'House of Cards' fans that already finished season 3

That's 13 episodes. Each episode is about 50 minutes long.

@TanjaBumbar said on twitter (TWTR, Tech30) it was a "Really good season, it was amazing having all 13 episode [sic] available at the same time."

@MurphyOReilly thought it was a great season too. "Fantastic end to an enthralling season," he tweeted.

Sebastian, or @challi1337, said he has "extremely mixed feelings about the ending and a few other scenes."

None gave away any secrets, respectfully. Well, except for this mysterious comment from @TanjaBumbar: "Mrs Underwood you finally made the right decision."

All four Twitter users appear to live in Europe. This makes sense considering Netflix unloaded all the new episodes at 12.pm. PT/3 a.m. ET Friday morning, making it hard for US fans to complete the task. One woman, Olivia Armstrong, however did. Armstrong says she lives in Brooklyn and finished the show in 13 hours and 15 minutes. She even live-blogged her experience. Her latest tweet? "Sleeping forever byeeeee."

It was 8 a.m. in the U.K. when @MurphyOReilly says he started. He didn't go outside ("fresh air is so overrated!") and bought American snacks to keep him in the mood.

He survived on Mike and Ike's, Oreo's and Doritos during his "12 hour 5 mins" binge session.

"House of Cards" is one of Netflix's original shows. The streaming media company has been heavily investing in the production of its own content over the past few years. The shows are also getting praise from critics. Kevin Spacey just won the best actor Golden Globe for his role as Frank Underwood on "House of Cards."

Netflix is also planning to release movies starring Adam Sandler and the sequel for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" later this year.

Netflix has not yet responded to requests for comment.

Related: Nothing stops Frank Underwood...or Netflix

CNNMoney (New York) February 27, 2015: 5:46 PM ET

22.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

Kelly Osbourne quits E!'s 'Fashion Police'

Kelly Osbourne (center) has quit E!'s 'Fashion Police.'

E! announced on Friday that Kelly Osbourne will be departing the network's style and red carpet show to "pursue other opportunities."

"We would like to thank her for her many contributions to the series over the past five years during which time the show became a hit with viewers," the network said in a statement.

The departure comes as "Fashion Police" is facing scrutiny over one of its hosts comments.

On Monday's telecast, co-host Giuliana Rancic made a comment about the dreadlocks of actress-singer Zendaya Coleman, saying the hair probably smelled like "weed" or "patchouli oil." Some felt the comment was racially insensitive.

The backlash from Rancic's comment fell onto Osbourne who took to Twitter to convey her displeasure over the situation.

"I DID NOT MAKE THE WEED COMENT [sic]", Osborne tweeted on Tuesday." I DOT NOT CONDONE RACISM SO AS A RSULT [sic] OF THIS IM SEREIOUSLY [sic] QUESTIONONIG [sic] STAYING ON THE SHOW!"

Giuliana Rancic has since apologized for her comments.

E! said that the show would return as scheduled on Friday, March 30 and that no decisions have yet been made on Osbourne's replacement.

The woman who broke into the BBQ 'boys club'

BuzzFeed's newest traffic driver: debate about the color of a dress

'House of Cards' fans that already finished season 3

CNNMoney (New York) February 27, 2015: 7:32 PM ET

22.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

Warren Buffett knows who next Berkshire CEO is

He also said that he knows who will one day replace him. Of course, Buffett did not share that name with the rest of us.

"The board and I believe we now have the right person to succeed me as CEO -- a successor ready to assume the job the day after I die or step down," he wrote in his latest annual letter to investors.

Buffett added that the next Berkshire CEO would be someone that already works at Berkshire and is "relatively young."

And while Buffett chose to be coy, Berkshire's vice chairman and long-time Buffett friend Charlie Munger seemed to suggest that it's a two-man race to succeed Buffett.

Munger, in his own remarks in Buffett's letter, specifically named Berkshire reinsurance head Ajit Jain and Berkshire Energy CEO Greg Abel as "proven performers who would probably be under-described as 'world-class.'"

Munger added that he doubted either Jain or Abel would ever leave Berkshire or seek to change how the company is run.

This is Buffett's 50th annual shareholder letter since he took control of Berkshire Hathaway (BRKA) in 1964. So it's only natural that it's time for Buffett to prepare Berkshire investors for life without him.

Throughout the past five decades, Buffett has had a lot to say about the financial markets, economy and society.

Last year, he even gave travel tips, urging people to consider flying to Kansas City, and then drive a rental to Nebraska, since airlines often have "jacked up prices" on flights to Omaha. This year, he even endorsed Airbnb as a way to save on lodging -- though it's hard to imagine Buffett endorsing the young tech company has an investment.

Related: How good is Warren Buffett? Very

But most Buffett fans read the letters for his advice on stocks -- even though Buffett has conceded that the portfolios run by his two investing lieutenants Todd Combs and Ted Weschler have outperformed his own lately.

Buffett is a classic buy and hold investor who has largely shunned pricey technology stocks in favor of blue chips in the financial, industrial and consumer sectors. He has often urged investors to not panic and dump stocks due to fear.

In this year's letter, Buffett stressed that investors should not confuse volatility and risk. He said that stocks "will always be far more volatile" than cash and other investments.

But the bigger risk is not being in the market.

Buffett said that "for the great majority of investors, however, who can -- and should -- invest with a multi-decade horizon ... their focus should remain fixed on attaining significant gains in purchasing power over their investing lifetime."

The proof is in the returns. Berkshire's market value per share has increased by a jaw-dropping 1,826,163% in the past 50 years.

To put that in perspective, the compounded annual gain is 21.6%, compared to 9.9% for the S&P 500.

Another constant Buffett refrain: Don't bet against America. Better times lie ahead.

That optimistic spirit was once again present in this year's letter. Buffett was particularly confident about the chances of continued success for Berkshire.

He said that "the chance of permanent capital loss for patient Berkshire shareholders is as low as can be found among single-company investments" and added that the there is "essentially zero" risk of Berkshire being hit by any major financial problems.

Related: Berkshire is one of Motley Fool's best stocks to buy

Buffett even joked that Berkshire would "always be prepared for the thousand-year flood" and "will be selling life jackets to the unprepared." That's a reference to some of the big investments Berkshire made in financial firms in the wake of the 2008 credit crisis.

But he added that Berkshire is now so big, it will be tough to match the performance of the past 50 years.

Buffett also stressed that the company is much more than an investing and insurance giant -- and he hinted at more deals to come.

Berkshire bought railroad Burlington Northern Santa Fe in 2009 and teamed up with private equity firm 3G Capital to purchase Heinz in 2013.

"Berkshire is now a sprawling conglomerate, constantly trying to sprawl further," he wrote, adding that it expected to partner even more with 3G.

Still, some investors have questioned whether Buffett has lost his mojo. Big Berkshire investments IBM (IBM, Tech30), Coca-Cola (KO) and American Express (AXP) have lagged the market lately.

Related: Warren Buffett ditched Big Oil. Dumb move?

However, other Berkshire stocks -- most notably top holding Wells Fargo (WFC) -- have done extremely well.

Buffett refers to Wells, IBM, Coke and AmEx as Berkshire's "Big Four" investments. And he does not seem to be too concerned by the recent problems at the latter three.

He said that all four "possess excellent businesses and are run by managers who are both talented and shareholder-oriented."

And Berkshire's own stock has outperformed the S&P 500 over the past five years. The company is now the fourth most valuable in America, trailing only Apple (AAPL, Tech30), Google (GOOGL, Tech30) and Exxon Mobil (XOM).

But Buffett did concede that he made one huge blunder last year. Its investment in British supermarket chain Tesco (TESO) turned out to be a flop due to an accounting problem at the retailer.

Related: Berkshire buys stake in Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox

Berkshire sold some of its Tesco stake in 2013 but didn't unload the rest until after the stock had plunged last year. Buffett took full responsibility for "the leisurely pace in making sales."

"I made a big mistake with this investment by dawdling," he wrote. But even that error didn't wind up hurting Berkshire too badly.

Buffett said that after-tax loss on Tesco was $444 million -- about 1/5 of 1% of Berkshire's net worth.

One of the nice things about being so big is that you don't have to hit a home run every time you step up to the plate.

CNNMoney (New York) February 28, 2015: 10:15 AM ET

22.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

Google allows porn on Blogger after backlash

Google (GOOGL, Tech30) said it has received a big backlash after deciding earlier in the week that bloggers will no longer be able to "publicly share images and video that are sexually explicit or show graphic nudity." The ban was to have taken place on March 23.

Instead, Google said that the company would simply double down on its crackdown of bloggers who use their sites to sell porn.

In July, Google stopped porn from appearing in its online ads that appear on Blogger. And in 2013, Google decided to remove blogs from its Blogger network that contained advertisements for online porn sites.

"We've had a ton of feedback, in particular about the introduction of a retroactive change (some people have had accounts for 10+ years), but also about the negative impact on individuals who post sexually explicit content to express their identities," wrote Jessica Pelegio, Google's social product support manager, in a post on Google product forums. "So rather than implement this change, we've decided to step up enforcement around our existing policy prohibiting commercial porn."

Google said blog owners who continue to host adult content should continue to mark their blogs as "adult." Visitors to those Blogger sites will see an "adult content" warning before they can enter.

The company said it was never its intention to completely ban nudity from Blogger.

Even under its now defunct "graphic nudity" ban, Google said it would have allowed nudity "if the content offers a substantial public benefit, for example in artistic, educational, documentary, or scientific contexts."

