Betty White's 'Off Their Rockers' Revived at Lifetime (Exclusive)

Rick Floyd/NBC

"Off Their Rockers"

Lifetime is reviving Betty White's Off Their Rockers.

The female-skewing cable network has picked up 20 original half-hour episodes of the hidden-camera series, The Hollywood Reporter has learned exclusively.

White will return to host the third season of the series in 2014. A formal premiere date has not yet been determined.

STORY: NBC Cancels Betty White's 'Off Their Rockers'

The deal with producer Kinetic Content brings new episodes of the series to Lifetime, which has aired off-network repeats.

NBC aired the first two seasons of the series, which featured White overseeing the elderly playing pranks on younger folks in a hidden-camera fashion similar to Candid Camera. The show launched with a preview in April 2012 timed to an NBC special tribute for White's 90th birthday earning 12 million total viewers.

Following its 12-episode run from January to May 2012, NBC renewed the series for a second run of 14 installments, which started with back-to-back airings in January into February with its final four episodes airing March 19, June 25 and July 9.

PHOTOS: Behind-the-Scenes With Betty White and TV's Hilarious Comedy Actresses

Rockers' most recent in-season run -- which was used to help fill holes on the network and often held up well -- averaged a 1.5 rating with adults 18-49 and 5.3 million viewers. The series failed to really see an uptick when factoring in Live+Seven-Day numbers as the show didn't traditionally perform well with the DVR crowd.

Rockers marks the latest series to be spared the ax at Lifetime. The cable network revived America's Most Wanted for a 25th season after Fox dropped the John Walsh crime-fighting series after 24 runs. (Lifetime ultimately canceled the series in March.) The network also picked up ABC's Devious Maidsafter the network originally passed on the Marc Cherry drama. That series has already been renewed for a second season.

E-mail: Lesley.Goldberg@THR.com
Twitter: @Snoodit

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How To Read This Year's Rock Hall Nominations

Chic in 1977. From left to right, Bernard Edwards, Norma Jean Wright, Nile Rodgers and Tony Thompson.

Gilles Petard/Redferns

Chic in 1977. From left to right, Bernard Edwards, Norma Jean Wright, Nile Rodgers and Tony Thompson.

Gilles Petard/Redferns

If you look beyond the headlines that greeted this week's announcement of 16 nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — Nirvana, a foregone conclusion for first-round induction; KISS, long snubbed, getting its second shot at glory — you might notice that two Rock Hall records were quietly set. They tell you all you need to know about how this mysterious institution works.

The first involves '70s–'80s disco/R&B pioneer Chic. With this nomination, its eighth, Chic holds the current record for the most nominations for the Rock Hall without getting inducted. (The all-time record is still held by Solomon Burke, who went un-inducted nine times before finally getting in on his 10th nomination in 2001.) So officially, Chic co-founder and sole survivor Nile Rodgers is now the Susan Lucci of the Rock Hall.

The other record concerns the unusually large number of first-time nominees on this year's list. Artists become eligible for the Hall 25 years after the release of their first recording. For example, Nirvana just became eligible this year, a quarter-century after issuing the 1988 single "Love Buzz." Half of this year's list are first-timers, which in and of itself is not a record. There have been more in other years; in the Hall's first few years (starting in 1986), obviously most of the nominees were first-timers by default.

No, the record is this — seven of this year's eight debutantes have been eligible for the Hall for at least half a decade: Peter Gabriel, Hall and Oates, Link Wray, the Replacements, Linda Ronstadt, Yes and the Zombies. (Nirvana is this year's only debutante to get the nod in its first year of eligibility.)

If we omit the Replacements, who have "only" had to wait since 2006, the other half-dozen debutantes have all been eligible for more than a decade. (That means they released their first record at least 35 years ago.) This is unprecedented — the largest number of first-time nominees in a single year who have been Hall-eligible for more than 10 years. Let's call these six acts the Decade Debutantes.

How these two statistical anomalies came to pass reveals something about the two halves of the Rock Hall process: the opaque Nominating Committee, and the more mass-appeal (for good and ill) Voting Committee. Each has its biases, which leads to the sorts of snubs that drive music fans batty.

The Nominating Committee comprises about three dozen critics, editors, managers and a handful of stalwart musicians (Robbie Robertson, "Little" Steven Van Zandt and Lenny Kaye most prominently). They meet annually in a private cabal to debate and deliver the shortlist of nominees. They then open it up to the Voting Committee, which comprises several hundred voters. It's a more eclectic list — some critics and editors are included, but like the Actors' Branch that dominates Oscar voting, the Rock Hall voting body is overwhelmingly composed of music-makers, including virtually everyone who's been inducted in the Hall's three-decade history.

If you are a Chic fan looking to assign blame for its continued non-induction, the Nominating Committee actually deserves your thanks, and the Voting Committee, your scorn. Seven times, the small cabal has put Rodgers & co. before the voters, and seven times the voters have blown them off.

This reveals how both groups' collective minds work. With their music-nerd bona fides and known advocacy for R&B-based music, it's easier for the nominators to appreciate Chic — purveyors of "Le Freak" and "Good Times," inspiration for "Rapper's Delight," producers of Diana Ross, David Bowie, Debbie Harry and Madonna — than the voters, who are a closer proxy for the average rock fan. For them, the name "Chic" either draws a blank or, worse, evokes studio slickness and leisure suits. One imagines Rodgers' prominence this year on Daft Punk's smash "Get Lucky" might make this the year enough voters consider Chic worthy.

But let's be honest: the non-induction of Chic doesn't provoke much fan ire (save me and my poptimist-nerd friends). What makes your average rock fan really furious are the acts that never make it out of committee. This year's six Decade Debutantes are prime examples — until this year, they were all snubbed by the Nominating Committee and weren't offered to the wider Rock Hall voting body at all.

Last year's biggest headline-grabber was the most infamous Decade Debutante ever, the band Rush, who after years of fan resentment and 14 years of Hall eligibility was finally nominated by the cabal for the first time. The voters then inducted Rush instantly, on its very first ballot — suggesting the band would have been a shoo-in if the Hall had put them up a decade sooner.

This tells you something about the Nominators' biases. Infamously, they have issues with particular rock subgenres and are reluctant to reward, say, progressive rock or certain strains of metal and postpunk. This explains how, say, KISS went until 2009 without so much as a nomination, despite being eligible as far back as 1999; this year is only KISS' second time at the nomination rodeo.

Fans of Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley should count their blessings — KISS didn't wait as long for a nod as progressive-rock titan Yes, which this year finally earned a nod after 19 years of eligibility — an even longer wait than Rush's. Or consider poor Link Wray, power-chord pioneer, whose classic "Rumble" came out in 1958; he's been eligible since before the Hall of Fame launched, and he's been dead eight years.

Why is the Nominating Committee only now clearing its cupboard of snubbed acts? The cynic might say they're scraping the barrel of Boomer-friendly acts; with the likes of the Beatles and Eric Clapton long ago inducted, acts like Ronstadt or Wray start looking more attractive to them. The more optimistic assessment is that the Committee, which has grown somewhat in size and diversity over the last few years, is becoming more open-minded and sensitive to perceptions of the Hall as hidebound. If Hall and Oates or the Replacements finally warrant nods, the likes of the Monkees or the Smiths start to seem plausible.

