Country music great Haggard hospitalized with pneumonia (Reuters)

NASHVILLE, Tenn (Reuters) ? Country music great Merle Haggard has been admitted to a Georgia hospital suffering from pneumonia and postponed the rest of his concert dates in January, his spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

Haggard, 74, entered the Macon hospital on Tuesday night after he canceled a show in that Georgia city seven minutes before he was to take the stage because he was too ill to perform, said Frank Mull, his tour manager and close friend.

A member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Haggard is best known for songs including "Mama Tried," "Okie from Muskogee" and "The Fightin' Side of Me."

Haggard had been scheduled to perform again on Wednesday night in Columbus, Georgia, but that show and the rest of the January slate will be rescheduled for April, according to Haggard's Los Angeles-based publicist Tresa Redburn.

Redburn said the singer was receiving fluids intravenously. She said she spoke with Haggard by telephone "and he sounded pretty good."

Haggard will take time off to recover and resume his tour in February, Redburn said. Haggard lives in Northern California.

The singer was unwell when he left his California home to begin the tour, but did not want to disappoint his fans, Mull said. "He thought he was well enough to work and he did work three dates, and he got progressively worse," Mull said.

With influences ranging from Lefty Frizzell to Bob Wills to Jimmie Rodgers, Haggard is an architect of country music's "Bakersfield Sound."

(Editing by Paul Thomasch and Will Dunham)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/music/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120118/music_nm/us_merlehaggard

manny pacquiao fight pacquiao marquez pacquiao marquez penn state game radiohead tour cbsnews ufc on fox fight card

This Painting Is Made Using Light and Plexiglass Airplanes [Art]

Sometimes, art isn't exactly what it seems. This picture, for instance, disappears completely if you switch the light off that's shining through the plexiglass airplanes hanging from the ceiling. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/3GXQIpdAsPE/this-painting-is-made-using-light-and-plexiglass-airplanes

miss universe 2011 augmentin d2l d2l example example graphing calculator

Kelsey Grammer & Kayte Walsh Having Twins

Kelsey Grammer & Kayte Walsh Having Twins

Kelsey Grammer revealed that he and wife Kayte Walsh are expecting twins during an interview backstage at the Golden Globes on Sunday evening. The actor [...]

Kelsey Grammer & Kayte Walsh Having Twins Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/stupidcelebrities/~3/rC-nsDXzfwA/

voting sharon bialek call of duty elite dragonfly courtney stodden drake take care herman cain accuser

Jolie and Almodovar discuss future collaboration (omg!)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Don't be stunned to see a future collaboration between superstar American actress ? and now director ? Angelina Jolie and revered Spanish director Pedro Almodovar.

The two were among attendees at the annual Golden Globes foreign-language seminar on Saturday at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, where directors nominated in the category discussed this year's competition.

The entries include Jolie's "In the Land of Blood and Honey," about family strife and abuse of women in Bosnia, and Almodovar's psycho-thriller "The Skin I Live In."

Unlike other celebrities at the event, Jolie surprised reporters by showing up early, relaxed and gracious as she posed for photographers and talked about what inspired her to move behind the camera for "Blood and Honey."

At one point, Jolie half-joked to a Spanish reporter that she was angry with Almodovar because he'd yet to hire her for a role. When Almodovar was given that news by an Associated Press reporter ? within earshot of Jolie ? the actress jumped into the fray.

"I am right here," Jolie noted. "Yes, because you have never given me a job."

"Oh my God," said a flustered Almodovar. "No, no don't worry, you are joining now. Absolutely."

