About 1 gram of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia were found.
Read?more: Local, Crime, About 1 Gram of Methamphetamine and Drug Paraphernalia were Found, Three Arrested During Mexico Meth Bust, Shelby Martin, Teresa Lopez, Jacob Calvert, 800 Block of Fairground, Fairground Mexico Mo, Mexico Mo Meth
Three Mexico residents, each with an $11,000 bond, were arrested Tuesday evening for possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.
Authorities arrested 19-year-old Shelby Martin, 38-year-old Teresa Lopez and 20-year-old Jacob Calvert while serving a search warrant in the 800 block of Fairground. About 1 gram of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia were found.
The search warrant was executed by the East Central Drug Task Force, the Mexico Public Safety Department, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Audrain County Sheriff's Office.
If you have information about illegal drug activity, contact the East Central Drug Task Force at 573-473-5801 extension 330, or the Audrain County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-392-TIPS.
GAZA (Reuters) - Islamist Hamas authorities plan to expand Hebrew-language classes in the Gaza Strip's high schools to help Palestinians know their enemy in times of conflict with Israel.
Far from a sign that peace will soon break out, Hamas's promotion of Hebrew learning in the Israeli-blockaded Mediterranean enclave aims to make linguistic skill a useful new front in the struggle against the Jewish state.
Hamas rejects Israel's existence and seeks to supplant it with a Palestinian state, but says Gazans stand to gain from being able to monitor the discourse of a militarily vastly superior adversary in its own language.
Hamas aired threatening video and radio messages to Israelis in Hebrew during eight days of clashes in November in which militants peppered the Jewish state with rocket salvoes before Egypt brokered a ceasefire. Hamas's Hebrew broadcasts underlined a desire to use Hebrew as a propaganda tool in the conflict.
The Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's armed wing, have even begun issuing statements in Hebrew via its Twitter account.
Soumaya al-Nakhala, a senior Hamas education ministry official, told Reuters that knowing one's enemy is consistent with the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed.
"Expanding (Hebrew) teaching comes as a result of our plan and meeting greater demand by students to learn Hebrew. They want to learn the language of their enemy so they can avoid their tricks and evil," al-Nakhala said.
She was alluding to acquiring a grasp of Israel's politics, policy and strategy towards Palestinians by following its famously vibrant print and electronic media.
Hebrew classes are now limited to ninth-grade students, but will expand to higher grades starting next semester, she said.
LINGUISTIC ISOLATION
Twenty years ago, many of Gaza's 1.5 million Palestinians could speak and understand Hebrew from having worked in the Jewish state or spending time in prison there for alleged involvement in militant attacks.
But Gaza has been largely isolated from Israel since 1994, when it gained limited self-rule through interim peace deals and Israel shut its gates to most Gazan laborers, citing security threats and mounting cross-border violence.
Today, only about 50,000 Gazans - often former laborers and prisoners in Israel - retain a grasp of Hebrew.
Younger adults generally can speak only Arabic despite living next door to Israel and using its shekel currency.
"We chose to learn Hebrew because we felt it was an interesting language, and also because when you learn your enemy's language you also learn how to avoid their evil," said 14-year-old student Mohammed Seyam.
About 750 students are already studying Hebrew as part of a pilot project in Gaza, Hamas officials said, and the pro-Hamas Islamic University has launched a faculty of Hebrew studies.
"This is a trial program and we hope next year to expand the number of students learning Hebrew," Wafa Mqat, headmaster of a Gaza City school conducting the pilot course.
Khaled Al-Baba, among a number of teachers who picked up Hebrew during Israel's occupation of Gaza from 1967 until 2005, said many pupils now preferred to study Hebrew over previous favorite French.
In his classroom one day, Baba fired questions at his pupils in Hebrew and some boasted they already knew the language well enough to decipher instructions on Israeli-made products sold at Gaza supermarkets and follow Israeli media.
Hebrew is not a part of the school curriculum in the West Bank, where the Western-backed Palestinian Authority exercises self-rule in areas not occupied by Israeli settlers and has already recognized the Jewish state.
The Israeli armed forces and security services have many officers with a strong command of Arabic, particularly intelligence officers who interrogate Palestinian detainees.
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Navy Housing announced Jan. 30 several staff members were recognized by their industry peers for their service in 2012.
The Professional Housing Management Association (PHMA) announced the winners of its annual awards last week, which reward superior service and achievement in military housing.
"Navy Housing is dedicated to being an advocate for service members and their families, wherever they live around the world," said Corky Vazquez, CNIC N93 Housing program manager. "Having our employees' exemplary dedication recognized by an organization like PHMA is rewarding. I offer my sincerest congratulations to all of the 2012 military housing award winners."
Navy Housing congratulates all of its PHMA awardees: * Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba Housing Department: Winner, Outstanding Housing Installation Team - Traditional Locations. * Joint Base Charleston-Weapons Family Housing/Balfour Beatty Communities: Winner, Outstanding Housing Installation Team - Privatized Locations. * Jesse Hopkins, Naval Air Station Key West: Winner, Outstanding Housing/Billeting Employee. * Culinary Specialist 1st Class Deforest L. Pittman, Commander Fleet Activities, Yokosuka Japan: Winner, Outstanding Mid-Level Housing Manager. * Kelly Knowland, Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal School, Eglin Air Force Base: Winner, Outstanding Senior Housing Manager.
For more news from Commander, Navy Installations Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/cni/.
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Sight would dramatically alter a blind man's understanding of an elephant, according to the old story. Now, a look directly at a cell surface is changing our understanding of cell membrane organization.
Using a completely new approach to imaging cell membranes, a study by researchers from the University of Illinois, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the National Institutes of Health revealed some surprising relationships among molecules within cell membranes.
Led by Mary Kraft, a U. of I. professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, the team published its findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Cells are enveloped in semi-permeable membranes that act as a barrier between the inside and outside of the cell. The membrane is mainly composed of a class of molecules called lipids, studded with proteins that help regulate how the cell responds to its environment.
"Lipids have multiple functions serving as both membrane structure and signaling molecules, so they regulate other functions inside the cell," Kraft said. "Therefore, understanding how they're organized is important. You need to know where they are to figure out how they're doing these regulatory functions."
