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Tebow To The New York Jets

Tim Tebow has been traded from the Denver Broncos to the New York Jets … this according to FOX NFL insider Jay Glazer.

According to Jay … the Jets only had to give up a 4th round draft pick in exchange for the former Heisman Trophy winner.

The Jets already have a starting quarterback in Mark Sanchez … but if Sanchez chokes again … like he did last season … Tebow could be in a good position to take over the #1 spot.

Story developing …

TMZ

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FLASH: NFL QUARTERBACK PEYTON MANNING TO SIGN WITH THE DENVER BRONCOS

via ESPN.com

Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen

Peyton Manning will become the next quarterback of the Denver Broncos, barring a snag during intensified contract negotiations that have commenced under the instruction of the four-time MVP to his agent Tom Condon, according to multiple sources.

Once the Manning deal becomes official, Denver will try to trade Tim Tebow, according to sources.

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Apple to Announce Plans for its $100 billion Cash Reserves Tomorrow Morning

According to a press release just issued, we’ll all find out about “the outcome of the Company’s discussions” tomorrow on a conference call with CEO Tim Cook and CFO Peter Oppenheimer at 9AM ET. What does $100 billion or so of iMac, Macbook, iPhone and iPad money buy? Speculation has already included dividends for investors, a spending spree of acquisitions or even a dip into philanthropy.

Source

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FLASH: U.S. & Britain Agree to Release Strategic Oil Reserves …Crude Tanks

Source

"By Richard Mably	
    LONDON, March 15 (Reuters) - Britain has decided to
cooperate with the United States in a  bilateral agreement to
release strategic oil stocks, two British sources said, in an
effort to prevent high fuel prices derailing economic growth in
a U.S. election year.  	
    A formal request from the United States to the UK to join
forces in a release of oil from government-controlled reserves
is expected "shortly" following a meeting on Wednesday in
Washington between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister
David Cameron, who discussed the issue, one source said. 	
    Britain would respond positively, the two sources said.	
    "We regularly consult with the British on energy issues and
any discussion that we had was in that context. We will continue
to monitor the situation and consult with them and others," an
Obama administration official said.	
    Rising world oil prices, up to $125 a barrel for Brent crude
, have pushed U.S gasoline prices up sharply this year
and threaten to choke U.S. economic recovery ahead of Obama's
bid for re-election in November.   	
     Details of the timing, volume and duration of the emergency
drawdown have yet to be settled but a detailed agreement is
expected by the summer, one of the sources said.	
    Other countries may also be approached by Washington to
contribute, a further source said, Japan among them.      	
    Previous emergency oil drawdowns, the latest last year, 
have been coordinated by the 28-member Paris-based International
Energy Agency (IEA) to meet its mandate to cover substantial
supply disruptions on the world oil market. Libyan oil
production was closed for much of last year during civil war...."

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FITCH REVISES UK OUTLOOK TO NEGATIVE

Fitch Ratings-London-14 March 2012: Fitch Ratings has affirmed the United Kingdom’s (UK) sovereign ratings as follows:

–Long-term foreign currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) affirmed at ‘AAA’
–Long-term local currency IDR affirmed at ‘AAA’
–Country Ceiling affirmed at ‘AAA’
–Short-term foreign currency rating affirmed at ‘F1+’

The Outlooks on the Long-term IDRs have been revised to Negative from Stable.

The affirmation of the UK’s ‘AAA’ ratings reflects the progress made in reducing the government’s structural budget deficit and the credibility of the fiscal consolidation effort. The UK’s ‘AAA’ rating is underpinned by a high-income, diversified and flexible economy as well as political and social stability. The UK sovereign credit profile also benefits from the macroeconomic and financing flexibility that derives from independent monetary policy and sterling’s status as an international ‘reserve currency’. However, the government’s structural budget deficit is second in size only to the US (‘AAA’/Negative) and indebtedness is significantly above the ‘AAA’ median, although currently broadly in line with France (‘AAA’/Negative) and Germany (‘AAA’/Stable).

Fitch judges the government’s fiscal consolidation plans to be credible, reflecting the strong political commitment and institutional capacity. The forthcoming Budget is expected to reaffirm the government’s commitment to deficit reduction as set out in the 2010 and 2011 budgets, the 2010 Spending Review, and the 2011 Autumn Statement. The adjustment is focused on permanent reductions in current spending underpinned by structural reform to public services and welfare. The front-loaded fiscal consolidation is proceeding broadly in line with the path set out by the government. The cyclically-adjusted primary deficit halved over the past two years, to 3.5% of GDP in 2011-12 from 7% of GDP in 2009-10, although the government’s plans include further reductions in spending beyond the term of the current parliament.

