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EZ2

04/16/14 6:14 AM

#91155 RE: timhyma #91154

<< Not in a million years ---- I hope they
keep your ass in there until your nuts fall off!!! <vbg>

EZ2

04/18/14 7:04 AM

#91241 RE: timhyma #91154

You need to spend GOOD FRIDAY and the entire EASTER holiday
PRAYING.........................

that you get more donations!


You are going to be stuck IN JAIL until fall --- which is good news!! :-P

EZ2

04/24/14 7:16 AM

#91395 RE: timhyma #91154

EZ2

05/07/14 2:36 PM

#91871 RE: timhyma #91154

I trust they have your ass on nothing but
BREAD and WATER !!! :-(

http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=100643425

EZ2

05/19/14 7:23 AM

#92198 RE: timhyma #91154

EZ2

05/19/14 8:16 AM

#92201 RE: timhyma #91154

MyMedicalRecords Receives Three Major Health IT Patents Expanding PHR Portfolio to Add Clinical Trials & Legal Records

MARKET WIRE 8:15 AM ET 05/19/14


LOS ANGELES, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 05/19/14 -- MMRGlobal, Inc. (OTCQB: MMRF), through its wholly owned subsidiary, MyMedicalRecords, Inc. (collectively, "MMR"), today announced that last week it received two Notices of Allowance ("NOA") and one issued patent for its health IT technologies from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The first NOA is for U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13/082,896, entitled "Electronic Health Records in Clinical Trials." The allowed application will be the first in a new family of patents directed toward using Personal Health Records ("PHRs") and other electronic forms of self-reporting to provide data in clinical trials, which has the potential to help save billions of dollars in costs of biopharmaceutical drug trials while also speeding up the trial process and helping to save lives.

According to MMRGlobal CEO Robert H. Lorsch, "The Company looks forward to our "896" clinical trials patent application opening the door to relationships with larger biotech companies who have been and continue to utilize various forms of Electronic Medical Records and PHRs in clinical trials and other patient monitoring systems. MMR's goal is to leverage its products and services and patents and other intellectual property to create working relationships with more companies in the biotechnology field so that patients and shareholders ultimately benefit."

The clinical trials patent will include 18 claims directed to methods and systems that provide for self-reporting being used to create Electronic Health Records for purposes including clinical trials. Self-reporting may be performed in various ways including via text message, through a website, by phone, or by fax, which are designed to help increase compliance and effectiveness of clinical trials while also reducing costs. The Electronic Health Records may also be created through various forms of telemedicine services directly from medical monitoring equipment associated with an individual. MMR is a practicing entity and a leading provider of secure and easy-to-use Personal Health Records through its MyMedicalRecords PHR, and MMRProPlus document management and imaging systems for healthcare professionals.

The second NOA granted to MMR is for Application Serial No. 13/663,101, entitled "Method and System for Providing Online Records," and will expand MMR's existing portfolio of eleven issued health IT patents with claims directed to the sharing of records with a second healthcare provider to better manage and facilitate second opinions. Additionally, MMR was recently issued U.S. Patent No. 8,725,537, entitled "Method and System for Providing Online Records," which is directed toward storing, managing and sharing legal records. This patent expands MMR's intellectual property beyond PHRs and other forms of Electronic Medical Records into the legal field. The '537 patent is particularly relevant to the management of wills and powers of attorney, among other similar types of important documents, which can be included as part of an individual's Personal Health Record account.

Adding clinical trials and legal records patents to MMR's patent portfolio has the potential of significantly increasing the value of the Company's intellectual property. Previous valuations did not include the value of patents specifically pertaining to clinical trials and/or legal information management.

In addition to Personal Health Record and other health IT products and services, MMR also offers MyEsafeDepositBox, which provides an online site to securely store important legal, financial, insurance and other important documents, as well as medical and personal health information.

MMR's global health information technology patent portfolio includes 11 U.S. patents: U.S. Patent Nos. 8,121,855; 8,117,045; 8,117,646; 8,301,466; 8,321,240; 8,352,287; 8,352,288; 8,498,883; 8,626,532; 8,645,161 and 8,725,537, which collectively include over 275 issued claims, along with additional applications and continuation applications pending. MMR has also received issued patents and has pending applications in 11 other countries or regional authorities of commercial interest including Australia, Canada, Singapore, New Zealand, Mexico, Hong Kong, China, Japan, South Korea, Israel, and Europe.