One widely held belief among cell biologists is that lipids in the membrane assemble into patches, called domains, that differ in composition. However, research into how lipids are organized in the membrane, and how that organization affects cell function, has been hampered by the lack of direct observation. Although the cell membrane is heavily studied, the imaging techniques used infer the locations of certain molecules based on assumed associations with other molecules.
In the new study, Kraft's team used an advanced, molecule-specific imaging method that allowed the researchers to look at the membrane itself and map a particular type of lipid on mouse cell membranes. The researchers fed lipids labeled with rare stable isotopes to the cells and then imaged the distribution of the isotopes with high-resolution imaging mass spectrometry.
Called sphingolipids (SFING-go-lih-pids), these molecules are thought to associate with cholesterol to form small domains about 200 nanometers across. The direct imaging method revealed that sphingolipids do indeed form domains, but not in the way the researchers expected.
The domains were much bigger than suggested by prior experiments. The 200-nanometer domains clustered together to form much larger, micrometer-sized patches of sphingolipids in the membrane.
"We were amazed when we saw the first images of the patches of sphingolipids across the cell surface," said Peter Weber, who directed the team at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. "We weren't sure if our imaging mass spectrometry method would be sensitive enough to detect the labeled lipids, let alone what we would see."
Furthermore, when the researchers looked at cells that were low on cholesterol ? thought to play a key role in lipid aggregation ? they were surprised to find that the lipids still formed domains. On the other hand, disruption to the cell's structural scaffold seemed to dissolve the lipid clusters.
"We found that the presence of domains was somewhat affected by cholesterol but was more affected by the cytoskeleton ? the protein network underneath the membrane," Kraft said. "The central issue is that the data are suggesting that the mechanism that's responsible for these domains is much more complicated than initially expected."
In addition, the new study found that sphingolipids domains were incompletely associated with a marker protein that researchers have long assumed dwelled where sphingolipids congregated. This means that data collected with imaging techniques that target this protein are not as accurate in representing sphingolipid distribution as previously thought.
"Our data are showing that if you want to know where sphingolipids are, look at the lipid, don't infer where it is based on other molecules, and now there's a way to directly image them," said Kraft, who also is affiliated with the department of chemistry at the U. of I.
Next, the researchers plan to use the direct-imaging method in conjunction with other more conventional methods, such as fluorescence, to further determine the organization of different kinds of molecules in the membrane, their interactions and how they affect the cell's function. They plan to begin by targeting cholesterol.
"Cholesterol abundance is important," Kraft said. "You change that, you tremendously change cell function. How is it organized? Is it also in domains? That's related to the question, what's the mechanism responsible for these structures and what are they doing?"
###
The paper, "Direct chemical evidence for sphingolipid domains in the plasma membranes of fibroblasts," is available from PNAS.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: http://www.uiuc.edu
Thanks to University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for this article.
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Munich, January 28, 2013 - Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, is pleased to announce the launch of Molecular Metabolism in affiliation with the German Research Center for Environmental Health (Helmholtz Zentrum Mnchen, Munich, Germany) and the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD, Germany). Molecular Metabolism is a new, open access journal devoted to the rapid publication of breakthroughs in mechanistic metabolism research.
Metabolic diseases including obesity, diabetes and related co-morbidities remain on the rise. Impaired cellular metabolism is emerging as an etiological factor for an increasing number of illnesses, such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases or neurodegenerative disorders. Molecular Metabolism aims to publish hypothesis-driven research from leading scientists, thus paving the way to a better understanding of metabolic physiology, and enabling progress toward the development of personalized medicines for preventing and curing these metabolism-related diseases.
Matthias Tschp (Helmholtz Zentrum Mnchen and Technische Universitt Mnchen) founded the journal together with Jens Brning (University of Cologne), Tamas Horvath (Yale University), and Martin Myers (University of Michigan). Their vision for Molecular Metabolism is an open access journal with a fast track publication process aiming for peer review-based decisions within one week. Molecular Metabolism will be able to offer online publication of accepted manuscripts within 14 days of submission in order to be able to disseminate breakthrough discoveries in mechanistic and translational metabolism research with unprecedented speed.
"Translational research is an integral part of the research approach for investigators around the world. It enables the transformation of knowledge into medical progress and the realization of the translational potential of basic research findings for medical applications," said Matthias Tschp. "Molecular Metabolism has been launched to provide a home for translational metabolic disease research, and we welcome submissions from all metabolism researchers."
###
Articles published in Molecular Metabolism are freely available to anyone and are published online on ScienceDirect.
For more information or to submit an article, go to Molecular Metabolism.
About Helmholtz Zentrum Mnchen
Helmholtz Zentrum Mnchen is the German Research Center for Environmental Health. It investigates important common diseases, which develop from the interaction of lifestyle, environmental factors and personal genetic background, focusing particularly on diabetes mellitus and chronic lung diseases. The Helmholtz Zentrum Mnchen has about 2,000 staff members and is headquartered in Neuherberg, in the north of Munich. Helmholtz Zentrum Mnchen is a research institution of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Free State of Bavaria. It is a member of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers, a community of 18 scientific-technical and medical-biological research centers with a total of about 34,000 staff members.
About German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD)
The German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) is a national network comprised of experts in the field of diabetes research that connects basic research, epidemiology and clinical applications. Members of the network are Helmholtz Zentrum Mnchen, the German Diabetes Center in Dsseldorf, the German Institute for Human Nutrition in Potsdam-Rehbrcke, Paul Langerhans Institute of the Carl Gustav Carus University Hospital in Dresden and the Institute for Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases of the Helmholtz Zentrum Mnchen at the University of Tbingen. The goal of the DZD is to find answers to unsolved questions in diabetes research via an innovative, integrative research approach and to make a major contribution to improving the prevention, diagnosis, and therapy of diabetes mellitus (www.dzd-ev.de/en)
Open Access Publishing at Elsevier
Elsevier has been providing open access publishing options since 2005. Today, researchers can choose to publish in over 1,500 hybrid journals as well as more than 30 full open access journals and these numbers will continue to grow rapidly. All of Elsevier's open access publications have been peer reviewed, ensuring that the broader community not only reads the latest research but that it is factual, original and of the highest quality and ethical standards. For more information about Elsevier's open access program, visit www.elsevier.com/openaccess
About Elsevier
Elsevier is a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. The company works in partnership with the global science and health communities to publish more than 2,000 journals, including The Lancet and Cell, and close to 20,000 book titles, including major reference works from Mosby and Saunders. Elsevier's online solutions include ScienceDirect, Scopus, Reaxys, ClinicalKey and Mosby's Nursing Suite, which enhance the productivity of science and health professionals, and the SciVal suite and MEDai's Pinpoint Review, which help research and health care institutions deliver better outcomes more cost-effectively.
