Google earnings top estimates

Google CEO Larry Page should be pleased with the company's first quarter results. But mobile is still a challenge.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

Overall, Google's first-quarter revenue jumped to nearly $14 billion, in line with Wall Street expectations. Net income rose to $3.9 billion, or $11.58 per share, handily beating estimates.

Shares of Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) initially rose 3% in after-hours trading, but they lost some gains as investors digested the lackluster details on mobile.

Though Google is a dominant mobile player thanks to Android, the shift away from desktops has caused the company some problems. Of particular concern is a metric called cost-per-click, or the average amount that advertisers pay to Google each time a user clicks on an ad.

Mobile ads command lower prices than desktop ads do, so the average cost-per-click has fallen even as the number of paid clicks increase.

In the first quarter, Google's cost-per-click fell 4% compared with the prior year. That's the sixth consecutive quarterly decrease. The number of paid clicks rose 3% over the year.

Early in the quarter, Google announced it would reduce the number of ads on its mobile search page to avoid overwhelming users. At that time, the company wrongly predicted a higher cost-per-click and a drop in paid clicks.

Related story: Google's new bid to avoid EU fine

On a conference call with analysts, CEO Larry Page spoke only generally about mobile advertising in his prepared remarks.

Instead, Page spent most of his time talking about an area of concern for some analysts: Google's expansion into side businesses not related to its core search business, which made up 92% of the company's sales in the first quarter. Those projects include the wearable computer Google Glass, driverless cars and the high-speed Google Fiber Internet and TV service.

"Companies tend to get comfortable doing what they've always done with a few minor tweaks," Page said. "It's only natural to work on what you know."

Google, on the other hand, wants to do things "no one else is crazy enough to try," Page said.

Page also alluded to potential hardware innovations from Motorola, including improved battery life and a screen that won't shatter when dropped.

"Having seen Motorola's upcoming products myself, I'm pretty enthusiastic," Page said.

But Motorola is still very much a turnaround story. The business logged an operating loss of $179 million in the first quarter. During the fourth-quarter results conference call, Google CFO Patrick Pichette warned that he expects Motorola's financial results to be volatile "for quite a while."

While Android market share remains strong, even that business underwent turmoil in the first quarter. Android co-founder Andy Rubin stepped down in March to take on unspecified new projects at Google. (Page declined to reveal Rubin's new role when asked on Thursday's call.) Sundar Pichai, former Google head of Chrome and Apps, took Rubin's place at the Android helm.

Google rival Yahoo (YHOO, Fortune 500) reported results earlier this week, and a sales drop -- led by an 11% decline in display ad revenue -- overshadowed a jump in profit. Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500) also released its quarterly results Thursday, announcing profits that topped forecasts.

Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500), which has suffered a stock slump on concerns about declining profit margins, competition from Samsung and others with phones running on Android as well as the lack of an exciting new product, will report earnings next week. Facebook (FB), which competes with Google on the display ad front, is on tap to report results the following week.

First Published: April 18, 2013: 4:30 PM ET

Source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/money_topstories/~3/Y2mS8Nba65A/index.html

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Midwestern flood warnings follow storms, torrential rain - U.S. News

Much of the Midwest has been affected by a big spring storm that left flooding in Illinois. Residents in Gurnee, Ill., said it's the worst flooding they've seen in a decade and officials are warning it could be a week or two before flood levels significantly drop. ?NBC's John Yang report.

By Jeff Black and Alastair Jamieson, NBC News

A massive weather system carrying potentially severe thunderstorms, damaging winds and possibly even tornadoes was soaking the nation?s midsection on Thursday, with flash floods reported in Chicago and heavy rain expected to cause major flooding along the Mississippi River.

Flooding in the Chicago area ? with more than 4 inches of rain reported ? closed major expressways and led the evacuations of residents stuck in flooded homes, apartments and a hospital.

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Firefighter Jason Kelley and police officer Shannon Vandenheuvel carry children from Barbara Jones' partially submerged car in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Thursday.

The deluge caused a water main break on Chicago's South Side and the gushing water opened up a sinkhole that swallowed three cars.

Parts of the Edens and Eisenhower expressways in Lake County, Ill., were closed in both directions at one point during the day, NBCChicago.com reported.??