In any case, for the Class of 2014, the Nominating Committee is now out of the way, and we're left only with the voters — who, let's not forget, are mostly insiders. (Since last year, the Hall has opened up voting to ordinary fans, but these votes result in a single "fan ballot" that is weighed against the hundreds of official voters' picks.)

How will the voters' biases — skewed toward more brand-name, mass-appeal acts — play out? Is Yes this year's Rush, with a silent majority of supporters who've been waiting decades for this nod? Have recent comeback tours by The Mats and Peter Gabriel rekindled appreciation, or are they still too marginal? Will the Hall's pattern of one rap act per year persist, and will that benefit the less threatening LL Cool J over N.W.A? Does Linda Ronstadt's recent claim of disinterest in the Rock Hall hurt her with voters — or, like the Sex Pistols, does she sound like a badass and get in anyway?

If I were a betting man, I'd lay odds on some combination of Nirvana, Yes, Ronstadt, Gabriel, Deep Purple, LL and, hopefully, Chic taking the podium early next year. But the ways of Rock Hall voters have been inscrutable before. Just ask Solomon Burke.

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2013/10/19/237169137/how-to-read-this-years-rock-hall-nominations?ft=1&f=1039
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Apple hires Burberry CEO to boost store sales

FILE - In this Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012, file photo, Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts speaks at the National Retail Federation's annual convention in New York. Apple said Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2013, that Ahrendts, who used technology to drive a remarkable turnaround at Burberry, will take charge of Apple's expansion plans and retail operation, as she will become a senior vice president at the company next spring. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

FILE - In this Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012, file photo, Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts speaks at the National Retail Federation's annual convention in New York. Apple said Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2013, that Ahrendts, who used technology to drive a remarkable turnaround at Burberry, will take charge of Apple's expansion plans and retail operation, as she will become a senior vice president at the company next spring. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Apple is entrusting the elegant stores that help define its brand to Angela Ahrendts, a respected executive who blended fashion sense with technological savvy to establish Burberry as a mark of luxury and success.

The hiring announced Tuesday is a coup for Apple Inc. Besides providing the Cupertino, Calif. company with another sharp mind, Ahrendts should help Apple deflect potential criticism about the lack of women in the upper ranks of its management.

Silicon Valley's long-running reliance on men to make key decisions has come into sharper focus as online messaging service Twitter Inc. prepares to go public. Twitter's closely scrutinized IPO documents called attention to the San Francisco company's all-male board of directors and the presence of just one woman in its executive inner circle.

Apple has one woman, former Avon Products Inc. CEO Andrea Jung, among the eight directors on its board.

Ahrendts will report directly to Apple CEO Tim Cook when she leaves Burberry to join Apple next spring in a newly created position of senior vice president of senior vice president in charge of retail and online stores.

In a memo sent Tuesday to Apple employees, Cook said he knew he wanted to hire Ahrendts from the time the two met in January and realized "she shares our values and our focus on innovation."

Ahrendts telegraphed her admiration of Apple in 2010 when The Wall Street Journal asked her if she was trying to mold Burberry into something similar to other luxury brands in the fashion industry.

"I don't look at Gucci or Chanel or anyone," Ahrendts told the Journal. "If I look to any company as a model, it's Apple. They're a brilliant design company working to create a lifestyle, and that's the way I see us."

Ahrendts' arrival comes at a crucial time for Apple and the stores that serve as the main showcase for its iPhones, iPads, iPods and Mac computers.

Like the rest of the company, Apple's stores aren't doing quite as well as they once were, primarily because tougher competition has forced the company to trim its prices.

For instance, in Apple's quarter ending in late June, average revenue per store declined 9 percent from the previous year to $10.1 million. Even more troubling, the retail division's operating profit for the quarter dropped 19 percent from last year to $667 million. Apple ended the period with 408 stores located in 13 countries.

The stores, which are staffed by nearly 42,000 workers, may have been suffering from a management void. Ron Johnson, a former Target Inc. executive credited for turning Apple's stores into a thriving operation, left the company in 2011 to become CEO of J.C. Penney Co. Johnson's successor, John Browett, left Apple in a management shake-up a year ago. Since then, the stores have been under the management of a lower-level executive and the senior vice president job remained vacant.

This will mark the first time that the Apple's senior vice president in charge of its brick-and-mortar stores also will be in charge of the company's online sales.

In his memo to Apple employees, Cook said he never had met an executive capable of doing both jobs until he got to know Ahrendts.

"She believes in enriching the lives of others and she is wicked smart," Cook wrote.

Ahrendts, 53, proved her ability to galvanize a well-established brand during the past seven years working in London as Burberry's CEO.

Burberry, established in 1856, was growing stale until Ahrendts came along to build upon the popularity of its trench coats by adding more flair and panache to the company's fashion line-up.

To help build buzz, the company brought more technology to the catwalk by streaming its fashion shows through online outlets such as Twitter. The strategy boosted Burberry's sales as Web surfers bought the fancy coats, shoes and bags the company previewed.

In the latest measure of Burberry's success under Ahrendts, the company's quarterly results released Tuesday disclosed that sales rose 14 percent to 1 billion pounds ($1.6 billion) in the first half of this year.

Ahrendts worked closely with Burberry's top creative officer, Christopher Bailey, who will become CEO when she leaves.

Although she is now a prominent fashion figure, Ahrendts comes from humble roots. She grew up in New Palestine, Indiana, which was a city with a population of about 2,000 in her youth. She graduated from Ball State University located about 50 miles from her home town.

___

Associated Press writer Danica Kirka in London contributed to this story.

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-10-15-Apple-Burberry/id-5313b6b1c1b74af38a7b6436fbf238ab
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Clark Gregg taps the action and humor of 'SHIELD'

NEW YORK (AP) — Like the character he plays, Clark Gregg has worked his way up the career ladder.

Five years ago, he played Agent Phil Coulson for the first time as a small role in the Robert Downey Jr. romp "Iron Man."

Now, after gaining an ever-higher profile as Coulson in subsequent projects including last year's mega-hit "The Avengers," Gregg has broken out as the star of "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," the new acronymic sci-fi thriller (airing on ABC Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EDT), which finds Coulson leading a hand-picked band of agents on their extra-special missions.

Gregg's own mission: to savor his spot as No. 1 on the "Marvel's Agents" call sheet after years of diverse, solid and often acclaimed work that, nonetheless, fell short of making him a household name.

Gregg, 51, has earned his new prominence. As Coulson, he projects a mild demeanor (except when he doesn't) and a boyish smile (except when he takes dead-aim with his weapon or busts a bad guy in the chops). He's a tangy blend of milquetoast and steel.

And he looks good, though not too good, in his habitual company-man business suit.

"Coulson never takes his suit off," said executive producer Maurissa Tancharoen, speaking from Los Angeles, "whether he's on the beach, in the jungle ..."