But that would have put Google in the position of deciding what is art and what is pornography -- a decision that Instagram and other sites have struggled with.

It's unclear how many sites would have been affected by the new rules. A spokeswoman for Google declined to comment.

Related: You want the best flight deal? Google it

Related: Google learns how to beat you at Atari video games

CNNMoney (New York) February 27, 2015: 8:05 AM ET

22.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

Fashion firm flirts with fame as #TheDress goes viral

Social media was overrun Thursday with comments about #TheDress -- some people were convinced it was black and blue; others saw white and gold.

"I can officially confirm the color is royal blue with black trimming," said Michelle Bastock, fashion director for the clothing company Roman, during a television interview with CNN's Nina dos Santos.

Bastock, who wore the dress during her CNN interview, said she planned to start offering a white and gold version. It would take about six months to make it available.

Roman's website was quickly changed to feature the hotly debated dress on the front of its homepage.

"We were really surprised and really happy... It's just amazing," Bastock said. "We're really busy. All the team on the website are going crazy."

Bastock said the website had been coping well with the surge in sales and online attention, and the company still has more dresses in stock.

"We still have plenty in stock," she said. "Plenty to go around," noting that the dress is available in other colors as well. It currently sells for £50 ($77).

Roman has 132 stores across the U.K. and has been expanding at a breakneck pace, said Bastock. The company is opening one new store each week.

The debate about dress colors was sparked after a Tumblr user named Swiked asked people for help in figuring out the dress's true colors.

CNNMoney (London) February 27, 2015: 8:15 AM ET

22.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

Apple iPhone import ban sought by suit

Up until last month, Apple (AAPL, Tech30) had been paying Ericsson patent licensing fees in exchange for using its critical cell phone technology. Ericsson's (ERIC) patents cover crucial cell phone functions, including making and receiving calls, GPS location and some software that controls apps.

The licensing agreement ended in January without a new deal, and Apple simply stopped paying for the patents. Ericsson says it has been trying unsuccessfully to negotiate terms with Apple for the past two years. Apple says that Ericsson is trying to charge the company too much and apply its patents too broadly to cover unrelated Apple technology.

In turn, Ericsson filed seven lawsuits against Apple in the United States in addition to two international lawsuits. Ericsson is seeking unspecified damages and a sales ban for the iPhone and iPad.

As part of the international suits filed with the U.S. International Trade Commission, Ericsson is seeking a ban on shipments of iPhones and iPads to the United States. Most Apple products are assembled in China. The ITC has the ability to ban imports of goods deemed to infringe on patents.

Related: Apple ordered to pay $533 million in iTunes patent lawsuit

The lawsuits cover 41 patents, which Ericsson claims include the 2G and 4G radios, processor components, user interface software, location services and even the iOS operating system found within the iPhone and iPad.

"Apple's products benefit from the technology invented and patented by Ericsson's engineers," said Kasim Alfalahi, chief intellectual property officer at Ericsson, in a statement. "Features that consumers now take for granted -- like being able to livestream television shows or access their favorite apps from their phone -- rely on the technology we have developed."

Alfalahi said Ericsson has "acted in good faith to find a fair solution," but Apple "has refused all attempts" to arrive at a licensing deal.

Apple sees the situation differently.

"Ericsson seeks to exploit its patents to take the value of these cutting-edge Apple innovations, which resulted from years of hard work by Apple engineers and designers and billions of dollars of Apple research and development -- and which have nothing to do with Ericsson's patents," Apple said in its complaint filed last month in U.S. District Court in California.

"We've always been willing to pay a fair price to secure the rights to standards essential patents covering technology in our products," said Kristin Huguet, spokeswoman for Apple. "Unfortunately, we have not been able to agree with Ericsson on a fair rate for their patents so, as a last resort, we are asking the courts for help."

Patent disputes between tech giants are common, particularly when they cover technology used in the lucrative smartphone market. Some rulings have come down for multiple billions of dollars, and the ITC has been known to issue import bans.

But the cases are typically so prolonged and appealed so many times that by the time the bans are actually imposed, the smartphone maker no longer sells the phones in question.

Related: Apple accused of stealing employees from battery maker

CNNMoney (New York) February 27, 2015: 9:43 AM ET

22.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

Google learns how to beat you at Atari video games

Google's deep-Q network computer algorithm was able to beat Atari video games like a human.

Google has developed a computer program that can play -- and beat -- the 1980s-era Atari video games.

With an algorithm that Google (GOOGL, Tech30) calls "deep Q-network," a computer was able to achieve human-level proficiency at more than two-dozen Atari games, ranging from side-scrolling shooter games like River Raid to 3-D car racing games like Enduro.

Researchers for Google described the achievement in a paper published in the journal Nature this week.

Google provided the computer with just the basic level of understanding about how to play the game: The computer was able to "see" the pixels on the screen; it was told what actions the virtual buttons performed; and it was told the score.

What makes the program remarkable is that computers shouldn't be good at video games. Humans can draw on real-life experiences when performing game tasks like driving a car or shooting a gun. Computers typically only understand bits and bytes.

But Google's new program played at least as well, if not better, than a professional human player in 29 of the 49 games it tried. In 43 of the 49 games, Google said deep-Q network outperformed existing machine learning algorithms.

In some games, the Google computer was able to learn strategies that would help it maximize its score. For example, after playing the brick-breaking game Breakout 600 times, deep-Q network learned to tunnel through the bricks and bounce the ball off the back of the wall to knock out bricks from behind.

Google says its algorithm was designed to mimic human learning that takes place in a part of the brain called the hippocampus, which helps us learn from recent experience. Deep-Q network was designed to learn why it lost a round of a video game and to improve its game-play based on its past performance.

The stunning feat recalls IBM's (IBM, Tech30) Deep Blue chess-playing computer and Watson, the computer that beat the world's best Jeopardy! players. But unlike those two examples, which were designed to beat a specific game, Google's deep-Q network was built to learn how to play any kind of game.

That's why Google has bigger ambitions for deep-Q network's machine learning capabilities. If we want robots to anticipate our needs and cars to drive themselves, computers will have to get better at learning on their own.

Related: Google is building the world's fastest computer

Related: Google wants you to kick this robot puppy

CNNMoney (New York) February 26, 2015: 8:25 AM ET

22.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

From street child in China to Intel mentor

Shu-Ling Garver wants to get kids, especially girls, excited about engineering.

Garver, 52, said she's an example of how a young girl's love for science and technology can open doors.

"I went from the streets to working as an engineer at Intel to becoming a millionaire," she said.

Now she wants to pay it forward.

"I want kids, especially girls, to not be afraid of science and engineering but to see it as an opportunity to be successful in their future," said Garver.

Related: Women take on manufacturing

Garver's been at Intel (INTC, Tech30) for 25 years, and she said her male counterparts have vastly outnumbered women in technical jobs.

The chasm grew wider the higher she rose up the ranks, eventually becoming technical adviser to Intel's data center CTO.

"There are very few women at the higher levels," she said.

Eager to change that trend, Garver joined the Women at Intel (WIN) Network five years ago as a mentor.

Shu-Ling Garver [left] with her sister in Shanghai in 1969.

"Women aren't as aggressive in their careers as men," said Garver. "WIN's goal at Intel is to inspire women to stay in engineering and achieve their career goals."

Garver has helped hire and guide some of these women. "One of those graduates is now a key engineer at Intel in just four short years," she said.

She also encourages women to maintain a greater work-life balance.

"Lots of engineers live a sedentary life," said Garver. "I pay a lot of attention to exercise, and I emphasize it."

She said Intel is working to increase the number of women in senior technical positions from 10% of its workforce to 17% by 2020.

Related: Black women struggle to fund startups

She recalled growing up in Shanghai under Chairman Mao Zedong's regime.

"My father was a college graduate and an intellectual who was put in a labor camp to dig tunnels," she said. The family subsequently lost their home "and my sister, mom and I set up beds on a street corner for a few weeks."

After her father returned, he made it a point to teach her English. This led her to pursue an undergraduate degree in English Literature and work as a translator at a technical institute in Shanghai.

She eventually moved to Portland, Ore., in 1986, enrolling in a master's program in computer science and engineering at Portland State University. After graduating, she was immediately hired at Intel.

Garver with kids from her Engineering for Kids class.

However, this is Garver's last week at Intel. She retires on Friday.

"It's been a very interesting journey for me," she said.

But it's far from over.

Garver became an entrepreneur in 2012 after learning about Engineering for Kids, an after-school program designed to expose students to the basics of science, engineering and math.

She signed on to run its first franchise, and for the past three years, she's been visiting local schools and running engineering and science programs.

"This isn't work for me. I'm planting seeds and acting as a role model with my personal experience," said Garver. "I want to inspire young girls to become engineers."

CNNMoney (New York) February 26, 2015: 8:34 AM ET

22.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

It's official: America has deflation

Prices for goods actually declined -0.1% in January from a year ago, according to the Labor Department. That means it actually cost less to buy things in America this year than it did in January 2014.

It's the first time since October 2009 that the U.S. economy experienced annual deflation, but economists say don't hit the panic button yet. The economy is still improving overall.

"There is little danger that this temporary bout of falling energy prices will develop into a more insidious debt-deflation spiral," says Paul Ashworth, chief U.S. economist at Capital Economics.

As most consumers know, the main driver of falling prices is cheap gas. A year ago, gas was around $3.40 a gallon, on average. For much of January, the national average for a gallon of was around $2.15.

