a fast-reacting if conventional seven-speed automatic transmission, instead of a rather more leisurely CVT used in many hybrids.
The system can run on battery alone — up to about 100 km/h if you're below 20 per cent throttle application and there's enough juice in the battery, but only for a maximum of just under 2 km.
More of a party trick then.
The engine will also shut off at idle or during deceleration, when the kinetic energy is being converted back into electrical energy.
The engine will switch back on if the battery gets too low, or when full acceleration is called for.
The packaging is pretty good; the electric motor is only 50 mm longer than the torque converter it replaces, and the lithium-ion traction battery pack still leaves 11.3 cubic feet of trunk space.
Enough, Infiniti says, for four bags of golf clubs, which seems to be the critical criterion in this class of car.

The added components tack about 125 kg onto the car. To compensate, the M35h uses the stiffer springs from the Sport package of the regular M37. Recommended tire pressures are 3 psi higher, to the same intent.
Only rear-wheel drive is offered.
So, how does this all work?
For the most part, pretty well because it drives like an M37 with a bit more power — which is essentially what it is. With a bit of fiddling, you can dial up an energy flow graphic on the instrument panel (whether staring at this constitutes “distracted driving” has yet to be determined).
While smooth transitions from gasoline to electric power are a major objective with this car, you won't ever be in the dark about which system is operating. You can hear and feel the engine kick in when it does.
As it does in the sister cars, this automatic transmission offers four driving modes: ECO (you won't want that); Standard (that's better); Sport, with quicker shifts at higher rev thresholds (more fun, and perhaps consistent with this hybrid, if not most of the others); and Snow, which modulates throttle response to minimize wheelspin. The 'ECO-pedal' which resists depressing to minimize fuel consumption is standard on the M35h.
You're really gonna hate this, but it only works in ECO mode which is why you won't want that ...
One aspect that Infiniti has nailed: the regenerative brakes, which have a grabby feel on most hybrids, are as seamless in operation as I have ever encountered.
The big question: is it all worth it?
The hybrid comes in just one trim level — pretty much loaded for that $67,300, which is about six grand more than a comparably-equipped rear-wheel drive M37, or close to fifteen grand more than a base M37.
Using the Transport Canada protocol, Infiniti quotes an “annual fuel cost” of $1,587, versus $2,254 for the M37 RWD. So it'll take you about nine years to break even. Then again, you'll have performance closer to the M56, which costs about the same to buy, and even more to fuel.
Infiniti expects about 20 per cent of M-buyers to opt for the hybrid version, based on their understanding of how the car's closest competition (Lexus GS 450h) sells.
Not all of these customers will be pure “conquests,” some would surely have chosen another M variant if the hybrid were not offered.
But Infiniti presumably figures there'll be enough newbies that offering the hybrid is worth the considerable development cost this car must have incurred.
Travel was provided freelance auto reviewer Jim Kenzie by the car maker. Reach him at:
jim@jimkenzie.com
Infiniti M-35 Hybrid
ENGINE: Gasoline - 3.5 litre V6, Electric - AC permanent magnet synchronous motor.
POWER/TORQUE: Gasoline - 302 hp / 258 lbs.-ft.; Electric - 67 hp/ 199 lbs.-ft.. Net hybrid system output: 360 horsepower.
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (L/100km) City / Highway, 7.5 / 6.1. claimed
COMPETITION: Lexus GS 450h
WHAT'S BEST: All the virtues of the existing M37/M56 (the handling, safety technology, the classy interior, all of the luxury equipment) plus an industry-leading combination of performance and economy; the best regenerative brakes of any tested.
WHAT'S WORST: Transitions from gasoline to electric power are not as seamless as they should be. It's still difficult to justify a hybrid on purely economic terms.
WHAT'S INTERESTING: The car actually makes a speed-dependent sound to warn pedestrians of its approach when running in “otherwise silent” electric mode.

Ethan Allen

Ethan Allen Interiors Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively, "Ethan Allen" or the "Company") (NYSE:ETH)
In anticipation of questions about business trends at upcoming meetings next week with financial analysts, Ethan Allen's Chairman and CEO, Farooq Kathwari commented, "While there are economic headwinds, we have continued to maintain our progress in written business (booked orders) during the months of April and May. We are benefitting from many marketing and operations initiatives taken during the last several years especially during the last three years with the advent of the 'Great Recession'. We also continue to benefit from the leverage of our vertically integrated structure."
About Ethan Allen
Ethan Allen Interiors Inc. is a leading interior design company and manufacturer and retailer of quality home furnishings. The Company offers free interior design service to its clients and sells a full range of furniture products and decorative accessories through ethanallen.com and a network of approximately 280 Design Centers in the United States and abroad. Ethan Allen owns and operates seven manufacturing facilities in North America, including five manufacturing plants and one sawmill in the United States and one manufacturing plant in Mexico. Approximately seventy percent of its products are made in its United States plants. For more information on Ethan Allen's products and services, visitethanallen.com.

