Wall Street lifted by earnings, jobs data

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks rose on Thursday, lifted by stronger than expected earnings reports and by a large drop in weekly jobless claims.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> gained 27.41 points, or 0.19 percent, to 14,703.71. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.spx> edged up 6.56 points, or 0.42 percent, to 1,585.35. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.ixic> rose 20.33 points, or 0.62 percent, to 3,289.99.

(Reporting by Leah Schnurr; Editing by Kenneth Barry)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stock-index-futures-signal-slightly-higher-open-081750934--finance.html

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Can Apple stay on top? Investors, suppliers question its future.

Projections continue to suggest negative results for Apple, but what is preventing Apple from dominating the market like it used to?

By Steph Solis / April 23, 2013

A man looks at his Apple iPad in front an Apple logo outside an Apple store in downtown Shanghai. Apple's luster is diminishing as it continues to lose market share to its competitors and face criticism from investors and suppliers.

Aly Song/Reuters/File

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As Apple continues to face growing competition, the company's allure is starting to fade in the eyes of investors and suppliers, according to new report from?Reuters. Meanwhile, the once dominant tech giant is losing market share as Samsung and other rivals continue to grow.?

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The concerns of shareholders apparently range from worries about smaller shipments to criticisms that the company has lost its innovative edge since iconic co-founder Steve Jobs died a year and a half ago.

Asian suppliers have told Reuters that they are trying to become less dependent on Apple as they encountered delays on deadlines from the company.

For the first time since December 2011, Apple?s stock closed last week below $400.

Apple will hold its financial conference call on quarterly results Tuesday afternoon. While Apple is still expected to show growth ? estimates of quarterly revenue currently circle $42.77 billion ? the projection is that Apple may be moving downward, Dan Moren of MacWorld reports.

"Apple is in some ways a sort of victim of its own success, especially when the term innovation starts being thrown around," says?Charles Golvin, a principal analyst at Forrester Research. In other words, Apple, which?has introduced multiple revolutionary products in the past, is under fire for not bringing an entirely different product to the market recently ? or at least fast enough.

What seems to be preventing Apple from owning the market is its pricing for smart phones, Golvin says. Apple could benefit from having a range of smart phone prices, similar to the range of options that were available for the iPod.?

Another possible issue is Apple?s pattern of releasing new products every year, some of which had relatively minor adjustments. Golvin notes that it seems to be harder for Apple to continue that trend with Samsung and other competitors releasing products more often.

John Koetsier of VentureBeat expressed similar concerns with Apple?s dominance in the market in December. He emphasizes the need for a change in Apple?s market strategy, including more aggressive pricing, if the company expects to stay on top.?

He notes that while Apple has helped innovate the computer and electronics industry, they need to "fill available niches in the new ecosystem" to compete with rivals like Google and Samsung.?

The company is at risk of falling back into the lull it saw in the late 20th century, according to Mr. Koetsier. "The problem for Apple, if the current sales and market trends continue, is that iOS will get less and less important, relatively speaking," Koetsier said. "And those massive profits will start to wither away, start to follow the leaders ? the new leaders ? and we?ll be back to the 90s."?

For more tech news, follow Steph on Twitter: @stephmsolis

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/MfLJsbUhs7c/Can-Apple-stay-on-top-Investors-suppliers-question-its-future

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Thousands honor slain MIT officer

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) ? Slain Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer Sean Collier was remembered Wednesday for his dedication to law enforcement and his love of people as thousands gathered at a campus memorial.

Vice President Joe Biden joined students, faculty and staff, and law enforcement officials from across the nation at Briggs Field for the service to honor an officer who was already well-respected by his colleagues and superiors, and popular with students after little more than a year on campus

Collier was fatally shot on April 18, three days after the Boston Marathon bombings that killed three people. Authorities say he was shot by brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was charged Monday in his hospital room, where he is in fair condition with a gunshot wound to the throat suffered during his attempted getaway. His brother, 26-year-old Tamerlan, died Friday after a gunbattle with police.