Although the MMR's primary business is as a provider and licensor of health IT products and services, the Company also has a portfolio of biotech patents. These pertain to cancer-fighting anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies under the title, "Antibodies and Methods For Making and Using Them," issued in the U.S., Mexico, Australia and South Korea, with patents pending in the U.S., Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Europe, Japan and Korea, and additional patents pertaining to its B-cell idiotype vaccine worldwide.

About MMRGlobal
MMRGlobal, Inc., through its wholly-owned operating subsidiary, MyMedicalRecords, Inc., provides secure and easy-to-use online Personal Health Records ("PHRs") and electronic safe deposit box storage solutions, serving consumers, healthcare professionals, employers, insurance companies, financial institutions, retail pharmacies, and professional organizations and affinity groups. The MyMedicalRecords PHR enables individuals and families to access their medical records and other important documents, such as birth certificates, passports, insurance policies and wills, anytime from anywhere using the Internet. MyMedicalRecords is built on proprietary, patented technologies to allow documents, images and voicemail messages to be transmitted and stored in the system using a variety of methods, including fax, phone, or file upload without relying on any specific electronic medical record platform to populate a user's account. MMR's professional offering, MMRPro, is designed to give physicians' offices an easy and cost-effective solution to digitizing paper-based medical records and sharing them with patients through an integrated patient portal. Through its merger with Favrille, Inc. in January 2009, MMR acquired intellectual property biotech assets that include anti-CD20 antibodies and data and samples from its FavId™/Specifid™ vaccine clinical trials for the treatment of B-Cell Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. To learn more about MMRGlobal, Inc. visit www.mmrglobal.com. View demos and video tutorials of MMR's products and services at www.mmrtheater.com. Follow us at Facebook.com/MMRGlobal and Twitter.com/mmrglobal.

Forward-Looking Statements
All statements in this press release that are not strictly historical in nature, including, without limitation, future performance, management's expectations, beliefs, intentions, estimates or projections, constitute "forward-looking statements." Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause MMR's actual results to be materially different from historical results or from any results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Some can be identified by the use of words (and their derivations) such as "need," "possibility," "potential," "intend," "offer," "development," "if," "negotiate," "when," "begun," "believe," "achieve," "will," "estimate," "expect," "maintain," "plan," and "continue," or the negative of these words. Actual outcomes and results of operations and the timing of selected events may differ materially from the results predicted, and any reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance. Such statements are necessarily based on assumptions and estimates and are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including those relating to the possible invalidity of the underlying assumptions and estimates and possible changes or developments in economic, business, industry, market, legal and regulatory circumstances and conditions and actions taken or omitted to be taken by third parties, including customers, suppliers, business partners, potential licensees, competitors and legislative, judicial and other governmental authorities and officials. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to: unexpected outcomes with respect to intellectual property enforcement actions, claims of intellectual property infringement and general intellectual property litigation; our ability to maintain, develop, license, monetize and protect our patent portfolio for both MMR's health IT and biotechnology intellectual property assets in the U.S. and internationally; the timing of milestone payments in connection with licensing our intellectual property; our ability to establish and maintain strategic relationships; changes in our relationships with our licensees; the risk MMR's products are not adopted or viewed favorably by the healthcare community and consumer retail market; business prospects, results of operations or financial condition; risks related to the current uncertainty and instability in financial and lending markets, including global economic uncertainties; the timing and volume of sales and installations; the length of sales cycles and the installation process; the market's acceptance of new product and service introductions; competitive product offerings and promotions; changes in government laws and regulations including the 2009 HITECH Act and changes in Meaningful Use and the 2010 Affordable Care Act; future changes in tax legislation and initiatives in the healthcare industry; undetected errors in our products; the possibility of interruption at our data centers; risks related to third party vendors; risks related to obtaining and integrating third-party licensed technology; risks related to a security breach by third parties; risks associated with recruitment and retention of key personnel; other litigation matters; uncertainties associated with doing business internationally across borders and territories; and additional risks discussed in MMR's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. MMR is providing this information as of the date of this release and, except as required by applicable law, does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.