Related: The story behind oil's plunge

Inflation is the only major yardstick of the economy going in the wrong direction. A strong and growing U.S. economy typically has inflation of around 2% a year, so a negative number is far from the mark. January was the third straight month of price declines.

January's deflation could cause the Federal Reserve to hesitate on raising its key interest rate, which many expect them to do later this year. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen and her fellow board members do not want to raise interest rates until the economy shows real momentum.

Overall, the U.S. economy has many signs of improvement. The unemployment rate is dropping, growth is picking up and hiring has been strong. But many Americans haven't seen any real improvement in their paychecks in years.

When Yellen testified before Congress this week, she was pummeled with questions about the lack wage growth and why Main Street isn't feeling the recovery.

Since wages are staying flat, consumers have been thankful for low gas prices, but don't expect it to last for long. Most economists believe the cheap gas and deflation will be short-lived.

"Bottom line, talk of deflation is complete nonsense as this inflation gauge is being almost fully driven lower by energy prices," says Peter Boockvar, chief market analyst at the Lindsey Group in Fairfax, Va.

Related: Janet Yellen: Too many Americans aren't making it

CNNMoney (New York) February 26, 2015: 9:41 AM ET

22.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

4 reasons small stocks could be studs this year

It's starting to look like a little stock kind of year. While the S&P 500 is up 2.3% since late November, the small stock index -- the Russell 2000 -- has gained nearly 4%.

Both indexes hit all-time highs on Tuesday, but analysts project that the S&P 500 will grow about 7% this year while the Russell 2000 will soar 13%, according to Bloomberg Intelligence.

It's important to remember that small stocks, which have market valuations of about $4 billion or less, tend to be quite volatile. Consider that the Russell struck out last fall, shedding 11% over a rough six week period.

Related: Profitless IPOs are all the rage. Bubble alert?

But small caps have recovered since then and could be strong investments this year. Here are four reasons why:

1. Strong dollar isn't a problem: Big companies like Coca-Cola (KO) and Caterpillar (CAT) have been warning that the strong U.S. dollar, global slowdown and oil prices will hurt their businesses. It's a very different tune for small cap stocks.

Most companies in the Russell 2000 only operate in the U.S. and don't depend on oil prices.

"Small caps have less exposure to international markets and energy," says Marc Roberts, senior analyst at Fenimore Asset Management, an independent research firm. "That's part of the reason they've been performing better."

Related: America Inc. warns of turbulence ahead

Low oil prices are a boon for some small stocks, including gas-guzzling trucker companies Knight Transportation (KNX) and Heartland Express (HTLD). They love low oil costs: their shares are up 51% and 25% on the year, respectively.

2. Investors are hungry for IPOs: Last year's IPO surge -- the highest since the Dot-com era -- showed investors' unquenched thirst for two kinds of high risk, high reward stocks: tech and healthcare. Those two sectors made up half the IPO market in 2014, and many of the companies are considered small caps.

This year isn't any different: small caps like Shake Shack (SHAK) and Box (BOX) already had stellar debuts on opening day.

"What really makes us excited about small caps this year...is the IPO market," says Jordan Stuart, a portfolio manager of the Federated Kaufman Fund. "We had a record year last year in IPOs in the U.S. and we feel that's going to continue."

Related: Burger mania: Shake Shack stock up 120%

3. Easy Money: Finding money isn't a problem for small caps right now. Interest rates are still very low across the market, which means it's easy for companies with lots of promise to get lots of cash up front.

This "easy credit," environment, experts say, is huge for small caps, which tend to burn through cash up front on developing their product, but, hopefully, pay it back.

When the Federal Reserve has raised interest rates in the past, it's generally been bad for small stocks because they were overvalued, says Jim Oberweis, founder of the Oberweis Report, an investing report on small caps.

"This time could be different," says Oberweis. The Fed's expected to raise rates this year, but he argues small caps aren't overvalued this time.

Takeaway: a rate hike this year might not hurt small stocks as previous ones did.

Related: Box jumps 66% in first big IPO of 2015

4. Niche and nimble: Smaller companies typically focus on one product or medicine. The promise is that they'll bring some game-changing innovation to tech, healthcare or cheeseburgers (re: Shake Shack).

Look at Dexcom (DXCM), a company that makes medical devices. They're developing an app for Apple's iWatch that will allow people with diabetes to measure their sugar levels. Its stock is up 37% this year.

"These are companies that are investing and innovating their own growth," says Stuart, whose fund owns Dexcom stock. "It doesn't matter if oil is at $100 or $50."

Related: The 'smart money' is investing in oil now

CNNMoney (New York) February 25, 2015: 9:17 AM ET

22.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

15 startups. One Silicon Valley bed and breakfast.

Bishara (center) with his tenth Blackbox cohort at pitch night.

But Blackbox, a Palo Alto accelerator, has been doing it for the past three years. Just without the cameras.

The founders selected to participate are far from your average Silicon Valley entrepreneur. The program is for international startup founders -- the most recent cohort hailed from countries including Pakistan, Uganda, Israel and Ireland.

Blackbox founder Fadi Bishara, who's originally from Syria, developed the idea while visiting European startups in 2009. He noticed a lack of basic resources and thought there was a lot they could learn from Silicon Valley.

So he created a two-week immersive accelerator that provides networking, mentorship, legal insights and a home base. Last year, the program received 1,200 applicants and accepted 48. This year, it will accept 80 startups -- with up to two founders each - in five separate cohorts.

Blackbox works closely with Google for Entrepreneurs, which covers the $15,000 tuition for some participants.

That covers meals and housing as well as the program, which includes speakers from firms like Square, 500 Startups, Kauffman Fellows, and a trip to Google's (GOOG) headquarters.

A key part of Blackbox is the fact that all participants are required to stay at the same bed and breakfast. Bishara said it's essential to the program's success "because of the intimacy it creates."

He said he likes to "mix it up" and split up co-founders when possible.

"The collaboration as a result of diversity is really interesting," Bishara said. "I want to put Israelis and Palestinians in the same room."

Palo Alto's Cowper Inn is home to startup founders for two weeks.

Bishara started the program with a few startup founders in his Palo Alto home. As the program developed, in 2012, it moved to a mansion in Atherton -- which they had to vacate in 2013 because it was for residential purposes only. The new home base is Cowper Inn, a Palo Alto bed and breakfast that's exclusive to Blackbox during the program.

Last week, the most recent cohort of Blackbox "graduated" from the program, which culminated in a pitch night at Galvanize in San Francisco. There were 100 attendees, roughly 40 of whom were investors, according to Bishara, as well as alums like Dominik Balogh.

Balogh is from Slovakia and participated in the program in 2012 with his startup M.dot. In 2013, the company was acquired by GoDaddy for an undisclosed amount.

When asked about the program's focus on living with fellow participants, Balogh didn't hold back.

Chefs at the Inn prepare meals for Blackbox participants to eat together.

"Super important. It's like a soft landing for foreigners in the Bay Area," he said. "Building relationships motivates you to push harder."

And while the startups don't compete for any prize -- for many, like Balogh, it's a way to make a home for themselves in the competitive Silicon Valley tech world.

Geert Houben, a Belgian founder of an online platform for the elderly, agrees.

Despite opening an office for his firm, Cubigo, in San Francisco last year, Houben still needed Blackbox's network and support.

Two entrepreneurs from Uganda pitch their startup, Fezah.

"We feel it's very hard as a foreigner to come into the ecosystem," said Houben. "[But] there are very good people all over that world."

Houben was one of 15 startups that had three minutes to pitch his company at Galvanize.

Throughout the pitches, Bishara leaned up against a wall. Like a proud father, he couldn't wipe off the grin on his face.

Related: Is this Richard Branson's next investment?

Related: 5 startups that are reimaging the world

Related: Obama's startup visa alternative

CNNMoney (New York) February 25, 2015: 8:36 AM ET

22.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

Apple ordered to pay $533 million in iTunes patent lawsuit

The technology is owned by Smartflash, a Texas-based company that licenses seven data storage patents owned by CEO Patrick Racz, who is also the company's only employee.

Smartflash claimed that Apple (AAPL, Tech30) violated three of its patents on storing and managing data, including payment information.

The patent company said its technology was unlawfully used by several iTunes apps, including Robot Entertainment's "Hero Academy," KingsIsle's "Wizard101" and Game Circus' "Coin Dozer" series of games.

Smartflash asked for more than $850 million in damages from sales of Apple products that use iTunes software, including Macintosh computers, iPhones and iPads.

Apple said the value of potential damages were likely less than $4.5 million. It plans to appeal the district court's decision.

Apple described Smartflash as a patent troll. The company claimed that it did not infringe on Smartflash's patents and said that the patents it holds are invalid.

"Smartflash makes no products, has no employees, creates no jobs, has no U.S. presence, and is exploiting our patent system to seek royalties for technology Apple invented," said Rachel Wolf, spokeswoman for Apple. "We refused to pay off this company for the ideas our employees spent years innovating and unfortunately we have been left with no choice but to take this fight up through the court system."

Apple said this case serves as "one more example" of why Congress should pass "meaningful" patent reform.

Smartflash has also filed patent infringement lawsuits against Google (GOOGL, Tech30), Samsung and HTC.

Brad Caldwell, lead counsel for Smartflash, said the Texas jury saw through Apple's arguments to reached its decision.

"The jury's verdict provides well-deserved and long-overdue recognition for our client, Mr. Racz," he said.