"But at the risk of spoilers," stepped in fellow exec producer Jed Whedon, "you will see him in a future episode — sans tie!"

Agent Coulson is also a master of the dry quip, courtesy of Gregg.

"No matter what the line, Clark always makes it sound so classy and cool," said Tancharoen.

"The show doesn't take itself too seriously," Gregg notes gratefully during a recent chat in New York, "except in the moments when it needs to. The rest of the time it has a real sense of humor. 'I'm going to Taser you and watch "Supernanny" while you drool into the carpet': That's just not the kind of line I've gotten playing an agent in something else," like, for instance, "The West Wing," where he had a recurring role as, yes, an FBI special agent.

It should come as no surprise that Gregg has a gift for comedy. From 2006 to 2010 he played the mild-mannered but flighty ex-husband of Julia Louis-Dreyfus on her CBS sitcom, "The New Adventures of Old Christine."

Now he gets to lead a team of sexy operatives from the (wait for it) Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division who investigate the extra-normal and superhuman people infesting their futuristic world.

Like "The Avengers," ''Marvel's Agents" boasts a comic-book soul and the creative mojo of Joss (brother of Jed) Whedon. Rounding out its cast are Brett Dalton, Ming-Na Wen, Iain De Caestecker, Elizabeth Henstridge and Chloe Bennet as Coulson's team.

"Coulson loves his job," says Gregg. "He's jaded, he's seen too much, but he can really geek out. You could imagine him doing selfies with crazy alien corpses! I'm making that up, but he's WAY into what he does."

So is Gregg.

"This show depicts a world that I loved as a kid," says Gregg, whose comic-book faves were Iron Fist, a Kung Fu superhero, and Adam Warlock, an artificial human built by scientists. "This show has given me a great chance to take my 13-year-old self to work with me every day."

Gregg has covered a great distance to get there. He studied drama at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where playwright David Mamet and actor William H. Macy were his teachers.

He later joined them to form New York's respected Atlantic Theater Company. He has written screenplays, including the 2000 Harrison Ford fright drama "What Lies Beneath." He has directed two films from his own screenplays, with his dark comedy "Trust Me" set for release next year.

Along the way, Gregg met actress Jennifer Grey.

"The universe threw us at each other a number of times," he says with a laugh, "but all our attempts at flirting nearly ended up in fistfights. Then, after four years of that, finally something clicked."

They wed in 2001.

When he first took on the role of Coulson, Gregg saw comics-bred cinema as a breed apart from the dramatic work he had done.

"I had worked with Mamet, Macy, ('West Wing' mastermind Aaron) Sorkin! I thought this would be different, that it would be slumming in a pop-culture world."

He now eschews such snobbery.

"When I see the connection that this kind of project has made with people on a global level, I realize that's what I got into acting for," he says. "I don't think there's a higher, more highbrow goal to hope for. After all, Shakespeare wasn't doing work for the queen, he was writing for a bunch of people chewing on disgusting sausages and talking back to the stage."

Gregg laughs and effects an apologetic air. "I don't mean to retroactively trash the sausage vendors of Elizabethan England!" he says. "I just destroyed their Yelp rating."

___

EDITOR'S NOTE — Frazier Moore is a national television columnist for The Associated Press. He can be reached at fmoore@ap.org and at http://www.twitter.com/tvfrazier .

___

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Americans Willing to Spend More to Remodel, Survey Says | AOL ...

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By Christine DiGangi

Americans are increasingly willing to spend on home renovations, according to a survey that says they are taking on more projects and plan to use more expensive materials throughout the process. Remodeling app Planese outlined in a news release the results of an online survey done with remodelormove.com, in which homeowners were asked roughly 70 questions about their plans to remodel their home or move to a new one. All 5,000 respondents were interested in making some sort of change.

The results indicate Americans are willing to spend 30 percent of their home's value to remodel, up from 25 percent in 2007 and 28 percent in 2010, though home prices were significantly higher in 2007 and lower in 2010 than they are now. People plan to spend an average of about $102,000 to renovate. How homeowners said they'd use that money offers more insight into the consumer mindset.

Based on the survey results, those looking to remodel increasingly plan to hire professionals for the work and use more expensive materials for the renovation. And as far as what they're remodeling, homeowners surveyed in 2013 are undertaking more expensive projects by favoring kitchen updates over bathrooms.

In the news release, Planese CEO and Co-Founder Dan Fritschen added context to the numbers. "Consumers are spending again, which bodes well for the entire home improvement industry," Fritschen said. "More people are feeling secure enough during this economic environment that they are remodeling."

Home improvement is more than enhancing the aesthetics and comfort of a house, because it can pay off in the long term by adding value to the property. No matter how you finance renovations -- personal loan, savings, home equity line of credit -- staying on budget is crucial.

How to Spend the Budget: Though 43 percent of those surveyed by Planese said that they planned to be hands-off in the remodeling process (up from 36 percent in 2010 and 2007), a little do-it-yourself work may free up cash for other parts of the project. Nearly two-thirds of homeowners said they planned to hire a general contractor, and 54 percent said they'd hire an architect, up from 64 percent and 47 percent in 2010, respectively.

The biggest jump in the data seems to be the growing preference for pricey products. In 2007, 9 percent of homeowners said they would use "expensive materials" (the term is undefined in the release), and in 2010 that share was 10 percent. Now, 17 percent expressed a preference for the finer goods. Renovations should be an investment, not a path to debt.

If you need to take out financing in the form of a home equity line of credit, a personal loan or a credit card, make sure you understand the impact that new credit can have on your credit score. (Credit.com's Credit Report Card will provide your free credit scores and let you see how adding a loan or credit card will impact your credit.)

More from Credit.com:
How to Stay on Budget With a Home Renovation
Can You Refinance to Remodel?
How to Get a Home Appraisal and Home Inspection

More on AOL Real Estate:
Find out how to calculate mortgage payments.
Find homes for sale in your area.
Find foreclosures in your area.
Find homes for rent.

Follow us on Twitter at @AOLRealEstate or connect with AOL Real Estate on Facebook.

Source: http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2013/10/15/survey-americans-spend-more-remodel/
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Imagining iPad 5: Lighter, thinner design, gold as standard

Analyzing rumors and speculation surrounding Apple's 5th generation iPad casing, color, and design

Looking back, the original iPad was thick, heavy, RAM-starved, and low resolution. It was also magnificent. A big iPhone, according to its detractors, unimaginative, and, of course, doomed. Turns out it was an iPhone gone IMAX, bigger but also broader, as imaginative as the person using it, and the next evolution of personal computing. But, thick and heavy. Apple fixed that somewhat with the iPad 2, regressed slightly with the iPad 3 and 4, and then showed the world a thinner, lighter future with the 7.9-inch iPad mini. The iPad mini was so light and thin it was impossible to look at it and not want the same design on the 9.7-inch iPad 5. And it looks like that just might be exactly what we get...

Barriers to lifting

The iPad mini is a fantastic device. Never you mind the screen is still standard density - for now - it's so small and so light it's very quickly become the tablet for many people. The size is important, of course. The ability to fit into purses and even pockets. But the weight is important to. The ability to hold the iPad mini up for longer periods of time just makes it better for everything from reading a book to watching a movie to surfing the web.

