Japan quake hits US growth

It also pinned a quickening of inflation largely on temporary factors, including higher commodity prices and supply chain disruptions from Japan's earthquake.
The central bank said the forces pushing up prices should dissipate, allowing inflation to subside to levels consistent with price stability, even as growth revives.
"The slower pace of recovery reflects in part factors that are likely to be temporary, including the damping effect of higher food and energy prices on consumer purchasing power and spending as well as supply-chain disruptions associated with the tragic events in Japan," the Fed said in a statement at the conclusion of a two-day meeting.
As widely expected, the Fed said it will maintain interest rates at exceptionally low levels for an extended period. It also confirmed it was ending its $600-billion bond-buying programme at the end of the month, while reiterating that it will continue to reinvest principal payments from its holdings.
The Fed downgraded its view of the labour market, saying it had been "weaker than anticipated". That contrasted with the statement after its last meeting in April when it said the job market was "improving gradually".
US stocks dipped after the Fed's statement was released, while prices for US government bonds slipped and the dollar edged higher against the euro.
"The Fed statement did not offer any real surprises, but it did confirm the job situation is much weaker than was expected," said Daniel Penrod, senior industry analyst at the California Credit Union League in Ontario, California.
"The likelihood is that, because of the weakness in the jobs sector, rates are going to stay low."
Two years after the end of the US recession and unprecedented attempts by the Fed to boost growth, the recovery looks disappointingly weak.
While Fed officials have persistently said they expect growth to accelerate, reports since the Fed's April meeting point to a clear loss of momentum in the world's largest economy.
Employers have been reluctant to hire and the jobless rate remains stubbornly high, climbing to 9.1% in May.
Housing - a central component of most US families' wealth - remains mired in a deep slump.
With jobs uncertain and home values falling, consumer spending, which makes up around 70% of US GDP, has lagged. Retail sales declined in May for the first time in 11 months. Factory activity has been sluggish as well.
The economy grew at just a 1.8% annualised rate in the first three months of the year. Analysts expect growth in the second quarter to log a rate of about 2%, still not sufficient to generate a big increase in hiring.

Source of  www.timeslive.co.za

Southwest Air tops in service, others lag on fees

* Business travel discontent a red flag for industry
* Biggest airlines again underperform with consumers
(Reuters) - No-frills Southwest Airlines Co (LUV.N) again topped rivals in customer service while premium-paying business travelers are the least satisfied with U.S. carriers overall, a new survey showed on Tuesday.
Airlines maintained their low overall standing among a variety of industries included in the American Customer Satisfaction Index, which is compiled by the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business.
"There's been a bubbling discontent for airlines for some time but the situation has worsened slightly from a year ago," said ACSI managing director David VanAmburg.
Passenger satisfaction with airlines dropped by 1.5 percent to a score of 65 on ACSI's 100-point scale. Scores have generally hovered in the mid-to-low 60s for the past decade.
Travelers cited poor service, higher prices and fees for baggage and other services as the main causes of their discontent.
Airlines have raised fares and fees to counter soaring fuel costs and preserve a fragile financial recovery.
Southwest continues to outperform rivals with consumers, according to the survey of 2,000 consumers.
The low-fare carrier posted an ACSI score of 81 in part because it has not taken anything away from customers and then offered it back for a fee, VanAmburg said.
Southwest heavily promotes its policy of not charging for bags.
Among Southwest's main rivals, Continental scored 64, American 63, United (UAL.N) and US Airways (LCC.N) tied at 61 and Delta Air Lines (DAL.N) dropped to 56 on the ACSI scale. American Airlines (AMR.N) was unchanged at 63.
All other carriers, which include smaller lower-fare and service-oriented businesses, posted a 76, a 1.3 percent improvement.
A red flag for airlines in the latest survey is the dissatisfaction of business travelers, who the industry courts relentlessly and depends on for its highest fares.
"We're seeing a greater discontent among business travelers simply because they are putting themselves out there more to be let down by the airlines or an experience," said VanAmburg.
Recent mergers, known to have a detrimental affect on satisfaction and geared specifically to attract more business travel, pose added pressure.
Delta plunged to the bottom of all the airlines for customer satisfaction one year after completing its acquisition of Northwest, ACSI reported.
The fate of United, which absorbed Continental last year, and Southwest, which acquired AirTran, remained uncertain, it said.