The mix of tight fiscal and ‘loose’ monetary policies allowed for by the flexible monetary and exchange rate regime, including ‘quantitative easing’ (QE), is supportive of the necessary rebalancing of the UK economy. Although Fitch recognises that the purpose of QE is to forestall deflationary pressures and promote the flow of private credit, it has also reduced the government’s cost of fiscal funding and its reliance on the market, at least over the short to medium term. Combined with an average maturity of government debt of over 14 years – around double that of its ‘AAA’ peers and a rating strength – on current policies the risk of a fiscal financing crisis is assessed to be negligible.

In Fitch’s opinion, the credibility of the government’s fiscal commitment was further enhanced by the announcement in the Autumn Statement of additional measures to ensure that the government’s target of a cyclically-adjusted current budget surplus by 2016-17 and public sector net debt (excluding financial sector interventions, PSND ex) is falling in 2015-16 in response to the Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) substantial re-assessment of the UK’s economic growth potential and growth prospects. Nonetheless, general government gross debt (GGGD) and the government’s preferred measure – PSND ex – are forecast by the OBR to peak in 2014-15 at 93.9% and 78% of GDP, respectively, compared to its previous forecast of 87.2% and 70.9% in 2013-14 at the time of the March 2011 Budget and Fitch’s previous formal review of the UK’s sovereign ratings. Consistent with Fitch’s sovereign rating criteria and historical and international precedent, the projected peak for government indebtedness is at the limit of the level consistent with the UK retaining its ‘AAA’ status. With debt not expected to peak until 2014-15, three fiscal years from now, the risks and uncertainty surrounding the realisation of debt reduction by the middle of the decade are material.

The evolution of the eurozone debt crisis has significant implications for the UK in light of the substantial trade and financial linkages between the two. The easing of financial market tensions in the eurozone in recent months has diminished the risks to the UK, but in Fitch’s opinion, the crisis is not resolved and could once more intensify. Fitch’s current assessment is that UK banks are relatively well placed to absorb future episodes of financial market turmoil and losses on eurozone exposures without additional recourse to the UK taxpayer for capital. UK banks have strengthened their capital positions in recent years and they have reduced their exposures to the weaker eurozone economies over 2011. In addition, the UK government has announced its intentions to reform the banking system to make future crises less frequent and costly. Both these factors should help reduce future fiscal risks. Of greater concern would be the broader economic impact of an intensification of the eurozone crisis on the UK government’s ability to meet its deficit reduction targets and place the debt to GDP ratio on a downward path in 2015-16.

The revision of the rating Outlook to Negative from Stable reflects the very limited fiscal space to absorb further adverse economic shocks in light of such elevated debt levels and a potentially weaker than currently forecast economic recovery. In light of the considerable uncertainty around the economic and fiscal outlook, including the risks posed to economic recovery by ongoing financial tensions in the eurozone and against the backdrop of a still large structural budget deficit and high and rising government debt, the Negative Outlook indicates a slightly greater than 50% chance of a downgrade over a two-year horizon.

The triggers that would likely prompt a rating downgrade are as follows:
— Discretionary fiscal easing that resulted in government debt peaking later and higher than currently forecast;
— Adverse shocks that implied higher levels of government borrowing and debt than currently projected; and
— A material downward revision of the assessment of the UK’s medium-term growth potential.

Conversely, economic and fiscal performance in line with Fitch’s baseline expectations with general government gross debt peaking at around 94% in 2014-15 would likely result in the stabilisation of the rating Outlook. In the absence of adverse shocks, Fitch does not expect to resolve the Negative Outlook until 2014. The agency’s medium-term economic and fiscal projections are set out in a new Special Report on UK Public Finances, available at www.fitchratings.com.

Fitch last formally reviewed the UK sovereign ratings on 14 March 2011 and has completed the current review in a manner consistent with its regulatory obligations.

Contact:

Primary Analyst
Maria Malas-Mroueh
Director
+44 20 3530 1081
Fitch Ratings Limited
30 North Colonnade
London
E14 5 GN

Secondary Analyst
David Riley
Managing Director
+44 (0)20 3530 1175

Tertiary Analyst
Gergely Kiss
Director
+44 (0)20 3530 1425

Committee Chairperson
Ed Parker
Managing Director
+44 20 3530 1176

Media Relations: Mark Morley, London, Tel: +44 0203 530 1526, Email: [email protected].

