Business Briefs: Investors look past debt crisis to upbeat U.S. news

WASHINGTON -- It took the whole day, but stocks came all the way back. Bruised once again by uncertainty about European debt, the U.S. stock market fell sharply Thursday at the open, then steadily gained ground for six hours. By the close, the Dow Jones industrial average had shaved its loss to less than three points, its first decline of the year.

Investors looking for good news had the latest encouraging report on the U.S. job market. Weekly unemployment claims declined again, a day before a crucial report on the national jobs picture in December.

--The Dow recovered from a 134-point deficit to end down 2.72, or 0.02 percent, at 12,415.70.

--The S&P 500 index closed up 3.76, or 0.29 percent, to 1,281.06.

--The Nasdaq composite rose 21.5, or 0.81 percent, to 2,669.86.

Mortgages bottom out again to start new year

WASHINGTON -- 2012 looks to be another year of opportunity for the few who can afford to buy or refinance a home.

The average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage fell to 3.91 percent this week, Freddie Mac said Thursday. That matches the record low reached two weeks ago. The average on the 15-year fixed mortgage ticked down to 3.23 percent from 3.24 percent but was slightly above the all-time low.

Forecast for technology spending is cut for 2012

NEW YORK -- Research firm Gartner Inc. has cut its global technology spending growth forecast because of the sluggish economy and the euro crisis.

Gartner now expects worldwide spending on technology to grow by 3.7 percent this year, to $3.8 trillion. That's down from its earlier forecast of 4.6 percent. In 2011, global tech spending grew 6.9 percent from 2010, to $3.7 trillion.

Source: http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2012/jan/06/business-briefs/

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Late Red Sox clubhouse chief accused of '90s abuse

BOSTON (AP) ? Two more men are accusing a now-dead former Red Sox clubhouse manager of sexually abusing them.

Boston attorney Mitchell Garabedian says he has informed the Red Sox of the allegations and is asking for a $5 million settlement for each man.

The men were teenage clubhouse attendants in 1991 when they say Donald Fitzpatrick molested them in the clubhouse of Fenway Park. The statute of limitations has expired to file a lawsuit or seek criminal charges.

Fitzpatrick died in 2005. In 2003, the team settled a lawsuit with seven Florida men who said Fitzpatrick molested them during spring training beginning in the 1970s.

Garabedian said team lawyers have asked to meet with the two men. A message was left with Red Sox attorney Daniel Goldberg.

The allegations were first reported by The Boston Globe.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2011-12-05-Red%20Sox-Abuse%20Allegations/id-d59fda76980b43b1841423828e23e4f0

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PR Communications: Content Sourcing For Content Gardens

When developing your content source strategy for a content garden, there are a number of options to consider, including:

• In-house writers
• Paid writers
• Commission writers
• Columnists
• Community members
• Syndicated content

Each content source provides advantages, and particular benefits for how the eco-system of the web works, from both an SEO and Social perspective.
In-house writers - Flexibility with choosing keywords, and thought leadership.

• Paid writers - Flexibility with choosing keywords, and lots of control over content.
• Commission writers - Some flexibility with keywords, but depending on the commission system, less control over the content because of the greater freedom writers hold over their own choices about when to write and what to write about.
• Columnists - Writers will be excited to get published on the website, and be more likely to share the content with their community, especially if the writers are influencers in the sense they are active in the community.
• Community members - Again sharing with the community more likely to happen, but probably only within a smaller segment of the community.
• Syndicated content - Opportunities to gain direct traffic on multiple websites.

Source: http://pr.typepad.com/pr_communications/2011/11/content-sourcing-for-content-gardens.html

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Brocade Communications Systems Inc. Fourth Quarter Earnings ...

Scottrade: $7 Online Trades. Real-Time Stock Quotes

Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:BRCD) will unveil its latest earnings on Monday, November 21, 2011. Brocade Communications Systems is a supplier of networking equipment, including end-to-end Internet Protocol based Ethernet networking solutions and storage area networking solutions for service providers such as telecommunication firms and cable operators.

Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. Earnings Preview Cheat Sheet

Wall St. Earnings Expectations: The average estimate of analysts is for profit of 6 cents per share, a decline of 25% from the company?s actual earnings for the same quarter a year ago. During the past three months, the average estimate has moved down from 7 cents. Between one and three months ago, the average estimate moved down. It has been unchanged at 6 cents during the last month. Analysts are projecting profit to rise by 19.4% versus last year to 29 cents.

