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http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/10/21/13/22/driver-shortage-hits-brisbane-trains
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http://web.archive.org/web/20161022163450id_/http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/10/21/13/22/driver-shortage-hits-brisbane-trains
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Qld Rail chief takes blame for line dramas
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20161022163450
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Queensland Rail has apologised to commuters and admitted their recent performance has been unacceptable following the cancellation of 100 train services in Brisbane.
The cancellations on Friday, due to a driver shortage, affected almost every train line in the city and state-government authority TransLink was forced to move passengers onto buses.
QR chief executive Helen Gluer took personal responsibility and conceded the rail network was under-resourced and unprepared for the new Redcliffe Peninsular line.
"The performance of Queensland Rail since the new Redcliffe Peninsular line has opened has been unacceptable and from our customer's perspective, totally unacceptable," she said.
"We know now that we had unrealistic assumptions on how much train crew we did need to run this new timetable.
"This is my fault, this is Queensland Rail's fault and we had unrealistic expectations on what crew we needed to actually run this timetable."
An interim timetable would be developed over the weekend to give customers a more reliable service, Ms Gluer said.
"At the moment, our total focus is on getting a timetable out that we can deliver to."
The latest blow for Queensland Rail comes after nearly 50 train services were cancelled in southeast Queensland due to similar rostering issues.
Queensland's opposition quickly jumped on the Labor government seeking an explanation for the driver shortage, after morning peak services were affected.
Shadow transport minster Andrew Powell accused the government of running the southeast Queensland rail network into the ground since taking office 18 months ago.
"The Redcliffe Peninsula Line has been a long time coming. Where was the transport minister (Stirling Hinchliffe) and why weren't proper staffing provisions put in place to ensure a smooth transition?"
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More than 100 train services have been cancelled in Queensland due to a shortage of drivers.
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http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/10/26/03/34/disgraced-uq-researcher-to-return-to-court
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http://web.archive.org/web/20161027125450id_/http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/10/26/03/34/disgraced-uq-researcher-to-return-to-court
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Disgraced UQ researcher to return to court
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20161027125450
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A former University of Queensland researcher who avoided jail after being found guilty of fraud offences relating to a false study into Parkinson's disease will have to re-contest two charges.
Dr Caroline Barwood, 31, was found guilty of two charges of fraud and three charges of attempted fraud after a five-day trial in the Brisbane District Court.
Barwood was sentenced to two years for the two fraud counts and 15 months on the other three, with the terms to be served concurrently and suspended immediately for three years.
The jury failed to reach a majority verdict on one charge of fraud and one of attempted fraud, and they will return to court for a mention on November 15.
Barwood, a mother of one, was bailed on her own undertaking.
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Former University of Queensland researcher Caroline Barwood has another date with the court to contest two charges the jury could not decide on.
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http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/10/26/02/45/kim-beazley-slugged-taxpayers-more-than-3k-for-case-of-grange-during-time-as-us-ambassador
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http://web.archive.org/web/20161027132945id_/http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/10/26/02/45/kim-beazley-slugged-taxpayers-more-than-3k-for-case-of-grange-during-time-as-us-ambassador
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Kim Beazley slugged taxpayers more than $3k for case of Grange during time as US ambassador
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20161027132945
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Australian Ambassador to the US and former federal treasurer Joe Hockey posing for a photo with with outgoing Australian Ambassador to the US Kim Beazley and wife Susie in Washington. (AAP)
Former US ambassador Kim Beazley billed taxpayers more than $3400 for a case of Penfolds Grange in 2014.
It is unclear whether the 12 bottles of the coveted red wine were drunk by the former Labor leader himself and his staff at the embassy or if they were given away as gifts, the ABC reports.
The list of ambassadorial expenses, published by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade following a Freedom of Information request, also shows Mr Beazley charged taxpayers $1700 for Christmas carol singers in 2014 and 2015.
A week before the Grange purchase, Mr Beazley spent $420.39 on a "casual lunch" with visiting Opposition Leader Bill Shorten at Washington restaurant Ris, where a serve of French fries costs more than $10.
The list also covers the start of Joe Hockey's term as ambassador and reveals the former treasurer, who railed against "the age of entitlement", slugged taxpayers $1200 for babysitting.
During the most recent financial year both ambassadors' expenses totalled more than $121,000, up from $85,747.02 the previous year.
© Nine Digital Pty Ltd 2016
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Former US ambassador Kim Beazley billed taxpayers more than $3400 for a case of Penfolds Grange in 2014.
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http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/10/25/16/49/wotif-founder-offered-to-embarrass-murdoch
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http://web.archive.org/web/20161027144921id_/http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/10/25/16/49/wotif-founder-offered-to-embarrass-murdoch
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Wotif founder offered to embarrass Murdoch
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20161027144921
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Australian businessman and Wotif founder Graeme Wood offered $US500,000 to help "shame" Rupert Murdoch and his media empire over their anti-climate change stance, according to hacked emails released by WikiLeaks.
An email from US PR guru David Fenton to the chairman of Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign, John Podesta, says Mr Wood made the pledge to help fund a campaign to "go after" the Murdoch-owned Wall Street Journal and Fox News TV network.
"I sure hope something like this can happen it's long overdue," Mr Fenton wrote in his email dated February 19, 2015, according to WikiLeaks.
Attached was a five-page plan outlining how a $US2 million campaign against Mr Murdoch's "climate denialism" would work.
The document sent to Mr Podesta describes Mr Murdoch's Fox and News Corp as the "main disinformation media" on climate change in the US, Australia and Britain.
"Yet nothing is being done to fight back and reduce this pernicious influence," it says.
"There is no regular campaign to shame Rupert Murdoch and his family, board, investors, advertisers and executives for continuing to call climate change a 'hoax' and insist the earth has not warmed."
In order to take on Mr Murdoch and his media outlets, the document sets out a 12-point plan that includes a "surprisingly affordable" advertising blitz promoting climate science in the Wall Street Journal.
Picket lines outside the newspaper, Mr Murdoch's home, and Fox studios were also proposed, along with a website to analyse any false information on climate change published by his media outlets.
Board members and top executives at News Corp and Fox were to be targeted, while businesses would be urged to withdraw their ads from Murdoch-controlled media outlets.
The document suggests that by publicly "shaming" Mr Murdoch and his companies, the campaign could help his children convince him to change his mind on climate change.
"Some of us have spoken to members of the Murdoch family about this situation," the document says.
"What we hear is that the children are embarrassed."
Mr Murdoch has described himself as "a climate change skeptic not a denier".
But in a piece for the The Washington Post in 2009, his son James wrote about how it was "crunch time" for the environment, with climate prediction models suggesting "we're on the worst-case trajectory, and some cases worse than the worst case".
Comment was being sought from Mr Wood, who donated $500,000 to the Greens for their 2016 election campaign in Victoria and another $130,000 to help candidates in Tasmania.
Mr Fenton again emailed Mr Podesta on March 3, 2015 asking if he'd had any thoughts on the plan as he hoped to get his "guidance and help in making the right climate campaign happen".
The emails were contained in the latest batch dumped by WikiLeaks and purport to reveal the inner workings of Mrs Clinton's presidential campaign.
While her campaign team has sought to cast doubt on their authenticity, they have not produced evidence any were fraudulent.
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Hacked emails released by WikiLeaks claim Australian businessman Graeme Wood backed a plan to attack Rupert Murdoch's anti-climate change stance.
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http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/11/02/03/37/nsw-community-in-shock-after-tragic-death
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http://web.archive.org/web/20161102163832id_/http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/11/02/03/37/nsw-community-in-shock-after-tragic-death
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Stanford appeals as Scott family grieves
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20161102163832
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Stephanie Scott's killer Vincent Stanford intends to appeal his life sentence as the slain teacher's family comes to grips with the death of her "wonderful, gentleman" father Robert Scott from a freak farm accident.
Stanford's legal aid lawyers submitted a notice of intention to appeal the life sentence without parole in the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal last week.
The news comes less than 24 hours after Mr Scott, a retired teacher, was killed by a falling tree on Tuesday while clearing land on his Canowindra farm in the NSW central west.
The death also comes less than three weeks after Stanford was sentenced to life in prison for killing the Ms Scott, also a teacher, on Easter Sunday last year.
Stanford, a school cleaner, confessed to murdering her at Leeton High School, where they both worked, a week before she was to be married.
Mr Scott, 59, is being remembered in social media tributes as a true gentleman who made an enormous impact on many lives.
"Not only was he a great teacher and man, he was more of a mate. A man who was stern but so gentle in the same way, treated everyone equally and always went out of his way to support others in what dreams they were chasing or just little things they wanted to achieve," Jordi Bailey Brown posted on Facebook.
"Bob - as a colleague you were a true gentleman who went out of his way to welcome & support a beginning teacher ... 16 years later, I've never forgotten your kindness," Sarah Matthews posted.
"Bob, you were the best teacher I could have had. You always knew the right thing to do or say to put a smile on any ones [sic] face. You were an amazing man with a heart of gold ... Scotty, you will never be forgotten, at least now you can fly high with Steph!" Nikki Peters of Canowindra posted.
On his daughter Kim Scott's page, Alyce Nelligan wrote: "Your Dad was a wonderful, kind and gentle man. They don't make them like that anymore," .
Mr Scott was by his wife Merrilyn's side after the verdict in Griffith last month as she made an emotional plea for privacy so the family could rebuild their lives.
"We need to be kind to ourselves and let the music and fun back in," she said.
"We need to be able to fade from public view, to mourn our beautiful girl and work our way through our grief."
Leeton Mayor Paul Maytom said the Scott family had been embraced by the community after Ms Scott's murder and the news of her father's death had devastated locals.
Mr Maytom told ABC radio the close-knit community rushed to support Stephanie's fiance Aaron Leeson-Woolley, who is be shattered by the news.
A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to raise money for the Scott family.
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The community of Canowindra in central west NSW and others are in shock after the sudden death of Robert Scott, father of slain school teacher Stephanie.
| 20.428571 | 0.892857 | 1.321429 |
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http://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/actev-motors-arrow-the-smart-electric-go-kart-you-wish-youd-had-as-a-child-1478088000
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http://web.archive.org/web/20161108015522id_/http://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/actev-motors-arrow-the-smart-electric-go-kart-you-wish-youd-had-as-a-child-1478088000
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Actev Motors’ Arrow: The Smart Electric Go-Kart You Wish You’d Had as a Child
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20161108015522
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REMEMBER THE GO-KART you never got as a child? The one your mom called “too dangerous—end of story”? With the all-electric Arrow Smart-Kart, on sale this week, you can right the wrongs of the past, for the next generation at least, and do so without putting your children at risk of head trauma.
The Arrow is sized for children age 5 to 9, but a determined adult can squeeze behind the wheel. Yes, we drove it. Yes, we were grinning like imbeciles the whole time.
The younger set will be thrilled by the Arrow’s surprisingly brisk 12-mph top speed. Even more exciting, the Arrow will “drift,” or skid, through tight turns. (To facilitate this on rougher roads, slap optional friction-reducing drift rings over the tires.)
If putting fledgling drivers behind the wheel of a vehicle with dual 250W electric motors gives you pause, rest assured that safety features abound. Once the Arrow is tethered to an app over direct Wi-Fi (no need to scour your cul-de-sac for a network), parents can set speed limits, change gears and, thankfully, tap an emergency brake if the child is headed for trouble. The geo-fencing feature shuts down the vehicle should it stray beyond boundaries you’ve traced on a map. And the kart won’t even start without the parents’ app activated (though there’s an unsupervised mode for children with better driving records).
The hallmark safety feature, however, is the anti-collision system. Like premium cars, the Arrow has a front sensor that detects obstacles and triggers the brakes.
Driving is only the beginning, though. During our test run, Actev Motors CEO and co-founder Dave Bell pointed out a front-mounted red laser, which could one day (via a software upgrade and some accessories) allow multiple Arrows to play dogfighting games. “Like laser tag,” he said, but on wheels.
We’ve never been more jealous of our children. $1,150 as shown, actevmotors.com
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The Arrow is an electric, app-controlled go-kart designed for children age 5 to 9 that’s (pretty much) impossible to crash.
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http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/11/10/13/59/wa-bikie-associate-charged-in-drug-raids
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http://web.archive.org/web/20161111145249id_/http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/11/10/13/59/wa-bikie-associate-charged-in-drug-raids
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WA bikie associate charged in drug raids
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20161111145249
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Police have charged two people including a woman connected to the Rebels outlaw motorcycle gang with drug offences after raids.
Bunbury Police raided two homes in the town south of Perth and say they found amphetamine, ecstasy, cannabis, drug paraphernalia and a large amount of cash.
A 44-year-old woman was charged with possessing prohibited drugs and drug paraphernalia, intending to sell and supply drugs and the unlawful possession of cash, as well as being an associate of the Rebels.
The Rebels are Australia's largest bikie gang.
She will appear in the Bunbury Magistrates Court on November 24.
A 37-year-old man was charged with offering to supply a prohibited drug.
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A woman allegedly connected to the Rebel bikie gang has been charged with drug offences after police raids.
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http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/11/14/14/04/nsw-police-face-assault-perjury-trial
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http://web.archive.org/web/20161115133157id_/http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/11/14/14/04/nsw-police-face-assault-perjury-trial
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NSW police face assault, perjury trial
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20161115133157
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Four police officers bashed a man at a northern NSW station before they and colleagues lied about him striking first, a court has been told.
But defence lawyers say CCTV footage only captured one-third of the incidents at Ballina station because the cameras were operating on delayed capture mode.
Senior Constables David Ryan Hill, 36, and Mark Woolven 45, Constables Ryan Charles Eckersley, 36, and Luke Christopher Mewing, 30, Probationary Constable Lee David Walmsley, 26, and Sergeant Robert Campbell McCubben, 49, appeared in Downing Centre District Court on Monday.
They're all are accused of trying to pervert the course of justice, while four are accused of lying in court after Mr Barker was charged with punching Sen Const Hill in January 2011.
In his opening submission, crown prosecutor Craig Patrick SC said Mr Barker was not shown punching anyone in CCTV footage.
But barristers acting for some of the officers expect expert evidence to reveal about two-thirds of the time was not captured on the VHS system.
"You'll hear evidence the Crown did not discover there were these issues...until after the accused were charged," Mr Mewing's defence barrister Brett Eurell said.
The court heard Mr Barker, then 22, was drunk, hitting the Perspex in the dock of the police station and threatening to "smash" officers before a decision was made to move him to a cell.
It's alleged the officers accused of lying in court - Sen Const Hill, Const Eckersley, Const Mewing and Prob Const Walmsley - also assaulted Mr Barker after removing him from the dock.
Mr Patrick said Sen Const Hill punched Mr Barker, who then fell to the floor, was kicked and then dragged to the cell.
Defence barristers said it had to be proven their clients had been dishonest rather than mistaken when making their statements, sometimes many months after the incident.
The court heard Mr Barker had been arrested after approaching officers responding to a domestic argument involving his friend.
There was some evidence he had thrown a bottle at them, Mr Patrick said.
The jury is expected to be shown the CCTV footage at the trial.
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A group of police officers are accused of fabricating claims that a man alleged to have been assaulted at a northern NSW station punched a senior constable.
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http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/11/15/03/32/bailey-to-continue-on-air-despite-axing
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http://web.archive.org/web/20161115133939id_/http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/11/15/03/32/bailey-to-continue-on-air-despite-axing
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Bailey to continue on-air despite axing
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20161115133939
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Radio personality Robin Bailey is expected to take to Brisbane airwaves as usual this morning, despite a public falling-out with her station.
After 10 years as the headline act on the high-rating Robin, Terry and Bob breakfast program on 97.3, the Australian Radio Network on Monday said it wouldn't be renewing Bailey's contract.
ARN said they had worked hard to come to terms with the veteran presenter, but she said she was "ambushed" when told of the decision.
"I have been blindsided," she said in a statement.
"After minimal feedback during a protracted negotiation period at no stage did ARN make me any offer for 2017."
However despite the apparently acrimonious end to the contract talks, Bailey is expected to be on the air this morning.
A spokeswoman for her management confirmed to AAP that Bailey plans to see out her contract, through to December 31.
It's not known if she will address the issue on-air this morning.
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Brisbane radio personality Robin Bailey is expected to see out her contract with 97.3, despite not having it renewed for 2017.
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http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/11/14/11/16/coal-power-has-a-future-says-shorten
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http://web.archive.org/web/20161115141036id_/http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/11/14/11/16/coal-power-has-a-future-says-shorten
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Coal power has a future, says Shorten
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20161115141036
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Bill Shorten insists he's not a "rampant greenie" and believes coal has a place in Australia's future.
The opposition leader on Monday visited Victoria's Latrobe Valley, where the Hazelwood coal-fired power station is set to close in early 2017 due to its unviability.
"I am not a rampant greenie who thinks there is no place for fossil fuel in our energy mix in the future," Mr Shorten told reporters, adding the government needed a plan to find jobs for power industry workers.
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Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten is visiting the Latrobe Valley to support workers as a coal-fired power station heads toward closure.
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http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/11/15/12/33/legal-fight-over-barangaroo-casino-begins
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http://web.archive.org/web/20161116145641id_/http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/11/15/12/33/legal-fight-over-barangaroo-casino-begins
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Crown's Sydney casino plans flawed: group
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20161116145641
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A community group fighting to prevent James Packer's six star casino being built on Sydney Harbour's foreshore alleges the planning body that signed off on it failed to fulfil its legal obligations.
Community group Millers Point Fund Inc is challenging a decision by the NSW Planning Assessment Commission to allow Mr Packer's Crown to develop the casino on the waterfront at Barangaroo.
The foreshore site was originally designated as a public park with the casino to be built further back, but in June this year the commission approved the construction of the casino on the waterfront.
The Millers Point group has long voiced its concern about the space becoming an exclusive area, rather than an open space for all.
Millers Point member John McInerney said his group wasn't completely against the Crown development, they just wanted it moved back closer to the rest of the city.
"It's in the wrong position, it should be relocated and Mr Packer could have done that a year ago," Mr McInerney said outside the NSW Land and Environment Court on Tuesday.
Environment Defenders Office, which is representing the Millers Point community group, admitted they faced a David and Goliath situation up against construction giant Lendlease, Crown and the Barangaroo Delivery Authority.
"Like all cases, there's a winner and a loser and we think we are going to win," NSW EDO chief executive Sue Higginson told reporters.
The Millers Point group says the planning body had wrongly thought the NSW parliament had decided on the site and that it was therefore legally unable to consider any alternatives.
Because of this misunderstanding, the planning commission did not assess the environmental suitability of the site, the group's lawyer Michael Hall SC told the court.
Under the Environment Planning and Assessment Act, it is "mandatory" to assess the suitability of the site, Mr Hall says.
In 2012, the NSW parliament passed an amendment to the Casino Control Act that enabled a licence to be granted for the Barangaroo south area currently under scrutiny, the court heard.
Despite being sympathetic to community concerns about the development, the planning commission said parliament had decided on the location for the casino so its hands were tied, Mr Hall said.
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A community group is challenging a decision to allow a Crown Casino to be built on a Sydney Harbour site originally meant to be a public park.
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http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/11/16/06/38/work-with-asia-more-after-trump-win-labor
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http://web.archive.org/web/20161116153455id_/http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/11/16/06/38/work-with-asia-more-after-trump-win-labor
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Labor urges US-Asia foreign policy balance
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20161116153455
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Labor says the United States is important for global security but has cautioned Malcolm Turnbull over putting too much emphasis on defence to curry favour with US president-elect Donald Trump.
The warning came as the prime minister accused Labor of putting Australia at risk and being factionally divided over America's importance.
The election of Mr Trump has dominated political debate in Australia over the past week, touching on issues from immigration to freedom of speech and defence.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said Australia and the US shared similar values.
"But we are not exactly the same as the United States," he told reporters in Mackay on Wednesday
"So when people talk about the future of the American alliance, I am optimistic about it, but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't also be engaging in Asia."
He said Labor's "three pillars" of foreign policy were the American alliance, deeper engagement in the Asia-Pacific region and respect for multilateral institutions such as the United Nations.
Labor foreign policy spokeswoman Penny Wong said there was a danger Mr Turnbull - who received new US-developed surveillance aircraft in Canberra on Wednesday - could emulate Tony Abbott in taking a "chest-beating" approach to global events.
She said the policy focus should shift to the region.
"We need to work with our regional partners during this period of uncertainty to identify areas of common interest and jointly seek to influence US thinking on these," Senator Wong said.
"First among these is continued constructive US engagement in our region."
Mr Turnbull said Senator Wong was sending a message from Labor's Left wing which "has always been uncomfortable with the alliance ... and the United States".
"You have Penny Wong wanting to move away from our most trusted, most enduring ally ... (and) put our country at risk," he said.
"On the other hand you have the Right of the (Labor) party trying to back away from where she has gone - Labor is hopelessly divided on national security and border protection."
Mr Trump campaigned on new investment in the US military, which Mr Turnbull said Australia supported and was mirroring with a commitment to spend two per cent of GDP on new navy ships, aircraft and other capabilities.
"A stronger United States means a safer world. The United States is entitled to expect its allies to make a significant commitment to their own defence and to that partnership," Mr Turnbull said.
Former Labor foreign minister Bob Carr said the federal opposition was right to question a global military build-up.
"Why do we want to tip the world into a ruinously expensive arms race?" Mr Carr asked on Sky News.
"Are there differences between America and China that rather can be resolved by negotiations?"
He said China was engaged in diplomacy with its neighbours and had become more accepting of international rules.
A federal cabinet meeting in Melbourne on Tuesday received briefings from several ministers, including defence, defence industry and foreign affairs, on how the new US administration could impact Australia.
Government ministers are talking down the chances of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact surviving beyond Barack Obama's government.
With Mr Trump having campaigned against the TPP, the Greens will bring a motion to parliament next week seeking it be dumped.
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Labor has accused Malcolm Turnbull of chest-beating after Donald Trump's win in the US presidential election.
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http://www.nytimes.com/1955/08/30/archives/icardi-indicted-for-perjury-in-o-s-s-killing-of-major-jury-accuses.html
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http://web.archive.org/web/20161117065854id_/http://www.nytimes.com/1955/08/30/archives/icardi-indicted-for-perjury-in-o-s-s-killing-of-major-jury-accuses.html
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Icardi Indicted for Perjury In O. S. S. Killing of Major; Jury Accuses Him and LoDolce of Murder, but They Can't Be Tried ICARDI IS INDICTED ON PERJURY COUNT - The New York Times
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20161117065854
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We are continually improving the quality of our text archives. Please send feedback, error reports, and suggestions to archive_feedback@nytimes.com.
A version of this archives appears in print on August 30, 1955, on page 1 of the New York edition with the headline: Icardi Indicted for Perjury In O. S. S. Killing of Major; Jury Accuses Him and LoDolce of Murder, but They Can't Be Tried ICARDI IS INDICTED ON PERJURY COUNT. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe
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indicted for perjury in '53 testimony before House subcom on '44 slaying, Italy, of Maj Holohan; por
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http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/11/18/15/10/new-tax-makes-sa-betting-fairer-group
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http://web.archive.org/web/20161119121157id_/http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/11/18/15/10/new-tax-makes-sa-betting-fairer-group
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New tax makes SA betting fairer: group
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20161119121157
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A national-first gambling tax that has passed South Australia's parliament is a win for the state, a leading welfare group says.
SA Council of Social Services chief executive Ross Womersley says the tax will make betting fairer for the community, with the state government set to raise about $10 million a year through the initiative that can be spent on vital services.
The SA Wagering Tax, announced in the state budget this year will require online betting companies to pay 15 per cent tax on all bets placed in SA from July 2017.
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A new SA law that will require betting companies like Sportsbet to pay tax on revenue earnt from people in the state has been praised by a community group.
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http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/11/25/11/57/nsw-prisons-change-tack-on-family-violence
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http://web.archive.org/web/20161126163946id_/http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/11/25/11/57/nsw-prisons-change-tack-on-family-violence
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NSW prisons change tack on family violence
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20161126163946
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A dangerous gap in the process of bringing domestic violence offenders to justice will be addressed for the first time in NSW under a White Ribbon day announcement from Corrective Services.
A fast-tracked prison education program will target accused offenders in the short period - an average of seven days - they are in jail before being bailed.
Almost 40 per cent of accused domestic violence offenders will attack their victim before their case has finished in the courts.
Corrective Services NSW Group Director Jayson Ware said on Friday the program would help offenders recognise their abusive behaviour and develop skills to stop themselves before becoming violent.
"We need to change their thinking and behaviour in the very early days," Mr Ware said.
The program has been introduced at four NSW prisons and inmates have been eager to participate, Mr Ware said.
