Consumer sentiment perks up while trade gap widens (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Consumer sentiment hit an eight-month high in early January as Americans grew more optimistic about job prospects, a survey released on Friday showed.

Separate data released earlier showed the U.S. trade deficit widened in November to its largest in five months, prompting some economists to slightly rein in growth expectations for the fourth quarter.

The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan preliminary January reading on its overall index of consumer sentiment rose to 74.0 from 69.9 in December for the fifth month of gains and the highest level since May 2011.

The report topped expectations of 71.5 and was in contrast to December's weaker-than-expected retail sales reported on Thursday.

"This shows even though the retail sales number this week was disappointing there could be a little more underlying strength," said Kathy Lien, director of research at GFT Forex in Jersey City.

"I'd be wary of looking at this as a shift in long-term confidence, but I'd look at this as good news today."

While the gain brought the index close to 2011's high point, it is still well off the strength seen before the financial crisis.

The day's data was eclipsed in financial markets, however, by reports that Standard & Poor's was set to downgrade the ratings on several euro zone countries. Wall Street was down about 1 percent in midday trade.

EUROPE COULD THREATEN

U.S. Commerce Department data showed the trade gap totaled $47.8 billion in November, exceeding analysts' forecast of a $45.0 billion deficit.

"The trade balance deteriorated pretty significantly and it could shave a few tenths of a percent off our expectation for fourth quarter (growth)," said Russell Price, senior economist at Ameriprise Financial.

JPMorgan said gross domestic product growth for the fourth quarter was now tracking closer to 3.0 percent than their forecast of 3.5 percent.

A wider deficit shows that more goods and services bought by U.S. businesses and consumers were produced outside the country, subtracting from gross domestic product.

"The external outlook does not bode well for U.S. exports, as a deceleration in global growth will coincide with a stronger U.S. dollar due to lingering financial concerns regarding Europe's sovereign debt turbulences," wrote Martin Schwerdtfeger, senior economist at TD Bank Group, in a note.

Separately, a dip in import prices showed inflation pressures were still muted, giving the Federal Reserve wiggle room as it holds U.S. benchmark interest rates at ultra-low levels.

Import prices were down 0.1 percent in December after a 0.8 percent gain in November as oil prices fell, in line with economists' expectations.

Economic growth in the final quarter of 2011 is likely to have accelerated from the third quarter's 1.8 percent rate, with many economists expecting an annualized rise of around 3 percent.

JPMorgan Chase & Co Chief Executive Jamie Dimon sounded a positive note on the economy on Friday, saying the United States' recovery was strengthening, though he expressed concern over the European debt crisis.

Consumer spending, once a key pillar of the U.S. economy, remains lackluster and sensitive to shocks. Although some Federal Reserve officials have said taking further steps to juice the economy may be needed, no action is expected at the next Fed policy meeting at the end of the month.

Thirty-four percent of consumers polled in the confidence survey said they had heard of recent job gains, a record high in the survey's history and well above December's 21 percent.

"The data suggest a stronger consumer spending outlook, rising to about a 2.1 percent gain in 2012," survey director Richard Curtin said in a statement.

But consumers still lacked confidence in government economic policies with the majority rating them unfavorably for the sixth month in a row.

Americans also remained dour on their personal finances with just 24 percent expecting their finances to improve in January, slightly below 25 percent last month.

The survey's barometer of current economic conditions rose to the highest since February at 82.6 from 79.6 while its gauge of consumer expectations gained to 68.4 from 63.6.

(Reporting By Leah Schnurr, Additional reporting by Luciana Lopez in New York and Jason Lange in Washington; Editing by Andrea Ricci and James Dalgleish)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120113/bs_nm/us_usa_economy

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Peru court sentences Van der Sloot to 28 years for murder (Reuters)

LIMA (Reuters) ? Dutch citizen Joran Van der Sloot was sentenced to 28 years in prison by a Peruvian court on Friday for killing a woman in Lima in 2010, exactly five years since 18-year-old Alabama native Natalee Holloway disappeared after spending time with him.

