Steve Jobs's Last Gift To Apple Employees (AAPL)


Before Steve Jobs died in October, he made one last hire: a sushi chef for Apple's Cupertino headquarters.

He hired Toshi Sukama, the chef and owner of a Menlo Park restaurant called Kaygetsu's.

A regular at Kaygetsu's tells us: "I ate there many times and also at his previous Menlo Park restaurant which was Toshi's Sushiya. [I] saw Jobs there eating by himself a lot."

Kaygetsu's specialed in omakaze-style meals, which consist of a dozen or so courses of seafood delicacies.

Sukama joined Apple in November. Here's the note he and his wife sent Kaygetsu patrons announcing its closing and Sukama's move to Apple:

Kaygetsu Email

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/Kwfi6LDRLw0/steve-jobss-last-gift-to-apple-employees-2012-3

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These 8 Guys You've Never Heard Of Have Taken Over March Madness


Jae Crowder Marquette Golden Eagles basketball

This year's NCAA tournament may lack buzzer beaters or edge-of-your-seat excitement, but it has still featured plenty of great individual performances.

Like Stephen Curry in 2008 and Caron Butler in 2002, some key players have used the tourney to go from local college heroes to national prominence.

Although some of these guys come from marquee programs, chances are you had no clue who they were before the tournament started.

Indiana is one win away from beating Kentucky for a second time this year thanks in large part to junior guard Christian Watford

Watford hit the game-winning shot against Kentucky in December and his three-point shooting throughout the tournament has been superb.

He combined to go 7-8 against New Mexico State and VCU. Watford will have to come up big against UK if the Hoosiers have any shot at advancing.

Brady Heslip's ridiculous 3-point shooting has Baylor thinking Final Four

The sophomore guard's play from beyond the arc is the main reason why the Bears have advanced this far in the tournament.

Heslip drained five threes in the win against South Dakota State and followed it up with a 9-13 three-point shooting performance to put away Colorado in the round of 32.

Xavier wouldn't be one of only three double digit seeds left in the tournament if it weren't for senior Tu Holloway

Currently projected to be a second round NBA draft pick, Holloway is doing his best to move up the charts with back-to-back 20 point performances to open the tournament.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/3q-Kiexl6gM/ncaa-tournament-stars-2012-3

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A Money Saving Website So Clever You'll Think It's a Scam: YouNeverLose

--> You Never LoseImagine a world of 20-cent lattes, $11 iPads and gas at 19 cents a gallon.

That is the reality that entrepreneur Barry Shore is looking to create with YouNeverLose.com, a penny auction site that offers users the opportunity to buy chances for huge savings -- but unlike similar sites, with this one, you "gamble" without the possibility of losing money.

It may sound like a con -- right up there with the Nigerian banking scam -- but it's actually legit.

The site auctions off gift cards from popular retailers like Gap (GPS), Amazon (AMZN) and Target (TGT), usually at prices far below face value. That's standard for a penny auction site. But every time you buy bids, you automatically get a gift card of equal value. Spend $25 on bids, and you also get a prepaid reward card for $25 to a retailer you chose. Even if you lose every auction you compete in, worst case scenario, you still essentially get back the money you spent.

Naturally, YNL isn't paying full face value for the cards -- the retailers are willing to discount them as a method to get customers in the door -- but for the consumer, it's still a win-win.

Say, What Is This 'Penny Auction' Business You're Talking About?

For those of you who have never clicked on an online ad offering you the chance to buy an iPad for $11.49 , allow us to explain the original penny auction model. In essence, it's a fusion of eBay and a lottery.

In a penny auction, each participant pays a small, nonrefundable fee each time they bid -- a dollar, let's say. Each bid raises the sale price of the item by a penny. When the auction ends, the winner pays the final price and gets the item -- probably at a steep discount. But he, and everyone else, has already paid for their bids.

So, say you want that bargain iPad. You pay your buck to put in your bid, and watch the clock. Other people do the same. You pay and bid again ... and again. The price rises slowly, and time runs down.

Skip to the end of the auction: When time runs out, if 1,149 bids were made, the price for the iPad is $11.49. That last lucky bidder pays $11.49 more, and gets their iPad -- a wild bargain! But the whole group of bidders -- including the winner -- have shelled out $1,149 for their bids. Total revenue for the auctioneer: $1,160.49.