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NSW prisons have put a new program in place to try to prevent accused domestic violence offenders attacking victims while on bail.
| 6.913043 | 0.608696 | 1.217391 |
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http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/11/28/12/58/timeline-of-events-in-the-bell-group-saga
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http://web.archive.org/web/20161129143725id_/http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/11/28/12/58/timeline-of-events-in-the-bell-group-saga
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Timeline of events in the Bell Group saga
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20161129143725
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HOW THE COMMONWEALTH HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THE BELL GROUP'S WIND-UP
* 1991-1993 - members of Bell Group of companies go into liquidation (still in process).
* Several original creditor companies taken over by professional litigation funders, interested in prolonging legal action.
* 13-29 April 2015: Exchange of letters between WA treasurer and then-federal treasurer Joe Hockey about settling commonwealth tax office's claim in the Bell winding-up.
* 5 June: WA parliament starts considering Bell Group Companies (Finalisation of Matters and Distribution of Proceeds) Act to take control of winding-up process in a timely manner.
* 19 November: WA parliament passes Bell Act.
* 26 November: Bell Act comes into effect.
* 27 November: Creditors launch High Court challenge to validity of Bell Act.
* 2 March 2016: Federal cabinet minister and former WA treasurer Christian Porter receives email from WA state solicitor with briefing on the matter.
* 3 March: Federal Attorney-General George Brandis has first personal involvement (though office had been dealing with matter prior to this) when Porter shows him the briefing; first time he knew of Hockey's deal.
* 4 March: Brandis speaks with WA attorney-general and treasurer. Separately speaks with federal Assistant Treasurer Kelly O'Dwyer, who is responsible for Australian Taxation Office.
* 5-7 March: Further discussions between Brandis, O'Dwyer and ATO's second commissioner Andrew Mills. Decided tax office should intervene in the High Court case.
* 8 March: Tax office lodges application to High Court to take part in case, represented by Solicitor-General Justin Gleeson.
* 30 March: Commonwealth government lodges application to High Court to take part in case (separate to ATO). Further conversations between Brandis, Gleeson and WA solicitor-general in attempt to resolve issues.
* 3 April: O'Dwyer receives advice from ATO (including legal advice from Australian Government Solicitor) about inconsistencies between Bell Act and federal law.
* 4 April: Gleeson tells Brandis issues with WA remained unresolved.
* 5-7 April: High Court hears case.
* Week starting 11 April: WA treasurer and attorney-general tell Brandis they're disappointed the commonwealth and ATO had intervened in the case.
* 16 May: High Court rules against WA government and the Bell Act.
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Attorney-General George Brandis has given a comprehensive timeline of the commonwealth's involvement in litigation around Alan Bond's collapsed Bell Group.
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http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/11/30/10/54/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-abcc
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http://web.archive.org/web/20161201142534id_/http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/11/30/10/54/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-abcc
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What you need to know about the ABCC
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20161201142534
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ABOUT THE AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION
A construction industry watchdog and regulator first established by the Howard government in 2005; replaced by Fair Work Building and Construction after Labor won the 2007 election; restored by the Turnbull government in 2016.
Malcolm Turnbull used the legislation, along with a bill to establish a registered organisations commission, to trigger the July 2 double-dissolution election after they were twice rejected by the Senate.
Cleared the Senate with support of the crossbench after government agreed to amendments and side deals.
* Opposed by trade unions who believe it has powers which remove the right to silence; fear it makes it difficult for them to act on health and safety.
* Coalition, construction firms say it's necessary to tackle union thuggery on building sites.
* Create new prohibitions on the organising or taking of unlawful industrial action, or unlawful picketing.
* Increase penalties for unlawful industrial action from $10,800 to $34,000 for individuals, and from $54,000 to $170,000 for corporate entities - including unions.
"It's a camel really isn't it, bits of all sorts of stuff bolted on to this - it'll be nothing like what the government took to the election." - Deputy Labor leader Tanya Plibersek.
"It's bad, poorly drafted legislation, no matter how many times you go back to draft it, no matter how many amendments you put through, it's still crap." - Independent senator Jacqui Lambie.
"The sun will come up, the union will continue to fight to represent its members." - CFMEU boss Dave Noonan.
"Obviously it would be an enormous boon to get this legislation passed this week because it would mean on balance it's been a successful year." - former prime minister Tony Abbott.
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Here's what you need to know about the federal government's building industry watchdog.
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http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/wal-mart-settle-lawsuit-over-benefits-same-sex-spouses-n691516
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http://web.archive.org/web/20161206003346id_/http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/wal-mart-settle-lawsuit-over-benefits-same-sex-spouses-n691516
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Wal-Mart to Settle Lawsuit Over Benefits for Same-Sex Spouses
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20161206003346
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Wal-Mart Stores Inc on Friday said it would pay $7.5 million to settle a U.S. lawsuit claiming it discriminated against gay employees nationwide by denying health benefits to their spouses.
Walmart store in Carson, California, on January 27, 2015. Moment Editorial/Getty Images
Wal-Mart and lawyers for Jacqueline Cote, the worker who filed the 2015 lawsuit in federal court in Boston, said in a court filing that the money may be split among more than 1,000 people who were denied spousal benefits between 2011 and 2014, when Wal-Mart changed its policy.
The settlement must be approved by a federal judge.
Sally Welborn, a senior vice president at Bentonville, Arkansas-based Wal-Mart, said in a statement that diversity and inclusion were among the company's core values.
"We will continue to not distinguish between same and opposite sex spouses when it comes to the benefits we offer under our health insurance plan," she said.
Wal-Mart, the largest private U.S. employer, began offering health insurance benefits to same-sex spouses in 2014, a year after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a provision of the federal Defense of Marriage Act that denied benefits to married gay couples.
Cote, who has worked at Wal-Mart stores in Maine and Massachusetts since 1999, said in the lawsuit that her wife, Diana Smithson, developed cancer in 2012 and Wal-Mart's denial of insurance coverage led to more than $150,000 in medical debt. Smithson died in March.
Cote in a statement on Friday said she was pleased with the settlement.
"It's a relief to bring this chapter of my life to a close," she said.
Federal employment discrimination laws do not explicitly provide protections for gay workers. But LGBTQ groups and the Obama administration have aggressively pushed the argument that bias against gay people is a form of sex discrimination, and three federal appeals courts are currently considering that claim.
The case is Jacqueline Cote v. Wal-Mart Stores Inc, U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, No. 15-cv-12945.
Follow NBC OUT on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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Wal-Mart said it would pay $7.5M to settle a lawsuit claiming it discriminated against gay employees nationwide by denying health benefits to their spouses.
| 14.344828 | 0.965517 | 10.689655 |
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http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2016/12/05/selecta-will-license-technology-spark-speed-gene-therapy-development/8YRuGbsKbH8wiYz2d2njtJ/story.html
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http://web.archive.org/web/20161206145021id_/http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2016/12/05/selecta-will-license-technology-spark-speed-gene-therapy-development/8YRuGbsKbH8wiYz2d2njtJ/story.html
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Selecta will license technology to Spark to speed gene therapy development
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20161206145021
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A licensing deal unveiled Monday links the fortunes of Watertown-based Selecta Biosciences Inc. with Spark Therapeutics Inc., a frontrunner in the race to win approval for a gene therapy treatment in the United States.
Under the agreement, eight-year-old Selecta — which went public in June — will license its proprietary synthetic vaccine particles technology to Philadephia-based Spark for use in experimental gene therapies targeting hemophilia A and up to four other undisclosed genetic conditions.
In exchange, Spark will pay Selecta $10 million in cash and buy $5 million of the biotech’s common stock, giving it about a 1 percent stake in Selecta. Spark also agreed to give Selecta an additional $5 million in the coming year, and purchase another $10 million in stock. Spark will be eligible for up to $430 million in milestone payments for each gene therapy if the treatments are approved for sale by regulators.
Selecta chief executive Werner Cautreels said the payments will be funneled into its own gene therapy programs. “The best strategy for the company is to own certain drugs,” Cautreels said, “but we also want to be looking for partnerships, and this agreement with Spark is an example of that.’
Get Business Headlines in your inbox:
The Globe's latest business headlines delivered every morning, Monday through Friday.
Shares of Selecta were trading up more than 13 percent in late morning.
The biotech’s technology is aimed at making biologic drugs safer by neutralizing unwanted immune responses. It was developed by the company’s scientific founders, including MIT institute professor Bob Langer and Harvard Medical School professors Omid Farokhzad and Ulrich von Andria.
“The idea is we teach the immune system that these biological therapies are actually good things so the body won’t reject them,” Cautreels said.
Selecta’s licensing deal does not apply to Spark’s experimental drugs to treat inherited retinal diseases, which are expected to be the first to be submitted to the Food and Drug Administration.
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A licensing deal unveiled Monday links the fortunes of Watertown-based Selecta Biosciences Inc. with Spark Therapeutics Inc., a front-runner among the crop of companies developing gene therapy treatments.
| 11.205882 | 0.823529 | 13.235294 |
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http://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/a-lawyer-for-a-lawless-epa-1481155238
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http://web.archive.org/web/20161208013823id_/http://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/a-lawyer-for-a-lawless-epa-1481155238
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A Lawyer for a Lawless EPA
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20161208013823
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Dec. 7, 2016 7:00 p.m. ET
As Donald Trump rolls out his domestic-policy nominees, Democrats are discovering to their horror that more often than not he meant what he said. The latest evidence is the President-elect’s intention to nominate Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to run the Environmental Protection Agency.
There was a time when Republican EPA administrators were liberals in GOP power suits. Think William Reilly under George H.W. Bush or Christine Todd Whitman under George W. Bush. They more or less agreed with the left’s...
As Donald Trump rolls out his domestic-policy nominees, Democrats are discovering to their horror that more often than not he meant what he said. The latest evidence is the President-elect’s intention to nominate Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to run the Environmental Protection Agency.
There was a time when Republican EPA administrators were liberals in GOP power suits. Think William Reilly under George H.W. Bush or Christine Todd Whitman under George W. Bush. They more or less agreed with the left’s command-and-control model of environmental regulation, and they’d pile more costs on the private economy.
The Democratic Party’s green extremism, especially on climate change, has made such Republicans obsolete. President Obama couldn’t get his climate-change agenda through a Democratic Congress, so he ordered the EPA to impose it on the 50 states by diktat. The agency reinterpreted statute after ancient statute as its bureaucrats saw fit, daring the courts to stop them. Think of the Clean Power Plan to put the coal industry out of business, the carbon endangerment rule, grabbing authority to call any pond or puddle a “waterway,” and so much more.
Mr. Pruitt’s first job will be restoring respect for the Constitution and cooperative federalism in EPA rule-making. He knows how to do this because he led the legal charge by the states against EPA abuses, including the victory of a Supreme Court stay on the Clean Power Plan as it moves through the appellate courts. If he is confirmed by the Senate, Mr. Pruitt could order the EPA’s lawyers to inform the courts that the agency no longer stands by the legal interpretation behind the Clean Power Plan.
Democrats will attack Mr. Pruitt as a climate-change “denier,” but his only offense is disagreeing with them on energy policy. The irony is that Mr. Pruitt will probably do more for the environment than Mr. Obama ever did because he will make sure that rules issued by the EPA are rooted in law and thus won’t be overturned in court.
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Scott Pruitt can restore respect for the states in environmental policy, the Wall Street Journal writes in an editorial.
| 23.380952 | 0.619048 | 1.095238 |
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http://www.9news.com.au/world/2016/12/11/02/00/5-dead-in-bulgaria-train-derailment
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http://web.archive.org/web/20161211145637id_/http://www.9news.com.au/world/2016/12/11/02/00/5-dead-in-bulgaria-train-derailment
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7 dead in gas-carrying train explodes
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20161211145637
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A derailed tanker train has exploded and decimated a village in northeastern Bulgaria, killing seven people and leaving least 29 injured, many with severe burns, the Interior Ministry says.
Authorities said about 50 buildings in the village of Hitrino were destroyed when containers of gas exploded on Saturday morning.
Video footage showed many houses in the village of 800 on fire and ambulances taking the injured to hospitals.
Hitrino Mayor Nuridin Ismail told reporters that children had been buried under the rubble of a house that collapsed.
Two tanker cars carrying propane-butane and propylene derailed at the station in Hitrino, hit nearby electric lines and exploded, police officials said. The engine driver survived and has been questioned, police said.
Officials earlier had described the cargo as liquefied natural gas.
The entire village was evacuated later on Saturday as a precaution due to the risk of possible new explosions.
Emergency teams started a high-risk operation to reload the hazardous substances.
Prime Minister Boiko Borisov, who arrived at the site of the blast, urged citizens to donate blood to address shortages at nearby hospitals.
"There will be more casualties," Borisov told reporters.
He said several people suffered more than 90 per cent burns and that damage from the explosion was extensive.
The train had been travelling from the Bulgarian Black Sea port city of Burgas to the Danube city of Ruse.
The government declared Monday a national day of mourning for the victims of the blast.
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A train in Bulgaria carrying propylene has derailed and exploded killing at least five people and injuring dozens more.
| 14.25 | 0.85 | 1.05 |
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http://www.sfgate.com/49ers/article/49ers-drop-to-1-12-with-overtime-loss-to-Jets-10789744.php
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http://web.archive.org/web/20161212010423id_/http://www.sfgate.com/49ers/article/49ers-drop-to-1-12-with-overtime-loss-to-Jets-10789744.php
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49ers drop to 1-12 with overtime loss to Jets
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20161212010423
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Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle
Carlos Hyde (28) runs for 43 yards in the first half as the San Francisco 49ers played the New York Jets at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, December 11, 2016.
Carlos Hyde (28) runs for 43 yards in the first half as the San Francisco 49ers played the New York Jets at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, December 11, 2016.
Gerald Hodges (51) celebrates his sack of Bryce Petty (9) in the first half as the San Francisco 49ers played the New York Jets at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, December 11, 2016.
Gerald Hodges (51) celebrates his sack of Bryce Petty (9) in the first half as the San Francisco 49ers played the New York Jets at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, December 11, 2016.
Aaron Lynch (59) tries to block a pass by Bryce Petty (9) in the first half as the San Francisco 49ers played the New York Jets at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, December 11, 2016.
Aaron Lynch (59) tries to block a pass by Bryce Petty (9) in the first half as the San Francisco 49ers played the New York Jets at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, December 11, 2016.
Shaun Draughn (24) celebrates with Quinton Patton (11) after his touchdown in the first half as the San Francisco 49ers played the New York Jets at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, December 11, 2016.
Shaun Draughn (24) celebrates with Quinton Patton (11) after his touchdown in the first half as the San Francisco 49ers played the New York Jets at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, December 11,
Shaun Draughn (24) runs into the end zone for a touchdown in the first half as the San Francisco 49ers played the New York Jets at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, December 11, 2016.
Shaun Draughn (24) runs into the end zone for a touchdown in the first half as the San Francisco 49ers played the New York Jets at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, December 11, 2016.
San Francisco 49ers running back Shaun Draughn (24) celebrates after scoring a touchdown with wide receiver Torrey Smith (82) during the first half of an NFL football game against the New York Jets in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 11, 2016. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
San Francisco 49ers running back Shaun Draughn (24) celebrates after scoring a touchdown with wide receiver Torrey Smith (82) during the first half of an NFL football game against the New York Jets in Santa
New York Jets quarterback Bryce Petty (9) passes against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 11, 2016. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
New York Jets quarterback Bryce Petty (9) passes against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 11, 2016. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
San Francisco 49ers running back Carlos Hyde (28) runs against New York Jets cornerback Juston Burris (32) during the first half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 11, 2016. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
San Francisco 49ers running back Carlos Hyde (28) runs against New York Jets cornerback Juston Burris (32) during the first half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 11, 2016. (AP
SANTA CLARA, CA - DECEMBER 11: Brandon Marshall #15 of the New York Jets makes a catch against the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on December 11, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - DECEMBER 11: Brandon Marshall #15 of the New York Jets makes a catch against the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on December 11, 2016 in Santa Clara, California.
SANTA CLARA, CA - DECEMBER 11: Colin Kaepernick #7 of the San Francisco 49ers looks to pass against the New York Jets during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on December 11, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - DECEMBER 11: Colin Kaepernick #7 of the San Francisco 49ers looks to pass against the New York Jets during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on December 11, 2016 in Santa Clara, California.
DeForest Buckner (99) and Jimmie Ward (25) celebrate Ward's sack of Bryce Petty (9) in the first half as the San Francisco 49ers played the New York Jets at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, December 11, 2016.
DeForest Buckner (99) and Jimmie Ward (25) celebrate Ward's sack of Bryce Petty (9) in the first half as the San Francisco 49ers played the New York Jets at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday,
SANTA CLARA, CA - DECEMBER 11: Gerald Hodges #51 and Glenn Dorsey #90 of the San Francisco 49ers sack Bryce Petty #9 of the New York Jets during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on December 11, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - DECEMBER 11: Gerald Hodges #51 and Glenn Dorsey #90 of the San Francisco 49ers sack Bryce Petty #9 of the New York Jets during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on December 11, 2016 in Santa
SANTA CLARA, CA - DECEMBER 11: Colin Kaepernick #7 of the San Francisco 49ers breaks a tackle by Darron Lee #50 of the New York Jets during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on December 11, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - DECEMBER 11: Colin Kaepernick #7 of the San Francisco 49ers breaks a tackle by Darron Lee #50 of the New York Jets during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on December 11, 2016 in Santa Clara,
Quinton Patton (11) is pushed out of bounds after a catch in the first half as the San Francisco 49ers played the New York Jets at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, December 11, 2016.
Quinton Patton (11) is pushed out of bounds after a catch in the first half as the San Francisco 49ers played the New York Jets at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, December 11, 2016.
Quinton Patton (11) is tackled by Juston Burris (32) in the first half as the San Francisco 49ers played the New York Jets at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, December 11, 2016.
Quinton Patton (11) is tackled by Juston Burris (32) in the first half as the San Francisco 49ers played the New York Jets at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, December 11, 2016.
Shaun Draughn (24) celebrates his touchdown in the first half as the San Francisco 49ers played the New York Jets at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, December 11, 2016.
Shaun Draughn (24) celebrates his touchdown in the first half as the San Francisco 49ers played the New York Jets at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, December 11, 2016.
Blake Bell (84) is tackled after a catch and run by Calvin Pryor (25) in the first half as the San Francisco 49ers played the New York Jets at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, December 11, 2016.
Blake Bell (84) is tackled after a catch and run by Calvin Pryor (25) in the first half as the San Francisco 49ers played the New York Jets at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, December 11,
Jets'sTobby Anderson (11) can't reach a pass from Bryce Petty (9) in the first half as the San Francisco 49ers played the New York Jets at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, December 11, 2016.
Jets'sTobby Anderson (11) can't reach a pass from Bryce Petty (9) in the first half as the San Francisco 49ers played the New York Jets at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, December 11, 2016.
SANTA CLARA, CA - DECEMBER 11: A San Francisco 49ers Gold Rush cheerleader performs during their NFL game against the New York Jets at Levi's Stadium on December 11, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - DECEMBER 11: A San Francisco 49ers Gold Rush cheerleader performs during their NFL game against the New York Jets at Levi's Stadium on December 11, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by
SANTA CLARA, CA - DECEMBER 11: Colin Kaepernick #7 of the San Francisco 49ers hands the ball off to Carlos Hyde #28 during their NFL game against the New York Jets at Levi's Stadium on December 11, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - DECEMBER 11: Colin Kaepernick #7 of the San Francisco 49ers hands the ball off to Carlos Hyde #28 during their NFL game against the New York Jets at Levi's Stadium on December 11, 2016 in
SANTA CLARA, CA - DECEMBER 11: Carlos Hyde #28 of the San Francisco 49ers rushes with the ball against the New York Jets during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on December 11, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - DECEMBER 11: Carlos Hyde #28 of the San Francisco 49ers rushes with the ball against the New York Jets during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on December 11, 2016 in Santa Clara, California.
SANTA CLARA, CA - DECEMBER 11: Quinton Patton #11 of the San Francisco 49ers is tackled by Juston Burris #32 of the New York Jets during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on December 11, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - DECEMBER 11: Quinton Patton #11 of the San Francisco 49ers is tackled by Juston Burris #32 of the New York Jets during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on December 11, 2016 in Santa Clara,
SANTA CLARA, CA - DECEMBER 11: Blake Bell #84 of the San Francisco 49ers is hit by Calvin Pryor #25 of the New York Jets during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on December 11, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - DECEMBER 11: Blake Bell #84 of the San Francisco 49ers is hit by Calvin Pryor #25 of the New York Jets during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on December 11, 2016 in Santa Clara, California.
Bryce Petty (9) is sacked by Jimmie Ward (25) in the first half as the San Francisco 49ers played the New York Jets at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, December 11, 2016.
Bryce Petty (9) is sacked by Jimmie Ward (25) in the first half as the San Francisco 49ers played the New York Jets at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, December 11, 2016.
DeForest Buckner (99) and Jimmie Ward (25) celebrate Ward's sack of Bryce Petty (9) in the first half as the San Francisco 49ers played the New York Jets at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, December 11, 2016.
DeForest Buckner (99) and Jimmie Ward (25) celebrate Ward's sack of Bryce Petty (9) in the first half as the San Francisco 49ers played the New York Jets at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday,
SANTA CLARA, CA - DECEMBER 11: Colin Kaepernick #7 of the San Francisco 49ers looks to pass against the New York Jets during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on December 11, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - DECEMBER 11: Colin Kaepernick #7 of the San Francisco 49ers looks to pass against the New York Jets during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on December 11, 2016 in Santa Clara, California.
Shaun Draughn (24) celebrates with teammates after his touchdown in the first half as the San Francisco 49ers played the New York Jets at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, December 11, 2016.
Shaun Draughn (24) celebrates with teammates after his touchdown in the first half as the San Francisco 49ers played the New York Jets at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, December 11, 2016.
49ers drop to 1-12 with overtime loss to Jets
We’ve changed seasons, turned back our clocks, elected a president and recognized Columbus Day, Halloween and Thanksgiving since the 49ers last won a game.
And now it appears we could celebrate Christmas, ring in 2017 and witness a presidential inauguration, among many other major events, before the 49ers do it again.
On Sunday, the 49ers squandered their best chance to avoid a 1-15 season by losing an 11-point, fourth-quarter lead in a 23-17 overtime loss to a fellow featherweight, the New York Jets, at Levi’s Stadium. The latest loss came nearly three months to the day of their Week 1 triumph and extended their franchise-record losing streak to 12.
The Jets (4-9), who trailed 17-6 in the fourth quarter, won on a 19-yard run by running back Bilal Powell with 8:35 left in overtime. The game-winning drive was set up after 49ers running back Carlos Hyde was stuffed on 4th-and-2 at New York’s 37-yard line on the first drive of overtime.
New York had sent the game to overtime on a 50-yard field goal by Nick Folk with 38 seconds left.
The punch-in-the-gut loss was the latest blast of bad news for a franchise desperate for a reason to smile. Before kickoff, a circling plane towed a sign around the stadium calling for CEO Jed York to fire general manager Trent Baalke. And it appears that just might happen: On Sunday morning, CBS Sports reported Baalke was unlikely be retained and head coach Chip Kelly’s future was uncertain.
Given the general state of affairs, the opportunity to get the best of the Jets was a much-needed diversion.
The Jets arrived having traveled 2,500 miles six days after a 31-point prim-time loss that raised questions about their engagement level.
And the first quarter didn’t offer evidence they were interested in their next game.
The 49ers led 14-0 after less than five minutes and would have led by three scores early in the second quarter if not for uncharacteristic field-goal misses of 44 and 48 yards by Phil Dawson.
They had 193 yard in the first 15 minutes, which was the fourth-most in the first quarter by a team this season, and Colin Kaepernick appeared fully recovered from his one-completion benching in the previous week’s 26-6 loss in Chicago. Kaepernick completed 7 of 7 passes for 95 yards and a touchdown in the first quarter.
However, the early explosion was highlighted by Hyde, who set the tone for his big day by catching a seven-yard touchdown from Kaepernick 63 seconds into the game. Hyde finished with 17 carries and 193 yards, the sixth-most in franchise history.
Trailing 17-6 early in the fourth quarter, the Jets began breathing some unexpected suspense into the game with a 15-play, 66-yard drive that lasted more than eight minutes and was capped by a five-yard run by Bilal Powell and two-point conversion scamper by quarterback Bryce Petty with 5:04 left.