A global business headquartered in Amsterdam, Elsevier employs 7,000 people worldwide. The company is part of Reed Elsevier Group PLC, a world-leading provider of professional information solutions in the Science, Medical, Legal and Risk and Business sectors, which is jointly owned by Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV. The ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Elsevier launches new open access journal: Molecular MetabolismPublic release date: 28-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Munich, January 28, 2013 - Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, is pleased to announce the launch of Molecular Metabolism in affiliation with the German Research Center for Environmental Health (Helmholtz Zentrum Mnchen, Munich, Germany) and the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD, Germany). Molecular Metabolism is a new, open access journal devoted to the rapid publication of breakthroughs in mechanistic metabolism research.
Metabolic diseases including obesity, diabetes and related co-morbidities remain on the rise. Impaired cellular metabolism is emerging as an etiological factor for an increasing number of illnesses, such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases or neurodegenerative disorders. Molecular Metabolism aims to publish hypothesis-driven research from leading scientists, thus paving the way to a better understanding of metabolic physiology, and enabling progress toward the development of personalized medicines for preventing and curing these metabolism-related diseases.
Matthias Tschp (Helmholtz Zentrum Mnchen and Technische Universitt Mnchen) founded the journal together with Jens Brning (University of Cologne), Tamas Horvath (Yale University), and Martin Myers (University of Michigan). Their vision for Molecular Metabolism is an open access journal with a fast track publication process aiming for peer review-based decisions within one week. Molecular Metabolism will be able to offer online publication of accepted manuscripts within 14 days of submission in order to be able to disseminate breakthrough discoveries in mechanistic and translational metabolism research with unprecedented speed.
"Translational research is an integral part of the research approach for investigators around the world. It enables the transformation of knowledge into medical progress and the realization of the translational potential of basic research findings for medical applications," said Matthias Tschp. "Molecular Metabolism has been launched to provide a home for translational metabolic disease research, and we welcome submissions from all metabolism researchers."
###
Articles published in Molecular Metabolism are freely available to anyone and are published online on ScienceDirect.
For more information or to submit an article, go to Molecular Metabolism.
About Helmholtz Zentrum Mnchen
Helmholtz Zentrum Mnchen is the German Research Center for Environmental Health. It investigates important common diseases, which develop from the interaction of lifestyle, environmental factors and personal genetic background, focusing particularly on diabetes mellitus and chronic lung diseases. The Helmholtz Zentrum Mnchen has about 2,000 staff members and is headquartered in Neuherberg, in the north of Munich. Helmholtz Zentrum Mnchen is a research institution of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Free State of Bavaria. It is a member of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers, a community of 18 scientific-technical and medical-biological research centers with a total of about 34,000 staff members.
About German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD)
The German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) is a national network comprised of experts in the field of diabetes research that connects basic research, epidemiology and clinical applications. Members of the network are Helmholtz Zentrum Mnchen, the German Diabetes Center in Dsseldorf, the German Institute for Human Nutrition in Potsdam-Rehbrcke, Paul Langerhans Institute of the Carl Gustav Carus University Hospital in Dresden and the Institute for Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases of the Helmholtz Zentrum Mnchen at the University of Tbingen. The goal of the DZD is to find answers to unsolved questions in diabetes research via an innovative, integrative research approach and to make a major contribution to improving the prevention, diagnosis, and therapy of diabetes mellitus (www.dzd-ev.de/en)
Open Access Publishing at Elsevier
Elsevier has been providing open access publishing options since 2005. Today, researchers can choose to publish in over 1,500 hybrid journals as well as more than 30 full open access journals and these numbers will continue to grow rapidly. All of Elsevier's open access publications have been peer reviewed, ensuring that the broader community not only reads the latest research but that it is factual, original and of the highest quality and ethical standards. For more information about Elsevier's open access program, visit www.elsevier.com/openaccess
About Elsevier
Elsevier is a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. The company works in partnership with the global science and health communities to publish more than 2,000 journals, including The Lancet and Cell, and close to 20,000 book titles, including major reference works from Mosby and Saunders. Elsevier's online solutions include ScienceDirect, Scopus, Reaxys, ClinicalKey and Mosby's Nursing Suite, which enhance the productivity of science and health professionals, and the SciVal suite and MEDai's Pinpoint Review, which help research and health care institutions deliver better outcomes more cost-effectively.
A global business headquartered in Amsterdam, Elsevier employs 7,000 people worldwide. The company is part of Reed Elsevier Group PLC, a world-leading provider of professional information solutions in the Science, Medical, Legal and Risk and Business sectors, which is jointly owned by Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV. The ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Please join me for a free, LIVE Platform University Q&A Teleseminar on Tuesday, January 29, 2013 at 8:00 pm Eastern Time (7:00 pm Central, 6:00 pm Mountain, 5:00 pm Pacific).
As you may have heard, last week we opened the doors to Platform University. So far, almost one thousand people have joined. The level of engagement has been incredible.
One of the monthly features is a live Q&A call for our members. I am opening this first teleseminar up to everyone?member or not?so you can sample Platform University for yourself.
During the call, I?ll share briefly what a platform is, why you need one if you are going to get your product, service, or brand noticed in today?s noisy world, and how to take your platform to the next level.
I?ll spend the bulk of our time together answering questions LIVE?a perfect opportunity for you to ask me anything about platform-building. But you must register to participate.
What You?ll Learn
During this teleseminar, I?ll share:
The three components of my social media framework. If you feel overwhelmed, this model will help you prioritize your time and focus your efforts.
A list of my favorite platform-building tools, including the ones I use day-in and day-out. They will save you hours every week!
How you can find time to build a platform, even if you have a full-time job and a crazy-busy life.
The pros and cons of building a personal brand vs. corporate brand. I, too, struggled with this at the beginning.
The one thing you must do to succeed. If you don?t do this, you will fail. If you do this, you can survive any mistake you make.
And, as I mentioned, I will also answer your questions. The call will last one hour.
