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If both rumors are true, which would have more immediate impact on Apple's bottom line: iWatch, or Apple television?
Cast your vote in "Today's Poll..." in the left column below or go straight to the results here.
Friday Highlights: Judge grants Einhorn's bid to block Apple proxy vote, more in our Apple/Macintosh, and Finances sections; Fortune's Allan Sloan believes Apple could learn from Progressive, a company with "an intelligent, rational, and transparent way to deal with the surplus cash that its operations generate. Apple doesn't"; and Douglas McIntyre calls Apple's board "weak" and problematic in leading the company through times of crisis; Morgan Stanley sat down with Apple CFO, Peter Oppenheimer, came "away more confident" that a low-cost iPhone is in the works; patent lawsuit against Apple targets OS X server, iCloud; Mactuts+ presents their complete guide to the Mac App Store; Macworld explores the sharing features on your Mac, also explains emergency backups you may not know you already have; Macs in Chemistry walks through various offsite backup options you have; smart connected device market being fought out between Apple, Samsung; Apple supplier in China faces fines for polluting local river; MacNewsWorld on the iWatch patent(s) greasing gears of concept designers; iOS 6.1.3 coming soon, said to fix passcode bug; Primate Labs benchmarks the new Retina MacBook Pro, Gizmag compares the new Chromebook Pixel and MacBook Air; Crave shows photo differences between the new HTC One and iPhone 5; TidBITS reviews Mailbox for iPhone; Peter Cohan at Forbes discusses "Apple's innovation problem"; what does Apple fanboy M.G. Siegler think of Google Chromebook Pixel?; James Kostohryz asks whether Apple will exist in 3 years, and if so, what will be its worth?
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Welcome to MacSurfer's Headline News! Is this the headline you are looking for?
Fri Feb 22
"Judge tells Apple and Samsung to narrow their new patent case" Ars Technica
2:55 PM
"Apple Pulls Controversial Proxy Proposal After Court Ruling"?AllThingsD?7:11 PM
"Apple yanks proxy proposal after judge backs Einhorn: The company removes a proposal that would eliminate its ability to issue 'blank check' preferred stock without investor approval."?CNET News?8:12 PM
"All eyes on Apple's next move after ruling: Company unlikely to issue dividend in interim"?MarketWatch?7:12 PM
"Apple Shareholder Vote Blocked at Greenlight's Request"?Bloomberg?3:48 PM
"Judge Grants David Einhorn's Bid to Block Apple Proxy Vote"?WSJ.com [Paid Membership Required]?3:48 PM
"Judge Sides With Einhorn and Halts an Apple Shareholder Vote"?New York Times [Free/Paid Registration Required]?9:25 PM
"Einhorn wins ruling against Apple in stock fight"?Reuters?3:50 PM
"Einhorn scores legal victory vs. Apple in cash scuffle"?Reuters?7:11 PM
"Court backs Einhorn bid to stop Apple proxy vote: Legal victory for hedge fund manager's bid to force Apple to share more of its wealth with investors."?CNET News?3:49 PM
"Greenlight Wins Bid to Block Apple Shareholder Vote: Video"?Bloomberg?3:49 PM
"Apple loses in key issue in Einhorn battle: But NY federal court reject's injunction against say-on-pay"?MarketWatch?3:58 PM
"Einhorn wins battle to block Apple vote"?Financial Times [Paid Membership Required]?3:59 PM
"Basically, David Einhorn Set Up A Huge Showdown With Apple's Management"?Business Insider?8:38 AM
"Apple: Morgan Stanley Sees Higher Div, Cheaper iPhones"?Forbes?8:42 AM
"Morgan Stanley expects 6% dividend, cheaper 'iPhone mini' after meeting with Apple CFO"?AppleInsider?8:58 AM
"iPhone Mini launch this summer makes sense, analyst says: Morgan Stanley argues that new iPhones, including one for emerging markets, could launch this summer, while the iPad will likely be refreshed by the middle of the year."?CNET News?10:15 AM
"German court stays Samsung's voiceover patent lawsuit against Apple: patent likely invalid"?Foss Patents?8:56 AM
"Samsung's Ill-Conceived Apple VoiceOver Suit Stayed in Germany"?AllThingsD?12:52 PM
"Apple may have to compensate iPad 3 owners in Brazil: Apple is being sued for making the iPad 3 obsolete with the launch of the iPad 4"?Macworld UK?8:38 AM
"How Tim Cook Rose To Become Apple's CEO: Here's a short video we put together on Apple CEO Tim Cook. He's leading the most valuable tech company in the world, but most people outside of tech don't know much about him. This little primer should help." [Video Report]?Business Insider?12:59 PM
"Apple's Tim Cook Demanded Competitor Innovation: He Got it"?The Mac Observer?3:45 PM
News
"Apple's OS X Server and iCloud Targeted in new Patent Lawsuit"?Patently Apple?8:57 AM
