Wednesday, October 16, 2013

The Captain Hall of Fame: Phillips, Kirk, Sparrow and More



Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/thr/film/~3/9D_5S1d2Hfg/story01.htm
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Netflix, Disney Strike Netherlands Deal for Films in Pay TV Window




"The Avengers" is among the Disney titles Netflix will have exclusively for the Dutch pay-TV market.



COLOGNE, Germany – Netflix has signed a deal with Walt Disney Studios that gives the online VOD service exclusive pay-TV rights in the Netherlands for all animated and live action films Disney releases in the territory.



The multi-year deal, which kicks off in early 2014, includes both new and library product and features titles from all of Disney's studios.


PHOTOS: From 'Arrested Development' to 'House of Cards,' Exclusive Portraits of Netflix's Stars


Highlights include Marvel's The Avengers, Pixar's Monsters University and Disney's The Lone Ranger, as well as back-catalogue titles including The Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, Wall-E and Ratatouille. ABC television productions, including episodes of Lost, are also part of the Dutch deal.


The deal is a boost to Netflix's nascent Dutch operations, which launched last month, and a blow to the two major Dutch pay-TV broadcasters, Chellomedia’s Film1 and HBO. It is the first time Disney has picked an online provider over an established pay-TV broadcaster in the territory.


If successful, the agreement could signal a major shift in Europe, where the rollout of VOD services, such as Netflix, has lagged behind that of the United States.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheHollywoodReporter-Technology/~3/7vW22hhYF-s/story01.htm
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Funds for iOS lets you get a glimpse of where your money goes, tracks what you're saving

Funds for iOS lets you get a glimpse of where your money goes, track what you're saving

Funds for iOS is a minimalist budget app that allows you to input how much you earn and how much you spend. From there, you can see a simple breakdown of what percentage of your income goes to different expenses as well as how much you're saving each month.

There isn't anything complicated or advanced about Funds but it does effectively provide an overall picture of your financial situation. Once you've told Funds how much you make and what your fixed expenses each month are, you're given an idea as to how you're doing. The color scheme will even change given how much you've got left to budget for the rest of the month.

Sliding to the right over any expense or income item will delete it from Funds. Slide to the left and you can quickly view what percentage of your overall income is being allocated to that type of expense. Tapping the menu button in the bottom right will show you a graph view of the same data.

Funds isn't over complicated by any means but what it can do is give a good overall snapshot of your current financial situation. That means you can make some educated decisions moving forward about what you should and can cut back on to save more money. If you're having issues saving money or can't quite pinpoint where your money is going, Funds can help you figure that out.


    






Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/mg_dGZXPFv4/story01.htm
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Focus on Senate as default deadline nears

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate leaders are optimistic about forging an eleventh-hour bipartisan deal preventing a possible federal default and ending the partial government shutdown after Republican divisions forced GOP leaders to drop efforts to ram their own version through the House.


Pressured by the calendar, financial markets and public opinion polls, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., were hoping to shake hands on an agreement Wednesday and, if possible, hold votes later in the day.


Driving their urgency were oft-repeated Obama administration warnings that the government would exhaust its borrowing authority Thursday and risk a federal default that could unhinge the world economy. Lawmakers feared that spooked financial markets would plunge unless a deal was at hand and that voters would take it out on incumbents in next year's congressional elections.


"People are so tired of this," President Barack Obama said Tuesday in an interview with Los Angeles TV station KMEX.


U.S. stock futures were rising early Wednesday amid strong corporate earnings and lingering hope for a deal to head off a government default. But there were also dire warnings from the financial world a day after the Fitch credit rating agency said it was reviewing its AAA rating on U.S. government debt for possible downgrade.


John Chambers, chairman of Standard & Poor's Sovereign Debt Committee, told "CBS This Morning" on Wednesday that a U.S. government default on its debts would be "much worse than Lehman Brothers," the investment firm whose 2008 collapse led to the global financial crisis.


Billionaire investor Warren Buffett told CNBC he doesn't think the federal government will fail to pay its bills, but "if it does happen, it's a pure act of idiocy."


Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, a tea party favorite, said he was not worried about the prospect of a U.S. default.


"We are going to service our debt," he told CNN. "But I am concerned about all the rhetoric around this ....I'm concerned that it will scare the markets."


Aides to Reid and McConnell said the two men had resumed talks, including a Tuesday night conversation, and were hopeful about striking an agreement that could pass both houses.


It was expected to mirror a deal the leaders had neared Monday. That agreement was described as extending the debt limit through Feb. 7, immediately reopening the government fully and keeping agencies running until Jan. 15 — leaving lawmakers clashing over the same disputes in the near future.


It also set a mid-December deadline for bipartisan budget negotiators to report on efforts to reach compromise on longer-term issues like spending cuts. And it likely would require the Obama administration to certify that it can verify the income of people who qualify for federal subsidies for medical insurance under the 2010 health care law.