How to Register
This call is FREE. You can access it LIVE by phone or a streaming web audio player.
Please note: I only have room for 3,000 people on this teleseminar. (That?s the limit imposed by our hosting company.) Therefore, you must register now to participate.
Register for the FREE Platform University Q&A Teleseminar
I am really excited about this online event. I want to help you take your platform to the next level and sample what we have to offer at Platform University. I know personally what this can mean for your future.
If you still have questions, read the FAQs below.
FAQs
Q: What is a teleseminar?
A: Think of it as a giant conference call. You dial in (or listen via streaming web audio), along with others and listen while I share and answer questions.
Q: How much does this cost?
A: It?s free. If you choose to access the LIVE call via phone, you may incur standard long-distance charges if you choose a dial-in number that is not local to you (there are multiple dial-in number options). Other than that, no fee at all.
Q: What is the date and time?
A: The LIVE call will take place on Tuesday, January 29th, 2013, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time (7:00 pm Central, 6:00 pm Mountain, 5:00 pm Pacific).
Q: How can I access the LIVE call?
A: You?ll have two options. Our call capacity is 3,000 total. Five hundred can access the call via phone, the rest via streaming web audio (listening via your computer). Access is on a first-come, first-served based on registration and which access option you chose. We will notify you prior to the call with the specific phone number and web address.
Q: I can?t make the LIVE call. Will there be a recording?
A: Yes, I will make the recording available after the LIVE call. You?ll have the option to listen to the replay online or download an MP3 file.
Q: How do I ask a question for you to answer during the call?
A: When you register there will be an option for you to submit a question. I?ll do my best to answer as many questions as possible during the LIVE call. However, I will likely not get to all of them. I?ll try to make sure I address common themes.
Q: Do I need any special equipment?
A: No, you won?t need anything special. You won?t need to download anything to access the call. If you use the dial-in access then you simply make a phone call. If you use the streaming web access then you simply open a web browser, click play, and listen. I will send the instructions to you via email.
Q: When do I get access information after I register?
A: I will send you access information via email tomorrow (Tuesday).
CHICAGO (AP) ? Retired Chicago White Sox slugger Frank Thomas feels even better about his career after watching steroids-tainted stars Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and Roger Clemens fail to gain entry to the Hall of Fame.
"I think I've done enough to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer," he said Saturday at the team's fan convention.
"Watching all the nonsense unfold and not really knowing what was going on, it makes me much more proud of my career," he said. "I competed in that era. I played at a high level in that era. There are a lot of great players, but as it unfolds, a lot of it was not the real deal. I know 100 percent I was the real deal."
Bonds, Sosa and Clemens were denied in their first year of eligibility amid suspicions by some voters that their accomplishments were boosted by performance-enhancing drugs. Mark McGwire, 10th on the career home run list, received 16.9 percent of the vote on his seventh try, far short of the 75 percent needed for election.
"I wouldn't say I feel bad for them," Thomas said. "I respected them on the field, but they chose this. They made their own decisions off the field and they've got to live with it."
He said their numbers were "incredible" but "fake."
"Any time you look at the PED situation, you look at the Lance Armstrong situation ? you look at stuff like that, it's serious out there," Thomas said. "Thank God I'm blessed I did it the right way. I had a good family base that made me outwork everybody else because that's the only way I made it to the big leagues."
A two-time American League MVP with a .301 average and 521 homers, will join Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine as first-time eligible on the ballot sent to voters this autumn.
Thomas was surprised Craig Biggio did not gain election despite having 3,060 hits. Biggio appeared on 68.2 percent of the 569 ballots and fell 39 votes shy.
Thomas thinks baseball's drug-testing is on the right path. Players will be tested for human growth hormone throughout the regular season following blood testing during spring training last year. Those are in addition to urine tests.
"There won't be any more scandals. Baseball is going to be 100 percent clean," Thomas said. "They're going to have to be."
For those interested in starting a business, the Small Business Administration (SBA), can be an important resource. The SBA is well known as a source for small business loans, but they offer much more. The organization is an outstanding government agency with resources geared specifically to help small business owners start up and stay in business. And even better news is that many of those resources are free of charge.
?First founded in 1953, the SBA is an independent agency that provides counsel, aid, and assistance, designed to protect small business interests. Other focuses of the SBA include preserving and maintaining free competitive enterprise, as well as well as strengthening the nation?s economy. Small businesses are a vital part of this country?s existence, providing products and services to consumers while providing income to employees of the company.
Over the years, the SBA has grown and established a system for building the future of this country. Throughout their existence, the mission has remained the same ? assisting the American people in starting, building, and growing businesses of various industries. In addition to providing needed services to the United States, this government agency also aids businesses in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Guam.
The services and programs offered by the SBA include contracting opportunities, loans, training programs, and even aid in the event of disaster. Although not all offers provided by the SBA are listed in this article, we have listed some of the key benefits associated with the services offered.
Financial Aid and Planning
Many small businesses fail within the first five years. This failure is often due to under capitalization and poor management. To create and build a small business, you need ready capital, coupled with the right knowledge and planning. SBA can help by calculating finances needed for the business, as well as strategies for proper management. They offer free assistance from business experts. These experts will review your business plan and provide advice on improving and strengthening your plan. You can also utilize their resources to develop your plan.
Disaster Relief
The SBA also has a special division called the Office of Disaster Assistance, which has the responsibility of providing financial assistance to homeowners and businesses in an affordable, accessible, and timely manner. The major benefit is the long-term, low interest loans. If your company were to experience disaster, the SBA would step up to provide assistance for repairing and/or rebuilding.
Miscellaneous Programs
In addition to the two programs mentioned, keep in mind that it has a variety of solutions specific to small business owners. For instance, you could take advantage of online training from the SBA, which includes a number of free online courses. Counseling and assistance is also provided by the SBA, offering help through Small Business Development Centers, Women?s Business Centers, and a number of national training events.
Finally, the SBA is known for reaching out to audiences that many other organizations or agencies would not touch. It has special programs, tools, and resources specifically available to veterans, women, Native American Indians, and young entrepreneurs. Remember, the focus of this agency is to make it possible for anyone to become a successful business owner in the United States. Over the years, the SBA has proven a highly successful entity.
The Hindu festival is billed as the world's largest gathering, a chance to wash away karmic debt and liberate oneself from the cycle of rebirth and death.