Yet size matters too. For many tasks, you want as big a screen as possible as well. Whether you're working on documents or reading a comic or catching up on a TV show, for the same reason people love big screens in the living room and theater, they love big screens in their hands.

Up until now, technology simply didn't allow for a 2048x1536 Retina display in a thin, light enclosure, with anything approaching 10 hours of battery life. All Apple could get was two of the three. For the iPad mini, that meant light and long-lasting, but not Retina. For the full-sized iPad, that meant Retina and long-lasting, but not light.

Going for all three requires more power efficient screen technology, including backlight, and more power efficient processors. Battery chemistry isn't getting better anywhere nearly quickly enough, but Apple is getting better at improving and sourcing everything around it.

If they can go from two LED backlights down to one, if they can use an Apple A7X and the Apple M7 coprocessor instead of the older Apple A6X, and if they can squeeze as much power to performance efficiency out of everything else, they have a shot at doing it.

A 9.7-inch iPad that's proportionately as thin and light as the iPad mini, will let everyone who wants a bigger canvas to work and play on to have it. It won't be as light as the mini, but it won't be anywhere nearly as heavy as past full-sized models as well. Many people may still choose the much more pocketable iPad mini, but it'll give everyone who really wants the bigger screen and much better, much more usable package for it as well.

Metallics unfinished

With the iPhone 5s Apple kept the same silver and white finish they used on last year's iPhone 5, but they switched the old slate and black to a new space gray, and added an entirely new gold and white finish to the mix. In a tock year where the iPhone didn't change design, it turns out the appearance of change was even more important. People flocked to the gold.

The 9.7-inch iPad has never had multiple metallic options. The original faceplate came in your choice of black or black, and subsequent models have come in your choice of black and white. All with the same, stately, aluminum backplate.

The iPad mini, however, got the same white and silver and black and slate options as the iPhone 5. So, if the full-sized iPad is taking on the same design language as the iPad mini, and the rest of the line, it makes sense it'll take on the same finishes as well.

Slate was a hard color to anodize, and it was prone to all sorts of chips and scratches. Space gray should be far more resilient, and isn't exactly bad looking either. The iPad 5 going from slate to space is a no-brainer.

Gold, however, still requires much brain. Apple has tended towards uniformity of color across their product lines in the past, and it's certainly possible they'll do so again and push gold out across their premium product line. Gold is an easy color to produce, and Apple proven they can do it and do it well. It looks great on the iPhone 5s, but would it look great at full-sized iPad scale? Would it be more gold to love, or too much of a gold thing?

iPad (5th gen)
Apple's full-sized tablet gets slimmed down. Rumored features include:

• Touch ID fingerprint sensor
• A7X custom processor
• Improved LTE 4G support
• FaceTime HD camera
• iOS 7 software

Complete preview >

Anticipated
October, 2013

Current
iPad mini, iPad 4

Replacement
iPad 6
Fall, 2014

Resources
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FDA rejects again Alimera eye implant; shares plunge

(Reuters) - Alimera Sciences Inc said U.S. health regulators rejected for a third time its eye implant device due to safety concerns, sending its shares down as much as 39 percent.

Shares of pSivida Corp, which sold the rights to Iluvien to Alimera in 2005 but is in line for a 20 percent share of profits, also dropped as much as 39 percent.

"We view running a new clinical trial as unrealistic, since it will require significant capital that Alimera does not currently have," Cowen and Co analyst Simos Simeonidis wrote in a client note.

As of June 30, 2013, Alimera had about $31.9 million in cash and cash equivalents.

Iluvien, used to treat retinal swelling brought on by diabetes, has been approved by some European regulators but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has rejected it three times in the past three years.

The FDA raised concerns about the eye implant's safety profile in its complete response letter rejecting marketing approval, the company said on Friday. Marketing approval is the final OK needed to start selling a medical device in the United States.

The FDA also referred to deficiencies at the facility where Iluvien is manufactured, Alimera said.

Alimera said it did not believe that these deficiencies will affect its European commercial supply.

The FDA suggested at least 12 months of follow-up for all enrolled patients in a new trial and a meeting with the regulator's advisory panel to address the deficiencies.

Cowen and Co's Simeonidis said he found the panel meeting "rather unusual, and as a theoretical positive for Alimera, since it does leave the door open for something good to come out."

The panel would advise whether a patient population can be identified in which the benefits of the drug might outweigh the risks, the FDA said. The panel will convene on January 27.

In the second quarter ended June 30, Alimera generated revenue for the first time from its only commercial product Iluvien. The company reported revenue of $179,000.

Iluvien is a sustained-release implant used to treat vision impairment associated with chronic diabetic macular oedema.

Alimera shares were down 23 percent at $2.08, while pSivida shares were down 22 percent at $2.97 on the Nasdaq in early-afternoon trading.

(Reporting by Shailesh Kuber; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila, Rodney Joyce and Maju Samuel)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fda-denies-approval-alimeras-eye-implant-shares-fall-112712681--finance.html
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Same-sex marriages to begin Monday in New Jersey

File-This Aug. 23, 2013 file photo shows Santa Fe County Commissioner Liz Stefonics, left, and Linda Siegle, a lobbyist for Equality New Mexico, holding hands after they were married in the Santa Fe County Commission Chambers, in Santa Fe, N.M. Siegle was first in line to get a marriage license with her partner of 22 years when the Santa Fe County clerk started in late August to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples. Now she’s waiting to see whether New Mexico’s highest court will legalize gay marriage in all 33 counties statewide. (AP Photo/The Albuquerque Journal, Eddie Moore,FILE) THE SANTA FE NEW MEXICAN OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT: EDDIE MOORE/THE ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL

File-This Aug. 23, 2013 file photo shows Santa Fe County Commissioner Liz Stefonics, left, and Linda Siegle, a lobbyist for Equality New Mexico, holding hands after they were married in the Santa Fe County Commission Chambers, in Santa Fe, N.M. Siegle was first in line to get a marriage license with her partner of 22 years when the Santa Fe County clerk started in late August to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples. Now she’s waiting to see whether New Mexico’s highest court will legalize gay marriage in all 33 counties statewide. (AP Photo/The Albuquerque Journal, Eddie Moore,FILE) THE SANTA FE NEW MEXICAN OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT: EDDIE MOORE/THE ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL

FILE - This undated file image provided by Lambda Legal shows plaintiffs Beverly Sevcik, 73, right, and Mary Baranovich, 76. A gay rights advocacy group is appealing a federal judge’s ruling that upheld Nevada’s constitutional ban against same-sex marriage. The appeal filed Friday, Oct. 18, 2013, by Lambda Legal on behalf of eight Nevada couples, including Baranovich and Sevcik, asks the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco to overturn a decision last year by U.S. District Judge Robert Jones in Reno. (AP Photo/Lambda Legal, File)

FILE - In this Thursday, Feb. 22, 2007 file photograph, Lambertville Mayor David Del Vecchio performs a civil union ceremony for Beth Asaro, left, and Joanne Schailey, right, at the Lambertville Municipal Court just after 12 a.m., in Lambertville, NJ. On Friday, Oct. 18, 2013, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled, same-sex marriages will begin within days in New Jersey after the state's highest court ruled unanimously Friday to uphold a lower-court order that gay weddings must start Monday and to deny a delay that was sought by Gov. Chris Christie's administration. Asaro and Schailey plan to be married at 12:01 Monday morning. ( AP photo/Mel Evans)

Same-sex marriages can begin within days in New Jersey after the state's highest court ruled unanimously Friday to uphold an order that they must start Monday and to deny a delay that had been sought by Gov. Chris Christie's administration.