Notes: Wide receiver Torrey Smith sustained a concussion and was motionless on the field for several moments when his helmet slammed to the field after he jumped for an incomplete deep pass in the third quarter. Smith eventually sat up and then walked a few steps to a cart. He held a towel over his head as he was carted off. … Tight end Vance McDonald (shoulder) and center Daniel Kilgore (leg) exited in the first half. Kilgore appeared to have a wrap around his right hamstring. … CB Keith Reaser left with a migraine and was taken to the locker room for treatment.
Eric Branch is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ebranch@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Eric_Branch
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On Sunday, the 49ers squandered their best chance to avoid a 1-15 season by losing an 11-point, fourth-quarter lead in a 23-17 overtime loss to a fellow featherweight, the New York Jets, at Levi’s Stadium. The game-winning drive was set up after 49ers running back Carlos Hyde was stuffed on 4th-and-2 at New York’s 37-yard line on the first drive of overtime. New York had sent the game to overtime on a 50-yard field goal by Nick Folk with 38 seconds left. Before kickoff, a circling plane towed a sign around the stadium calling for CEO Jed York to fire general manager Trent Baalke. The Jets arrived having traveled 2,500 miles six days after a 31-point prim-time loss that raised questions about their engagement level. [...] the early explosion was highlighted by Hyde, who set the tone for his big day by catching a seven-yard touchdown from Kaepernick 63 seconds into the game. Trailing 17-6 early in the fourth quarter, the Jets began breathing some unexpected suspense into the game with a 15-play, 66-yard drive that lasted more than eight minutes and was capped by a five-yard run by Bilal Powell and two-point conversion scamper by quarterback Bryce Petty with 5:04 left. Wide receiver Torrey Smith sustained a concussion and was motionless on the field for several moments when his helmet slammed to the field after he jumped for an incomplete deep pass in the third quarter.
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Qld police issue plea over 'snooper'
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20161213115724
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Police have issued a plea for help as they investigate claims a British tourist was taking photos and videos of women changing in Queensland shopping centres and uploading them to Facebook.
Luke Thomas Robinson, 28, was allegedly caught filming a woman changing in a Sunshine Coast shopping centre on Sunday and police later discovered a cache of pictures and videos on his phone.
Police say the photos were taken at Noosa Civic and Sunshine Plaza shopping centres between November 18 and December 10 and want to speak to any women who used the change rooms and believe they may have been filmed.
They have also asked anyone who may have reported an incident to individual retailers or centre management to contact them.
Robinson, who is on a working visa, faced Maroochydore Magistrates Court on Monday and is due to appear in the same court on December 19.
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Police are calling for women who think they may have been filmed by a man in change rooms on Queensland's Sunshine Coast to contact them.
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http://web.archive.org/web/20161213134804id_/http://www.9news.com.au/wild-weather/2016/12/13/02/21/early-summer-scorcher-to-hit-parts-of-australia-from-today
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Sydney swelters through record heat as early scorcher sweeps south-eastern Australia
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20161213134804
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Temperatures have soared across south-eastern Australia, with Sydney sweltering though its hottest December day in 11 years.
A sharp blast of heat spread across Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne and Adelaide today, with the mercury soaring above 30C before lunchtime.
Sydney's heat peaked at 37.8C in the city around 1pm and 39.9C in Penrith at 1.30pm, before an afternoon north-easterly sea breeze cooled the coast down.
John Turnbull, from the Bureau of Meteorology's Extreme Weather Desk, said hot, dry winds drawn down from northern Australia were causing the temperature spikes.
"The change will move through South Australia today and Victoria tonight with milder conditions for both states tomorrow," he said.
"Sydney and Canberra will be warm to hot today and tomorrow and cooler by Thursday."
Crowds cool off at Bondi Beach today. (AAP)
BoM's heatwave map for December 12 to December 14. (BoM)
The hot weather has led to total fire bans being declared across 10 districts in South Australia, seven in NSW and three in Victoria.
While late changes are forecast to bring some relief to Melbourne, Canberra and Adelaide, Sydneysiders are expecting to sweat through their hottest night since 1972 with temperatures at a sticky 25C.
Sydney also faces its hottest back-to-back days in a decade, with the mercury forecast to again climb to 39C tomorrow before a welcome cool change.
About 800 people had flocked to the Aquatic Centre at Sydney Olympic Park in the city's west by 11.30am to seek relief from the heat.
"That is higher than normal, particularly for a Tuesday and given it is a work day," a spokesman said, adding that crowds are expected to double by the end of the day.
Those at home were cranking up the airconditioning, with energy providers reassuring customers they were prepared for the increased demand.
"On days like today, electricity consumption can increase by 50 percent when temperatures approach 40 degrees with the use of air conditioners," Endeavour Energy spokesman Peter Payne said.
Sydney is facing its hottest back-to-back days in 10 years. (AAP)
Meanwhile, fire authorities across south-eastern Australia are on alert.
A pickup in wind is expected to increase the risk of bushfire fires in NSW, with the Rural Fire Service declaring total fire bans across much of the state.
Read more: Bushfire threatens homes in NSW Hunter Valley
A severe fire warning is also in place for the lower central west plains and the entire Riverina district.
With temperatures forecast to reach the early 40s in parts of South Australia, the Country Fire Service expects severe conditions across the North West Pastoral area to the Murraylands.
Firefighters are still working to control a bushfire burning out of control on 3300 hectares of land between the Nullarbor Roadhouse in SA and the Western Australian border.
Fire crews are also on standby in parts of Tasmania with mild temperatures, low humidity and winds sparking a very high fire danger alert.
"Fires under these conditions can be difficult to control and only well prepared and actively defended houses can offer safety during an out of control fire," Tasmania Fire Service officer Andrew Emery said.
To help cope with the hot weather, the Red Cross urges people to keep an eye on their neighbours.
"Older people, pregnant women, children, those with a disability and people taking medications are among those who are more at risk," a spokeswoman said.
© Nine Digital Pty Ltd 2016
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Several cities and towns are on alert for a run of hot weather, as the mercury prepares to climb high into the 30s today and stay that way throughout the week.
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/american-football/2016/10/24/nfl-results-week-7-eagles-end-vikings-unbeaten-run-patriots-look/
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http://web.archive.org/web/20161214092617id_/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/american-football/2016/10/24/nfl-results-week-7-eagles-end-vikings-unbeaten-run-patriots-look/
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NFL results week 7: Eagles end Vikings' unbeaten run, Patriots look unstoppable, Ajayi enters record books
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20161214092617
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Imagine finishing up a good day at the office by venting about your bosses in front of millions of people. That's what Ryan Fitzpatrick did on Sunday. He was demoted during the week after some shaky recent performances, but when Geno Smith was injured early on he entered the game and steered the ship admirably. He didn't make the roundup for what he did on the field, though, but for what he said afterward:
The biggest thing in this game in order to last, is to have belief in yourself. Because when the owner stops believing in you and the GM stops believing in you and the coaches stop believing in you, sometimes all you have is yourself. That's something that I've had to deal with before. That's something I'm dealing with now.
When your coach has to come out after the game and announce that you still have your job, things probably didn't go very well. That was the case for Keenum as the Rams quarterback threw four interceptions during his visit to London. They weren't all his fault, but two came in the closing minutes including a comically-inept lob straight to a Giants defender to end what could have been the game-tying drive. One more game like this and Jared Goff, the top draft pick earlier this year, will surely be given a chance.
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Here are the full results and the latest updates to get you up to speed on week 7 in NFL action:
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Three missing in boat off SA coast
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20161214174003
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A search is continuing off South Australia's southeast coast for a missing boat with three people on board.
The seven-metre boat failed to return to the Cape Jaffa boat ramp on Monday night, police say.
It had headed out to sea around lunchtime on Monday and had been due to return in the evening.
Locals spotted an empty trailer at the ramp on Tuesday morning and raised the alarm.
Police boats, State Emergency Service volunteers and local fishermen are involved in the search along with the police helicopter and a fixed-wing aircraft.
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Emergency workers are searching for a boat that's missing with three people on board off South Australia's southeast coast.
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http://web.archive.org/web/20161215123204id_/https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2016/12/13/trump-economic-boom-the-fed-may-stand-way/vlpQIy7Q9mmGiwNNwHEvbL/story.html
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A Trump economic boom? The Fed may stand in the way
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20161215123204
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WASHINGTON — Investors in financial markets, and those predicting faster economic growth in 2017, would do well to remember the famous words that William McChesney Martin Jr., the former Federal Reserve chairman, uttered way back in 1955: The Fed’s job is to remove the punch bowl just as the party gets going.
President-elect Donald Trump’s promises to cut taxes and regulation and to increase spending on infrastructure and defense have convinced many that a sugar high in the near term will goose the economy. On Tuesday, the Dow Jones industrial average marched closer to 20,000, extending a rally that has pushed the blue chip index up 8.6 percent since the Nov. 8 election.
But Fed officials say the economy is already expanding at something close to its maximum sustainable pace, meaning faster growth would drive inflation toward unwelcome levels.
To avoid overheating, the Fed could respond by raising interest rates more quickly. The more Trump stimulates growth, the faster the Fed is likely to increase rates.
Get Business Headlines in your inbox:
The Globe's latest business headlines delivered every morning, Monday through Friday.
“I guess I would argue that I think people have gotten a bit ahead of themselves about what a Trump presidency would mean,” said Lewis Alexander, chief US economist at Nomura. “If we have a big stimulus, the logical thing for the Fed to do is to raise rates faster. There isn’t a whole heck of a lot of scope to just let the economy run under those circumstances. There’s a big question about whether fiscal stimulus under Trump just leads to higher interest rates.”
Underscoring that question, the Fed is expected to raise its benchmark rate Wednesday for the first time since last December in light of new economic data. The rate sits in a range of 0.25 to 0.5 percent, a low level intended to stimulate economic growth by encouraging borrowing and risk-taking. Analysts predict the Fed will shift the range upward by a quarter of a percentage point, modestly reducing those incentives.
The rate increase is widely regarded as a foregone conclusion. The looming question is how quickly the Fed will continue to raise rates in 2017.
Stock investors don’t seem overly concerned. The Dow finished at an all-time high for the seventh consecutive trading day, climbing 114.78 points, or 0.6 percent, to 19,911.21. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index picked up 14.76 points, or 0.7 percent, to 2,271.72. The Nasdaq composite climbed 51.29 points, or 0.9 percent, to 5,463.83.
Economic forecasts always require large assumptions, but that is particularly true in the present case because Trump has provided relatively few details about his plans. Perhaps the most accurate assertion about Trump’s victory is that it has increased the uncertainty of the economic outlook.
“At this juncture, it is premature to reach firm conclusions about what will likely occur,” William C. Dudley, president of the New York Fed, said in a recent speech.
During his campaign, Trump predicted 4 percent annual growth, and his actions since Election Day point to a single-minded goal of short-term job creation.
“Our No. 1 priority is going to be the economy, get back to 3 to 4 percent growth,” Steven Mnuchin, Trump’s pick to serve as Treasury secretary, said last month.
Many economists regard such growth predictions as fanciful; the economy has been mired in an extended period of slow growth and the reasons, including an aging population and a dearth of innovation, are unlikely to change quickly. Some think Trump is more likely to push the economy into recession than to catalyze a new boom.
Even if Trump is right, however, the Fed does not want 4 percent growth.
The central bank’s outlook has become increasingly gloomy. Officials estimated in September that annual growth of 1.8 percent was the maximum sustainable pace, and they predicted growth would not exceed 2 percent in the next three years. They will update those forecasts Wednesday, but large shifts are unlikely.
Fed officials also are increasingly convinced that steady job growth has substantially eliminated the post-recession backlog of people seeking work. The unemployment rate fell to 4.6 percent in November, a level the Fed regards as healthy.
For years, Fed officials urged Congress to increase fiscal spending. Now, Trump is promising to do just that — and the Fed has concluded that it is too late.
Stanley Fischer, the Fed’s vice chairman, said last month the Fed might still benefit from fiscal stimulus because it could raise rates more quickly. That would increase the Fed’s ability to respond to future downturns by reducing interest rates.
But such gains would come at real cost: A fiscal stimulus would increase the federal government’s debt burden, which already is at a high level by historical standards, reducing the room for a fiscal response to a future downturn. Janet L. Yellen, the Fed’s chairwoman, urged Congress last month to be mindful that the government is already on the hook for more spending as baby boomers age into retirement.
“With the debt-to-GDP ratio at around 77 percent, there’s not a lot of fiscal space, should a shock to the economy occur, an adverse shock, that did require fiscal stimulus,” she said.
The tension between fiscal and monetary policy is likely to unfold in slow motion.
Trump has promised to press for rapid changes in government policy, but Congress is not built for speed. A similar effort to cut taxes at the beginning of the George W. Bush administration, for example, was signed into law on June 7, 2001. The impact of new cuts, and any increase in infrastructure spending that Trump can persuade dubious Republicans to embrace, would be felt mostly in future years.
Mark M. Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, predicted that tax cuts, regulatory rollbacks, and deficit-financed spending would fuel faster growth in the first half of Trump’s four-year term. But he said that the Fed’s rate increases, and restrictions on trade and immigration, would gradually begin to take a larger toll. By the end, Zandi predicted, the US economy would be “unnervingly close” to recession.
“The Fed and markets in general will ultimately wash out any benefit,” Zandi said Monday. “The economy under President Trump ultimately will be diminished.”
Other economists are more optimistic, predicting that the stimulus will not be fully offset by Fed policy. Dudley appeared to endorse this view in his recent speech, suggesting that the rise in financial markets was “broadly appropriate.”
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Remember the famous words that a former Federal Reserve chairman uttered a half century ago: The Fed’s job is to remove the punch bowl just as the party gets going.
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http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/12/14/19/13/man-accused-of-bashing-elderly-geelong-man-insists-hes-not-dangerous
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http://web.archive.org/web/20161215154158id_/http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/12/14/19/13/man-accused-of-bashing-elderly-geelong-man-insists-hes-not-dangerous
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Man accused of bashing elderly Geelong man insists he’s not dangerous
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20161215154158
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A 19-year-old man charged over allegedly bashing an elderly Geelong man in a terrifying home invasion insists he “wouldn’t hurt anyone”.
Kyle Elston was today a free man after a magistrate yesterday granted him bail over the alleged beating 93-year-old Wally Janeczko in August.
Some of Mr Janeckzko’s credit cards and cash were also allegedly stolen in the home invasion.
“I’m not a dangerous person,” Mr Elston told 9NEWS.
“I’m not a bad person, I don’t do bad things, I wouldn’t hurt anyone.”
Mr Janeczko was sitting his lounge room when an armed intruder allegedly burst into his Chaucer Street home, bashing him for around 15 minutes.
His pants were allegedly slashed with a knife as the intruder made off with the contents of his pocket, including $350 in cash.
Mr Janeckzko was left bruised and battered. (Courtesy Geelong Advertiser)
Mr Elston spent three months in custody and was yesterday released from Port Phillip Prison.
The magistrate acknowledged a plan was in place to address the accused’s drug addiction issues, which Mr Elston’s sister Charmaine said started after he was given a “go at the crack pipe one night”.
“That’s how he got introduced into ice,” she said.
Ms Elston coaxed her brother into an apology on camera, with Mr Elston addressing Mr Janeczko directly.
“I’m sorry mate for what happened but I didn’t do it to you,” Mr Elston said.
Mr Elston will return to court in January.
© Nine Digital Pty Ltd 2016
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A 19-year-old man charged over allegedly bashing an elderly Geelong man in a terrifying home invasion insists he “wouldn’t hurt anyone”.
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No policy tips from housing inquiry
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20161217134956
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The Turnbull government has been accused of having no plan to help Australia's first home buyers after coalition MPs led a fruitless 20-month inquiry into housing.
Parliament's lower house economics committee, stacked with government members, made no recommendations in a 55-page report released on Friday.
That's despite receiving 65 submissions, hearing evidence from 68 witnesses and holding seven public hearings since the inquiry was launched in April 2015 - interrupted by this year's federal election.
It found that many parts of Australia, other than Sydney and Melbourne, have a relatively weak housing market and that policy should focus primarily on boosting supply in under-supplied markets.
It ruled out support for any tax rises for property investors, including Labor's proposal to limit negative gearing and discounts on capital gains tax.
"Increasing rates of tax on property investment would have a negative impact on the economy," Liberal chair David Coleman said.
He noted the banking watchdog APRA had already moved to limit the rate of borrowing by investors and had to ability to take further action if needed.
But Labor labelled it incredible the report into home ownership contained no policy suggestions.
"The government's members report perfectly reflects the Turnbull government's economic plan - there isn't one," shadow treasurer Chris Bowen said in a statement.
In a dissenting report, Labor again pushed for negative gearing to be limited to new housing from July 1 next year, and that the capital gains discount for all properties bought after that date be halved from 50 to 25 per cent.
The opposition claims the policy will initiate a boost in new housing, provide young families with the chance to find a home and take pressure of inner-city housing markets that are predominantly made up of existing dwellings.
The Greens propose phasing out the discount on capital gains tax entirely by 2020 and the removal of negative gearing for all non-business assets bought on or after July 1 this year.
"Young people are getting screwed," Greens MP Adam Bandt said in a statement.
"The government refuses to admit there's a problem, let alone take any steps to make housing more affordable."
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A report into issues of home ownership in Australia by a parliamentary committee has made no recommendations.
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https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/nov/27/photographs-of-historic-england-challenge-downton-abbey-myth
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http://web.archive.org/web/20161220194034id_/https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/nov/27/photographs-of-historic-england-challenge-downton-abbey-myth
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Photos of historical England 'challenge Downton Abbey myth'
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20161220194034
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Images of factories, schools, universities and civic buildings rising among old streetscapes – but also of rotting houses, barefoot children and faces pinched with poverty – have been unearthed from millions of photographs of late 19th- and early 20th-century England.
Philip Davies, an architectural historian, spent seven years trawling through the photographs, compiling the best 1,500 into a 558-page book entitled Lost England.
He said: “Many of the buildings are beautiful, but if this book does anything, it challenges the Downton Abbey myth of a Victorian golden age. The fact that shocked me most was that life expectancy for a boy born in the slums of Liverpool in the 1840s was 15 years. Many lives were spent in appalling conditions in the shadow of epidemics of killer diseases like typhus, cholera, TB and diphtheria.
“I was also struck at how contemporary so many of the issues were: immigration, housing, poverty, urban sprawl, employment conditions. You can see these things behind the superficial attraction of many of the images.”
One of his favourites was taken in 1895 and shows a group of boys gathered around a new drinking fountain in Liverpool. Davies pointed out that although the boys were working as shoe cleaners, apart from two who are wearing magnificently polished boots, most are barefoot. The fountain, with its shining bronze cup, was built to offer the urban poor an alternative to the seduction of the palatial Morning Star pub in the background.
As a trained urban planner as well as a historian, Davies grieves most over the images of Victorian and Edwardian Birmingham. Most of the grandest buildings he has included in the book – complete with turrets, spires and carved stone or cast iron ornaments – were demolished in the 1960s.
“You can see what a stunning city it was, bursting with civic pride, yet the whole city centre now stands as a monument to poor planning, carved up by the inner ring road, which in many places makes regeneration impossible,” he said.
During his time at English Heritage, Davies was responsible for the register of historic buildings at risk in London. It spread to become an inventory of England’s endangered buildings and sites.
Many of the lost buildings in his book were the subject of passionately fought conservation battles and some survivors are still under threat. One 1912 photograph shows passersby stopping to study the posters outside the gleaming white Picture House cinema in Lime Street in Liverpool: the building just about survives now as a propped up facade, part of a block of buildings that stand in the path of proposed redevelopment.
The photographs in the book are drawn from Historic England’s archive of more than 9m images. It includes work by some of the pioneers of photography and has expanded to absorb many commercial, industrial and specialist research archives to become a collection of international importance.
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Images of 19th and 20th-century England show reality of rotting houses and poverty as well as grand old buildings
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https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/nov/05/pinochets-torture-ship-sails-into-sydney-sparking-protests
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http://web.archive.org/web/20161220195928id_/https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/nov/05/pinochets-torture-ship-sails-into-sydney-sparking-protests
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Pinochet's torture ship sails into Sydney, sparking protests
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20161220195928
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The appearance of a Chilean naval vessel in Sydney Harbour, which had been used as a “torture chamber” by the Pinochet regime, has sparked protests from Chilean-Australians who say it should be removed from service.
The Esmeralda, a four-masted tall ship that is nearly 400ft long, is in Sydney as part of its 61st training cruise and has been docked at Garden Island since Thursday morning.
Considered a national symbol of Chile, it is used as a sail training vessel by the country’s navy and spends about half the year sailing around the world. It was last in Sydney in 2012.
But its tours have sparked controversy after a series of human rights reports revealed that the ship was used to detain victims of the Augusto Pinochet’s regime in September 1973.
A 1986 US Senate report suggesting that as many as 112 people – including 40 women – were held on the ship, with rape, electric shocks, mock executions and beatings among the crimes reportedly carried out on board.
A British-Chilean priest, Father Michael Woodward, who had been tortured on board, was taken off the vessel for treatment at a naval hospital but died of his injuries in transit.
In 2003 Amnesty International urged Chile’s government and navy to acknowledge serious human rights violations committed on the boat. In light of its bloody history, its continued use has prompted quayside protests around the world.
At the weekend the Esmeralda will be docked at the Sydney fleet base on Cowper Wharf Road in Woolloomooloo and open to the public for guided tours.
The Chile Solidarity Committee, a Sydney-based organisation of about 50 people, intends to protest against the vessel’s appearance on Saturday.
Regardless of what the present purpose of the ship is, crimes were committed there
An organiser, Vlaudin Vega, said the Esmeralda had been used as a “torture chamber” in 1973 but the Chilean navy had never acknowledged that chapter in the ship’s history.
“We need to tell the world, the Australian people, that in this vessel crimes were committed and the navy needs to respond.”
More than 330 crew are onboard the ship. Vega suggested that, because of their age, many would be unaware of its history.
He said removing the ship from service would be a symbolic gesture that would help the Chilean community to “heal those wounds” of Pinochet’s regime, though that might require a “more radical government” in Chile.
“Regardless of what the present purpose of the ship is, crimes were committed there,” he said. “People got killed there.
“[The navy needs] to take into account what happened to the most prestigious ship that they have … There’s no question it’s a beautiful ship but they need to retire it as a symbol of some accountability.”
The Chilean-Australian Association, the consulate general of Chile in Sydney and the embassy of Chile in Australia – which have promoted the Esmeralda’s appearance in Sydney – have been contacted for comment.
The ship is due to depart on Monday afternoon and will return to Chile next month.
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Four-masted tall ship the Esmeralda is a national symbol of Chile but some say the navy should retire it from service
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http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/12/20/03/31/diy-shows-may-increase-power-tool-injuries
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DIY shows may increase power tool injuries
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20161220223028
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A potential link between the popularity of DIY renovation television programs and hospitalisations from power tools will be the focus of a health study.
There is an increasing number of home-improvement enthusiasts ending up in the emergency room at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane, according to ER research manager Dr Rob Eley.
The possible connection with home makeover shows has prompted a study into DIY-related injuries and how they could be prevented.
Some injuries, including fractures and cuts, may not require hospital admission but are still life-changing, Dr Eley said.
"Many accidents occur due to a momentary lapse in concentration," Dr Eley said.
"We want to understand how these accidents happen, what age groups are most affected, the tools and tasks commonly involved, and what people could have done differently to avoid them."
Patients will be interviewed at Princess Alexandra Hospital and the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital over a period of six to 12 months as part of the data collection for the study.
"We will be asking what caused the incident, where they bought the equipment, what training they had and what safety precautions, if any, they had taken," Queensland University of Technology Associate Professor Kirsten Vallmuur said.
The research will be conducted by the University of Queensland and Queensland University of Technology, funded by Brisbane Diamantina Health Partners.
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A possible connection between DIY renovation programs and hospitalisations from power tools will be investigated in a health study.
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http://web.archive.org/web/20161222070956id_/https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/sep/28/photography-and-meaning-in-the-digital-age-from-911-to-fake-crime-scenes
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Seeing is believing: documentary photography from Francis Bacon to 9/11
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20161222070956
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There is a quiet power to Simon Norfolk’s black-and-white study of what looks like an ordinary staircase in a nondescript house. What strikes you first in this photograph – which features in a new exhibition called ? The Image as Question – is how the light plays on each polished surface: the gleaming handrail and pristine skirting board, the gloss-painted wall. It is then you notice that the surface of each stair is not straight but gently curving, worn by the footsteps of those who have walked down them over the years.