AppleCare/Troubleshooting
"Q&A: MacFixIt Answers/Readers ask questions about how to automate keystroke sequences in OS X, and other topics."?MacFixIt?3:58 PM
Reviews/How-To/Tips
"The 7-step edit in Aperture 3.4"?Macworld?9:08 PM
"The Complete Guide to the Mac App Store"?Mactuts+?9:04 AM
"TotalSpaces: How Virtual Desktops on OS X Got Its Groove Back"?The Mac Observer?10:24 AM
"Exploring the Mac's sharing features"?Macworld?7:53 AM
"MacMost Now 830: Exporting Contacts Using Numbers"?MacMost?7:50 AM
"Emergency backups you didn't know you had"?Macworld?8:50 AM
"How to Enable the New 'Composers View' in iTunes 11.0.2"?MacTrast?7:17 PM
"iOS device syncing in iTunes 11, audiobook lengths, and listening in mono"?Macworld?8:50 AM
"You're working too hard ? relax and try out these 10 amazing Mac easter eggs"?memeburn?7:48 AM
"What Can I Actually Upgrade On My Mac?"?Lifehacker?9:08 PM
"Change The Default Font Size In Notes App On Your Mac [OS X Tips]?Cult of Mac?8:51 AM
"How to Email Pictures from iPhoto Using Mail.app Instead of iPhoto's Built-in Email Feature"?Mac OS X Hints?10:25 AM
"Use Lynx Browser with Image Support in X11 for Fast Low Bandwidth Web Browsing"?OS X Daily?3:59 PM
"Have New Camera, Will Take Many Thousands Of Photos, Must Have Bulk Photo Editor For Mac"?TeraTalks?7:54 AM
"Yet Another App To Control iTunes From The Mac's Menubar (and this one does Spotify, too)"?Mac 360?7:54 AM
"When It Comes To Getting Things Done On A Mac, What's New Under The Sun? Eisenpower!"?NoodleMac?7:54 AM
"The Monster Calculator From Yesteryear Is Here Today And Ready For The Mac"?BohemianBoomer?7:54 AM
"If You're A Mac User Into Drag And Drop Instead Of Point And Click Then You'll Like Dropzone"?Mac 360?7:54 AM
"Why You'll Like Using A New Mac Database App That's Simple, Fast, Powerful, And Affordable"?McSolo?7:54 AM
Op/Ed
"The Touch Screen That's Coming To The Mac And Why That's A Crazy, Brain Dead Idea"?PixoBebo?7:52 AM
Press Releases
"TextWrangler 4.5 Now Retina Ready; Gets New Go Menu, Compare Against Previous Versions, and More"?MacPrices?12:32 PM
"M-SIX introduces VEO for the AEC industry"?Architosh?11:53 AM
"Essential Mac management tools: If you're trying to add Macs to a fleet of Windows machines, you'll want to check out these offerings" [Slideshow]?InfoWorld?11:38 AM
"LEGO The Lord Of The Rings For Mac OS X Out Now, But Not On Steam"?Cult of Mac?8:51 AM
"Weather Tab Pro available on the Mac App Store, already Top 10"?prMac?8:05 AM
"Mac Apps: iAntivirus, TextWrangler, Chrome, Freeway"?FairerPlatform?7:53 AM
"These Are the Bacteria Lurking on Your Phone"?Gizmodo?7:44 AM
"Apple's App Store, iTunes back online after outages: The company's online services all seem to be back in business now after hit by outages yesterday."?CNET News?8:42 AM
"Samsung and Apple Slugging It Out in the Smart Connected Devices Market"?AllThingsD?9:53 AM
"'Post-PC Era' Predicted By Steve Jobs Taking Hold as Samsung Tops Apple in Connected Device Market"?MacRumors?9:43 AM
"Samsung has overtaken Apple in 'smart connected devices'"?Fortune?10:30 AM
"Tablets Take Off In 2012 According To Millennial, With Kindle Fire And iPad Mini Seeing Rapid Growth"?TechCrunch?7:49 AM
"Chart of the day: Apple tops Samsung in mobile ad share"?Fortune?8:11 AM
"Apple supplier penalized for polluting nearby river in China: Apple is investigating the incident, according to an environmental group"?Computerworld?8:11 AM
"Apple supplier faces sanctions over pollution"?Financial Times [Paid Membership Required]?9:19 AM
"Microsoft cooler than before, but Apple on top"?Reuters?12:15 PM
"LG ad riffs on Apple's panorama commercial, and expands on it"?AppleInsider?9:35 AM
"Google confirms Glass will work with iPhone"?TUAW?8:09 PM
"Ferrari edges out Apple to become world's most powerful brand"?Digital Trends?1:06 PM
"NYPD forms dedicated team to catch thieves who steal iPhones and iPads"?New York Post?10:56 AM
"Apple now working with NYPD to curb iPhone thefts"?Network World?10:56 AM
"NYPD creates special team to recover stolen Apple devices"?CNET News?9:27 PM
"How a dedicated team of NYPD cops work with Apple to catch iDevice thieves, even in other countries"?9 to 5 Mac?10:30 AM
"NYPD Team Working With Apple to Catch iPhone, iPad Thieves"?PC Magazine?11:53 AM
"NYPD And Apple Team Up To Stop iThing Theft In NYC"?TechCrunch?1:00 PM
"Locked iPhone Sales Challenged in Hong Kong"?WSJ.com [Paid Membership Required]?7:50 AM
"Hacktivists Prep For International Open Data Day"?InformationWeek?12:56 PM
"Sony's PS4 future lies in the cloud"?CNNMoney?12:46 PM
"New video games mirror debates about data privacy, hacking"?Washington Post [Free Registration Required]?12:35 PM