He had accepted homicide and theft charges filed against him in his trial and apologized on Wednesday for killing 21-year-old business student Stephany Flores after meeting her in a casino in Peru's capital.

Van der Sloot, 24, fidgeted nervously and sweated profusely during sentencing and was ordered to pay 200,000 soles ($74,074) to the Flores family. He shook his head afterwards, sighed and was escorted out of the courtroom by guards. He did not say if he would appeal the ruling.

He could conceivably spend less than a decade behind bars because Peru often releases prisoners for good behavior after serving a third of their terms.

Peruvian police said Flores, a highly skilled poker player and the daughter of a wealthy businessman, was robbed and killed on May 30, 2010, five years to the day after U.S. citizen Holloway vanished during a high school graduation trip to the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba.

Van der Sloot has told police he strangled, beat and suffocated Flores after he found her looking at his laptop computer in his hotel room. The laptop contained emails about Holloway's death.

He fled to Chile after Flores' death but was arrested there and returned to Peru for questioning.

The Flores murder probe brought renewed attention to the case of Holloway, who vanished during a high school graduation trip to Aruba, where Van der Sloot was living.

Van der Sloot was arrested twice in the Holloway case but he was never charged due to a lack of evidence as they never found her body. An Alabama judge declared her dead on Thursday.

Holloway's family has criticized Dutch authorities for not making more progress in the case.

(Reporting By Guillermo Garcia and Terry Wade)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/latam/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120113/wl_nm/us_peru_crime_sloot

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Battles among Ants Resemble Human Warfare (preview)

Feature Articles | More Science See Inside

Battles among ants can be startlingly similar to human military operations

By Mark W. Moffett ?| January 8, 2012?|

Marauder ants from one colony attack a member of a rival marauder colony, slowly tearing it limb from limb. Image: Illustration by John Dawson

In Brief

• Some kinds of ants live in tight-knit colonies containing thousands or millions of individuals that go to war with other colonies over resources such as territory or food.
• The diverse tactics these insects use in combat can be remarkably similar to human war strategies, varying according to what is at stake.
• The ants? capacity for warfare is enhanced by their unbreakable allegiance to their colony.

The raging combatants form a blur on all sides. the scale of the violence is almost incomprehensible, the battle stretching beyond my field of view. Tens of thousands sweep ahead with a suicidal single-mindedness. Utterly devoted to duty, the fighters never retreat from a confrontation?even in the face of certain death. The engagements are brief and brutal. Suddenly, three foot soldiers grab an enemy and hold it in place until one of the bigger warriors advances and cleaves the captive?s body, leaving it smashed and oozing.

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Dominant Giants overpower Falcons

Manning throws 3 TDs, defense stuffs Atlanta in 24-2 win; Packers next

Matt Slocum / AP

Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks celebrates in the end zone after a 72-yard TD catch Sunday against the Falcons.

By BARRY WILNER

updated 3:59 p.m. ET Jan. 8, 2012

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - All the missing pieces - defense and a running game - are aligning at the right time for Eli Manning and the New York Giants. And just in time to play the Packers.

After routing the Atlanta Falcons 24-2 Sunday in the NFC wild-card game, the Giants head to Green Bay next weekend, a place where they will need all the help they can muster.

Manning carried the Giants (10-7) for much of the season, hoping the defense would get stingy, the pass rush would materialize and the running game would get on track. Now, all of that is happening.

"A great mix of run and pass and these guys have a great understanding of what our offense is," Manning said of the help he's receiving. "If we can get that run game going like we did in the second half, that opens up a lot of windows."

And if the defense remains impenetrable, watch out.

"If we can play defense like that, we will continue to make ourselves heard in this tournament," coach Tom Coughlin said.

Manning punctuated his best pro season by throwing for three touchdowns and scrambling for a 14-yard gain that woke up New York's offense in its first postseason victory since its Super Bowl upset of undefeated New England four years ago. Next up is as big a challenge: the defending champion Packers (15-1), who won here 38-35 in December.

`'We know they are a good team," Manning said. "We played them tough here, did some good things here, we scored some points. We know offensively we are going to have to play strong, score some points."