The French thinker Roland Barthes identified what he called the punctum: the crucial, often accidental, detail of a photograph that reveals something deeper. The curve of the worn stairs is not an accidental detail in Norfolk’s photograph, but the crucial element in the composition that, as Barthes put it, “rises from the scene” with a force that makes it suddenly seem like a new photograph. Those who walked down these stairs, leaving the imprint of their vast numbers, were heading towards their deaths in the gas chambers at Auschwitz. It is a photograph that evokes horror in the most subtle and affecting way.
“Part of the fascination with all photography is that the medium is firmly grounded in the documentary tradition,” Michael Hoppen notes in his introduction to the show. “It has been used as a record of crime scenes, zoological specimens, lunar and space exploration, phrenology, fashion and importantly, art and science. It has been used as ‘proof’ of simple things such as family holidays and equally of atrocities taking place on the global stage. Any contemporary artist using photography has to accept the evidential language embedded in the medium.”
That last sentence perhaps provides the subtext to the exhibition, which concerns the threatened position of documentary photography in an age of digital profligacy. Photographs are now so ubiquitous and, when shared on social media, often so unmoored from their context as to seem drained of meaning. The images here, Hoppen insists, have “a shared gravitas, a weightiness that emanates from their documentary function”.
That is certainly true of Norfolk’s image of the stairs at Auschwitz, but its power also comes from its formal and compositional poetry: the fall of the light, the geometry of curves, horizontals and verticals, the perspective that, as Norfolk has noted, echoes that of an earlier image: Sea of Steps, a staircase in Wells Cathedral made to appear almost celestial by Frederick Evans in 1903. It is not so much a photograph as evidence, then, rather an evocation of the immeasurable human suffering that took place on this ordinary-looking site.
The exhibition roams far and wide, from photography as research material for painters to images made by microscopic and telescopic cameras to the inevitable grisly crime scene shots by accomplished ambulance chasers such as Arthur “Weegee” Fellig and his Mexican counterpart, Enrique Metinides. It is an intriguing show enlivened by the fact that the stories behind the photographs – which all come from Hoppen’s extensive personal collection – are often as interesting as the images themselves.
A relatively understated, but characteristically voyeuristic, photograph by Metinides taken in Mexico City in 1958 shows a blood-splattered cluster of personal items – love letters and a golden purse. The caption reads: “After being stood up at the altar, a bride returns to the church in the Condesa neighbourhood and shoots herself in the head.” Here, evidence rubs up against a noir aesthetic learned from classic Hollywood B-movies.
In sharp contrast, Melanie Einzig’s September 11th, New York, NY 2001 is an arresting image of how daily life goes on even amid the most cataclysmic events. It shows a UPS deliveryman going about his business in Manhattan on 9/11 while the twin towers of the World Trade Centre burn in the background.
An enlarged contact sheet of two men wrestling in swimming trunks and caps, originally taken by Francis Bacon in New York in 1975, nestled for years in a bin bag in the attic of a Mr Robertson from Surrey, who turned out to be the artist’s electrician. (Other bin bags given to him for safekeeping included personal diaries, cashed cheques, letters and holidays snaps.) The photographs highlighted in red were used by Bacon as models for painting particular body parts in motion. They echo another exhibit, a 17-frame series of a nude man walking by Etienne Jules-Marey, whose motion studies preceded those of the better-known Eadweard Muybridge.
Likewise, a recent image by Takashi Arai composed of multiple daguerreotypes of a stopped wristwatch employs a printing process first used in 1839, but also refers to Shomei Tomatu’s monochrome photograph of a watch face fractured in the instant the atomic bomb devastated Nagasaki. It seems to me the most postmodern moment here.
Guy Bourdin’s crime scene photograph possesses all the forensic power of the real thing – bloodstains on the pavement, a chalk outline of a female victim beneath unforgiving street lights – but is a fabrication constructed for a 70s fashion advertising shoot for Charles Jourdan shoes. A more subtle subversion of a fashion editorial is Richard Avedon’s 10-page picture story Mike Nichols Suzy Parker Rock Europe, published in Harpers Bazaar in September 1962, in collaboration with the magazine’s visionary art director, Marvin Israel. Here, using clothes from that season’s fashion collections, they created a fictional famous couple in a grainy narrative comprised of paparazzi-style photographs. The images are a pastiche of the snatched photographs of the romance between Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, which then mesmerised the press and the public. So convincing was it that many readers mistook it for actual reportage.
The most mischievous single image here is Valerie Khristoforov’s portrait of an anonymous young girl on a street with her dress raised to reveal a condensed scrawl of notes that had been written on her thighs before she took the entrance exam to a journalism course in Moscow State University. Khristoforov happened upon the girl in a park as she was writing on her legs “seated under trees near the statue of Mikhail Lomonosov, the greatest Russian scientist, who gave the name to the University”. She agreed to have her legs photographed under two conditions: that he take the picture after the examination and that she remain anonymous. He agreed and waited for an hour and a half for her to return. She passed the exam and was never found out.
• ? The Image as Question is at the Michael Hoppen Gallery, London, until 26 November.
• This article was amended on 28 September 2016 to correct the spelling of Etienne Jules-Marey’s name, from Jules-Marley as an earlier version said.
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A human crib sheet, Bacon’s model wrestlers, and crime scenes real and imagined – a new show at the Michael Hoppen gallery examines documentary photography in all its complexity
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http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/storm-Bay-Area-Northern-California-rainfall-totals-10800807.php
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http://web.archive.org/web/20161222073906id_/http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/storm-Bay-Area-Northern-California-rainfall-totals-10800807.php
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How much rain did we get in the Thursday storm?
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20161222073906
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Photo: Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle
A couple watches the San Anselmo Creek crest in San Anselmo, Calif. is seen on December 15th, 2016.
A couple watches the San Anselmo Creek crest in San Anselmo, Calif. is seen on December 15th, 2016.
Sand bags in front of a store in San Anselmo, Calif. are seen on December 15th, 2016.
Sand bags in front of a store in San Anselmo, Calif. are seen on December 15th, 2016.
People navigate through downtown San Francisco during one of the biggest storms of the season on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016 in San Francisco.
People navigate through downtown San Francisco during one of the biggest storms of the season on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016 in San Francisco.
A pedestrian leaps over water pooling at the corner of 4th and Folsom Streets while crossing the street on Monday, December 15, 2014 in San Francisco, Calif.
A pedestrian leaps over water pooling at the corner of 4th and Folsom Streets while crossing the street on Monday, December 15, 2014 in San Francisco, Calif.
Flooding in Bayside on Thursday, Dec. 16, 2016, after more than four inches of rain were recorded in nearby Arcata.
Flooding in Bayside on Thursday, Dec. 16, 2016, after more than four inches of rain were recorded in nearby Arcata.
Flooding in Bayside on Thursday, Dec. 16, 2016, after more than four inches of rain were recorded in nearby Arcata.
Flooding in Bayside on Thursday, Dec. 16, 2016, after more than four inches of rain were recorded in nearby Arcata.
The American River rises above a fish ladder during storms on Thursday, Dec. 16, 2016.
The American River rises above a fish ladder during storms on Thursday, Dec. 16, 2016.
Rising water levels on the American River.
Rising water levels on the American River.
Jason Stanley watches the San Anselmo Creek crest in San Anselmo, Calif. on December 15th, 2016.
Jason Stanley watches the San Anselmo Creek crest in San Anselmo, Calif. on December 15th, 2016.
A man takes a picture while the San Anselmo Creek crests in San Anselmo, Calif. is seen on December 15th, 2016.
A man takes a picture while the San Anselmo Creek crests in San Anselmo, Calif. is seen on December 15th, 2016.
Sand bags in front of a store in San Anselmo, Calif. are seen on December 15th, 2016.
Sand bags in front of a store in San Anselmo, Calif. are seen on December 15th, 2016.
A man totes an umbrella past the large video monitor outside of the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley, Calif. on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016. The Bay Area is bracing for a significant rainstorm to drench the region this afternoon and into the evening.
A man totes an umbrella past the large video monitor outside of the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley, Calif. on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016. The Bay Area is bracing for a significant
People navigate through downtown San Francisco during one of the biggest storms of the season on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016 in San Francisco.
People navigate through downtown San Francisco during one of the biggest storms of the season on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016 in San Francisco.
Students walk past fallen leaves on the Hearst Mining Circle at UC Berkeley on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016. The Bay Area is bracing for a significant rainstorm to drench the region this afternoon and into the evening.
Students walk past fallen leaves on the Hearst Mining Circle at UC Berkeley on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016. The Bay Area is bracing for a significant rainstorm to drench the region this afternoon and into the
Bereket Haile, City College of San Francisco student, uses a broken umbrella to keep out of the rain on campus at City College of San Francisco on Monday, December 15, 2014 in San Francisco, Calif.
Bereket Haile, City College of San Francisco student, uses a broken umbrella to keep out of the rain on campus at City College of San Francisco on Monday, December 15, 2014 in San Francisco, Calif.
People navigate through downtown San Francisco during one of the biggest storms of the season on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016 in San Francisco.
People navigate through downtown San Francisco during one of the biggest storms of the season on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016 in San Francisco.
The rain caused a slick morning commute in Marin on Dec. 15, 2016.
The rain caused a slick morning commute in Marin on Dec. 15, 2016.
A couple looks at historic ships in the rain at the Hyde Street Pier Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016, in San Francisco. One of the strongest rainstorms of the season has already hit parts of the San Francisco Bay Area and is expected to bring high tides and strong wind gusts that could snarl the evening commute and cause problems throughout the region, forecasters said. In the background at left is the square-rigger Balclutha and at right is the schooner C.A. Thayer.
A couple looks at historic ships in the rain at the Hyde Street Pier Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016, in San Francisco. One of the strongest rainstorms of the season has already hit parts of the San Francisco Bay Area
Naima Antolin found she needed her umbrella as she walks through downtown Truckee, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016. Storms swept through Northern California Thursday bringing rain to the San Francisco Bay Area and the Central Valley and snow in the Sierra Nevada.
Naima Antolin found she needed her umbrella as she walks through downtown Truckee, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016. Storms swept through Northern California Thursday bringing rain to the San Francisco Bay Area
People navigate through downtown San Francisco during one of the biggest storms of the season on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016 in San Francisco.
People navigate through downtown San Francisco during one of the biggest storms of the season on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016 in San Francisco.
Chris Lindsey runs under his broken umbrella through downtown San Francisco during one of the biggest storms of the season on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016 in San Francisco. Lindsey, of Oakland, said he's Christmas shopping.
Chris Lindsey runs under his broken umbrella through downtown San Francisco during one of the biggest storms of the season on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016 in San Francisco. Lindsey, of Oakland, said he's Christmas
People navigate through downtown San Francisco during one of the biggest storms of the season on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016 in San Francisco.
People navigate through downtown San Francisco during one of the biggest storms of the season on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016 in San Francisco.
People navigate through downtown San Francisco during one of the biggest storms of the season on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016 in San Francisco.
People navigate through downtown San Francisco during one of the biggest storms of the season on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016 in San Francisco.
Natalie Sickler pulls the umbrella closer to her that she is sharing with her grandmother, Sandy Paulson, while walking in downtown Truckee, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016. Storms swept through Northern California Thursday bringing rain to the San Francisco Bay Area and the Central Valley and snow in the Sierra Nevada.
Natalie Sickler pulls the umbrella closer to her that she is sharing with her grandmother, Sandy Paulson, while walking in downtown Truckee, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016. Storms swept through Northern
People scurry along Market Street in San Francisco on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016, shielded from a light rain by umbrellas. The rain is expected to get heavier as the day goes.
People scurry along Market Street in San Francisco on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016, shielded from a light rain by umbrellas. The rain is expected to get heavier as the day goes.
People navigate through downtown San Francisco during one of the biggest storms of the season on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016 in San Francisco, Calif.
People navigate through downtown San Francisco during one of the biggest storms of the season on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016 in San Francisco, Calif.
People with umbrellas out cross Market Street at Fifth Street in San Francisco Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016. Heavy rains are expected throughout the Bay Area throughout then day Thursday, forecasters said.
People with umbrellas out cross Market Street at Fifth Street in San Francisco Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016. Heavy rains are expected throughout the Bay Area throughout then day Thursday, forecasters said.
A woman holds on to her hood while running across Oxford Street in Berkeley, Calif. on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016. The Bay Area is bracing for a wet and windy rainstorm to drench the region this afternoon and into the evening.
A woman holds on to her hood while running across Oxford Street in Berkeley, Calif. on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016. The Bay Area is bracing for a wet and windy rainstorm to drench the region this afternoon and into
Commuters cover themselves from the rain in San Francisco on Dec. 15, 2016.
Commuters cover themselves from the rain in San Francisco on Dec. 15, 2016.
Water drops cling to leaves floating in a deep puddle on the Hearst Mining Circle at UC Berkeley on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016. The Bay Area is bracing for a significant rainstorm to drench the region this afternoon and into the evening.
Water drops cling to leaves floating in a deep puddle on the Hearst Mining Circle at UC Berkeley on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016. The Bay Area is bracing for a significant rainstorm to drench the region this
A puddle is seen as people navigate through the Embarcadero on Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016 in San Francisco, Calif. Beginning late Wednesday and extending into Thursday, a powerful storm is expected in the Bay Area, bringing as much as six inches of rain in some mountainous pockets. Gusts up to 35 mph in urban areas and more than 55 mph at higher elevations could down power lines and trees and trigger power outages, said Steve Anderson, a weather service forecaster.
A puddle is seen as people navigate through the Embarcadero on Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016 in San Francisco, Calif. Beginning late Wednesday and extending into Thursday, a powerful storm is expected in the Bay
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Forecaster predicted heavy rains and that's what the Bay Area got.
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http://www.sfgate.com/art/article/Exhibits-inside-soaring-cathedral-stark-bunkers-10796002.php
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http://web.archive.org/web/20161222084824id_/http://www.sfgate.com/art/article/Exhibits-inside-soaring-cathedral-stark-bunkers-10796002.php
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Exhibits inside soaring cathedral, stark bunkers
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20161222084824
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Jim Campbell and Benjamin Bergery, “Jacobs Dream: A Luminous Path,” is a site-specific installation on view at Grace Cathedral.
Jim Campbell and Benjamin Bergery, “Jacobs Dream: A Luminous Path,” is a site-specific installation on view at Grace Cathedral.
Battery Boutelle, one of five Home Land Security exhibition sites overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge
Battery Boutelle, one of five Home Land Security exhibition sites overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge
Detail of the Propeller Group installation, “The AK-47 vs. The M16,” gel block and accompanying video from “Universe of Collisions” (2015) inside Battery Godfrey, a partially underground, reinforced-concrete bunker.
Detail of the Propeller Group installation, “The AK-47 vs. The M16,” gel block and accompanying video from “Universe of Collisions” (2015) inside Battery Godfrey, a partially underground,
Shahpour Pouyan’s contemporary installation of sculpture recalls traditional mosque lamps.
Shahpour Pouyan’s contemporary installation of sculpture recalls traditional mosque lamps.
Tirtzah Bassel, “Concourse” (2016), a drawing with duct tape on a wall (detail, installation view).
Tirtzah Bassel, “Concourse” (2016), a drawing with duct tape on a wall (detail, installation view).
Exhibits inside soaring cathedral, stark bunkers
Two temporary, site-specific art exhibitions are currently on view in stunning environments in San Francisco. Admission is free, and each is a worthwhile special trip, but you had better move quickly if you want to catch them both.
The grand Grace Cathedral has incorporated the contemporary into its art offerings for many years. Beginning in 2012, an artist-in-residence program has commissioned artists to work at the church and with its community for extended periods.
The 2016 project brings together one of San Francisco’s most accomplished artists, Jim Campbell, with Benjamin Bergery, a French American cinematographer and media artist who lives in Paris. The first installment of their work opened Sunday, Dec. 11, but the show continues into 2017 (a specific end date has not been established), with plans to add to the work throughout the year.
“Jacob’s Dream: A Luminous Path” is a 50-foot ladder of light, referencing the biblical tale of connection between heaven and earth. Flickering LED images of ghostly figures ascend and descend; some appear to swim, some leap, others simply float.
Meanwhile, the latest exhibition in For-Site Foundation’s series of site-specific art installations closes Sunday, Dec. 18. Like “@Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz” in 2014-15 and “International Orange” in 2012, “Home Land Security” takes on political questions, presenting them in a public monument freighted with history. “Home Land Security” is set inside military bunkers at the Presidio, dotted along a ridge allowing spectacular, once-strategic views of the Golden Gate Bridge.
The work of 18 international artists is presented. Some of it will be familiar to viewers who have watched contemporary art closely in recent years — Do Ho Suh, Trevor Paglen and Bill Viola are showing works like those seen widely — but it is all of interest. And a surprise like Iranian sculptor Shahpour Pouyan’s intricate metalwork recalling mosque lamps, installed at Fort Scott Chapel, is eye-opening on its own.
A visit involves navigating hilly dirt roads — easy to moderate for most visitors, but real work for those with mobility challenges.
Charles Desmarais is The San Francisco Chronicle’s art critic. Email: cdesmarais@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Artguy1
Jacob’s Dream: A Luminous Path: 8 a.m.-6 p.m. daily (call or check website for occasional holiday restrictions). Free. Grace Cathedral, 1100 California St., S.F. (415) 749-6300. www.gracecathedral.org
Home Land Security: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday. Through Sunday, Dec. 18. Free. Fort Winfield Scott at Langdon Court, Presidio of San Francisco. (415) 362-9330. www.for-site.org
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Two temporary, site-specific art exhibitions are currently on view in stunning environments in San Francisco. The 2016 project brings together one of San Francisco’s most accomplished artists, Jim Campbell, with Benjamin Bergery, a French American cinematographer and media artist who lives in Paris. “Jacob’s Dream: A Luminous Path” is a 50-foot ladder of light, referencing the biblical tale of connection between heaven and earth. Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz in 2014-15 and “International Orange” in 2012, “Home Land Security” takes on political questions, presenting them in a public monument freighted with history. Some of it will be familiar to viewers who have watched contemporary art closely in recent years — Do Ho Suh, Trevor Paglen and Bill Viola are showing works like those seen widely — but it is all of interest. [...] a surprise like Iranian sculptor Shahpour Pouyan’s intricate metalwork recalling mosque lamps, installed at Fort Scott Chapel, is eye-opening on its own. A visit involves navigating hilly dirt roads — easy to moderate for most visitors, but real work for those with mobility challenges.
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http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/12/21/22/37/bp-officially-withdraws-bight-drill-plan
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http://web.archive.org/web/20161222150021id_/http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/12/21/22/37/bp-officially-withdraws-bight-drill-plan
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BP officially withdraws Bight drill plan
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20161222150021
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Oil giant BP has officially withdrawn its environmental plan to drill exploration wells in the Great Australian Bight.
The company announced in October that it would not push ahead with the drilling program after reviewing its future global opportunities, with the Bight project not delivering enough reward on investment.
But it was only on Tuesday that it officially withdrew an environmental assessment application with the national regulator, the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority.
In a statement on Wednesday, NOPSEMA said it was the company's right to withdraw its submission at any stage prior to acceptance or rejection of the plan.
The company's move also came after its own modelling on a well blow-out in the Bight was released earlier this year.
The modelling was based on a worst-case discharge from its Stromlo-1 well with no clean-up response.
It showed oil on the sea surface could travel up to 2650 kilometres from the well site and would almost certainly reach large sections of the South Australian coastline.
It also revealed up to a 64 per cent chance of it reaching Esperance in Western Australia and a 41 per cent chance of oil stretching as far as the NSW south coast, depending on the time of year.
The company said it was confident a loss of control would be contained within 35 days, but says drilling a relief well to completely kill the blowout would take 149 days.
Following the release of the modelling, NOPSEMA asked for more information from BP on potential oil spill scenarios and arrangements in place to ensure the control measures proposed were appropriate to manage potential impacts.
It also wanted more details of the company's plans for monitoring the environment in the event of an oil spill.
The authority said on Wednesday that no further information on those "key areas" was supplied by BP prior to withdrawing its environmental assessment.
When BP moved to abandon the exploration plan, the South Australian government expressed disappointment, with Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis saying the company had walked away from a promise to invest $1.4 billion in the program.
But environmental groups welcomed BP's decision and called on the federal government to rescind all future drilling leases in the Bight.
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Oil company BP has officially withdrawn a plan to drill exploration wells in the Great Australian Bight.
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http://people.com/crime/texas-father-arrested-in-deaths-of-wife-and-infant-son-who-were-found-with-their-throats-slit/cm.peo/
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http://web.archive.org/web/20161224045414id_/http://people.com/crime/texas-father-arrested-in-deaths-of-wife-and-infant-son-who-were-found-with-their-throats-slit/cm.peo/
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Texas Father Arrested in Deaths of Wife and Infant Son Found with Throats Slit
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20161224045414
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A Texas father has been arrested in the double-murder of his wife and infant son, who were found dead Dec. 15 with their throats slit, PEOPLE confirms.
A Fort Worth police press release states Craig Vandewege was arrested in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, Wednesday for allegedly speeding and not having proof of insurance after a citizen told police he was acting suspiciously.
On Dec. 15, Fort Worth police found the dead bodies of Shanna Vandewege, 36, and the couple’s 3-month-old son, Diederick, in the master bedroom with apparent knife wounds to their necks, authorities have said. They died from having their “necks cut,” and their deaths were ruled homicides, a Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s office spokeswoman told PEOPLE.
Upon arrival to the scene, officers found Vandewege on the front walkway “crouched down with his face in his hands,” according to the release.
Homicide detectives subsequently interviewed Vandegege about the slayings, but Vandewege “denied any knowledge of this heinous offense,” the release states.
During an interview with Fort Worth police on Monday, Vandewege said he wanted to speak with his attorney before speaking to investigators further, but he had not been in touch with police subsequently, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.
At the time of his arrest in Colorado, Fort Worth authorities had prepared an arrest warrant for capital murder. According to the Star-Telegram, Vandewege was in the process of bonding out of jail in Colorado when local authorities were notified of his warrant in Texas.
• Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.
According to an arrest report obtained by the Star-Telegram, Vandewege allegedly told the officer who pulled him over that he was going to Las Vegas, and said, “It’s been a long week, my wife and kids were murdered in Texas.”
The arrest report alleges Vandewege refused police instructions to exit his vehicle over a five-minute period.
It also alleges that officers found a wedding band in Vandewege’s pocket along with numerous condoms.
Shanna Vandewege’s friends told PEOPLE she and Craig had moved from Colorado in May after Craig got a promotion at work.
Shanna was a registered nurse at a nearby hospital but was on maternity leave, friends tell PEOPLE.
In an email to PEOPLE, childhood friend Monica Vance wrote, “She had wanted a family since she was a little girl. She planned it out, including names, before she was 12.”
• Pick up PEOPLE’s special edition True Crime Stories: Cases That Shocked America, on sale now, for the latest on Casey Anthony, JonBenét Ramsey and more.
Longtime friend Cindy Prevatt wrote in an email to PEOPLE, “Shanna was wonderful,” adding, “I can not think of one single thing that she ever did wrong. We are heartbroken, confused and angry.”
Mark Riddle, Shanna’s father, told ABC8 that the couple had three miscarriages prior to having a baby.
Vandewege’s attorney, Leslie Barrows, did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
• With reporting by HARRIET SOKMENSUER
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Craig Vandewege was arrested in Colorado after someone reported him acting suspiciously
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https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2016/dec/07/the-cult-of-the-picturesque-ignores-the-reality-of-modern-britain
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http://web.archive.org/web/20161224080632id_/https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2016/dec/07/the-cult-of-the-picturesque-ignores-the-reality-of-modern-britain
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The cult of the picturesque view ignores the reality of modern Britain
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20161224080632
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Across Britain, views, apparently, are being spoiled. In Cumbria, the great-great-great-great grandson of William Wordsworth is supporting a campaign to stop the National Grid building pylons close to the Lake District National Park that would allegedly wreck some beautiful vistas. Meanwhile down south, Richmond is appalled by a new skyscraper in Stratford – on the opposite side of London – that will wreck a famous view of St Paul’s from Richmond Park.
So in an age of ecological catastrophe, political chaos and refugee crisis, there are still some people who have time to fret about the view from their Lakeland cottage or Richmond mansion. Is there any justification for preserving the picturesque in this ever-changing world?
It might help if we defined it. What we call a “view” is a landscape or townscape that pleases the eye, because it has something harmonious, inspiring or exciting about it, and also an underlying impression of coherence. It is, in short, like a picture. In the 18th century, when views started to be cherished, the term “picturesque” was enthusiastically applied to them. People went on tours to look at the picturesque. If they were rich enough they created picturesque landscapes on their estates.