"No touch screen, no keyboard: enter Airwriting"?TG Daily?12:23 PM
"Facebook engineers identify Graph Search's big data challenges"?IDG News Service?11:56 AM
"Facebook to put old, rarely viewed photos into 'cold storage'"?NBC News?11:46 AM
"Austrian research team develop a new flat, flexible, transparent, and potentially disposable polymer sheet for capturing images"?DigiTimes?10:49 AM
"Taiwan PC industry at a critical moment: An interview with Wistron chairman"?DigiTimes?10:48 AM
"'Star Trek'-like tricorder available soon"?USA Today?10:46 AM
"North Korea to offer mobile internet access"?BBC?10:24 AM
"LivesOn: New Service to Let You Tweet When You're Dead"?ABCNews?10:23 AM
"Amid Hacking Headaches, Twitter Begins Using Email Authentication"?FOXBusiness?11:10 AM
"Google buildings exposed to toxic vapors left by chipmakers"?CNET News?12:55 PM
"Google adds fee-based support services for cloud platform customers: Users of products like App Engine, Compute Engine and Big Query will be able to purchase access to a variety of technical support services"?IDG News Service?11:57 AM
"Chrome 25 Adds Voice Support, Devs Get App Launcher"?PC Magazine?11:52 AM
"Google patches Chrome browser, bans stealth add-ons"?PCWorld?11:55 AM
"Conan can't resist making an ass of Google Glass"?CNET News?10:12 AM
"Nokia to fight rivals with cheaper models -sources"?Reuters?10:06 AM
"Samsung Wants to Be a Media Giant. Meet the Guy in Charge of Getting Them There."?AllThingsD?12:51 PM
"Samsung Copies the BlackBerry Playbook"?WSJ.com [Paid Membership Required]?9:43 AM
"Combes Named to Lead Alcatel-Lucent Through Troubled Time"?New York Times [Free/Paid Registration Required]?10:15 AM
Publications/Podcasts
"Gene Steinberg meets tech writer Kirk McElhearn, and Laptop magazine's Avram Piltch, this week on The Tech Night Owl LIVE!"?The Tech Night Owl LIVE?7:07 PM
"An Apple watch, PS4, security and bug fixes, cheap iPhone and slippers"?Insanely Great Mac?12:52 PM
"New iPad 5 Case Consistent with Rumored Mini-Style Redesign"?MacRumors?9:22 PM
"Apple Hiring 'Maps Ground Truth Data Specialist' in Australia"?MacRumors?7:15 PM
"iWatch-y Patent Greases the Gears of Concept Designers: There's been much ado about the possibility that an iWatch is in the works, and the buzz was fueled this week by the publication of a patent application Apple filed back in 2011. More than a few renderings of possible designs have been circulating on the Web as well: and one of them in particular seems more Apple-ish than the rest."?MacNewsWorld?9:04 AM
"Apple releases iOS 6.1.3 beta with passcode bug fix in tow"?CNET News?9:42 AM
"Smartphone by Manufacturer - FixYa Report"?FixYa?2:56 PM
"Apple's iPhone Tops Smartphone Reliability Ratings"?ReadWrite?11:40 AM
"iPhones are 3X more reliable than Samsung smartphones, Fixya says"?VentureBeat?11:38 AM
"Apple v. Samsung: What are the most reliable smartphones on the market?"?ZDNet?12:06 PM
"FixYa Study Finds Apple Smartphones to be the Most Reliable"?MacRumors?2:57 PM
"Leaked iPad Mini Images Hint at Retina Display"?PC Magazine?11:53 AM
"AU Optronics reportedly started mass producing iPad mini 2 Retina panels"?iDownload Blog?4:22 PM
"Supposed 2nd-Gen iPad mini Images Surface with Blue Logo"?PadGadget?12:39 PM
"GIS expected to bump up touch panel lamination shipments for iPad mini"?DigiTimes?8:09 AM
"Is A Retina Display Coming To The MacBook Air In Q3 Of 2013?"?Apple'n'Apps?1:51 PM
"Apple working on techniques for presenting sound effects on a portable device"?AppleDailyReport?8:24 AM
Price Trackers/Deals
"Doors&Rooms[PLUS] For iPhone and iPad Is Temporarily Available For Free (Normally $0.99)"?Apple Sliced?8:39 AM
"Nuclien For iPhone and iPad Is Free Right Now (Previously $0.99)"?Apple Sliced?8:39 AM
"FLASHOUT 3D For iPhone and iPad Is Free Today (Was $2.99)"?Apple Sliced?8:39 AM
"15" MacBook Pro Prices & Sales"?MacPrices?7:53 AM
"13" MacBook Pro Prices & Sales"?MacPrices?7:53 AM
"MacBook Pro Prices -15 Inch Models -$1,300 to $3,049 -Best Deals, Reviews & Information"?MacReviewZone?7:51 AM
"MacBook Pro Prices -13 Inch Models -$1,019 To $2,194 -Best Deals, Reviews & Information"?MacReviewZone?7:51 AM
"MacBook Air Prices -$600 To $1,599 -Best Deals, Reviews And Information"?MacReviewZone?7:51 AM
"PadGadget Daily App Deal ? 11 iPad Apps on Sale"?PadGadget?9:04 AM
Deal Brothers Daily Deal: Buy Today, Save 20% Flying JetBlue in May
Reviews
"Chromebook Pixel vs. MacBook Air"?Gizmag?7:53 AM
"HTC One vs iPhone 5 camera duel: Ultrapixel tech tested"?Crave @ CNET?8:11 AM
"Which To Choose (Take Two): 27-inch iMac with GTX 675MX GPU? or with GeForce GTX 680MX?"?Bare Feats?12:04 PM