Source of  www.reuters.com

Lightning McQueen in person

Hollywood star Owen Wilson has won huge acclaim for his memorable turns in mainstream and independent films. From the highly regarded Woody Allen romantic comedy Midnight in Paris, Wilson’s credits include box-office hits such as Marley & Me, Night at the Museum, Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian, and Wedding Crashers.

Additionally, he has lent his voice to Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox, Marmaduke, and 2006’s Cars, which was nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Best Animated Film.

He is also the voice of the star racecar, Lightning McQueen, in the much-anticipated sequel Cars 2. Here he speaks about his love for cars, racing and the movie in general. Excerpts from an interview:

FROM CARS TO CARS 2
What made Cars so endearing to audiences?
I think Cars and the other Pixar films are so popular because they take on universal themes and tell them in a unique and passionate way that feels personal with almost a handmade quality. Their films are different than everybody else’s. Pixar seems to care more than anybody about getting it right.
What kind of director is John Lasseter?
Cars was his passion project, so it was exciting to have him at the helm again. He puts so much effort into getting it right.
There’s so much enthusiasm when he’s directing me in a session that you’d think it’s his first movie. He dresses a bit like a kid - he’s always in one of those Hawaiian shirts with cars on them. He seems like someone who would fit in working at Disneyland. The guy’s the head of maybe the most successful animation company ever.
NEW IN CARS 2
Who are some of the new characters in Cars 2?
The filmmakers do a great job of populating this world with great new characters. One of the fun things about the espionage world in the movie is that you have all these cool gadgets for the spies. It makes it that much more exciting. You’ve got Finn McMissile, who’s voiced by Michael Caine -which just feels right. Holley Shiftwell is voiced by Emily Mortimer. And the Gremlins and the Pacers are the bad guys.  

Mater gets me involved in the World Grand Prix when challenged by Francesco Bernoulli, a Formula Racer voiced by John Turturro. He’s my number one competitor. He’s very cocky and somebody you want to beat, but he also has that European flair to him.

What’s new for Lightning McQueen in Cars 2?
When the movie begins, I’m happy just to be in Radiator Springs and I get to spend time with Sally and everyone. The big change for my character is that he’s learned his lesson in the first film. He’s now a lot more grounded, but Francesco gets him stirred up and back into the competitive mode.
What is the story of “Cars 2”?
Mater is like one of those overgrown puppies that you love, and has such loyalty and love. But he kind of drives me crazy, too. His heart’s in the right place, but in trying to help, he just creates more chaos.
Mater has never been out of Radiator Springs, so I invite him along for this adventure. So we’re going global - we’re visiting England, Italy and Tokyo for the World Grand Prix. Along the way, Mater becomes entangled in a little intrigue - international espionage - people mistake him for an American spy. So we’re not just racing around the world, we’re trying to save it.
What do you think of the Cars 2 world?
I’m excited to see the way they’ve “car-ified” Tokyo, London, Paris and Italy. I think it’s going to be amazing to see that. I know when John Lasseter was just showing me stills - drawings - they were so beautiful I wanted to take them home and hang them on my wall.
CARS & RACING
Are you a fan of cars and racing?
Growing up in Texas, there’s always sort of a love affair with cars and I think one of the things that inspired John Lasseter is that he loves cars.

As a kid, I’d make up a list - if you could have five cars, what would they be? I love Aston Martins and the DeLorean from Back to the Future and Ferraris - from the ‘50s especially - are really amazing. I drive a Prius, but maybe that’s not as exciting as some of those cars. The spectacle and the sound of Formula 1 racing is something unbelievable. I also became somewhat of a racing fan after meeting some of the NASCAR racers on the first film.