The team that couldn't run the ball will be sprinting there, bringing along a defense the Packers actually might fear. Not to mention the passing offense led by Manning, who hooked up on a 72-yard catch and run by Hakeem Nicks in the third quarter that put away the inept Falcons (10-7). Manning also connected on a 4-yard TD with Nicks in the second period, and a 27-yard TD throw to Mario Manningham in the fourth quarter that finished it off.

The Giants' last postseason trip to frigid Lambeau Field was a 23-20 overtime victory for the NFC championship two weeks before they upset the Patriots.

"Cold, I remember that. I remember coach Coughlin's face. I remember (tackle) David Diehl sweating and it froze on his hair and he had icicles on his hair," defensive end Justin Tuck said. "And I remember us winning.

"Hopefully, we can go back there and do it again."

The tempo in the first playoff game at MetLife Stadium was set by New York's defense, which never allowed Atlanta to get going, and by the league's lowest-ranked rushing game, which ran for a season-high 172 yards, 92 by Brandon Jacobs and 63 by Ahmad Bradshaw. The Giants averaged 5.5 yards a carry, 2 yards more than in the regular season.

For all of Jacobs' and Bradshaw's success, it was Manning's escape and 14-yard dash on third down in the second period that got the Giants rolling. Jacobs soon broke a 34-yard run, and Manning hit Nicks on a post pattern to put the Giants up 7-2.

"I don't think anyone is game-planning for me to run the ball," Manning said, "but obviously there were a couple of situations where you have to do it. I am not scared of running to get a few yards."

The Giants never really had to look back as the Falcons bumbled their way to their third straight playoff loss under coach Mike Smith and quarterback Matt Ryan.

"They did a great job of defending us, especially in the second half," veteran tight end Tony Gonzalez said. "That shouldn't happen to a team like we have. We're a lot better than this."

New York was aided greatly by Atlanta's penchant for gambling on fourth downs - and failing. Twice the Giants stymied the Falcons on fourth-and-1 as Ryan's sneaks went nowhere. The defense also stopped Michael Turner, supposedly the most effective runner on the field, on a third-and-inches late in the third period.

"That really inspired everybody, to be honest with you," Coughlin said. "Those plays that our defense made really inspired everybody.

Atlanta missed on a fourth-down try in overtime that cost the Falcons a game against New Orleans during the season. While they negated New York's recently revitalized pass rush for much of the day, the Falcons couldn't gain any traction on the ground, being held to 64 yards rushing.

"Our defense played great, kept us in the lead," Manning said.

Other than some sporadic movement, Atlanta's offense was incompetent - particularly in short yardage.

"It's less than a yard, less than half of a yard. It's a play we go through all the time," Smith said. "I felt it was the right play both times, but we didn't execute. We should be able to move the ball there."

Both offenses sputtered in the first half with an assortment of penalties, drops and poor throws.

When the Falcons wheeled out the no-huddle offense, though, they marched from their 10 to a fourth-and 1 at the New York 24. On the first play of the second quarter, Ryan was stacked up on his sneak.

But it turned out positively for the Falcons anyway.

Giants guard Chris Snee was called for holding, and, from his 13, Manning was pressured back into the end zone by James Sanders. He threw the ball away to avoid the sack, resulting in a safety.

New York had its own fourth-and-inches run on its first touchdown drive. Jacobs ran over safety Thomas DeCoud on the play from the Atlanta 6.

Nicks caught his post pattern over Dominique Franks, the fill-in for injured cornerback Brent Grimes, to make it 7-2.

Notes: It was the first time a team scored exactly two points in an NFL postseason game. ... The Giants' most recent home playoff victory was a 41-0 rout of Minnesota for the 2000 NFC title. ... Atlanta's last playoff win was in 2005 over St. Louis when Michael Vick still was the Falcons' quarterback. ... Ryan was 24 for 41 for 199 yards and was sacked twice. .. There were no turnovers in the game. ... Giants CB Aaron Ross and RB D.J. Ware left with concussions. ... Gonzalez is 0-5 in playoff games in his 15-year career.