Gov. Pat Quinn declared a state of emergency across Illinois as thousands of people struggled with flood damage even as another wave of wet weather was on the way.

Quinn said a hospital in Morris, Ill., had to be evacuated and two trailer parks severely flooded. Residents living in The Towers at Four Lakes, a large apartment complex in a suburban area west of Chicago, were rescued from their flooded homes by boat, the DuPage County Sheriff's office said.

NewsNation's Tamron Hall reports on the massive storm which called flash flooding in Chicago.

Ajay Jha his wife Alo and daughter Aditi had to be evacuated through an open window of their home in Lisle by boat after a branch of the DuPage River overflowed.

"We lost everything" Ajay told the Chicago Tribune.??You can?t stop mother nature. We?re just happy we are safe.?

Illinois' governor warned people of the hazards of travel.

"Heavy rainfall over the past few days has created dangerous flooding in areas across the state," Quinn said, NBCChicago.com reported. "Everyone should stay home and off the roads if possible. To ensure safety as these storms continue, people should be alert and avoid flooded areas."

Residents were told to tune in to local TV and radio stations for updated information about any closed roadways or evacuations.

Heavy rain caused a sinkhole in Chicago that swallowed three cars. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.

More than 500 flights were canceled at Chicago?s O?Hare Airport due to the extreme weather, and some trains were delayed. Air travelers were urged to check airline websites or call to confirm whether flights were still planned.

In Midland, Mich., Northwood University canceled classes for the rest of the week because of flooding problems, NBC station WDIV reported.

The Weather Channel's Greg Forbes, a severe weather expert, categorized the storm as a ?major/massive flood event? for the Midwest.

Flood watches and warnings were posted on Thursday stretching from northeastern Oklahoma to much of Missouri, northern and central Illinois, southern and central Wisconsin, and parts of Lower Michigan,?Weather.com said.

Flood warnings were issued in some cases for areas already swamped by melting snow.

Seventeen gauges placed along the Mississippi River to monitor the rising water already showed major flooding, Forbes said, and the water was predicted to rise in the next 24 hours in Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan.

Indeed, the band of predicted extreme weather stretched from northern Michigan to Houston and the Texas coastal area.

States along the Eastern Seaboard were set for heavy rain on Friday, Weather.com reported. The tornado risk, however, was expected to diminish as the storm moved east. Still,?heavy rain was likely in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and the New York metropolitan area as well as the Atlantic Coast.

A forecast issued late Wednesday by the National Weather Service showed a 40 percent chance that the Red River will top the 2009 record of just under 41 feet.

Fargo City Administrator Pat Zavoral said he's confident the area will be protected. He said a forecast closer to 44 feet would have made things "a little dicey."

Related:

Wild spring weather snarls parts of country

This story was originally published on Thu Apr 18, 2013 11:51 AM EDT

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/04/18/17811214-midwestern-flood-warnings-follow-storms-torrential-rain

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Economist warns environment 'pushed to brink' | Eco News

In Professor Robert Costanza?s hometown of Donora, Pennsylvania, smog killed more than 20 people just a few years before he was born.

The freak event in the town studded with steel mills and zinc smelters put air pollution on the public agenda in the United States, and eventually encouraged the passage of the country?s first Clean Air Act.

Now a leading ecological economist at the Australian National University, Professor Constanza worries such a tragedy may be necessary before people start realising the global environment is in trouble.

?I think it does often take some sort of crisis,? Professor Costanza told AAP Newsagency.

?But I don?t think it?s too late,? he added.

In a report just launched in the national capital, Canberra, Professor Costanza warned the earth?s ecological limits were being pushed to the brink by society?s drive for material possessions and economic growth.

Professor Costanza?s report, co-authored with other experts on ecological economics, will today be published as part of the annual State of the World Report in Washington in the United States.

An alternative model, one that considers other measures of progress like a greener future and true wellbeing, was needed if humanity was to avoid a bleak existence.

Far from being a doomsday prediction, Professor Costanza said choosing to do nothing on a ?business as usual? basis would be far worse for humanity.

?It?s only doomsday if all you care about is material consumption,? he said.

