Newspaper Page Text
EES BUSINESS
Jeff Gill | Business reporter
770-718-3408 | jgill@gainesvilletimes.com
The Times, Gainesville, Georgia
Friday, November 2, 2018
Amazon wants kids to code
Stock photo courtesy of I metro creative connection
Amazon launched a program Thursday, Nov. 1, that aims to teach more than 10 million students a year how to code.
Company wants kids to think about computer engineering as a career
BY JOSEPH PISANI
Associated Press
NEW YORK — Amazon wants to
get more kids thinking about becom
ing computer engineers.
The company launched a program
Thursday that aims to teach more
than 10 million students a year how
to code. Amazon said it will pay for
summer camps, teacher training
and other initiatives to benefit kids
and young adults from low-income
families who might not have learned
to code otherwise. It hopes the pro
grams spur more black, Hispanic and
female students to study computer
science.
Amazon declined to put a price
tag on the program, called Amazon
Future Engineer, but said it will take
up a big chunk of the $50 million that
it committed to spend on computer
science education last year.
Other corporations, including
Microsoft and Facebook, have also
committed cash to bring coding to
schools, which could ultimately bene
fit the companies. There’s a shortage
of computer engineers, and teaching
students to code will ensure a pipe
line of future talent to hire.
Jeff Wilke, Amazon’s chief execu
tive of worldwide consumer, said he
hopes some of the students who go
through the Amazon Future Engineer
program will work for the company,
creating skills for its Alexa voice
assistant or programming its delivery
drones. But he said other companies
are increasingly relying on technol
ogy, and coding has become a valu
able skill to more employers.
“We’re pretty confident that know
ing how to code will be as important
as knowing how to read for the jobs of
the future,” Wilke said.
Amazon Future Engineer will
offer kids in kindergarten through
eighth grade free summer camps
and after-school programs that will
take place in Amazon offices around
the country. Amazon employees will
volunteer, and online classes, lessons
and games will be provided by Ama
zon’s partners, such as Code.org and
Coding with Kids. The company also
said it plans to pay for online training
for teachers at 2,000 low-income high
schools around the country to teach
to teach introductory and college-
level advance placement computer
science classes. In addition, it will
offer college students scholarships
and internships. Schools, teachers
and parents will be able to apply
through AmazonFutureEngineer.
com.
Amazon said some schools have
been testing the program, including
Monsignor Scanlan High School in
New York. Science teacher Jennifer
Tulipano began taking coding classes
online in September and started
teaching two computer science
classes that month where the stu
dents learn how to create games and
make animated characters dance.
It’s the first time the school has
offered computer science classes.
Tulipano said the school applied
for the Amazon program because
more students were getting feedback
from colleges saying they needed
some background in computer
science.
“So much is now online,” Tulipano
said. “It’s a skill set they need moving
forward if they want to go into these
fields.”
Feds open criminal probe into natural gas explosions
BY PHILIP MARCEL0
Associated Press
BOSTON — Federal
prosecutors are conduct
ing a criminal investigation
into the natural gas explo
sions and fires that rocked
three communities near
Boston in September, a util
ity company said Thursday.
NiSource, the parent
company of Columbia Gas
of Massachusetts, said it is
cooperating with the crimi
nal investigation by the
office of Andrew Lelling,
U.S. attorney for Massachu
setts. The Merrillville, Indi
ana-based utility made the
disclosure in its quarterly
financial disclosure report
to the U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission.
NiSource and its subsid
iary were served initial
grand jury subpoenas on
Sept. 24, shortly after the
Sept. 13 explosions and
fires that killed one person,
injured 25 others, and dam
aged or destroyed more
than 130 structures across
Lawrence, North Andover
and Andover, the company
said in its filing.
The report didn’t pro
vide further information
about the nature of the
investigation, and a com
pany spokesman declined
to elaborate Thursday. Lel-
ling’s office also declined to
comment.
“We are cooperating
with all investigations and
inquiries into the Law
rence event, including the
criminal matter. However,
we can’t speak specifically
to any of those inquiries,”
said NiSource spokesman
Ken Stammen.
In a separate quar
terly earnings report
also released Thursday,
NiSource said the explo
sions had cost the company
about $462 million, money
it expects will be “substan
tially recovered” through
insurance.
“We are deeply humbled
by what happened in Mas
sachusetts, and realize that
much work lies ahead of
us to finish the service res
toration in the Lawrence
area, and to regain the
trust of our customers and
communities,” company
CEO Joe Hamrock said in a
statement.
The gas explosions are
also being investigated by
the National Transporta
tion Safety Board, which
said in a preliminary report
last month that over-pres
surized natural gas lines
were to blame.