The ruling puts New Jersey on the cusp of becoming the 14th state — and the third most populous among them — to allow same-sex marriage. The advocacy group Freedom to Marry said that as of Monday, one-third of Americans will live in a place where same-sex marriage is legal.

"The state has advanced a number of arguments, but none of them overcome this reality: Same-sex couples who cannot marry are not treated equally under the law today," the court said in an opinion by Chief Justice Stuart Rabner. "The harm to them is real, not abstract or speculative."

A judge on a lower court had ruled last month that New Jersey must recognize same-sex marriage and set Monday as the date to allow weddings. Christie, a Republican who is considered a possible 2016 presidential candidate, appealed the decision and asked for the start date to be put on hold while the state appeals.

A spokesman for Christie said that he will comply with the ruling, though he doesn't like it.

"While the governor firmly believes that this determination should be made by all the people of the State of New Jersey, he has instructed the Department of Health to cooperate with all municipalities in effectuating the order," spokesman Michael Drewniak said in a statement.

Same-sex marriage is being debated elsewhere. Oregon has begun recognizing same-sex weddings performed out of state, and it is likely that voters will get a chance next year to repeal the state's constitutional ban on gay marriage. The Hawaii Legislature also soon could take up a bill to legalize same-sex unions, while a similar measure has passed the Illinois Senate but not the House. Lawsuits challenging gay marriage bans also are pending in several states, including Michigan, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

New Jersey's top court agreed last week to take up the appeal of the lower-court ruling. Oral arguments are expected Jan. 6 or 7.

In Friday's opinion, Rabner wrote that the state has not shown that it is likely to prevail in the case, though it did present some reasons not to marriage to move forward now.

"But when a party presents a clear case of unequal treatment, and asks the court to vindicate constitutionally protected rights, a court may not sidestep its obligation to rule for an indefinite amount of time," he wrote. "Under these circumstances, courts do not have the option to defer."

Rabner also rejected the state's argument that it was in the public interest not to allow marriages until the court has had more time to rule fully on the issue.

"We can find no public interest in depriving a group of New Jersey residents of their constitutional right to equal protection while the appeals process unfolds," he wrote.

For those opposed to gay marriage, denying the request to delay was troubling.

"In what universe does it make sense to let the question at hand be answered before it's asked or argued?" Len Deo, president of the New Jersey Family Policy Council, said in a letter Friday to members.

On Thursday, some communities started accepting applications for marriage licenses from same-sex couples so that they would pass the 72-hour waiting period by 12:01 a.m. Monday.

Several communities, including Asbury Park, Lambertville and Newark — where Cory Booker, who was elected Wednesday to the U.S. Senate, is mayor — are holding ceremonies for multiple couples then.

"It's a great day to be gay in New Jersey," said Amy Quinn, a member of the city council in Asbury Park who is planning to marry Heather Jensen, her partner of 10 years, on Monday.

The court did not address the question of what would happen to the status of same-sex marriages entered into next week if it later decides that the state does not have to grant the marriages.

Whether gay couples should have the right to marry in New Jersey has been the subject of a battle in the state's courts and Legislature for a decade. There has been a flurry of movements in both venues since June, when the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated key parts of a federal law that prevented the federal government from recognizing same-sex unions.

Since then, gay rights advocates have asked New Jersey judges to force the state to recognize same-sex marriage, arguing that the current policy of civil unions but not marriage licenses amounts to denying them federal protections such as Social Security survivor benefits and the right to file tax returns jointly.

Since July, gay rights groups have also engaged in an intense campaign aimed at persuading lawmakers to override Christie's 2012 veto of a bill that would have allowed gay marriage. To get an override, the Legislature must act by Jan. 14.

Sheila Oliver, speaker of the state Assembly, issued a statement blaming Christie for not having gay marriage sooner in New Jersey.

"It's a shame it took this long to get to this point and that it took a court fight for same-sex couples to gain equal rights," she said. "New Jersey could have had marriage equality already if it wasn't for Gov. Christie, who has done everything he could to prevent this from happening, including wasting money and time continuing this court battle."

___

Follow Mulvihill at http://www.twitter.com/geoffmulvihill

___

Mulvihill reported from Haddonfield, N.J. Contributed to this report were Associated Press writers Samantha Henry in Newark, Mark Sherman in Washington and David Crary in New York.

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-10-18-Gay%20Marriage-NJ/id-106d480bb0ed4ec4bb885f41a9a77d71
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Mexico's 'Prison Angel', Sister Antonio Brenner, Dies At 86

Sister Antonia Brenner touches the statue of San Pablo Encandenado (St. Paul chained) outside the chapel at the La Mesa State Penitentiary in a photograph taken in 2005.

Lenny Ignelzi/AP

Sister Antonio Brenner, a twice-divorced mother of seven turned "prison angel" who spent the last three decades of her life ministering to inmates at a Mexican penitentiary, has died at 86.

Brenner moved into a 10-by-10 cell at Tijuana's notorious La Mesa penitentiary, where she came to be known as 'La Mama' by the prisoners, who she called her children. She spent her time "mending broken lives, easing tensions and dispensing everything from toothbrushes to bail money," according to The Los Angeles Times.

The Times says:

"She was born Mary Clarke in Los Angeles on Dec. 1, 1926, to Irish immigrant parents. Her father grew wealthy running an office supply business, and the family counted Hollywood stars such as Cary Grant among their neighbors. She married and raised four daughters and three sons, all the while becoming deeply involved in charity work.

In 1977, after her children were grown and two marriages had ended in divorce — a source of sadness that she rarely talked about — Brenner gave away her expensive clothes and belongings, left her Ventura apartment and moved to La Mesa penitentiary. She had delivered donations in the past to the prison, each visit filling her with compassion.

'Something happened to me when I saw men behind bars. ... When I left, I thought a lot about the men. When it was cold, I wondered if the men were warm; when it was raining, if they had shelter,' Brenner told The Times in a 1982 interview. 'I wondered if they had medicine and how their families were doing. ...You know, when I returned to the prison to live, I felt as if I'd come home.'"

The San Diego Tribune adds:

"With her small frame, sunny disposition, and heavily accented Spanish, she delved fearlessly into a world riddled with poverty and violence, once quelling a riot by walking into the darkened penitentiary taken over by armed and angry inmates.