"My heart goes out to you," Biden told Collier's family. "I hope you find some solace in this time of extreme grief."

Collier's casket was positioned in front of the thousands who gathered on a bright, sunny spring day. Music of bagpipes echoed through the field and a large American flag, suspended high about the crowd between two fire department ladder trucks, flapped slowly in the breeze.

Boston native James Taylor sang "The Water is Wide" and led a sing-along during "Shower the People."

Biden told the Colliers that no child should predecease their parents, and that better times are ahead.

"The moment will come when the memory of Sean is triggered and you know it's going to be OK," Biden said. "When the first instinct is to get a smile on your lips before a tear to your eye."

Andrew Collier said his 26-year-old brother would have loved everything about the day, including the bagpipes and the American flag.

"He was born to be a police officer and lived out his dream," Rogers said.

MIT President L. Rafael Reif told those gathered that Collier made countless friends on campus.

"Sean Collier didn't have a job at MIT, he had a life at MIT," Reif said. "In just 15 months, he built a life with us. He touched people across our community."

Campus Police Chief John DiFava acknowledged the risk that accompanied the position of police officer, but questioned whether the risk of a job in law enforcement needed to come with such devastation.

"Sean left a lot behind," DiFava said. "He left us a lesson: Do it right!

"If you want to cherish his memory, remember to do it right," he said.

State police said between 4,000 and 5,000 attended the service. The line of mourners stretched for about a half mile at MIT ahead of the service. They had to make their way through tight security, including metal detectors and bomb-sniffing dogs ahead of the service.

"He is the one of the nicest people that I've ever met," said Kelly Daumit, 35, of Seattle, an engineering student at MIT who had gone on hikes with Collier as part of the MIT Outing Club. "Everything people are saying about him is completely genuine; it's not because of what happened."

MIT employee Larry Clark said he had only talked to Collier a couple of times but wanted to pay his respects.

"It's very tough. It's still a shock," he said.

Bagpipers played "Amazing Grace" as Collier's casket was carried from the service, and there was a fly-by with three helicopters over the campus.

A funeral was held for the officer on Tuesday.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/slain-mit-officer-memorialized-campus-163649349.html

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Australian police arrest senior member of LulzSec hacking group

By Jane Wardell

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian Federal Police have arrested the self-proclaimed leader of the international hacking group LulzSec, the collective that claimed responsibility for infiltrating and shutting down the CIA website.

Police said the 24-year-old IT worker, who held a position of trust at an international company, was arrested in Sydney on Tuesday evening and charged with hacking offences that carry a maximum penalty of 10 years.

Glen McEwen, manager of cyber crime operations at Australian Federal Police, said the man was detained at work, where he had access to sensitive information from clients including government agencies.

LulzSec, an offshoot of the international hacking group Anonymous, has taken credit for hacking attacks on government and private sector websites, including the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Sony Pictures, a unit of Sony Corp, 20th Century Fox and Nintendo.

Anonymous - and LulzSec in particular - became notorious in late 2010 when they launched what they called the "first cyber war" in retaliation for attempts to shut down the Wikileaks website.

The name LulzSec is a combination of "lulz", another way of writing "lols" or "laugh out loud", and security.

Australian police said the unnamed Australian man, who used the online moniker "Aush0k", was known to international law authorities.

His arrest comes a week after an American member of LulzSec, Cody Kretsinger, was sentenced in a Los Angeles court to a year in prison followed by home detention. Kretsinger, who used the online handle "Recursion", pleaded guilty in a plea agreement with prosecutors.

Court documents in that case revealed that Anonymous leader "Sabu", whose real name is Hector Xavier Monsegur, had provided the FBI with information on fellow hackers after pleading guilty to hacking offences.

The Australian hacker has been charged with two counts of unauthorized modification of data to cause impairment and one count of unauthorized access to a restricted data system after a government website was attacked earlier this month.

"Let me make it extremely clear to everybody out there, this is not harmless fun, this is serious," McEwen said at a press conference.