That investigation has
so far found the company
failed to account for criti
cal pressure sensors as it
planned for upgrades to
the pipeline system, parts
of which are cast-iron pipes
more than a century old.
The utility company also
faces legal actions from
victims of the explosions,
including a possible class
action lawsuit. Gov. Char
lie Baker’s administration
has hired an independent
evaluator and ordered all
natural gas companies
to review their pipeline
procedures.
Thousands of customers,
meanwhile, remain without
natural gas service for hot
water, heat and cooking.
AT&T yanks
HBO from Dish
BY MEG JAMES
Los Angeles Times
Dish Network customers, including those who subscribe to
SlingTV, have lost access to HBO channels and Cinemax —
months after AT&T gained control of HBO’s parent company
— in the television industry’s latest escalation of hardball
negotiations over carriage fees.
The dispute marks the first-ever blackout of HBO chan
nels. HBO, which includes such programs as “Game of
Thrones,” “Silicon Valley” and “Last Week Tonight with
John Oliver,” has long maintained amicable relations with
its distribution partners because it relies on them to help
market its channels, including Cinemax.
The channels were pulled early Thursday when the car
riage contract expired. The blackout affects about 2.5 mil
lion of Dish’s 13 million customers, according to a person
close to the situation who was not authorized to publicly dis
cuss internal numbers.
Dish Network, based in Englewood, Colorado blamed the
blackout on AT&T’s takeover of HBO and other Time War
ner properties, which was completed in June. HBO, mean
while, accused Dish of offering unreasonable proposals,
saying that has become a “negotiating tactic” for the satel
lite TV provider.
AT&T’s acquisition of Time Warner properties “has
allowed the giant conglomerate to relentlessly exert power
and influence over competing pay TV providers,” Dish said
in a statement.
That $85 billion merger transformed the Dallas-based
phone company into one of the world’s largest entertainment
firms, with huge clout in the marketplace. AT&T also owns
DirecTV, which is Dish’s largest competitor.
DirecTV and Dish both have been struggling to hold on to
customers.
“Plain and simple, the merger created for AT&T immense
power over consumers,” Andrew LeCuyer, Dish’s senior
vice president of programming, said in a statement. “It
seems AT&T is implementing a new strategy to shut off its
recently acquired content from other distributors.... AT&T
no longer has incentive to come to an agreement... instead,
it’s been given the power to grab more money or steal away
customers.”
The U.S. Justice Department tried to block the AT&T-
Time Warner merger — a deal President Donald Trump
also opposed. During a trial, Dish executives testified against
AT&T, saying the merger would be anticompetitive. Time
Warner, which AT&T renamed WarnerMedia, also owns
CNN, which is one of Trump’s most severe critics. But in
June, a federal judge in Washington ruled in AT&T’s favor,
allowing the merger to proceed.
Two months later, the Justice Department appealed the
ruling. The blackout on Dish systems could give the govern
ment ammunition in its case against AT&T.
Dish accused AT&T of trying to weaken competition as
it prepares to roll out a WarnerMedia streaming service,
which includes HBO, early next year. HBO also has a stand
alone streaming service, HBO Now. Dish also said AT&T is
demanding that Dish pay for a guaranteed number of sub
scribers “regardless of how many consumers actually want
to subscribe to HBO.”
HBO lamented the situation and pointed to Dish, say
ing the satellite company increasingly uses blackouts as a
negotiation tactic. Dish does have the highest percentage of
blackouts among major pay-TV providers.
“During our 40-plus years of operation, HBO has always
been able to reach agreement with our valued distributors
and our services have never been taken down or made
unavailable to subscribers due to an inability to conclude
a deal,” HBO said in a statement. “Unfortunately, Dish is
making it extremely difficult, responding to our good-faith
attempts with unreasonable terms.”
Another change that came with the merger: AT&T senior
executive John Stankey — who previously ran DirecTV —
now is in charge of HBO and other WarnerMedia assets.
Stankey is a veteran of the carriage-fee wars. According to
HBO, Stankey was not involved in the negotiations with Dish;
rather, they have been handled by HBO executives.
Programmers have long grumbled about DirecTV’s fierce
negotiating style. Programmers also complain that Dish
often drags its feet in negotiations to gain leverage. Channels
owned by Spanish-language TV broadcaster Univision have
been off Dish’s system since June 30, and that dispute has no
end in sight.
‘Plain and simple, the merger
created for AT&T immense
power over consumers.’