But that emerging Senate pact was put on hold Tuesday, an extraordinary day that highlighted how unruly rank-and-file House Republicans can be, even when the stakes are high. Facing solid Democratic opposition, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, tried in vain to write legislation that would satisfy GOP lawmakers, especially conservatives.


Boehner crafted two versions of the bill, but neither made it to a House vote because both faced certain defeat. Working against him was word during the day from the influential group Heritage Action for America that his legislation was not conservative enough — a worrisome threat for many GOP lawmakers whose biggest electoral fears are of primary challenges from the right.


The last of Boehner's two bills had the same dates as the emerging Senate plan on the debt limit and shutdown.


But it also blocked federal payments for the president, members of Congress and other officials to help pay for their health care coverage. And it prevented the Obama administration from shifting funds among different accounts — as past Treasury secretaries have done — to let the government keep paying bills briefly after the federal debt limit has been reached.


Boehner's inability to produce a bill that could pass his own chamber likely means he will have to let the House vote on a Senate compromise, even if that means it would pass with strong Democratic and weak GOP support. House Republican leaders have tried to avoid that scenario for fear that it would threaten their leadership, and some Republicans worried openly about that.


"Of all the damage to be done politically here, one of the greatest concerns I have is that somehow John Boehner gets compromised," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a former House member and Boehner supporter.


With the default clock ticking ever louder, it was possible the House might vote first on a plan produced by Senate leaders. For procedural reasons, that could speed the measure's trip through Congress by removing some parliamentary barriers Senate opponents might erect.


The strains of the confrontation were showing among GOP lawmakers.


"It's time to reopen the government and ensure we don't default on our debt," Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Wash., said in a written statement. "I will not vote for poison pills that have no chance of passing the Senate or being signed into law."


___


Associated Press writers David Espo, Andrew Taylor, Charles Babington, Stephen Ohlemacher, Henry C. Jackson and Donna Cassata contributed to this report.


Source: http://news.yahoo.com/senators-seek-budget-deal-house-gop-effort-flops-063819888--finance.html
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'Clash of Clans' maker sells stake for $1.5 bln

HELSINKI (AP) — The 'Clash of Clans' mobile game maker Supercell is selling a 51 percent stake to Japan's SoftBank and GungHo in a 1.5 billion deal.

CEO Ilkka Paananen says the partnership will speed Supercell's goal of becoming the "first truly global games company," and help it to deliver games to hundreds of millions of new consumers.

Paananen said on the company's web site Tuesday that Supercell's head office will remain in Finland.

Telecommunications and Internet company SoftBank Corp. paid 80 percent of the investment with GungHo Online Entertainment, which has worked before with Supercell, providing the rest.

Supercell, which started developing games for tablets in 2011, has produced more than 165 games on 12 different platforms. It is also known for the popular 'Hay Day' game.

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-10-15-Finland-Supercell/id-5f7b1f2913c34faeb3d40c0fdde11796
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Tuesday, October 15, 2013

What Happens If Congress Can't Make A Deal On The Debt?





A biker rides past the U.S. Capitol on Monday. Lawmakers are negotiating over plans to raise the federal debt ceiling amid warnings that the government soon won't be able to pay its debts in full.



Mark Wilson/Getty Images


A biker rides past the U.S. Capitol on Monday. Lawmakers are negotiating over plans to raise the federal debt ceiling amid warnings that the government soon won't be able to pay its debts in full.


Mark Wilson/Getty Images


If you don't pay your electric bill on time, you'll probably get charged a buck or two in interest. As long as you pay off the balance in a reasonable amount of time, your lights will stay on.


So why is it such a big deal that the Treasury Department may soon be unable to pay all of its bills on time?


U.S. Treasury securities are used as both currency and collateral for countless financial transactions around the world. Think dozens per minute.


Right now, Treasurys are almost as liquid and secure as cash. If investors are at all nervous that they might not be honored, this could have a cascading effect that will cause stock markets to tumble, the dollar to lose value and unemployment to rise.


"If Treasury bonds were no longer seen as risk-free, that would have implications for virtually all collateralized loans, which is a huge proportion," says Phillip Swagel, a University of Maryland economist who served as assistant Treasury secretary for economic policy under President George W. Bush.


"If people couldn't hold Treasurys, they would have to hold a lot of cash," he says. "We don't want people to feel like they have to hoard cash to make transactions."


Still A Big 'If'


Note that Swagel is still using the word "if." No one knows whether time will run out on the Treasury Department's authority to raise money.


Technically, it ran out in May, but the department has been able to keep juggling since then. The nominal deadline Congress and President Obama have been working with is Thursday, when the Treasury says it will be unable to borrow any more money by issuing bonds.



Treasury says it will bump up against the $16.7 trillion federal debt ceiling and have to handle payments basically on a cash basis. With that date in mind, the House and Senate keep going back and forth about how and whether to raise the debt ceiling.