If they were rich enough – and that’s the problem. Throughout its 250-year history, the cult of views has been tainted by elitism. The very word “picturesque” implies dishonesty and self-delusion. It means that from my point of view, the landscape in front of me appears pleasing. Things that don’t fit the picture don’t belong there, or must be ignored. Forget the peasant children starving in that lovely copse at the bottom of the hill. I can’t see them, or hear them crying from up here. And the woods look lovely.
In the same way it seems a bit rich (literally) for residents of Richmond to complain that a building project in a part of east London that needs all the economic stimulus it can get is spoiling a particularly privileged view of St Paul’s. It is perhaps equally shortsighted for lovers of the Lake District National Park to worry about pylons infringing on this well-preserved landscape while implicitly letting other parts of the country be tangled up with as many pylons as energy companies feel like installing.
I’ve always found the Lake District a bit twee anyway, and not just because Wordsworth’s poetry used to bore me to tears at school. It is because it stands for a particularly false image of the picturesque. In Wales, not only are the mountains bigger and the lakes colder, but the idea of a landscape totally free from industry is obviously absurd. Anyone who walks in Wales, which has some of Britain’s most genuinely natural landscapes, knows that Britain’s long industrial history marks even the most breathtaking views. Every path up Snowdon leads past abandoned mining and quarrying sites. Even the names of the Miners’ Track and Pyg Track refer to these haunted relics of a working past.
Britain’s Romantic artists did not ignore the industrial revolution but saw energy and beauty in it. In JMW Turner’s painting Crossing the Brook (exhibited in 1815) the view in the foreground is rustic and timeless, yet in the distance, Turner shows industrial workings along Devon’s Tamar Valley in great detail. John Constable is even more forthright about modern reality in his painting The Opening of Waterloo Bridge (exhibited in 1832). He shows thick black smoke pouring out of chimney stacks on the south bank of the Thames, putting colossal amounts of carbon into the atmosphere and unwittingly contributing to a global warming of which people in 1832 knew nothing.
Hang on, wait – Constable is looking eastward along the Thames, and the dark smoke from those billowing chimneys overshadows his view of St Paul’s. So what would the view of Wren’s dome from Richmond have been like in 1832? Would you even have seen it through the thick smoke enveloping the capital?
There has never been a time when the landscape was pure and free from the mess of modern life. That is why the 18th-century idea of a “view” is such a false and complacent way of thinking about our environment. Views can’t be preserved, and anyway, they always tell some sort of lie. If cables are buried in the earth instead of being carried by pylons it may make for a better view, but it won’t change the damage to the planet being done by irresponsible energy use.
We need a new way of thinking about what makes a beautiful environment, one that includes humans and their creativity. We cannot be like 18th-century aristocrats enjoying a landscape from which we’ve had the tenant farmers evicted to improve the view. Instead we need to love the living, changing, growing world in which we live, and protect that.
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Campaigners from the Lake District to London are outraged at building plans that could alter cherished landscapes – but their inflexibility to change is elitist
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Amazon to Buy Video Site Twitch for $970 Million
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As videogames become a spectator sport, Amazon.com Inc. just bought the world's largest arena.
The e-commerce giant said Monday it agreed to acquire Twitch Interactive Inc., a popular Internet video channel for broadcasting, and watching, people play videogames, for about $970 million in cash.
The deal is Amazon's second biggest, and underscores the popularity of online gaming. Though little-known outside of tech and gaming, Twitch, founded in 2011, is the fourth-largest source of U.S. Internet traffic, behind only Netflix Inc., Google Inc. and Apple Inc., according to network researcher DeepField Inc.
Last October, 32 million people watched the championship of Riot Games Inc.'s "League of Legends" on various streaming services, more than the series finales of television shows "Breaking Bad," "24" and "The Sopranos" put together.
Twitch could also help Amazon accelerate a push into Web video that is brought it into competition with Netflix and Google's YouTube. Twitch seized on the popularity of games like "League of Legends" and "Minecraft," developing tools to let players broadcast their game sessions to an audience of more than 55 million users and generating revenue from advertising and subscriptions.
Twitch owns technology for streaming live video capable of supporting a large number of simultaneous viewers for events like game tournaments and music concerts. Twitch accounts for nearly 2% of peak U.S. Internet traffic, DeepField said.
"In the same way that YouTube and Netflix have to develop really robust architecture to stream enormous amounts of video, Twitch had to build a similar infrastructure geared toward live gaming," David Cowan, a partner at Twitch investor Bessemer Venture Partners, said in an interview.
Google held talks about potentially acquiring Twitch as early as May, two people told The Wall Street Journal at the time. Then, Twitch hired star Silicon Valley deal maker Frank Quattrone to shop the company to other potential buyers, including Amazon, Mr. Cowan said. Google declined to comment.
Yahoo Inc. also had expressed interest in Twitch, according to people familiar with the matter. A spokeswoman for Yahoo declined to comment.
Amazon has been making a push into gaming, including bulking up its staff of programmers at its studios in Seattle and Southern California. The company has introduced several new videogames to complement its Fire TV set-top box, introduced in April, and sells a devoted controller for gaming.
Mike Frazzini, vice president of Amazon Games, said acquiring Twitch will help the retailer round out its gaming business.
"Amazon is invested heavily in games," Mr. Frazzini said. The acquisition is "a substantial step forward as we think about games generally."
Twitch could also help Amazon expand its fledgling online-ad business. The site is most popular with young male gamers, a segment of Internet users attractive to advertisers, said Seth Bardelas, head of agency development at online-ad analytics firm TubeMogul.
Because of this, advertisers on average pay about 85% higher prices for ads on Twitch than other video sites on average, TubeMogul estimates.
Twitch will operate as an independent subsidiary of Amazon, led by co-founder and Chief Executive Emmett Shear, 31, who studied computer science at Yale University. He frequently takes to Reddit and other sites to answer questions from the Twitch community of gamers. The company will keep its San Francisco office and all of its roughly 170 employees will take jobs at Amazon, Mr. Shear said.
Twitch emerged from Justin.tv, one of the earliest streaming-video sites on the Web, founded in 2006 by Justin Kan and Kyle Vogt. Other companies spawned by Justin.tv include Socialcam, a social-video-sharing app acquired by Autodesk Inc. for $60 million in 2012, and Exec, a housecleaning service that sold for less than $10 million earlier this year.
Twitch raised $35 million from investors, including Bessemer Venture Partners, Thrive Capital and videogame-maker Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.
The deal for Twitch would be less than Amazon's final price tag for online-shoe retailer Zappos, which rose to about $1.2 billion in late 2009 as Amazon's stock rose. More recently, Amazon paid $775 million in 2012 for Kiva Systems, a maker of robots for moving inventory around warehouses.
For Twitch, Amazon agreed to pay more than $100 million in additional payments if certain performance objectives are met, which could lift the final price tag above $1 billion, said one person familiar with the deal.
Amazon generally keeps its subsidiaries at arm's length, allowing them to maintain their own corporate culture and hiring standards. Zappos, for instance, still maintains its iconoclastic office culture, with events like a day for employees to wear pajamas to work.
—Alistair Barr, Evelyn M. Rusli, Rolfe Winkler and Drew FitzGerald contributed to this article.
Write to Douglas MacMillan at douglas.macmillan@wsj.com and Greg Bensinger at greg.bensinger@wsj.com
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As videogames become a spectator sport, Amazon.com just bought the world's largest arena. The e-commerce giant said Monday it agreed to acquire Twitch, a popular Internet video channel for broadcasting, and watching, people play videogames, for about $970 million in cash.
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EATING WELL - Some Pros With Low-Fat Dessert Tricks Up Their Sleeves - NYTimes.com
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20161226094612
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HERE is the burning culinary question of 1993: Can low-fat versions of traditional desserts ever taste as good as the buttery, sweet, creamy rich versions so many people love and long for?
Dozens of professional cooks have been wrestling with the question for several years now. In the last few months, four noted sweet tooths have written low-fat-dessert cookbooks, confident that they have found the magic combination to make substitute ingredients taste just as good as butter, cream and chocolate.
I was intrigued, especially after having experimented with such techniques myself and concluding that most of the results were good "for a diet dessert," that is, better than nothing. The four dessert books were put to the test: two or more recipes were chosen from each of them, not only to see how they tasted on their own, but also to compare them with traditional versions of the same recipes.
The results were both happily surprising and sorrowfully predictable. Turning high-fat desserts into low-fat desserts is still a work in progress. But once in a happy while, a low-fat version moves into a realm beyond a pale copy and stands on its own merits.
A few things are clear. You can't make a buttery poundcake without butter. You can't duplicate whipped cream without heavy cream. You can't make a chocolate torte that tastes like a chocolate torte if you reduce the fat and calories.
You can, however, make a low-fat chocolate torte that tastes of chocolate, not cocoa, and would make most chocoholics very happy. And you can make a lemon roulade, or lemon jellyroll, that is far superior to the original.
The recipes were from these four books: "Dream Desserts" by Nancy Baggett (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, $24.95); "Simply Healthful Cakes," by Donna Deane and Minnie Bernardino (Chapters Publishing, $9.95); "Sumptuous Desserts the Slim Cuisine Way," by Sue Kreitzman (Consumer Reports Books, $16.95) and "Sweet Nothings," by Jill O'Connor (Chronicle Books, $12.95).
These intrepid cooks baked thousands of cakes, cookies, pies, muffins and mousses in pursuit of their low-fat goal, and for that, dessert lovers ought to be grateful. From their experiments, several generalizations can be made about low-fat desserts:
* The best low-fat desserts are those in which the originals do not rely on vast quantities of fat.
* Low-fat baking should not be an all-or-nothing situation. The low-fat version will be much closer to the original if the fat is just reduced.
* When a dessert depends on fat as its source of flavor, add many other flavors to compensate.
This last lesson was learned well by Ms. O'Connor, once the pastry chef at the Golden Door, the Southern California spa. She has given a name to it: flavor layering.
Ms. O'Connor offers this example: "If I am creating an orange-flavored dessert I try to use as many high-quality, natural orange-flavored ingredients as possible to create the most complex and intense flavor experience. Fresh, ripe oranges and freshly squeezed orange juice coupled with an orange liqueur such as Grand Marnier or curacao and a pure orange extract may all be used in the same dessert."
She recommends combining fruit brandies like poire Williams with apples and pears to increase the intensity of the flavor; or for chocolate, combine coffee liqueurs with cocoa powder, or natural chocolate extract with coffee. She also offers a chemistry lesson on the role of fat, eggs and sugar in desserts, information useful for the old family favorites.
Here are some more general rules:
* Fats regulate the consistency and tenderness of batter. When butter or shortening and sugar are creamed, the sugar crystals react with the fat to create air pockets that are essential for a tender cake. When the butter or shortening is reduced or eliminated, another method is needed to make these air pockets. One way is to whip the sugar with eggs instead of the butter or shortening.
* Fats also provide a rich "mouth feel." But fruit and vegetable purees can also add moisture, flavor and richness. Pureed banana, sweet potato and pumpkin, or apple and pear butters, can be substituted. An equal amount of the fat substitute is needed to replace the fat.
* Sugar not only sweetens, it also helps tenderize and preserve. But sugar by itself cannot maintain the tenderness and moistness of a dessert if fat is eliminated. Liquid sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, molasses and corn syrup can provide the same moistness that comes from a butter-sugar combination.
* To substitute liquid sweetener for granulated sugar, use 3/4 cup liquid sweetener for each cup granulated sugar, and decrease the amount of other liquid in the recipe by 1/4 cup.
* Eggs aerate batter and moisten dry ingredients, creating a lighter and more tender product. They also act as stabilizers when combined with flour. Simply substituting egg whites for whole eggs produces a rubbery texture. A better solution is 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites for every 2 whole eggs.
Ms. O'Connor does not use egg substitutes or artificial sweeteners.
No recipe in her book has more than 180 calories a serving or derives more than 30 percent of its calories from fat.
In all the books, particularly Ms. O'Connor's "Sweet Nothings" and Ms. Baggett's "Dream Desserts," there is a wealth of information about substutitions, these among them:
* For sour cream: nonfat plain yogurt without stabilizers, yogurt cheese (made by draining the whey from the curds), fromage blanc.
* For cream: nonfat buttermilk, yogurt cheese.
* For cream cheese: yogurt cheese, reduced-fat ricotta cheese, Neufchatel cheese or quark (a nonfat creamy curd cheese).
* For whole milk: nonfat milk, low-fat milk, nonfat buttermilk, nonfat condensed milk, low-fat condensed milk.
* When skim milk is substituted for cream, the result is a thinness of texture and taste: adding some nonfat dry milk will give it richness.
* Amaretti cookies are useful in crumb crusts and where you want almond flavor and crunch.
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HERE is the burning culinary question of 1993: Can low-fat versions of traditional desserts ever taste as good as the buttery, sweet, creamy rich versions so many people love and long for? Dozens of professional cooks have been wrestling with the question for several years now. In the last few months, four noted sweet tooths have written low-fat-dessert cookbooks, confident that they have found the magic combination to make substitute ingredients taste just as good as butter, cream and chocolate.
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New IoD head says UK should 'open its eyes' to new trading partners
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The UK’s impending divorce from the European Union will present the country with an opportunity to “open our eyes” to new, far-flung trading partners, and Britain has “a lot to play for”, the incoming head of the Institute of Directors has said.
Stephen Martin, who takes over from Simon Walker as director general of the IoD in February, warned that the main worry for companies was that Britain becomes “isolationist” .
“Brexit could open our eyes to the rest of the world. We may have previously ignored trading partners because we haven’t needed to go there,” Mr Martin said, in his first public comments since he was publicly named as the next head of the IoD.
“There are massive opportunities around the world. Africa is a fantastic example as it’s one of the fastest-growing economies on the planet: the growing middle class, the investment in technology,” he said in an interview with The Director, the IoD’s magazine for its 34,500 members.
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The UK’s impending divorce from the European Union will present the country with an opportunity to “open our eyes” to new, far-flung trading partners, and Britain has “a lot to play for”, the incoming head of the Institute of Directors has said.
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Kim Kardashian's Family Sends Wishes as He Turns 1
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Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West‘s son turns 1 on Monday, and as usual, the birthday wishes are already rolling in from the famous family.
Khloé Kardashian and Kendall Jenner were the first to wish the little star a happy birthday, each taking to their websites and apps to send a sweet shoutout.
“I can’t believe how quickly time flies!” gushed Khloé, 32. “Watching my little Saint grow this past year has been amazing.”
“He’s seriously such an angel and could not be more adorable,” she added. “What a light he’s been for our family!”
Want all the latest pregnancy and birth announcements, plus celebrity mom blogs? Click here to get those and more in the PEOPLE Babies newsletter.
RELATED VIDEO: Happy Baby! Kim Kardashian West Shares Adorable New Video of Giggly Son Saint
Kendall, 21, took a moment to reflect on how special her nephew is to her and the rest of the KarJenner crew.
“Saint, I can’t believe it’s been a year since you came into our lives!” she wrote. “You’re the sweetest addition to the fam. Even though you’re still so young, you already have the most happy and amazing personality. I love you!”
Kris Jenner, meanwhile, celebrated her grandson’s big day on Instagram.
“Happy birthday to our sweet angel, Saint!” Kris, 61, captioned the picture. “#family #love#happybirthdaysaint #saintwest.”
Saint’s oldest auntie, Kourtney, 37, also shared a heartfelt post via Instagram, writing, “I can’t believe this was one year ago today. Happy birthday my little Sainty.”
And while Kim, 36, has refrained from posting on her app in the two months since her traumatic gunpoint robbery in Paris, the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star’s best friend Jonathan Cheban, who is taking over content this week, shared a birthday message of his own — and two new pictures of the birthday boy cuddling with Mom.
“I can’t believe today is Saint’s first birthday!” wrote Cheban, 42. “One thing people may not know about me is that I’m obsessed with babies, LOL. In honor of his birthday, I convinced Kim to let me share some never-before-seen pics! Happy birthday, Saint!”
Keep checking for more sweet birthday shoutouts throughout the day. Happy birthday, Saint!
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“You’re the sweetest addition to the fam,” gushed Saint’s aunt Kendall Jenner
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Prince George: A Star Photographer Is Chosen for His Christening
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20161227110459
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Prince George is about to get the showbiz royalty treatment!
His first major photo shoot will be done by a photographer who is famous for capturing actors, actresses and pop stars.
Jason Bell has been chosen to take the official shots following George’s Christening on Wednesday, the Palace has announced.
Bell, 44, who has photographed Hollywood royalty like Emily Blunt, Claire Danes, Kate Winslet, Johnny Depp and Daniel Craig, as well as soccer star David Beckham, will do the shoot at Clarence House after the service at the Chapel Royal in St. James’s Palace.
Bell has had portraits published in major publications around the world, including PEOPLE, and some of his work is on display at the National Portrait Gallery in London, of which the Duchess of Cambridge is royal patron.
That connection was not the reason Bell was chosen, royal sources say. The award-winning photographer was picked from among several names given to the couple by their aides. “The Duke and Duchess met Jason and thought he was the right choice for the Christening,” one source adds.
Bell, who was born in London, says in a statement: “I’m honored that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have asked me to photograph the christening of their son Prince George. I’m privileged to be recording this moment in history.”
PHOTOS: Royal Christenings: Through the Years
More on the Royal Baby:• The Only 5 Photos You Need to See of the Royal Baby• How Royal Babies Make Their Grand Debut• See How the World Welcomed the Royal Baby• Will & Kate’s Road to Parenthood
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Jason Bell has shot Hollywood royalty – now it’s time for the real thing
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Lionsgate leads studios in Golden Globe nominations for 'La La Land' and 'Hacksaw Ridge'
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Lionsgate led its rival studios in Golden Globe Awards nominations Monday, thanks to the acclaimed movies “La La Land,” “Hacksaw Ridge” and “Hell or High Water.”
The Santa Monica mini-major studio secured a total of 13 nods in film categories from the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn., including three out of the 10 best picture contenders. The robust total is a big improvement over last year, when when the studio’s major awards contender, “Sicario,” failed to get any love from the association.
“La La Land,” a throwback musical set in present day Los Angeles, received seven honors, the most of any film, including best picture, actress (Emma Stone), actor (Ryan Gosling) and director (Damien Chazelle). The World War II-set “Hacksaw Ridge,” a career comeback for director Mel Gibson, and the modern-day Western “Hell or High Water,” released with CBS Films, each nabbed three.
The studio hopes “La La Land” will become a commercial success as well as a critical favorite. “La La Land” opened in five theaters this weekend in Los Angeles and New York and grossed an impressive $855,000 in ticket sales from its first three days — a good sign that it could become a commercial hit when it expands later this month.
“La La Land” should boost grosses for a field of nominees that is short on blockbusters, with the exception of 20th Century Fox’s irreverent superhero movie “Deadpool” ($782 million in worldwide ticket sales). The best picture picks were filled with low-grossing indie darlings like the Weinstein Co.’s “Lion” ($494,000) and “Sing Street” ($13.4 million).
Behind Lionsgate, New York indie distributor A24 came in second in the studio rankings, picking up nine nominations, including six for its coming-of-age drama “Moonlight” ($10.8 million in limited release so far.) The upstart firm has become a regular awards season contender, releasing nominees like “20th Century Women” and “The Lobster” this year.
Close behind was Paramount Pictures, which scored eight nominations overall, including recognitions for science fiction offering “Arrival” and Denzel Washington’s “Fences” in the acting categories; and Meryl Streep vehicle “Florence Foster Jenkins” for best comedy and actress. The Viacom Inc.-owned company had the most nominations of the major studios, a welcome bit of good news at the end of a difficult year at the box office. But in one notable surprise, Martin Scorsese’s “Silence,” soon to be released by the studio, failed to take any nominations.
Digital giant Amazon and indie film distribution partner Roadside Attractions shared five nominations for their Casey Affleck drama “Manchester By the Sea” ($8.3 million and counting). Twentieth Century Fox also got six nominations, with a boost from “Deadpool” and the Warren Beatty historical drama “Rules Don’t Apply.”
Follow Ryan Faughnder on Twitter for more entertainment business coverage: @rfaughnder
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Lionsgate led its rival studios in Golden Globe Awards nominations Monday, thanks to the acclaimed movies “La La Land,” “Hacksaw Ridge” and “Hell or High Water.”
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YouTube Stars Like PewDiePie Losing Views, Study Says
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YouTube stars with more than 10 million subscribers have experienced a sharp drop in viewership since February, according to a new study.
In the study commissioned by Kotaku, the social statistics tracker SocialBlade found that 49 big channels averaged almost 4.1 million views per day in January, but declined just over 3.7 million views per day by November. Most of the drop took place in the second half of the year. Those numbers exclude channels from major media, such as record labels and TV networks, focusing instead on “personalities” like Jacksepticeye and PewDiePie.
There’s some debate about whether the drop-off means fewer people are watching videos by YouTube personalities, or if YouTube is just counting views differently. One theory is that the decline is driven by YouTube’s intermittent purging of views generated by bots, although that might not explain such a long-term decline.
Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.
More intriguing is speculation that the moves are the result of changes in YouTube's search and promotion algorithms that give less weight to subscriber numbers when evaluating individual videos. There has also been rampant speculation that YouTube is actively unsubscribing users from channels. YouTube has said it's not doing this.
An increasingly heated war of words has been brewing between YouTube and a coterie of talking heads who found fame there. Some major stars have been willing to play devil’s advocate, though, arguing that making subscriptions a less important factor in YouTube’s algorithms could actually help the site’s overall health.
For more on YouTube's strategy, watch our video.
YouTube, for its part, has reacted by casting doubt on SocialBlade’s numbers, saying on Twitter that they “do not accurately reflect subscriber activity.”
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PewDiePie and others think the platform is hanging them out to dry
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Want to Go Electric but Can't Afford a Tesla? This Could Be the Answer
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Slow, boring, small — and expensive? If that's your image of a battery car... you could be in for a surprise.
The company that's set to start redefining what it means to go electric isn't some high-tech California start-up, but that icon of the Rust Belt, General Motors.
At a plant in the northern suburbs of Detroit — a factory that nearly shut down when GM entered bankruptcy six years ago — the automaker has begun to ramp up production of the new Chevrolet Bolt EV. Bolt has already won a string of high-profile awards, including Motor Trend Car of the Year. But the real test will begin in the coming days, when the first retail customer is handed the keys.
Related: Chevrolet Bolt Named Green Car of the Year
Think of it as battery-car 2.0. At an EPA-estimated 238 miles per charge, the Chevy hatchback will deliver almost three times the range of most first-generation battery-electric vehicles. But at a starting MSRP of just $37,495 — or less than $30,000 after applying $7,500 in federal tax credits — the Bolt is less than half the price of the current mileage champ, the Tesla Model S.
True, it's smaller and less lavish, but despite its small exterior footprint, Chevrolet designers and engineers took advantage of the fact that most of the powertrain, including the 60 kilowatt-hour battery pack, has been tucked under the floor. That let them carve out some extra space from what in a regular vehicle would have been an engine compartment. So, subcompact body but nearly midsize interior.
The new Chevrolet Bolt EV has already won a string of high-profile awards, including Motor Trend Car of the Year. Paul A. Eisenstein
That battery pack is heavy — around 800 pounds — but because it's under the floor it actually means a lower center of gravity which, in lay terms, means surprisingly good handling. And the 200-horsepower electric motor can launch the five-door Bolt from 0 to 60 in just 6.5 seconds, or about as fast as a turbocharged Ford Mustang.
But will consumers plug in? That's the big question, says David Sullivan, automotive analyst with AutoPacific, Inc.
Tesla has already lined up more than 400,000 reservations for the similarly priced — albeit slightly lower-range — Model 3 it hopes to bring out about 8 to 12 months after Bolt. Chevrolet isn't offering sales forecasts, but LG Chem, the South Korean supplier of lithium-ion batteries, recently said it expects sales of around 30,000 Bolts in 2017.
At GM's battery-car plant in Orion Township, Michigan, production of the Bolt is now running nearly 15 cars an hour on the line it shares with the conventional, gas-powered Chevrolet Sonic subcompact, or around 100 a day on a single eight-hour shift.
Related: Lucid Motors is the Latest to Take on Tesla
"And there's more capacity at this plant if we need to tap into it," says Yves Dontigny, the Bolt Launch Manager, during a tour of the plant.
By some observers' estimates, GM spent more than $1 billion to develop the Chevy Bolt EV. The figure could have been substantially higher — likely pricing the car out of the mainstream — if the maker hadn't figured out how to produce Bolt and Sonic on the same line.
A Chevrolet Bolt on the assembly line in Detroit. Paul A. Eisenstein
Dontigny pauses at one of more than 100 work stations along the serpentine assembly line. As a Chevy Sonic moves into position, two workers maneuver a cart into place that carries the hatchback's gas tank. In a process as carefully choreographed as a ballet, they slip the tank into the vehicle, then firmly bolt it into place before the partially completed car moves onto the next workstation.