"So one day," Jolie responded, "when all these cameras are gone, we find a film together."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_jolie_almodovar_discuss_future_collaboration161852718/44186544/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/jolie-almodovar-discuss-future-collaboration-161852718.html

kobe bryant war of the worlds a christmas story prime rib ny knicks sound of music ihop

98% Le Havre

Marcel Marx(Andre Wilms) is a shoeshine who makes a sparse living in Le Havre and has more than his share of his debts. His wife Arletty(Kati Outinen) dutifully stands by him while unbeknowst to him, she is very ill. Meanwhile, sounds are heard from a shipping container near the harbor and the police, fearing the worst, are called in. Luckily, all of the would be immigrants seem not the worse for wear. So, Idrissa(Blondin Miguel), a young boy, with a little encouragement from his grandfather makes a break for it. To his credit, Inspector Monet(Jean-Pierre Darroussin) stops a police officer from getting off a shot, allowing him to get away. Outside of the changed setting, "Le Havre" might appear to seem like a normal Aki Kaurismaki movie on the surface, as it contains some of his usual touches, along with Kati Outinen in the cast. On the other hand, it is also one of his most topical movies while also one of his most optimistic, even if it is a little predictable at the end. Regardless, the movie almost feels entirely timeless, as about the only sign of present day technology is the most malicious act being carried out by a cell phone. And I think what Kaurismaki is getting at is that in the past people did not act out of fear and were actually much kinder towards each other. So, my question is do Marcel's neighbors act differently towards him when Idrissa comes into his life or is it because his wife falls ill? Or are the events connected even if they do not at first appear to be so?

November 27, 2011

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/le_havre_2011/

indianapolis colts posterior michelle obama adam lambert arrested shroud of turin barkley beltran

Is Mitt Romney's Europe-bashing well placed?

Mitt Romney called the Obama White House a reflection of the 'worst of what Europe has become' in his victory speech last night. But the austerity favored by the GOP is much in vogue in Europe.

To hear Mitt Romney?s victory speech in New Hampshire one might think he is running as much against Europe ? or some American perception of it ? as against President Obama.

Skip to next paragraph

In three withering references at the end of a fiery 10-minute speech last night, the GOP front-runner depicted ?Europe? as weak, socialist, an object of pity and, compared with the shining American model, lacking inspiration.

?I want you to remember when our White House reflected the best of who we are, not the worst of what Europe has become,? the potential next president said of his possible chief world ally.

President Obama, said Romney, ?takes his inspiration from the capitals of Europe; we look to the cities and towns across America for our inspiration.? Mr. Obama wants to ?turn America into a European-style social welfare state. We want to ensure that we remain a free and prosperous land of opportunity.?

Poor Europe! Whatever happened to China-bashing?

To be sure, Romney?s speech in Manchester seemed aimed as much at the conservative voters of South Carolina, site of the next US primary, as to voters in New Hampshire, who gave him a clear victory. A third straight win might be a knockout blow for Romney and turn the current vitriolic GOP in-fighting into a search for Romney?s vice-presidential nominee.

So ?Europe,? not New York City, may become a cultural punching bag in the southern strategy of the former governor of Massachusetts. Never mind that Romney spent two years as a Mormon missionary in France, speaks fluent French, and played the cosmopolitan host at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake. He won?t need to reveal his inner Bubba on the sweet potato circuit, or explain why his Massachusetts health care reforms took on a European character, if he runs against stereotypes of the old world in old Dixie.

Here in cheese-eating Europe, among the slouching Marxist masses that throng idle cafes and welfare centers, the US presidential election has barely made a dent. Kidding aside, it is mostly European editorial writers who have followed the US race. Romney may be politically safe in bashing Europe since the continent historically favors Democrats. John F. Kennedy, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama are loved. Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and the recent George Bush, not as much. America may have forgotten Iraq; Europe hasn't.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/csmonitor/globalnews/~3/zj6k4rxh5mg/Is-Mitt-Romney-s-Europe-bashing-well-placed

cain gingrich debate andy rooney dies andy rooney dies bank transfer day daylight savings 2011 day light savings day light savings

When Do Statistics And Algorithms Trump Investing Judgement?