Andrew LeCuyer
Dish senior vice president of programming
The Market in Review
Stock Exchange Highlights
A NYSE
I 12,356.50+148.44
1
Nasdaq
7,434.06 +128.16
Gainers (S2 or more)
Gainers ($2 or more)
Name
Last
Chg %Chg
Name
Last Chg %Chg
Fitbitn 5.95 +1.22 +25.8
Flor&Decn 31.73 +6.15 +24.0
HudBayM g 4.83 +.92 +23.5
OshkoshCp 68.16 +12.02 +21.4
ResoluteF 13.66 +2.39 +21.2
EmergeES 2.44 +.42 +20.8
PitnyBw 7.90 +1.28 +19.3
HilGrVa n 31.77 +4.90 +18.2
Vipshop 5.70 +.84 +17.3
Jupai n 9.15 +1.29+16.4
Losers ($2 or more)
ConstAlp un16.04 +5.04 +45.8
WinsFin 49.50 +13.00 +35.6
1800Flowrs 13.70 +3.25 +31.1
FormFac 16.04 +3.80 +31.0
AmSupr rs 7.55 +1.56 +26.0
LendgTree250.40 +48.71 +24.2
Attunity 19.97 +3.77 +23.3
ProQRTher 22.17 +3.97 +21.8
JounceTh n 4.88 +.84 +20.8
NewLink 2.27 +.38 +20.1
Losers ($2 or more)
Name
Last
Chg %Chg
Name
Last Chg %Chg
PSBMetDS 8.43 -3.34 -28.4
CarrSrv 14.97 -4.09 -21.5
EmerExp n 12.01 -2.61 -17.9
JonesEngy rs2.62 -.57 -17.9
DxSOXBr rs11.49 -1.84 -13.8
JBeanTch 90.39 -13.58 -13.1
ION Geo rs 10.30 -1.51 -12.8
Wayfair 96.16 -14.13 -12.8
EnCana g 8.96 -1.28 -12.5
TexPacLd 670.00 -90.12 -11.9
Most Active ($1 on more)
Name Vol (00) Last Chg
YRCWwde 6.13 -2.13 -25.8
Intemap rs 6.38 -2.19 -25.6
FrghtCar If 10.80 -3.50 -24.5
BallardPw 2.99 -.73 -19.6
AXTInc 5.39 -1.20 -18.2
WestellT rs 2.19 -.46 -17.4
PingtanM 2.48 -.48 -16.2
HamilLa n 33.04 -5.34 -13.9
Digimarc 21.72 -3.41 -13.6
AMAG Ph 18.76 -2.74 -12.7
Most Active ($1 or more)
Name Vol (00) Last Chg
GenElec 2341673 9.58 -.52
EnCana g 1172572 8.96 -1.28
FordM 594417 9.29 -.26
BkofAm 495507 27.81 +.31
ChesEng 493918 3.57 +.06
Fitbitn 488614 5.95 +1.22
Alibaba 469099 151.25 +8.97
Weathflntl 402564 1.34 -.01
Gerdau 379387 4.45 +.10
NewfldExp 372440 23.46 +3.26
Diary
2,139
679
71
2,889
22
62
4,623,388,065
AMD 1359115 20.22 +2.01
Apple Inc 524083 222.22 +3.36
MicronT 436106 40.12 +2.40
Microsoft 332353 105.92 -.89
CaesarsEnt327109 8.85 +.26
Intel 282125 48.22 +1.34
JD.com 254947 25.45 +1.93
21 stCFoxA 254828 46.54 +1.02
Facebook 254253 151.75 -.04
Cisco 246061 45.65 -.10
Diary
2,286
659
126
3,071
40
72
2,591,466,903
Advanced
Declined
Unchanged
Total issues
New Highs
New Lows
Volume
Advanced
Declined
Unchanged
Total issues
New Highs
New Lows
Volume
Stocks of Local Interest
YTD YTD
Name Ex Div Yld PE Last Chg %Chg Name Ex Div Yld PE Last Chg %Chg
AFLAC S
1.04
2.4
13
42.87
-.20 0.0
Hershey
2.89
2.7
23
107.34
+.19
-5.4
AT&T Inc
2.00
6.6
6
30.49
-.19 -21.6
HomeDp
4.12
2.3
23
180.46
+4.58
-4.8
AbbottLab
1.12
1.6
30
70.15 +1.21 +22.9
Intel
1.20
2.5
18
48.22
+1.34
+4.5
AMD
20.22 +2.01 +96.7
IBM
6.28
5.4
9
116.83
+1.40
-23.8
Altria
3.20
5.0
20
63.67
-1.37 -10.8
JohnJn
3.60
2.6
20
140.82
+.83
+.8
Apple Inc
2.92
1.3
26
222.22 +3.36 +31.3
Lowes
1.92
2.0
20
97.44
+2.22
+4.8
ATMOS
1.94
2.1
17
92.94
-.14 +8.2
McDnlds
4.64
2.7
26
174.88
-2.02
+1.6
AutoZone
16
745.87+12.40 +4.8
Merck
2.20
3.0
27
73.12
-.49
+29.9
AveryD
2.26
2.4
27
93.08
+2.36 -19.0