?I?m arguing that that?s not what we should be caring about, because that?s not really everything that contributes to quality of life.?

People could create a better world if they stopped focusing on consumption and instead looked at the things that studies show really mattered, he said.

Family, income equality, crime rates, community and climate change were far more important to one?s overall wellbeing than a desire to buy more and ?keep up with the Joneses?.

AAP reports importantly, Professor Costanza stressed there needed to be a rethink on Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the benchmark commonly used to rate economic success.

The focus on GDP growth was misplaced and unrealistic because it didn?t reflect the significant costs of pushing the environment ?a little too hard?.

?You can?t have infinite growth on a finite planet,? he said.

?If you?re only trying to increase GDP, then the environment gets in the way.?

Source: http://econews.com.au/news-to-sustain-our-world/economist-warns-environment-pushed-to-brink/

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Dad wasn't a fan of women in construction ? but then I bought him ...

Helen Loveless

IS there still a glass ceiling for women when it comes to running businesses and reaching the top?

A second annual report into the number of women on boards, carried out by Cranfield School of Management and published last week, shows that the rate of women being appointed to the boards of FTSE100 has slowed considerably in the past six months, from 44 per cent of new appointments to just 26 per cent.

While over the last decade the rate of female entrepreneurship has grown by 15 per cent, a Government-backed study published in 2011 found growth in the number of female entrepreneurs had stalled. About 14 per cent of small and medium-sized businesses are now run by women,

But there are still many female entrepreneurs flying high in what might be called a man?s world.

Julie White is managing director of D-Drill, a Coventry-based construction company specialising in diamond drilling. She took over the company from her father in 2008 in a management buyout. At the time Julie was also running her own construction business Superfloor UK, a construction company specialising in floor preparation techniques.

Julie, 45, faced obstacles. She says: ?Before I made my business a success my father didn?t think women should work in construction. Even as managing director I have gone to vital contract meetings where people assumed that as a woman I must be the secretary rather than the boss.?

Shortly after taking over the turnover of the business fell by ?about 40 per cent? from ?8 million, as the impact of the financial crisis and the collapse in the construction industry hit home.

But since then Julie has restructured and streamlined the business, including renegotiating supplier deals and making necessary redundancies. Turnover is now ?5 million and rising and the firm employs 150 people. She has also just appointed the first woman onto the board of the business.

Julie, who to date is the only woman running a business in this specialist sector, says: ?I actually think the Government is doing a lot to help women reach the top in business, though more needs to be done.

?I am against quotas for women on boards, however. Women need to believe that they can do anything. I have faced discrimination but it hasn?t stopped me.?

Posted by Helen Loveless on Monday, April 15th, 2013 at 9:00 am.

Filed under Feature, News, SMEs, Tagged as: .

Source: http://www.fmwf.com/media-type/news/2013/04/dad-wasnt-a-fan-of-women-in-construction-but-then-i-bought-him-out/

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Obama Vows 'We Will Find Out Who Did This' (ABC News)

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AT&T's Galaxy S 4 page lists April 30th ship date, $199 / $639 price for 16GB

We saw AT&T open up a registration page for the Galaxy S 4 almost as soon as Samsung's presentation was over, but now that link is exposing a bit more information. Several tipsters let us know that for customers in certain areas, the website is now showing the 16GB GS 4 available for pre-order in White Frost or Black Mist. Anyone can see some of the details, including that it's promised to ship April 30th and has an off-contract pricetag of $639 ($199 w/ two-year agreement). Those who can get further in the ordering process report it's promised to arrive at their homes on or before May 3rd, with two-day shipping. Hit the link below if you're move to get your pre-order for Samsung's latest standard-bearer as soon as possible.

[Thanks, Stephen, Asim, Jeff]

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung, AT&T

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Source: AT&T

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/QRxIgab3Hlc/

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'Fifty Shades' makes list of challenged books

NEW YORK (AP) ? Here's a list "Fifty Shades of Grey" was destined to make: The books most likely to be removed from school and library shelves.

On Monday, E L James' multimillion selling erotic trilogy placed No. 4 on the American Library Association's annual study of "challenged books," works subject to complaints from parents, educators and other members of the public. The objections: Offensive language, and, of course, graphic sexual content.