CONTACT:

Michael Selsman
Public Communications Co.
ms@publiccommunications.biz
(310) 922-7033

EZ2

05/19/14 9:31 AM

#92207 RE: timhyma #91154

5 dividend stocks that may be safer than Treasurys

MARKETWATCH 9:28 AM ET 05/19/14

Symbol Last Price Change
BRK/A 190210up 0 (0%)
VZ 49.07up 0 (0%)
CTL 38.18up 0 (0%)
T 36.74 0 (0%)
DTV 86.18 0 (0%)
MO 40.69 0 (0%)
PM 85.77up 0 (0%)
CVS 76.57up 0 (0%)
PBCT 14.08down 0 (0%)
VOD 36.44up 0 (0%)
QUOTES AS OF 04:00:10 PM ET 05/16/2014

Are you surprised U.S. Treasury bonds have outperformed stocks this year?

The Bloomberg U.S. Treasury Bond Index returned 3.2% through the end of last week, beating the S&P 500 Index's 2% gain as investors have lost their nerves with equities pushing up against record highs.

It's been a topsy-turvy market, for sure. The yield on 10-year U.S. Treasury bonds rose to about 3% at the end of 2013 from 1.78% a year earlier, with selling pressure increasing as investors anticipated the Federal Reserve's decision in December to begin reducing its purchases of bonds. But investors have poured money into Treasurys this year, sending the yield on the 10-year bond down to 2.52% on Friday.

The Fed's bond buying and its policy of keeping the federal funds rate close to zero since late 2008 has boosted the money supply at a rate far exceeding that of gross domestic product growth. According to the central bank's figures, M2 -- the sum of money held by the public in transaction accounts, money market accounts and retail money market funds, as well as time deposits with balances of less than $100,000 -- increased 2% in the first four months of this year.

During 2013, M2 swelled 5.4%, while the estimated GDP growth rate was 1.9%. In 2012, it was 8.3% and 2.8% -- this pattern has gone on for years. The bottom line is that the money has to go somewhere, which helps explain the stock market's explosion over the past two years, and Treasurys' rebound this year.

The Federal Reserve expects to wind down its bond purchases this year, and could decide in 2015 to begin raising the federal funds rate.

At some point soon, at least, the money spigot will be turned off. That will mean downward pressure on bond prices and possibly some pain for stock investors as well. This prediction has been made for the past several years, and this year's action has shown just how premature many investors were last year in expecting a radically changed interest-rate environment.

Investors seeking current income may well be better off building positions in quality companies paying high dividends on common shares.

Warren Buffett has recently done just that. His Berkshire Hathaway Inc.(BRK/A) in a 13F filing disclosed that during the first quarter it built up a new position in Verizon Communications Inc.(VZ) shares. Berkshire held 11,022,743 Verizon(VZ) shares worth $524 million. Verizon(VZ) pays out 53 cents per share each quarter, for a yield of 4.42%, based on Thursday's closing price of $47.96. So Berkshire's annual dividend on its Verizon(VZ) stake comes to a tidy sum of $23.4 million.

To develop a list of buoyant dividend stocks that might be better choices for income and safety over the next few years, we pared the S&P 500 (SPX) to the five stocks with the highest dividend yields that also meet two other quality standards. All have shown growth in annual sales per share over the past two years and produced sufficient free cash flow during 2013 to more than cover dividends, according to data provided by FactSet.

Here's the list:

Interestingly, three telecommunications firms made the list, as well as the leading U.S. cigarette manufacturer and a regional bank. Here's more information on all five:

CenturyLink (CTL)

CenturyLink EPS Comparison at FindTheBest

CenturyLink Inc. (CTL) is a telecom-services provider headquartered in Monroe, La., that operates land lines in 37 states. CenturyLink(CTL) also offers broadband Internet services, runs 55 data centers in North America, Europe and Asia, and also provides various data, cloud and hosting services to corporate clients.

CenturyLink's (CTL) stock closed at $37.82 Thursday, returning 21% this year, following a 13% decline during 2013. Those figures compare with 2% and 33%, respectively, for the S&P 500. CenturyLink(CTL) pays a quarterly dividend of 54 cents, for a yield of 5.71%, the highest on the list. The company's free cash flow last year totaled $4.18 a share, showing it covered the dividend comfortably.