Related: Apple accused of stealing employees from battery maker

Related: Mysterious 'Apple Electric Car, Inc.' files for patent

CNNMoney (New York) February 25, 2015: 9:32 AM ET

22.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pebble unveils new Pebble Time smartwatch

Pebble hopes to strike gold again with a second campaign on Kickstarter for the launch of its second generation Pebble Time smartwatch.

The company started taking preorders for the new Pebble Time smartwatch Tuesday morning on Kickstarter.

Pebble says the new smartwatch is 20% thinner than its predecessor, and it features a new color e-paper screen. The previous version of the Pebble only came with a black and white screen.

The Pebble Time will have a built-in microphone to perform voice-activated controls and an upgraded operating system that can store more than eight apps (the old Pebble's maximum). The new Pebble software, which will be available for older Pebble watches as well, will also allow information like stock ticker alerts, weather and email notices to be displayed chronologically.

Kickstarter backers can buy the new smartwatch for $159 by funding Pebble's campaign. Two-time supporters will have the option to get the back of the device engraved for free.

"We decided to launch a Pebble Time Kickstarter because we feel it helps connect us directly with the people who helped us start, who believed in us before anyone else did," Pebble's CEO Eric Migicovsky told CNNMoney.

Three years ago, Pebble raised more than $10 million from 69,000 people on the crowdfunding site for its first product, the original Pebble Watch. The company's goal at the time was $100,000. It remains one of the most successful Kickstarter campaigns in history.

This year, Pebble has a $500,000 target for Pebble Time. It's a modest figure considering the success of the Pebble Watch, but setting a lower number to hit means a higher likelihood of reaching it and getting funded. A low funding target and a high response also has the habit of making demand look higher than it really is.

The Pebble Time Kickstarter campaign ends on March 27 and Pebble will start shipping watches to donors sometime in May. After the shipments are fulfilled, Pebble will sell Pebble Time online and with retailers for $199. This is the same price as the company's more elegant Pebble Steel watch, and $100 more than its original Pebble Watch.

This is an interesting time for any company to introduce a new connected device that happens to be worn on the wrist: Apple (AAPL, Tech30) is expected to sell its first smartwatch beginning in April, and it is expected to sell millions of Apple Watches this year. For comparison, it took Pebble two years to sell its 1 millionth smartwatch.

Related: LG's new smartwatch: more Patek Philippe, less Pebble

Related: Cooler raises $12 million -- a Kickstarter record

CNNMoney (New York) February 24, 2015: 10:00 AM ET

22.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

Want a raise? Join a union

The typical union worker makes 27% more than the non-union worker.

The typical union worker made $970 a week in 2014, compared to $763 for non-union workers, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

That 27% spread has remained relatively constant at least since 2000, when the agency started tracking the data.

To be sure, not everyone wants to be stuck in a union contract, which dictates many work rules in addition to pay. Some prefer to bargain individually for their wage and annual raises.

Still, union workers continue to command a substantial wage premium in their fields, said Lance Compa, senior lecturer at Cornell's ILR School, which focuses on labor relations. Unionized registered nurses make an average of $75,000 a year, while their non-union peers make $60,000, for instance.

Bus drivers for Facebook, who voted to join a union in November, are among the latest to see a collective bargaining boost. They approved their first contract Saturday, which would increase their wages by an average of $5 an hour, according to a union official.

Under the new contract, base wages would increase to between $21 and $25, compared to an average of $17.93 previously.

"You are better off in a union job because there you get to bargain for better wages," said Sylvia Allegretto, co-director of the Center on Wage and Employment Dynamics at the University of California, Berkeley

Related: Facebook's bus drivers set for raises after union vote

Union workers also usually enjoy better benefits, including health insurance and retirement accounts.

Being a union member, however, doesn't mean your pay will increase at a faster rate. The wages of both groups have increased only 2.1% since 2000.

Also, bowing to corporate pressure, some unions are now negotiating tiered wage scales so that new employees are paid less than their experienced brethren.

It's hard for unions to escape the wage squeeze that many American workers are facing. They must still contend with the same issues, including global competition and automation.

Joining a union is becoming tougher too as their ranks dwindle. Union membership dropped to 11.1% last year, down from 18.8% three decades ago.

Membership among government workers was 35.7% and has remained fairly stable since 1984. But in the private sector, the union ranks have thinned to 6.6%, down from 15.5% three decades ago.

Related: Truck drivers are big losers in port dispute

CNNMoney (New York) February 24, 2015: 9:49 AM ET

22.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

Greece's reform plan backed by creditors

European officials said the preliminary program was comprehensive enough to allow the bailout to continue beyond February 28, when it was due to expire.

The deal should keep Greece afloat and safely in the euro while it works on a more detailed, longer term plan for economic recovery.

Without an extension of international support, Greece risked a run on its banks and would have had trouble paying its bills.

CNNMoney (London) February 24, 2015: 9:52 AM ET

22.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

Britain is better off in Europe, top banker says

Britain's future in the EU is a hot topic ahead of a general election in May.

Douglas Flint, chairman of HSBC (HSBC), called the possibility of the U.K. leaving the bloc "the one economic uncertainty that stands out for the bank."

Britain's future in the EU is a hot topic ahead of a general election in May. Prime Minister David Cameron has promised to hold an "In or Out" referendum on EU membership if his party wins.

Opinion polls show Brits are roughly evenly split on the question. EU membership was last tested in a popular vote in 1975, when 67% were in favor of staying in Europe.

Related: HSBC boss hid bonuses in Swiss account

Writing about the outlook for HSBC, Flint warned the consequences of quitting the EU could be painful.

"Working to complete the Single Market in services and reforming the EU to make it more competitive are far less risky than going it alone, given the importance of EU markets to British trade," Flint said.

Pro-Europeans say Britain could cut itself off from a single market of 450 million people, and jeopardize London's position as the financial capital of Europe.

Flint is not the only high-profile financier to warn of the risks. Goldman Sachs (GS) executive Michael Sherwood says European banks would leave London "in very short order" if Britain voted to walk away.

Even some of those who have chosen to stay out of the EU, such as Norway, say Britain would be disadvantaged.

Norway is not part of the EU, but belongs to the European single market -- meaning it follows EU rules in order to be able to trade freely with the rest of the bloc. It is often held up as a model by British anti-EU campaigners.

But Norway's minister for Europe told a newspaper on Sunday that Britain would lose influence in the world. Vidar Helgesen told the Observer that the arrangement is often frustrating as Norway doesn't have the right to vote on issues that impact it.

Related: Why 2015 could be the year Europe starts to unravel

CNNMoney (London) February 23, 2015: 9:38 AM ET

22.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

Target cuts free shipping minimum to $25

Its previous free-shipping minimum was $50, which placed it in the higher end of the spectrum.

Amazon (AMZN, Tech30) offers free shipping on orders above $35, and offers free two-day delivery for customers who buy a subscription to its Amazon Prime service. Walmart (WMT) offers free shipping on orders of $50 or more.

Many retailers, including Target (TGT), temporally suspend those minimums for the holiday shopping season.

Target.com president Jason Goldberger said that the store "saw an enthusiastic response" to that offer.

The retailer already offers free shipping on most orders placed with its branded credit card.

Target also has a mobile app called Cartwheel for mobile shoppers.

Related: Target loses to Walmart in Canada

Related: Who is winning the price wars? Consumers

CNNMoney (New York) February 23, 2015: 9:16 AM ET

22.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

Disney raises theme park ticket prices, again

Ticket prices to Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom rose again, breaking the $100 mark.

A one-day ticket to the Walt Disney World Resort's flagship theme park, the Magic Kingdom, now costs $105, up from $99. Prices had been jacked up by $4 just last year.

The price of admission applies to anyone 10 years and older entering the Orlando-area theme park. Younger children, aged 3 to 9, pay $99.

Prices also increased for the other Disney World theme parks -- EPCOT, the Animal Kingdom Park and Hollywood Studios -- to $97 for visitors aged 10 and older, compared to $94 last year.

Related video: Five stunning stats about Disney

The price hikes seem to be working for parent company Walt Disney World Resorts, which reported a 7% increase in revenue year-over-year, largely from its parks.

"Increased guest spending was primarily due to higher average ticket prices for admissions at our theme parks," Walt Disney Company (DIS) said in a financial report.

Many visitors tend to buy the multi-day passes, which can knock the price down to $96 per day for a two-day ticket, or $63 per day for a five-day ticket.

Related: Disney names potential successor to CEO Iger

CNNMoney (New York) February 23, 2015: 10:00 AM ET

22.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

America Inc. warns of turbulence ahead

The red flags: many companies warned that oil prices and the strong U.S. dollar could hurt sales this year.

Multinationals, ranging from Caterpillar (CAT) and Microsoft (MSFT, Tech30) to McDonalds (MCD) and Procter & Gamble (PG) are worried that the strong dollar will drag down their overseas earnings in the coming months. And energy giants like Exxon (XOM) and Chevron (CVX) are concerned about the impact that volatile oil prices will have on demand and the economy in general.

The warnings came at the same time as some companies reported stellar results. Apple (AAPL, Tech30) led the way, reporting the best quarterly profits in corporate history. Other tech and Internet companies, such as Netflix (NFLX, Tech30) and Amazon (AMZN, Tech30) also hit their stride.

Related: why this tech party isn't like 1999

These factors will have a big say on when the Fed decides to raise interest rates for the first time since 2006. Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen will be in the hot seat Tuesday and Wednesday when she testifies before Congress.

A rate hike could shake up the markets, but it would signal that the Fed believes the U.S. economy is healthy.