By Shivam Vij,?Correspondent / January 16, 2013
Indian Hindu devotees perform rituals and prayers at Sangam, the confluence of the holy rivers Ganges and Yamuna and mythical Saraswati at the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, India, Wednesday, Jan. 16.
Kevin Frayer/AP
Enlarge
This week,?Hindu ascetics in ostentatious chariots pulled by elephants and horses along with pilgrims and tourists from around the world arrived in Allahabad, about halfway between New Delhi and Kolkata, India.
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Their faces smeared with ash and bodies covered in little more than marigold garlands, the religious men marked the opening of the Kumbh Mela, by rushing into the cold water to bathe at 5 a.m. on Monday.?
The Hindu festival is billed as the world's largest gathering, a chance to wash away karmic debt and liberate oneself from the cycle of rebirth and death. It's also a broadly shared experience in a country where the saying goes that there are as many Indias as there are Indians.?
"What is most endearing about the Kumbh festival is that all Hindus across caste and class come together. All hierarchies melt in the great river. It's unity in diversity," says Ram Naresh Tripathi, a retired journalist and Hindu astrologer?in Allahabad.
This is one of four Kumbh Melas, each held in different cities over different intervals???this one comes to Allahabad every 12 years. These festivals?are all miraculous, at the very least in terms of logistics.
On Monday's opening, at least 10 million people bathed in the?sangam,?or confluence, of three rivers, the Ganga, the Yamuna, and the Saraswati.?By the end of the festival on March 10, an estimated 100 million people will have bathed in the river. Feb. 10 is the day considered most?auspicious?by religious followers, and is therefore the busiest day.
A temporary tent city has been set up on 6,000 acres of land, and the Indian Railways is running 750 special trains to make sure people from different parts of the country can reach it. ??
The numbers indicate the scale of the exercise: 18 pontoon bridges, 35,000 toilets, 97 miles of new roads, 355 miles of water pipelines, 497 miles of electric wires, 48 power sub-stations, four warehouses for grains, groceries and vegetables, 22 doctors, 120 ambulances, 30 new police stations, 100 beds for local hospitals and so on, according to Mela Officer Mani Prasad Mishra.
At a press conference addressed, journalists complained about incomplete work, to which Mr. Mishra replied that the authorities had been rushing against time. "We are in control of the situation and whatever requirements are needed to conduct it successfully have been put in place," he said.
The government has taken measures to fight contagious diseases, expected stampedes and fires, and terrorist attacks. Some 30,000 policemen are patrolling the Kumbh, which is under the surveillance of 56 watchtowers and 89 CCTV cameras. A market made up of 11,000 stalls has been set up to sell everything from food to?ornaments and curios.
The festival cost an estimated $290 million to organize, but a study by The Association of Chambers of Commerce and Industry in India says the Uttar Pradesh state government is likely to recover most of it through revenues generated by tourism.
Tourists and pilgrims are expected from across the world. Among the expected visitors: The Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, and actors Richard Gere, Michael Douglas, and his wife Catherine Zeta Jones.
Mr. Tripathi, the journalist-turned-astrologer, said the Kumbh had changed a lot since his childhood, with the gathering now catering to Hindus with newfound wealth. ?The?sadhus?[ascetics] have all become hi-tech. They used to come on foot from hundreds of miles away but today they come in cars and carry gadgets like tablet computers,? he says.
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Republican and Democratic lawmakers were cautiously optimistic Sunday that a long-sought overhaul of the nation's immigration system that includes a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million illegal immigrants currently in the country will clear Congress this year, the result of changes in the political landscape shown in November's election.
"We are trying to work our way through some very difficult issues," said Illinois' Sen. Richard Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate. "But, we are committed to a comprehensive approach to finally, in this country, have an immigration law we can live with. We have virtually been going maybe 25 years without a clear statement about immigration policy. That's unacceptable in this nation of immigrants."
Sen. Robert Menendez, who along with Durbin and Sen. John McCain, is part of the six-member, bipartisan Senate group working on a framework for immigration legislation to be announced this week, said current politics dictate that a pathway for citizenship must be included.
"Let's be very clear: having a pathway to earned legalization is an essential element. And I think that we are largely moving in that direction as an agreement," said Menendez, D-N.J., said.
But the package "will have the enhancement of the border security," he said, nodding to Republicans' priority to tighten borders to prevent future illegal immigration.
He also said the package would have to crack down on employers hiring undocumented workers.
Arizona Republican McCain has returned to the issue after having led a failed push to fix the nation's broken immigration system ahead of his 2008 bid for the White House.
McCain said: "What's changed is, honestly, is that there is a new, I think, appreciation on both sides of the aisle ? including, maybe more importantly on the Republican side of the aisle, that we have to enact a comprehensive immigration reform bill."
Despite making little progress on immigration in his first term, President Barack Obama won more than 70 percent of the Latino vote, in part because of the conservative positions on immigration that Republican nominee Mitt Romney staked out during the GOP primary. Latino voters accounted for 10 percent of the electorate in November.
Obama is to press his case for immigration changes during a trip to Las Vegas Tuesday: a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants that includes paying fines and back taxes; increased border security; mandatory penalties for businesses that employ unauthorized immigrants; and improvements to the legal immigration system, including giving green cards to high-skilled workers and lifting caps on legal immigration for the immediate family members of U.S. citizens.
In an opinion piece published online Sunday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Sen. Marco Rubio, also a member of the bipartisan Senate group, laid out his proposal to address the issue. The Florida Republican, son of Cuban immigrants, wrote that "significant progress" on enforcing immigration laws must be certified before unauthorized immigrants now in the country are allowed to apply for residency and "get in the back of the line."
Rep. Paul Ryan, the 2012 Republican candidate for vice president, said he backs Rubio's proposal.
"Immigration is a good thing. We're here because of immigration. We need to make sure it works," Wisconsin's Ryan said.
If Republicans fail to act, they will pay the price in elections for generations, McCain warned.
"Well, I'll give you a little straight talk: Look at the last election... We are losing dramatically the Hispanic vote, which we think should be ours for a variety of reasons," McCain said.
McCain and Menendez spoke with ABC's "This Week," Durbin appeared on "Fox News Sunday" and Ryan was on NBC's "Meet the Press."
___
Associated Press writer Philip Elliott contributed to this report.