We?ve reviewed?in an earlier article?Daniel Kahnemann?s Prospect Theory, his latest book quot;Thinking Fast and Slowquot; and some of the key findings of Behavioural Finance and we?ll be discussing a number of the implications for investors in?a subsequent piece?

However, in this article, we?d like to dwell in one interesting discussion in Chapter 21 of the book?- quot;Intuition vs Formulasquot;. This discusses in some detail the efficacy and value of checklists amp; algorithms in addressing some of the predictable flaws in human decision-making -users of Stockopedia PRO will already know that these kinds of tools are a key part of our feature set.?

The Efficacy of Checklists?

Kahnemann writes that a key source of inspiration for his work was the book,?Clinical vs. Statistical Prediction: A Theoretical Analysis and a Review of the Evidence?by Paul Meehl. Meehl was an American psychologist who studied the successes and failures of predictions in many different settings in the 1940s. He found overwhelming evidence that predictions based on?mechanical (formal, algorithmic) methods of data combination outperformed clinical (e.g., subjective, informal, quot;in the headquot;) methods based on expert judgement.?

A famous example confirming Meehl?s conclusion is the??Apgar score,? invented by the anesthesiologist Virginia Apgar in 1953 to guide the treatment of newborn babies. The Apgar score is a simple formula based on five vital signs that can be measured quickly:?Appearance,?Pulse,?Grimace,?Activity,Respiration.?It does better than the average doctor in deciding whether the baby needs immediate help. It is now used everywhere and saves the lives of thousands of babies.

Another amusing example of the power of statistical prediction is the Dawes formula for the durability of marriage. This formula apparently does better than the average marriage counselor in predicting whether a marriage will last.?The formula is:

?frequency of love-making minus frequency of quarrels.?

Similarly, as Andrew McAfee of the Harvard Business Review points out,?Princeton economist Orley Ashenfleter predicts Bordeaux wine quality using a simple model he developed that takes into accountwinter and harvest rainfall and growing season temperature. Although?wine critic Robert Parker has called Ashenfleter?s approach ?so absurd as to be laughablequot;, Ian Ayres notes in his great book?Supercrunchers?that?Ashenfelter was right and Parker wrong about the ?86 vintage. Interestingly,?McAfee also references a2000 paper?whichsurveyed 136 studies in which human judgment was compared to algorithmic prediction. Only eight of the studies found that people were significantly better predictors of the task at hand.

Why algorithms beat judgement

In quot;Thinking Fast amp; Slowquot;,?Kahnemann goes on to discuss the reason why experts appear to be inferior to algorithms. The main suggestion is that experts try to be clever, think outside the box, and consider complex combinations of features in making their predictions. Complexity may work in the odd case, but more often than not it just reduces validity. Kahnemann observes:

quot;Simple combinations of features are better??Several studies have shown that human decision makers are inferior to a prediction formula even when they are given the score suggested by the formula! They feel that they can overrule the formula because they have additional information about the case, but they are wrong more often than not. According to Meehl, there are few circumstances under which it is a good idea to substitute judgment for a formulaquot;.?

How applicable is this to investing??

That all leads to thoughts about the finance/investing domain. Just how applicable is this particular conclusion to the finance/investing domain??Are there reasons to think that investing is different to, say, medicine or psychology in terms of the?effectiveness of expert judgment?

The forecasting record of analysts would suggest otherwise ? but that may be a cheap shot given that analysts suffer from a well-documented conflicts of interest where ? as is often the case ? they act as investment bankers to the companies their analysts cover.

James Montier?s excellent piece ? An Ode to Quant ? discusses this question in some detail and clearly takes the view?that investing is unlikely to be different, although he notes some significant obstacles that exist for widespread acceptance of this view, i.e.?

?Firstly, the fear of technological unemployment. This is obviously an example of a self serving bias. If, say, 18 out of every 20 analysts and fund managers could be replaced by a computer, the results are unlikely to be welcomed by the industry at large. Secondly, the industry has a large dose of inertia contained within it. It is pretty inconceivable for a large fund management house to turn around and say they are scrapping most of the processes they had used for the last 20 years, in order to implement a quant model instead.