Going into Yellen's important week on Capitol Hill, here are three takeaways from corporate America's earnings season:

Related: Apple accused of stealing employees from battery maker

Oil's impact? The impact of falling oil prices is a toss-up. Many economists say it's a good thing because consumers will eventually have more money to spend.

But energy companies are laying off workers, cutting down production and lowering their earnings expectations. Chevron (CVX) plans to spend 13% less this year than in 2014 to pump crude. Halliburton (HAL) is laying off 6,400 employees.

And consumers aren't yet spending the money they're saving from cheap gas. It could be another six to nine months before that happens, said Tim Anderson, managing director at MND Partners.

Related: Robert Shiller is buying Europe

The strong dollar can hurt more: The value of the U.S. dollar against major currencies has risen over 15% in the past year. Although it translates to more dinero for Americans traveling abroad, it reduces the value of earnings overseas.

About 20% of S&P 500 companies mentioned that the dollar is impacting their sales outside the U.S., according to Christine Short, senior vice president at Estimize, which crowdsources earnings estimates.

Coca-Cola CEO Muhtar Kent called 2015 an "uncertain and volatile macroeconomic environment," partly because of the dollar's strength.

Related: Tech stocks are on fire: How high can they go?

Sales need to get better: Profits are growing for lots of companies, but that doesn't always mean business is booming.

Profits rose 4% for S&P 500 companies in the fourth quarter, but sales only grew 1% compared to a year ago, according to BTIG Research.

Sales are a better indicator of performance. Often companies can cut costs in a variety of ways to make profits look rosier.

DuPont (DD), for instance, is cutting employee bonuses and freezing salaries. It reported a nice increase in profits, but sales declined from last year. And Cisco (CSCO, Tech30) bought back stock from its shareholders, which helped it report better earnings per share compared to sales growth.

Cost cutting and share buybacks are two ways to boost profits, even if sales are poor.

It's hard to fake the sales number, points out Short.

Related: 7 reasons Grexit wouldn't be a total disaster

CNNMoney (New York) February 22, 2015: 8:04 AM ET

22.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

No dogs allowed: San Francisco's pet housing crisis

According to San Francisco animal welfare nonprofit SF SPCA, there's been a surge in owners abandoning their pets due to an inability to find pet-friendly housing.

Over the last year, one in four people who left pets with the organization cited problems finding pet-friendly housing. The organization started tracking the numbers this year after staff noticed that housing issues were becoming an increasingly common problem, according to spokesperson Krista Maloney.

An influx of highly-paid tech workers in recent years have pushed out many low- and middle-income renters and driven rents higher. With limited space to build on and tight regulations, the short supply of housing in the city has only made matters worse.

Competition for each apartment is so fierce that landlords can afford to be more selective about tenants, said Mark Campana, president of Anchor Realty, which does not allow pets in any of its roughly 1,000 units.

Related: 10 least affordable rental markets

"Now with the market moving with great speed and with vacant units in high demand, an owner doesn't have the incentive to be pet-friendly," said Campana.

Michael Harrington, president of Pacific Union Property Management, said that while some landlords may be flexible about allowing small dogs, they know they can always find another tenant without an animal.

"We're definitely in what I would call a landlord's market," said Harrington.

Sam the chihuahua was left at the SPCA by an owner who couldn't find pet-friendly housing.

Just because a unit is advertised as pet-friendly doesn't mean it will go to a pet owner, said Dr. Emily Weiss, vice president of research and development at ASPCA.

That might explain why data from online rental listing company, Lovely, showed that the percentage of listings that said they allowed "some pets" actually grew from 34% to 39% between 2012 and 2014.

Pet-friendly options also tend to be more out of reach for low-income renters, said Weiss. According to a recent analysis of listings by HotPads, pet-friendly units in San Francisco cost an average of 12% more than those that don't allow pets. That's compared to a national average of 3.5% in major metro areas, the company found. And that doesn't include pet deposits or additional "pet rent," which may be required on top of normal rent.

San Francisco even lags behind New York City, where the share of dog-friendly apartments is almost three times higher and just over half of all landlords allow "some pets," according to Lovely. Yet, pet ownership in the city has long faced the same challenges that the SPCA is seeing in San Francisco, said Sandra DeFeo, executive director of the Humane Society of New York.

"People with more means tend to find places that will accept them with pets," she said.

Jackie Tom, president of leasing company RentalsinSF, said it was hard enough finding an apartment that would accept her Great Dane 15 years ago. Today, the market is even more stressful and more expensive for pet owners, she said.

"There are a lot of wonderful pet owners and not enough affordable housing for them," said Tom, who manages 35 pet-friendly units in the city. "They can keep their pets, but there is a price."

Related: 'Why I have a roommate at my age'

Eric Andresen, president of the San Francisco Apartment Association and Viking Services Corp., which manages about 2,300 housing units in the area, said he would be surprised if the housing crunch really made the city less pet-friendly overall.

He notes that many residents have learned to skirt landlords' pet restrictions by claiming their pets as assistance animals, abusing laws meant to help people with disabilities. The problem has become so widespread in recent years that Andresen recommends landlords simply allow pets so they have some control over the animals in their buildings.

"Then at least you can protect yourself with a pet deposit," said Andresen. "And it certainly puts your relationship with your tenant in a more cooperative place."

CNNMoney (New York) February 20, 2015: 7:54 PM ET

22.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

The quirky Oscars red carpet rule that helps ABC

ABC has exclusive access to the academy awards red carpet between 7:30 and 8:30 Eastern.

Why?

It's part of the deal between the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and ABC, the official broadcaster of the academy's annual awards show. ABC is the only channel allowed to be live from the red carpet between 7:30 and 8:30 p.m.

Most viewers don't know about the deal, and that's why there are surprised (and perturbed) tweets right after the 7:30 mark every year. (Here's an example from last year.)

But it seems to have the desired effect -- that is, steering viewers to ABC, first for the fashion sightings and celebrity interviews, and then for the actual awards show.

ABC has televised the Oscars every year since 1976. Its deal with the academy was going to expire in 2014, but the two sides renewed it three years early, in 2011, and now it's set to run through 2020.

Related: Why the 'best' picture doesn't always win

The deal allows ABC's rivals to have spots along the red carpet and to broadcast and stream live interviews. CNN, the owner of this website, airs a red carpet special starting at 6 p.m. Eastern. E! and a newbie entertainment channel, Pop TV, also have multiple hours of live coverage.

But the live coverage has to stop at 7:30. (CNN and Pop TV sign off at that time; E! keeps going, but only shows videotape and photos from the red carpet, no live pictures.)

What's in the $160,000 Oscars gift bag

In an amusing twist, the other networks can keep interviewing stars on the carpet -- but they can't show the interviews until after 8:30.

The carpet area actually closes at 8 p.m. But ABC's exclusive window of time extends until 8:30 because that's when its special pre-show ends and the awards show begins.

"Oscar's Red Carpet Live," as the ABC special is called, scored 27.6 million viewers for the 8 to 8:30 p.m. portion last year, and the awards averaged 43.7 million.

ABC declined to comment on the terms of the deal.

Related: Does the 'Oscar bounce' actually exist?

CNNMoney (New York) February 22, 2015: 10:05 AM ET

22.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

MSNBC says 'prime time lineup is solid'

Maybe, but the channel is pushing back against a report that Rachel Maddow is about to replace one of her proteges, Chris Hayes.

However, change is definitely afoot at the network, as demonstrated by Thursday's twin cancellations of "Ronan Farrow Daily" and "The Reid Report."

MSNBC is searching for solutions to a ratings deficit that seems to worsen with each passing month. Lately the channel has been averaging just 60,000 to 80,000 viewers ages 25 to 54 on weekdays. CNN, the parent of this web site, usually averages more than twice as many viewers in that demographic; Fox News often times averages four times as many.

So what's MSNBC going to do? Among staffers, there is rampant uncertainty.

On Friday, representatives for the channel reiterated that it will continue to "Lean Forward" -- its slogan that sums up its progressive point of view -- while trying to broaden its coverage beyond politics.

An MSNBC spokesperson refuted that the goal is to "move away from left-wing TV," a claim made by an "MSNBC source" to The Daily Beast.

That Daily Beast report also said "two well-placed sources" predicted that Maddow would take Hayes' slot, and that a search is underway for a new 9 p.m. host.

The report sent a shiver through MSNBC on Thursday night, given how close Hayes and Maddow are. The two hosts share an agent -- and a cerebral liberal sensibility.

"Contrary to the rumors from unnamed sources, we have no plans to take Chris Hayes' show off the air, or move Rachel Maddow's show," an MSNBC spokesperson said Friday. "Our prime time lineup is solid."

Staffers at the 8 p.m. show do not feel they're on solid ground, however. It is possible the show will be shifted to some other time slot.

Hayes' show, "All In," is the most recent addition to MSNBC's prime time lineup -- it was launched in the spring of 2013 after Hayes had a successful run on weekend mornings.

In the press, "All In" has been portrayed as faltering, and several staffers involved with the show, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they've felt unfairly targeted, considering the channel's across-the-board ratings struggles.

On Thursday, for instance, Chris Matthews drew 104,000 viewers ages 25 to 54 at 7 p.m., Hayes had 109,000 at 8 p.m., Maddow had 116,000 at 9 p.m., and Lawrence O'Donnell had 90,000 at 10 p.m.

Some nights are worse for Hayes; he generally loses a bit of the prior hour's audience. Then again, he's been in the job for about two years, while Matthews has been a fixture on MSNBC for well over a decade.