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Divisional round now a fan's dream

??Rosenthal: Heavyweight matchups, dynamite offenses and great storylines -- including more of that Tim Tebow -- make for a fantastic divisional round.

Mark Leffingwell / Reuters

Broncos 'wanted to fight' in OT win vs. Steelers

Tim Tebow connected with Demaryius Thomas on an electrifying 80-yard touchdown pass on the first play of overtime and the Broncos defeated the stunned Steelers 29-23 in the AFC wild-card game on Sunday.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45919623/ns/sports-nfl/

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Susan Pease Gadoua: If Your Spouse is Gay, You Are Not Alone (Huffington post)

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NFL Playoff Schedule 2012: Early Lines to Jump on Before It's Too Late

An exciting round of playoff football is in the books, capped off by Tim Tebow's heroics against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Now it's time to look ahead to the Divisional Round's early lines to see which ones are the most enticing early in the week.

All odds courtesy of BetOnline.com.

?

New Orleans Saints (-3.5)

Drew Brees looked unstoppable against the Detroit Lions en route to a blowout victory. No NFL offense is in better form than this Saints group right now, especially with the emergence of Chris Ivory to bolster the running game without Mark Ingram.

The San Francisco 49ers, who finished fourth in yards allowed per game, will be a good test for the Saints.

That said, the 49ers only ranked in the middle of the league against the pass and allowed 27 points to the lowly St. Louis Rams in their last game.

There should be enough holes in the secondary for Brees and his plethora of weapons to exploit to live to fight another round.

Prediction: Saints by 10

?

Houston Texans (+9)

The Texans were impressive in their playoff debut thanks to a strong game from Arian Foster. T.J. Yates played the game-manager role to perfection and, as long as he's able to keep playing mistake-free football, Houston is going to be a tough out.

Since both the Texans and the Baltimore Ravens are built on strong defense, this game should be a low-scoring affair. Any time that's the case and you can start off with a quick nine points, it's hard to pass it up?especially after seeing Houston play so well against a formidable Cincinnati Bengals team.

Look for both teams to play it safe on offense for the majority of the game, which means the clash will likely be decided by a late field goal either way.

Prediction: Ravens by three

?

Which team will advance?

• New York Giants

• Green Bay Packers

Total votes: 2

New York Giants and Green Bay Packers (Over 52.5)

The Giants have been dealing with injuries to their defense all season and the Packers gave up more yards than any other team in the league.

In other words, this game has all the makings of a shootout between Eli Manning and Aaron Rodgers.

When the two teams played in Week 13, they combined to score 73 points, and nothing has changed since then to believe a similar performance isn't on the horizon. Both teams should have their full arsenal available, as Greg Jennings is expected to return for the Packers.

Both squads have plenty of playoff experience under their belts, so there won't be any easing into the situation here.

Manning and Rodgers will come out in attack-mode from the opening kickoff, which should lead to an easy cover.

Prediction: 64 total points

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1016786-nfl-playoff-schedule-2012-early-lines-to-jump-on-before-its-too-late

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?Google+ For Business? Adds Great Tips For Small Businesses

When we go to a party, we love to have someone show us around and introduce us to guests.? So when the party is a social media platform, a newcomer would certainly dream of a host to make a platform feel more like home.

The perfect gracious host may be Chris Brogan (@chrisbrogan).? At least that?s the premise of his terrific book, Google+ for Business: How Google?s Social Network Changes Everything.? This book is the first one to provide a primer for Google?s new platform.? It?s a needed tonic. Reportedly driven by Android sales according to Business Insider, Google+ now has 62 million users.

Chris Brogan is no stranger to social media advocates. Brogan co-authored the New York Times bestseller Trust Agents and wrote Social Media 101, which was reviewed here on Small Business Trends. He has a Top 5 Advertising Age Power150 blog,?Chris Brogan,?and is a featured Entrepreneur magazine columnist.? I learned about this book while checking out publisher Que?s book list and requested a review copy.