Past Earnings Performance: Last quarter, the company saw net income of 5 cents per share versus a mean estimate of profit of 5 cents per share. This comes after two consecutive quarters of exceeding expectations.

Investing Insights: Here?s Why Chipotle?s Stock Keeps Winning.

Wall St. Revenue Expectations: On average, analysts predict $527.1 million in revenue this quarter, a decline of 4.2% from the year ago quarter. Analysts are forecasting total revenue of $2.13 billion for the year, a rise of 1.9% from last year?s revenue of $2.09 billion.

Analyst Ratings: Analysts seem relatively indifferent about Brocade Communications Systems with 15 of 25 analysts surveyed maintaining a hold rating.

A Look Back: In the third quarter, profit fell 91.2% to $1.9 million (0 cents a share) from $22 million (5 cents a share) the year earlier, meeting analyst expectations. Revenue fell 0.1% to $502.9 million from $503.5 million.

Key Stats:

A year-over-year revenue decrease in the third quarter snapped a streak of three consecutive quarters of revenue increases. Revenue rose 9.8%in the second quarter, 1.2% in the first quarter and 5.5% in the fourth quarter of the last fiscal year.

The decrease in profit in the third quarter came after net income rose in the previous quarter. In the second quarter, net income rose 23.4%.

Competitors to Watch: EMC Corporation (NYSE:EMC), Emulex Corporation (NYSE:ELX), NetApp Inc. (NASDAQ:NTAP), Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE:HPQ), Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO), Western Digital Corp. (NYSE:WDC), QLogic Corporation (NASDAQ:QLGC), Dot Hill Systems Corp. (NASDAQ:HILL), Overland Storage, Inc. (NASDAQ:OVRL), and Quantum Corporation (NYSE:QTM).

Stock Price Performance: During August 22, 2011 to November 15, 2011, the stock price had risen $1.44 (42.4%) from $3.40 to $4.84. The stock price saw one of its best stretches over the last year between June 24, 2011 and July 7, 2011 when shares rose for nine-straight days, rising 9.2% (+57 cents) over that span. It saw one of its worst periods between March 25, 2011 and April 5, 2011 when shares fell for eight-straight days, falling 7.5% (-47 cents) over that span. Shares are down 45 cents (-8.5%) year to date.

(Company fundamentals by Xignite Financials. Earnings estimates provided by Zacks)

Investing Insights: Here?s Why Chipotle?s Stock Keeps Winning.

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Source: http://wallstcheatsheet.com/earnings-trading-markets/brocade-communications-systems-inc-fourth-quarter-earnings-sneak-peek.html/

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Previously conjoined Calif. twins set to go home (AP)

PALO ALTO, Calif. ? Two weeks after surgery, twin sisters who had been joined at the chest are preparing to leave the hospital ? each in their own car seat.

Angelica and Angelina Sabuco have been recovering at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University since their Nov. 1 operation. The hospital said Monday that the 2-year-olds should be able to return to their San Jose home in the next couple of days.

"They are recovering very, very well," said lead surgeon Dr. Gary Hartman. "Our goal is to return as many children as we can to happy, healthy lives."

Hartman said the girls are off pain medications and their livers are functioning normally. He will continue seeing the girls for weekly outpatient therapy, and they will see a plastic surgeon, Dr. Peter Lorenz, for follow-up procedures. Lorenz said the girls' chest walls have a bit of an abnormal shape but it can be molded as they grow.

Angelina and Angelica also will continue physical and occupational therapy to build up their strength and develop their motor skills, the hospital said.

The sisters made their post-surgery debut during a news conference at the hospital Monday.

Wearing bright red dresses with bows in their hair and held by their mother and aunt, the girls appeared at ease with the all the attention. Their mother, Ginady Sabuco, smiled and laughed and urged her daughters to wave and say hello as they approached reporters.

"We're so excited now to go home and see them sitting in their own car seats," she said. "We cannot wait to see them playing, walking and running."

The girls are sleeping in separate beds, their appetites are growing and they are learning how to walk again. Remarkably, even as they were joined at the chest, the girls had learned to walk but would move sideways. They are now learning to go forward and backward.

"Balance is the biggest challenge," said Amy Weisman, physical therapist. "They are now taking steps with support."

The girls' nearly 10-hour surgery, paid for by the family's health insurance, was the second such successful operation at the children's hospital in Palo Alto.

Within 72 hours of the surgery, both girls were breathing on her own. Within a week, they had moved from intensive care to a regular hospital room.

A team of more than 40 doctors, nurses and hospital staff took part in the case.