One MSNBC staffer who has worked with Hayes bemoaned "the 8 o'clock time slot problem -- nobody's ever been able to draw the ratings that I think [MSNBC president] Phil Griffin wants to see."

The ultimate calculation, about Hayes and about every other cable news host, is this: Does management think another host could reliably attract a bigger audience?

No more talent changes are believed to be imminent, but there will be more. Ronan Farrow and Joy Reid, two of the channel's lowest-rated hosts, will be replaced by news anchor Thomas Roberts next month, the channel confirmed on Thursday.

The replacement of two strong progressive voices for Roberts was interpreted by some as a step away from liberal politics, at least during the workday.

On the other hand, this week's appointment of Bravo TV star Tom Colicchio as MSNBC's "food correspondent" might be a signal of what's to come. The channel called it part of a "larger strategy to cover a broader set of stories that move and inspire Americans through its progressive lens."

Ultimately, MSNBC may be trying to pull off something quite tricky -- encouraging its loyal and mostly liberal fans to stick around while welcoming new viewers who aren't as fervent about politics, policy or President Obama.

Hayes, who has declined to comment on the speculation about the fate of his show, did tweet a nod to The Daily Beast report on Friday afternoon. He wrote: "Tonight we'll probably talk about why going to war in Iraq again is a bad idea," and he added the hashtag "#leftwingTV."

More Media: Bill O'Reilly rips Mother Jones again: 'Bottom rung of journalism'

CNNMoney (New York) February 20, 2015: 7:16 PM ET

22.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

What Bill O'Reilly has said about his time during the Falklands War

That's the central question raised by Mother Jones in a report published Thursday, and the answer appears to be both yes and no.

The Fox News host insists he never said he was in the Falkland Islands during the conflict. As a reporter for CBS News at the time, O'Reilly and his colleagues were based in Buenos Aires, far from the war zone in and around the islands.

Some of O'Reilly's accounts stem from a protest that occurred in Buenos Aires at the time, though that wouldn't qualify as a war zone.

As longtime CBS News correspondent Bob Schieffer told Mother Jones, "Nobody from CBS got to the Falklands... For us, you were a thousand miles from where the fighting was."

Here is the public record of what O'Reilly has said:

2001: O'Reilly wrote in his book, "The No Spin Zone: Confrontations With the Powerful and Famous in America," that his time covering war made him ready for anything. "You know that I am not easily shocked," he wrote. "I've reported on the ground in active war zones from El Salvador to the Falkland Islands, and in chaotic situations like the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles."

2004: In his syndicated column, O'Reilly recalled how he had "survived a combat situation in Argentina during the Falklands War." He was presumably referring to a protest he covered in Buenos Aires, but his reference to a "combat situation" could reasonably be interpreted as a "war zone."

2008: Seven years ago on the "O'Reilly Factor," the host invoked his experience "in the war zones" to taunt Bill Moyers, the veteran journalist with whom he's feuded for years. "By the way, I missed Moyers in the war zones of the Falkland conflict in Argentina, the Middle East and Northern Ireland," O'Reilly said. "I looked for Bill, but I didn't see him."

2013: During an interview on his Fox News show, O'Reilly once again described the protest but said it took place "in a war zone in Argentina, in the Falklands."

"Because I was in a situation one time, in a war zone in Argentina, in the Falklands, where my photographer got run down and then hit his head and was bleeding from the ear on the concrete," O'Reilly told his guest.

The Falklands War 1982: Very few journalists made it inside the war zone to cover the conflict.

Some of O'Reilly's statements seem much less questionable.

2009: During an on-air segment with Bernard Goldberg, himself a former CBS News journalist, O'Reilly said that the network "sent me to El Salvador and to cover the Falkland Islands war in Argentina.

2011: After reading an email from a viewer who was honeymooning down in Argentina, O'Reilly noted his history with the region.

"Tell everybody down there I covered the Falklands War," he told the viewer. "They'll remember."

2012: O'Reilly read an email from a viewer based in the Falkland Islands and said he had "a little soft spot" for the region, given that he "covered the Falklands War."

2015: After Mother Jones dogged him all day Thursday for a response, O'Reilly casually -- and carefully -- invoked his assignment in Argentina.

"When I was at the network news, when there was a conflict, a war, any kind of really violent crime spree, whatever, they're all over it," O'Reilly told Goldberg. "I mean, even minor wars, like the Falklands War -- you know, I was down there in Argentina and Uruguay. The Salvadoran War, I was there. When Grenada hit, there was big coverage of Grenada. All of that."

A little later in the segment, perhaps anticipating the Mother Jones report, O'Reilly clarified his earlier comments.

"I didn't go to Grenada. I want to make that clear to everybody," O'Reilly said, while laughing. "I don't want to get in trouble. But I was in Salvador and Argentina."

Related: Bill O'Reilly rips Mother Jones again: 'Bottom rung of journalism'

Related: Mother Jones demands apology

CNNMoney (New York) February 20, 2015: 6:46 PM ET

22.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

No dogs allowed: San Francisco's pet housing crisis

According to San Francisco animal welfare nonprofit SF SPCA, there's been a surge in owners abandoning their pets due to an inability to find pet-friendly housing.

Over the last year, one in four people who left pets with the organization cited problems finding pet-friendly housing. The organization started tracking the numbers this year after staff noticed that housing issues were becoming an increasingly common problem, according to spokesperson Krista Maloney.

An influx of highly-paid tech workers in recent years have pushed out many low- and middle-income renters and driven rents higher. With limited space to build on and tight regulations, the short supply of housing in the city has only made matters worse.

Competition for each apartment is so fierce that landlords can afford to be more selective about tenants, said Mark Campana, president of Anchor Realty, which does not allow pets in any of its roughly 1,000 units.

Related: 10 least affordable rental markets

"Now with the market moving with great speed and with vacant units in high demand, an owner doesn't have the incentive to be pet-friendly," said Campana.

Michael Harrington, president of Pacific Union Property Management, said that while some landlords may be flexible about allowing small dogs, they know they can always find another tenant without an animal.

"We're definitely in what I would call a landlord's market," said Harrington.

Sam the chihuahua was left at the SPCA by an owner who couldn't find pet-friendly housing.

Just because a unit is advertised as pet-friendly doesn't mean it will go to a pet owner, said Dr. Emily Weiss, vice president of research and development at ASPCA.

That might explain why data from online rental listing company, Lovely, showed that the percentage of listings that said they allowed "some pets" actually grew from 34% to 39% between 2012 and 2014.

Pet-friendly options also tend to be more out of reach for low-income renters, said Weiss. According to a recent analysis of listings by HotPads, pet-friendly units in San Francisco cost an average of 12% more than those that don't allow pets. That's compared to a national average of 3.5% in major metro areas, the company found. And that doesn't include pet deposits or additional "pet rent," which may be required on top of normal rent.

San Francisco even lags behind New York City, where the share of dog-friendly apartments is almost three times higher and just over half of all landlords allow "some pets," according to Lovely. Yet, pet ownership in the city has long faced the same challenges that the SPCA is seeing in San Francisco, said Sandra DeFeo, executive director of the Humane Society of New York.

"People with more means tend to find places that will accept them with pets," she said.

Jackie Tom, president of leasing company RentalsinSF, said it was hard enough finding an apartment that would accept her Great Dane 15 years ago. Today, the market is even more stressful and more expensive for pet owners, she said.

"There are a lot of wonderful pet owners and not enough affordable housing for them," said Tom, who manages 35 pet-friendly units in the city. "They can keep their pets, but there is a price."

Related: 'Why I have a roommate at my age'

Eric Andresen, president of the San Francisco Apartment Association and Viking Services Corp., which manages about 2,300 housing units in the area, said he would be surprised if the housing crunch really made the city less pet-friendly overall.

He notes that many residents have learned to skirt landlords' pet restrictions by claiming their pets as assistance animals, abusing laws meant to help people with disabilities. The problem has become so widespread in recent years that Andresen recommends landlords simply allow pets so they have some control over the animals in their buildings.

"Then at least you can protect yourself with a pet deposit," said Andresen. "And it certainly puts your relationship with your tenant in a more cooperative place."

CNNMoney (New York) February 20, 2015: 7:54 PM ET

22.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

Now it's Time Warner Cable's turn to insult a customer

Time Warner Cable is apologizing to an Orange County, Calif., customer whose name was changed to "C--- Martinez" on her bill from Esperanza Martinez. It also is giving her a year's worth of cable and Internet service for free.

"We are truly sorry for the disgraceful treatment of Ms. Martinez, and we apologized to her directly. Our investigation showed that this was done by an employee at a third-party vendor. We have terminated our agreement with this vendor and are changing our processes to prevent this from happening again," said spokeswoman Susan Leepson.

Comcast has had some high profile cases recently in which employees changed the names of customers to "A - - hole Brown" from Ricardo Brown and to "Super B - - - - Bauer" from Mary Bauer.

Martinez, whose story was first reported by Ars Technica, told the Web site that she wasn't even upset with Time Warner when she contacted it to get some technical support on her cable box. She got the letter with her name changed during the days she waiting for a technician to come out to make a service call.

CNNMoney (New York) February 20, 2015: 10:09 AM ET

22.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ronan Farrow show canceled by MSNBC

The two hosts, Farrow and Joy Reid, both acknowledged the news of the cancellations in tweets late Thursday.

"Excited about new role -- more to come soon," Farrow tweeted.