Agreement of material and writer enhances instruction to grow Google+

The book?s structure is an interesting mix of product timing and author experience that works as the ?baby-bear?s porridge? of information many small businesses seek ? not too large, not necessarily shallow.? Google+ is less than a year old, but Brogan?s writing style can make social media newcomers feel the access to the material.

Brogan?s established perspective contributes value to Google+ for Business, avoiding a huge problem I have seen in a few Facebook guides. Many books, regardless of being phone-book thick or car-owner?s-manual thin, are so bloated with Facebook features descriptions that tactical or strategic recommendations are flat-out overlooked.? Add Facebook changes into the mix, and it can become a second job to infuse new material into your business plans.

However, Brogan?s choice to cover a nascent Google+ with his insights makes one awesome, just-right porridge.? The usages for Google+ is explained with enough flexibility to fit within your organizational structure.

The first three chapters documents why Google+ is essential, while Chapter Four lays out first steps. This is where you?d want to start if you generally understand Google+ already.

The three chapters dedicated to Google+ features are:

• Chapter 5 ? circles, the grouping convention in Google+
• Chapter 6 ? streaming posts
• Chapter 12 ? business Pages

Most of the other chapters provide corporate examples and solid organizational tips. ?Chapter 7 may be the most broadly applicable, as it focuses on content.? But Brogan wisely differs from the ?content is king? mantra by covering ideas by business type. ?He is spot on when he suggest to online store owners to ?post profiles and interviews with the owners? as well as to tell writers, photographers, and artists to ?start a Hangout.?

Insights made for Hangouts and Circles

Brogan ensures that his revealed experience and tips are tailored to the Google+ environment so that you appreciate the reasons for the recommendation.? Take for example how he notes a key difference with Twitter against managing a Google+ circle.

?On Google+, different than Twitter, I decided not to follow everyone back who adds me. The reason is that the more people I add, the harder it is to manage the stream of information I choose to consume.? You?ll come to your own opinions, and you?ll likely change them a few times.?

This is pretty basic but works well if the reader is starting to differentiate social media platforms.? Brogan goes on to note some cool circle label ideas for a beginner ? Local, Thinkers, Competitors, Vendors, Personal Passion, and so forth. And while content suggestions may sound straightforward, they do play into the benefits of the Hangout and Circles features. Brogan get an A for the homework he has done for Google+ for Business.

Brogan has written in past posts how businesses should ?Make Your Buyer The Hero?, but in Google+, the suggestion is expressed immediately to the point.

?If you write about your products and how great you are, only you can benefit from that. If you create interesting posts with concepts and ideas for your community to take so that they can improve their own experience in life, you have something.?

The suggestions sound like they are only geared for newbies, but Google+ for Business can compliment deeper works such as Social Media Metrics and Digital Impact, as well as community building topics covered in Empowered and The Social Organization.? Its tone can draw small business owners and corporate managers that still remain on the social media sidelines.

Brogan does share some steps for upcoming Google+ changes ? most are from Brogan?s view, but he wisely limits suggestions just enough to not render the book dated for the future.? Just like the Facebook guides, you may want to follow online sources for further updates (after this book?s publication, Google added a second admin capability to match up to that in Facebook Pages). But rest assured, the material will not grow stale as your Google+ ?abilities grows.

Your Google+ is a ?Minus? if You Skip This Book

Google+ for Business is the right manual at the right time.? It captures enough of the basics, but also offers great insights so you can make effective use of the new platform.? In Digital Impact, authors Vipin Mayar and Geoff Ramsey reveal that social media users budget new platforms into their time online instead of replacing one with another. ?Well, if you plan to squeeze more Google+ into your social time, Chris Brogan is an excellent host that you would want to make you feel at home.

Or in this case, in Circle.

About the Author

Pierre DeBois is the founder of Zimana, a consultancy providing strategic analysis to small and medium sized businesses that rely on web analytics data. A Gary, Indiana native, Pierre is currently based in Brooklyn. He blogs about marketing, finance, social media, and analytics at Zimana blog.

Connect with Pierre DeBois:

?

Source: http://smallbiztrends.com/2012/01/google-plus-business-book-review.html

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