For the first quarter, CenturyLink(CTL) reported net income of $203 million, or 35 cents a share, down from $298 million, or 48 cents, a year earlier. Adjusted core revenue was "nearly flat" at $4.11, which was an improvement from a 2% decline a year earlier. The company also reported solid growth of 66,000 high-speed Internet customers and 24,000 customers for its Prism TV service. That helped mitigate the continued decline in revenue from legacy (land line and long distance) services, which was down 6% to $1.83 billion.

Meanwhile, the company reported a 5.4% increase in adjusted strategic segment revenue (which includes broadband service) to $2.16 billion, and a 24% rise in data integration revenue to $174 million.

Investors' enthusiasm this year reflects confidence in the company's ability to continue throwing off sufficient cash to support the dividend, while navigating the continued transition from land-line services.

CenturyLink (CTL) provided second-quarter guidance, including core revenue ranging from $4.07 billion to $4.12 billion and adjusted diluting EPS ranging from 62 cents to 67 cents.

AT&T (T)

AT&T EPS Comparison at FindTheBest

AT&T Inc. (T) is next, with a dividend yield of 5.04%, based on a quarterly payout of 46 cents and Thursday's closing price of $36.52. The stock has returned 7% this year, following a 10% gain in 2013. The shares trade for 12.9 times the consensus 2015 earnings estimate of $2.84 among analysts polled by FactSet. That's the second-lowest forward price-to- earnings ratio among the five dividend stocks listed here.

AT&T (T) agreed over the weekend to acquire DirecTV(DTV) for $95 a share, which is a 10% premium to DirecTV's(DTV) closing price of $86.18 on Friday. Then again, DirecTV's(DTV) shares had already risen 11% since the end of April.

"Given the structure of this transaction, which includes AT&T(T) stock consideration as part of the deal and the monetization of none-core assets, AT&T(T) expects to continue to maintain the strongest balance sheet in the industry following the transaction close," the companies said in a joint press release.

AT&T (T) will pay about $48.5 billion for DirecTV(DTV), and the purchase will be made with roughly 30% cash and 70% stock. Factoring in DirecTV's(DTV) debt, the total value of the deal is $67.1 billion. The issuance of new shares means a significantly higher dividend payout for AT&T(T), but the combination will also increase free cash flow per share by 7% to 10%, and lower the company's ratio of dividends paid to earnings per share to about 79% from a range of 84% to 88%, according to an estimate by Jefferies analyst Mike McCormack.

But in a note to clients Monday, McCormack questioned the "strategic value given long-term challenges of satellite video amid evolving consumer viewing habits."

Still, he rates AT&T(T) "buy," with a $40 price target.

Altria Group (MO)

Altria EPS Comparison at FindTheBest

Altria Group Inc. (MO) is the former Philip Morris, which was split into two companies in 2008, with Altria(MO) taking the U.S. tobacco business and the rest being spun off to the new Philip Morris International Inc.(PM)

Altria's (MO) stock closed at $40.05 Thursday, returning 6% this year, after advancing 29% in 2013. The company pays a quarterly dividend of 48 cents, for a yield of 4.79%. (Philip Morris International(PM) also has an attractive dividend yield of 4.41%, based on a quarterly payout of 94 cents and Thursday's closing price of $85.33.)

Getting back to Altria(MO), an investor's first thought about a company deriving most of its revenue from smokable tobacco products in the United States might be to run because of the decline in smoking. The huge excise taxes charged in some states, which can double the cost of cigarettes, the unwillingness of some retailers, including CVS Caremark Corp.'s(CVS)CVS Pharmacy, and, of course, the known effects of smoking on health, are all strikes against the company. But a closer look at Alria's financial statements shows strong results that may surprise you.

The company has managed to grow its revenue per share for the past five years, in part, because of stock buybacks. But as tobacco sales of its main subsidiary, Philip Morris USA, drop, the company has also been diversifying with smokeless tobacco products and St. Michelle Wine Estates, which it acquired in 2009.

During 2013, net revenue from smokeable products declined by 2% to $21.87 billion, but a decline in excise taxes led to an adjusted 2% rise in operating companies income (OCI) for the unit to $$6.42 billion. Altria(MO) defines OCI as " operating income before corporate expenses and amortization of intangibles."