Farrow, the son of actress Mia Farrow, had been on the air about a year with the network.

And Reid tweeted: "When one door closes, others open."

Related: Majority say Brian Williams should be allowed back

MSNBC had hoped that Farrow's high profile with younger viewers -- he has 276,000 followers on Twitter -- would help draw an audience.

But the two shows, which aired at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. ET, had suffered from very low ratings.

One day earlier this month, Farrow's ratings had fallen to 11,000 viewers in the key 25-to-54 demographic. That placed it well behind not only Fox News, CNN, CNBC & HLN but also behind Al Jazeera America.

Related: Bill O'Reilly's 'war zone' stories questioned

CNNMoney (New York) February 20, 2015: 8:38 AM ET

22.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

White House extends Obamacare deadline, admits subsidy snafu

Officials also acknowledged that some 800,000 Obamacare enrollees received incorrect subsidy information on the 1095-A tax forms sent by the federal exchange, healthcare.gov. Some enrollees were mistakenly told they received too large a subsidy, while others were told their subsidy was too small.

The special enrollment period, which runs from March 15 to April 30, is open to those who remain uninsured now and who learned they owe the penalty after open enrollment ended on Feb. 15. It applies to those in the 37 states using the federal exchange, though Washington, Minnesota and Vermont have already extended enrollment for penalty payers. Other states, including California, are considering similar moves.

Some 44% likely to be penalized for not having coverage had heard nothing or only a little about the fee, according to a new survey from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Urban Institute.

Many of the uninsured are learning they owe the penalty for 2014 when they file their taxes. This is prompting some to want to enroll for this year, when the penalty is even larger. But since enrollment closed on Sunday, they were out of luck.

Related: Obamacare penalty payers ask, 'Where's my refund?'

The penalty for 2014 equals $95 or 1% of income, whichever is greater. But those who remain uninsured this year have to pay $325, or 2% of income, whichever is greater.

Some people, particularly low-income Americans, can qualify for exemptions.

Related: I have to pay back my Obamacare subsidy

CNNMoney (New York) February 20, 2015: 10:03 AM ET

22.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

McDonald's brings back Chicken Selects

After a two-year hiatus, McDonald's is putting Chicken Selects back on the menu.

"Chicken Selects will make a national return in early March and [will] be sold as an order with three pieces," confirmed McDonald's spokeswoman Terri Hickey, in an email to CNNMoney. "We look forward to bringing back this customer favorite made with chicken tenderloin."

Chicken Selects were on the menu for 10 years, but that ended in 2013 when McDonald's (MCD) trimmed down its menu.

This could be one of the changes that the struggling fast food chain recently promised, after its CEO stepped down.

Related: McDonald's tried to turn Chipotle into another McDonald's

It's probably a good time to put Chicken Selects back on the table.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has recently reported a glut in poultry production.

McDonald's has continued to sell other chicken items, such as Chicken Nuggets, which it has vigorously defended against "rumors" that it contained undesirable ingredients.

CNNMoney (New York) February 19, 2015: 10:04 AM ET

22.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

Control everything with the tap of a button

The new Do Note app from IFTTT turns common tasks into one-button shortcuts, like adding updates to Evernote.

There are social networks and messaging services, each with their own websites and mobile apps. Then there are stand-alone apps that control "smart" devices -- thermostats, lightbulbs, fitness trackers, scales -- which have only just starting trickling into our homes.

One company called IFTTT has been working on automation tools that make it easier for all those apps and gadgets to work together. Now it's reaching out to the non-technical crowd with a new trio of dead-simple apps.

The name stands for "If This Then That," a phrase that describes exactly how it works: If you post a photo to Facebook, then save it to Dropbox. Called recipes, you can create your own or choose from the thousands in the IFTTT library.

There are recipes to text your husband when you're a certain distance from the house, email you anything your mom tweets, or flash the lights when someone opens your (sensor-equipped) liquor cabinet at home.

Related: How these 5 startups are reimagining the world

Users cobble together automations using any of the 170 compatible services like Facebook (FB, Tech30), Nest and Fitbit.

The company's three new apps let you create buttons that trigger automated actions, Do Button, Do Note and Do Camera. The Do Button app lets you create a shortcut on your homescreen that, with one tap, acts as an on/off switch for smart devices or notes your location in a Google spreadsheet. Date night? Tap the button you programmed to lower all the lights in your house. You can create up to three customizable buttons (IFTTT is considering charging for additional ones).

Do Note simplifies any task you do frequently that involves typing out text, like adding items to a shopping list or emailing yourself a reminder. For example, use Do Note to create a button called "Grocery." Tap it, type "Buy Cheerios" and the note will automatically show up in Evernote. Do Camera does the same for photos, so you can make a button that automatically emails selfies to your three best friends.

Related: Virtual reality on your Facebook feed?

The Do buttons aren't just cutting down on steps, they're an early attempt to give people one central way to control all their Internet of Things devices. IFTTT is also turning regular people into programers, even if they don't know it.

"Everyone in the physical world is a whole lot more of a programmer than they give themselves credit for," said CEO Alexander Tibbets.

The company was founded in 2010 by Alexander and his brother Linden Tibbets. Its users are enthusiastic and have created 19 million recipes so far, but the company wanted to take the product in a direction that was easier to understand.

"IFTTT is really trying to solve the next step, which is how do we help people do what they want with all this connected stuff," said Tibbets.

He imagines a future in which everything will be connected to the internet and compatible with IFTTT. These new apps are just laying the groundwork for a future operating system.

That's an ambitious and complicated goal for a very simple service.

CNNMoney (New York) February 19, 2015: 9:30 AM ET

22.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

Walmart ups pay well above minimum wage

The nation's largest private sector employer said 500,000 full-time and part-time associates at Walmart (WMT) U.S. stores and Sam's Clubs will receive pay raises in April that will take them to at least $9 an hour, which will be $1.75 an hour above the current federal minimum wage.

By February 1 of next year, their pay will rise to at least $10 an hour.

The company said workers will also have more control over their schedules but declined to give details of those changes. And it said it would invest more in training to give entry-level workers greater chance for promotion and other career advancement.

The wage scale and other improvement in work conditions will cost the company about $1 billion in this fiscal year.

Walmart's pay and employment policies have been the focus of protest by some workers and outside labor groups seeking to organize Walmart employees. Black Friday protestors last year were demanding a $15 an hour pay minimum across the company.

Related: New laws mean wage bumps at Walmart

Currently, only about 6,000 Walmart employees out of more than 1.2 million nationwide are paid at the $7.25 an hour federal minimum wage, according to the company.

Once the company's starting pay becomes $9 an hour in April, the average pay for full-time retail workers there will be about $13 an hour. Walmart has previously said that average already stands at $12.94 an hour.

The average part-time wage will be about $10 an hour, according to Carol Schumacher, vice president of investor relations for the company.

President Obama has proposed raising the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour, but Republicans in Congress have so far blocked those efforts. But many states have gone ahead and raised their own state minimum wage rates, either by action of the legislature or voter initiative.

"We're not taking a position on what the government does," said Schumacher. "But any time any company, whether it's us or someone else, raises wages, it's a help for the economy."

The improved labor market, with employers hiring at their strongest pace since the 1990s, is giving workers a boost: the average wage nationwide climbed by 2.2% over the previous year, according to the Labor Department. The number of employees willing to quit jobs to look for or take new positions is also rising.

While Walmart says the higher wages should help reduce its turnover rate, Schumacher said these plans were in the works well before the recent pick-up in the job market.

--CNNMoney's Katie Lobosco contributed to this report

CNNMoney (New York) February 19, 2015: 9:50 AM ET

22.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

The eurozone is broken. Will Greece pay the price?

The problem that Greece is facing now is that with a new left-wing government in office, there may be no friendly governments left.

But this is not how things should be. The politics in the eurozone and the Greek pre-election rhetoric are not allowing the real issues to get a fair hearing.

Forget for the moment the political posturing and the flexing of muscles in Eurogroup meetings. The real issue is whether eurozone mechanisms designed to support members -- or bail them out -- work.

The answer is clearly that they don't. This is not something that we learn from theory or ivory-tower academia. It is something that we see in our economies. And good politicians and economists, when they see something that does not work, they change it.

But change is not what Greece's partners are requesting from it. They are requesting more of the same, ignoring the state of its economy and the wishes of its people.

There is a lot that is good in the rescue programs. Structural reforms in labor and output markets, modernization of the legal system, along with more speedy decisions and privatizations of state enterprises, are essential if Greece is to raise its competitiveness to the levels enjoyed by its partners.

But the fiscal requirements are too stringent for any of the above to work. Eighty years ago we learned from John Maynard Keynes that you don't fight recession with fiscal austerity. His message today is as relevant as it was in the depths of the Great Depression. Greece is in a Great Depression.

Related: 7 reasons Grexit wouldn't be a total disaster

The Greek government was elected in a state of euphoria. Greeks thought its election victory meant an end to austerity, to the troika, to unwanted reforms; it meant a higher minimum wage, more public sector jobs and many other things that inevitably would have pushed the Greek economy further into the past.

But since then the rhetoric has changed to fairly modest requests: an end to the troika visits, and a loan for a few months to allow time to rethink its economic program. Instead of a loan, the Eurogroup is requesting an extension of the program that is ending on February 28. But this would imply more visits from the hated troika. The government was elected on a ticket that said no more visits. It cannot accept this request so soon after its election. This is what the Eurogroup partners are expecting her to accept.