This press release should be read in conjunction with the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2010 and other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This press release and related discussions contain forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current expectations concerning future events and results of the Company, and are subject to various assumptions, risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, actual future events or results could differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. The Company assumes no obligation to update or provide revision to any forward-looking statement at any time for any reason.


Ethan Allen Interiors Inc.
Investor / Media Contact:
David R. Callen, 203-743-8305
Vice President Finance & Treasurer

LeMans

Allan McNish's No. 3 Audi collided with a Ferrari in a spectacular crash at the 24 Hours of Le Mans on Saturday, bringing out the safety car so that the debris could be cleared.
The No. 2 Audi of pole-sitter Benoit Treluyer remained in the lead after three hours of the race, which is won by the car that completes the most laps in 24 hours.
McNish was in second place after about 50 minutes when he banged into the No. 58 Ferrari driven by Anthony Beltoise while trying to make a pass. The Audi veered into a pile of tires and broke into pieces.
McNish walked from his car and was taken to a medical center and then a hospital for further checks.

A total of 56 cars started the race's 79th edition.

Worlds Fair

Palm Christian Marketing will kick off its 2011 Knoxville Summer Fest on Tuesday, June 14 on the Performance Lawn at World’s Fair Park with a fun-filled day of music, stand-up comedy, festival games and more.
The event, presented in corporate partnership with Fox Toyota and Moore Freight Services, is held annually to help financially support one local non-profit Christian ministry per year.
The charitable aspect coupled with the carnival atmosphere is what gives Summer Fest its charm, according to Mason Forbis, a senior at UT.
“I went to Summer Fest 2010 with my family, and we all had an incredible time. It is great to have an event like this that is truly all for charity,” said Forbis.
PCMI recognizes that most non-profit organizations have an annual budget that depends entirely on its fundraising abilities. With anywhere from $20,000 to $30,000 in donations required in order to stay afloat, these groups need help from the greater Knoxville community.

The profits from this year’s festival will go to Lost Sheep Ministry, an organization dedicated to helping the large homeless community in Knoxville.
Pre-purchased tickets are $10 and $15 on the day of the event, which begins at noon. With things ranging from face painters, clowns, and stand-up comedy from Mike Williams and David Ferrell, it promises to be a fun-filled day for everyone, with philanthropy at the heart of it.
“The festival is a fun time for everyone around, but the fact that we’re doing all of this to help the less fortunate brings a sense of accomplishment along with it,” said Forbis.

DEX

DEX

On his blog, Matt Zimmerman posts a report on DEX, which is a project to get Debian and its derivatives working more closely together. Debian project leader Stefano Zacchiroli had a hand in both the project and the report. It looks like the first project, "ancient-patches", was a success: "This has left only two patches out of the original list of 277. Both of them are filed in the BTS and have been discussed with the relevant maintainer team.One of them is expected to be obsoleted when a new upstream version is packaged, which implements similar functionality. The other is being discussed with the upstream developers, but there is no conclusion yet about whether it can be merged upstream or in Debian."
It's great to see that different distributions are working together, especially since they are so closely related as Debian derivatives are.
However, I'm wondering: Why aren't these patches immediately sent upstream? Wouldn't it be easier for everyone if package maintainers worked closer with upstream maintainers? I'm sure they'd appreciate quality patches. Or am I missing something?

Pottery Barn

During the Sferra sample sale, through Sunday, down comforters and pillows, blankets, sheets, duvet covers, decorative pillows and throws, table linens and towels are up to 70 percent off (Lindsay duvet sets, originally about $620 to $732, are $275 to $325; Chase towels, pictured, regularly $7 to $57, are $2 to $22); Prive Space at Chelsea Market, 75 Ninth Avenue (15th Street), (212) 543-4300.

Lemon Beads storage accessories fromHable Construction are on sale for a week, until May 26 (the hamper, regularly $275, is $205; the hideaway, usually $215, is $160; the storage box, regularly $98, is $74); information: (718) 834-1752 orhableconstruction.com.
Outdoor sectionals are 15 percent off through June 15 atPottery Barn (the Portsmouth five-piece sectional, originally $2,900, is $2,462; the Chesapeake five-piece sectional, regularly about $2,000, is about $1,700); for information and locations: (888) 779-5176 orpotterybarn.com.
A selection of outdoor furnishings and accessories are on sale at Frontgate while supplies last (the Worthington Fireplace, originally about $400, is about $350; Chestnut Hill seating, originally $695 to $7,280, is $695 to $5,795); for information and locations: (888) 263-9850 or frontgate.com.

i4i

The US Supreme Court has denied an appeal by Microsoft against a $290m verdict for infringing a small Canadian company's patent.