Meanwhile, net revenue for smokeless tobacco products, including "moist smokeless" products and electronic cigarettes, rose 4% to $1.65 billion. The unit's adjusted OCI for 2013 increased 7% to $1.03 billion. Altria(MO) entered the "e-vapor category" last year, through the limited rollout of MarkTen electronic cigarettes, which is expanding this year. The company also purchased e-cigarette manufacturer Green Smoke in April for $110 million in cash and "up to $20 million in incentive payments."

Altria's (MO) wine revenue grew 9% to $587 million during 2013, while the unit's OCI was up 13.5% to $118 million.

So 2013 was a good operating year, with total OCI increasing 2% to $1.86 billion. A loss of $1.08 billion on the early extinguishment of debt caused a decline in net earnings to $488 million, or 24 cents a share, from $1.1 billion, or 55 cents, a year earlier.

For the first quarter, Altria(MO) reported higher OCI in all segments, with lower excise taxes helping the smokeable tobacco segment. But the company's cost for states' legal tobacco settlements increased by 73% to $1.08 billion. So first-quarter net earnings declined to $1.18 billion, or 59 cents a share, from $1.39 billion, or 69 cents. But excluding special items, earnings rose to $1.44 billion, or 57 cents, from $1.09 billion, or 54 cents.

Subscribe to WSJ: online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires

Altria (MO) in April raised its 2014 guidance slightly, to a range of $2.53 a share to $2.60, and said it expected to maintain "a dividend payout ratio target of approximately 80% of its adjusted diluted EPS," which is well above the current payout.

Altria (MO) is very much a cash flow play, and its relatively rich valuation at 14.5 times the consensus 2015 EPS estimate of $2.76 shows investors are confident in management's ability to continue growing revenue per share. This company is a good example of how deeply you should dig into a company's financials and how important it is to understand its business strategy before jumping in.

People's United Financial (PBCT)

People's United EPS Comparison at FindTheBest

People's United Financial Inc. (PBCT) is a regional bank headquartered in Bridgeport, Conn., with $33 billion in total assets and 410 branches in New England and southeastern New York. The stock closed at $14.20 Thursday, down 4% this year, following a 31% return during 2013.

Based on a quarterly dividend of 16.5 cents, the stock has a dividend yield of 4.65%.

People's United reported first-quarter earnings of $53.1 million, or 18 cents a share, increasing from $52.5 million, or 16 cents, a year earlier. Net interest income rose to $227.1 million from $219.3 million, despite a narrowing of the net interest margin to 3.17% from 3.38%. The higher net interest income reflected loan growth that could only be described as outstanding for a regional bank in this environment.

The bank's average total loans during the first quarter grew by an impressive 12% to $24.2 billion from a year earlier. All major loan types saw growth, and commercial real estate lending was strongest, with average loans up 20% to $8.9 billion.

People's United's stock trades for 15.1 times the consensus 2015 EPS estimate of 94 cents. That's a pretty high valuation for a large regional bank, but the dividend is attractive so investors are paid nicely to wait until the eventual sustained rise in long-term interest rates widens the net interest margin and significantly boosts earnings.

Verizon Communications (VZ)

Verizon EPS Comparison at FindTheBest

Verizon (VZ) is the last company on our list of the five S&P 500 stocks with the highest dividend yields that have also grown sales per share for the past five years and showed 2013 free cash flow that was higher than dividends.

Warren Buffett's recent decision for Berkshire Hathaway(BRK/A) to buy a large block of Verizon(VZ) shares speaks volumes.

The company's first-quarter operating revenue was up 5% from a year earlier to $30.82 billion, while its operating income rose 15% to $7.16 billion. Net income was up 23% to $5.99 billion, while EPS rose to $1.15 from 68 cents. The results reflected less than a full quarter of full ownership of Verizon Wireless, since the company completed its $120 billion purchase of the 45% stake held by Vodafone Group PLC(VOD) on Feb. 21.

Verizon's (VZ) operating cash flow declined to $7.1 billion from $7.5 billion a year earlier. "Cash flow included an incremental $1.3 billion in interest payments and $200 million in pension funding that the company did not have in first-quarter 2013," the company said, referring mainly to the $49 billion bond offering the company completed last September, as part of the cash and stock deal with Vodafone(VOD).

