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Showing posts with label Business. Show all posts

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States to weigh in on basic health coverage


"U.S. health officials will allow states to select the basic set of medical benefits that must be offered by insurance plans participating in new exchanges mandated by the federal healthcare overhaul, the U.S. government said on Friday.
The Department of Health and Human Services announcement relates to the so-called essential health benefits for millions of Americans expected to qualify for coverage sold through state-based insurance exchanges beginning in 2014.
The proposed approach reflects the federal government's commitment to give states flexibility as they set up the exchanges, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said on Friday.
"The coverage that works in Florida may not work in Nebraska," Sebelius told reporters on a conference call.
Under the approach announced on Friday, states can select an existing health plan to set the benchmark for services included in the essential health benefits package.
As benchmarks, states would be able to choose either: One of the three largest small employer plans in the state; one of the three largest state employee health plans; one of the three largest federal employee health plan options; or the largest health maintenance organization plan offered in the state's commercial market.
As set out in the law, states must ensure the essential benefits package covers services in at least ten categories of care, among them preventive care, emergency services, maternity care and prescription drugs.
Ron Pollack, executive director of healthcare advocacy group Families USA, said that HHS needed to provide "strong oversight and enforcement" of the benefit standards as they are implemented in the states.
"It will be important to ensure that adequate coverage across all ten required benefit categories is provided - marking an improvement over many plans offered today," Pollack said.
HHS said it would take comments on the proposal until January 31. The announcement on Friday addressed only the services and items covered by a health plan, not cost sharing, such as deductibles, co-payments, and co-insurance. HHS plans to address cost in a future announcement.
The essential benefits are perhaps the most anticipated piece of information still awaited by states, employers, health providers and especially insurers under President Barack Obama's landmark healthcare overhaul.
The exchanges are designed to create easy access to an open marketplace of insurance plans and to allow uninsured people and small businesses to band together to negotiate cheaper rates for healthcare coverage, as well as automatically be considered for government subsidies.
HHS has been subject to intense lobbying over the rule as virtually the entire U.S. healthcare system, including insurers such as Aetna Inc and WellPoint Inc, could be affected by it.
The Institute of Medicine, an advisory group to U.S. policymakers, recommended in October that essential benefits stay in line with the cost of insurance in a typical small employer plan, in step with inflation and medical advances.
The healthcare overhaul is designed to extend coverage to an estimated 32 million Americans who are now uninsured."
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Microsoft signs confidentiality pact with Yahoo


"Microsoft Corp has signed a confidentiality agreement with Yahoo Inc, allowing the software giant to take a closer look at Yahoo's business, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Microsoft joins several private equity firms that are also poring over Yahoo's books and operations, as they explore various options for striking a deal with the struggling Internet company.
Yahoo, which fired its chief executive in September, is undergoing a "strategic review," to revamp its business and its stagnant revenue growth.
Private equity firms KKR and TPG Capital have also signed confidentiality agreements with Yahoo, people familiar with the matter previously told Reuters. The firms are looking to potentially buy minority stakes in Yahoo of up to 20 percent, with an eye toward eventually taking over the whole company, the people said.
Silver Lake, another private equity firm, has also signed an nondisclosure agreement with Yahoo, according to the technology blog AllThingsD.
Some private equity firms have balked at signing Yahoo's NDA because of restrictions that would prevent them from forming consortiums, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Reuters reported last month that Microsoft, which has a cash pile of $57 billion, was considering a joint bid for Yahoo.
Microsoft's signing of a nondisclosure agreement with Yahoo occurred "recently," according to the source. The confidentiality agreement between the two companies was earlier reported by the New York Times on Wednesday.
Yahoo and Microsoft declined to comment.
Microsoft last tried buying Yahoo in 2008, offering to pay as much as $47.5 billion, or $33 per share. But Yahoo rebuffed the offer.
After that failed bid, Microsoft struck a 10-year search deal with Yahoo in 2009, that allows Microsoft's technology to power Yahoo's search results and gives Microsoft a 12 percent cut of advertising revenue on Yahoo.
Shares of Yahoo were up 1 cent at $14.98 in early afternoon trading on Wednesday. Microsoft shares were down 0.9 percent at $24.58."


