Новости за 03.12.2015

The world's largest social network is testing a new feature that will enable its 1.5 billion users to use their smartphones to shoot video so other people can see what they are doing as it happens. The idea is to allow people to feel as if they are on the same beach on a Hawaiian vacation, in the same kitchen while testing out a new recipe, in the same living room unwrapping Christmas gifts, or in the same row singing together during the concert of a favorite band. The live video option also could... Читать дальше...

For weeks, ECB head Mario Draghi had indicated that the bank, the chief monetary authority for the 19 countries that use the euro, would act decisively to raise inflation and shield the region from a global slowdown, notably in China. Because the monthly cap of 60 billion euros in bond purchases was maintained, that will increase the overall size of the 1.1 trillion euro ($1.2 trillion) program by at least 360 billion euros. "Today's decisions were taken in order to secure a return of inflation rates towards levels that are below... Читать дальше...

Stephen Dixon, chief development officer for Children's Lighthouse, an educational childcare franchise company, said his company's two cruise conventions seemed to promote "more camaraderie" than land-based venues where participants scatter during free time. Where a land-based venue might charge extra for table linens, floral arrangements, audiovisual equipment and the like, that's all included on a cruise. Jeanna Steele, a partner in Sea Planners Group, said cruise ships also make it easy to reserve... Читать дальше...

The U.S. economy is looking healthier — a diagnosis likely to be confirmed on Friday, when the U.S. Labor Department reports on job creation and unemployment in November. On Thursday, the ECB cut a key interest rate and extended a bond-buying program through at least March 2017. The moves are meant to raise excessively low inflation, ease borrowing costs and prod consumers and businesses to borrow and spend. To get banks to lend, the ECB is actually penalizing them — more than it did before — for parking money at the central bank. Читать дальше...

This is a magnificent beer and one that, I fervently hope, will NOT be one of those inspired one-offs with which Stone annually tantalizes us.

House Roll Call: The 359-65 roll call Thursday by which the House passed a 5-year, $305 billion bill that boosts highway and transit spending and assures states that federal help will be available for major projects. A "yes" vote is a vote to pass the bill. Voting yes were 181 Democrats and 178 Republicans. Voting no were 0 Democrats and 65 Republicans. Republicans — Franks, N; Gosar, N; McSally, Y; Salmon, N; Schweikert, N. Democrats — Aguilar, X; Bass, Y; Becerra, Y; Bera, Y; Brownley, Y; Capps... Читать дальше...

Jubelale, the 2015 version, is the best Jubel yet. I have 22 versions of this ale stored in my freakish sense-memory and this new one is the best they've ever done with this glorious beer.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Is the U.S. job market finally healthy enough to lift Americans' long-stagnant pay? Employers have added a robust average of 206,000 jobs a month this year, more than enough to keep lowering the jobless rate over time. Even if hiring falls far short of those numbers, the Federal Reserve is widely expected to raise the short-term interest rate it controls for the first time in nine years after its next policy meeting Dec. 15-16. Some economists point to the lagging pay as evidence... Читать дальше...

Few match the conversations between Alfred Hitchcock and Francois Truffaut, but there are others, from interview-based books like "This Is Orson Welles" by Peter Bogdanovich, to great biographies like Elia Kazan's "A Life." [...] there are more being written all the time, like last year's "Five Came Back," an account of post-World War II Hollywood by Mark Harris. The great New York filmmaker goes through how he makes movies with the same straight-forward clarity as his films. First published in 1975 but frequently updated since... Читать дальше...

The Democrats from Seattle’s 36th District (Ballard, Queen Anne, Magnolia) were nominating new state Senate and House members on Wednesday night, even as another state House seat was on the verge of opening up in the neighboring 43rd District. With incumbent 36th District State Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles going to the King County Council, state Rep. Reuven Carlyle was picked by the Democrats to take her place. Kohl-Welles:  State senator sets off game of musical chairs by winning election to the King County Council. Читать дальше...

NEW YORK (AP) — "Hitchcock/Truffaut," one of the most essential books about moviemaking and a historic tete-a-tete between two of the greatest filmmakers (one a Hollywood veteran, the other a rising star of the French New Wave), began with a letter. The new documentary "Hitchcock/Truffaut" by critic, filmmaker and New York Film Festival head Kent Jones, is about that extraordinary meeting and its long reverberations through cinema. Though Hitchcock is now among the most revered directors ever (his... Читать дальше...