"Hands-on: Logitech Bluetooth Easy-Switch Keyboard, Mac, iOS"?Electronista?8:58 AM
"Logitech UE Mobile Boombox"?iLounge?3:59 PM
"Reviews: Apogee Electronics MiC Studio Quality Microphone"?iLounge?1:53 PM
"Four Speck cases for the iPhone 5"?Macworld?1:53 PM
"Review: SmartFlex View for iPhone 5"?Macworld?8:51 AM
"Review: CandyShell Grip for iPhone 5"?Macworld?8:51 AM
"Review: SmartFlex Card for iPhone 5"?Macworld?7:50 AM
"Review: Delano Case for iPad Mini, Nexus 7, Kindle Fire, Kindle, And Other 7' Tablet"?Run Around Tech?9:03 AM
iPad/iPhone/iPod touch Apps
"Postcardly Postcards for iOS review: Only a few steps, and your postcard is in the mail"?CNET Reviews?8:40 PM
"Review: Aerofly FS ? A Realistic, Easy-to-Learn Flight Simulator for iOS"?MacTrast?7:15 PM
"Mailbox for iPhone Eases Email Triage but Lacks Key Features"?TidBITS?9:44 AM
"Furnish for iOS taps augmented reality to transport IKEA and Crate & Barrel furniture to your home"?The Next Web?8:24 AM
"Comparing iPad weather apps at a glance"?iMore?9:22 PM
"Built For Entrepreneurs And Investors, Simplr For iPhone Sorts And Prioritizes Your AngelList Feeds"?TechCrunch?12:05 PM
"Yahoo updates Flickr iPhone app with tagging, faster uploads, volume shutter and more"?Digital Trends?8:58 AM
"Vector Graphics Geeks Will Fall for B?zier ? iPad App Review"?PadGadget?9:05 AM
"Met Someone New? Say, 'Hello.' Then, Use iPhone's Evernote Hello To Remember The Details (it's free)"?Mac 360?7:52 AM
"Appidemic: Worm Run for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch"?AppleTell?8:56 AM
"'Backflip Madness' Review - The Worst Game I Can't Stop Playing"?Touch Arcade?11:41 AM
Tips
"Study Smarter ? Take Notes And Highlight Text Within iBooks [iOS Tips]?Cult of Mac?3:02 PM
"Automatically backing up photos via cellular data Article"?iLounge?2:58 PM
"Apple Loop: Considering iPrefs, Patenting The iWatch, Living In A 'Weird' Post-Jobs World"?Forbes?8:12 PM
"iPad problems: What users complain about most"?Digital Trends?7:13 PM
"Judge tells Apple and Samsung to narrow their new patent case"?Ars Technica?2:55 PM
"Samsung's outrageous VoiceOver suit against Apple stayed in Germany"?iDownload Blog?2:47 PM
"The iPad Can Be a True Mac Alternative"?Shawn Blanc?8:08 PM
"Why the iPad still can't be a true Mac replacement"?Macworld?12:52 PM
"Why I bought a MacBook Air"?ZDNet?12:06 PM
"Chromebook Pixel Validates Microsoft's Touch Strategy, Could Force Apple's Hand"?Benzinga Insights?12:02 PM
"How China Mobile Could Get the iPhone"?TheStreet?10:57 AM
"Grand Theft Apple: killing the console"?Computerworld?10:56 AM
"How Apple Is Better At 'Planned Obsolescence' Than Any Other Technology Company"?Mac 360?10:26 AM
"Why Every Analyst Is In Love With The Siren Song Of The Low-Cost iPhone"?TechCrunch?10:29 AM
"Why An iPhone Mini Is Key For Apple Continuing To Grow"?Cult of Mac?10:19 AM
"Apple's Innovation Problem"?Forbes?9:44 AM
"More Support For A Low Cost iPhone"?Apple Bitch?9:05 AM
"Brazil lawsuit claims iPad 3 made intentionally obsolete"?iDownload Blog?9:03 AM
"Will Apple Exist 3 Years From Now? How Much Will It Be Worth?"?Seeking Alpha?8:19 AM
"Steve Job's Financial Planning Advice: You Are Already Naked"?Forbes?8:19 AM
"Why iOS won't become Apple's 'Windows XP'"?ZDNet?12:06 PM
"Risk Averse: Will iOS Become Apple's Windows XP?"?ReadWrite?8:08 AM
"Apple Patent For Solar Watch Could Fire Up Stock Again"?Forbes?11:25 AM
"Wearable computing devices ? like, say, an 'iWatch,' could exceed 485 million annual shipments by 2018"?AppleDailyReport?8:31 AM
"Apple's iWatch Concept Is Real - And Here's How It Might Work"?ReadWrite?8:08 AM
"Apple 'slap wrap' patent fuels iWatch rumour"?ZDNet?7:50 AM
Non-Apple
"Google Glass Isn't Very Good Yet, And It Gives People Headaches, Says VC Who Played With Them"?Business Insider?2:46 PM
"I miss removable batteries"?ZDNet?12:42 PM
"6 ways to speed an old computer"?USA Today?12:31 PM
"Even Sony isn't sure what PS4 will look like"?Mashable?12:11 PM
"The Hottest Games Coming to Sony's PS4"?PC Magazine?11:50 AM
"Review: HP brings sizzle to Windows Storage Server/The HP StoreEasy 5530 puts serious muscle behind Windows file serving, Hyper-V virtualization, and SQL Server workloads"?InfoWorld?11:17 AM
"Why you should sign the phone-unlocking petition right now"?InfoWorld?11:16 AM
"Hands-on with the Ubuntu Touch Linux smartphone"?InfoWorld?11:16 AM
"Where Is The Digital Work Force Growing Fastest?"?Forbes?11:06 AM
"Slideshow: Technologies that stood out at 60th ISSCC"?EE Times?10:49 AM
"What smartphone feature would you like to see in the future?"?CNN?10:39 AM
"Here's what Facebook Graph Search is doing next"?VentureBeat [Free Registration Required]?12:35 PM
"How to post to Facebook, Twitter after you die"?CNN?10:39 AM