Moments later, a Bolt swings into place, hanging from a claw-like carrier. As it does, an automated cart rolls into place beneath the EV carrying an 800-pound battery pack. The same workers trigger the cart to rise up, marrying pack and body. Six bolts later, the process is complete. The battery car rolls on.
Eventually, as the all-but-completed Bolt reaches the end of the assembly line, it rolls into a blindingly bright booth, special lamps designed to reveal even the slightest of exterior flaws. A specially trained crew pours over the car determined to make sure all the sheet metal and chrome fit together as planned, and that there are no nicks or scratches to its paint.
Surveys by J.D. Power and other independent analysts have found Chevy making significant jumps in quality in recent years, but all-new models pose unique launch problems, especially when you're introducing a completely new electric drivetrain. GM can't afford to make even the smallest of mistakes.
The good news for Chevy is that Bolt is already receiving strong kudos. Among other things, it has been named both Motor Trend Car of the Year and Green Car of the Year. And it is one of three finalists for North American Car of the Year, that winner set to be announced on January 9.
Such awards will certainly draw attention to the Chevy Bolt, but it will likely be word of mouth that really makes a difference. And that will only begin when the first of the battery-cars start rolling out of dealer showrooms before the end of this year.
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The company that's redefining what it means to go electric isn't some high-tech California start-up, but that icon of the Rust Belt, General Motors.
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Deep Dissent at the Fed: Is the Economy Overheating or Stuck in a Rut?
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Investors may be expecting an interest rate increase in December, but Federal Reserve policymakers remain divided over whether the economy is mired in a rut, strong enough to withstand an immediate hike or hovering somewhere in between.
Speaking in the wake of the U.S. central bank's decision last week to hold rates steady, 10 Fed officials fanned out for appearances this week in a profusion of "Fedspeak" that markets and the public are trying to digest.
The Fed raised rates last December for the first time in nearly a decade, and many investors currently expect it to raise rates again this December - but only with about a 55 percent probability, according to data from CME Group.
With a potentially volatile presidential election and two months of economic data still to come, the Fed policymakers' remarks suggested the debate is far from over.
"The low interest rate environment is not just a U.S. phenomenon, or simply a situation engineered by Federal Reserve policy," Chicago Fed President Charles Evans said in a speech to a community banking conference in St. Louis on Wednesday.
"Rather, it is a global phenomenon with underpinnings in economic fundamentals" that are likely to persist.
Two states eastward, in Ohio, the president of the Cleveland Fed, Loretta Mester, in contrast said it was a mistake to discard the standard practice of raising rates well before inflation rises.
"Policymakers...should not throw out all that's been learned from past experience or be led astray by thinking this time is completely different," Mester said in her first remarks since she dissented against last week's decision and argued for an immediate rate hike.
She warned against a too-cautious approach given the Fed's progress on jobs and inflation.
"Status quo is always attractive. If we wait to every data point lines up, we surely will get behind the curve," Mester told reporters following her speech.
Kansas City Fed chief Esther George, who also dissented last week, offered a similar view. She told a forum for minority bankers that while she is "not interested" in braking the economy, rates should rise "slowly but surely" or the Fed could find itself later having to raise them aggressively.
Toward the middle, San Francisco Fed President John Williams said on Tuesday that it is getting harder and harder to justify low rates, and warned against getting too "greedy" on trying to push down unemployment. On Wednesday, Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari said that rates could stay low for longer because there are no signs of inflationary pressures.
"The economy still has room to run before it overheats," Kashkari said.
Other regional Fed presidents and Fed Governor Jerome Powell are due to speak on Thursday.
The most influential voice, Fed Chair Janet Yellen, has kept her options open, saying she feels the case for a rate increase is strengthening, but also saying the economy still had "room to run" on job creation.
She testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Financial Services Committee on Wednesday in a hearing that dealt largely with the Fed's regulatory role and changes it is considering to its annual stress tests for banks.
Evans' comments highlighted the Fed's dueling visions over where the economy stands eight years into an uneven recovery.
Mester and George were among the three regional Fed presidents who dissented on last week's rate decision, and others have cited the need for the Fed to act in time to prevent any rapid run-up in inflation.
The competing body of thought, with strong adherents within the Fed's more influential, Washington-based board of governors, argues that the global and U.S. economies have become fundamentally sluggish in the wake of the 2007-2009 financial crisis.
Evans said weak growth, an aging workforce and poor productivity may leave the U.S. economy stuck with low interest rates for years to come, and the Fed struggling to reach its 2 percent inflation target.
As some in the financial industry press for higher rates to improve their lending margins, Evans offered a sobering counterpoint: It's not likely to happen fast.
The steady decline in estimates of equilibrium interest rates, Evans said, means monetary policy is not as loose as many analysts estimate, there is less risk of inflation rising too fast - and less reason to move the policy rate higher.
"U.S. policy today is less expansionary than what is often calibrated from simple monetary policy rules or other historical comparisons," Evans said. "The risk of overshooting our 2 percent inflation is lower - and the likelihood that we actually get to 2 percent is smaller."
Evans told bankers they may need to plan carefully for a "new normal" of low rates, rather than hope for the return to an era when a larger gap between deposit and lending rates gave them more flexibility to compete.
"We will likely be in a low interest rate environment for some time," Evans said. "This is one reason monetary policy is expected to normalize at a very gradual pace."
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Investors may be expecting an interest rate increase in December, but Fed policymakers remain divided over whether the economy is mired in a rut.
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Kim Kardashian West Made Peace With Amber Rose to 'Be a Role Model'
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brightcove.createExperiences(); Kim Kardashian West and Amber Rose surprised fans by making peace with an Instagram selfie Tuesday. The reconciliation comes one week after Rose lashed out at Kim’s husband Kanye West for dissing her young son during a Twitter rant against Wiz Khalifa.
A source tells PEOPLE Kardashian West initiated the reconciliation with Rose, who once dated West.
“Kim is a mom and wants to be a role model. She doesn’t want to be involved in ridiculous drama,” a source tells PEOPLE. “She reached out to Amber. They met and everything is fine now.”
Kardashian West, 35, captioned her
Kardashian West’s husband has also made peace with Khalifa, Rose’s ex husband with whom she shares a son.
“Me and Wiz spoke yesterday,” West, 38, wrote on Twitter Tuesday of a chat he had with Khalifa, 28.
The spat between Kanye and Khalifa started last Tuesday, when Khalifa took issue with West’s new album Waves, originally named Swish. West responded when he mistakenly thought one of Khalifa’s tweets – “Hit this kk and become yourself” – was about his wife, but Khalifa later explained that he was referring to marijuana.
The clarification came too late, after West had already tweeted insults about Rose (“You let a stripper trap you,” he told Khalifa) as well as Rose and Khalifa’s 2½-year-old son Sebastian (“You wouldn’t have a child if it wasn’t for me,” and “You own waves???? I own your child!!!!”).
Rose, 32, fired of a tweet of her own about West’s supposed sexuafl preferences (which West denied) and Rose spoke out again on the Allegedly podcast, where she slammed West for speaking about her son.
“I would never talk about kids in an argument,” she said. “It just shows the type of person he is. Even him saying stuff about my son, I still didn’t say anything about his kids. I’m not going to. This is ridiculous. They’re innocent babies. You don’t ever, ever talk about a baby, ever.”
West eventually agreed with Rose on that point, when on Monday, he tweeted, “God’s dream… Never speak on kids again… all love … all blessings…”
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“They met and everything is fine now,” a source tells PEOPLE
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Case-Shiller: Home Prices Up Less Than Forecast in April
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20161231042118
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Before you go, we thought you'd like these...
NEW YORK -- U.S. single-family home prices rose less than expected in April, a closely watched survey said on Tuesday.
The S&P/Case-Shiller composite index of 20 metropolitan areas gained 0.2 percent in April on a seasonally adjusted basis. A Reuters poll of economists forecast a gain of 0.8 percent following gains of 1.2 percent in March.
%VIRTUAL-article-sponsoredlinks%Non-seasonally adjusted prices rose 1.1 percent in the 20 cities, compared to an expectation of a 0.8 percent rise.
"Near term economic factors favor further gains in housing," said David Blitzer, chairman of the index committee at S&P Dow Jones Indices, in a statement.
"However, housing is not back to normal: prices are being supported by cash sales, low inventories and declining foreclosure and [real estate owned] sales. First time home buyers are not back in force and qualifying for a mortgage remains challenging."
Prices in the 20 cities rose 10.8 percent year over year, shy of expectations for 11.6 percent.
The seasonally adjusted 10-city gauge was unchanged in April versus a 1.2 percent gain in March, while the non-adjusted 10-city index rose 1 percent in April compared to a 0.8 percent gain in March.
Year over year, the 10 city gauge also rose 10.8 percent.
House Rich: Neighborhoods With the Biggest Price Jumps
Case-Shiller: Home Prices Up Less Than Forecast in April
Median sale price, Jan. 2013: $224,450
Median sale price, Jan. 2014: $272,750
Residents enjoy hundreds of nearby hiking trails, as well as indoor culture at the Fine Arts Center and the Colorado Springs Philharmonic.
Median sale price, Jan. 2013: $318,375
Median sale price, Jan. 2014: $388,500
This neighborhood, bounded by the Schuylkill River and 20th Street, and by South Street and Christian Street, was viewed as a slum in the 1970s, when Philadelphia's Redevelopment Authority took over abandoned properties.
Median sale price, Jan. 2013: $516,450
Median sale price, Jan. 2014: $641,500
Magnolia covers 4 square miles, making it the second-largest Seattle neighborhood by area. It features a lighthouse built in 1881 and is home to Seattle's largest park, at 534 acres.
Median sale price, Jan. 2013: $210,446
Median sale price, Jan. 2014: $277,898
Paradise Valley, in the heart of the Scottsdale-Phoenix area, gets an average 294 days of sunshine a year -- hence, the more than 200 golf courses.
Median sale price, Jan. 2013: $344,750
Median sale price, Jan. 2014: $455,835
The Washington Post listed Sunset Hills among "the shortest commute" category of Virginia neighborhoods, with an average commute time of just over 21 minutes. And Dulles International Airport is about six miles away.
Median sale price, Jan. 2013: $247,735
Median sale price, Jan. 2014: $357,900
This once-seedy area has become hot in recent years. It's packed with art galleries and chic retail shops, as well as new upscale bars and restaurants next to venerable family-owned cafeterias.
Median sale price, Jan. 2013: $284,750
Median sale price, Jan. 2014: $418,250
Brighton, once the center of New England's cattle trade, is in the northwest corner of Boston, on the Charles River. The Brighton Branch Library is Boston's first renovated LEED Green Building. The Brighton Police station is shown here.
Median sale price, Jan. 2013: $223,175
Median sale price, Jan. 2014: $329,100
South Loop joins a number of other once-blighted neighborhoods on this list that have been redeveloped and are now hot. The site of former rail yards, it was known for many years more for its vices (as in brothels, burlesques) than its residential virtues.
Median sale price, Jan. 2013: $241,000
Median sale price, Jan. 2014: $358,450
Also: Fairgrounds, San Jose (41.4%); La Jolla, San Diego (40%); Woodland Hills, Los Angeles (37.5%); Southwest Anaheim, Anaheim (35.2%); Berryessa, San Jose (34.4%).
Newhall, the southernmost and oldest district of Santa Clarita, was the first permanent Anglo settlement in the valley. Ranches-turned-film studios dot the area, including the Melody Ranch, which was once owned by Gene Autry. The ranch hosts the annual Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival.
Median sale price, Jan. 2013: $504,250
Median sale price, Jan. 2014: $750,275
This is the most affluent neighborhood in Charlotte; the median income is $79,737, according to Zillow. That compares with a median of $46,975 for Charlotte. A high point of the area is the Duke Mansion, built in 1915 by tobacco magnate James Buchanan Duke.
Median sale price, Jan. 2013: $167,450
Median sale price, Jan. 2014: $263,615
People who live here, according to classifications Zillow uses to characterize residents, are likely to be: Corporate Climbers, Multi-lingual Urbanites or in a category called "Bright Lights, Big City," which Zillow uses to describe "singles ranging in age from the early 20s to mid-40s who have moved to an urban setting."
Median sale price, Jan. 2013: $668,250
Median sale price, Jan. 2014: $1,318,301
New York City’s 92-acre planned community includes areas built on more than 3 million cubic yards of soil and rock, some of which was excavated during the construction of the World Trade Center.
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U.S. single-family home prices rose less than expected in April, according to the closely watched S&P/Case-Shiller index.
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Best celebrity hair transformations for fall
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20161231062724
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Before you go, we thought you'd like these...
Best celebrity hair transformations for fall
Justin Bieber is known for his hair among many other things. When he hit the scene as a teen phenom he was known for his shaggy look and even coined the term "hair flip" to describe the way he kept his locks out of his eyes. After years with his signature 'do, he switched things up with a shorter style, which has been popular with his female fans. Sadly, Beliebers may not be pleased with him after his latest trip to the hairdresser. (Photo by Mike Windle/Getty Images for Variety)
Whoa! The Biebs' new style certainly took us by surprise. Justin Bieber hit the town with a brand new bleached hairstyle in early December and certainly shocked many of his fans. Do you like the look? (Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images)
Sean Penn has always had nice locks, but we're used to his typical brown, center-parted style. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
In December, Penn, 54, took a walk on the lighter side and stepped out with this honey-colored look. The warmer color seems fitting for his California cool personality. (Fameflynet)
Country star Jake Owen had worn his hair long and shaggy since his debut album in 2006.
(Photo by Chris McKay/Getty Images)
Jake's own nephew said that he was unrecognizable after a dramatic buzz cut removed his signature "George of the Jungle"-esque locks.
Sports Illustrated model Kate Upton is known for her gorgeous looks and long, blonde locks. Despite how lovely she looks, the 22-year-old decided to ditch her signature style this year in favor of a new crop. (Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for the Daily Front Row)
That's quite a cut, Kate! The stunning model showed off a new shoulder-length chop on Instagram in late November. The sweet style seems to be a hot trend among many celebs. (Photo by Han Myung-Gu/WireImage)
Surprise Vanessa Hudgens is playing with her strands. The former "High School Musical" actress, 25, has enjoyed dozens of styles but she's maintained a pretty classic 'dark do for several years. After a quick switch to red earlier this month, Hudgens headed back to the dark side but made another change.
She got bangs! Hudgens looked hot to trot with a new fringe and face-framing bangs. V.Hudg debuted the look on Instagram in November. "
Jessica Alba, 33, is no stranger to hair experimentation, but the brunette babe has been enjoying the darker side for several years. Nonetheless, The Honest Company founder tried out a lighter look in November 2014. (Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic)
Alba rocked a honey-colored mane and the new look certainly gives her a more youthful appearance. Do you like her brightened tresses?
BEFORE: Jessica Simpson has always been a fan of long locks, but the singer-turned-fashion designer made a bold move this October. (Photo by Raymond Hall/GC Images)
AFTER: The blond bombshell lopped off her tresses for this modern 'do. She debuted the new look on Instagram and titled the photo, "Short hair don't care... Cut by my favorite @roqchop and blondie by the best of all time @ritahazan."
BEFORE: Lauren Conrad has always been a California girl and loved her long, blond, straight locks. (Photo by Valerie Macon/Getty Images)
AFTER: Conrad got hitched and that wasn't the only change she was ready for. The gorgeous gal showed off her shorter 'do and titled her Instagram snap, "Got my first haircut in years."
BEFORE: Conrad's "Laguna Beach" pal Kristin Cavallari also was a fan of her long hair until she went through a major life event.
AFTER: It looks like Kristin was ready for a change after welcoming her second kiddo. Mrs. Jay Cutler lopped off her locks and also titled her Instagram post, "Short hair don't care."
BEFORE: "High School Musical" star Ashley Tisdale is best known for her lovely tresses. In fact, she even named her production company after her famous mane: Blondie Girl Productions.
AFTER: The 29-year-old actress didn't chop her hair, but she did add a striking new color to it! Tisdale debuted a set of purple highlights in September.
BEFORE: The "California Girl" had been sporting dark raven tresses for several months before she made a wild switch.
AFTER: The hair chameleon is no stranger to experimentation and debuted a green color in April 2014. Perhaps she was rounding out her long list of "prismatic" colors!
BEFORE: She's just a blue-haired babe! Nicole Richie has been rocking blue locks for quite some time, but the 33-year-old actress decided to try out a new color of the rainbow in October. (Photo by Josiah Kamau/BuzzFoto/FilmMagic)
AFTER: Sense a theme here? Richie loves to play with color and showed off purple locks at her appearance at the AOL Uprfronts in October. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
BEFORE: Lena Dunham has been keeping her hair a very normal shade of brown in order to film her hit HBO show "Girls." But once filming wrapped, she was clearly ready to try something new. (Photo by Steve Sands/GC Images)
AFTER: Well, that's quite a change. Dunham opted out of her boring brown color for a fun Kermit shade. Do you like the look? (Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images)
BEFORE: Britney Spears has been rocking a long ponytail for as long as we can remember, but after years with a lengthy style she went for something a little more edgy. (Photo by Adam Jagielak/Getty Images Poland/Getty Images)
AFTER: The 32-year-old popstar showed off a sleek new bob at the launch of her lingerie collection in September. (Photo by Sascha Steinbach/Getty Images)
BEFORE: Elle Fanning has been sporting the same locks as her older sister Dakota for years, but when she finally hit her stride this year in her starring role in "Maleficent" things got wild. (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage)
AFTER: The 16-year-old cutie has been testing out a chestnut color as of late, which looks striking against her fair skin. (Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic)
BEFORE: Dakota Johnson has been proving that blondes have more fun for years with her layered do... (Photo by David M. Benett/Getty Images for Eco-Age/Green Carpet Collection)
AFTER: But now the "Fifty Shades of Grey" star has darkened her tresses as she explores her sexier side. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
BEFORE: Gabrielle Union has been sporting her side-swept look for years while "werking" the Hollywood scene.
AFTER: But the sirens of screens both big and small has since decided to go for sleek locks with a touch of color and a blunt bang.
BEFORE: Known for her blond, curly mane since she starred in "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," Drew Barrymore has chosen to go for a more grown-up look over the years and has kept her curls relatively tame with an ombre color. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
AFTER: In September, the former child star traded in her flaxen beachy waves for a more polished style -- now in auburn! (Photo by David M. Benett/Getty Images for Eco-Age/Green Carpet Collection)
BEFORE: Malin Akerman knows how to rock a messy, yet chic bob. (Photo by Paul A. Hebert/Invision/AP)
AFTER: But the "Trophy Wife" star has since gone for an edgier style with a slicked-back mohawk. She revealed her wild mane in August. (Photo by JB Lacroix/WireImage)
BEFORE: Long and luscious is the best way to describe Selena Gomez's signature look.(Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)
AFTER: But in September, the brunette beauty switched it up and added a little bang to her mega-hair mix.
BEFORE: A shiny, sleek, and black hairdo gives Camilla Belle a sophisticated flair. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)
AFTER: Yet, her brand-new loosened and lightened look shows us the starlet's sunny side. The 28-year-old actress showed off her fresh style in September.
Leaves are not the only things changing color this fall.
Stars from Lena Dunham to Nicole Richie are dying their locks and changing up their hairstyles in time to welcome the crisp weather. Whether it's Richie's swap for a deep blue or Dunham's platinum blonde, take a look at some of the most striking transformations above.
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By NADIA SIKANDER Leaves are not the only things changing color this fall. Stars from Lena Dunham to Nicole Richie are dying their locks and changing up their hairstyles in time to welcome the
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Ex-Head of Suspect's School Won't Testify in '75 Murder Case
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20161231171353
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The director of a school for troubled youth where a suspect in the murder of a Greenwich teen-ager almost 23 years ago spent nearly two years receiving treatment, refused to testify today during grand jury proceedings into the crime.
Joseph Ricci, executive director and founder of the Elan school in Poland Springs, Me., cited his desire to maintain the confidentiality of the suspect, Michael Skakel, a nephew of Ethel Kennedy, the widow of Robert F. Kennedy. Mr. Ricci's refusal to testify set up another roadblock for prosecutors who have struggled to identify the killer of Martha Moxley, 15, who was beaten and stabbed to death on Oct. 30, 1975 after spending the evening at the Skakel residence next door to her home in the gated community of Belle Haven in Greenwich.
Mr. Skakel spent about two years at Elan, starting in March 1978, and received in-patient treatment during his involuntary residence there, according to a motion filed on Wednesday by his lawyer, Michael Sherman. Mr. Sherman asked the court for an injunction against forcing Mr. Ricci to testify. Mr. Sherman did not elaborate on why Mr. Skakel was sent to the licensed mental health facility.
Prosecutors contend that Mr. Ricci ''overheard Michael Skakel make admissions to the murder of Martha Moxley,'' according to court papers filed in Maine and reported by The Associated Press.
Mr. Ricci and Mr. Sherman say that anything Mr. Skakel said while in treatment at the school should remain confidential, citing a Connecticut law that protects the confidentiality of communications between psychiatric professionals and their patients.
Prosecutors have refused to comment on the hearings before the grand jury, which in this case consists of a single person, George N. Thim, a former Bridgeport judge who was appointed in June. He will decide whether there is enough evidence for an indictment.
Michael Skakel and his brother Thomas, who were 15 and 17 respectively when the murder occurred, have long been suspects in the Moxley murder and have continually maintained their innocence. They are the sons of Rushton Skakel, the brother of Ethel Kennedy.
On Monday, three siblings of the Skakel brothers -- Julie, John and Stephen, who were 18, 16, and 9 when the murder occurred -- testified before the grand jury.
Today's arguments involved a state law that treats as privileged all written and oral communication between a patient or family members and a psychiatrist about mental health treatment. Under the law, those communications cannot be divulged without the patient's consent, except for special circumstances, as when someone pleads insanity in a criminal case.
Mr. Skakel's lawyer has argued that because of the unusual nature of the Elan school, Mr. Skakel was in treatment even when he was not in formal therapy with his counselor.
''The Elan program is not a typical Park Avenue psychiatrist,'' Mr. Sherman said. ''It is unorthodox, and treatment is made not only when a patient is lying on a psychiatrist's couch, and the state should not be allowed to willy-nilly delve into the private conversations between a patient and a therapist or his associate.''
But prosecutors are expected to argue that anything Mr. Ricci overheard, and possibly even direct conversations with Mr. Skakel, do not fall under the privilege, because Mr. Ricci was not a psychiatrist or therapist but a school administrator.
The argument may be moot: Mr. Ricci, who owns a horse racing track in Maine and has twice lost in Democratic primaries for governor there, said today that he remembered little about Michael Skakel. ''It was 20 years ago, and 20 years ago was a long time ago,'' Mr. Ricci said today outside the Superior Courthouse.
A hearing in open court on Mr. Ricci's testimony will take place on Oct. 8.
Legal experts say that whether Mr. Ricci can claim the privilege will depend on who was talking to Mr. Skakel when Mr. Ricci overheard the conversation.
If the conversation was during a session with his therapist, it could fall under privileged communication, said Christopher Slobogin, a professor of law at the University of Florida.
But if Mr. Skakel was talking to another student, that would likely not be a privileged conversation, Mr. Slobogin said.
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Joseph Ricci, director of school for troubled youth where suspect in murder of Greenwich, Conn, teen-ager almost 23 years ago spent nearly two years receiving treatment, refuses to testify during grand jury proceedings into crime; Ricci, founder of Elan school in Poland Springs, Me, cites his desire to maintain confidentiality of suspect, Michael Skakel; Ricci's refusal to testify sets up another roadblock for prosecutors who have struggled to identify killer of Martha Moxley, 15, who was beaten and stabbed to death on Oct 30, 1975 (M)
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'The Great Shark Hunt'
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n 1973, Hunter S. Thompson--self-styled doctor of divinity, chemotherapy and "gonzo" journalism--had a dream or nightmare or vision or hallucination or the bends. Here is what he imagined:
"Our Barbie Doll President, with his Barbie Doll wife and his boxful of Barbie Doll children is also America's answer to the monstrous Mr. Hyde. He speaks for the Werewolf in us; the bully, the predatory shyster who turns into something unspeakable, full of claws and bleeding string- warts, on nights when the moon comes too close. . . at the stroke of midnight in Washington, a drooling red-eyed beast with the legs of a man and the head of a giant hyena crawls out of its bedroom window in the south wing of the White House and leaps 50 feet down to the lawn. . . paused briefly to strangle the Chow watchdog, then races off into the darkness. . . towards the Watergate, snarling with lust, loping through the alleys behind Pennsylvania Avenue, and trying desperately to remember which one of those 400 identical balconies is the one outside Martha Mitchell's apartment. . ."