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Celebrities turn spotlight on press at UK inquiry


"Hollywood stars and other high-profile figures will try to turn the tables on Britain's celebrity-obsessed press this week when they put newspapers under the spotlight at a public inquiry into media standards.
The likes of "Notting Hill" actor Hugh Grant will join parents of murder victims to spell out how they and their families have suffered from a ruthless hunt for stories to boost flagging paper sales and sate a public's clamor for gossip about the rich and famous.
From a phone-hacking scandal which has engulfed Rupert Murdoch's News Corp empire to the use of "chequebook journalism," the tactics of Britain's notoriously aggressive press will be exposed in detail.
Stewart Purvis, professor of television journalism at London's City University said it would be "a trial of the British popular press."
"What we're going to hear next week are almost the prosecution witnesses. It's going to be very powerful television," he told Sky News.
Prime Minister David Cameron ordered the inquiry in July after revelations that journalists from the News of the World, part of Murdoch's British stable, had hacked the phone of missing schoolgirl Milly Dowler who was later found murdered.
Dowler's parents, who were also hacked, will be the first to give evidence on Monday. Grant, actress Sienna Miller and "Harry Potter" author JK Rowling will be among those appearing this week.
Last Wednesday, the lawyer representing 51 clients who say they have suffered at the hands of the press delivered a withering critique of newspapers which he said had resorted to unacceptable, "tawdry" tactics to find exclusives.
Three of those he represents say they believed papers' hounding had contributed to family members committing suicide or attempting to kill themselves.
"When people talk of public interest in exposing the private lives of well-known people or those close to them, this is the real, brutally real impact which this kind of journalism has," lawyer David Sherborne said.
All were targeted to get stories to make money for the papers, he told the inquiry. "That's why it was done: to sell newspapers. Not to detect crime or to expose wrongdoing, not to protect society or for the public good."
Most of the focus of the inquiry so far has fallen on News International, the British arm of News Corp, whose lawyer has admitted that phone-hacking was widespread until 2007, when one reporter was jailed, and possibly beyond. (...)"

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Pets Are Getting Killed for the Insurance Money

"Insurance fraud has reached a new low in the U.K., where authorities have discovered a rise in claims on pet insurance policies.
According to the Association of British Insurers, last year £1,929,900 ($3 million) was collected in pet insurance compared to £420,000 ($667, 842) in 2009, the Telegraph reports. In 2010, 2.3 million cats and dogs were insured, and since almost any type of animal can be insured, experts are bracing for an even bigger influx in dishonest claims.
The new scheme includes pet owners selling or killing their own pets to claim insurance money, as well as staging “fake accidents” to conceal previous injuries or conditions not covered by the policy. Some insurers believe people go as far as to deliberately lose animals or make up their existence.
Experts are also questioning the involvement of veterinarians, who might prescribe unnecessary and expensive medicine or treat animals who are not actually sick in order to collect money.  Carys Clarke, a solicitor who works as an insurance fraud investigator, told Daily Mail that vets are not required to use the cheapest drugs available and can charge up to double the price for treatment. “These are particularly worrying types of fraud because it often requires the help of a vet,” she said."
in Time
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New payment app aims to make shopping easier


"Ready to ditch your wallet, cash and credit cards? A mobile payment app lets users make purchases with their smartphone without taking the device out of their pocket or purse.
Developed by electronic payment startup Square, the app called Card Case allows customers to pay for products and services at local merchants automatically by simply providing their name to complete the transaction.
"You walk in, say your name, and walk out. It's a seamless payment experience," said Megan Quinn, director of products for Square.
The app automatically opens a tab when it detects that a customer is within 100 meters (328 feet) of a business, as long as they've enabled the functionality in the app and approved the business.
The user's arrival, along with their name and photo, is announced on the merchant's app giving them the ability to charge products and services to the customer's credit card.
"You can pay without ever reaching for your purse, taking out your wallet, or even your phone," said Quinn. "It requires no new or unusual customer behavior -- you don't have to wave your phone, or preload money."
By giving the merchant access to customers' names up front, and removing the transactional aspect, the company hopes to provide a personal touch, helping customers feel like regulars even at unexplored shops.
"We've removed the mechanics of the transaction and brought it back to the relationship and conversation between the merchant and their customer," Quinn explained, adding customers tend to return to places where they feel comfortable.
Over 20,000 merchants have signed up for the app across the United States in eight weeks, including coffee shops, bakers, barbers and even farmers market stalls.
Although other companies have announced mobile payment apps, many have implemented Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, which uses a chip in smartphones to send encrypted payment data when the phone is waved in front of the merchant's reader.
Last week, PayPal announced an update to their Android app that uses this technology to allow users to swap payments between each other by tapping their phones together. The Google Wallet app available for the Nexus S, uses the technology to allow payments anywhere MasterCard PayPass is accepted.
"NFC is an interesting technology that has the potential to power many interesting new applications," said Quinn. "We just don't think it's necessary to help small businesses grow."
There is currently no NFC chip included in iPhones, and NFC equipment amongst merchants is not yet mainstream.
Card Case, available for iOS and Android smartphones is only available in the United States, but the company plans to expand to international markets in 2012."