Additional information is available at www.fitchratings.com. The ratings above were unsolicited and have been provided by Fitch as a service to investors.

Applicable criteria, Sovereign Rating Methodology dated August 2011 are available at www.fitchratings.com.

Applicable Criteria and Related Research:
Sovereign Rating Methodology

ALL FITCH CREDIT RATINGS ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS. PLEASE READ THESE LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS BY FOLLOWING THIS LINK: HTTP://FITCHRATINGS.COM/UNDERSTANDINGCREDITRATINGS. IN ADDITION, RATING DEFINITIONS AND THE TERMS OF USE OF SUCH RATINGS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE AGENCY’S PUBLIC WEBSITE ‘WWW.FITCHRATINGS.COM’. PUBLISHED RATINGS, CRITERIA AND METHODOLOGIES ARE AVAILABLE FROM THIS SITE AT ALL TIMES. FITCH’S CODE OF CONDUCT, CONFIDENTIALITY, CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, AFFILIATE FIREWALL, COMPLIANCE AND OTHER RELEVANT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE FROM THE ‘CODE OF CONDUCT’ SECTION OF THIS SITE.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/fitch-revises-uk-outlook-to-negative-2012-3#ixzz1p7kmRAa0

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SEC SUES SHARESPOST

The SEC has opened up an investigation on Sharespost and other broker dealers, who have used the private markets to peddle shares.

UPDATE: Here is the SEC statement

SEC Announces Charges from Investigation of Secondary Market Trading of Private Company Shares

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2012-43

Washington, D.C., March 14, 2012 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged two managers of private investment funds established solely to acquire the shares of Facebook and other Silicon Valley firms with misleading investors and pocketing undisclosed fees and commissions. The SEC alleges that the fund managers collectively raised more than $70 million from investors.
Additional Materials

SEC Complaint
Administrative Proceeding: Sharespost, Inc. and Greg B. Brogger
Administrative Proceeding: Laurence Albukerk and EB Financial Group, LLC

Separately, the SEC charged SharesPost, an online service that matches buyers and sellers of pre-IPO stock, with engaging in securities transactions without registering as a broker-dealer.

The charges stem from the SEC’s yearlong investigation of the fast-growing business of trading pre-IPO shares on the secondary market.

“While we applaud innovation in the capital markets, new platforms and products must obey the rules and ensure the basic fairness and disclosure that are the hallmarks of sound financial regulation,” said Robert Khuzami, Director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement.

“Fund managers must fully disclose their compensation and material conflicts of interest. Investors deserve better than the kind of undisclosed self-dealing present in these cases,” said Robert Kaplan, Co-Chief of the SEC Enforcement Division’s Asset Management Unit.
SEC v. Frank Mazzola, Felix Investments LLC, and Facie Libre Management Associates LLC

The SEC alleges that Mazzola, who lives in Upper Saddle River, N.J., and his firms created two funds to buy securities of Facebook and other high profile technology companies. However, Mazzola and his firms engaged in improper self-dealing — earning secret commissions above the 5 percent disclosed in offering materials on the funds’ acquisition of Facebook stock and on re-sales of fund interests to new investors. The hidden charges essentially raised the prices paid by their investors for Facebook stock because it created a disincentive for Mazzola and his firms to negotiate a lower price for fund investors. They also sold Facie Libre fund interests despite knowing the funds lacked ownership of certain Facebook shares.

According to the SEC’s complaint filed in federal court in San Francisco, Mazzola and his firms also made false statements to investors in other funds they created to invest in various pre-IPO companies. For instance, they misled one investor into believing a Felix fund had successfully acquired stock of Zynga. They also made false representations about Twitter’s revenue to attract investors to their Twitter fund.

The SEC’s lawsuit against Mazzola, Felix Investments, and Facie Libre seeks court orders prohibiting them from engaging in securities fraud and requiring them to disgorge their ill-gotten gains and pay financial penalties.
In the Matter of EB Financial Group LLC and Laurence Albukerk

According to the SEC’s administrative proceeding against Laurence Albukerk, who lives in San Francisco, he and his firm hid from investors significant compensation earned in connection with two Facebook funds they managed. In written offering materials for the funds, Albukerk told investors he charged only a 5 percent fee for an initial investment and a 5 percent fee when the shares were distributed to fund investors upon a Facebook IPO. However, Albukerk obtained additional compensation by using an entity controlled by his wife to purchase the Facebook stock and then buying interests in that entity for the EB Funds while charging investors a mark-up. Albukerk also earned a brokerage fee on the acquisition of Facebook shares from the original stockholders. As a result of the fee and mark-up, investors in Albukerk’s two Facebook funds ultimately paid significantly more than the fees disclosed in the offering materials.