"You Will Subscribe To, Not Buy Software"?BYTE?10:19 AM
"Is Republic's $19 cell phone service too good to be true?"?CNET News?10:12 AM
"Patent Application Reveals Key Factors In Google News Algorithm"?Forbes?11:07 AM
"Hearing Is Believing: People Don'T Realize How Important Great Sound Is Until They Experience It"?BGR?10:16 AM
"Sorry, But There'S No Defense For The Chromebook Pixel"?BGR?1:51 PM
"Get Real, Google. The Pixel Is Too Pricey"?PC Magazine?11:52 AM
"Inside Google's ultrabook gambit: With a new laptop, Google is betting that living in the cloud on an ultrabook is not just cheaper, but much better."?Fortune?11:08 AM
"Chromebook Pixel: Google takes on Apple"?Telegraph?8:03 AM
Humor/Cartoons
"Low Latency No. 52: The waiting game"?CNET News [cartoon]?10:15 AM
"Pearls Before Swine"?GoComics?8:12 AM
"CEO Whitman: 'We Should Not Break Up' HP" [Video Report]?CNBC?10:01 AM
"HP's Whitman vows to keep the company intact, 'on track'"?IDG News Service?11:54 AM
"Meg Whitman Wants to Fix and Rebuild HP, Not Break It Up (Video)"?AllThingsD?1:11 PM
"H-P Good News Bodes Well for Whitman's Turnaround" [Video Report]?Bloomberg?10:03 AM
"HP Investors Heave Sigh of Relief, But Challenges Remain"?TheStreet?9:38 AM
"HP Earnings Better Than Feared, but Still Not Great"?AllThingsD?9:51 AM
"H-P Analysts Aren't Exactly Jumping on Bullish Bandwagon"?WSJ Blogs?12:34 PM
"H-P stock rally not seen since Mark Hurd era: But Meg Whitman's 'better together' gets mixed reviews"?MarketWatch?12:49 PM
"HP shares jump after strong results, analysts raise targets"?Reuters?10:01 AM
"H-P Shares Rally 8% on Upbeat Guidance"?FOXBusiness?11:10 AM
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's finance minister insisted on Saturday he would not change course after the loss of the country's 'AAA' credit rating but George Osborne is facing pressure to do just that as his bet on austerity falters ahead of the 2015 election.
Moody's dealt Britain its first sovereign rating downgrade on Friday, saying the $2.5 trillion economy faced years more sluggish growth and debt would continue to rise until 2016.
Economically the one-notch cut will have limited importance -- most of Europe, Japan and the United States have already suffered the same fate and Britain continues to borrow at historically low rates.
But politically it is toxic for Osborne who has repeatedly vowed to protect the top credit rating since the 2010 election campaign. The downgrade exposes him to opponents who say his failure to deliver economic growth is driving Prime Minister David Cameron towards electoral defeat.
Osborne said on Saturday the move by Moody's showed he was right to focus on restoring Britain to fiscal health, arguing that only by doing that will the conditions for growth be restored.
"I am absolutely determined to make sure we deal with our problems, to make sure that Britain stays the course, to make sure that it doesn't take from this credit rating the wrong message which is we should go and borrow a lot more," the 41-year-old Chancellor of the Exchequer said.
"I'm absolutely clear we're not going to do that."
For investors, the downgrade underscores Britain's predicament: a debt-ridden, stagnating economy which has kept bond yields low in large part thanks to the Bank of England becoming the world's biggest investor in UK government debt by buying it with newly printed money.
"Osborne no longer has any place to hide or anyone to blame," said David Blanchflower, who served on the Bank of England's interest rate setting committee from 2006 to 2009.
He said the minister should "stand up, be a man and accept responsibility for the worst recovery in 100 years" and, in a message on Twitter, suggested a swift cut to value-added tax, a labor tax holiday for workers under 25 and incentives for investment and hiring to kick start growth.
Osborne can take comfort from Moody's confidence that his austerity plan would eventually "reverse the UK's debt trajectory".
A Treasury official noted Moody's had given the UK's credit rating a stable outlook, meaning little chance of a further downgrade in the next 12-18 months. When the United States and France were downgraded, their outlooks remained negative.
But whether growth will return forcefully long enough before the 2015 election to allow voters to appreciate it is now highly uncertain.
Sterling fell by almost a cent to around $1.5160 after the downgrade, just off Thursday's fresh 2-1/2-year low. Analysts said they expected it to fall further on Monday.
Some of the Conservatives' Liberal Democrat coalition partners questioned the political judgment of attaching so much importance to Britain's AAA rating.