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Sex Change Surgery Is Now Tax Deductible

"The Internal Revenue Service isn’t going to fight people any longer who want to deduct the cost of gender reassignment surgery from their taxes.
According to a so-called acquiescence filed earlier this month, IRS officials notified the Tax Court that it would abide by a 2010 decision that held that some medical expenses from such surgeries could be deducted. It also ends the nearly decade-long battle that Rhiannon O’Donnabhain, who was born male and fathered three children, waged against the IRS to deduct $5,000 in expenses she incurred to bring her anatomy in line with her gender identity. The IRS at first denied her request claiming the procedure was entirely cosmetic.
O’Donnabhain’s victory highlights the struggle that people with Gender Identification Disorders face as they undergo the long, painful and potentially costly treatment to contour the bodies that they were born with into what they think they ought to be. Each year more than 1,000 people undergo the surgery, which costs tens of thousands of dollars and often isn’t covered by insurance, according to the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association.
“There is something to be said when a federal court recognizes general identity disorder as a serious medical condition,” says Karen Loewy, an attorney with Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, the non-profit that represented O’Donnabhain, in an interview. The IRS is saying that it’s going to do what the Tax Court tells them to do, Loewy says.
The case was not a complete victory for O’Donnabhain. Her request to deduct expenses for her breast augmentation were not allowed because it was directed at improving her appearance and not to treat disease as construed by the tax code.
Anthony Infanti, a University of Pittsburgh law professor who followed the case, tells TIME Moneyland that the court didn’t explicitly rule that out for future cases. “It was more fact-specific to that situation,” he says.
The Tax Court’s panel of judges could hardly be accused of bending over backwards to accommodate O’Donnabhain. Even in his concurring opinion, Tax Court Judge Mark V. Holmes lamented that making gender identity disorder a tax-deductible medical expense drafts “our court into culture wars in which tax lawyers have heretofore claimed noncombatant status.”
And some of the court’s language disturbed Infanti.  “It clearly showed how political tax law can be,” he said.  “Some of the dissenting opinions were clearly hostile to the taxpayer.”
(...)"


in Time
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Sylvester Stallone accused of stealing screenplay


"Action film star Sylvester Stallone has been accused, in a lawsuit, of copying another writer’s screenplay for The Expendables, a film about mercenaries hired to defeat a military dictator. 


The lawsuit was filed in Manhattan federal court on October 25, by writer Marcus Webb, who said the screenplay for The Expendables is “strikingly similar and in some places identical” to his work entitled The Cordoba Caper. Webb seeks unspecified damages for copyright infringement and an order from the court stopping further infringement in any sequel by Stallone, his credited co-author David Callaham, Millennium Films, its Nu Image Films unit and Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation. Stallone’s publicist, Michelle Bega, declined to comment. The Expendables — produced by Millennium and Nu Image and distributed by Lions Gate — was released worldwide on August 13, 2010. According to the lawsuit, Webb registered The Cordoba Caper screenplay and a short story with the same title and plot with the US Copyright Office in June 2006. 


The lawsuit also stated that the screenplay was made widely available by Webb for consideration in the film industry between 2006 and 2009. “There can be no dispute that Stallone and/or Callaham had access to and copied protectable elements of the screenplay,” the lawsuit stated. The Cordoba Caper tells the story of a team of elite, highly-trained mercenaries hired to defeat General Garza, a rogue army general of a small Latin American country.


