Market ignores Europe, rises on U.S. data (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? U.S. stocks rose on Thursday, as signs of strength in the economy and higher-than-expected profit at FedEx outweighed more warnings about Europe.

The U.S. equity market continued its familiar back-and-forth rotation between optimism about the U.S. economy and fears that Europe's debt crisis could spark a global recession.

Lately the fear trade has been winning, as Wall Street fell to its lowest level in two weeks on Wednesday.

But FedEx Corp (FDX.N) boosted the market's sentiment. Shares shot up 8 percent to $82.47 after the package delivery company, viewed as an economic bellwether, reported stronger-than-expected quarterly profit.

The news from FedEx, along with two strong regional manufacturing surveys and other data, was welcomed after some high-profile companies recently warned about falling profits. On Thursday, Honeywell International (HON.N) said Europe's slowing economy would take a toll on orders. Honeywell's stock rose 1.7 percent to $52.41.

Tim Ghriskey, chief investment officer of Solaris Asset Management in Bedford Hills, New York, said the question for investors is whether the U.S. economy can grow if European economies stalled.

"Can the U.S. go it totally alone? No. But the rest of the world, with the exception of Europe, we are pretty positive about. We don't think it's going to fall apart," he said.

Data showed weekly applications for unemployment insurance fell to a 3-1/2 year low, while a gauge of New York state manufacturing activity rose to its highest level since May and another measure of factory activity in the mid-Atlantic region showed a surge in new orders.

The Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) was up 45.33 points, or 0.38 percent, at 11,868.81. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index (.SPX) was up 3.93 points, or 0.32 percent, at 1,215.75. The Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC) was up 1.70 points, or 0.07 percent, at 2,541.01.

Trading was volatile ahead of Friday's quadruple witching expiration when not only equity options expire, but also stock index futures, stock index options and individual stock futures.

Earlier, stocks pared some of their gains after Christine Lagarde, the head of the International Monetary Fund, said the world economic outlook is "quite gloomy" and will require action by all countries to head off an escalating crisis that carries risks of a global depression.

The market's gains were concentrated in defensive sectors such as utilities, suggesting uncertainty was causing risk-takers to put their portfolios in neutral as the week nears an end, said Chad Morganlander, portfolio manager at Stifel, Nicolaus & Co in Florham Park, New Jersey.

"Unfortunately austerity without a plan for structural changes will cap economic growth and potentially could bleed into earnings. Going into the new year, portfolio managers are squaring their books for that scenario," Morganlader said.

"There's a continued rotation into safety and stability in a global austerity environment."

Big-cap technology shares slipped, including Apple Inc (AAPL.O) off 0.3 percent to $378.94 and International Business machines (IBM.N), which fell 0.7 percent to $187.48.

Novellus Systems Inc (NVLS.O) jumped 16.3 percent to $40.37 a day after it agreed to be bought by larger rival Lam Research Corp (LRCX.O) for $3.3 billion in stock.

Michael Kors Holdings Ltd (KORS.N) shares jumped 21 percent to $24.20 in their debut on the New York Stock Exchange after the luxury goods company went public at $20 per share on Wednesday, above the expected range. The stock climbed as much as 25 percent to a session high at $25.23.

About 6.72 billion shares changed hands on the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE Amex and the Nasdaq. On the NYSE, advancers beat decliners by a ratio of 18 to 11, and on the Nasdaq, 13 shares rose for ever 10 that fell.

(Reporting by Angela Moon; Editing by Kenneth Barry)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/eurobiz/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111215/bs_nm/us_markets_stocks

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Howard Stern joins 'America's Got Talent'

Michael Loccisano / Getty Images

Radio personality Howard Stern is joining "America's Got Talent."

By Ree Hines

Shortly after the first rumors surfaced about the possibility of Howard Stern joining "America's Got Talent," the self-proclaimed King of All Media predicted that he'd outperform past panelist David Hasselhoff. While few Stern fans could doubt that, he'll soon have a chance to prove it to "Got Talent" viewers.

On Thursday morning, NBC announced that it's official: Stern will get a spot on the panel.

(FYI: TODAY.com is powered by msnbc.com, which is a joint venture between Microsoft and NBC Universal.)

Paul Telegdy, president of alternative and late night programming for NBC, said, "Howard Stern?s larger-than-life personality will bring a thrilling new dynamic to ?America?s Got Talent? starting this summer. He?s a proven innovator and his track record in broadcasting is truly remarkable. Howard is very passionate about this show and is fully committed to its future success.?