McEwen said the man posted in online forums frequented by other members of LulzSec that he was the group's leader.

"There were no denials of his claims of being the leader," McEwen told reporters.

The man has been granted bail and will appear before a court next month.

LulzSec allegedly broke into Australian government department and university websites in 2011. Anonymous last year took around 10 Australian government websites offline, protesting plans to force ISPs to store more user data and make it available to security services.

(Additional reporting by Michael Sin; Editing by Paul Tait and Jeremy Laurence)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/australian-police-arrest-senior-member-lulzsec-hacking-group-012243724--finance.html

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Unique New Maid Right Franchise Kicks Off Launch ? Successful ...

The new Maid Right Franchise is the first residential cleaning brand available for Master as well as Unit franchisees. Growth of Maid Right will be built based on the Master/Unit business model used by sister company Jan-Pro, who has built over 10,000 Franchisees globally.

Alpharetta, GA (PRWEB) April 23, 2013 - Premium Franchise Brands LLC, a holding company of Jan-Pro Franchising International, Inc. (Jan-Pro), and Maid Right Franchising LLC, announced today the official launch of their new Maid Right Professional Grade Home Cleaning Franchise.

A unique concept within the residential cleaning franchise arena, the Maid Right Home Cleaning Franchise is the first and only residential cleaning franchise in America with the Master/Unit business model concept. This is the franchise concept wherein a Master Franchise controls a defined territory, and builds by adding Unit Franchisees within that territory. The two-tiered concept has been proven successful with sister company, Jan-Pro, who using it, has built an organization with over 10,000 franchisees globally.

The new Maid Right franchise gains much through the relationship with sister company Jan-Pro, namely the power of the Jan-Pro brand, a proven playbook for success, as well as world class support and experience with cleaning and franchising from an established company of 20+ years.

?We feel that the launch of Maid Right will be one of the most energetic growth opportunities of any franchise in years,? said Danessa Itaya, Vice President Maid Right. ?Many cleaning industry sources have told us that the Master/Unit concept is needed in residential cleaning. Maid Right is providing just that.?

As part of the Maid Right team, Itaya brings a wealth of residential cleaning experience, with over 18 years in the residential cleaning industry, over 10 years in multi-brand franchising, and has an extensive background in systems and new franchise development. Having a complete franchise development team for the new Maid Right franchise is an approach that Premium Franchise Brands feels will super charge the launch.

?The time is right for the Maid Right franchise concept,? said Rich Kissane, President & CEO of Premium Franchise Brands. ?There is a need for a new and different approach in residential cleaning, one that finally addresses the issues of high customer turnover and the quality of service offered.?

Today, the home cleaning industry has an average customer retention time of only about 6 months. One reason for this short time period is that in many cases, the homeowner does not get the quality of service they were expecting, as hourly paid cleaning crews come and go. Maid Right is out to change this industry standard and is committed to long term customer retention and high quality service.

Longer customer retention will come for Maid Right, due to the fact that the Unit Franchisees will be owners and more invested in establishing trust with customers. Innovative products and services will be provided to help franchisees in this area, like EnviroShield, the unique branded system that delivers 100% disinfection coverage.

?By having Unit franchise owners do the cleaning, they are definitely more invested in the residential customer, and are committed to providing the best in professional service,? continued Itaya. ?The result is a win/win situation for all involved, and long-lasting customer relationships.?

Both Master and Unit owners will have strong support in helping develop their business, through the company?s MaidView Software System and Processes. Master Franchisees will have thorough support, which will include ongoing advanced training, a service center, a business coach, webinars, hotline, regional meetings, call center, SEO, and more.

Premium Franchise Brands is currently in the stage of interviewing Master Franchise interested parties. Inquiries should contact Brad Smith at brad.smith@premiumfranchisebrands.com.