MicronT
3
40.12
+2.40
-2.4
BB&T Cp
1.62
3.3
14
49.20
+.04 -1.0
Microsoft
1.84
1.7
50
105.92
-.89
+23.8
BP PLC
2.38
5.6
23
42.65
-.72 +1.5
NewResid
2.00
11.7
6
17.13
-.75
-4.2
BkofAm
.60
2.2
13
27.81
+.31 -5.8
NewfldExp
12
23.46
+3.26
-25.6
BarnesNob
.60
9.4
6.35
+.02 -5.2
NorflkSo
3.20
1.9
25
168.34
+1.31
+16.2
Boeing
6.84
1.9
34
363.07
+8.21 +23.1
OfficeDpt
.10
3.8
8
2.63
+.07
-25.7
BrMySq
1.60
3.1
52
52.13
+1.59 -14.9
Penney
25
1.49
+.02
-52.8
CSX
.88
1.3
10
69.59
+.73 +26.5
PepsiCo
3.71
3.3
32
111.51
-.87
-7.0
CaesarsEnt ...
8.85
+.26 -30.0
Pfizer
1.36
3.1
17
43.67
+.61
+20.6
CampSp
1.40
3.7
13
37.94
+.53 -21.1
PhilipMor
4.56
5.2
21
88.35
+.28
-16.4
Caterpillar
3.44
2.8
12
124.70
+3.38 -20.9
Primerica
1.00
.9
14
112.60
+2.86
+10.9
ChesEng
6
3.57
+.06 -9.8
ProctGam
2.87
3.2
22
89.59
+.91
-2.5
Chevron
4.48
4.0
49
111.17
-.48 -11.2
RegionsFn
.56
3.3
15
17.21
+.24
-.4
Cisco
1.32
2.9
23
45.65
-.10 +19.2
SiriusXM
.05
.8
34
6.11
+.09
+14.0
Citigroup
1.80
2.7
11
65.83
+.37 -11.5
SnapIncAn ...
7.20
+.59
-50.7
CocaCola
1.56
3.3
90
47.74
-.14 +4.1
SouthnCo
2.40
5.3
21
44.90
-.13
-6.6
Comcast s
.76
2.0
18
37.95
-.19 -4.9
SwstnEngy
7
5.48
+.14
-1.8
ConAgra
.85
2.4
17
35.62
+.02 -5.4
SunTrst
2.00
3.2
11
62.50
-.16
-3.2
Cummins
4.56
3.2
40
142.19
+5.50 -19.5
SynovusFn 1.00
2.6
14
38.15
+.59
-20.4
Disney
1.68
1.4
16
116.10
+1.27 +8.0
3M Co
5.44
2.8
27
192.22
+1.96
-18.3
DowDuPnt
1.52
2.6
19
58.27
+4.35 -18.2
Torchmark
.64
.7
7
85.34
+.68
-5.9
EnCana g
.06
.7
15
8.96
-1.28 -32.8
21 StCFoxA
.36
.8
21
46.54
+1.02
+34.8
Equifax
1.56
1.5
18
104.74
+3.30 -11.2
Twitter
34.62
-.13
+44.2
ExxonMbl
3.28
4.1
17
80.67
+.99 -3.6
Tyson
1.20
1.9
11
62.36
+2.44
-23.1
Facebook
28
151.75
-.04 -14.0
UtdCmBks
.60
2.4
15
25.12
+.25
-10.7
Fitbit n
5.95
+1.22 +4.2
UPS B
3.64
3.4
18
107.52
+.98
-9.8
FordM
.60
6.5
5
9.29
-.26 -25.6
VerizonCm
2.41
4.3
7
56.05
-1.04
+5.9
FrptMcM
.20
1.6
8
12.28
+.63 -35.2
Vodafone
1.82
9.2
19.80
+.87
-37.9
GenElec
.48
5.0
9.58
-.52 -45.2
WalMart
2.08
2.1
24
100.58
+.30
+1.9
GenuPrt
2.88
2.9
21
97.83
-.09 +3.0
Weathflntl
1.34
-.01
-67.9
HP Inc
.56
2.3
9
24.49
+.35 +16.6
WeisMk
1.24
2.7
22
45.18
-.97
+9.2
Haverty
.72
3.5
21
20.42
+.14 -9.8
WellsFargo 1.72
3.2
13
53.56
+.33
-11.7
HeliosM rs
.02
...-100.0
YumBrnds
1.44
1.6
31
87.99
-2.42
+7.8
Stock Footnotes: g = Dividends and earnings in Canadian dollars, h = Does not meet continued-listing standards. If = Late filing
with SEC. n = New in past 52 weeks, pf = Preferred, rs = Stock has undergone a reverse stock split of at least 50 percent within the
past year, rt = Right to buy security at a specified price, s = Stock has split by at least 20 percent within the last year, un = Units, vj
= In bankruptcy or receivership, wd = When distributed, wi = When issued, wt = Warrants. Fund Footnotes: m - Multiple fees are
charged, usually a marketing fee and either a sales or redemption fee. Source: The Associated Press. Sales figures are unofficial.
