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<title>Haaze.com / rasingsirss324 / Published News</title>
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<pubDate>Wed, 27 Apr 2011 07:11:29 +0000</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[eBay revenues jump 16 percent with PayPal's Help]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ebay-revenues-jump-16-percent-with-paypals-help</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ebay-revenues-jump-16-percent-with-paypals-help</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 27 Apr 2011 07:11:29 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>rasingsirss324</dc:creator>
<category>Marketing and advertising</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ebay-revenues-jump-16-percent-with-paypals-help</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Fueled by its PayPal division, eBay reported first quarter results today that exceeded expectations. Revenues jumped 16 percent to $2.5 billion, compared to the same period a year ago, and profits soared by 20 percent to total $475.9 million, or 36 cents a share. The results were in line with its internal projections of revenues of up to $2.5 billion and earnings per share and up to 36 cents a share. The company also met or exceeded analysts expectations for the period. PayPal continues to be the area where eBay sees the most growth. Net revenues from the company's marketplaces service increased 12 percent in the first quarter compared to the year-ago quarter, whereas the company's revenues from payments increased 23 percent in the same time period. The company also confirmed that it is still on track to double eBay's mobile gross merchandise revenues (excluding vehicles) to $4 billion in 2011 from $2 billion last year. But consumers aren't the only ones making purchases. eBay has also been out shopping to fuel its next stage of growth. Last month, eBay agreed to purchase publicly held GSI Commerce for $2.4 billion, the company's second-largest acquisition ever behind Skype. It also purchased Where, a location-based mobile ad network. In a statement, eBay President and CEO John Donahoe, said: &quot;In the first quarter, PayPal continued to drive strong growth globally, eBay sharply accelerated growth in the U.S., and we announced several acquisitions that we believe will enhance our leadership and innovation in commerce and payments. The year is off to a strong start.&quot; eBay is not the only one that is gearing up for the next stage of growth. While it's looking external for growth drivers, its competitor, Amazon, is growing organically. Yesterday, Amazon announced its first quarter earnings. Revenues surged by 38 percent compared to the year-ago period, but its net income fell as the giant retailer invested heavily in all sorts of businesses. eBay's second-quarter outlook is also strong. The San Jose, Calif.-based company expects net revenues in the range of $2.55 to $2.65 billion with GAAP earnings in the range of 36 to 37 cents per share. Non-GAAP earnings are forecasted to fall between 45 to 46 cents a share. eBay boosted its full-year guidance. Revenues are now expected to land between $10.6 to $10.9 billion. However, GAAP earnings per share have been revised downward to between $1.53 and $1.58. Story Copyright (c) 2011 AllThingsD. All rights reserved.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Bill Joy chases green-tech breakthroughs]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=bill-joy-chases-green-tech-breakthroughs</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=bill-joy-chases-green-tech-breakthroughs</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 06 Apr 2011 07:10:56 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>rasingsirss324</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=bill-joy-chases-green-tech-breakthroughs</guid>
<description><![CDATA[LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif.--Six years intogreen-tech venture investing, Kleiner Perkins continues to see the potential for green technologies to leapfrog incumbent energy systems, according to tech luminary Bill Joy.In an onstage interview today at the Fortune Brainstorm Green conference here, Joy said Kleiner Perkins Caufield &amp; Byers, where he is a partner, seeks out disruptive technologies that could change energy much the way that technologies, such as PCs and mobile devices, shook up the IT industry.Bill Joy(Credit:Martin LaMonica/CNET)The famed Silicon Valley venture capital company, which funded Amazon, Google, and many other IT companies, has made about 60 green-tech investments, including in fuel-cell manufacturer Bloom Energy, smart-grid company Silver Spring Networks, and FloDesign Wind Turbines. Joy said new technologies can offer a different cost reduction curve than incumbent products, he said. FloDesign Wind Turbines, for example, uses a jet engine-like construction, unlike traditional propeller-like wind turbines, giving it the potential to lower costs.'We see disruptive opportunities for breakthrough technologies in renewable (energy) to take advantage of the hockey stick demand...from the market without subsidies,&quot; he said. Joy said that Kleiner Perkins' strategy is to focus on technologies that take a long time to develop but offer disruptive potential. Or, it invests in start-ups addressing an unmet business need. Last year, it invested in Opower, which offers home energy efficiency recommendations through utilities.As a venture capitalists, technologies that offer an incremental improvement over existing products are not worth pursuing because of the high capital cost of manufacturing energy-related products, he added.Related links&amp;149' Home efficiency gurus at OPower add $50 million&amp;149' Green-tech VCs suffer from social-media 'deal envy'&amp;149' For VCs in green tech, it's time for Plan BJoy said that distributed renewable energy, such as cheap solar photovoltaics, offer the opportunity to replace the existing centralized grid model. Storage is another vital technology which is why Kleiner Perkins has invested in battery companies, he added.