___
Follow Michele Salcedo on Twitter at http://twitter.com/michelesalcedo.
Jan. 25, 2013 ? Supplementing children's diets with fish oil, enrolling them in quality preschool, and engaging them in interactive reading all turn out to be effective ways to raise a young child's intelligence, according to a new report published in Perspectives on Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
Using a technique called meta-analysis, a team led by John Protzko, a doctoral student at the NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, combined the findings from existing studies to evaluate the overall effectiveness of each type of intervention. In collaboration with NYU Steinhardt professors Joshua Aronson and Clancy Blair, leaders in the field of intelligence, Protzko analyzed the best available studies involving samples of children from birth and kindergarten from their newlyassembled "Database of Raising Intelligence."
"Our aim in creating this database is to learn what works and what doesn't work to raise people's intelligence," said Protzko. "For too long, findings have been disconnected and scattered throughout a wide variety of journals. The broad consensus about what works is founded on only two or three very high-profile studies."
All of the studies in this database rely on a normal population (participants without clinical diagnoses of intellectual disabilities), focus on interventions that are sustained over time, use widely accepted measures of intelligence, and, most importantly, are randomly controlled trials (participants selected at random to receive one of the interventions).
"The larger goal here is to understand the nature of intelligence, and if and how it can be nurtured at every stage of development," said Aronson, Protzko's advisor. "This is just a first step in a long process of understanding. It is by no means the last word. In fact, one of the main conclusions is how little high quality research exists in the field and how much more needs to be done."
Overall, the results of the meta-analyses indicated that certain dietary and environmental interventions can be effective in raising children's IQ.
Supplementing pregnant women and newborns with long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, foods rich in Omega-3, were found to boost children's IQ by more than 3.5 points. These essential fatty acids may help raise intelligence by providing the building blocks for nerve cell development that the body cannot produce on its own.
There is insufficient research, however, to determine whether other types of supplements -- including iron, B-complex vitamins, riboflavin, thiamine, niacin, and zinc -- have beneficial effects on intelligence.
Enrolling an economically disadvantaged child into an early education intervention was found to raise his or her IQ by more than four points; interventions that specifically included a center-based education component raised a child's IQ by more than seven points.
The researchers hypothesize that early education interventions may help to raise children's IQ by increasing their exposure to complex environments that are cognitively stimulating and demanding. It's not clear, however, whether these results apply more broadly to kids from different socioeconomic backgrounds.
Surprisingly, Protzko, Aronson, and Blair found no evidence to support the idea that early education interventions that take place earlier in childhood are more effective than those that begin later.
Interventions focused on interactive reading -- teaching parents how to engage their children while reading with them -- were found to raise children's IQ by over 6 points. These interventions do not seem to have an effect for children over 4 years old, suggesting that the interventions may accelerate language development, which, in turn, boosts IQ.
Sending a child to preschool was found to raise his or her IQ by more than four points, and preschools that include a language development component were found to boost IQ by more than seven points. The link between preschool and intelligence could be a function of increased exposure to language or the result of the overall cognitive complexity of the preschool environment.
"Our current findings strengthen earlier conclusions that complex environments build intelligence, but do cast doubt on others, including evidence that earlier interventions are always most effective," Protzko explained. "Overall, identifying the link between essential fatty acids and intelligence gives rise to tantalizing new questions for future research and we look forward to exploring this finding."
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Association for Psychological Science.
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Journal Reference:
J. Protzko, J. Aronson, C. Blair. How to Make a Young Child Smarter: Evidence From the Database of Raising Intelligence. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 2013; 8 (1): 25 DOI: 10.1177/1745691612462585
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Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
MTN Career for a Senior Manager, VAS, Data and Content Development
posted on 2013-01-25??|?by Admin | 49 views
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Careers in MTN Nigeria is focused on the strategic development of talent in line with the key business imperative of ensuring continuity through our key source of competitive advantage our people.
Job Title Senior Manager, VAS, Data & Content Development Department: Marketing and Strategy Location: Lagos Job Description: Quickly evolving platforms and partners Translate customer insights into innovative concepts that achieve business objectives while providing value to customer segments Integrate product development requirements with technical capacity such as Messaging, Portals, Data services, devices, content an d applications, and all supporting platforms including SDPs, service creation environments, policy control engines, etc Balance and negotiate stakeholder requirements Champion new data, applications, content portals and messaging product concepts, as well as existing key products and services across the organization Own and maintain all data, portals and messaging product and service business rules Support all business units with regard to product development and support Deeply understand and propose direction for multimedia portal and services investments Work and drive to optimise mobile device, content and applications value chain Review telecommunications market and contribute to the development of strategies for MTNN products and services, demonstrating an understanding of MTNN business strategies and needs of the customer. Develop detailed plans in support of approved strategies, organizing required resources, monitoring and periodically reporting progress of plans. Direct and provide a strategic framework for product managers to develop and manage new 3rd party relationships, contracts, data services/features, content and application portals and messaging products. Develop possible future scenarios of MTNN?s data, applications/content portals, VAS and messaging product portfolio by considering current and future business models and technologies, and determine combination of features and scenarios that will positively impact and satisfy customer?s needs and aspirations. Identify and advise on new opportunities for MTNN to explore by providing products and services based on the evolution of technologies. Design and develop new systems, products and services for multiple market segments, across the entire spectrum of customers addressed by MTNN. Ensure market managers and the rest of the organization are aligned with the evolution of the product and services roadmap based on new technologies. Drive product and service delivery across the organization in the medium to long term by agreeing and setting goals cross functionally. Maintain in-life products and services. Ensure full integration of quality management processes and their effective deployment on a day-to-day basis. Use relevant metrics and measures to routinely monitor progress against targets and take appropriate managerial action to ensure targets are met or exceeded. Provide performance data to support management decision-making. Identify training and development needs of team members and manage skills enhancement programmes for the team to ensure enterprise sales targets are fully met. Review performance of individual team members and complete appraisals in accordance with the employee performance appraisal procedures and time schedules.