Without admitting or denying the SEC’s findings, Albukerk and EB Financial consented to entry of a SEC order finding that they violated Section 17(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 206(4) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and Rule 206(4)-8 thereunder. Albukerk and EB Financial also agreed to pay disgorgement and prejudgment interest of $210,499 and a penalty of $100,000.
In the Matter of SharesPost Inc. and Greg Brogger

According to the SEC’s administrative proceeding against SharesPost and its CEO Greg Brogger of Park City, Utah, the online platform facilitated securities transactions without registering with the SEC as a broker-dealer. SharesPost engaged in a series of activities that constituted the business of effecting securities transactions and thus were required to register as a broker-dealer. SharesPost held itself out to the public as an online service to help match buyers and sellers of pre-IPO stock and allowed registered representatives of other broker-dealers to hold themselves out as SharesPost employees and earn commissions on transactions they facilitated through the SharesPost platform. SharesPost and affiliated broker-dealers also created a commission pool that was distributed by an executive to employees who were representatives of these broker-dealers. The company also collected and published on its website third-party information concerning issuers’ financial metrics, SharesPost-funded research reports, and a SharesPost-created valuation index. Additionally, the SharesPost platform was used to create an auction process for interests in funds managed by a SharesPost affiliate and designed to buy stock in pre-IPO companies.

“The newly emerging secondary marketplace for pre-IPO stock presents risk for even savvy investors,” said Marc Fagel, Director of the SEC’s San Francisco Regional Office. “Broker-dealer registration helps ensure those who effect securities transactions can be relied upon to understand and faithfully execute their obligations to customers and the markets. SharesPost skirted these important provisions.”

SharesPost and Brogger consented to an SEC order finding that SharesPost committed and Brogger caused a violation of Section 15(a) of the Exchange Act of 1934. They agreed to pay penalties of $80,000 and $20,000 respectively. Subsequent to the SEC’s investigation, SharesPost acquired a broker-dealer and its membership agreement was approved by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).

These cases were investigated by Michael E. Liftik, Erin E. Schneider and Robert S. Leach of the San Francisco Regional Office. Ms. Schneider and Mr. Leach are members of the SEC’s Asset Management Unit. Fred Jolivet of the San Francisco Regional Office’s broker-dealer program conducted an examination relating to the SharesPost matter. The SEC’s litigation effort will be led by Robert L. Mitchell and Robert L. Tashjian of the San Francisco Regional Office.

The SEC thanks FINRA for its assistance in this matter.

# # #

For more information about this enforcement action, contact:

Robert Kaplan (202-551-4969) and Bruce Karpati (212-336-0104)
Co-Chiefs, Asset Management Unit, SEC Division of Enforcement

Marc J. Fagel
Director, SEC San Francisco Regional Office
(415) 705-2449

Michael S. Dicke
Associate Director (Enforcement), SEC San Francisco Regional Office
(415) 705-2458

http://www.sec.gov/news/press/2011/2012-43.htm

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Eric Holder Messes with Texas: Justice Department Opposes Texas Voter ID Law

via

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department’s civil rights division on Monday objected to a new photo ID requirement for voters in Texas because many Hispanic voters lack state-issued identification.

Texas follows South Carolina as the second state in recent months to become embroiled in a court battle with the Justice Department over new photo ID requirements for voters.

Photo ID laws have become a point of contention in the 2012 elections. Liberal groups have said the requirements are the product of Republican-controlled state governments and are aimed at disenfranchising people who tend to vote Democratic — African-Americans, Hispanics, people of low-income and college students.

Proponents of such legislation say the measures are aimed at combating voter fraud. But advocacy groups for minorities and the poor dispute that and argue there is no evidence of significant voter fraud.

In regard to Texas, “I cannot conclude that the state has sustained its burden” of showing that the newly enacted law has neither a discriminatory purpose nor effect, Thomas E. Perez, the head of the Justice Department’s civil rights division, said in a letter to the Texas secretary of state.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbot has said the Obama administration is hostile to laws like the one passed last year in Texas.

The National Conference of State Legislatures called the voter ID issue “the hottest topic of legislation in the field of elections in 2011,” with legislation introduced in 34 states.

The department had been reviewing the Texas law since last year and discussing the matter with state officials. In January, Texas officials sued U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, seeking a court judgment that the state’s recently enacted voter ID law was not discriminatory in purpose or effect.