"This is a self-inflicted injury for George Osborne," said Matthew Oakeshott, a former Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman. "To be fair, he was very green in 2009 ... He foolishly erected triple-A status as a virility symbol."
"BLEEDING THE PATIENT"
Cameron, who led his Conservative Party back to office as part of a coalition government after 13 years out of power, risks another year of stagnation and giving his opponents and open goal to aim at.
The Labor Party - which left the biggest peacetime deficit when it lost the 2010 election - called for Osborne's head.
"The medicine is not working so the Chancellor says increase the dose - that's crazy economics. It is like an 18th-century doctor bleeding a patient as they get sicker and sicker," said Ed Balls, the party's main spokesman on finance issues.
But people close to Britain's most powerful two politicians say they are completely aligned. Osborne led Cameron's bid for leadership of the Conservatives and ran the 2010 election campaign. There is little or no chance of him being sacrificed or being forced into a humiliating policy U-turn which would wreck his career.
"Osborne has lots of critics, both inside and outside the party, who are now going to be emboldened by this, but there is no coherent alternative," said Tim Montgomerie, editor of the influential ConservativeHome website.
Though Labor is about 10 percentage points ahead of Conservative Party in polls, surveys show voters trust Cameron and Osborne more than Labor's leader Ed Miliband.
TIME FOR A TWEAK?
Osborne originally gambled that by slashing spending, growth rates of between 2 and 3 percent would kick in from 2013.
But with Britain's banks still recovering from the financial crisis and many of its main trading partners in Europe stuck in recession, his debt targets will be missed. His room for more spending is limited as he tries to avoid pushing up yields on Britain's 1.29 trillion pounds ($1.97 trillion) of debt.
With government spending so restricted, many investors' hopes lie with the Bank of England. Its governor, Mervyn King, this month voted to restart government-bond buying. Although in the minority, his change of heart suggested the bank may be closer than expected to pursuing more stimulus.
If Osborne slows his debt reduction plans, he could upset bond investors and throw his deficit targets further off course.
"We should stick to the plan," said Kwasi Kwarteng, a Conservative lawmaker. "The prime minister would not want to be seen to be panicking, and he's committed to keeping George Osborne where he is."
"But we do also need to look at growth," said Kwarteng, who suggested cutting corporation tax and red tape.
Business lobby the Confederation of British Industry has called for more investment on infrastructure and housing to be funded by more cuts in day-to-day spending. It also expects the government to guarantee more private-sector projects.
Osborne has a chance in his annual budget next month to deliver such tweaks to policy. ($1 = 0.6551 British pounds)
(Additional reporting by Mohammed Abbas and William Schomberg. Editing by Mike Peacock)
New York ? The only trade involving Dwight Howard came last summer. The potent scorers that moved did so long ago.
There was no eye-catching activity left for deadline day, resulting in minor deals Thursday to the disappointment of those hoping for a frenzy.
Josh Smith stayed put and the Boston Celtics' core stayed together, leaving J.J. Redick, dealt to Milwaukee, as the biggest name to be traded.
There were nine moves, nothing approaching a blockbuster and none to jump-start the Lakers.
"I don't think I've seen fewer trade deadline deals, ever," said Houston general manager Daryl Morey, who completed two trades Wednesday. "But I think it's a one-year blip."
The Atlanta Hawks held onto Smith, and Utah kept both Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson on a day when much attention was focused on both situations, since those players have value and could leave their teams this summer as free agents.
The Celtics did make one deal, acquiring guard Jordan Crawford (Detroit) from the Washington Wizards for center Jason Collins and injured guard Leandro Barbosa.
Golden State sent forward Jeremy Tyler to Atlanta and guard Charles Jenkins to Philadelphia in separate deals, slicing more than $1.5 million off its payroll after beginning the day about $1.2 million over the league's $70,307,000 luxury tax.
Rebuilding after trading Howard, the Magic decided Redick wasn't in their plans while averaging career highs in points (15.1) and field-goal percentage (45.0). He was traded along with center Gustavo Ayon and reserve point guard Ish Smith to the Bucks in exchange for guards Doron Lamb and Beno Udrih, and forward Tobias Harris.
The New York Knicks traded Ronnie Brewer to Oklahoma City to open a roster spot that will be used to give Kenyon Martin a 10-day contract. The Hawks couldn't find a good enough deal for Smith, who had largely been considered the biggest name that would move, and settled for sending Anthony Morrow to Dallas for Dahntay Jones.
With so little happening, Morey might have pulled off the most intriguing move this week when he acquired Thomas Robinson, the No. 5 pick in last year's draft, from Sacramento in one of his two deals.
"I thought the main thing that was different at this trade deadline was there was a big premium on cap space and draft picks," Morey said. "Usually, that's the currency that moves markets. They were at such a premium that every deal was very difficult. It became like a barter economy instead of a cash economy. That made deals harder.
"I do think you could say that maybe the CBA might be contributing to that. But I also think a lot of it is just the phase teams are in.
"There are a lot of good teams trying to maybe rebuild, for lack of a better word.
Lakers past and present pay tribute to Buss
Magic Johnson , Shaquille O'Neal , Kobe Bryant and Jerry West were among a host of basketball greats who gathered to remember the life and legacy of Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss .
They spoke at a memorial service held Thursday for Buss, who died this week at 80 after an 18-month struggle with cancer. The stage at the Nokia Theatre across from Staples Center was bedecked with all 10 of the NBA championship trophies won by the Lakers under Buss and more than 30 floral arrangements.
Slam dunks
Magic PG Jameer Nelson has been diagnosed with a strained left knee patella tendon
? Bulls G Kirk Hinrich sat out Thursday's game against the Miami Heat because of an ongoing problem with his right elbow.
We?ve seen pictures of devices purporting to be Samsung?s Galaxy Note 8.0. We?ve even seen something crop up in some Samsung-produced photos that looked a bit Note-8.0-ish, though just a bit wonky. What we haven?t had yet is a full-on official look at the tablet, though that all changes today; while Samsung has yet to announce the Note 8.0, signage has already been spotted at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
This should come as a surprise to absolutely no one, as we?ve already heard a Samsung exec say that the Note 8.0 would be featured at the expo. The imagery up at the MWC perfectly matches the Frandroid pic from earlier. All we need now are confirmation of the device?s specs, as well as details on its launch; we?ve heard a bit about pricing, but it would be great to get some of that confirmed. If this sign is any indication, we should be hearing from Samsung quite soon.
New York Mets starting pitcher Johan Santana reacts during a spring training baseball workout, Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013, in Port St. Lucie, Fla. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
New York Mets starting pitcher Johan Santana reacts during a spring training baseball workout, Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013, in Port St. Lucie, Fla. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) ? Johan Santana will not make his first spring training appearance for the New York Mets this year until mid-March.
General manager Sandy Alderson said Friday the 33-year old left-hander is expected to pitch in an exhibition game sometime from March 10-12 instead of March 2. Alderson said he didn't think Santana will miss the start of the regular season, but said it was a possibility.
"There's no structural issue. It's just a matter of building up strength," Alderson said. "He'll be long-tossing before he gets back on the mound. We expect that his schedule will have been delayed somewhat."
A two-time AL Cy Young Award winner, Santana missed 2011 following shoulder surgery and went 6-9 with a 4.85 ERA in 21 starts last year, when he pitched the first no-hitter in Mets history on June 1 against St. Louis. He didn't pitch after Aug. 17 because of lower back inflammation.
Santana threw off a mound Sunday for the first time since August on Sunday. He said he felt fine after the 20-pitch session and was on track to start the April 1 opener against San Diego.
Mets medical director Dr. David Altchek examined Santana this week.
"We expected he would have had a normal offseason and he did have a normal offseason with the exception of not throwing," Alderson said. "His throwing program is somewhat behind, but the important thing is Altchek saw him yesterday. There's no structural issue. There's no shoulder issue, it's just an overall conditioning issue as it relates to throwing."
Santana gets $25.5 million this year in the final guaranteed season of his $137.5 million, six-year contract. The Mets hold a $25 million option for 2014 with a $5.5 million buyout.
Alderson also said reliever Pedro Feliciano and outfielder Jamie Hoffmann have returned to New York for follow-up exams to their physicals, which took place Sunday. Alderson would not go into detail other than terming the issues "non-orthopedic." He expects the both players to return to camp within two days.
New York said reliever Frank Francisco is expected to begin throwing Monday or Tuesday. Francisco was examined by Altchek on Thursday and Alderson said it was determined there was no structural issues in his surgically repaired right elbow. Francisco has not pitched in more than a week due to inflammation.
In 1964, the five-year survival rate for the most common form of childhood leukemia was only three percent but, today, thanks to treatment advances, about 90 percent of children survive. As the leading global non-profit organization dedicated to curing blood cancers, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) has invested nearly one billion dollars in blood cancer research since 1954, bringing us closer than ever to realizing a world without blood cancers.
LLS has achieved its leadership position through a unique approach to research and fundraising. Its venture philanthropy model forges partnerships with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, academia, medical centers and the National Institutes of Health, to foster the process of drug discovery from basic research to translational and clinical research. Rather than duplicate what the federal government is funding, LLS developed its own research agenda to accelerate the development of promising new life-saving therapies with a focus on un-met medical need.
The Someday is Today initiative will launch this month nationwide, with emphasis in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington DC, and Dallas. The platform is being supported by TV and radio public service announcements (PSAs) and print advertising, which tell the story of a world without cancer, featuring striking visuals like a Times Square-type billboard announcing Cancer Cured. For more information about Someday is Today and to view a full multimedia release including the campaign PSAs, please visit http://www.LLSSomedayIsToday.org. LLS is also on Facebook and Twitter.
We felt it was time to put a stake in the ground, and to shine the spotlight on the urgency and accomplishments we have made toward finding cures for blood cancers. Someday is Today is our platform to rally support for this cause, explains John Walter, LLS chief executive officer. People talk about curing cancer at some point in the future. But, for LLS, someday is today. Contributions made to this organization through partners, volunteers and generous donors are driving cures right now. The reality is, if you want to reduce the incidence of lung cancer, stop smoking. If you want to reduce the incidence of melanoma, use sun block. If you want to prevent the incidence of blood cancer, invest in a cure.
Someday is Today was developed by LLS in conjunction with branding agency Interplanetary. According to Lisa Stockmon, senior vice president, marketing at LLS, Our objective is to build brand awareness so people have more knowledge of what we do and the impact of what we do. Were telling our story in a humanistic and modern way that engages our 62 chapters and also provides a marketing umbrella for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, because we want to make sure people have an emotional connection and are aware of our role in the battle against blood cancers.
