From CNBC

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Farmers will plant a major corn crop along with soybeans and wheat.

Eli Manning is America’s quarterback — among the Twitter-using public at least.

IBM analyzed more than one million Super Bowl-related tweets to determine how people feel about Manning andNew England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady — and the New York Giants quarterback was the winner.

Manning earned 66-percent positive sentiment compared to Brady’s 61 percent, according to the report.

IBM called this a “digital upset” because “many would assume that Brady should be far ahead given his lofty status as an elite quarterback for many years and three championship rings,” Business Insider reported.

The company’s scientists attributed Manning’s positive sentiment to two factors.

First, New York fans are confident in their team and loyal to Big Blue. Second, there’s a backlash against the Colts’ treatment of Eli’s big brother Peyton.

The analysis also found that coach Tom Coughlin has more of a positive sentiment than Patriots coach Bill Belichick, 76 to 68.

NEWSCORE

By Susan Roylance

NEW YORK — Outside the United Nations headquarters, hundreds of people were shouting and waving banners Tuesday that read “China and Russia – No Veto.” These people wanted support from the Security Council of the U.N. to oust the President of Syria, Bashar al-Assad.

Inside the U.N., another group of civil society leaders demanded a basic level of social security as they promoted a “social protection floor” at a preparatory forum for the Commission on Social Development, which began Feb. 1.

The focus of the forum was “universal access to basic social protection and social services.”

“No one should live below a certain income level,” stated Milos Koterec, President of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. “Everyone should be able to access at least basic health services, primary education, housing, water, sanitation and other essential services.”

These services were presented at the forum as basic human rights equal to the rights of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

The money to fund these services may come from a new world tax.

“We will need a modest but long-term way to finance this transformation,” stated Jens Wandel, Deputy Director of the United Nations Development Program. “One idea which we could consider is a minimal financial transaction tax (of .005 percent). This will create $40 billion in revenue.”

“It is absolutely essential to establish controls on capital movements and financial speculation,” said Ambassador Jorge Valero, the current Chairman of the Commission on Social Development. He called for “progressive policies of taxation” that would require “those who earn more to pay more taxes.”

Valero’s speech to the forum focused on capitalism as the source of the world financial problems.

Read the rest here.

The death toll rises to 250

The NFL wants to add even more fans to the millions already following the sport — and is willing to pay $1 million to do it.

The league will run an ad during the Super Bowl introducing the ”Perfect Challenge,” a deceptively simple new fantasy game.

Each week, participants must pick an eight-player lineup out of the entire NFL. If every selection earns the most fantasy points at their position in a given week, the owner wins $1 million.

The lineups must feature one quarterback, two running backs, two wide receivers, one tight end, one kicker and one defense/special-teams unit. The game is free.

For a sense of the difficulty of picking the perfect lineup, consider that last season 16 different kickers earned the most points (including ties) for at least one week under the standard NFL.com scoring system.

Yes, the hugely popular NFL believes it’s missing out on potential fans, so it’s making a splash with the $1 million prize. An estimated 15 million to 20 million people already play fantasy football, but then again, last year’s Super Bowl was watched by 111 million viewers.

Regular fantasy football requires the organization to set up a league at the start of the season and the commitment to attend a draft and update a lineup every week. The Perfect Challenge requires less time and knowledge, and fans can play as many or as few weeks as they’d like.

For those avid fans already hooked on fantasy, it’s an opportunity to compete for something even if that team they drafted in early September is already eliminated from playoff contention.

”Male, female, younger, older — this appeals across the board,” said Jeff Berman, the NFL’s digital media chief. ”Obviously, having the prize component gives an extra reason.”

The league’s hope is that the people who play fantasy for the first time through the Challenge start paying more attention to the sport — maybe they watch the Thursday night game on NFL Network, or buy official merchandise.

”Bringing new players into the fold is good for football overall,” Berman said.

Organizations can offer $1 million prizes in initiatives like this with the help of the insurance. For the NFL, having to distribute the big payday would carry the kind of buzz the league wants from this program.

”We’d be thrilled for somebody to pick the perfect lineup and win the prize,” Berman said. ”That would be a terrific outcome.”

-AP

NEW YORK (TheStreet) — Facebook’s $5 billion IPO won’t just impact its thousands of employees and corporate culture. The effects will be much more far reaching, touching hundreds of companies that rely on the platform — many of which are already benefiting from buzz surrounding the year’s most talked about public offering.

