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NEW YORK (AP) ? Wal-Mart may have gotten its groove back, but an alleged bribery scheme threatens to curtail its progress.
As Wal-Mart reported first-quarter profit on Thursday that beat Wall Street estimates, the world’s largest retailer also disclosed that it is expanding an internal probe into alleged bribes at its Mexico unit to include other countries.
Wal-Mart also acknowledged in a government filing that the accusations could hurt the company and that media coverage of the scandal could harm its reputation as a corporate citizen. The company listed possible scenarios that could arise from an investigation, from fines to criminal convictions.
“The company can provide no assurance that these matters will not be material to its business in the future,” Wal-Mart said in the filing.
Wal-Mart’s disclosures add to a list of developments since the scandal was first reported by the New York Times last month. The paper revealed that the company allegedly failed to notify law enforcement after it found evidence that officials authorized millions of dollars in bribes in Mexico in exchange for speedier building permits and other favors.
Since then, it’s been reported that federal authorities in both the U.S. and Mexico are investigating Wal-Mart for potential violations of a law that forbids companies from bribing foreign officials. Investors have filed lawsuits against top Wal-Mart executives. And some shareholders are planning to vote against the re-election of several board members at the company’s annual meeting on June 1.
“It makes it messier. There’s already a mud pit,” said Patty Edwards, a principal at Trutina Financial, an investment management firm. “The mud gets stickier and deeper the more countries you add to it.”
Wal-Mart’s disclosures come as the company posted better-than-expected first-quarter results. Wal-Mart, based in Bentonville, Ark., earned $3.74 billion, or $1.09 per share, in the quarter ended April 30. That compares with $3.39 billion, or 97 cents per share, in the year-ago period. The latest results beat the $1.04 per share analysts polled by FactSet were expecting.
Wal-Mart’s first quarter was boosted by strong results at its namesake U.S. division. The unit turned in its best performance in three years. Customer traffic was up for the second quarter in the row. And its clothing business posted its first sales gain in six years.
The business had been struggling as its core low-income customers had been hard hit by joblessness and other challenges in the down economy. Adding to that, the unit, which accounts for 62 percent of Wal-Mart’s total net sales, had made some mistakes in veering away from its “everyday low prices” strategy and getting rid of popular merchandise.
But Wal-Mart last year began adding back 10,000 products and refocused on keeping prices low. As a result, sales at Wal-Mart’s U.S. division rose 5.9 percent to $66.34 billion.
Revenue at stores opened at least a year ? considered a key measure of a retailer’s health because it excludes the impact from stores that open and close during the year ? rose 2.6 percent in the division. The figure, which beat the 1.4 percent Wall Street estimate, marks the third consecutive quarterly gain for the division after nine straight quarters of declines.
Bill Simon, president of the company’s namesake U.S. business, said in a pre-recorded address on Thursday that Wal-Mart’s strategy is to give customers a large assortment of products at low prices. “It’s a fairly simple concept, but one that’s critically important to our customers, particularly in challenging economic times,” he said.
The company’s U.S. business wasn’t the only division that posted strong revenue gains. Overall, net sales, excluding membership fees from Sam’s Club, rose 8.6 percent to $112.2 billion. Sales at Sam’s Club rose 7.9 percent to $13.85 billion. And Wal-Mart’s international business, which accounts for more than a quarter of net sales, posted a 15 percent increase to $32 billion.
Despite the good showing, Wal-Mart executives cautioned that the U.S. economy remains weak. Job security is still the No. 1 concern among Wal-Mart shoppers. Gas prices have come down, but they’re still high enough to squeeze customers. And many shoppers, the company said, also continue to buy smaller packages at the end of the month when finances are very tight.
Still, Wal-Mart said that it expects per-share earnings in the second quarter to be in the range of $1.13 per share to $1.18 per share. That’s in line with the $1.16 per share analysts expect. The company estimates that its U.S. business will post a gain in revenue at stores opened at least a year of between 1 percent and 3 percent.
“Wal-Mart has been slapped around, but they’re coming back fighting,” said Edwards, the principal at the investment management firm Trutina. “You have to watch out for them. They’ve been able to figure things out that will appeal to their core customers, who need them desperately because of the economy.”