Source of  www.bangaloremirror.com

Storm Rips Down Trees, Knocks Out Power

Sun-Times Media Wire

Chicago - Trains have been stopped and thousands are without power after severe weather, which prompted tornado warnings, moved through the Chicago area Tuesday evening.

The National Weather Service issued the warning as a dangerous storm swept through several counties, including DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, Lake and Will.
By 9:30 p.m., it appeared the storms were moving away from Chicago to the northeast.
Metra reported a “variety of delays and stops,” mostly because of high winds. At 9:30 p.m., “more than 10 trains” were stopped on all Metra tracks, said Metra spokesman Michael Gillis, who described delays as “extensive.”
An inbound train from Elgin to Chicago was stopped because of a tree that fell onto the tracks, Gillis said.
All Union Pacific Northwest Line trains and Union Pacific West Line trains were stopped, while some Union Pacific North Line trains were also affected, a Metra service advisory said.
As of 8:30 p.m., about 10,000 Commonwealth Edison customers were without power. About 5,000 of those were in the southern suburbs, ComEd spokesman Bennie Currie said. In the west suburbs, 4,000 are in the dark, about 600 are without power in the northern suburbs and about 200 in the city.
Currie said that number was expected to rise in the storm's aftermath.
At Chicago's airports, more than 300 flight have been canceled at O'Hare Airport, while all fights in and out are being delayed an hour more because of rain and thunderstorms both in the Chicago area and in other areas of the country, the city’s Department of Aviation said.
At Midway Airport, a number of flights were delayed up to two hours, while 30 have been canceled, the department said.

Source of  www.myfoxchicago.com

Correcting The Apron of Excess Skin Hanging Over Your Abdomen.

Individuals who desire the perfect body contour can opt for abdominoplasty surgery to get rid of excess skin and fat from the middle and lower abdomen. Making the abdomen more firm, these cosmetic surgical procedures are performed to tighten the muscle and fascia of the abdominal wall. Abdominoplasty surgery is extensively sought after by individuals who are suffering from varied abdominal problems. One such major problem is loose tissues in the abdominal area of the body, which droops either due to pregnancy or after major weight loss.

Medically known as abdominal dermolipectomy, abdominoplasty surgery strengthens muscles of the abdomen wall. Flattening and smoothening the abdominal profile, these surgical operations aid in achieving a perfect body contour and shape. Abdominoplasty surgery is subject to fat elimination procedures and not weight management techniques. Prior to undergoing this surgery, individuals must consult an expert surgeon, who holds proficiency in carrying out these surgical procedures with utmost precision.

The abdominoplasty or tummy tuck surgery is an individualized procedure, which is adopted to achieve a flat and well-toned abdomen. Individuals having normal body weight and proportion can develop an abdomen that protrudes or is loose and sagging. Pregnancy, aging, significant fluctuations in weight, hereditary factors and prior surgery are most common causes of these sagging tissues. In such cases, exercise and weight control techniques do not effect much in getting rid of the bulging tummy.

Varying in scope, abdominoplasty operations are frequently sub-divided into several categories. Depending on the extent of the surgery, abdominoplasty is of three types – complete abdominoplasty, partial abdominoplasty (mini-tuck abdominoplasty) and extended abdominoplasty. All variants involve re-structuring of the abdomen. This includes tightening large amounts of sagging skin to get well-toned abdomen abs. To get effective results after the tummy tuck surgery, individuals must be physically healthy with a stable weight and possess realistic expectations. Assuring a flatter and tighter visual profile with enhanced physical appearance, these surgeries have gained much prominence across the globe.

A tummy tuck surgery is useful in correcting numerous abdominal problems permanently. Individuals planning future pregnancies should, therefore, refrain from indulging in such surgical operations. It must be noted that tummy tuck surgery cannot remove or correct stretch marks. These operations can somewhat improve or diminish these marks if they are located on abdominal areas having excess skin. Such procedures can be availed locally at reputed medical centers and hospitals at the most cost effective rates without any concerns for botched results.

 source of Benu Mohania