Stern will be stepping in to replace former "Got Talent" judge Piers Morgan, who decided the reality TV competition was just too much to juggle with his CNN show.

On Stern's Thursday morning Sirius XM radio show, the shock jock confirmed the news.

The show's official Twitter feed has since featured updates.

"Howard says he'll start shooting in February and actually be traveling the country to do the audition rounds. ?#H100 ?#AGT," one update read.

But once those auditions are over, Stern won't have to worry about hitting the road for the regular rounds. Production of the live show will travel to him in New York.

What do you think of the big announcement? Will Stern be a good fit for the show? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.

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Source: http://theclicker.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/15/9467697-its-official-howard-stern-joins-americas-got-talent

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Jury begins deliberations in Mass. terror trial (AP)

BOSTON ? A jury has begun deliberations in the trial of a Massachusetts man accused of conspiring to help al-Qaida.

Tarek Mehanna, a 29-year-old American from Sudbury, is accused of traveling to Yemen to try to find a terrorist training camp with the intention of going to Iraq to fight against U.S. soldiers. Prosecutors say that when he was unable to find a camp, he returned home and began translating and distributing online materials promoting violent jihad.

During closing arguments Friday, defense attorneys said that although Mehanna expressed anger about the U.S. invasion of Iraq, he never planned to go there to fight American soldiers. They said he wanted to study Islam and went to Yemen looking for religious schools.

Prosecutors argued that Mehanna "was motivated by and inspired by" al-Qaida leaders.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111216/ap_on_re_us/us_massachusetts_terror_charge

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Windows Phone 7.5 SMS bug breaks messaging hub, hard reset is the only remedy

An SMS message on your Windows 7.5 handset could knock messaging out cold, a one shot kill you can't prepare for. Apparently, WP devices that receive a text containing a certain string of characters will reboot and return with a non-functional messaging client which can only be restored via a hard reset. The flaw is not device-specific and has been found to affect other parts of the OS, locking up your handset if you've pinned a friend as a live tile and that buddy posts the magic bug words on Facebook or Windows Live Messenger. Fixing the problem requires quick tapping fingers, as you've got to remove the pinned tile after rebooting before it flips and freezes the phone again. Before you go abandoning WP7's ship, just know that SMS issues are a known phenomenon and have affected all the major mobile players, iOS and Android included. Until Microsoft releases a fix, cross your fingers and hang tight, but in the meantime, all you mobile masochists can see the bug in action after the break.

Continue reading Windows Phone 7.5 SMS bug breaks messaging hub, hard reset is the only remedy

Windows Phone 7.5 SMS bug breaks messaging hub, hard reset is the only remedy originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Dec 2011 23:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rick Perry Asks Voters to ?Have My Back in Iowa? (ABC News)

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Angelina Jolie sued over "Blood and Honey" plot (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) ? Angelina Jolie's directorial debut is continuing to create headaches for her.

The "Salt" actress is being sued by Croatian journalist and author James J. Braddock, who claims that the plot for the film was lifted from a 2007 article he wrote.

According to the suit, filed in federal court in Illinois, Braddock's story and "Blood and Honey" -- which Jolie wrote, in addition to directing -- tell a similar tale of a rape victim who comes to work as a servant in the camp occupied by the soldiers who have abused her.

"The subject work's main female character is subject to continuous abuse and rape by soldiers and officers in the camp. In addition to being raped continuously by soldiers and officers, she is forced to become a servant at the camp headquarters, a duty assumed by very few of the captives," the suit reads.

"The Motion Picture's main female character is also subject to continuous rape by soldiers and officers in the camp and subsequently becomes a servant at camp headquarters."

Claiming copyright infringement, Braddock -- who also goes by the name Josip J. Knezevic -- has requested a jury trial and is seeking unspecified damages.

GK Films, which is releasing the film, is also named.

Jolie was initially banned from filming in Bosnia, due to reports that the film would feature a rape victim who falls in love with her attacker. The filming permit was reinstated after Bosnia's culture minister was given the script for review.

"In the Land of Blood and Honey" is scheduled for a December 23 release.

A representative for Jolie did not immediately respond to TheWrap's request for comment.

(Pamela Chelin contributed to this report)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111205/film_nm/us_angelinajolie_lawsuit

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Could acute postpartum blues signal bipolar disorder? (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) ? Women treated for severe psychiatric conditions including major depression shortly after giving birth were more likely to be diagnosed as bipolar later in life compared to those whose first psychiatric episode happened at any other time, in a new study from Denmark.