There's been a lot of debate about whether breaching the debt ceiling spells real trouble. In theory, Treasury can prioritize paying bondholders over other obligations — the so-called Pay China First strategy. Treasury says it lacks the software and expertise to pull that off, even if the administration decides it wants to.


It's possible that, just using daily incoming tax receipts, Treasury won't really run out of money until Nov. 1, when, among other things, Social Security recipients will be expecting their checks.


But economists are worried that even if Treasury doesn't default on any bonds right after midnight on Thursday, financial markets will grow extremely wary. Already, it costs more for Treasury to borrow money on a short-term basis than for, say, 10 years. Normal prices are inverted because investors are nervous about being paid back over the next month or so.


The date to worry about, in other words, may have nothing to do with Treasury's own drop-dead date and everything to do with when investors start panicking because they don't believe a solution will be hammered out in time.


No one can predict exactly when that would be. It's not in red on the calendar, like how many shopping days until Christmas.


But once panic sets in, things will go bad quickly.


"Markets could go into bedlam," says Mark Zandi, chief economist with the research firm Moody's Analytics. "I don't know that we have to go to Nov. 1 before there's chaos."


2008 All Over Again


It could be like 2008, only worse. Back then, the collapse of the brokerage firm Lehman Brothers triggered financial panic and a stock market crash.


The reason was that lending became extremely tight because investors became wary of most types of collateral. Why lend money based on a firm's assets if you couldn't trust those assets still had value?


The one thing that kept lending going at all, in fact, were Treasurys. They were seen as highly liquid and perfectly safe and reliable.


That's what's being put at risk in the present situation. If Treasurys are not seen as rock-solid, panicky financial markets won't know where to turn. All manner of transactions would be put on hold.


"If Treasurys should become the point of concern, not only would you have a huge problem in terms of undermining the critical linchpin of finance, but what's worse is you couldn't solve the problem by adding Treasurys, which is what we did [in 2008]," says Jason Seligman, a former Treasury staff economist who teaches at Ohio State University.


Dollars themselves would lose value, because Treasurys have to be purchased using U.S. currency. If there's less demand for Treasurys, there will be less demand for dollars.


"The entire financial system of the U.S. and the world is anchored in the idea that the government is good at paying off debts," says Matthew Shapiro, a University of Michigan economist.


The Country That Cried Wolf


Everyone is worried about how this would all play out over the coming weeks and months. If there is a debt default, a recession seems all but guaranteed.


But even if there's not — even if there is some last-minute deal that at least punts the problem a few weeks or months into the future — the fact that Washington is again cutting things so close could have lasting repercussions anyway.


Remember, when Congress flirted with not lifting the debt ceiling back in 2011, it wasn't until after lawmakers had cut a deal that the U.S. bond rating was downgraded.


It might not take a formal downgrade from a rating agency to make investors more skeptical about Treasurys.


Back in 1979, there was an almost inadvertent bond default that had to do with Treasury's back-office functions not being able to get up to speed in time following another game of debt-ceiling chicken. Even failing to pay off a fairly small amount of bonds for a brief period of time significantly raised the amount of interest Treasury had to pay creditors for some months.


"We thought there was nothing safer than Treasurys, but we're basically inviting ourselves to be regarded by financial markets as risky, as a country that doesn't keep its promises to pay," Shapiro says.


Source: http://www.npr.org/2013/10/15/234738316/what-happens-if-congress-cant-make-a-deal-on-the-debt?ft=1&f=1014
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Tina Fey, Amy Poehler back as Golden Globes hosts

NEW YORK (AP) — The duo of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler proved such a success at hosting the Golden Globes in January that they've been signed up for the same job for the next two years.


NBC, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and producers of the Golden Globes announced the unusual two-year commitment on Tuesday. Next year's Golden Globes will be held in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Jan. 12.


Allen Shapiro, CEO of Dick Clark Productions, said the former "Saturday Night Live" chums have "a truly unique chemistry making them one of the most talented and captivating pairings of all time."


They were bathed in critical love for their performance this year, with The Associated Press critic Frazier Moore calling them "the night's biggest winners." They got laughs without being polarizing, as was the case with predecessor Ricky Gervais. Poehler even poked fun during the show at the Hollywood debate over whether Gervais was too hard-edged in mocking Hollywood stars.


"We want to assure you that we have no intention of being edgy or offensive tonight," said Poehler, star of the NBC sitcom "Parks and Recreation." "Because, as Ricky learned the hard way, when you run afoul of the Hollywood Foreign Press, they make you host this show two more times!"


Fey, whose NBC comedy "30 Rock" ended this year, and Poehler were both nominated for best actress in a comedy or musical but lost to Lena Dunham, star of HBO's "Girls."


More important than critical support, Fey and Poehler were good for business. The Golden Globes had their best ratings in six years for the most recent presentation, and were up 17 percent over the 2012 show.


Source: http://news.yahoo.com/tina-fey-amy-poehler-back-golden-globes-hosts-154643600.html
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