Stock Market Indexes
Dow Jones industrials
Close: 25,380.74
Change: 264.98 (1.1%)
24,120 10 DAYS
27,200
26,400
25,600
24,800
24,000
M
J J
A
S
O
52-Week
Net
YTD
12-mo
High
Low
Name
Last
Chg
%Chg
%Chg
%Chg
26,951.81
23,242.75
Dow Industrials
25,380.74
+264.98
+1.05
+2.68
+7.93
11,623.58
9,420.16
Dow Transportation
10,368.52
+177.34
+1.74
-2.30
+6.04
778.80
647.81
Dow Utilities
729.11
-4.73
-.64
+.79
-2.91
13,637.02
11,820.33
NYSE Composite
12,356.50
+148.44
+1.22
-3.53
-.13
8,133.30
6,630.67
Nasdaq Composite
7,434.06
+128.16
+1.75
+7.69
+10.71
1,309.73
1,118.69
S&P 100
1,219.80
+10.96
+.91
+3.10
+7.05
2,940.91
2,532.69
S&P 500
2,740.37
+28.63
+1.06
+2.50
+6.22
2,053.00
1,769.25
S&P MidCap
1,861.66
+36.56
+2.00
-2.05
+1.66
30,560.54
26,293.62
Wilshire 5000
28,333.06
+352.16
+1.26
+1.94
+5.81
1,742.09
1,436.43
Russell 2000
1,544.98
+33.57
+2.22
+.62
+3.24
Mutual Funds
Total Assets Total Return/Rank Pot Min Init
Name
Obj ($Mlns)
NAV
4-wk
12-mo
5-year
Load
Invt
Vanguard 500ldxAdmrl
LB
265,379
253.33
-6.2
+8.3/A
+11.5/A
NL
10,000
Vanguard TtlSMIdxAdmrl
LB
214,061
68.29
-6.4
+7.9/B
+11.0/A
NL
10,000
Vanguard TtlSMIdxInv
LB
135,625
68.26
-6.4
+7.7/B
+10.9/B
NL
3,000
Vanguard TtlnSIdxInv
FB
134,124
16.15
-7.0
-7.6/C
+2.3/B
NL
0
Vanguard TtlSMIdxIns
LB
128,089
68.30
-6.4
+7.9/B
+11.0/A
NL 5
000,000
Vanguard Insldxlns
LB
126,438
249.93
-6.2
+8.3/A
+11.5/A
NL 5
000,000
Vanguard InsIdxInsPlus
LB
108,769
249.95
-6.2
+8.3/A
+11.5/A
NL100,000,000
Vanguard TtlnSIdxInsPlus
FB
100,878
108.07
-7.0
-7.5/C
+2.4/B
NL100,000,000
American Funds GrfAmrcA m
LG
94,075
52.11
-8.3
+8.2/D
+11.8/C
5.75
250
Fidelity Contrafund
LG
91,385
12.87
-9.0
+8.6/D
+12.4/B
NL
0
Vanguard WlngtnAdmrl
MA
88,474
71.16
-3.7
+2.9/B
+7.7/A
NL
50,000
Vanguard TtBMIdxAdmrl
Cl
85,309
10.26
-0.5
-2.0/C
+1.8/C
NL
10,000
Cl -Intermediate-Term Bond, FB -Foreign Large Blend, IH -World Allocation, LB -Large Blend, LG -Large Growth,
LV -Large Value, MA -Moderate Allocation, WS -World Stock, Total Return: Chng in NAV with dividends reinvested.
Rank: How fund performed vs. others with same objective: A is in top 20%, E in bottom 20%. Min Init Invt: Minimum
$ needed to invest in fund. Source: Morningstar.