She urged guards to respect the petty thieves, rapists, murderers and drug traffickers in their custody, speaking out against beatings and torture of inmates. But she also reached out to those in law enforcement, raising funds for the families of those killed in the line of duty.

'I think prison freed me,' she once said in an interview."

Brenner was the subject of a book, The Prison Angel: Mother Antonio's Journey From Beverly Hills To A Life Of Service In A Mexican Jail and a 2010 documentary, La Mama: An American Nun's Life in a Mexican Prison.

The Times says she established her own religious order, the Eudist Servants of the Eleventh Hour, in the late 1990s. The newspaper quotes Tijuana Archbishop Rafael Romo as saying Brenner possessed the qualities of a saint and that her death was a "terrible loss."

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/10/18/236990583/mexicos-prison-angel-sister-antonio-brenner-dies-at-86?ft=1&f=1001
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Watch The Grossest, Goriest Scenes In Film With This Very Bloody Supercut

From 'Fargo' to 'Cabin in the Woods,' we've compiled the bloodiest of the bloody.


By Kase Wickman

Source:
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1715828/halloween-bloody-movies-supercut.jhtml

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Woody Allen's new film: 'Magic in the Moonlight'

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Woody Allen has given his next film a name.

Continuing his European intrigue, "Magic in the Moonlight" is set in southern France and stars Colin Firth, Emma Stone, Eileen Atkins, Marcia Gay Harden, Hamish Linklater, Simon McBurney and Jacki Weaver. Co-stars include Erica Leerhsen, Catherine McCormack, Paul Ritter and Jeremy Shamos.

The Gravier Productions film is being produced by Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum. They've worked on a number of Allen's films, from his latest "Blue Jasmine" to 2001's "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion."

Allen has delivered a full-length feature every year since 1982. "Magic in the Moonlight" marks his 47th time in the director's chair and his first time casting both Firth and Stone.

The film has already begun production and is tentatively set to release in 2014.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/woody-allens-film-magic-moonlight-211959766.html
Category: Cameron Bay   ben affleck   Beyonce Haircut   Betty Pino   JJ Cale  

Mathematical study of photosynthesis clears the path to developing new super-crops

Public release date: 17-Oct-2013
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Contact: Simon Levey
s.levey@imperial.ac.uk
44-020-759-46702
Imperial College London

How some plant species evolved super-efficient photosynthesis had been a mystery. Now, scientists have identified what steps led to that change.

Around three per cent of all plants use an advanced form of photosynthesis, which allows them to capture more carbon dioxide, use less water, and grow more rapidly. Overall this makes them over 50% more efficient than plants that use the less efficient form.

A new study has traced back the evolutionary paths of all the plants that use advanced photosynthesis, including maize, sugar cane and millet, to find out how they evolved the same ability independently, despite not being directly related to one another.

Using a mathematical analysis, the authors uncovered a number of tiny changes in the plants' physiology that, when combined, allow them to grow more quickly; using a third as much water as other plants; and capture around thirteen times more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Together, these individual evolutionary advances make up a 'recipe' that could be used to improve key agricultural crops that only use the less efficient form. The study's authors say this knowledge could be used to breed super-crops such as faster growing, drought-resistant rice.

The research was led by mathematician Dr Iain Johnston from Imperial College London and plant biologist Dr Ben Williams from the University of Cambridge, and is published in the journal eLife. They came together to test whether a new mathematical model of evolution could be used to unpick the evolutionary pathways that led to the advanced photosynthesis.

"My main interest is in using tools from maths to make some concrete progress in a problem of real biological and social value," said Dr Johnston. "Encouragingly for the efforts to design super-efficient crops, we found that several different pathways lead to the more efficient photosynthesis so there are plenty of different recipes biologists could follow to develop to achieve this."

Dr Julian Hibberd from the University of Cambridge, the final author on the paper, added: "This is not only an interesting mathematical result, it should help biological scientists to develop crops with significantly improved yields to feed the world. Like the proverbial roads that all lead to Rome, Ben and Iain have shown that there are many routes taken by plants in the evolutionary process."

The next step for the biologists is to recreate the natural evolution of the more advanced photosynthesis by mirroring the genetic and physiological changes in simple laboratory plants, and eventually in rice.

###

"Phenotypic landscape inference reveals multiple evolutionary paths to C4 photosynthesis" was published by Ben P Williams, Iain G Johnston, Sarah Covshoff and Julian M Hibberd in eLife DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.00961

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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.

Public release date: 17-Oct-2013
[


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Contact: Simon Levey
s.levey@imperial.ac.uk
44-020-759-46702
Imperial College London

How some plant species evolved super-efficient photosynthesis had been a mystery. Now, scientists have identified what steps led to that change.

Around three per cent of all plants use an advanced form of photosynthesis, which allows them to capture more carbon dioxide, use less water, and grow more rapidly. Overall this makes them over 50% more efficient than plants that use the less efficient form.

A new study has traced back the evolutionary paths of all the plants that use advanced photosynthesis, including maize, sugar cane and millet, to find out how they evolved the same ability independently, despite not being directly related to one another.

Using a mathematical analysis, the authors uncovered a number of tiny changes in the plants' physiology that, when combined, allow them to grow more quickly; using a third as much water as other plants; and capture around thirteen times more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Together, these individual evolutionary advances make up a 'recipe' that could be used to improve key agricultural crops that only use the less efficient form. The study's authors say this knowledge could be used to breed super-crops such as faster growing, drought-resistant rice.

The research was led by mathematician Dr Iain Johnston from Imperial College London and plant biologist Dr Ben Williams from the University of Cambridge, and is published in the journal eLife. They came together to test whether a new mathematical model of evolution could be used to unpick the evolutionary pathways that led to the advanced photosynthesis.

"My main interest is in using tools from maths to make some concrete progress in a problem of real biological and social value," said Dr Johnston. "Encouragingly for the efforts to design super-efficient crops, we found that several different pathways lead to the more efficient photosynthesis so there are plenty of different recipes biologists could follow to develop to achieve this."

Dr Julian Hibberd from the University of Cambridge, the final author on the paper, added: "This is not only an interesting mathematical result, it should help biological scientists to develop crops with significantly improved yields to feed the world. Like the proverbial roads that all lead to Rome, Ben and Iain have shown that there are many routes taken by plants in the evolutionary process."

The next step for the biologists is to recreate the natural evolution of the more advanced photosynthesis by mirroring the genetic and physiological changes in simple laboratory plants, and eventually in rice.

###

"Phenotypic landscape inference reveals multiple evolutionary paths to C4 photosynthesis" was published by Ben P Williams, Iain G Johnston, Sarah Covshoff and Julian M Hibberd in eLife DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.00961

---

[


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]

 

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.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-10/icl-mso101713.php
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Obama to GOP: 'Win an Election' to Change Policy (ABC News)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

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Elon Musk Is Secret Buyer Who Spent $866K On James Bond's Lotus Sub

The mysterious 'collector' who spent $866,000 on the James Bond Lotus submarine from The Spy Who Loved Me was none other than billionaire investor and Tesla CEO Elon Musk Jalopnik has exclusively learned. That makes perfect sense.

