October 13 1307

APPLIED MATERIALS DELIVERS STRONG SECOND QUARTER RESULTS

* Net sales of $2.86 billion up 25 percent year over year and up 7 percent sequentially * Q2 EPS of $0.37; Q2 non-GAAP EPS of $0.38 SANTA CLARA, Calif., May 24, 2011 -- Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT), the world's leading supplier of manufacturing solutions for the semiconductor, display and solar industries, today reported results for its second quarter of fiscal 2011 ended May 1, 2011. Applied generated orders of $3.19 billion, net sales of $2.86 billion, operating income of $677 million, and net income of $489 million or $0.37 per share. Non-GAAP operating income was $685 million, and non- GAAP net income was $501 million or $0.38 per share. "Applied delivered one of the best quarters in the company's history, including record net sales in our solar business," said Mike Splinter, chairman and chief executive officer. "While near-term economic conditions have tempered our growth expectations, our outlook for the year remains strong driven by our customers' plans to invest in the advanced technologies needed to meet growing demand for mobile devices and consumer electronics." Splinter added, "Earlier this month, we announced the planned acquisition of Varian Semiconductor to strengthen our leadership in the semiconductor industry and deliver value to our customers, shareholders and employees worldwide." "We exceeded our guidance for net sales in the second quarter and delivered earnings per share at the high end of the range," said George Davis, chief financial officer.  "During the quarter, we also raised our dividend by 14 percent to 8 cents per share and generated operating cash flow of more than $700 million." Financial Results Summary +-----------------------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+ | GAAP Results | Q2 FY2011 | Q1 FY2011 | Q2 FY2010 | +-----------------------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+ | Net sales | $2.86 billion | $2.69 billion | $2.30 billion | +-----------------------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+ | Operating income | $677 million | $674 million | $386 million | +-----------------------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+ | Net income | $489 million | $506 million | $264 million | +-----------------------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+ | Earnings per share | $0.37 | $0.

Friday the 13th: Why the fear? | Kulture Live

Friday the 13th: Why the fear?

If there’s one day you don’t want to walk under ladders, break any mirrors, or run afoul of any hockey-mask-wearing lunatics, it’s Friday the 13th. The day, which occurs one to three times every year, is synonymous with bad luck, and folks on the Web are eager to know how it got such a scary reputation.

The urban legend experts at Snopes.com offer several theories on why Friday the 13th is so feared. The site writes that “some of the more common theories link it to a significant event in the Christian tradition said to have taken place on Friday.” The big examples include the crucifixion and Eve offering the apple to Adam in the Garden of Eden.

And then there’s the number 13. Many buildings don’t have a 13th floor; some airplanes don’t have a 13th row. Clearly, many people are a bit worried about encountering the unlucky number in their daily routines. According to About.com’s urban legend expert, the aversion to all things 13 may have begun when early humans were learning to count. “Primitive man had only his 10 fingers and two feet to represent units,” this explanation goes, “so he could count no higher than 12. What lay beyond that — 13 — was an impenetrable mystery to our prehistoric forbearers, hence an object of superstition.”

 

Another theory: Thirteen became feared because it represented femininity. Some believe priests vilified the number because it “corresponded to the number of lunar (menstrual) cycles in a year.” That number was “revered in prehistoric goddess-worshipping cultures.”

A 2001 column on Yahoo! cites UselessKnowledge.com with yet another theory. The “superstition stems from the events that took place on Friday, October 13, 1307. On that day, the pope of the Roman Catholic Church, in combination with the king of France, sentenced the Knights Templar to death and ordered the torture and crucifixion of their leader.”

So many superstitions, so little evidence! To many, Friday is considered a day to be extra cautious, because bad things may happen with a bit more frequency as the work week winds down. And to others, the number 13 is incredibly unlucky for any number of perceived reasons. Combine the unlucky day of the week with the unlucky number, and you get a day that makes even the otherwise nonsuperstitious run for cover.

Knights Templar Encyclopedia, The Essential Guide to the People, Places, Events, and Symbols of the Order of the Temple

The prosecutors of the French king were never able to claim unequivocally that the pope himself had authorized the arrests on October 13, 1307, so initially ...

Mental Floss Presents Forbidden Knowledge, A Wickedly Smart Guide to History's Naughtiest Bits

_02:: October 13, 1307: A Terrifying Friday for the Templars While there are tons of stories about how the dreaded Friday the 13th date came about, ...

Triple Crossed

On Friday, October 13, 1307, King Philip ordered scores of French Templars to be simultaneously arrested. He held hearings to determine the Templars' guilt ...

Forbidden Religion, Suppressed Heresies of the West

When the Templars were suppressed on Friday, October 13, 1307, it is thought that the ... One of the Templars arrested on October 13, 1307, and subsequently ...

The truth behind the da Vinci code

Then Philip ordered his soldiers — not the Pope's — to make a mass arrest on October 13, 1307. This is the date on which the Knights were taken into custody ...