Back to Why YouNeverLose.com Is So Clever

The YNL concept cuts into the penny auction model's margins, but it boosts customer involvement: It's easier to attract customers when they don't have to be afraid they're throwing away money.

In less than three months of operation, the company has saved users some $50,000.

YNL Shore, a former diamond dealer, retired from jewelry to chase his entrepreneurial urges. YNL is his fourth start-up, after a fax business and a telephony business that was a precursor to Skype.

Though he had long been a father, Shore's YNL co-founders Zak Klein and David Winner were quickly growing large families, and they frequently looked to save money by scoring deals on the Internet.

"They have six kids between them and started playing penny auctions," Shore said. "But after losing four or five, their wives said, 'If you do that anymore, I'm kicking you out.'"

But Klein and Winner didn't want to choose between getting deals and preserving marital bliss.

"Instead of grumbling and slamming the computer, they decided to change the model," Shore said.

Losers Keepers

The potential rewards in a penny auction are great, but the odds are slim. The main complaint with most penny auction sites is that it's easy to put a lot of cash into bidding competitively, and then walk away with nothing. Shore, who enjoys the psychological dynamics of playing poker with friends, found the money-loss excruciating.

"Ultimately, somebody's happy, but everybody else lost," Shore said.

By offering prepaid gift cards of equal value to the points you buy, YNL essentially lets you play for free. And if you do end up winning the auction, you also walk away with your prize.

Everybody wins.

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Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/03/22/an-auction-website-so-clever-youll-think-it-must-be-a-scam/

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10 Ways To Boost Your Resume After Long-Term Unemployment


jumping-men-excited

If you've been out of a job for a while because of the recession, employers may actually be more forgiving than you think, according to a recent CareerBuilder survey.

According to the report, 85 percent of the 3,000 employers surveyed said "they are more understanding" of gaps in employment after the recession, and a whopping 94 percent said they wouldn't think negatively of someone who had to take a position they were overqualified for.

“While job seekers have voiced concern over how they may be perceived if they’ve been out of work for a while or took a job for which they were overqualified to make ends meet, the study shows employers understand the tough challenges the economy has created for workers," said Rosemary Haefner, CareerBuilder vice president of human resources. 

Here are ten tips from CareerBuilder for improving your chances of being hired:

1. Take a temporary or contract assignment.  Doing freelance work is a great opportunity to continue to use your skills and gain more experience in the field. Plus, it shows employers that you're enthusiastic about what you're doing and that you're not afraid to take initiative.

2. Take a class. It can't hurt to learn something new. Getting a certification in something useful can make you more competitive and open up better opportunities when you do get back to work. What you know is still as important as ever, and the more qualifications you have, the better your chances are likely to be. 

3. Volunteer. Lending a hand at a non-profit organization or a community organization by doing something you're good at, like bookkeeping or writing newsletters, can translate into skills that are relevant to the job you're applying for.

"Just because you weren't financially compensated for a skill doesn't mean that you don't have a talent for it," says Jason Willett, director of communications at VolunteerMatch.   

4. Start your own business. If you have the resources for this, starting a business can be a great option.

"Don't bet the house, but if you feel strongly about something, you may consider investing some of your time. Whether it turns into a small side business, a new career, or an international corporation, you're getting something out of it and learning a lot along the way," writes Amanda Congdon at U.S. News and World Report.

5. Start a professional blog. Career expert Lindsey Pollack says writing about the industry you're interested in could advance your career by enhancing your personal band, demonstrating your ability to take initiative and expanding your network. 

6Follow stories on hot industries and job functions. Information technology, engineering, healthcare, sales and customer services are some of the fields with the most hiring, reports CareerBuilder. 

7. Use keywords. Many big companies with tons of applicants use a tracking system to scan resumes for keywords to narrow down the applicants before it even goes to the HR team. Use words that appear in the job description and on the company Web site in your resume.

8. Come in with ideas. Interviewers commonly ask candidates what they would change about the company if given the chance. Do your research and prepare a well-thought out response that shows you've done your homework.

"Whether it’s an idea for a marketing campaign, new revenue stream, cost savings, etc., the candidates who come to the interview with ideas show they’re excited about the opportunity and always stand out from the crowd," according to CareerBuilder.