READ MORE

Here are some stocks, under $5, picked up by one of my PPT screens, click here for charts.

When ticking off the benefits of physical activity, few of us would include intracellular housecleaning. But a new study suggests that the ability of exercise to speed the removal of garbage from inside our body’s cells may be one of its most valuable, if least visible, effects. Full Story

If you have yet to see Blake Griffin’s dunk, check out this sports science clip.

A throwaway remark aimed at thanking his parents for supporting his career has made Tom Brady “the most-hated man in Buffalo.”

During a media session on Wednesday, the New England Patriots quarterback was asked to describe the commitment made by his father, Tom, Sr., in the early days of his career. Brady had no idea he was about to stumble into a storm of controversy — at least in the proud New York city by the Canadian border.

“My dad was always there to support me,” Brady said. “He’s been there every step of the way. Then I went to school a long ways from home (University of Michigan) and he and my mom were there at every home football game that they could possibly be at and a lot of road games, too.

“And even when I started my pro career, he traveled to Buffalo. I don’t know if you guys have ever been to the hotels in Buffalo — they’re not the nicest places in the world — but he would still travel to those. It was just great to grow up in a house like that and feel so supported by your mom and dad.”

Full Story

That’s most valuable follower

In this week’s cover story, the celebrity weekly says Moore was on a party binge when friends called 911 on January 23 saying the actress was having convulsions after smoking an unidentified substance.

TMZ later reported Moore was inhaling nitrous oxide whip-its, a recreational drug most commonly linked to young teens.

Full Story

The documents show, as expected, that Facebook is thriving. The company earned $668 million on revenue of $3.7 billion last year, according to the filing. Both figures nearly doubled from 2010.

“The company is a lot more profitable than we thought,” said Kathleen Smith, principal of IPO investment advisory firm Renaissance Capital.

FULL STORY

Stocks Rising on Unusual Volume:

• AZPN, BCS, MSTR, AIXG, EXPW, STX, MDVN, FTNT, REXX, BVSN, IACI, BRCM, IPXL, AMLN, DNDN, CYT, WHR, IX, KNM, CYT, MAN, AOL, PPO, MTW, TEX, MPC, MYL, HUN, WDC, AVY, MS and HALO

Stocks With Unusual Call Option Activity:
1) UBS 2) WHR 3) GGC 4) HUN 5) STX

MORE

Stocks Falling on Unusual Volume:

• AMZN, CHRW, JDAS, WBSN, CLMT, TSU, IXYS, WPRT, CALL, UBNT, KEYN, GSVC, BOKF, BODY, NTRI, TECH, BBOX, AWAY, QGEN, ARMH, CPHD, BSFT, CIB, UIS, TUP, MPW, CRK, MPW and OAS

Stocks With Unusual Put Option Activity:1) WHR 2) JDSU 3) ATPG 4) STX 5) HUN

MORE

“I’ll be honest with you,” Rodgers said on ESPN 540 in Milwaukee. “I was a little bit disappointed. I felt like some of the guys on the NFC side embarrassed themselves.”

The AFC routed the NFC 59-41 in a game that drew boos at Aloha Stadium for its lack of early intensity. Rodgers, who started and played the first quarter for the NFC, didn’t name specific players.

“I was just surprised that some of the guys either didn’t want to play or when they were in there didn’t put any effort into it,” Rodgers said.

Full Story

Here is an update on “the 2012 stock of the year contest” after 1 month, click here for leader board.

Read here:

A group of Occupy Wall Street protesters disrupted a Right to Life rally and threw condoms on Catholic school girls inside the Rhode Island state capitol building.

Barth Bracy, executive director of Rhode Island Right to Life, said their rally had to be cut short after the Occupiers began screaming and refused to allow a Catholic priest to deliver a prayer.

“This is their idea of civil speech but we believe it’s an outrage,” Bracy told Fox News & Commentary “They started heckling, chanting and blowing whistles. They shouted down a priest.”

Last week’s rally was held inside the rotunda of the state capitol in Providence. Bracy said the Occupiers, along with some pro-choice demonstrators, infiltrated the crowd of some 150 pro-lifers. He said the pro-life crowd was made up of senior citizens, mothers with young children, Cub Scouts, and school kids.

Bracy said one of the most egregious incidents occurred when an Occupier climbed to the third floor balcony and dumped a box of condoms on girls from a Catholic school.

“What kind of individual throw condoms at Catholic school girls,” Bracy asked.