As a state with a history of voter discrimination, Texas is required under section 5 of the Voting Rights Act to get advance approval of voting changes from either the Justice Department or the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

In a letter to Texas officials that was also filed in the court case in Washington, the Justice Department said Hispanic voters in Texas are more than twice as likely than non-Hispanic voters to lack a driver’s license or personal state-issued photo ID. The department said that even the lowest estimates showed about half of Hispanic registered voters lack such identification.

The range was so broad because the state provided two sets of registered voter data.

In December, the Justice Department rejected South Carolina’s voter ID law on grounds it makes it harder for minorities to cast ballots. It was the first voter ID law to be rejected by the department in nearly 20 years.

In response, South Carolina sued Holder; the state argued that enforcement of its new law will not disenfranchise any voters.

Other states have moved toward photo ID requirements in the past year.

Alabama has a photo ID law, but it does not go in effect until 2014. Mississippi voters approved a photo ID law, but the state legislature has not yet adopted enabling legislation. The Justice Department has not yet reviewed the initiatives in either state.

The Justice Department has said it is reviewing voter ID laws in other states, but has not identified which ones.

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Flash: Joe Paterno Was Officially Fired for “Failure of Leadership” in Sandusky Case

via pennlive.com

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Penn State’s trustees have said something most already know: They fired late coach Joe Paterno in November over his alleged failure to follow up on a sexual abuse allegation against former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky. That “constituted a failure of leadership,” the board of trustees said.

The report says the same thing of President Graham Spanier, who was ousted as president the same night Paterno was fired. Spanier remains a professor at the university.

 

PATERNO 0903  JRH

A report issued today by the trustees says the board ultimately decided to fire Paterno after learning the details of his testimony before a grand jury when charges were filed against Sandusky.

 

The report also says the board decided to fire Paterno by phone because his home was surrounded by media and they deemed there was no “dignified, private and secure way” for trustees to meet with him in person.

Paterno died of lung cancer in January.

Neither Paterno nor Spanier were charged with a crime.

Sandusky’s trial on charges he sexually abused boys, many of them while on the Penn State campus, is scheduled for May, although that may change after a hearing today. He maintains his innocence.

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FLASH: ISRAEL REQUESTS BUNKER-BUSTER BOMBS FROM U.S.

Israel asks U.S. for arms that could aid Iran strike (click for source)

An Israeli soldier lies in ambush during an exercise in northern Israel, simulating battle conditions in Lebanon, January 18, 2012. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun

JERUSALEM | Thu Mar 8, 2012 6:16pm EST

(Reuters) – Israel has asked the United States for advanced “bunker-buster” bombs and refueling planes that could improve its ability to attack Iran’s underground nuclear sites, an Israeli official said on Thursday.

“Such a request was made” around the time of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington this week, the official said, confirming media reports.

But the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the issue, played down as “unrealistic” Israeli reports that the United States would condition supplying the hardware on Israel promising not to attack Iran this year.

White House spokesman Jay Carney, asked whether the Israelis had made such a request to U.S. officials during the visit, said “there was no such agreement proposed or reached” in President Barack Obama’s meetings with Netanyahu or his aides.

But when asked if the matter was raised with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta or other U.S. officials, Carney told reporters he had no information on that. “I would refer you to other officials,” he said.

A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that military capabilities came up in discussions between Netanyahu and Panetta but did not elaborate. No deals were struck during those talks, the official added.

Netanyahu made clear to Obama at a White House meeting on Monday that Israel had not yet decided on military action against Iran, the White House has said.

Netanyahu has hinted that Israel could resort to force should Tehran – which denies suspicions that it is covertly trying to develop atomic bombs – continue to defy big powers’ diplomatic pressure to curb its nuclear program.

The risk of an Israeli-Iranian war troubles Obama, who is up for re-election in November and has cautioned against sparking greater Mideast turmoil, though he has also asserted that military action remains an option if sanctions fail. A Gulf conflict could send oil prices soaring.

A front-page article in the Israeli newspaper Ma’ariv on Thursday said Obama had told Netanyahu Washington would supply Israel with upgraded military equipment in return for assurances there would be no attack on Iran in 2012.

Israel is widely assumed to have the Middle East’s only nuclear arsenal but its conventional firepower may not be enough to deliver lasting damage to Iran’s distant, dispersed and well-fortified facilities, many experts say.

Israel has limited stocks of older, smaller bunker-busting bombs and a small fleet of refueling planes, all supplied by Washington.