Free cash flow declined to $3 billion from $3.9 billion, but the company also said: "On a comparable basis, free cash flow available to Verizon Communications(VZ) was approximately $1.4 billion higher in first-quarter 2014 than in first- quarter 2013, assuming all free cash flow at Verizon Wireless had been distributed to the partners."

Verizon's (VZ) guidance calls for 4% revenue growth this year. The stock trades for 12.4 times the consensus 2015 EPS estimate of $3.85. That's the lowest forward P/E among the five dividend stocks listed here. The consensus 2014 EPS estimate is $3.54.

More must-reads from MarketWatch:

Burgers beat burritos -- McDonald's snaps back

Cheap but good: Five bank stocks that surprise

The best financial advice I ever heard

-Philip van Doorn; 415-439-6400; AskNewswires@dowjones.com

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
05-19-140928ET
Copyright (c) 2014 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

EZ2

05/20/14 4:38 AM

#92212 RE: timhyma #91154

China bans use of Microsoft's Windows 8 on government computers

REUTERS 4:35 AM ET 05/20/14

Symbol Last Price Change
MSFT 39.75 0 (0%)
QUOTES AS OF 04:00:00 PM ET 05/19/2014

BEIJING, May 20 (Reuters) - China has banned government use of Windows 8, Microsoft Corp's(MSFT) latest operating system (OS), in a blow to the U.S. technology company which has long been plagued by sales woes in the country.

The Central Government Procurement Center issued the ban on installing Windows 8 on government computers as part of a notice on the use of energy-saving products, posted on its website last week.


The official Xinhua news agency said the ban was to ensure computer security after Microsoft(MSFT) ended support for its Windows XP operating system, which was widely used in China.

Neither the government nor Xinhua elaborated on how the ban supported the use of energy-saving products, or how it ensured security.

China has long been a troublesome market for Microsoft(MSFT). Former CEO Steve Ballmer reportedly told employees in 2011 that, because of piracy, Microsoft(MSFT) earned less revenue in China than in the Netherlands even though computer sales matched those of the U.S.

Microsoft (MSFT) declined to comment.

Last month, Microsoft(MSFT) ended support for the 13-year-old XP to encourage the adoption of newer, more secure versions of Windows. This has potentially left XP users vulnerable to viruses and hacking.

"China's decision to ban Windows 8 from public procurement hampers Microsoft's(MSFT) push of the OS to replace XP, which makes up 50 percent of China's desktop market," said data firm Canalys. (Reporting by Paul Carsten and Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Christopher Cushing)

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2014. Click For Restrictions - about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp

EZ2

05/20/14 11:50 AM

#92224 RE: timhyma #91154

Wells Fargo Increases Target Payout Ratio

DOW JONES & COMPANY, INC. 11:49 AM ET 05/20/14

Symbol Last Price Change
WFC 49.43down -0.06 (-0.12%)
QUOTES AS OF 11:50:10 AM ET 05/20/2014

Wells Fargo & Co. (WFC) increased its target payout ratio, a measure tied to the amount of dividends and share buybacks the bank is able to return to shareholders, to a range of 55% to 75%, up from 50% to 65% before.

The San Francisco bank disclosed the change in slides it released as part of its "Investor Day" presentation.

The net payout ratio reflects the amount of value being returned to shareholders through dividends and buybacks as a percent of the firm's profits. The bank had set its earlier target two years ago.

In March, Wells Fargo(WFC) got permission from the Federal Reserve to raise its dividend to 35 cents from 30 cents per quarter, and to expand its share-buyback program. The bank's net payout ratio was 34% in 2013, up from 14% in 2011. The bank left other goals unchanged, including for return on equity and efficiency ratio.

Write to Christina Rexrode at cristina.rexrode@wsj.com

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
05-20-141149ET
Copyright (c) 2014 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

EZ2

05/21/14 8:16 AM

#92260 RE: timhyma #91154

Fed puts 10 Midwestern cities under microscope

[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

KNIGHT RIDDER/TRIBUNE 11:59 PM ET 05/20/14

May 20--Why do some Midwestern manufacturing cities outperform similar cities in the Heartland with comparable histories and economic legacies? What can underperforming factory cities learn from their more successful peers?