Were not your grandfathers charity, proclaims Louis DeGennaro, PhD, LLS chief mission officer. There is no means of preventing or early screening for blood cancers, so our focus is on life-saving research to find cures. LLS research funding has touched the discovery or development of nearly every therapy used in the battle against blood cancers including targeted drugs, like Gleevec?, Velcade? and Kyprolis?, and immunotherapies, like Rituxan?.
In fact, LLS is playing a unique role in the pathway to cures, especially for a non-profit organization. Blood cancers, which include leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma and myelodysplastic syndromes, are hematologic malignancies with a unique link to the cancer research community. Many innovations such as multi-drug chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation started as blood cancer therapies. In fact, nearly 50 percent of all cancer drugs newly approved by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in the last 12 years were first approved for blood cancers. Blood cancer research is a gateway to treatments and even cures for many other cancers, as well as some inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), explains DeGennaro. LLS and our partners are pioneering cutting-edge cancer research at the cellular and molecular level, which has the capacity to offer significant contributions beyond even blood cancers.
LLS Fundraising Campaigns: Something for Everyone
LLS fundraising campaigns reflect its broad approach to attracting individual and corporate donors, with a range of entry points and opportunities for participation. From the inception in 1988 of Team In Training?, the worlds first and largest endurance training program, to the inspirational, community-oriented Light The Night? Walk events, to the family-friendly Pineapple Classic obstacle course, LLS has an extraordinary range of programs dedicated to raise awareness, participation and, most important, funds to develop and provide access to blood cancer treatments. All 62 LLS chapters in the United States and Canada are dedicated to this mission.
Innovating with Venture Philanthropy: Therapy Acceleration Program (TAP)
LLS launched the Therapy Acceleration Program (TAP) in 2007, to advance development of new therapies and diagnostics by bridging the gap between discovery and human applications, and to increase the likelihood that novel, even breakthrough treatments will be available to patients as soon as possible. LLS works in concert with academic investigators, medical centers and pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to move promising therapies quickly from the laboratory into clinical trials and, ultimately, to patients.
LLS continues to support and fund the world?s best and brightest academic scientists and award grants based on merit to advance progress in all areas of blood cancer research, and at all stages from basic science to clinical trials. Through our grants programs we support the development of the next generation of first rate cancer researchers.
Proof of LLSs cure-focused, patient-centered infrastructure is apparent from the allocation of its funds. Last year, 78 percent of the money spent by LLS went to research, patient and community services, advocacy and education. Its co-pay assistance program provided $ 44.2 million to almost 14,000 patients in need. LLSs Office of Public Policy team advocates for policies that help speed the approval process for new blood cancer therapies and to ensure access to quality, affordable and coordinated care for patients.
Ultimately, cancer affects everyone, said Walter. We all have an opportunity to impact a cure for this disease now. Someday truly is today.
About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society? (LLS) is the world?s largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer. The LLS mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin?s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research around the world and provides free information and support services.
Key LLS fundraising campaigns include Team In Training, Light The Night, School & Youth, Man & Woman of the Year and Regatta. To reach the widest possible audience, LLS partners with national and regional level companies and brands, including Nike, Disney, Burlington Coat Factory and others.
Founded in 1949 and headquartered in White Plains, NY, LLS has chapters throughout the United States and Canada. To learn more, visit http://www.lls.org. Patients and caregivers should contact the Information Resource Center at (800) 955-4572, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET. http://www.lls.org.
>>>the
academy awards
this weekend, with three of the
best picture
nominees based on fact, not fiction, but
true stories
. a lot of people are talking now about just how true to the actual facts these movies should really be. does
dramatic license
give filmmakers a license to write some historic events their way? our report tonight from
los angeles
and nbc's
mike taibbi
.
>> reporter: in "argo," the story of six americans saved by a daring rescue during the
iran hostage crisis
, there's a tense airport
chase scene
at the end that never happened.
>>in order to make an exciting and entertaining film, you have to stretch the truth.
>> reporter: artistic license
, says one critic.
>>you have to dramatize things a little bit. that's just the way movie-making it.
>> reporter: but "zero dark thirty" about the killing of
osama bin laden
began with a
torture scene
even the filmmakers say they never confirmed produced useful clues.
>>now, now, now!
>> reporter: and in
steven spielberg
's "lincoln," they got a key fact wrong.
connecticut
's two congressmen did not vote against the
13th amendment
ending slavery. current
connecticut
congressman wrote spielberg saying placing
connecticut
on the wrong side of the historic and divisive fight over slavery is verifiable facts. agreed says movie host ben mankowits.
>>i think if the movie is about the passage of the 13 amendment or whether we're going to torture people in the
united states of america
, you bet their feet should get held to the fire.
>> reporter: but oscar has celebrated dozens of films over the years that were based on
true stories
, but that imagined characters and dialogue and whole scenes. from "patton" to "a
beautiful mind
" to "the king's speech," filmmakers use
artistic license
to create dramas, not documentaries.
>>what students know or think they know about history often comes from movies. you have to disabuse them about some of the misconceptions and give them broader context of history than hollywood movies are capable of giving them.
>> reporter: in the oscar spotlight this year, three movies about significant,
historical events
, along with a story-teller's age-old question. wyomi why let the facts get in the way of a good story.
mike taibbi
, nbc news,
los angeles
.