Shares rose more than 4 percent, or $2.49 per share, to close at $61.68 Thursday.
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Staff Sgt. Wynn Hoke / Photo courtesy of U.S. Army
Jordanian and United States parachutists navigate their way to a landing zone in Jordan on May 10 during Exercise Eager Lion 2012.
By F. Brinley Bruton, msnbc.com, and NBC News
A?military exercise involving more than 11,000 troops from 19 countries is under way in Jordan, reportedly?just miles from Syria’s border.
Dubbed Eager Lion 2012, the?operation is?”very significant,” a source close to the Jordanian government told NBC News, adding it was the first of its kind in 15 years “in terms of size and importance.”
The source and an analyst both?said the war games?should be seen as a message to neighboring Syria’s rulers.
Violence has raged in Syria for 14 months after mass protests turned into an insurrection against President?Bashar al-Assad’s rule. Assad’s government has repeatedly accused foreign states of backing a “terrorist” campaign in Syria, an apparent reference to Gulf powers Saudi Arabia and Qatar which have argued that Syrian insurgents should be supplied with weapons.
Inside Syrian rebel stronghold: ‘It is as if the city is on mute’
A month-old truce brokered by international mediator Kofi Annan has failed to stop the violence, which has killed more than 9,000, according to U.N. figures. It has also caused a refugee crisis in the region.
Another source close to the government in Jordan told NBC News that while some of the exercises were being held near the Royal Jordanian Air Force’s King Feisal Al Jafr airbase in the south, other exercises were under way near the Syrian and Iraqi borders in the east. The sources spoke to NBC News on condition of anonymity. ?
Majed Jaber / Reuters
U.S. Major General Ken Tovo (left), commanding general of the Special Operations Command Central, and Major General Awni El-Edwan, chief of staff of Jordanian Army’s operations and training, address a joint news conference in Jordan on Tuesday.
Experts in the region said the exercises were most certainly more than just building bridges between different countries.?
Report: Syria rebels get better weapons as US boosts support
“You can’t honestly say that there is not a message when you get 19 nations together in?multilateral?force less than 50 miles away from the Syrian border,”?Michael Stephens of London-based military and security think tank RUSI told msnbc.com from Qatar.?
“There is no possible reason as to why the Americans wouldn’t want a joint operation held close to Syria,” he added. “It enhances deterrence (and) the Americans could’ve quietened it down if they wanted to.”
Media reports in Jordan claimed that the exercises were a message not only to Syria but Iran.?
Syria violence spills into streets of Lebanon’s Tripoli
However, American and Jordanian military officials strenuously denied that there were operations?taking place?close to Syria. ?
“It’s not about Syria, it’s just a pure coincidence,”?U.S. Central Command?Maj. Robert Bockholt told msnbc.com from Jordan.?”Eager Lion 12 has been pre-planned.”
The personnel from 19 nations –?Australia, Bahrain, Brunei, Egypt, France, Italy, Iraq, Jordan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon, Pakistan, Qatar, Spain, Romania, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and United States — were?working together “to?build functional capacity and enhance readiness,” according to a statement from the combined operation, Task Force Spartan. ?
The exercise “does not target anyone — none of the neighboring or world countries,”?Major Gen. Awni El-Edwan, Jordanian Armed Forces operations and training chief of staff, told journalists on Tuesday.
Reuters contributed to this report.?
More world news from msnbc.com and NBC News:
Follow us on Twitter: @msnbc_world
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Home / Health & Fitness / Yoga Classes In Atlanta 
Espa?ol: Hata yoga (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Quite a few of the health and fitness crowd in Atlanta, GA fans are avid yoga practitioners; should you decide you?d like to join them, we?ve put together a list of some of the area?s best yoga classes.
- Stillwater Yoga?- This yoga studio has classes for every level of yoga student; five levels in all. ?You?ll find that they?re equipped to be a yoga studio, not just some gym with a yoga area. ?One particular point of pride is that all of the teachers are either certified or working toward it.
- Urban Body ? While yoga is most certainly a health activity to get some exercise in, Urban Body focuses on the spiritual dimension of the activity to center not just the body, but the mind as well.