Those questions prompted a new study released Tuesday by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, which analyzed 10 cities in the Chicago Fed's five-state region of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin.

Rather than offer its own findings, the bank invites readers to sift through the data-rich report -- which traces 40-year trends in those cities -- and draw their own conclusions.

"We're not trying to judge these cities," said Jeremiah Boyle, who heads the Chicago Fed's economic development department. "We're trying to learn if there are lessons that these cities can learn from each other as they try to find their place in a global economy."

The Chicago Fed, however, drew a number of conclusions in a previous version of the report, which was released in 2012. That version, for instance, ranked Green Bay among the "Resurgent Industrial Cities" -- cities that have maintained much of their industrial base along with quality of life and well-being metrics.

Not all Midwest cities fell into that category. Racine was among the "Fading Cities" in the 2012 version -- cities with erosion in both manufacturing jobs and measures of well-being.

Boyle said the Chicago Fed eliminated those distinctions in the final report. Economic strategies by the newest generations of leaders in those cities haven't had time to show up in long-term trends. Also, some cities annexed neighboring communities over the years, which added to population and employment and masked other trends that would have shown up if the borders had not changed.

The study also wanted to avoid fueling competition among cities at a time when efforts are underway to create a tri-state metroplex stretching from Milwaukee to Chicago and Gary, Ind.

Rankings missed

In Green Bay, James Golembeski, executive director of the 11-county Bay Area Workforce Development Board, wishes the Fed had kept the rankings.

If the idea is to allow underperforming cities to emulate the success of outperforming cities, then it helps to diagram the success stories, Golembeski said. "The study's about who's doing something right," he said.

The Midwest as a cohesive economic bloc remains a relatively under-examined topic, and the new Fed report contributes to an understanding of how global challenges affect the region.

"'Rust Belt' is often an epitaph for cities large and small," the study said, referring to cities that suffer population loss, rising crime rates, loss of union jobs, "white flight" to the suburbs, and urban areas that include abandoned factories.

The Fed study offers lengthy and colorful chapters on each of the 10 cities and the economic trends over the past 40 years. Besides Green Bay and Racine, those cities include Aurora and Joliet, Illinois; Fort Wayne and Gary, Indiana; Cedar Rapids and Waterloo, Iowa: and Grand Rapids and Pontiac in Michigan.

All 10 cities want to retain as much manufacturing as possible even as they all struggle to find workers with the skills to operate modern, automated factory equipment.

Decline in manufacturing

"Racine was once a booming manufacturing community," the chapter devoted to that community says. But manufacturing's percentage of jobs fell from 49% in 1970 to 24% in 2010.

The Green Bay economy has evolved from a trading post on the American fur and agricultural frontier, to a dairy town, and then a factory town that catered to the timber industry, and finally, "a city on the cutting edge of paper technology."

Title Town, however, has experienced a smaller decline in manufacturing employment than Wisconsin and the U.S., even as the city increased its population. Eleven percent of all U.S. workers are employed in manufacturing; for Green Bay that number is 19%.

___

(c)2014 the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Visit the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel at www.jsonline.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services

EZ2

05/21/14 8:34 AM

#92264 RE: timhyma #91154

Lonely people post personal details on Facebook

MARKETWATCH 7:32 AM ET 05/21/14

Symbol Last Price Change
FB 58.56 0 (0%)
QUOTES AS OF 04:00:00 PM ET 05/20/2014


Posting constant status updates on Facebook(FB) may be annoying for others, but a new study finds that oversharing on the world's most popular social network is also a sign of loneliness.

More than 79% of the users who describe themselves as "lonely" disclosed personal information, such as their favorite books and movies, compared with less than 65% of other users, according to a new study published by researchers at Charles Sturt University in New South Wales, Australia, which will appear in the July issue of the journal, "Computers in Human Behaviour." The study analyzed Facebook(FB) postings of more than 600 women -- half of them described themselves as "lonely."