Western powers suspect Iran’s uranium enrichment program is aimed at stockpiling fissile material for nuclear weapons. Iran says it is strictly for civilian energy uses.

(Writing by Maayan Lubell, additional reporting by Matt Spetalnick, Alister Bull and Phil Stewart in Washington; editing by Mark Heinrich and Todd Eastham)

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SOURCE: Matt Lauer to Get $25 MILLION Per Year to Stay as Anchor of NBC’s “Today” Show

by Verne Gay at Newsday

I am reliably told that NBC and Matt Lauer are closing in on a deal that will pay him an estimated $25 million per year over the course of a multiyear deal, possibly as many as three, but more likely two.

NBC declined to comment.

According to an industry source, this deal, I am further told, could be announced soon, though I would bet that it will be unveiled by the May upfronts — capping, in fact, what are expected to be the most upbeat upfronts at NBC in years, with a resurgent primetime — umm, I mean “The Voice” — and a pair of smart newcomers in “Smash” and “Awake.”

But this deal, which is expected to happen, is huge, needless to say. Foremost, it keeps the ship steady, and with Matt aboard, “GMA’s” granular assault on the show’s ratings supremacy remains just that — granular. Moreover, keeping Matt means any sort of uncertainty is erased by the time the Olympics roll around: Both “Today” and the Os have a richly symbiotic relationship, and to imperil that at this point would be detrimental to new owner Comcast.

Ah yes, Comcast — which surely has had dark thoughts in the middle of the night about this expensive not-quite-albatross it has bought: With Matt retained, the Yankees have their captain and another shot at the pennant.

Enough with my mixed metaphors and hyperbole — and for that I sincerely apologize.

Now, to that $25 million payday: Not as big deal a deal as it seems (I kid) but about an $8 million bump for Matt. This is baseball money, but more to the point, this is syndication money. This deal will keep Matt away from the world that ultimately seems to lure all major talk talent; and when you consider that someone like Judge Judy makes well north of $50 million per year, then surely Matt’s value is on equal par, right? In fact, it’s of much greater value. Along with ESPN’s “SportsCenter,” “Today” is the richest franchise on TV, and among the most important.

A final word on Ryan Seacrest: I’m not entirely sure this means he is not part of the future either in some capacity. But the pending Matt deal does suggest that those early conversations were a feint by NBC and nothing more.

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CNET’s Take on the New $AAPL iPad

via CNET.com

The iPad‘s new screen specs are impressive.

 

Apple announces the new iPad.

(Credit: Donald Bell/CNET)

 

That’s really all you need to know about the new iPad. That, and a reminder that pricing still starts at $499 for a 16GB Wi-Fi model, with 4G starting at $629.

Forget all of the minor tweaks and incremental updates Apple has made to its third-generation tablet. The faster processor, the upgrade to 4G data, the improved camera–it’s all housekeeping. It’s the stuff it had to do. It’s the stuff any manufacturer could have done.

Announcing Apple’s 4G LTE iPad (photos)

1-2 of 21
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Now, doubling the iPad’s screen resolution to a 2048×1536 resolution that exceeds any current tablet or laptop–that’s a move only Apple has the scale and industry muscle to pull off. At this point, if Apple decides that the next iPad will be made from unicorn tears, I wouldn’t bet against it.

But in this pre-unicorn era, we’re stuck with the new iPad and a design that is virtually indistinguishable from 2011’s iPad 2. The tablet’s glass and aluminum construction is still 9.5 inches tall and 7.31 inches wide. Thickness is now 0.37 inch, weighing in at 1.5 pound.

 

 

This design is not exactly identical to the iPad 2’s, though. Apple knocked the camera quality up to 5-megapixel with 1080p video recording and backside illumination. Apple has yet to release spec information on the front-facing camera, if it’s been changed at all.

The screen
Remember the first time you saw an HD television? You were probably excited about the future but also a little sad that your current TV’s days were numbered. For tablet fans, a glance at the iPad’s new screen may offer this same emotional cocktail of envy and loss.

But what did you expect? You take a product that is 90 percent screen and a company hangs its reputation on making the prettiest products around, and you’re bound to arrived at this: the point when Apple ruins other screens for you.

What else is new?

The iPad’s processor has been upgraded to a A5X. Can you feel the difference? Not really. At least, not in the few minutes I had to play with the tablet. App load times seemed a little faster, but mostly the beefed-up quad-core graphics processor seems to be a necessary measure for juggling twice the pixels of the previous model.