Researchers said they didn't know if some postpartum depression or schizophrenia-like episodes were actually misdiagnosed bipolar disorder -- or if more women with those initial diagnoses developed bipolar disorder over time.

"We're looking at severe psychiatric episodes," said study author Trine Munk-Olsen, from Aarhus University. She noted that while "postpartum blues" are relatively common, severe depression and other acute psychiatric episodes requiring inpatient or outpatient clinic care only occur in about one in 1,000 new moms.

"The severe episodes are rare, but they are serious episodes and of course they should be taken seriously. You want these women to get help, no doubt," she told Reuters Health.

Bipolar disorder is characterized by alternating swings between severe depression and "mania," when a person is overly excited, happy and energized. It can be treated with medications including mood stabilizers and talk therapy.

The condition most often manifests in early adulthood, and the National Institute of Mental Health estimates six percent of the U.S. population has the disorder at some point in life.

Munk-Olsen said that previous studies have suggested giving birth may act as a trigger for a first overt episode of bipolar disorder. But few women are actually diagnosed as bipolar in the weeks after having a baby.

The researchers theorized that a severe psychiatric episode shortly after giving birth could be a signal of underlying bipolar disorder.

So they tracked women in Denmark for 15 years after their first psychiatric episode to see whether the timing of that episode -- shortly after childbirth or not -- predicted who would later get a bipolar diagnosis.

Using Danish registries, they found 120,000 women treated in an inpatient hospital or outpatient clinic for their first bout of severe depression or another psychiatric condition starting around 1970. Of those, 2,900 had those episodes within a year after giving birth to their first child.

That didn't include women with an initial diagnosis of bipolar disorder, since the researchers were interested in women with other psychoses that later became bipolar.

Over the next decade and a half, close to 3,100 of all women initially given a different diagnosis were ultimately diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Of women who had their initial psychiatric episode in the first month after giving birth, 14 percent were eventually diagnosed as bipolar. That compared to between four and five percent of women who were first treated in the rest of the year after giving birth or at any other time.

"It is likely that some of the women were misdiagnosed -- we cannot rule that out -- but it is likely that some of the women develop bipolar over time," Munk-Olsen said.

The results translate to a four-fold increase in the probability that a severe psychiatric episode in the month after giving birth, versus one that happens at some other time, will ultimately lead to a bipolar diagnosis. Among those with such early postpartum episodes, the patients admitted for inpatient psychiatric treatment were also twice as likely as those treated as outpatients to later be diagnosed as bipolar.

"Clinically these findings make absolute sense," said Dr. Verinder Sharma, an obstetrician and gynecologist who studies bipolar disorder at the University of Western Ontario in London, Canada. "We have seen that childbirth is a potent and specific trigger of bipolar disorder."

Sharma, who wasn't involved in the new study, told Reuters Health that hormone changes that occur during this time, as well as sleep loss, might trigger some women to develop bipolar symptoms, which could be misdiagnosed as depression or an anxiety disorder.

However, he said, there are still many questions about the role that having a baby plays in a woman's chance of becoming bipolar.

"We don't know whether these women have the illness because of childbirth, and if they didn't have children they would have gone without any episode of bipolar whatsoever," he said.

The findings also can't prove that postpartum depression, or giving birth itself, causes bipolar disorder, and the researchers didn't measure whether less severe, more common postpartum blues are linked to bipolar symptoms.

Still, they wrote Monday in the Archives of General Psychiatry that severe psychiatric symptoms which first show up soon after a woman has a baby should be added to the list of features that could increase the risk of bipolar disorder.

Doctors, Munk-Olsen told Reuters Health, should "think about when women have their onset, and you might have an indication that there is an underlying bipolar disorder. We want these women to be diagnosed correctly, in order to help them in the best way."

In particular, Sharma added, doctors who are treating women with new psychiatric symptoms after childbirth should rule out bipolar disorder before they think about treating with antidepressants, which could make certain bipolar symptoms worse.

"It's really important to think about the diagnosis of not just depression but of severe depression and definitely bipolar disorder in new moms who present with a sudden onset of mood symptoms," agreed Dr. Dorothy Sit, who studies mood disorders in women, including postpartum psychoses, at the University of Pittsburgh and wasn't involved in the new report.

"What this study's confirming is in the first 14 days if we identify patients with any of these symptoms we really need to get our patients into a setting for emergency psychiatric evaluation (and) early treatment for the primary disorder that's causing the symptoms," she told Reuters Health.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/glOGRP Archives of General Psychiatry, online December 5, 2011.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/diseases/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111205/hl_nm/us_acute_postpartum_blues

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