What's more, nearly 98% of the lonely users shared their relationship status publicly on Facebook(FB) instead of restricting it to just friends, and they even publicly shared their home address online, according to the study's authors, associate professor Yeslam Al-Saggaf and lecture Sharon Neilson from CSU's School of Computing and Mathematics. People who don't explicitly state that they're lonely on Facebook(FB) (though some might be) tend to share more about subjects like religion and politics, the study found.

"It makes sense that the people who felt lonely would disclose this type of information," Al-Saggaf says. "They want to make it easier for others to initiate contact with them, which may help them overcome their feelings of loneliness." But over-dependence on social networks as a social outlet can also lead to what some doctors call "Facebook Depression," according to a 2010 report, "The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents and Family," by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Rich DeNagel, 45, a former high school teacher who's currently on disability, says he went off Facebook(FB) for several months because it made him feel depressed. "For the most part I feel Facebook(FB) is a lonely experience. You don't often see people putting out that they're going through a hard time," he says. "There's a lot of social pressure to show that everything's great. It's a never-ending quest to be interesting and intellectual and unique, and strive to prove something to the world. You can't just be yourself."

Al-Saggaf and Neilson's study isn't the first to link over-sharing on Facebook(FB) and emotional distress. In 2012, Larry Rosen, professor of psychology at California State University and author of "iDisorder: Understanding Our Obsession with Technology and Overcoming Its Hold on Us," analyzed 800 Facebook(FB) members and tested them for a range of psychological disorders, and found those who most often "like" other people's activities on Facebook(FB) are more likely to show symptoms of "mania" and "compulsivity."

On a happier note, having more Facebook(FB) friends may also be a predictor of fewer symptoms of mild and major depression, indicating that people who are popular online are well-adjusted in real life too, research by Rosen found last year. But it cuts both ways: Social media can be a way of gaining virtual empathy -- "but also make you feel that everyone else's life is better than yours as though you have to show your best self and gain admiration through 'likes' and postings," Rosen says.

While Facebook(FB) behavior might be a sign of loneliness or even exacerbate those feelings, it's unlikely to cause it. Christopher Shea, 48, who is studying for a Masters degree in social work at New York University, is a big Facebook(FB) fan. "I get a charge out of the likes I receive on my posts," he says. "I suppose it's tied into self-esteem and feeling noticed. I wouldn't be surprised if there was even a slight dopamine response when those 'likes' start pouring in." But it may also be good for those who are shy: "It's a safe space in which to engage."

Younger Facebook(FB) users typically have a larger number of friends than older users. Some 27% of Facebook(FB) users aged 18 to 29 have more than 500 friends in their network, while 72% of users age 65 and over have 100 friends or fewer, recent research by Pew Research Center found. Among adult Facebook(FB) users, the average number of friends is 338, and the median number of friends is 200. Put another way, half of all Facebook(FB) users have more than 200 friends, and half have fewer than 200.

DeNagel, who has a higher than average 500 friends on Facebook(FB), says the social network is useful for keeping in touch with people with whom he might otherwise have lost touch, but he still treads carefully with his online footprint. "It makes me feel more lonely," he says. "I don't want to take a selfie every day and change my picture or tell everyone what my inner thoughts are because maybe I'm a bit more private. But I'm sure there is a group for people who are lonely and depressed, if I went to look for it."

Other articles by Quentin Fottrell:

Why teens are rebelling against Facebook(FB)

Facebook (FB) tackles its most annoying posts

How to game your Google search results

How job recruiters screen you on LinkedIn

-Quentin Fottrell; 415-439-6400; AskNewswires@dowjones.com

Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires


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05-21-140732ET
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EZ2

05/21/14 12:11 PM

#92282 RE: timhyma #91154

Jerry Lewis would NOT be happy!!

EZ2

05/21/14 3:23 PM

#92309 RE: timhyma #91154

Impatience growing over Venezuela's attitude to crisis: Kerry

REUTERS 3:22 PM ET 05/21/14

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Impatience with Venezuela's government is growing over its "total failure" to demonstrate good faith in talks over resolving the crisis there, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday.

Addressing the media during a visit to Mexico City, Kerry said he hoped that sanctions on Venezuela would not be necessary but that "all options remain on the table".

Since anti-government demonstrations began in Venezuela in February, 42 people have been killed and more than 800 injured. About 3,000 people have also been arrested, with more than 200 still behind bars.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Dave Graham)

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