Story by Kendall Jones, via Washington Beer Blog. Story by Kendall Jones, via Washington Beer Blog. His is a familiar face around the Washington beer scene, and it has been for a long time. However, Kenny’s smiling face has been absent for the last couple years. Today I learned that Kenny “The Beer Man” DesMarets is returning to the industry as a sales... The post The Return of Kenny the Beer Man appeared first on Beer News.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California Supreme Court OKs consumer lawsuits contesting 'organic' labels on foods.

Black lung has no cure and causes significant breathing problems, degrading movement and sometimes leading to early death. Since there is no cure, Main said, the focus is on prevention. Main said some underground mines have been found not using the proper controls to mitigate dust. Since 2010, Federal inspectors found more than 30 mines violating safety laws by operating without sufficient dust controls, meaning miners could have been exposed to excess dust. Bruce Watzman, a spokesman for the National Mining Association... Читать дальше...

Two-term State Rep. Brady Walkinshaw, D-Wash., announced Thursday that he will run in 2016 against U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., a fellow Democrat and dean of Washington’s congressional delegation. Walkinshaw, 31, is a two-term lawmaker from Seattle’s 43rd District, where in 1970 Jim McDermott became the first Democratic legislator ever elected in what was then a moderate Republican bastion. “We cannot expect a change in Washington, D.C., unless we are willing to elect new kinds of leaders from... Читать дальше...

In the same age group, the demographic most highly coveted by advertisers, use of those devices fell 8 percent over the same period to a combined 16.6 million people per minute. The new Nielsen data doesn't break out time spent specifically on streaming TV, mainly because it doesn't distinguish video streaming on TV-connected devices from other activities like playing games. Since Nielsen inaugurated its tracking service in 1949, average daily TV viewing has grown steadily, from 4 hours and 35... Читать дальше...

Russian President Vladimir Putin called Thursday for "one powerful fist" to fight terrorism, hinted at more sanctions against Turkey and accused Western powers of creating "a zone of chaos." Putin didn't address efforts to start a peace process in Syria in his speech, focusing on the need to pool global efforts in the fight against terrorism following the attacks in Paris and the downing of a Russian passenger plane in Egypt. Moscow deployed long-range air defense missile systems to its base in... Читать дальше...

PUYALLUP, Wash. (AP) — One of Washington State Ferries largest ships is out of service after a cable or chain damaged its propeller shaft. Ferry officials say the 202-car ferry Puyallup, which has been working the Bainbridge route, will be out of service for weeks. It was pulled from service Wednesday and replaced by the 124-car Issaquah. Divers inspecting a leak found broken and missing bolts on the ferry's propeller shaft, which officials say is likely from something wrapping around it. Hazards for ferries include other vessels... Читать дальше...

Reed, a ranking member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, says he and fellow Democrats worked to remove language included in the previous House-passed bill that would have meant a cut in federal funding to the Rhode Island Public Transportation Authority of more than $8.5 million a year.

NRG Energy shares rose Thursday after the power company announced the resignation of long-time CEO David Crane and named a replacement. Crane said then in a statement from the company that it was creating value for shareholders by streamlining its fleet of generating stations.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks were moderately lower and European markets plunged Thursday after the European Central Bank announced stimulus plans that were less aggressive than investors were expecting. The European Central Bank announced a cut in one of its key interest rates in an attempt to stimulate lending and help a modest economic recovery. The negative rate is intended to push banks to lend excess cash by imposing a penalty for leaving it parked at the central bank's super-safe deposit facility. Читать дальше...

In testimony before the Joint Economic Committee, Yellen said further delays in a Fed rate hike could force the central bank to tighten credit too quickly later. The Fed has left its target for the federal funds rate, the interest that banks charge on overnight loans, near zero since December 2008 as it used ultra-low borrowing costs as a way to stimulate economic activity and fight the worst recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Yellen spoke shortly after the European Central Bank... Читать дальше...

BALTIMORE (AP) — Gov. Larry Hogan has announced a new 30-year contract between the state and Port of Baltimore global shipping and logistics company Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics. The new contract replaces a 20-year deal between the company and the Maryland Department of Transportation's Maryland Port Administration that was set to expire in 2021. The new contract means that Norway-based Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics will continue serving the port through 2045. The state says that in 2014 the port... Читать дальше...