I never felt the idea of Siri on the iPad was as natural a fit as it is for the iPhone. Luckily, Apple feels the same way. While Siri won’t be coming to the iPad, voice dictation will. That said, voice dictation on a tablet still strikes me as weird. I’m assuming you won’t jog with your iPad and while transcribing your every brilliant utterance, the way you would with an iPhone. Also, if someone asks you where to find great Thai food nearby, your phone is likely to be your first point of reference. Still, voice dictation is a welcome addition, and I suspect it will come in handy for dictating e-mails and bypassing the touch-screen keyboard when searching for information online.

I still contend that it’s a bit silly waving a tablet around to capture photos and video, but I understand the counterpoint and I’ll admit that the iPad’s screen makes a better display than any camera or smartphone. Also, if you’re a fan of Apple’s FaceTime video chat, the improved back camera quality is an obvious advantage over the camera in the iPad 2.

And finally, for all of you jet-setting, mobile-data-devouring types, the iPad is now available in a 4G LTE model. Prices for 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB come in at $629, $729, and $829, respectively.

What’s missing?
As far as disappointments go, Apple could have been more aggressive with its processor performance, or perhaps brought the iPads cameras up to iPhone 4S specs. Perhaps it could have gone thinner or done more to extend its lead in battery life.

Heck, let’s also throw in the age-old complaints about Apple’s reluctance to include microSD memory expansion, a dedicated port for video output, or a truly universal charging connection. Oh yeah, and Adobe Flash support while you’re at it.

Personally, there’s really nothing I can point to and say, “Apple has clearly doomed itself.” The company took its already excellent product and updated it with a gorgeous screen.

I suppose the only missed opportunity I can point to is the lack of a Kindle-priced competitor. The rumor mill suggests that Apple may release a smaller tablet later this year, but until then, it seems that Apple’s only answer to the budget tablet craze is its $199 Apple iPod Touch.

Buy it or skip it?
If you have an original iPad, by all means upgrade to the iPad 3. The used market for first-generation iPads is still alive and well and will hopefully afford you at least $100 toward the new iPad that is nearly half the thickness and twice the pixels as the original iPad.

For iPad 2 owners, the question is a little fuzzier. Since the design is virtually unchanged, the question really comes down to how much you’ll appreciate the new screen. If you get a big kick out of showing the latest tech toy, the mew iPad and its industry-first QXGA touch screen should be a crowd-pleaser. If your job involves sales or presentations, the new iPad’s dramatic screen upgrade may also makes sense (as might that 4G connectivity).

The final little push I’ll give it is the same push I’d give to someone considering a better TV or even a new kitchen table: if it’s something you’ll be looking at every day, then spend the money for something that’s going to put a smile on your face. I feel corny saying it, but as a chronic cheapskate, it’s something I have to tell myself often.

Still, cheapskate that I am, if a tablet isn’t already a staple of your daily routine, waiting can’t hurt you. If you’re new to tablets, consider dipping your toe in the water with a $199 Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet.

Final thoughts
I have to admire Apple’s gamesmanship. It was the first to make a tablet people cared about. Then, just when the competition started to feel confident, Apple sliced the iPad to an impossibly thin design. For its third act, Apple has pushed tablet screen expectations to a ludicrous new height.

The competition will inevitably catch up, just as surely as Apple will raise the stakes all over again.

 

 

Read more: http://trade.cc/augs

 

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FLASH: ANDREW BREITBART’S “OBAMA VIDEOS” SET FOR RELEASE

via Breitbart.com

Earlier today, Buzzfeed’s Ben Smith announced on Twitter that video researcher Andrew Kaczynski had released “the mysterious Harvard/Obama/race video that the Breitbart folks have been talking about.”

The video, which Kaczynski says was “licensed from a Boston television station,” shows a young Barack Obama leading a protest at Harvard Law School on behalf of Prof. Derrick Bell, a radical academic tied to Jeremiah Wright–about whom we will be releasing significant information in the coming hours.

However, the video has been selectively edited–either by the Boston television station or by Buzzfeed itself. Over the course of the day, Breitbart.com will be releasing additional footage that has been hidden by Obama’s allies in the mainstream media and academia.

Breitbart.com Editor-in-Chief Joel Pollak and Editor-at-Large Ben Shapiro will appear on The Sean Hannity Show to discuss the tape. The full tape will be released tonight on Fox News’ Hannity.

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FLASH: NFL QUARTERBACK PEYTON MANNING TO BE CUT BY INDIANAPOLIS COLTS TOMORROW

via TMZ.com

PEYTON MANNINGYOU’RE CUT(First Thing in the Morning)

0306_peyton_manning_getty_bn
In the immortal words of Kenny Powers … sorry, Peyton Manning … you’re f**kin out.