Read more...

Source: http://jalopnik.com/elon-musk-is-secret-buyer-who-spent-866k-on-james-bon-1446999712/@barrett
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Danaher Management Discusses Q3 2013 Results - Earnings Call Transcript

Danaher (DHR) Q3 2013 Earnings Call October 17, 2013 8:00 AM ET

Executives

Matt R. McGrew - Vice President of Investor Relations

H. Lawrence Culp - Chief Executive Officer, President, Director, Member of Finance Committee and Member of Executive Committee

Daniel L. Comas - Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President

Analysts

Charles Stephen Tusa - JP Morgan Chase & Co, Research Division

Scott R. Davis - Barclays Capital, Research Division

Steven E. Winoker - Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., LLC., Research Division

Nigel Coe - Morgan Stanley, Research Division

Jeffrey T. Sprague - Vertical Research Partners, LLC

Jonathan P. Groberg - Macquarie Research

Shannon O'Callaghan - Nomura Securities Co. Ltd., Research Division

Julian Mitchell - Crédit Suisse AG, Research Division

S. Brandon Couillard - Jefferies LLC, Research Division

Deane M. Dray - Citigroup Inc, Research Division

Ross Muken - ISI Group Inc., Research Division

Operator

Good morning. My name is Debbie, and I will be your conference facilitator today. At this time, I would like to welcome everyone to the Danaher Corporation Third Quarter 2013 Earnings Results Conference Call. [Operator Instructions] I would now like to turn the call over to Mr. Matt McGrew, Vice President of Investor Relations. Mr. McGrew, you may begin your conference.

Matt R. McGrew

Good morning, everyone, and thanks for joining us. On the call today are Larry Culp, our President and Chief Executive Officer; and Dan Comas, our Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.

I'd like to point out that our earnings release, a slide presentation supplementing today's call, our third quarter Form 10-Q and the reconciling and other information required by SEC Regulation G relating to any non-GAAP financial measures provided during the call are all available in the Investors section of our website, www.danaher.com, under the heading Financial Information, Quarterly Earnings, and will remain available following the call.

The audio portion of this call will be archived on the Investors section of our website later today under the heading Investor Events and will remain archived until our next quarterly call. A replay of this call will also be available until October 24, 2013. The replay number is (888) 203-1112 in the U.S. and (719) 457-0820 internationally. Confirmation code is 1705356.

During the presentation, we'll describe certain of the more significant factors that impacted year-over-year performance. Please refer to the supplemental materials and our third quarter Form 10-Q for additional factors that impacted year-over-year performance. Unless otherwise noted, all references in these remarks and accompanying presentation of earnings, revenues and other company-specific financial metrics relate to the third quarter of 2013 and relate only to the continuing operations of Danaher's business. And all references to period-to-period increases or decreases in financial metrics are year-over-year.

I'd also like to note that we may make some statements during the call that are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities law, including statements regarding events or developments that we believe or anticipate will or may occur in the future. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including those set forth in our SEC filings. It is possible that actual results might differ materially from any forward-looking statements that we make today. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date that they are made, and we do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events and developments or otherwise.

With that, I'll turn the call over to Larry.

H. Lawrence Culp

Matt, thanks. Good morning, everyone. Another very good quarter for Danaher. Our team continues to execute well, taking advantage of the strength of our portfolio and the Danaher Business System to deliver solid core growth, margin and cash flow performance.

Revenues grew 5.5% to $4.7 billion with core revenues up 3%. Acquisitions increased revenues by 3% while currency translation decreased revenues by 0.5 point. The investments we've been making in new product development and sales and marketing initiatives, particularly the rapidly expanding digital world, are driving growth and share gains across many of our businesses. Radiometer, Leica Biosystems, ChemTreat, Gilbarco, Leica Microsystems and Videojet are among the businesses that we believe increased their relative market share this quarter.

From a geographic perspective, high-growth markets grew mid-single-digits. China delivered low single-digit growth led by our Dental, Water Quality and Life Sciences & Diagnostics platforms. Most of our industrial businesses continue to see sales declines in China. Developed markets improved sequentially from the first half of the year, while year-over-year, Japan grew mid-single-digits, the U.S. was up low single-digits and Western Europe was slightly positive.

Our gross margin was 51.9% and gross profit improved $145 million. This increase, along with our holding G&A essentially flat, allowed us to grow our combined R&D and sales and marketing investments faster than our sales growth rate. We delivered outstanding margin expansion this quarter with our core operating margin increasing 110 basis points and reported operating margin improving 30 basis points to 17.4%. Our free cash flow to net income conversion was 139% in the quarter and we're still driving towards $3 billion of free cash flow for the full year.

We remain active and optimistic on the M&A front. During the first 9 months of the year, we closed more than $850 million of acquisitions, primarily in our Environmental, Industrial Technologies and Life Sciences & Diagnostics segments. We've had a number of constructive conversations with companies across all of our growth platforms and remain confident in our ability to deploy the $8 billion of potential M&A capacity available through 2014 in a strategic yet disciplined way.

Turning to our 5 operating segments. Test & Measurement core revenues were flat as growth in our mobile tool distribution business was offset by modest declines in both our instruments and communications platforms. Both core growth -- both core and reported operating margin decreased 90 basis points, primarily due to the impact of targeted growth spending, including the expansion of our network monitoring systems for next-generation LTE networks and our DdoS security offerings for our enterprise and service provider customers. Instruments core revenues declined slightly.

At Fluke, core revenues were flat as increased demand for our industrial products in the U.S. and Western Europe was offset by pockets of weakness in certain high-growth markets. Fluke has generated more than $100 million of revenue from new products introduced since the beginning of last year, including additions to our power quality thermography and calibration lines. These new products, along with productivity and cost-reduction initiatives, helped drive more than 100 basis points of gross margin expansion in the quarter. At Tektronix, core sales declined slightly as low single-digit growth in developed markets was more than offset by weakness in our China export business where we primarily serve the technology sector.

Communications core revenues declined at a low single-digit rate as strong demand for security applications in North America and Western Europe was more than offset by a decline at our network management solutions business in the same regions. Encouragingly though, bookings were up double-digit in the quarter and we expect core growth rates to accelerate in the fourth quarter. New products introduced within the last 18 months, including Arbor's Pravail enterprise security software and Fluke Networks' TruView network performance monitoring solution, accounted for more than 25% of the total third quarter platform revenue and are steadily building momentum. During the quarter, Arbor closed the acquisition of Packetloop, a developer of big data security and forensic analytics used to provide enterprises with enhanced advanced threat detection during cyber attacks. Packetloop's capabilities complement Arbor's Pravail and Peakflow products, further extending our DdoS-centric solutions toward a broader suite of advanced threat analytics.

Turning to our Environmental segment. Revenues increased 10% with core revenues up 4.5%. The segment core operating margin improved 60 basis points with reported operating margin down 80 basis points due to the dilutive effect of recent acquisitions. Our Water Quality platform's core revenues increased at a mid-single-digit rate, in part due to an improvement in North American municipal project activity at both Hach and Trojan. Hach has now seen 3 sequential quarters of U.S. municipal spending increases. Sales in China continued to grow at a double-digit rate.