Of course, this is not to say that judgement has no place in investing at all. Changing market circumstances may invalidate a particular algorithmic strategy. Furthermore, without some degree of intuition, it would presumably not be possible to decide which set of parameters ? given a potential infinite choice ? to factor into a checklist in the first place.

Nevertheless, in the investing domain then, like many others, it seems that the implication of Meehl?s research have still not yet been fully accepted. Algorithmic/quant investing is seen as cold, clinical and brittle ? and regarded with some degree of scepticism, while the quot;informed viewquot; of an expert analyst is much more comforting. But it remains to be seen how long this view will be sustained, should evidence continue to mount of better returns from the former approach.?

What are your thoughts??

Further Reading

Source: http://www.dailymarkets.com/stock/2012/01/09/when-do-statistics-and-algorithms-trump-investing-judgement/

apostasy canon powershot elph 300 hs christmas lights canon eos rebel t3 christmas photo cards ar 15 costco

CES: YouTube eyes gadgets, channels to boost viewership (Reuters)

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) ? YouTube is looking to increase viewership on its online video service by making the service available on an array of connected devices and by adding new content, according to a top executive for the Google Inc unit.

The next challenge for the popular service, which already has 800 million viewers a month, is to make YouTube a more central part of these viewers' lives, said Robert Kyncl, YouTube vice president in charge of content partnerships.

"What we want is for viewers is to spend more time on YouTube," Kyncl told Reuters in an interview at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Kyncl, who moved from online rival Netflix a year and a half ago, comes to the consumer electronics showcase each year to check out connected devices because the more gadgets available with Internet access, the more ways consumers can watch YouTube.

"We're a huge benefactor of what consumer electronics companies are doing with their devices, which is building Internet connectivity into them," he said. "It's allowing us to get in front of more consumers."

According to Kyncl, who is due to deliver a keynote speech at the show on Thursday, YouTube already works on about 350 million devices, including tablets, phones and televisions.

On mobile phones alone, consumers look at half a billion YouTube videos every day, a viewership rate that doubled in the space of about a year. As a result Kyncl declined to predict the growth rate for 2012 except to say that it would be rapid.

"We were wrong in our projections in this past year. We were too conservative," he said. "It's not just YouTube. Its Hulu or Netflix too. Whether its mobile tablets or TV. It will continue."

Unlike Netflix, YouTube currently depends on advertising for its revenue. The company does offer an online movie rental service on a smaller scale. Kyncl was coy about whether YouTube would ever expand into paid video services.

"I'll never say never. Anything's possible," he said but added that "Right now we're looking to execute on the deals we've struck last year."

Kyncl spent 2011 forging new partnerships with content providers to expand YouTube's offerings. YouTube has also reorganized its website to offer consumers video "channels" to cater to personal interests with an aim to making the site more appealing.

"On the product side we've started to reorganize the site around channels," he said. "On the content site we started to commission more and more channels for certain genres."

Kyncl said that from about 500 content provider proposals YouTube received last year, YouTube had signed on about 100 partners, with whom it shares advertising revenue.

The executive declined to say how the new content had changed viewerhip habits so far for the website, which attracts about 3 billion views per day. YouTube says that its users upload an average of 48 hours worth of content every minute.

Asked what kind of developments he wants to see at CES, Kyncl pointed to high-speed networks based on fourth-generation (4G) wireless data technology.

"The thing I wish for is faster and faster roll out of 4G networks," he said. "Having connectivity is what people crave. I just want more and more bandwidth."

(Reporting by Sinead Carew; Editing by Matt Driskill)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120110/wr_nm/us_ces_youtube

2011 bowl projections ndamukong suh ndamukong suh aptera aptera facebook ipo facebook ipo