Job Conditions: Normal MTNN working conditions. May be required to work extended hours. Frequent national travel. Reporting To: ??? General Manager, Innovation & Product Development Required Skills: ??? A first degree or post-graduate diploma in Marketing, Accounting, Business Administration or a related discipline An MBA will have an advantage A first degree or post-graduate diploma in Engineering and/or Design is desirable. Training and certification in Project Management is desirable At least 12 years work experience of which includes: 5 years in advanced Business development, or Product Development and Management experience in a Telecommunications-related environment 12 months experience in managing Portals or data services development, or technical/technology partner management 3 years experience in advanced Project Management 3 years in co-coordinating a number of external agencies and suppliers at management level 2 years experience in dealing with senior stakeholders within an established organization.
Employment Status : Permanent Qualification: other
Disclaimer: Though we make every effort to verify the authenticity of our job posts, Employment Nigeria is in no way affiliated with any of these companies whose vacancies we publish.
DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) ? Training the youth for the challenges of a fast-changing world has to be central to any strategy to rebuild the job market following a financial crisis that's wiped out millions of middle-class jobs over the past five years.
That was the central conclusion that emerged from the annual Associated Press debate at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss village of Davos, which focused on the need to build up skills for a changing economy.
"We need a young labor force," IMF Deputy Managing Director Min Zhu said. "Government doesn't pay enough attention to training and retraining."
Amid concerns that the rich world is faced with a lost generation of young people with dismal job prospects, panelists suggested other ideas in the debate that was moderated by the AP's senior managing editor for U.S. news, Michael Oreskes. Proposals included the creation of "green" jobs to save the planet from climate catastrophe and lowering the costs of hiring first-time workers.
The International Labor Organization estimates that young people are three times more likely to be unemployed than adults, and that worldwide around 75 million youths aged between 15 and 24 are looking for work. This youth employment crisis, it says, threatens to scar "the very fabric of our societies."
Eric Cantor, a Republican Congressman from Virginia, said training is needed to give workers the tools they need for the "new labor force."
"America is a huge catalyst for growth," he said. "Workers need to be trained to get into those jobs."
He warned, however, against piling more government money on schools without coming up with a "better way" to create new skills.
An Associated Press analysis of employment data from 20 countries found that millions of mid-skill, mid-pay jobs have already disappeared over the past five years ? jobs that form the backbone of the middle class in developed countries.
That experience has left a growing number of technology experts and economists pondering whether middle-class jobs will return when the global economy recovers, or whether they have been lost forever.
Italian Finance Minister Vittorio Grilli, also at the debate, argued that technology doesn't have to be the enemy, and "will provide a second wind to advanced economies."
Young people in the job market don't all feel they're getting education that fits today's demand.
"The quality of courses is not up to standard at all," said Lucy Nicholls, a 22-year-old fashion graduate in London. She was speaking Friday in a Google hangout video chat as part of AP's Class of 2012, an exploration of Europe's financial crisis through the eyes of young graduates facing the worst downturn the continent has seen since the end of World War II.
Emerging markets may offer some ideas to the developed world in its new jobs conundrum.
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan, whose country has generated 4.6 million jobs over the past five years, credited the performance on a host of innovative policies, such as paying the wages of some young people when they first enter the workforce.
"The biggest problem is the cost of entry to the job market," he said. "If an employer thinks it is less expensive to hire, then employment becomes easier."
Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz suggested focusing on "green, renewable jobs" to help solve the youth unemployment crisis as well as the planet.
In Europe, where youth unemployment is a huge issue, particularly in Greece and Spain where the rate stands at over 50 percent, the job market overhaul will not be easy and certainly won't be fast.
"It's a slow process and unfortunately it's going to be a painful one," Italy's Grilli said. "It involves people changing their lives."
A charger on every nightstand and a phone in every pocket -- it could be a presidential slogan, but it's really just reality. According to research from Strategy Analytics, a staggering 1.6 billion mobile phones were shipped (not sold) globally in 2012, and 700 million of them were smartphones. Samsung, Nokia and Apple, in that order, were the biggest movers of handsets, though the latter two change places when it comes to smartphones -- Espoo only shipped 35 million to Cupertino's 135, while Samsung topped the trio at 213 million devices shipped.
Surprising? Hardly -- smartphone sales climbed throughout2012, and the aforementioned manufacturers have been kings of the category since last February. The numbers are telling though -- according to ABI Research, Apple saw less growth in 2012 than the previous year, and may hit a plateau in market share in 2013. Samsung, on the other hand, may have some room to grow -- capturing 34 percent of total smartphone shipments in Q4 with over 60 million smartphones moved. Apple nabbed 24.5% of the market with 47.8 million shipped iPhones, while Nokia and RIM took up the tail of the quarter with 86.3 and 6.9 million shipped devices, respectively. Statistic lover? You'll find full numbers (plus a little analyst speculation) in a tiro of press releases after the break.
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Strategy Analytics: Global Mobile Phone Shipments Reach 1.6 Billion Units in 2012
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global mobile phone shipments grew a modest 2 percent annually to reach 1.6 billion units in 2012. Samsung was the star performer, accounting for 1 in 4 of all mobile phones shipped worldwide last year.
Neil Shah, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, said, "Ongoing macroeconomic challenges in mature markets like North America and Western Europe, tighter operator upgrade policies, and shifting consumer tastes were among the key reasons why global mobile phone shipments grew just 2 percent annually to reach 1.6 billion units in 2012. Fuelled by robust demand for its popular Galaxy models, Samsung was the star performer, shipping a record 396.5 million mobile phones worldwide and capturing 25 percent marketshare to solidify its first-place lead. However, Samsung's total volumes for the year fell just short of the 400-million threshold."
Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, added, "Nokia's global mobile phone shipments fell 20 percent from 417.1 million units in 2011 to 335.6 million in 2012. Nokia faced tough competition from Samsung in developing markets like China, while Apple and others ramped up the pressure in developed regions such as Western Europe. Nokia's dual-SIM feature phones, Asha touchphones and Lumia handsets have been performing well, but this was not enough to offset a slump in demand for the company's aging Symbian smartphone platform last year."
Linda Sui, Analyst at Strategy Analytics, added, "Apple shipped a record 135.8 million mobile phones worldwide in 2012. Apple delivered 46 percent annual growth last year, which was bolstered by solid demand in North America and Asia. Apple's launch of the iPhone 5 in Q4 2012 was a success as volumes ramped up in dozens of countries worldwide, but negative media coverage of the model's new integrated maps service and supply chain challenges cast a slight shadow over the launch."