9. Make connections. Building and cultivating your network will significantly increase your chances of getting a job, since the the most common way to find job referrals are through the people you know. Add contacts on Linkedin, attend industry events and join professional organizations where you can meet people who might clue you into new opportunities.

10. Follow through. According to CareerBuilder, two-thirds of workers don't follow up with the employer after they send in their resume. In fact, Business Insider's managing editor Jessica Liebman says, the biggest mistake job applicants make is not sending a thank you email after the interview

NOW READ: 11 Crazy Stunts People Have Pulled Off Trying To Get Hired 

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Whoa! What Just Happened to My Stock?

Housing starts disappointed anyone who hasn't really been paying attention, but coupled with China expecting to perform worse than previously forecasted, the market couldn't muster any strength. However, just because your stock strapped on a rocket pack and went higher instead, resist the urge to high-five everyone in the cubicles next to you.

Smart investors won't celebrate until they know why their stock surged. Without a fundamental basis for the bounce, these stocks can quickly make the return trip down.

Is now the time to lock in profits, or is this just the first step toward even higher valuations down the road? The markets fell 68 points yesterday, or half a percent, so stocks that went appreciably higher are pretty big deals. But let's see whether they're truly headed into orbit.

Feeling re-energized
The minuscule tariff the U.S. imposed on Chinese solar-panel imports may have heartened foreign manufacturers like Suntech Power, JA Solar (Nasdaq: JASO  ) , and Yingli Green Energy (NYSE: YGE  ) , while disappointing U.S. makers.

Yet even the Chinese manufacturers that might benefit most from the decision aren't a picture of health, either. JA Solar, for example, just reported results that showed mounting losses and plummeting shipments. Jinko Solar saw shipments drop even worse and turned in a negative gross margin.

Earlier this year I marked Suntech to underperform the markets after German market orders came in well ahead of expectations. I suspected it would be a short-lived bounce as customers had sped up their timeline to buy ahead of subsidy-cut deadlines, and thus far it has played out as anticipated. If I could double down here, I would, because I think this bounce as well will soon fall apart and Suntech will continue its downward spiral.

Tell me in the comments section below or on the Suntech Power CAPS page whether you agree with my cloudy outlook for solar, and then add the sun shop to the Fool's free portfolio tracker.

Gone fishin'
I agree with the Fool's Brian Orelli that fish-oil salesman Amarin will be bought out later rather than sooner but will be bought nonetheless. While he speculates that Pfizer, Merck, or even Abbott Labs would be likely contenders considering their interest in cholesterol and other heart drugs, my own bet is on GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK  ) , whose competing Lovaza has the most to lose if Amarin's AMR-101 receives FDA approval this summer.

The victory AMR-101 was just handed by the U.S. patent office ensures it protection, and the better safety profile the therapy presents will allow it to steal much of Lovaza's market share. Management previously talked tough about going it alone and not selling out, but with only one drug to offer and patent protection possible, someone's going to flash enough dollar bills to entice them to say yes.

I was late to the game in rating Amarin to outperform the market averages, yet my rating earlier this month is still streaking ahead. I agree with CAPS member Tappercoon that the biotech doesn't even need the incentive of a suitor to see greater gains still: "The cloud over the patent issue of Amarin lead drug is clearing up. With a FDA approval date in July 2012, I expect Amarin will continue to trend up even without the speculation of a buyout."

Tell us on the Amarin CAPS page how rich a reward you think the market will bestow on it, and then add it to your own Watchlist to see how quickly it can pay off.

Going into orbit
These two companies may have divergent futures despite their short-term bounces, so check out for free the one stock The Motley Fool thinks will break all the rules to win. Hurry, though, because the free look at the new report, "Discover the Next Rule-Breaking Multibagger," is available for a limited time only.

The Steve Jobs Betrayal
You may already know that in the final year of his life, Jobs revealed a stunning betrayal ? and told his biographer, "I will spend my last dying breath... and every penny of Apple's $40 billion in the bank to right this wrong." What was it that made Jobs so irate ? and why could it make a few in-the-know investors some major profits over the coming months and years?

Enter your email address below to find out what made Jobs so enraged!

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Source: http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2012/03/21/whoa-what-just-happened-to-my-stock.aspx

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