About Premium Franchise Brands

Premium Franchise Brands LLC is a franchise development company, representing Jan-Pro Franchising International, Inc, and Maid Right Franchising LLC. Jan-Pro was founded in 1991 by Jacques Lapointe in Providence, Rhode Island, with a desire to offer the highest quality cleaning techniques and systems available. Currently, the Jan-Pro team is comprised of business leaders with experience from around the world, as well as seasoned cleaning industry executives. Today, the international company structure is comprised of over 10,000 Master and Unit franchisees. Jan-Pro regularly receives inquiries and accolades nationally as well as internationally. Maid Right Professional Grade Home Cleaning is a franchise, focused on strong customer retention, and is currently being initially launched domestically in America.

To learn more about Maid Right visit http://www.maidright.com

SOURCE: Premium Franchise Brands

Media Contact:

Mike Dektas
(513) 234-0560
brad(dot)smith(at)premiumfranchisebrands(dot)com

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Source: http://www.franchising.com/news/20130423_unique_new_maid_right_franchise_kicks_off_launch_n.html

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Niall Horan on Alleged Naked Photo: Not Me!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/04/niall-horan-on-alleged-naked-photo-not-me/

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'Top of the Morning': great word-of-mouth, but not such good reviews

Brian Stelter's expos? on TV's morning news shows has gotten lots of publicity.

By Molly Driscoll,?Staff Writer / April 23, 2013

'Top of the Morning' hit bookstores today.

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There's been plenty of talk about ?Top of the Morning,? journalist Brian Stelter's inside look at TV's morning news shows. But when it comes to book critics, not all of the words have been kind.?

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?Top of the Morning,? which hit bookshelves today, aims to examine the ?cutthroat world of morning TV,? according to the book?s subtitle. Grand Central, the book's publisher, calls the expos? ?a gripping look at the most competitive time slot in television, complete with Machiavellian booking wars and manic behavior by the producers, executives, and stars."

The book is released following the firing of ?Today? co-host Ann Curry by NBC. It also details ?Good Morning America??s attempt to defeat ?Today? in the ratings struggle as well as ?GMA??s Robin Roberts? battle with MDS (myelodysplastic syndrome).

Stelter is a New York Times reporter, but even the NYT? wasn?t enamored of the book, with reviewer Ed Bark complaining that it ?ends up being like a breakfast made not quite to order? and saying that the book has ?more than a little overblown prose, some of it just plain silly.? Bark does suggest, however, that Stelter is ?just 27, so there?s ample time really to get the hang of this.?

Bark also notes that both ?Today? anchor Matt Lauer and Curry declined to be interviewed, which necessarily limits the access to the story of Curry?s departure.

Entertainment Weekly reviewer Henry Goldblatt also found the lack of direct quotes from Lauer and Curry disappointing, opining that while the book's jacket compares ?Top of the Morning? to writer Bill Carter?s books about TV, including ?The Late Shift,? there's a big difference between the work of Stelter and that of Carter.

?In Carter?s books, you get the sense that the author was in the room when big decisions were made,? Goldblatt wrote. ?In Stelter?s debut, you get the sense that he was staring at his smartphone.?

In addition, Goldblatt found Stelter?s prose distasteful, writing of his ?Hemingwayesque sentences (in length, not substance), hackneyed analogies (Today is Coke! Good Morning America is Pepsi!), and antipathy for the medium he covers.? Stelter ?seems to have a vendetta against Lauer,? he wrote.

Meanwhile, Hollywood Reporter writer Andy Lewis said the book ?flops.?

?Stelter is at his best when he lets the story carry itself, offering a fly-on-the-wall view of key moments (including the drama of Curry?s last day),? Lewis wrote. ?Still, his enthusiasm often gets the better of him, and the purple prose, strangely dated analogies (the Today-GMA rivalry is like 1971?s Ali-Frazier fight) and fondness For Capitalizing For Emphasis overwhelm the story.?

Lewis was also displeased that the book?s hype presented some of the details inside as Stelter?s own.

?Stelter conducted about 350 interviews, but many details and quotes have been reported in the Times and elsewhere, including by THR,? he wrote.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/h1F8CKlcs4k/Top-of-the-Morning-great-word-of-mouth-but-not-such-good-reviews

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