&quot;These types of technologies were always possible. It's not some new nanoscience making it possible. It's just that people didn't focus on what the needs were and what was in the realm of what's possible,&quot; Joy said.Trend setter Because it is such a high-profile company, Kleiner Perkins' entry into green tech six years ago was seen as a validation of the entire investment segment. Many other venture capital companies, which traditionally worked in IT and life sciences, started making green-tech investments, leading to billions of dollars in venture capital in the segment.But some investors say that enthusiasm among venture capitalists and private equity companies for green tech is cooling. In part, venture investors are seeking out mega deals in the Internet sector, in the hopes of replicating the rapid growth and high valuations of Facebook or Groupon. Private investors and entrepreneurs have also come to better understand the difficulties of commercializing energy- and water-related technologies compared to IT. Often, energy technologies take lots of money and time to develop and energy regulations in the U.S. are inconsistent. None of Kleiner Perkins' green-tech investments has been a financial home run yet and some of its bets have not paid off. A Boston area solar company where Joy was a seed investor called Solasta folded when it was unable to raise more money.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[What are the health concerns in Japan's nuclear crisis (FAQ)]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=what-are-the-health-concerns-in-japans-nuclear-crisis-faq</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=what-are-the-health-concerns-in-japans-nuclear-crisis-faq</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 16 Mar 2011 07:12:17 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>rasingsirss324</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=what-are-the-health-concerns-in-japans-nuclear-crisis-faq</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Amid a full-blown humanitarian crisis from a massive earthquake and tsunami, Japan is racing against time to avert a nuclear catastrophe. Plant workers at Fukushima Daiichi are struggling to cool the reactors and spent fuel held in pools also on site. Because of explosions caused by the buildup of hydrogen, it is believed that two of the containment structures that hold the reactors have been breached, greatly increasing risk of a release of a large amount or radioactive material.(Credit:Screenshot by CNET/CBS News Early Show)Although it's still an unstable situation, it's clear the damage at the Fukushima Daiichi plant is worse than the Three Mile Island accident in 1979 and will be studied for years to come. Based on comments from experts and published reports, this FAQ attempts to shed some light on the current situation, with an emphasis on understanding the health implications from radiation. What is the latest on the attempts to cool the reactors Plant workers are using the improvised technique of pumping seawater with added boron (which slows down nuclear fission) into the reactors at Fukushima Daiichi. As of Thursday in Japan, officials said that a hydrogen explosion has occurred in a second building which contains the hot nuclear reactor core. The containment vessel, in which the reactor is held, may have been breached at the No. 2 and 3 reactors, according to a New York Times report today. The explosions that have occurred are likely hydrogen explosions when hydrogen from the water mixes with the metal cladding over the uranium rods. What is the picture on radiation releases In the first two days of the crisis, plant operators vented steam in an effort to control the buildup of pressure created by steam from cooling. Even though the reactor shut down during the earthquake, there is still &quot;afterheat&quot; created by residual radioactive material. In releasing the steam, radioactive cesium and iodine were released in the environment, but the levels were considered relatively modest. However, the apparent explosions in the reactor cores are far more serious, which led to the evacuation of people within 12 miles and an order to stay indoors within an 18-mile zone. &quot;It's unknown how great that containment breach (in reactor No. 2) is but it's a very bad thing because it means a much greater opportunity for the escape of radioactive material,&quot; said Ian Hutchinson, a professor of nuclear science and engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. MIT organized nuclear experts to discuss the situation yesterday afternoon. The most significant risk is to plant workers, where a fire at a spent fuel pool led to the evacuation of all workers except a core crew. Radioactive material has been carried hundreds of miles away, but outside the evacuation zone, the radiation exposure is not enough to affect health significantly, the panel of MIT experts said. In Tokyo yesterday, there were levels of radiation detected that were as high as 30 to 40 times above the background dose of the ambient environment. To put that in perspective, you would have to experience those dose rates for a few days to have the equivalent dose of