The Indianapolis Colts will reportedly cut the 35-year-old QB tomorrow during a news conference in Indianapolis.

Not really a shocking move … considering Manning has all sorts of neck problems and was due to make a TON of money. Plus, the Colts have the #1 pick in the draft … and are in LOOOOOVE with Andrew Luck.

Good luck filling those shoes, kid.

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LOL: LulzSec brought down from the top

Read here:

EXCLUSIVE: It was one of the hottest days of the year and evening temperatures were still sweltering when two FBI agents wearing bulletproof vests under their dark suits climbed the stairs of the Jacob Riis housing complex in New York’s Lower East Side on June 7, 2011. Drenched in sweat, they knocked on the steel door of a sixth-floor unit. It swung open to reveal a man in his late twenties wearing jeans and a white T-shirt.

“I’m Hector,” he said.

The agents were suddenly face-to-face with “Sabu,” the computer genius they had stalked for months, a quarry so elusive they hadn’t pinned down his identity and location until just weeks before. The suspected ringleader of the Anonymous offshoot group LulzSec, Hector Xavier Monsegur and his web minions had just completed a month-long reign of terror, hacking the CIA, Fox, Sony and several financial institutions, causing, according to some estimates, billions of dollars in damage around the world.

The nondescript public housing unit seemed an unlikely nerve center for one of the world’s most wanted criminal masterminds, but the 28-year-old Monsegur himself is a study in such contradictions. An unemployed computer programmer, welfare recipient and legal guardian of two young children, Monsegur did not go to college and is a self-taught hacker. Although his skills and intellect could command a lucrative salary in the private sector, those who know him say he is lazy, an underachiever complacent with his lifestyle.

“He’s extremely intelligent,” a law enforcement official said. “Brilliant, but lazy.”

It was the laziness that got him.

Sabu had always been cautious, hiding his Internet protocol address through proxy servers. But then just once he slipped. He logged into an Internet relay chatroom from his own IP address without masking it. All it took was once. The feds had a fix on him.

For weeks they waited, watching him, monitoring the online activity of the man they believed was the leader of LulzSec.

But then, late in the evening of June 7, they received word that Sabu had been “doxed” — meaning that for a very brief moment, someone had posted Sabu’s real name and address online. Law enforcement feared Sabu would see he’d been outed and begin destroying evidence of his hacking career—and all traces of those he’d worked and communicated with online. They had to move.

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FLASH: Lenny Dykstra Sentenced to 3 Years in California Prison

SAN FERNANDO, Calif. —

Former New York Mets outfielder Lenny Dykstra has been sentenced to three years in a California state prison in a grand theft auto case.

Dykstra was sentenced Monday after a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge refused to allow him to withdraw a no-contest plea.

Prosecutors say Dykstra and two others tried to lease and then sell high-end cars from several auto dealerships by claiming credit through a phony business.

Dykstra also faces federal bankruptcy charges and is scheduled to stand trial this summer.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

Former New York Mets outfielder Lenny Dykstra may be sentenced on Monday if a judge rejects his motion to withdraw a no-contest plea on charges of grand theft auto and providing a false financial statement.

Dykstra, 49, is seeking to withdraw his plea but faces up to four years in state prison if it’s not granted. Dykstra initially pleaded not guilty to 25 counts after police arrested him and found cocaine, Ecstasy and synthetic human growth hormone at his Los Angeles home last April.

Dykstra and two co-defendants are accused of trying to lease and then sell high-end cars from several car dealerships by claiming credit through a phony business. His accountant Robert Hymers pleaded no contest to one count of identity theft, while Christopher Gavanis pleaded no contest to one count of filing a false financial statement. They are both awaiting sentencing.

Dykstra changed his plea in October to no contest and in exchange prosecutors dropped 21 counts.

He has had a series of legal problems over the past year. He faces federal bankruptcy charges and is scheduled to stand trial this summer.

Dykstra, who bought a mansion once owned by hockey star Wayne Gretzky, filed for bankruptcy three years ago, claiming he owed more than $31 million and had only $50,000 in assets. Federal prosecutors said that after filing, Dykstra hid, sold or destroyed more than $400,000 worth of items from the $18.5 million mansion without permission of a bankruptcy trustee.

Dykstra also has pleaded not guilty to indecent exposure charges for allegedly exposing himself to women he met on Craigslist.

The ex-major leaguer has been in a sober living facility, according to court documents.

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