The court document provides details of the ways in which Webb sees similarities between his screenplay and the released film, including the opening “with a hostage rescue at sea, off a foreign coast, which has nothing to do with the main plot. It said the main villain in both is a General Garza, a military dictator with a notorious human rights record. Webb said he has been deprived of benefits from the screenplay such as potential earnings from the production, distribution and performance of The Expendables."

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National Security Agency helps banks battle hackers


"The National Security Agency, a secretive arm of the U.S. military, has begun providing Wall Street banks with intelligence on foreign hackers, a sign of growing U.S. fears of financial sabotage.
The assistance from the agency that conducts electronic spying overseas is part of an effort by American banks and other financial firms to get help from the U.S. military and private defense contractors to fend off cyber attacks, according to interviews with U.S. officials, security experts and defense industry executives.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has also warned banks of particular threats amid concerns that hackers could potentially exploit security vulnerabilities to wreak havoc across global markets and cause economic mayhem.
While government and private sector security sources are reluctant to discuss specific lines of investigations, they paint worst-case scenarios of hackers ensconcing themselves inside a bank's network to disable trading systems for stocks, bonds and currencies, trigger flash crashes, initiate large transfers of funds or turn off all ATM machines.
It is unclear if hackers have ever been close to producing anything as dire, but the FBI says it has already helped banks avert several major cyber attacks by helping identify network vulnerabilities.
NSA Director Keith Alexander, who runs the U.S. military's cyber operations, told Reuters the agency is currently talking to financial firms about sharing electronic information on malicious software, possibly by expanding a pilot program through which it offers similar data to the defense industry. He did not provide further details on his agency's collaboration with banks.
Alexander said industry and government were making progress in protecting computer networks, but "tremendous vulnerabilities" remained. The four-star Army general noted companies that have suffered damage from hackers, such as Google Inc, Lockheed Martin Corp and Nasdaq OMX Group, had among the best security systems in the world. (...)"

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Shark Massacre


"More than 2,000 of the oceanic beasts were stripped of their fins and left for dead at the bottom of the Pacific.

Imagine the horror of the researchers who traveled to the Malpelo wildlife sanctuary off the coast of Colombia to study the hammerhead, Galápagos and silky sharks that inhabit the area: they found a number of them on the ocean floor, brutally murdered simply for their fins.

Sandra Bessudo, a Colombian adviser for environmental issues, reported the massacre discovered by the divers last week. She said the Russian scientists saw a total of 10 fishing boats illegally prowling the ocean inside the protected reserve. "When the divers dove, they started finding a large number of animals without their fins. They didn't see any alive," Bessudo told the Guardian.

They estimate that the ten trawlers were able to haul away 200 fins a piece, leading Bessudo's team to calculate a death toll of more than 2,000 sharks. The demand for shark fin soup, a popular denotation of wealth and grandeur in Asia, is ever growing, leading to an increase in ruthless attacks on the animals. The Malpelo Sanctuary off the coast of Colombia has been declared a protected reserve of plants and animals and is a UNESCO World Heritage site, but the area lies more than 200 miles (320 km) away from the Colombian coast, making it difficult for the Navy to regularly patrol.

The divers noted the boats were all flying the Costa Rican flag. So far, Costa Rican official Arturo Navarro informally condemned the attacks, saying that the government would issue an official statement within a few days."

in Time
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Barbie's new look: Pink Hair & Tatoos


"Barbie's got a bad new look.

Though you might not recognize the iconic doll at first, Mattel has released a $50 limited edition collector's item Barbie. Brought to you by the Italian-based, Japanese-inspired brand Tokidoki, this new edgy Barbie has a chin-length pink bob, punk-style clothing and tattoos running down her arm and around her collarbone.

And, perhaps unsurprisingly, there are parents out there who are unhappy with Barbie's new look. The Daily Mail reports that the comment section on a parenting website for teens was already filled with complaints. Failing to appreciate that the doll was a limited edition item and not your run of the mill childhood toy, parents were quick to condemn the inked up look.

"I think it is horrible and sends the wrong message to young people. In no way should a tattoo be honored," read one message on the site Twixt, while others likened tattoos to behavior that's illegal for children. "Encouraging children that tattoos are cool is wrong, wrong, wrong. Mattel why not put a cigarette and a beer bottle in her hand while you're at it!"
Sure, parents, pretend that Barbie's scarily-skinny waist and pin-up proportions aren't sending a bad message. Focus on the perfectly legal and low-risk tattoos instead.