Is this fair to Richard Milhous Nixon? The Columbia Journalism Review certainly wouldn't think so. But Dr. Thompson is seldom, if ever, fair. And he is always hallucinating. At Super Bowl VIII in Houston, for instance, he attends a party at John B. Connally's house; Allen Ginsberg is there, and 13 thoroughbred horses are slaughtered, "by drug-crazed guests with magnesium butcher knives." At the Senate Watergate hearings, he slips an "ostrich lasso" over the head of Herbert W. Kalmbach and jerks him into the bleachers. In Aspen, Colo., where he is running for sheriff, he confronts his natural constituency, the freaks, who insist on voting two weeks before the election and who then gobble up their own candidates.
We are asked in this collection of Dr. Thompson's magazine articles and snippets from his books to imagine the forced urinalysis of Representative Harley O. Staggers of West Virginia; Jean- Claude Killy ordering from room service a cattle prod and two female iguanas; Senator Edmund S. Muskie strung out on Ibogaine, and Dr. Thompson himself up in a crow's nest, splitting "a cap of black acid with John Chancellor." When Mr. Nixon's lawyer J. Fred Buzhardt Jr. first hears the June 23, 1972, "smoking gun" tape and has a heart attack, Dr. Thompson assures us that we will never see him alive again because H. R. Haldeman will sneak into the hospital "and stick a hatpin up his nose while he's wasted on Demerol, jam it straight into his brain. . ."
Enough. Along with his hallucinations, Dr. Thompson relies on pills, joints, beer, Wild Turkey Bourbon and buzz words. Many of these buzz words are unprintable. His favorite printable verbs are "lashed" and "addled." The modifiers are usually "terminal" and "atavistic." The nouns include thug, drone, swine, gunsel, landraper, greedhead, waterhead, leech, hyena, banshee, wolverine, dingbat, fascist and, again and again, geek.
A geek, you'll remember, is the guy in the circus sideshow who bites off the heads of live chickens. In a number of ways on various occasions--at the Super Bowl, the Kentucky Derby and the America's Cup yacht race--Dr. Thompson has behaved like a journalistic geek.
But a book reviewer, unlike a doctor of gonzo journalism, is supposed to be fair. There are some chickens that need their heads bitten off. And there are some sections of "The Great Shark Hunt," reprinted from such unlikely periodicals as The Reporter, The National Observer and The New York Times magazine, that are surprisingly straight, ungeeky and often quite moving. We are reminded that Dr. Thompson, who considers himself an outlaw, was from the beginning attracted to those who were outside the protection of the law or who were oppressed by that law.
He took his chances, of course, with the Hell's Angels, and he should have left Las Vegas alone, but he also went where establishment reporters were reluctant to go--to East Los Angeles to talk to the Chicanos; to Olympia, Wash., to listen to the Amerindians; to Louisville, Ky., to report on the blacks; to Brazil and Colombia and Bolivia and Ecuador and Peru. The fear and loathing that he found in these places was not a hallucination. The rage he acquired seems inexhaustible.
He became, in the late 1960's, our point guard, our official crazy, patrolling the edge. He reported back that the paranoids were right, and they were. The cool inwardness of a Joan Didion, the hugging of the self as if to keep from cracking up, is not for him. He inhabits his nerve endings; they are on the outside, like the skin of a baby; he seeks thumbprints. The failure of the counterculture--"which values the Instant Reward. . . over anything involving a time lag between the Effort and the End"--to develop a coherent politics infuriates him. "It is," he says, "the flip side of the 'Good German' syndrome."
He is also, as if this needs to be said, hilarious. It is nice to think of him naked on his porch in Colorado, drinking Wild Turkey and shooting at rocks. Somewhere, beyond John Denver, he smells injustice. Scales grow on his torso; wings sprout on his feet. Up, up and away. . . it's Captain Paranoid! The Duke of Gonzo! Super Geek!
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"He became, in the late 1960's, our point guard, our official crazy, patrolling the edge. He reported back that the paranoids were right, and they were. . . . He is also, as if this needs to be said, hilarious."
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Pentagon Study Links Fatalities to Body Armor
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20060614152111
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A secret Pentagon study has found that as many as 80 percent of the marines who have been killed in Iraq from wounds to the upper body could have survived if they had had extra body armor. Such armor has been available since 2003, but until recently the Pentagon has largely declined to supply it to troops despite calls from the field for additional protection, according to military officials.
The ceramic plates in vests now worn by the majority of troops in Iraq cover only some of the chest and back. In at least 74 of the 93 fatal wounds that were analyzed in the Pentagon study of marines from March 2003 through June 2005, bullets and shrapnel struck the marines' shoulders, sides or areas of the torso where the plates do not reach.
Thirty-one of the deadly wounds struck the chest or back so close to the plates that simply enlarging the existing shields "would have had the potential to alter the fatal outcome," according to the study, which was obtained by The New York Times.
For the first time, the study by the military's medical examiner shows the cost in lives from inadequate armor, even as the Pentagon continues to publicly defend its protection of the troops.
Officials have said they are shipping the best armor to Iraq as quickly as possible. At the same time, they have maintained that it is impossible to shield forces from the increasingly powerful improvised explosive devices used by insurgents in Iraq. Yet the Pentagon's own study reveals the equally lethal threat of bullets.
The vulnerability of the military's body armor has been known since the start of the war, and is part of a series of problems that have surrounded the protection of American troops. Still, the Marine Corps did not begin buying additional plates to cover the sides of their troops until September, when it ordered 28,800 sets, Marine officials acknowledge.
The Army, which has the largest force in Iraq, is still deciding what to purchase, according to Army procurement officials. They said the Army was deciding among various sizes of plates to give its 130,000 soldiers, adding that they hoped to issue contracts this month.
Additional forensic studies by the Armed Forces Medical Examiner's unit that were obtained by The Times indicate that about 340 American troops have died solely from torso wounds.
Military officials said they had originally decided against using the extra plates because they were concerned they added too much weight to the vests or constricted the movement of soldiers. Marine Corps officials said the findings of the Pentagon study caused field commanders to override those concerns in the interest of greater protection.
"As the information became more prevalent and aware to everybody that in fact these were casualty sites that they needed to be worried about, then people were much more willing to accept that weight on their body," said Maj. Wendell Leimbach, a body armor specialist with Marine Corps Systems Command, the corps procurement unit.
The Pentagon has been collecting the data on wounds since the beginning of the war in March 2003 in part to determine the effectiveness of body armor. The military's medical examiner, Dr. Craig T. Mallak, told a military panel in 2003 that the information "screams to be published." But it would take nearly two years.
The Marine Corps said it asked for the data in August 2004; but it needed to pay the medical examiner $107,000 to have the data analyzed. Marine officials said financing and other delays had resulted in the study's not starting until December 2004. It finally began receiving the information by June 2005. The shortfalls in bulletproof vests are just one of the armor problems the Pentagon continues to struggle with as the war in Iraq approaches the three-year mark, The Times has found in a continuing examination of the military procurement system.
The production of a new armored truck called the Cougar, which military officials said had so far withstood every insurgent attack, has fallen three months behind schedule. The small company making the truck has been beset by a host of production and legal problems.
Correction: Feb. 18, 2006, Saturday: A front-page article on Jan. 7 about problems encountered by American soldiers in Iraq with body armor referred imprecisely to a statement by the military's medical examiner, Dr. Craig T. Mallak, that information he was collecting on military deaths "screams to be published." Dr. Mallak's information concerned a range of noncombat and combat-related deaths and was not limited to armor-related incidents. The error was reported by a reader late last month, and this correction was delayed for additional research.
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Extra body armor has been available since 2003, but until recently the Pentagon has largely declined to supply it to troops.
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Louisiana's Deadly Storm Took Strong as Well as the Helpless
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20060614233942
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NEW ORLEANS - More than 100 of them drowned. Sixteen died trapped in attics. More than 40 died of heart failure or respiratory problems, including running out of oxygen. At least 65 died because help - shelter, water or a simple dose of insulin - came too late.
Herbert Freeman Jr. and Veronica White before the funeral service for his mother, Ethel Freeman.
A study by The New York Times of more than 260 Louisianans who died during Hurricane Katrina or its aftermath found that almost all survived the height of the storm but died in the chaos and flooding that followed.
Of those who failed to heed evacuation orders, many were offered a ride or could have driven themselves out of danger - a finding that contrasts with earlier reports that victims were trapped by a lack of transportation. Most victims were 65 or older, but of those below that age, more than a quarter were ill or disabled.
The results are not necessarily representative of the 1,100 people who died in the storm-ravaged part of the state. The 268 deaths examined by The Times were not chosen through a scientific or random sample, but rather were selected on the basis of which family members could be reached, and which names had been released by state officials.
Nonetheless, the study represents the most comprehensive picture to date of the Louisiana victims of Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent levee failures. The Times conducted more than 200 interviews with relatives, neighbors and friends of the victims, and culled information from local coroners and medical examiners, census data, obituaries, and news articles.
The interviews add narrative and nuance to what has been a largely anonymous or purely statistical casualty list. Relatives were able to explain that what might have been listed as a simple drowning was really a tragic end to a rescue, or that medical care just a few minutes earlier might have meant the difference between life and death.
In New Orleans almost three-quarters of the black victims examined by The Times and almost half the white victims lived in neighborhoods where the average income was below $43,000, the city's overall average. In New Orleans, the median income for whites is almost twice what it is for blacks. Many, if not most, were Louisiana natives, and virtually all were members of the working class - nurses, janitors, barbers, merchant marines.
Among them was Althea Lala, 76, who suffered a heart attack while trying to saw through her roof. Prosper Louis Flint, blind, diabetic and dehydrated, was one of at least 19 people who died in the hot sun on Interstate 10, according to the state health department, waiting for help to come. Donise Marie Davis, 28, fell to her death from the rope of a rescue helicopter. Todd Lopez, 42, pushed his girlfriend's family into an attic before the water overtook him. Paul Haynes, 78, told his wife, "Marge, don't worry about me. I know how to survive."
State officials have released the names of only 512 victims - fewer than half the estimated deaths in the state - and have provided just a skeletal demographic breakdown, showing that most were 65 or older, about half were black and about half were female. Despite repeated requests, neither state officials nor the coroner of Orleans Parish, where the bulk of the deaths occurred, have released causes of death, and Louisiana death certificates are not a matter of public record.
More than 60 families told The Times that they still did not know how or in some cases even where their loved ones perished. As a result, a full portrait remains impossible.
The Times's examination encompassed about 175 of the approximately 360 New Orleans residents so far identified, along with about 60 people who died in the surrounding parishes and about 50 evacuees. One in the group was the victim of a criminal homicide.
"It's ironic that you can survive a storm," but still die, said Velda Smith, who lost her sister-in-law and three teenage nieces to the floodwaters. On the day they drowned, she said, "everything was fine. The sun was shining." Then the Industrial Canal's levee broke, prompting a panicked call by one of her nieces to their father. The girls, Kendra and Kendricka Smooth and Doneika Lewis, were spending the night at their aunt Ersell Smooth's house on Flood Street in the devastated Ninth Ward.
Shaila Dewan reported from New Orleans for this article, and Janet Roberts from New York. Reporting for this article was contributed by Lara Coger, Micah Cohen, Brenda Goodman, Lily Koppel and Lee Roberts. Research was provided by Donna Anderson, Jack Begg, Nick Bhasin, Happy Blitt, Alain Delaquérière, Sandra Jamison, Toby Lyles, Jack Styczynski, Carolyn Wilder and Margot Williams.
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A study by The New York Times found that most victims of Katrina survived the storm but died in the chaos that followed.
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Bobby Brown Is Back, in Reality TV
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20060924191713
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On the first episode of his new reality series, the beleaguered R&B singer Bobby Brown pokes fun at his extensive rap sheet and his bad boy reputation. "Maybe you don't recognize me because I'm not in an orange jumpsuit," he tells two middle-aged men dining in a fashionable restaurant. Mr. Brown then turns around and places his hands behind his back as if he's being handcuffed. (It is a stance that he has become quite accustomed to over the years.) "Recognize me now, don't you?"
Bobby Brown, serious about his new cable television series.
La Princia, 16, with her father, Bobby Brown. He advises, "If someone ever tries to kiss you, smack 'em!"
He may joke about his criminal record, the tabloid headlines and reports of a rocky marriage, but Mr. Brown, 35, is quite serious about using his new series, "Being Bobby Brown," to set the record straight about his life. "On a daily basis, I'm trying to prove my point, that I'm more good than I am bad."
The series, which begins next Thursday night at 10 on the cable channel Bravo, chronicles Mr. Brown's exploits over the last six months. Watch Bobby Brown narrowly avoid prison, party in the Bahamas and pose for pictures with adoring fans. Watch him dance a jig at a local Chinese eatery and pick the lock on his hotel room mini bar.
Lounging in a conference room at the Waldorf-Astoria one recent afternoon, Mr. Brown said he had cameras following him 24 hours a day, logging more than 3,000 hours of film.
"I didn't want them to miss anything," said Mr. Brown, a devout believer in the all-press-is-good-press doctrine. "I wanted them to get the ups and downs and the good and bad because that's what made me."
"I'm not ashamed of any of it," he later added. "I'm not going to run and I'm not going to hide. They're going to talk about me anyway - thank God. I just want to control it."
The idea for a reality series came out of a conversation he had two years ago with his children - Landon, 18; La Princia, 16; Bobby Jr., 14; and Bobby Kristina, 12. "I was in jail, and they were like 'Dad, your friend Flavor Flav has a reality show," he recalled. " 'When you get out, you should do a reality show.' " Upon his release, Mr. Brown linked up with two Atlanta television producers who were intrigued by the constant press Mr. Brown and Whitney Houston, his wife of 14 years, generated. "Outside of all the negative blurbs, we wanted to know what else is there to these people," said Tracey Baker-Simmons, an executive producer of the show. A pilot episode was shot and sent to Bravo, where it took the network's president, Lauren Zalaznick, only 15 minutes to greenlight the series. "I'm not someone that buys something in the room," Ms. Zalaznick said. "I'm a ruminator. But it was very apparent to me that this was something right for Bravo. This is very tactile. You feel something when you watch this show."
Though the show is a Bobby Brown vehicle, Ms. Houston figures prominently. She lovingly greets her husband when he returns from a stint in jail. She is there with him in court when he faces domestic abuse charges brought by her. And when Mr. Brown is given a slap on the wrist, it is she who enjoys a romantic dinner with him the evening following his court date.
Among the many things viewers learn about the couple: Ms. Houston snores loudly, Mr. Brown uses Preparation H to treat bags under his eyes and the two enjoy a very active sex life. In a voice that is meant to be sultry, Mr. Brown asks his wife, "Can I impregnate you?" To which she quickly responds, "You tried to impregnate me all last week." In one of the show's more uncomfortable moments, Mr. Brown freely discusses how he helped relieve his constipated wife.
But those expecting a train wreck will have to settle for a major fender bender. While "Being Bobby Brown" has its share of bizarre moments, viewers are also given an opportunity to see Mr. Brown as both a doting father and loving husband, one who often doles out hugs and kisses. And he admits to being an overprotective dad.Note the advice he gives to his daughter La Princia: "If someone ever tries to kiss you, smack 'em!"
Still, a sliver of Mr. Brown's bad boy side was apparent early last week. Though he was nattily dressed in designer jeans, a white vest and matching sneakers, his cornrows appeared fuzzy and in dire need of rebraiding; his eyes were a tad bloodshot. When not answering questions in a near whisper, he struggled to stay awake, even nodding off for a moment during the interview. Was Mr. Brown bored? "No," he replied. "I'm just tired." It turns out the singer had spent the previous evening in the edit room for his show and in the studio recording a track for his new album, which he hopes to release independently this fall. "There's a lot going on right now," he said with a sheepish grin.
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The beleaguered R&B singer Bobby Brown is serious about using his new reality series, "Being Bobby Brown," to set the record straight about his life.
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7-Eleven Beats a Path to the Big Cities
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20060925114038
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THE Big Gulp is returning to Manhattan. 7-Eleven Inc. is opening a store at 107 East 23rd Street on Monday. The company's last one closed in 1982. The opening is part of a broader expansion in cities, including Chicago, Boston and Los Angeles. The urban stores will be about half the size of their suburban counterparts.
Jerry W. Hoefer for The New York Times
James W. Keyes, the chief executive of 7-Eleven, is about to open a store in Gramercy Park.
7-Eleven, which is traded on the New York Stock Exchange, has reported 34 consecutive quarters of increased sales at stores open at least a year, as it has introduced more branded foods, made more frequent fresh-food deliveries and begun offering financial service products like prepaid shopping cards, prepaid cellphones, money orders and automated teller machines.
Last week, 7-Eleven's chief executive of five years, James W. Keyes, discussed the company's expansion plans.
Q: Many of your suburban stores bring in lots of money and foot traffic from the gas pumps. How will your urban stores attract customers without having gas?
A: If you look at gasoline as a convenience in suburban America, it is a very natural thing for us to make it more convenient to buy gas in a suburban area. You could say the same thing about coffee. Perhaps in suburban Dallas, someone might have their coffee at home. In New York, they might grab their coffee and run.
Q: Why do you think residents of urban areas will shop at 7-Eleven rather than their local delicatessens, drugstores, coffee shops and newsstands?
A: We have an advantage over our competitors. Most convenience stores get a delivery of product two or three times a week. Twice a week is normal. If we're able to have daily delivery, we can have the freshest milk, the freshest bakery products. In Manhattan, the truck comes once a day. All over the country now the truck comes at least once a day. In Tokyo, for example, we have a truck that comes three times a day.
The ultimate vision is the breakfast product to come at 5 a.m., and the lunch to come close to noon, and, some day, we will have a line of products people can pick up on the way home and that would come sometime in the afternoon.
Q: There are about 11,000 7-Elevens in Japan - that's twice as many as the number that are in the United States - and the Seven-Eleven Japan Company is a large 7-Eleven shareholder. Why is 7-Eleven so popular there and how are 7-Elevens different in Japan?
A: 7-Eleven is very popular throughout Asia. The Asian consumers are using 7-Eleven almost like an extension of their kitchens, their refrigerators. Our urban stores are much more comparable to our Asian stores because of the density of the population.
If I'm standing on a street corner in Taiwan, I can see as many as four 7-Elevens in view. In most of the United States, we would keep our 7-Elevens at least a mile apart, but in a city, you'll find we could have two 7-Elevens within a block.
Q: A few weeks ago 7-Eleven announced that it would accept a contact-less payment system with J. P. Morgan Chase. How will it work and why are you offering it?
A: The contact-less payment system is one of many initiatives we have under way to make it easier and faster to pay at 7-Eleven. Another example is our prepaid convenience card for those who don't have a credit card or maybe want a faster transaction.
The contact-less payment system is now rolling out nationwide. When you walk up to the reader instead of swiping the card you'll use the existing PIN pad that we have right there, but you'll see that all you have to do is wave the card past the machine and it will automatically read it.
In Europe and in parts of Asia, people aren't using cash, they're using these kinds of smart card capabilities to basically eliminate the need to carry coins and paper money.
Q: Aside from the Slurpee, several of 7-Eleven's label products emphasize their size. There's Big Gulp, Big Eats Deli items, Big Eats Bakery and Big Bite grill items. Is big what you think Americans want?
A: Our definition of big means more quality and popularity. If you will, it's kind of an attention-getter, a brand name that we started using in the late 1960's, the early 70's and it stuck, so it's a trademark. But, it's definitely not intended to portray, in all cases, large.
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7-Eleven's chief executive of five years, James Keyes, recently discussed the company's plans to expand its urban stores.
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Profit Rises at Apple, but Shares Tumble
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20061120143420
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SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 18 - Benefiting from brisk holiday sales of iPod music players, Apple Computer reported on Wednesday that its profit nearly doubled in the first quarter. But its outlook for the second quarter fell well below Wall Street's expectations, causing its stock to fall as much as 7 percent in after-hours trading.
Apple's report came after disappointing forecasts from Intel and Yahoo on Tuesday sent the technology sector into a sell-off that continued into Wednesday. EBay's outlook, announced late Wednesday, also fell short of expectations, and its after-hours trading suffered. [Page C6.]
Bucking the trend in technology stocks, Advanced Micro Devices, the No. 2 chip maker after Intel, soared almost 11 percent in extended trading after it far surpassed analysts' forecasts with its fourth-quarter results. [Page C11.]
Apple investors were not satisfied after the company said net income for the first quarter, ended Dec. 31, increased to $565 million, or 65 cents a share, a 95 percent increase over the same quarter a year ago when net income was $295 million, or 35 cents a share.
The company, based in Cupertino, Calif., had revenue of $5.75 billion in the first quarter, a figure that Steven P. Jobs, the chief executive, had already revealed last week at the annual Macworld Expo in San Francisco. That is a 64 percent increase over the first quarter of 2004, when the company posted revenue of $3.5 billion. The first quarter included 14 weeks, rather than the usual 13.
"We are thrilled to report the best quarter in Apple's history," Mr. Jobs said. "Two highlights of an incredible quarter were selling 14 million iPods and getting ready to launch our new Macs with Intel processors five to six months ahead of expectations."
Despite the record results, investors were concerned about Apple's profit forecast for the second quarter, which calls for 38 cents a share on revenue of $4.3 billion, including a 4-cents-a-share expense related to stock-based compensation. The outlook is far lower than the analysts' forecast of 48 cents a share on $4.67 billion in sales. Before the report, shares of Apple declined $2.22, to close at $82.49, and continued the decline in after-hours trading.
The lower-than-expected outlook is because of a slight "pause" in sales as the company switches to Intel processors, the company said, starting with an Intel-based iMac that the company announced last week and that has just begun shipping. The new Intel-based systems run up to twice as fast as the current model for the same price. Apple plans to switch its entire Macintosh line to Intel processors by the end of this year.
Apple executives said anticipation of the company's move to the Intel chip, a major strategic shift, also led some customers to delay Mac purchases during the holiday quarter. But Peter Oppenheimer, the company's chief finance officer, said Apple had expected an even greater effect. The company sold 1.25 million Macintosh computers in the quarter, a 20 percent increase over last year's first quarter.
Timothy D. Cook, Apple's executive vice president for worldwide sales and operations, told analysts that the company was anticipating a shortage of MacBook Pro computers in the second quarter. The first of Apple's notebook line to use the Intel chip is expected to ship in February. "We may not be able to meet demand for MacBook Pro," Mr. Cook said. He also said a version of the iPod Nano, the 4-gigahertz model, was "lean" in certain regions. "We are working hard to get those out there."
Charles R. Wolf, an analyst with Needham & Company, said the pause in Macintosh sales was not worrisome, because the company's sales outlook was still encouraging. "Am I disappointed? No," said Mr. Wolf, who owns Apple stock and currently has a neutral rating on it. "They aren't talking about a big pause in units." He added that he expected Apple to continue to release new products in 2006 that would have a positive impact on its performance.
The 14 million iPods sold during the holiday quarter was a huge increase from the 4.5 million sold during the 2004 holiday season, and a figure that analysts said would be hard to sustain. "It's a consumer electronics product that is highly seasonal," Mr. Wolf said. "We've also passed the inflection point in the iPod story. Growth is going to slow because the numbers are so large, but it's still going to grow."
Apple music sales now account for 59 percent of the company's total sales. Mr. Oppenheimer told analysts that the company now has 83 percent of the United States market for downloaded music.
Sales at Apple's retail stores rose to over $1 billion for the first time, the company said. It now has 135 retail stores, after adding 11 stores worldwide last year. Revenue per store increased 41 percent in the first quarter, to $8.3 million. It also sells its products at other computer retailers and on the Internet.
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Brisk holiday sales of iPods led Apple's profit to nearly double in the first quarter, but its stock fell in response to a poor second quarter outlook.
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Health Care? Ask Cuba
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20061205232702
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ere's a wrenching fact: If the U.S. had an infant mortality rate as good as Cuba's, we would save an additional 2,212 American babies a year.
Yes, Cuba's. Babies are less likely to survive in America, with a health care system that we think is the best in the world, than in impoverished and autocratic Cuba. According to the latest C.I.A. World Factbook, Cuba is one of 41 countries that have better infant mortality rates than the U.S.
Even more troubling, the rate in the U.S. has worsened recently.
In every year since 1958, America's infant mortality rate improved, or at least held steady. But in 2002, it got worse: 7 babies died for each thousand live births, while that rate was 6.8 deaths the year before.
Those numbers, buried in a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, didn't get much attention. But they are part of a pattern of recent statistics dribbling out of the federal government suggesting that for those on the bottom in America, life in our new Gilded Age is getting crueler.