Trojan's orders were up high single-digits due to several large wastewater project wins, including the city of Chicago, one of several large U.S. cities now deploying UV technology in their treatment facilities. At ChemTreat, we continue to grow faster than the market and achieved another milestone as quarterly revenue surpassed $100 million for the first time. Gilbarco Veeder-Root's core revenues grew at a mid-single-digit rate, led by demand for our payment solutions, which grew more than 25% in the quarter due to significant customer wins in Asia and Australia.

During the quarter, we expanded our highly popular Encore product line with a new compressed natural gas dispenser, which allows us to help retailers capitalize on the growing trend toward alternative fuels while also delivering superior safety features and seamless monitoring. In the quarter, we acquired Teletrac, further building out our smart transport business. Teletrac complements the previous acquisition of Navman Wireless by providing increased access to the U.S. market and key verticals, including long-haul trucking.

Moving to Life Sciences & Diagnostics. Revenues increased 10.5% with core revenues up 6%. Core operating margin was up 285 basis points, while our reported operating margin decreased 200 -- while our reported operating margin increased 250 basis points to 14.7%. Core revenues in Diagnostics grew mid-single-digits. At Beckman Coulter Diagnostics, core revenues were up low single-digits with growth in all major product lines, particularly clinical automation and immunoassay. We've seen low single-digit core growth or better for the last 6 quarters and the business is becoming more competitive each day.

As many of you know, during the quarter, we received FDA 510(k) clearance for the Access troponin assay for use on the DxI series of immunoassay systems. This clearance marks an important milestone for our customers and the Beckman Coulter team. For the first time since 2010, Beckman can offer the troponin assay to existing and new customers in the U.S. for use on all of our immunoassay and integrated chemistry and immunoassay systems.

With both troponin approvals received and many other regulatory and quality improvements made, we're better positioned to focus on retaining existing and winning new customers and to more effectively and actively increase growth investments in the business. We've launched several significant new products in the last year, including the AU 5800 and the DxH 600, and are investing in new product development and menu expansion to boost product vitality and ultimately, drive higher organic growth rates.

Radiometer's core sales increased at a low single -- at a low double-digit rate. Sales in high-growth markets were up more than 20%, led by China, which grew in excess of 35%. AQT, our cardiac care breakthrough, also had another terrific quarter, growing more than 30%.

At Leica Biosystems, core sales increased approximately 10% as advanced staining and core histology sales both grew low double-digits. Increasingly, we are finding opportunities to provide differentiated solutions to our customers. In this quarter, we had several meaningful wins as a result of the integration of our core histology capabilities with our advanced staining solutions to simplify overall pathology laboratory workflows.

Core revenues in our Life Sciences platform grew high single-digits with solid sales in most geographies, particularly Japan, China and Western Europe. AB SCIEX core revenues grew high single-digits, led by particular strength in pharma and in applied markets. The 6500 Triple Quad continues to build momentum and has generated more than $100 million in revenue since its launch last year.

AB SCIEX continues to expand its digital capabilities with multiple new and enhanced launches this year, including its new MasterView Software, which allows the mass spectrometer to be used for routine analysis in food safety, environmental and forensic toxicology laboratories with minimal training needed for lab personnel. This is just one of the many new applications introduced this year that simplify workflows and enable greater efficiency and cost savings for our customers. Of note, today, approximately half of AB SCIEX R&D associates are dedicated to software development, with nearly 1/3 of the total R&D spend focused on these digital efforts.

Leica Microsystems core sales increased mid-teens, with sales of our confocal microscopes up more than 30%. Our SP8 modular confocal laser scanning microscope has generated over $150 million of revenue since its launch last year and continues to be very well-received. We're very proud of the fact that all 3 winners of the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine cited Leica microscopes in their publications during the period in which they carried out the work that contributed to their awards. This is the third year in a row that Leica microscopes have been cited in Nobel Prize-winning work in the field of physiology or medicine. We're pleased to support such important and pioneering work.

Turning to Dental. Segment revenues increased 4.5%, while core revenues were up 3.5%. Core operating margin increased 70 basis points and reported operating margin increased 60 basis points to 16.1%. This marks the first quarter Dental segment margins have exceeded 16%, evidence of our team's ability to drive and sustain improvements.

Dental consumables core revenues grew mid-single-digits with solid demand in most geographies and product lines. In particular, we saw outstanding traction in our implant business, growing over 20%. Revenues from products introduced during the last 18 months have doubled since the first quarter, as adoption ramps for our new products, including the Lythos Digital Orthodontic Impression System and our TF Adaptive endodontic file.

KaVo core revenues increased low single-digits as double-digit growth in the U.S. was partially offset by weakness in project business in Western Europe. During the quarter, KaVo launched the DIAGNOcam, a handheld, X-ray-free digital imaging system that uses light technology instead of radiation to provide doctors with unsurpassed imaging quality.

In Industrial Technologies, total revenues increased 1%, while core revenues decreased 1%. Due to a weak top line, core operating -- or despite a weak top line, core operating margin expanded 100 basis points and reported operating margin increased 80 basis points to 22.6%. Motion core revenues declined at a high single-digit rate. However, we have seen improvements in the North American industrial automation and distribution markets.

We've also had commercial success with several new design wins, including a contract from a major material handling company for critical motion control capability worth over $15 million annually at full volume production. The team's execution on the margin front has been excellent, as operating margin increased more than 100 basis points from the first 9 months of the year. Motion continues to transition out of some of their lower-margin business, negatively impacting sales performance in the short term but positioning us for better and more profitable growth longer term.

Core revenues in our Product Identification platform were flat as mid-single-digit growth at Videojet and X-Rite was largely offset by a significant nonrepeating consumer electronics laser order last year, which created a difficult prior year comparison. We believe the investments we've made in digital marketing lead generation and in innovation at Videojet, combined with our expanding commercial DBS capabilities, continue to drive relative outperformance. We're now deploying the same lead gen growth tools to many of our other businesses.

During the quarter, Esko announced their first acquisition as part of Danaher, acquiring CAPE Systems, a software developer that specializes in packaging design, pallet optimization and truck and container loading solutions. This acquisition expands Esko's capabilities to provide an end-to-end offering to its packaging customers from packaging design all the way through to point of sale.

So to wrap up, our team continues to execute well with the Danaher Business System, delivering solid core growth, operating margin expansion and cash flow performance. We believe our new product and go-to-market investments, our continued focus on productivity and efficiency initiatives and our optimism on the acquisition front position us well for the balance of 2013 and beyond.

We are initiating fourth quarter diluted net EPS guidance of $0.91 to $0.96 and confirming our full year adjusted diluted net EPS guidance of $3.37 to $3.42. We are assuming fourth quarter 2013 core revenue growth to be in the range of 2% to 3%.

Matt R. McGrew

Thanks, Larry. That concludes the formal comments. Debbie, we're ready to take some questions.

Earnings Call Part 2:

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/danaher-management-discusses-q3-2013-155008562.html
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