This isn't the first time that Barbie's gotten ink: in 1999, Butterfly Art Barbie received so many complaints from parents that Mattel pulled her from the shelves. And in 2009, Totally Stylin' Tattoos Barbie, also faced some backlash, but high sales kept her from being pulled."


in Time
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Hertz Fires 26 Muslims For Refusing to Clock Out During Prayer Breaks


"Prayer breaks were breaking protocol at one Hertz location, leading the company to slam the brakes on the employees.

The Hertz branch at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport has fired 26 Somali Muslims who refused to clock out during prayers. They are among 34 employees suspended in September for failing to punch out during prayers. Eight were reinstated after signing an agreement to clock out by the Thursday deadline. The holdouts were sent termination letters.

Hertz spokesman Richard Broome says he's “disappointed” that an agreement couldn't be reached between the company and the 26 now ex-employees. He says that many of the workers failed to return promptly after prayers, leading to the harsh punishment. "It's not about prayer, it's not about religion; it's about reasonable requirements," Broome told the Associated Press earlier this month. Broome said the frequent unannounced prayer created an “unmanageable, unfair work environment” at the location.

But being forced to clock out is a new policy for Hertz, according to the Teamsters Local 117 union who fought on behalf of the Muslim workers. According to the union, a collective bargaining agreement last year stated they wouldn't have to punch out for prayer. But a new policy implemented Sept. 30 noted all breaks would have to be clocked out, a note that specifically referenced prayer breaks.

"We feel like we're being punished for what we believe in," said former Hertz employee Ileys Omar, who prays five times a day. "It's five minutes. It's not as big deal as the company's making it," Omar told KOMO News. After all, the union notes that the punch-out policy doesn't apply to smoke breaks.
Five minutes for spiritual enlightenment sounds a bit healthier than puffing away on a cigarette."

in Time
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10,000 Free Flights to Japan in 2012


Japan to Give Away 10,000 Free Flights to Tourists in 2012

"In an effort to bolster its ailing tourism industry, Japan is making it very enticing for travelers to visit. (via Moneyland)
The Japan Tourism Agency plans to ask prospective travelers to submit online applications for free airfare.  The 10,000 selected will be required to pen a report upon completion of the trip, which will be published online.  This (hopefully positive) word-of-mouth is intended as a way to get some good press for the beleaguered country. Participants will be responsible for their own lodging, food, and ancillary expenses.

“Since the earthquake, the number of visitors has dropped drastically, so to make an impact we think it's necessary to have this many people (10,000) come to Japan,” Shuichi Kameyama, a Japan Tourism Agency official, told the Wall Street Journal.  The number of foreign tourists dropped 50% year-over-year in the three months following March's earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis, and spending by foreign visitors declined about 47% in the same period.  Tourism began to pick up slightly over the summer, but is still far from median levels.


The initiative is estimated to cost the Japan Tourism Agency around $14.3 million, a serious financial commitment that underscores how hard the tourism industry has been hit.

Officials hope the program will ease travelers' worries about touring Japan after a disastrous 2011.  Japan's government has assured would-be travelers that the country is safe to visit, with the exception of the immediate vicinity of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.  The nuclear safety of the country has been a particularly vexing issue for tourists who are concerned about radiation from the plant, which workers are still trying to shut down.  The Japan Tourism Agency has enlisted celebrities such as Lady Gaga and Il Divo to help by collecting testimonials about their love of Japan. (...)"

in Time

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Wish You Had a Girlfriend? New Service Offers You (a Fake) One


"Craving some female attention? Fakegirlfriend.co offers a bit of the textual kind.
If for some reason you've found yourself in need of a fake girlfriend — NewsFeed doesn't want to imagine what that reason might be, but concedes there could be one — a new service will pose as a faithful paramour, who sends you loving text messages and phone calls when you need them most. According to the website Fakegirlfriend.co, you simply save the company's number in your phone under whatever name you've given your imaginary lady friend and then send a text when you're out with your friends, co-workers or whoever you've been lying to. The service will then send you a "girlfriend-esque message," closely followed by a phone call.