- Yoga Samadhi?- Looking to give yoga a try but not sure if you?ll like it? ?The first class at this yoga studio is free which makes it a great way to give the activity a try before you spend money on new yoga pants. ?Their uplifting environment features certified instructors as well.
No matter what your reason for getting into yoga, there?s a place in?Atlanta?for you. ?Have fun finding your center!
MGTitleMenu is an open source iOS interface component that lets developers conveniently add pop-up, tile-based contextual menus to iOS apps. It makes the most sense on big screen iPad apps, but can also be used on iPhone or iPad touch. MGTileMenu, as the name hints, is from well known iOS developer Matt Gemmell under a free, attribution license (it can also be licensed without attribution for a small fee).
 
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We may still be years away from watching the sweet, sweet 33MP resolution video promised by Super Hi-Vision in our own homes, but over in Japan, NHK engineers are slowly working out the various kinks keeping it from us. Their latest development is this camera seen above on the left, capable of recording 8K in a camera head that is smaller and lighter than the previous unit (the new one weighs 4kg, about 1/5th the weight) shown on the right, and is more comparable to the size of a standard HDTV camera. According to the NHK the savings were achieved by developing a new single plate color imaging mechanism and eliminating the need for a prism to separate the colors beforehand, so it’s small enough to be used with standard SLR camera lenses. Sure, it’s not quite ready to go on your next vacation, but if you’re in Japan you can get a peek at it (and that 145-inch 8K Panasonic plasma) at the broadcaster’s open house later this month.
NHK shrinks its 8K Super Hi-Vision-ready camcorder to the size of HD cameras originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 May 2012 05:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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If you are planning on doing some remodeling in Portland, you will want to find a home improvement contractor who is experienced in doing the kind of job you are looking to have done. ?Since you will be working with him closely on a daily basis, you want to make sure that you can communicate well with each other and that your personalities don?t clash. ?Working well together is one of the biggest things that will assure an excellent project. You may wonder how to go about finding a reputable contractor that does remodeling in Portland, and one of your first lines of attack should be to ask people you know who they used. ?Co-workers, friends, neighbors, or family will be happy to let you know what their experience was like, whether it was good or bad. ?You want to get them talking about the whole experience so you can get a feel for whether the contractor was on time and whether he cleaned up the work areas or not, and how easy he was to work with. ?If you can get a couple of good options from these types of referrals, then you are on your way. Another great resource is the internet. ?You can search on ?remodeling in Portland? and find pages of information that will direct you to websites for contractors in the area. ?This is a great way to compare things such as how long the company has been in business and what types of remodeling projects they usually do. ?You may see lists of services or lists of prices. ?If there are referrals available, that can really be helpful. ?You may find reviews online as well. It is a good idea to verify the licensing and certification of any remodeling contractor you are considering. ?You want to be sure he is licensed to do work in your area and that he is a certified contractor. ?It is also important that his liability insurance is up to date so that you know that everyone is protected in the case of an accident. ?It wouldn?t hurt to ask for referrals to recent clients and then to contact them to see how pleased they are with the job that was done. By asking around and doing a little research, your project for remodeling Portland can be overseen by a professional, experienced remodeling contractor who can get the job done the way you want it.
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The U.S. Air Force‘s secretive robotic X-37B space plane mission continues to chalk up time in Earth orbit, nearing 430 days of a spaceflight that ? while classified ? appears to be an unqualified success.
The space plane now circuiting Earth is the second spacecraft of its kind built for the Air Force by Boeing?s Phantom Works. Known as the Orbital Test Vehicle 2, or OTV-2, the space plane’s classified mission is being carried out by the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office.
The robotic X-37B space plane is a reusable spacecraft that resembles a miniature space shuttle. The Air Force launched the OTV-2 mission on March 5, 2011, with an unmanned Atlas 5 rocket lofting the space plane into orbit from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
Spectacular success
General William Shelton, commander of Air Force Space Command, briefly saluted the high-flying X-37B space plane on April 17 during his remarks at the 28th National Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colo.