No. 1 was a not a story of the bedroom, but the bathroom, Dav Pilkey's "Captain Underpants" books (Offensive language, unsuited for age group), followed by Sherman Alexie's prize-winning "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" (Offensive language, racism, sexually explicit), and Jay Asher's "Thirteen Reasons Why"(Drugs/alcohol/smoking, sexually explicit, suicide). Also on the list, at No. 10, Nobel laureate Toni Morrison's "Beloved" (Sexually explicit, religious viewpoint, violence).

"It's pretty exciting to be on a list that frequently features Mark Twain, Harper Lee, and Maya Angelou," Pilkey said in a statement. "But I worry that some parents might see this list and discourage their kids from reading 'Captain Underpants,' even though they have not had a chance to read the books themselves."

The library association's Office for Intellectual Freedom defines a challenge as a "formal, written complaint filed with a library or school requesting that a book or other material be restricted or removed because of its content or appropriateness." The office received 464 challenges last year, a jump of more 25 percent from 2011, but still low compared to the 1980s and '90s. Exact numbers, including how many books were actually pulled, are hard to calculate. The association has long believed that for every complaint registered, 4-5 go unreported by libraries, and that some librarians may restrict access in anticipation of objections.

"One reason we think the number went up in 2012 is that we made challenges easier to report by including a portal on our Web page," said Barbara M. Jones, director of the OIF.

The challenged books list was included in the library association's annual "State of the Libraries" report (http://tinyurl.com/salr2013) which examines how libraries are responding to budget cuts and the financial advice they offer for patrons during hard economic times.

The "Fifty Shades" books were released last spring and public libraries in Georgia, Florida and elsewhere soon pulled the racy romance trilogy or decided not to order the books, saying they were too steamy or too poorly written. Local library representatives at the time denounced the novels as "semi-pornographic" and unfit for "community standards."

But the list also included some works highly regarded in the literary community: Morrison's "Beloved," winner of the Pulitzer Prize; Alexie's novel, a National Book Award winner; and a book club favorite, Khaled Hosseini's "The Kite Runner" (Homosexuality, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit). Young adult star John Green was on, for "Looking for Alaska" (Offensive language, sexually explicit), along with perennial chart-maker "And Tango Makes Three," by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson, the story of two male penguins who raise a baby penguin. Also on the list were Alvin Schwartz's "Scary Stories" (unsuited for age group) and Jeanette Wells' memoir "The Glass Castle." (Offensive language, sexually explicit).

The "Captain Underpants" books, which Green said he's currently reading to his 3-year-old son, have long been debated among parents and educators. Some praise the books because they encourage boys to read, others criticize them for their toilet humor and irreverent attitude; the title character is a superhero devised by two 4th graders about their grouchy principal, Mr. Krupp.

"I don't see these books as encouraging disrespect for authority. Perhaps they demonstrate the value of questioning authority," Pilkey said. "Some of the authority figures in the Captain Underpants books are villains. They are bullies and they do vicious things."

Pilkey said his characters are based in part on teachers and principals he had between grades 2 and 5 ? some of whom were villains who got away with it because they were authority figures.

"None of the children in my school, including me, thought to question them," he said. "So, I do feel there is real value in showing kids that not all authority figures are good or kind or honorable."

Challenged books are a measure of trouble, but also a measure of popularity, whether as a cause or an effect. Some famous entries from recent years have dropped off the top 10, likely a sign of reduced attention overall: J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" books, Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" series, Suzanne Collins' "Hunger Games" trilogy. Jones thinks some publishers "love it when their book is mentioned" because of the attention it receives, while Green agrees that getting on the list "means lots of people are reading your book."

The president of Scholastic's trade division, Ellie Berger, said in a statement that the "appearance of Captain Underpants on the 2012 ALA list coincides with the publication of Dav Pilkey's first new 'Captain Underpants' book in six years and the series' return to national bestseller lists ? both of which are evidence that this longtime bestselling series continues to inspire a love of reading (and underpants) for a new generation of kids."

___

Online:

American Library Association: www.ala.org

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fifty-shades-makes-list-challenged-books-041601310.html

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