So exactly what are these "girlfriend-esque" messages and calls saying? According to MSNBC's Digital Life, the messages and calls range in content but most are along the lines of, "Why don't you leave the boys and come hang out with me?" and "Please come hang out with me? Please? I really miss you."

Which, to be honest, is totally baffling to NewsFeed and likely anyone who's ever read a women's magazine. We thought men were supposed to hate behavior like this? Now it seems some of them are requesting it."

in Time
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TV's Highest-Paid Actresses


"Forbes' top-paid television actresses list proves ABC's Housewives aren't desperate for money.

Whoever called the number 13 unlucky didn't bookend it with a dollar sign and six zeros. Tina Fey and Eva Longoria top Forbes' list of the highest-paid television actresses on Tuesday, with each raking in $13 million for their TV gigs between May 2010 and May 2011.

Fey, star as well as head writer and producer of 30 Rock, has made bank on her show that was inspired by her days as SNL head writer. Though never a ratings smash, its fiercely loyal fans and syndication deal have turned it into a profitable cultural touchstone for the yuppie-hipster crowd. The show is also something of a family affair — Fey's husband, Jeff Richmond, composed the show's zippy theme song.

 Tied for the top spot is Desperate Housewives actress Eva Longoria, who supplements her healthy paycheck with lucrative endorsement deals with L'Oreal and LG. This pushed her ahead of her Housewives costars Marcia Cross, Teri Hatcher and Felicity Huffman, who also made the list.
Forbes came up with their earnings estimates (which are gross earnings and don't account for things like agent and manager fees) by talking to lawyers, producers and agents in the know to find out what each star made per episode, from any syndication deals and from endorsements.
To put these numbers in perspective, the top three women in movies earned nearly as much ($88 million) as the top 10 TV actresses combined ($94 million).
The top five on TV:
1. Tina Fey (30 Rock): $13 million
2. Eva Longoria (Desperate Housewives): $13 million
3. Marcia Cross (Desperate Housewives): $10 million
4. Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: SVU): $10 million
5. Marg Helgenberger (CSI): $10 million
(..)"

in Time
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Apple expected to unveil new iPhone next week


"Apple Inc looks set next week to unveil its much-awaited new iPhone, which analysts say will have a bigger screen and work better with remote computing services.

Apple on Tuesday invited media to a "special event" called "Let's talk iPhone" on October 4 at its Cupertino, California headquarters, an unusual location for a company that typically introduces major products at larger venues in San Francisco.
The invitation did not have any other details, and an Apple spokesman would not provide further information.
"This is the iPhone 5," ThinkEquity analyst Mark McKechnie said of the event.
The new iPhone would be the first major product launch under Tim Cook, who took over full-time as chief executive after co-founder Steve Jobs resigned last month.
It was unclear if Jobs, who is now chairman, will take the stage at the event.
Though a good product, the current iPhone 4 could use some improvements, McKechnie said. "We talked about it having a bigger screen, a dual core processor, and probably integrates pretty well with the iCloud."
The iPhone -- introduced in 2007 with the touchscreen template now adopted by its rivals -- remains the gold standard in the booming smartphone market.
The new model, which some have dubbed the iPhone 5, will have a bigger touch screen, better antenna and an 8-megapixel camera, one source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters in August. (...)"

in Reuters
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Yahoo to Be Broken Up, Sold for Parts?


"If you've been wondering who's going to replace Carol Bartz as CEO of Yahoo after she was fired by phone at the beginning of the month, the answer may be "no one."

In fact, following on from rumors that Yahoo was "open to selling itself to the right bidder," now there are rumors that the company may be broken down and sold off in pieces to whoever is interested.

According to Business Insider's Henry Blodget, instead of hiring a firm to start looking for a new CEO, various Yahoo-related parties are quietly reaching out to companies to see if there's interest in buying parts of the company. Mentioning two anonymous inside sources, Blodget says that "Yahoo is asking what Yahoo assets the companies might be interested in and what they might be willing to pay for them."

Companies mentioned as potential buyers include Microsoft, News Corp., Disney and online advertising giant Glam Media. This comes in addition, of course, to rumors of an AOL/Yahoo merger, as well as three private equity firms expressing interest in purchasing the company.

Yahoo may be buying time until someone comes along with a good idea about what to do with the company and its assets. But whether or not such lack of leadership is going to make the company look less valuable in the short-term to possible buyers is open to question."

in Time

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