Ginady Sabuco said when the girls woke up after surgery they looked around and called out "mama."

At that moment, she said, "all the hardships went away."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/health/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111115/ap_on_he_me/us_conjoined_twins_separation

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Republican 'Fall Back Guy' Ahead by Default (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | Republicans, for the second election in a row, seem determined to line up for a bite of a distasteful sandwich made of the offal and effluvium that has followed the rise and fall of the party's momentary favorites. The aftermath is sure to exsanguinate the spirit of the party, leaving them as Democrats experienced in 2004, despite rising hatred for a sitting president, rudderless and forced to select the candidate that wasn't terrible, instead of an inspiring candidate that's really great.

According to the Huffington Post, recent trouble in Herman Cain's camp and a poorer than poor series of debate flubs by once party darling Gov. Rick Perry, combined with a decline of fascination with the rhetoric of Texas Congressman Ron Paul, has left the GOP nomination as Mitt Romney's honor to lose.

Romney is ahead, but party insiders are still pushing other candidates. Newt Gingrich, for example, long disregarded as unelectable, is beginning to rise in the polls, and the news media is chomping at the bit to talk about it. Former U.S. Ambassador John Huntsman has benefited from the falls of Bachmann, Paul, Cain, and Perry as well, but in the end, he's left with the same problem as Romney-- religion. Evangelical Christians that make up the base of the Republican party are simply never going to get behind a Mormon for the presidency. Period.

I've spent most of my life wanting to be president of the United States, and right now, I wouldn't switch places with Romney for all of the tea in China. He may be ahead, but he simply doesn't have the stuff to ignite his party's soul.

So while he holds the top spot, and will likely win the nomination by default, don't look for the circus to end any time soon. Party insiders seem determined to roll out as many clown cars as they can before finally conceding that they just don't have the chops to beat the president in 2012, thereby resigning themselves to select the "also ran" mediocrity offered and rejected by voters in 2008 and now again for 2012. Sometimes that just the way it goes.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20111112/pl_ac/10411041_republican_fall_back_guy_ahead_by_default

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Cuba pol cool to talk of release, swap for US man (AP)

HAVANA ? The president of Cuba's parliament said Friday no one should expect the island to unilaterally free an imprisoned American aid contractor and threw cold water on hopes he could be swapped for five Cuban agents held for more than a decade in the U.S.

Ricardo Alarcon's comments, similar to ones he has expressed in the past, maintained Havana's firm line in a case that has been a thorn in already prickly relations between the Cold War rivals. He spoke in response to comments by a U.S. rabbi who recently visited prisoner Alan Gross at a Cuban military hospital and said the Maryland man hoped for such an exchange.

"They are different situations," Alarcon told journalists at a convention on fighting corruption.

"I read the statement from Rabbi (David) Shneyer ... I think it is a very measured, respectful statement expressing a legitimate humanitarian concern that I understand." But, he said, "I don't think people should expect unilateral gestures."

Gross, 62, has been behind bars for nearly two years since his arrest in early December 2009, accused of illegally bringing communications equipment into Cuba while on a USAID-funded democracy-building program. Cuba's Communist government considers such programs tantamount to efforts at regime change.

In March, Gross was sentenced to 15 years in prison for crimes against the state. He maintains he was trying to help members of Cuba's tiny Jewish community get online.

His imprisonment has put a damper on any likelihood of improved ties between Cuba and the United States, which do not have formal diplomatic relations and are divided by five decades of mutual suspicion and distrust.

Gross' case was raised earlier this week when Roberta S. Jacobson, President Barack Obama's nominee to be assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs, appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

"We ... continue to seek the unconditional release of American citizen Alan Gross, a dedicated development worker who has been unjustly imprisoned in Cuba for nearly two years," Jacobson told the committee.

Family members have expressed concern for Gross' health and urged his release on humanitarian grounds, but Alarcon's words suggest that is unlikely to happen anytime soon.

Talk of possibly swapping Gross for one or more of the "Cuban Five" agents imprisoned in the United States has similarly gone nowhere. One of the men, Rene Gonzalez, was paroled last month but ordered to remain in the U.S. while he serves three years of probation.

On Wednesday, the U.S. State Department said officials at the U.S. Interests Section in Havana continue to have regular consular access to Gross and visited him most recently on Nov. 3.

His wife, Judy Gross, has urged Americans to contact members of Congress and write letters to newspapers pressing for her husband's return.

___

Associated Press writer Peter Orsi contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/latam/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111112/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/cb_cuba_imprisoned_american

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