“Our second X-37 test vehicle has been on orbit for 409 days now” ? much longer than the 270 day baseline design specifications, Shelton said. “Although I can’t talk about mission specifics, suffice it to say this mission has been a spectacular success,” he added. [Photos: The X-37B Space Plane's Second Mission]
In a follow-up meeting with reporters, Shelton told SPACE.com: “It’s doing wonderful.” When asked specifically about when the craft will be brought back down to Earth, Shelton’s response was guarded.
“When we’re through with it ? it’s going great,” Shelton said.
U.S. Air Force Maj. Tracy Bunko, the Pentagon’s spokesperson for the X-37B project, told SPACE.com that the space plane’s current mission “is still on track ? and still ongoing.”
Bunko said that a third flight of an X-37B spacecraft ? slated for liftoff this fall ? will use the same craft that flew the first test flight, the OTV-1 mission, back in 2010. That maiden voyage of the X-37B space plane lasted 225 days. It launched into orbit on April 22, 2010, and then landed on Dec. 3, zooming in on autopilot over the Pacific Ocean and gliding down onto a specially prepared runway at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
Return on investment
Each X-37B space plane is about 29 feet (8.8 meters) long and 15 feet (4.5 meters) wide. It has a payload bay about the size of a pickup truck bed and is outfitted with a deployable solar array power system.
What isn’t known about these space vehicles is the nature of the payloads they carry. What purposes they serve is classified. [Video: Skywatchers Spot Secret X-37B Space Plane]
Last March in a Washington, D.C., briefing with reporters, Shelton advised that the winged, reusable robot plane is a vehicle the U.S. Air Force wants to keep using. But there is currently no go-ahead to add space planes (beyond the two already built) that would increase the fleet size, he said.
When the second X-37B cruised by its one-year milestone in orbit in March, Lt. Col. Tom McIntyre of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office lauded the spacecraft’s endurance run.
“We are very pleased with the results of ongoing X-37B experiments. The X-37B program is setting the standard for a reusable space plane and, on this one-year orbital milestone, has returned great value on the experimental investment,” McIntyre said. “Upon completion of all objectives, we look forward to bringing the mission to a safe, successful conclusion.”
Skywatchers on alert
According to Ted Molczan, a Toronto-based leader in a network of amateur skywatchers that keep an eye on the whereabouts of spacecraft, the X-37B/OTV-2 has maintained its orbit since mid-August of last year.
Last observed on April 22 by fellow skywatcher Greg Roberts of South Africa, the craft was in a 42.8 degree, 332 kilometer by 341 kilometer orbit, Molczan told SPACE.com.
“It makes frequent small maneuvers to maintain that altitude against the significant atmospheric drag that is present. That orbit causes its ground track to repeat nearly precisely every two days,” Molczan added.
“Ground tracks that repeat at intervals of two, three, or four days, have long been favored for U.S. imagery intelligence satellites, so this may be a clue to the mission of OTV-2,” Molczan said.
Scaled-up X-37B space planes planned?
An intriguing sidelight to the X-37 program is whether or not Boeing’s Phantom Works is keen on using the spacecraft for other, nonmilitary missions, or even upgrading the X-37 space plane concept for human spaceflight.
Last year at Space 2011, a conference organized by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), an X-37B derivatives plan was sketched out by Arthur Grantz, chief engineer, Experimental Systems Group at Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems (S&IS) in Seal Beach, Calif.
Grantz detailed a vision for the spacecraft and scaled-up versions to support space station cargo deliveries and even carry astronauts into orbit.
At the one-year milestone of the now orbiting X-37B, SPACE.com contacted Boeing for more information on Grantz and his view on use of X-37B evolving to support the International Space Station.
“That AIAA presentation was a one-time event and we are not saying anything more publicly about the X-37B,” said Diana Ball of Boeing?s S&IS Communications in a response to SPACE.com. “Sorry we cannot help you out this time.”
Leonard David has been reporting on the space industry for more than five decades. He is a winner of last year’s National Space Club Press Award and a past editor-in-chief of the National Space Society’s Ad Astra and Space World magazines. He has written for SPACE.com since 1999.
Copyright 2012 SPACE.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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