What happens if they don't? Greece will have to carry on with whatever resources it can raise domestically. This is enough to cover domestic needs but not enough to pay for interest on the debt and for repaying the chunks that become due.

Related: How Greece could accidentally stumble out of the euro

It is logical that any government faced with this eventuality continues to pay its civil servants and meets its other social policy obligations but stops paying its creditors. In other words default on debt payments; the very thing that Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said he wanted to avoid.

Or it could say that since we cannot get euros to meet our obligations any more, we will issue our own currency and make its acceptance for public sector payments a legal requirement. The euro could continue circulating.

This would effectively mean exit from the eurozone. It could work but at a great cost to Greece and to the eurozone as a whole. The euro would no longer be the single currency providing yet another foundation stone on the way to a united Europe, but a German-dominated club with other members coming and going as they please.

Related: Grim economic news piles pressure on Greece

All this could be avoided if Greece is given an unsupervised loan for a short period of time, say six months, to help the new government find its feet in the complicated world of European finance. It seems to be such a trivial request when compared with the costs of default or Grexit that I expect we will see it agreed in the eleventh hour: this is what European politics seems to require these days.

Christopher Pissarides is a Nobel Prize winner in economics and professor at the London School of Economics. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

CNNMoney (London) February 18, 2015: 8:25 AM ET

22.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

The 2 reasons I'm dumping Amazon stock

However, I've finally decided to sell the stock for two reasons: neglect of an important stakeholder group and what I believe are some weaknesses in its strategic armor.

A relatively neglected stakeholder: My philosophy for the Prosocial Portfolio is to seek out stocks of high-quality companies that take care of stakeholders and show socially responsible attributes. Amazon (AMZN, Tech30) is a remarkable company in many ways, and I do believe that for the most part, it brings a lot of good to the world and to most of its stakeholders.

However, in Amazon's expensive journey to its goal -- which, as many contend, does appear to be complete world domination -- it's failed to invest enough in an essential stakeholder: employees.

The negative buzz surrounding Amazon's warehouse worker treatment has been one black mark in my book since purchase. The risk of being viewed as the e-commerce version of Walmart (WMT)is no small concern.

Related: Why the Electric Car Won't Kill Oil

Amazon's warehouse workers work hard for the money, and it's not that much. Although Amazon has stressed in the past that its pay is 30% higher than retail employees, in 2013 CNN pointed out that they're paid the industry standard wage level for warehouse workers, so the retail comparison is a little shaky.

These folks walk between seven and 15 miles per day, and given picking quotas, those are by no means walks in the park. Employees' productivity is tracked using handheld devices, so there is a stressful, "watched" element to this labor-intensive job.

Some point out that this is the way that warehouse work is, regardless of one's employer. This Mental Floss piece describes the good, the bad, and the ugly regarding work in Amazon's fulfillment centers, and specifically points out in one bullet that "not everyone has a horror story."

Still, since when has Amazon been interested in "that's just the way it is"? This is a company that convinced people that an online bookstore made sense (yes, boys and girls, there was a time when people didn't believe that), and today, it's working on drones, for goodness' sake.

Related: How Is the Phone Business Going for Microsoft?

Granted, Amazon does have a few interesting employee benefits that don't get too much press -- take educational benefits and the interesting Pay to Quit program. However, I have hoped for years that Amazon would up its game in providing a lot more than that. This is a company that's turned many industries on their heads in the competitive sense. It'd be excellent to see the same kind of wild reinvention in the employee culture area -- employees are a great place to invest.

That flop of a phone: After all, we already know that Amazon has no problem throwing money at all kinds of moon shots. Some of them are certainly just as "crazy" as the concept of dreamy treatment for employees.

I have found the Amazon Fire phone to be strategically puzzling from the get-go, to put it mildly. Even before we learned for a fact that it's been a money-losing endeavor, it didn't take much to guess it might have little chance of success. It was simply too late to the game.

Most people are already enamored of Apple (AAPL, Tech30)'s iPhone and Google (GOOGL, Tech30)'s Android offerings, and they have a major head start. Most phone owners have already picked one of those teams in the phone battle.

Related: Warren Buffett Admits This Is A "Real Threat"

In October, investors learned that the Fire phone had indeed been a flop. Amazon had $83 million in unsold units piled up, and it announced a $170 million writedown. However, instead of backing down, it appears that Amazon is going to double down on that phone. And it looks like that's because it's someone's baby.

A recent Fast Company article, "The Real Story Behind Jeff Bezos's Fire Phone Debacle and What It Means for Amazon's Future," got the inside scoop from some Amazon employees who had worked on the product -- it's interesting reading, and even a bit unsettling. It paints a picture of a phone that was built for Bezos' specifications, and not only lacked strategy, but also didn't particularly take into account what customers even want.

Furthermore, it brought up something that investors should wonder about: Has Amazon finally bitten off more than it can chew with its aggressive footholds in so many areas?

Bittersweet goodbyes: I still believe that Amazon has many hallmarks of greatness. I'll still be a loyal Amazon customer. In the investing sense, I still believe it remains difficult to value or even completely fathom Amazon given the reach of its business. I fully admit I may leave money on the table by selling now.

Related: Tech stocks are on fire: How high can they go?

However, I can't get past my nagging sense that, finally, this company really is trying to do too much, all the while neglecting to direct focus in one place that would be a very, very wise place to "double down."

Given the fact that Amazon shares recently hit a new 52-week high, at least I feel I'm bidding this stock goodbye on a high note.

Alyce Lomax is a columnist for Fool.com and an analyst for Motley Fool One. Since 2010, she has managed the real-money Prosocial Portfolio, which integrates socially responsible investing factors into stock analysis.

(New York) February 18, 2015: 9:41 AM ET

22.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

America's oil glut problem: How to move it safely

But it's probably not the last time it will happen.

Put simply, America is awash in oil, but it has limited capacity to move the stuff around in a safe way.

"It's 'pick your poison'," said Kate Hudson, director of the watershed program at the environmental group RiverKeeper. "Every one of the transportation methods for oil is a disaster waiting to happen."

The amount of oil being transported on the nation's railroads has skyrocketed in the years since oil companies figured out how to extract crude from shale deposits.

In 2013, railroads delivered 407,761 carloads of crude, or about 300 million barrels of oil, according to the Association of American Railroads. That's up more than 4,000% from just 9,500 carloads in 2008.

The trend shows no sign of slowing down -- the United States has now become the largest producer of oil in the world. According to research from IHS, the amount of crude oil transported by rail in North America could rise even more, in 2015 and 2016 to 1.5 million barrels per day, compared to just 20,000 barrels per day in 2009.

That means more than 10% of the nation's crude would get to market on a train.

One big concern is that the tanks used to carry oil aren't strong enough and can be easily punctured in an accident.

Hudson said "tin cans on wheels" designed to carry orange juice and corn oil have been pressed into service by the oil industry.

Related: How the oil boom changed the face of small-town North Dakota

What's more, the type of oil being produced in the North Dakota/Canada region is more volatile than other types of crude. It contains higher levels of propane, butane and other natural gases that are highly flammable.

As a result, when a train carrying such crude derails, the results can be catastrophic.

In 2013, a train carrying crude oil from the Canadian oil fields derailed near Lac Mégantic, Quebec, causing explosions that killed 47 people.

Some have called for oil companies to burn off those volatile gases before loading crude onto a train, making it safer to transport.

Public safety advocates also want the government to impose new speed limits on trains and require them to have better brakes.

Related: The story of the great American oil blob

"The federal government hasn't acted," said Hudson. "That failure to act is what's causing these disasters to occur."

The Department of Transportation has issued a series of emergency orders requiring railroads to use more robust train cars to transport oil. But it has yet to make railroads retire train cars that are easily punctured.

Meanwhile, pipelines are considered the safest and most efficient way to move large quantities of oil over long distances.

Most oil in the United States travels by pipeline and seaborne tankers, which accounted for 90% of the crude delivered to refineries in 2013, according to the Congressional Research Office.

But pipelines come with their own problems.

They carry high volumes of crude oil and travel through remote areas. When a pipeline breaks, it can take days to repair and the damage to the environment can be severe.

Just last month, a pipeline in Montana burst and spilled as much as 50,400 gallons into the Yellowstone River, prompting a state of emergency.

Shipping the oil, while cheap, is also risky. The 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska was one of the worst on record before the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010.

The bigger problem is geography. The refineries that are equipped to process the type of crude being produced in North Dakota are located far away, in places like Texas, Louisiana, Philadelphia and Delaware.

"There's a mismatch between where the refineries are located, and where the oil is coming out of ground," said Ian Savage, an economist at Northwestern University who studies transportation. "Trains are really the only way to move oil when there are no pipelines."

There are pipelines connecting Canada to the Gulf Coast, but they are running at full capacity, said Savage.

Supporters of the Keystone XL Pipeline say it would help alleviate the bottleneck.

But there aren't any major pipelines to the East Coast, and there are no plans to build any either.

The sharp decline in oil prices over the past few months also makes it highly unlikely that any oil companies will invest in new pipelines anytime soon, said Tyson Slocum, director of Public Citizen's energy program.

Related: Cheap oil killed this CEO's $14 million job

In addition, obtaining permits and rights to build on private property, known as imminent domain, would be next to impossible for a for-profit oil company, he added.

"There's really no easy answer," said Slocum. "But, at this point, because of the big price and logistical challenges with pipeline construction, rail is the way to go for foreseeable future."

CNNMoney (New York) February 18, 2015: 10:00 AM ET

22.16 | 0 komentar | Read More