The company, i4i, sued Microsoft in 2007, saying it owned the technology behind a text manipulation tool used in Microsoft's Word application.
The technology gave Word 2003 and Word 2007 users an improved way of using a document's contents.
Lower courts had said Microsoft wilfully breached the patent.
They ordered the world's biggest software maker to pay up, and to stop selling versions of Word containing the infringing technology.
'Clear and convincing'Microsoft claimed a judge used the wrong standard in instructing the jury that decided on the award, and said the judgement should be overturned.
It pushed for a lower standard of proof of infringement to be used instead, arguing that the level of proof usually required to overturn a patent in the US was too high.
Defendants in US patent suits are required to show that 70-80% of the "clear and convincing" evidence supports their case.

Microsoft argued that they should only need to show a "preponderance" of the evidence - more than 50% - was in its favour.
However, the Supreme Court said the "clear and convincing" standard was the correct one.
Prior to the decision, President Obama's administration had called for the court to uphold the higher standard of proof.
Microsoft said in a statement: "While the outcome is not what we had hoped for, we will continue to advocate for changes to the law that will prevent abuse of the patent system and protect inventors who hold patents representing true innovation."
Microsoft now sells versions of Word that do not contain the technology in question.
Loudon Owen, chairman of i4i, welcomed the outcome: "Microsoft tried to gut the value of patents by introducing a lower standard for invalidating patents.
"It is now 100% clear that you can only invalidate a patent based on 'clear and convincing' evidence."

Video Editing Software

Video Editing Software

Sony Creative Software, a leading provider of professional video and audio editing applications, today announced the availability of a new version of its award-winning consumer video editing software Vegas™ Movie Studio HD Platinum 11. The latest version of the application provides professional-grade stereoscopic 3D capabilities and added file format support, enabling users to produce more immersive media projects in nearly any format. Specifically, support for Sony MVC and MPO files allows users to work natively with these 3D formats directly on the Vegas Movie Studio timeline.
Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 11 is an easy-to-use, full-featured video editing application that provides users with the capabilities to create professional-looking, high-definition projects as well as continued support for standard-definition media. This software's powerful new tools previously only available in professional suites – including stereoscopic 3D editing, support for new file formats and precise audio editing controls – add exceptional value for hobbyists and video editing enthusiasts who want to produce and distribute content via devices such as the PSP® and Apple® iPod, or services such as Vimeo, YouTube™ and Facebook®.
"The easier it becomes to capture 3D video and still images on affordable consumer devices, the more people are interested in editing that 3D footage into movies that they can share with their family and friends," said Dave Chaimson, vice president of global marketing for Sony Creative Software. "Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 11 provides professional-level tools and expanded support that allow consumers to create compelling 3D videos and post them to online 3D services like YouTube 3D, or burn the 3D content to Blu-ray disc for viewing on their 3D televisions."
New Features in Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 11 Include:

Stereoscopic 3D Editing – Users can now create stereoscopic 3D projects as easily as 2D projects, with support for a wide range of 3D formats; no additional software plug-ins required

Stereoscopic 3D Monitoring – Customers can view their 3D projects on dedicated 3D monitors, or use their current 2D monitor via the Anaglyphic Preview mode

Added File Format Support – Creative professionals, students and hobbyists working with studio and cinema-level progressive formats are able to edit and output videos in the following file types:

• MVC and MPO 3D – Sony cameras that support these formats include: HDR-TD10, HXR-NX3D1, PMW-TD300 and the Alpha, Cyber-shot® and NEX cameras
• 24p/50p/60p – Users can now choose these progressive format settings for their projects

GPU Accelerated AVC Encoding – Users can improve their AVC rendering performance and speed using the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) in computers equipped with ATI or NVIDIA graphics cards

Titles and Text Plug-in – Utilizing a broad selection of presets and templates, users can quickly and easily achieve dynamic and visually stunning text animations and effects which can be modified and adjusted for even further creative options; new features deliver professional-looking results through an intuitive and easy-to-use interface

Improved "Render," "New Project" and "Make Movie" Dialogs – Users can create new projects, render to specific file formats and deliver with increased efficiency and speed

Audio Event Effects – Users can now apply effects directly to the event level for more precise control over the placement of audio effects

New Video Effects Plug-in SDK – The new SDK enables third-party developers to easily create plug-ins for Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum

The Production Suite and Imagination Studio are now updated with Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 11:
Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum Production Suite 11
In addition to Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 11 software, the Production Suite features additional applications to help consumers create more polished and dynamic video projects. The Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum Production Suite 11 includes: DVD Architect Studio 5, Sound Forge Audio Studio 10, iZotope Vocal Eraser technology, NewBlue Effects and Transitions NewBlue 3D titling plug-in, a complete and comprehensive training and tutorial DVD, 400 exclusive original music soundtracks, and deluxe paper 3D glasses.
Imagination Studio 3
Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 11 is also included in the Imagination Studio bundle, which offers a comprehensive Sony software collection to create the ultimate home multimedia studio with a personal touch. Equipped with the tools to create outstanding multimedia projects, Imagination Studio also features DVD Architect Studio 5, ACID Music Studio 8, Sound Forge Audio Studio 10 and Photo Go, as well as 360 original music soundtracks. For pricing and information, please visit: www.sonycreativesoftware.com/imaginationstudio.
Price and Availability
Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 11 (MSRP: $99.95; Upgrade: $69.95), Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum Production Suite 11 (MSRP: $129.95; Upgrade: $99.95) and Imagination Studio 3 (MSRP: $179.95) are now available online at www.sonycreativesoftware.com and at retailers worldwide. Language versions include English, French, German, Spanish and Japanese.
About Sony Creative Software
Sony Creative Software inspires artistic expression with its award-winning line of products for digital video, audio, and music production, as well as industry-leading technology for DVD production and Blu-ray Disc™ authoring. Sound Forge™ Pro, ACID™ Pro, and Vegas™ Pro software have defined digital content creation for a generation of creative professionals. These signature product lines continue to advance media production by providing powerful, accessible tools. Today, there is a Sony Creative Software application for every level of expertise, including a full line of consumer software based on the company's professional applications. In addition, Sony Creative Software produces the extensive Sony® Sound Series collection of royalty-free loops and samples, Sony Pictures Sound Effects Series exclusive sound effects, and Vision Series video creation assets. Further, the company provides the industry-leading tools for enterprise-level Blu-ray Disc™ authoring: Blu-code™ encoder, Dualstream 3D™ MVC encoder, Z Depth™ 3D subtitle editing application, and Blu-print® software. The company's customers span the globe and include professionals in the film, television, video game, and recording industries, as well as students, educators, and hobbyists. For more information about professional and consumer products, visit www.sonycreativesoftware.com.
Vegas is a trademark or registered trademark of Sony Creative Software Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks or trade names mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

Jim Rogers

Investor Jim Rogers said Friday that he has a short position on a "big, big, big" U.S.-based bank, though he declined to identify it on Bloomberg Television.
"I've got too many friends over there, I'll keep my mouth shut," he said when pressed by an interviewer.
Rogers admitted wishing he didn't own any stocks in the U.S., given his dim view of the country's economy due to record indebtedness and the Federal Reserve's easy-money policies.
A former partner of George Soros, Rogers is known for favoring commodities and currencies. Friday, he repeated that he's long in both areas, while taking short bets on emerging markets, and U.S. technology stocks as well as the unidentified bank. As he did in a separate interview with CNBC earlier this week, Rogers said he holds dollars, having bought them on expectation of a short-term rally.
He also said that, as of Friday morning, he had gone short on U.S. government bonds.

Because of its status as the world's biggest-ever debtor, Rogers said, the U.S. will face a bleak economic future unless Washington takes drastic action to slash spending, reduce the deficit and cut long-term debt.
"We've already lost one decade, we're going to lose another the way things are going," said Rogers, an American based in Singapore. He said rising stock values since early 2009 amount to a "rally in a bear market" and said the U.S. economy looks bound for the kind of stagnation seen in Japan for the past 20 years.

BEBE

Below are the bottom five companies in the Apparel Retail industry as ranked by sales per share. Sales per share is a valuable metric in comparing relative value for companies in the same industry.

Bebe Stores (NASDAQ:BEBE) ranks lowest with sales per share of 5.8x; Wet Seal (NASDAQ:WTSLA) ranks next with sales per share of 6x; and Casual Male Retail (NASDAQ:CMRG) ranks third lowest with sales per share of 8.4x.
Coldwater Creek (NASDAQ:CWTR) follows with sales per share of 10.6x and Chico's FAS (NYSE:CHS) rounds out the bottom five with sales per share of 11.1x.
SmarTrend currently has shares of Coldwater Creek in an Downtrend and issued the Downtrend alert on October 19, 2010 at $3.56. The stock has fallen 56.8% since the Downtrend alert was issued.

Bugatti

Bugatti

This year’s Gumball 3000 rally has certainly lived up to the event’s notorious reputation of millionaires getting reckless with million dollar machines. We recently saw one of the rally participants make a water crossing in hisLamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SV but that pales in comparison to the lunacy of this Bugatti Veyron owner who let a Toyota Supra drift around his car with just a couple of feet separating them.

Sitting behind the wheel of the heavily modified Supra is 25-year old pro drifter Derek “Buttsy” Butler from Ireland. Thankfully nothing happened but nevertheless, we don’t recommend you try this at home.

Sadly, the rally is now over for 2011 but you can bet that the Gumball 3000 will be back kicking in 2012--we can’t wait.