Other findings from the research include: o. ZTE captured 5 percent share of the global mobile phone market in 2012, as its shipments fell minus 8 percent from 2011, partly because of heightened competition in core markets like China and Western Europe from rivals such as Coolpad and Samsung.
Exhibit 1: Global Mobile Phone Vendor Shipments and Market Share in Q4 2012 1
Global Mobile Phone Shipments (Millions of Units)
Q4 '11
2011
Q4 '12
2012
Samsung
95.0
327.4
108.0
396.5
Nokia
113.5
417.1
86.3
335.6
Apple
37.0
93.0
47.8
135.8
ZTE
24.4
78.1
19.5
71.7
Others
169.7
630.4
189.3
635.4
Total
439.6
1546.0
450.9
1575.0
Global Mobile Phone Vendor Marketshare %
Q4 '11
2011
Q4 '12
2012
Samsung
21.6%
21.2%
24.0%
25.2%
Nokia
25.8%
27.0%
19.1%
21.3%
Apple
8.4%
6.0%
10.6%
8.6%
ZTE
5.6%
5.1%
4.3%
4.6%
Others
38.6%
40.8%
42.0%
40.3%
Total
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
Total Growth Year-over-Year %
9.9%
13.7%
2.6%
1.9%
_____________________________
1 Numbers are rounded. Total in the data-table does not include grey phone shipments.
Strategy Analytics: Global Smartphone Shipments Reach a Record 700 Million Units in 2012
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global smartphone shipments grew 43 percent annually to reach a record 700 million units in 2012. Samsung was the star performer, capturing 30 percent marketshare worldwide and extending its lead over Apple and Nokia.
Neil Shah, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, said, "Global smartphone shipments grew 38 percent annually from 157.0 million units in Q4 2011 to 217.0 million in Q4 2012. Global smartphone shipments for the full year reached a record 700.1 million units in 2012, increasing robustly from 490.5 million units in 2011. Global shipment growth slowed from 64 percent in 2011 to 43 percent in 2012 as penetration of smartphones began to mature in developed regions such as North America and Western Europe."
Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, added, "Samsung shipped a record 213.0 million smartphones worldwide and captured 30 percent marketshare in 2012. This was the largest number of units ever shipped by a smartphone vendor in a single year, beating Nokia's previous all-time record when it shipped 100.1 million units during 2010. Despite tough competition in stores and courtrooms, Samsung continued to deliver numerous hit models, from the high-end Galaxy Note2 phablet to the mass-market Galaxy Y. Apple grew a healthy 46 percent annually and shipped 135.8 million smartphones worldwide for 19 percent marketshare in 2012, broadly flat from the 19 percent level recorded in 2011. Apple had a strong year in developed regions like North America, but this was offset partly by its limited presence in high-growth emerging markets such as Africa."
Linda Sui, Analyst at Strategy Analytics, added, "Samsung and Apple together accounted for half of all smartphones shipped worldwide in 2012. Large marketing budgets, extensive distribution channels and attractive product portfolios have enabled Samsung and Apple to tighten their grip on the smartphone industry. The growth of Samsung and Apple has continued to impact Nokia. Nokia retained its position as the world's third largest smartphone vendor for full-year 2012, but its global marketshare has dropped sharply from 16 percent to five percent during the past year. Nokia's Windows Phone portfolio has improved significantly in recent months, with new models like the Lumia 920, but we believe the vendor still lacks a true hero model in its range that can be considered an Apple iPhone or Samsung S3 killer."
Exhibit 1: Global Smartphone Vendor Shipments and Market Share in Q4 2012 1
Global Smartphone Vendor Shipments (Millions of Units)
Q4 '11
2011
Q4 '12
2012
Samsung
36.5
97.4
63.0
213.0
Apple
37.0
93.0
47.8
135.8
Nokia
19.6
77.3
6.6
35.0
Others
63.9
222.8
99.6
316.3
Total
157.0
490.5
217.0
700.1
Global Smartphone Vendor Marketshare %
Q4 '11
2011
Q4 '12
2012
Samsung
23.2%
19.9%
29.0%
30.4%
Apple
23.6%
19.0%
22.0%
19.4%
Nokia
12.5%
15.8%
3.0%
5.0%
Others
40.7%
45.4%
45.9%
45.2%
Total
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
Total Growth Year-over-Year %
55.9%
63.8%
38.2%
42.7%
Smartphone Pressure Mounts for Samsung and Apple Exiting a Strong Q4 2012, According to ABI Research
SINGAPORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nearly 196 million smartphones and 451 million handsets were shipped during Q4 2012, according to the latest estimates from marketing intelligence firm ABI Research. This brings 2012 annual totals to 653 million smartphone and 1.6 billion handset shipments, representing a 36% and 2% YoY growth rate respectively. Smartphones accounted for 43% of all handset shipments in Q4, which pushed smartphones to 41% of all shipments in 2012.
Samsung retained its lead position overall by shipping 106 million handsets of which 60 million were smartphones in Q4 and capturing 31% of total smartphone shipments. In 2012 Samsung grew its handset shipments by 21.6% and its smartphone shipments by 123.8%. Despite missing most analyst estimates in Q4, Apple grew its smartphone shipment share to 24.5%, up from 16.4% in Q3. Apple shipped 47.8 million iPhones in Q4 bringing its 2012 annual total to 135.8 million. Apple's 2012 annual shipment growth declined from 96% in 2011 to 46% in 2012.
"It is clear that the iPhone's hyper-growth has ended, and ABI Research believes that Apple's market share will peak in 2013 at 22%," says mobile devices senior analyst Michael Morgan. "Unless Apple is willing to trade iPhone margins for low cost iPhone shipments, Apple's handset market share will become dependent on customer loyalty."
Looking at the rest of the pack, Nokia shipped 86.3 million handsets and 6.6 million smartphones in Q4 while RIM's shipments of smartphones declined to 6.9 million. ZTE had an excellent Q4 with 20.7 million handset shipments and 11.2 million smartphone shipments.
"Samsung and Apple are both under pressure to maintain their market lead as less costly smartphones gain momentum entering 2013," notes senior practice director Jeff Orr. "Technology optimization choices and a diverse handset portfolio are critical decisions over the next 6 to 9 months to come out ahead."
These findings are part of ABI Research's Mobile Handset Markets Database, which includes files detailing smartphone and mobile handset shipments, forecasts, and market share.
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