a chest X-ray, they said. The New York Times has a chart showing the recorded radiation releases and how they compare to other radiation exposures from natural sources or a whole-body CT scan. The Health section of the Times also noted that a number of precautions can be taken to avoid risk to the general population. In terms of health damage, what should we be watching for  There are two areas of great concern right now in terms of further radiation releases. The spent fuel pools remain hot and, since the cooling system at the plant has been compromised, they have overheated, which could lead to a situation similar to a meltdown, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists. Unlike the reactor core, the spent fuel does not have the thick steel and concrete to keep nuclear material from spreading in the case of a release.The situation at the reactor core also poses great risks. If they cannot be cooled, then the nuclear fuel, which is shaped as long rods, will melt. In addition to concerns over breaches in the containment structures, there isn't full confidence that the building itself can effectively prevent melted fuel from entering the environment. During a press briefing organized by the Union of Concerned Scientists, global security program director Edwin Lyman said yesterday in the case of a full meltdown, melted fuel would collect at the bottom of the steel reactor. &quot;Modeling shows and tests that have been done at Sandia National Laboratories have confirmed that this is a condition that could lead to vessel melt-through, where the molten core will actually corrode through the steel liner and...then drop to the concrete floor of the containment building. Once that happens, the ability to contain the accident is greatly reduced, because the core is liquefied, and it then flows out--it spreads across the floor.&quot;Lyman said there is a &quot;known vulnerability&quot; in this Mark 1 containment building which means that the melted fuel could break through the corners of the structure. The reactor building itself can also act as a way to cool and contain the melted fuel, but since there's damage to that from the explosions, it's could be a &quot;large radiological release to the environment,&quot; he said.If there isn't a leak into the environment out of the building, people should be watching for gas releases from the reactor buildings. The prevailing winds are westerly which means that air-borne radioactive material will be carried out to sea.&quot;This is important because the radioactive material that comes out of the plant basically will be carried by the weather, whatever it is. As long as it's blowing out to sea, the health effects can be expected to be limited regardless of how large the radiation release is. The effects on the plant, the workers are a different story, but for the general population that's what you'd pay attention to,&quot; said Michael Golay, professor of nuclear science and engineering at MIT, said yesterday.What happens if there is a large-scale release of radioactive materialDuring a press briefing today, the Union of Concerned Scientists' Lyman said the biggest concern is the spent fuel pools because of the lack of a containment barrier. If the radioactive cesium and iodine were released at a high rate, as happened at the Chernobyl accident, it would be a major problem. &quot;If there were a large release of cesium, it could potentially create a zone that would be uninhabitable without extensive clean up,&quot; Lyman said. Those fragments are energetic enough that they can be absorbed by the skin, not only by breathing, he said. Radioactive iodine is a health concern because it is absorbed readily by the thyroid gland, posing a risk of cancer, particularly to children. Taking potassium iodinetablets is a way to prevent the uptake of radioactive iodine. There are other radionuclides, which each have a different pace of decay, with Cesium-137 being the longest. Experts say that even if there is a large-scale leak in Japan, it highly unlikely to affect people living in the U.S.Do U.S. plants have the same design as Fukushima Daiichi Wouldn't newer designs be safer Yes, six of the 104 nuclear reactors use the same Mark 1 design, according to the Nuclear Energy Institute, an industry group. There are new designs with as many as four backup cooling systems and some that rely on gravity rather than pumps. In a press briefing today, Lyman said that all designs have limits when you reach a situation of severe catastrophe as is happening now in Japan. What effect will this have on the &quot;nuclear renaissance&quot;The Fukushima Daiichi crisis is already seen as far worse than the Three Mile Island accident in 1979, where there was a partial meltdown in the core and relatively modest amounts of radioactivity were released. But Three Mile Island and Chernobyl, considered the worst in history, had a major impact on public opinion, so it's clear this crisis is a major blow to the advancement of nuclear power. Already, Germany and Switzerland have put in place reviews of their programs. China, which is making several new nuclear plants, is reported to have suspended renewal of new plants. Countries, including the U.S. and France, already deeply committed to nuclear power will likely remain that way in the immediate future. At a Congressional hearing today, Energy Secretary Steven Chu recommended $36 billion in loan guarantees for construction of nuclear plants. Still, there could be reviews of earthquake readiness and potentially more stringent safety standards.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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