"America's children are at greater risk than they've been in for at least a decade," said Dr. Irwin Redlener, associate dean at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University and president of the Children's Health Fund. "The rising rate of infant mortality is an early warning that we're headed in the wrong direction, with no relief in sight."
It's too early to know just what to make of the increase in infant mortality in 2002 for American babies. Reliable data for 2003 and 2004 are not out yet. Sandy Smith of the Centers for Disease Control says that the statisticians are pretty sure there was not a further deterioration in 2003, but that it's too soon to know whether there was an improvement or just a leveling off at the higher rate.
Singapore has the best infant mortality rate in the world: 2.3 babies die before the age of 1 for every 1,000 live births. Sweden, Japan and Iceland all have a rate that is less than half of ours.
If we had a rate as good as Singapore's, we would save 18,900 babies each year. Or to put it another way, our policy failures in Iraq may be killing Americans at a rate of about 800 a year, but our health care failures at home are resulting in incomparably more deaths - of infants. And their mothers, because women are 70 percent more likely to die in childbirth in America than in Europe.
Of course, deaths in maternity wards occur one by one, and don't generate the national attention, grief and alarm of an explosion in Falluja or a tsunami in Sri Lanka. But they are far more frequent: every day, on average, 77 babies die in the U.S. and one woman dies in childbirth.
Bolstering public health isn't as dramatic as spending $300 million for a single F/A-22 Raptor fighter jet, but it can be a far more efficient way of protecting Americans.
For example, during World War II, the employment boom meant that many poor Americans enjoyed regular health care for the first time. So even though 405,000 Americans died in the war, life expectancy in the U.S. actually increased between 1940 and 1945, rising three years for whites and five years for blacks.
True, infant mortality and many other American health problems are largely intertwined with poverty, and experience suggests that neither the left nor the right has easy solutions for intractable poverty. But some of the steps the government is now taking or talking about - like cutting back further on entitlements, particularly those giving children access to health care - would aggravate the situation. Last year, a study by the Institute of Medicine, a branch of the National Academy of Sciences, estimated that the lack of health insurance coverage causes 18,000 unnecessary deaths a year.
As readers know, I complain regularly about the Chinese government's brutality in imprisoning dissidents, Christians and, lately, Zhao Yan, a New York Times colleague in Beijing. Yet for all their ruthlessness, China's dictators have managed to drive down the infant mortality rate in Beijing to 4.6 per thousand; in contrast, New York City's rate is 6.5.
We should celebrate this freedom that we enjoy in America - by complaining about and working to address pockets of poverty and failures in our health care system. It's simply unacceptable that the average baby is less likely to survive in the U.S. than in Beijing or Havana.
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The average baby is less likely to survive in the U.S. than in Havana.
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'IT'S A CIRCUS' IS JERRY SPRINGER'S NO-HOLDS-BARRED TALK SHOW HARMLESS POPULIST ESCAPISM, THE END OF CIVILIZATION AS WE KNOW IT OR BOTH?
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In the early '90s, when Phil Donahue mounted a prime-time special celebrating his imminent retirement from the talk-show field, he was surrounded and saluted by a gaggle of well-known talk-show colleagues and one unknown one, Jerry Springer, who had just landed a show of his own. At the time, the question was: Who the hell is Jerry Springer?
"So now you know," Springer says, laughing.
Do we ever. His syndicated series, "The Jerry Springer Show," is the second most popular talk show in syndication, behind only "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and he's catching up with her in some markets. Locally, the show is so popular that WPIX-Ch. 11, beginning tomorrow, is televising it twice each weekday (9 and 11 a.m.).
Springer already has guest-starred as himself on "The X-Files," and last week Variety reported that a movie proposal, for a biography la Howard Stern, is being discussed and shopped around Hollywood. Meanwhile, a home video of outtakes from the series, called "Jerry Springer: Too Hot for TV," has sold some 20,000 copies a week since its release last fall, becoming the fastest-selling TV title in the history of home video.
Clearly, Jerry Springer is hot.
Just as clearly, Jerry Springer is controversial. Last month, at an industry convention for TV execs, former NBC chairman and MTM Produc-tions co-founder Grant Tinker took time to blast Springer by name. Most critics, myself included, watch Springer's show and wince, then struggle to describe the on-air repugnance we're witnessing.
I watched Springer's show for a solid month in preparation for this article, and didn't see a single program that didn't erupt into a series of punches and slaps.
Confrontations are not just permitted, they're clearly encouraged. Guests are brought out in stages, so that the guest who has had an affair with a married woman is asked to remain seated as the cuckold makes his entrance. More often than not hell, almost always the offended third party storms the stage and heads straight for his or her adversary, arms swinging and mouth cursing.
Mothers against daughters, husbands against wives, siblings against each other it's like televised wrestling, with just as frenetic a crowd but without any mats, ropes or rules.
During one December show, called "You Won't Ruin My Relationship," two women fighting over the same man pounced on each other, fists flying and hair ripping, seven times in one segment. It took four of Springer's guards and crew members to separate them. Then again, those security guys of his are the slowest-moving humans since Tim Conway's old-man character from "The Carol Burnett Show."
Most of the time, Springer, 53, witnesses these violent outbursts from the relative safety of his raucous studio audience, dispensing leading questions and very obvious pearls of wisdom: "If a man tells another man to kick a pregnant woman in the stomach so she'll lose her baby, he's not a good father."
Occasionally, though, he ventures onstage, sometimes getting too close to the action when his question sparks another violent outburst.
"Don't get up while I'm standing here!" he ordered a guest on one show. " 'Cause I'm scared!"
At which point the audience screamed with obvious delight, and chanted "Jer-RY! Jer-RY!"
Yet when Springer is asked why he doesn't contain the violence by sticking the guests in glass isolation booths, he laughs and says, "Glass is so expensive. Broken glass is awful."
Then, more seriously: "Everything else on TV is scripted, edited, sanitized. The attraction of this show is that it's raw. You've got regular people out there and how they really react. If you suddenly put constraints, well, then we've got what everything else on television is showing."
Even so, "The Jerry Springer Show" does arrive somewhat sanitized. When the topic is "My Dream Is to Pose Nude," a lot gets left on the cutting-room floor. After all, the guests shout so many bleeped obscenities that the show sounds like a test of the emergency broadcast system.
But just as Springer found gold in the fights that once were edited out of the show but now are its primary distinguishing characteristic, the "Jerry Springer" outtakes, compiled on that "Too Hot for TV" video tape, are a party-circuit smash.
For $19.95, fans can hear what guests really shouted during the "My Sister Slept With My Three Husbands" show, or watch amateur lap-dancing and professional bachelor-party teasing, or witness "Holiday Hell With My Feuding Family" turn into an all-out food fight. It's a disgusting display of humanity at its worst yet when I previewed the tape in a newsroom office, a sizable crowd gathered. And didn't leave.
Please understand," Springer says at the end of the "Too Hot" tape, "because we show it does not constitute an endorsement of it, any more than reporting a murder on the news or a prime-time movie about a rape is an endorsement of those horrors."
Please understand, though I'm amused by how Springer defends his show, I don't buy the argument. However, people are buying the tape and watching the show in major numbers, so Springer can't be easily dismissed.
Springer has a fairly accomplished background mayor of Cincinnati at age 33, respected radio commentator and TV anchor after that and, by all accounts, is a devoted father to his physically handicapped daughter (now in college) and a life-long civil libertarian, having been born in London in 1944 as his family fled Nazi persecution.
So he doesn't have to do this show, any more than people have to watch it. But he does it largely, no doubt, for the money, which, while not an "Oprah"-sized fortune, is considerable and getting bigger all the time.
Why the success, what does it mean and what, if anything, can be done about it?
"Clearly," Springer said in an interview last week, "the show is more outrageous now than it used to be, and a lot of other [talk] shows went away, and I've been doing it a long time [since 1991, when the series premiered].
"And once your show catches on, it's almost like a geometric progression, because then everyone starts talking about it around the water cooler, and before you know it, you've doubled your audience as those people start watching.
"Now it's like a runaway train. We're going through the roof, and I'm just trying to hold on. I've done it for seven years, and just signed for five more, so 12 years for a show, that's a pretty good run.
"'M*A*S*H' was only on for 11, so I have nothing to complain about. I'm very grateful."
"M*A*S*H," though, was one of the high points in TV history. Even Springer admits that his show "isn't going in the time capsule," and you don't have to press him hard at all to get him to all but dismiss his own program.
"I don't know why we call it a talk show," he says. "It isn't a talk show. It's a circus, and a funny one, usually. It's who's dating whom and getting upset about it or laughing about it or yelling about it. It's the kind of television you can watch with the sound off.
"We all make fun of the show. It's meant to be made fun of. The whole thing's a spoof. It's meant to be silly. And yet, we all say, `Of course, I don't watch it' but tons of people do watch it. I know that. We get the ratings every day.
"This is chewing gum. We're not going to bring peace to Bosnia, nor will we bring war there. It's an hour of escape. If you've had a tough day and want to escape for a bit, this will do it for you."
Not good enough, says Tinker, the man whose corporate tastes, in the forms of "Hill Street Blues," "St. Elsewhere" and "Cheers," helped spark the current wave of quality TV still evident in prime time.
"I think Springer, in my viewing, is the worst I've seen of the breed," the former NBC chairman said in a private interview after his speech last month. "They just feed on human misery, or create it, as the case may be.
"There is some evidence that in daytime, as in prime time, quality television does work, if you have the patience to stay with it Rosie O'Donnell or the new Oprah.
"So this pandering, this selling out to these least-common-denominator tastes, I think is deplorable. It sounds old-fashioned and priggish to even say it, but a few of us have to say it."
Tinker, years ago, was the man who ordered Howard Stern fired from WNBC, and laughs now at the stand he took though he doesn't regret it.
"Howard is probably in 25 markets now, and makes a fortune, and he's bigger than he ever could have been at NBC. One of my sons says he'll take off on me in a vicious way once or twice a year they listen on the way to work. Howard doesn't seem to know that I did him a big favor."
With Springer, as with Stern, Tinker blames the messenger, not the audience that enjoys the messages.
"You can't take them all to task, 10 million people or 20 million or whatever," Tinker said. "You've got to go to the source and say, `Jerry Springer, you're a disgrace, and don't do that any more.'
"If he wasn't giving it to them, it wouldn't be there for them to watch. . . . Sometimes you've got to go right to the head of the snake and cut it off."
"Look," Springer responds, "I may very well, for my taste, enjoy watching Grant Tinker's stuff a lot more than mine. That's my personal taste. But this show isn't about my personal taste. That would be arrogant. The stations aren't giving me an hour each day to put on what Jerry Springer likes. If I did my show every day, it'd be Yogi Berra and politics. That's what I like in life. But that's not it.
"I was hired to do a show about outrageousness. That's my job. So I have to, every day, put on something that's outrageous. My show fails if, one day, I would put on normal behavior."
Beside, Springer adds, "Grant Tinker comes from the perspective of managing television, and my response is, it is not up to us to decide what is on, what we can do or should do.
"Our only responsibility is to make sure that all segments of the community, all lifestyles, are given free air. You can't get a few people in the room, and have powerful presidents and companies and networks or whatever deciding what America shall believe and see and watch. That's horrible. That's what we've got to do away with."
Syracuse University Prof. Robert J. Thompson, of the newly established Center for the Study of Popular Television, finds it fascinating, and appropriate, that Springer and Tinker are such polar opposites.
"They are two opposite sides of the coin, and you can't have the coin without both sides," Thompson says.
"This increased competition from cable has obviously changed the industry entirely. In TV today, you have to have something that either shouts louder and is more outrageous or is better than all the other choices, so people will watch it.
"This new revolution allowed all of this stuff [relaxed standards and heightened competition for attention] to happen, and there were very good things that came of it I would include `Homicide: Life on the Street' and `NYPD Blue' and all the rest of it.
"On the other hand, these things all have their evil twins as well. You can't have one without the other. If you change the system so that Jerry Springer goes away, you change it so that so does `Homicide' and [HBO's] `Oz' and `The Larry Sanders Show' and all the rest of it.
"Let's face it," Thompson continues. "A lot of people felt `Hill Street Blues' was crossing a number of barriers. Tinker is really setting up a set of standards that says his tastes should be adhered to, and he can push the envelope, but Jerry has gone too far pushing it in another direction.
"It's like someone preferring Off-Broadway theater to Monster truck pulls. It's all a matter of individual taste.
"Beside," Thompson concludes, "any respectable declining great civilization is always accompanied by these perverse circus activities."
Springer also uses a circus analogy to describe his series.
"I think I was an excellent mayor and lawyer and news anchor and all that," Springer said, "but this is just a wild and crazy show, and how I got to do this I'm not particularly sure.
"But it's a lot of fun. It's gotten wild now; I'm the ringleader of a circus. . . . And I'll do this for a bunch of years, and then I'll do something else."
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In the early '90s, when Phil Donahue mounted a prime-time special celebrating his imminent retirement from the talk-show field, he was surrounded and saluted by a gaggle of well-known talk-show colleagues and one unknown one, Jerry Springer, who had just landed a show of his own. At the time, the question was: Who the hell is Jerry Springer? "So now you know,"Springer says, laughing. Do we ever. His syndicated series, "The Jerry Springer Show,
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COMPASSION TAKES A 'POWDER' TALE OF OTHERWORLDLY MISFIT A STUDY IN PROVINCIAL BIAS AND PREJUDICE
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Friday, October 27th 1995, 4:12AM
POWDER. Mary Steenburgen, Sean Patrick Flanery. Directed by Victor Salva. At area theaters. Running time: 111 mins. Rated PG-13. 2 1/2 Stars
COMPLETELY HAIRLESS, WITH skin whiter than Michael Jackson's and eyes that out-violet Elizabeth Taylor's, teenager Jeremy Reed is an outcast among the denizens of a rural Texas town in "Powder," a well-made, if predictable, sci-fi parable on prejudice and intolerance.
Of course, the small-minded townsfolk do have other reasons for treating him like a pariah, besides their aversion to the ghoulish prison pallor that gives Jeremy his "Powder" nickname.
Not only is he telekinetic and telepathic, Powder is a walking lightning rod with an IQ score that's "off the map," as one disbelieving school official puts it.
Powder's otherworldly powers are a result of his pregnant mother's being struck by lightning, and Sean Patrick Flanery plays the childlike Powder like an androgynous E.T., another spiritually elevated character who just wants to go home.
For Powder, home is his late grandfather's farm, where he has been kept in the cellar like a dirty family secret. On the day his grandfather dies, he's carted off to the state school for wayward boys.
While Powder becomes an obvious target of abuse by such stock characters as the school bully and the redneck deputy, he is befriended by Jessie Caldwell, the school's headmistress (Mary Steenburgen), and Jeff Goldblum as Ripley (believe it or not?), a kindly science teacher. They're awed by Powder's ability to memorize, word-for-word, the thousands of books that line his cellar dwelling.
As surrogate parents, Jessie and Ripley try to shield Powder from a cold, cruel world to no avail.
If there's one major flaw with the film, it's the lack of depth of the supporting characters.
Only Lance Henriksen, as a tough sheriff hiding a kind heart beneath his badge, is fleshed out in a heart-tugging subplot that parallels Powder's rejection by his father.
(PG-13: Brief nudity, some meanspirited roughhousing.)
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POWDER. Mary Steenburgen, Sean Patrick Flanery. Directed by Victor Salva. At area theaters. Running time: 111 mins. Rated PG-13. 2 1/2 Stars COMPLETELY HAIRLESS, WITH skin whiter than Michael Jackson's and eyes that out-violet Elizabeth Taylor's, teenager Jeremy Reed is an outcast among the denizens of a rural Texas town in "Powder,"a well-made, if predictable, sci-fi parable on prejudice and intolerance. Of course, the small-minded townsfolk do have other reasons for treating him like a
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MAD COW A U.S. THREAT Scientists: We're not immune to disease
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BY SUSAN FERRARO DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Sunday, February 4th 2001, 2:20AM
No one knows for sure whether the mad cow disease stalking Europe will find its way to our shores, but some scientists are now warning it's only a matter of time.
Government officials insist that stringent steps to block imports of infected cattle and cattle feed are enough to protect Americans from the physical horror and anxiety of the incurable, fatal disease.
But some biologists - citing the spread of AIDS and, more recently, the West Nile virus - say infections are global and the human variant of the disease will inevitably pierce North America's defenses - and may even be here already.
"The first cases will be in people who ate overseas or used bovine[-based] English face cream, and later it will occur here," said Dr. Tom Pringle, a molecular biologist and consultant in Oregon.
The disease, called bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cows and variant Creutzfeld-Jakob disease (VCJD) in humans, has been diagnosed in 87 humans, most of them in England.
BSE and VCJD are spread through livestock feed made with infected animal parts, especially brain and nervous-system tissue. Recycled through other animals, the diseases go to the slaughterhouse and, in time, find their way to the dinner table.
Possible weak spots in preventive measures against mad cow disease by the federal government include unregulated dietary supplements, imported cosmetics and general global spread, experts say. There is also the human factor, when people mislabel or forget.
Last month, for example, federal authorities quarantined 1,222 Texas cattle that - despite federal bans and energetic vigilance by the government and the cattle industry - somehow ate feed that contained animal parts.
So far, BSE has cropped up in 17 European countries. "In a global village, the risk of it traveling is greater," said Dr. Robert Petersen at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.
"While Britons have banned bovine offal from cattle feed, it is still shipped to Kenya. That means, globally at this point, who knows where the heck it is?"
Mad cow disease struck British cows in the 1980s. The infectious agents are probably primitive proteins - prions - that survive the death of an animal and show up, reborn to kill, in creatures that eat food made from the first prion host.
The variant human form of the disease emerged in England in 1994.
To keep prions out of the food chain, English farmers killed 4.5 million healthy animals. Now seemingly on the wane, BSE was in 17 European countries by December 2000, according to a study published in January by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
VCJD resembles a fast-forward Alzheimer's that erodes function by poking sponge-like holes in brain tissue. Mood swings give way to lost motor and memory skills. Most patients die within 14 months.
A rare but long-recognized disease, CJD strikes one in a million Americans each year, most over age 60. It can run in families or be triggered by corneal transplants, but it usually appears for unexplained reasons.
The new form is, in its way, even worse: The symptoms and prognosis are the same, but VCJD seems to affect young people in their 20s and appears to be transmitted through what has been assumed was safe: everyday food.
So far, the U.S. has been lucky, said Dr. Paul Brown, a leading expert in the disease at the National Institutes of Health.
The government has acted swiftly to protect Americans. People who have lived overseas for extended periods may no longer donate blood. Death certificates are checked for CJD cases, especially in young people. Sick cattle are watched, their tissues tested after death.
Yet risk remains. The danger is probably slight, but there are European beef products in some soaps, cosmetics and candies, said Kelvin Lee, Ph.D., a scientist at Cornell University working on developing a VCJD screening test. Unregulated dietary supplements also may pose risks.
No one says the disease, if it breaches America's defenses, will be as widespread as the English outbreak. "I think we are going to be all right," said Dr. Steve DeArmond, at the University of California at San Francisco, who has worked with prions for years.
"But no one knows, and that is a problem. This is not a laboratory experiment, where you can control things."
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No one knows for sure whether the mad cow disease stalking Europe will find its way to our shores, but some scientists are now warning it's only a matter of time. Government officials insist that stringent steps to block imports of infected cattle and cattle feed are enough to protect Americans from the physical horror and anxiety of the incurable, fatal disease. But some biologists - citing the spread
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BUILDING TIES THAT BIND NEW COUNCILWOMAN QUINN LOOKS TO COMMON GOOD
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Saturday, February 20th 1999, 2:10AM
Christine Quinn could hardly believe she was on the mayor's police-brutality task force with Staten Island Borough President Guy Molinari.
After all, Quinn, 32, is a Greenwich Village lesbian activist known for supporting left-wing causes. Molinari, a Republican, had outraged gays and lesbians by calling attorney-general candidate Karen Burstein unfit for office because she is a lesbian.
So when Quinn, executive director of the Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project, sided with Molinari and the task force majority on police reforms including pay raises for cops, a requirement that new officers live in the city and an overhaul of police training many of her allies were surprised and perplexed. But with her handy victory this week in a four-way race to fill Tom Duane's City Council seat, some former skeptics said the episode was a sure sign the savvy Quinn will make the most of her new job.
Quinn won an unofficial 56% of the vote Tuesday and assumes the mantle of advocacy left by Duane, the Council's first openly gay member and now a state senator. Her district is known for its diversity, tolerance and legacy of activism in the arts, tenants rights and AIDS-treatment issues.
Looking back at the task force report, one of her allies called it a true sign of Quinn's ability to find common ground with former foes.
"She was on the majority report with people . . . who we don't normally agree with," said Kevin Finnegan, president of the Gay and Lesbian Independent Democrats and political director for a garment workers' union local. "I think that it speaks volumes about her ability and willingness to work with everyone to accomplish goals."
Others see her decision as a sellout.
Norman Siegel, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union and a task-force member, spearheaded a dissenting report that made a connection between race and police misconduct.
"On issues like police brutality and race, you never compromise," Siegel said.
But Quinn said her strategy was to make it easier for Mayor Giuliani who called some of the report's recommendations unrealistic to adopt reforms quickly in the wake of the sodomy and torture of Abner Louima, allegedly by police.
"I never in a million years imagined that the mayor would throw our report away," she said.
Quinn, who lives in Chelsea with her partner, Laura Morrison, was Duane's chief of staff for five years and already is on a first-name basis with most of the Council. As a former lead organizer for the Housing Justice Campaign, a coalition that pushed for affordable housing, she is familiar with an issue dear to her constituents.
"I don't think this district would ever elect somebody who wasn't a fighter for gay rights," Quinn said, "but probably this district would elect someone who was weaker on gay rights before they would elect someone who wasn't a fierce tenant advocate."
Said Duane: "It's expected that the person in this seat gay or straight is going to be a leader in the gay rights movement.
"But it's also the heart of the tenants' rights movement, because people fall in love with the neighborhoods in the 3rd District and don't want to be forced out."
"It's going to be hard for her," Duane continued. "Development pressures are greater than they've been for the past 15 years because the market is so hot, hot, hot."
Quinn may have inherited her political passions from her parents. Her mother was a social worker who died of breast cancer when Quinn was 16. Her father is an electrical engineer and union shop steward who went on strike twice when Quinn was a student.
"My father really believes that Franklin Delano Roosevelt saved his life," Quinn said. "He always talked about the importance of voting, and voting Democrat.
"He has said you don't get into heaven unless you can prove that you always paid your rent on time and that you voted Democratic."
Quinn was politically active even as a child growing up in Glen Cove, L.I. Between classes in ballet, horseback riding, painting, pottery, bird watching and swimming, she bossed other children around so much that a neighbor bought her a T-shirt emblazoned, "The Mayor of Libby Street."
At Trinity College in Hartford, Quinn organized rallies urging the school to divest from its holdings in South Africa and to prevent the CIA from recruiting on campus. Her CIA campaign was unsuccessful.
As a student lobbyist, Quinn campaigned for increased funds for household hazardous-waste cleanup days in Hartford.
A former classmate, Bryant McBride, now vice president of business development for the National Hockey League, recalled: "She could hang with the jocks, she could hang with the theater crowd. She can float in any water."
Now, Quinn said, much of her leisure time is spent not at the theater, but in front of the TV set. She confessed to being unable to leave her apartment during a weekend of movies featuring the stars of "Charlie's Angels." She also struggles with her dog, a nervous, neurotic shepherd-Doberman mix she "co-parents" with a neighbor.
Quinn's companion, Morrison, is a public relations executive. Quinn noted that she would "never see" Morrison's clients, citing conflict-of-interest concerns.
As for future political plans, Quinn said she has none.
Asked if she wants to be mayor, her immediate response was no, but after a lengthy pause she added: "In some ways I would, because it seems like an unbelievably great way to get stuff done. . . . It's also, like, beyond terrifying because then you would be the one in the way.
"And I don't quite know how you would have a life."
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Christine Quinn could hardly believe she was on the mayor's police-brutality task force with Staten Island Borough President Guy Molinari. After all, Quinn, 32, is a Greenwich Village lesbian activist known for supporting left-wing causes. Molinari, a Republican, had outraged gays and lesbians by calling attorney-general candidate Karen Burstein unfit for office because she is a lesbian. So when Quinn, executive director of the Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project, sided with Molinari and the task
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14 BUSTED IN SCAM SANIT HIT IN BRIBE SCANDAL
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By LISA REIN With Maureen Fan
Wednesday, June 17th 1998, 2:04AM
Fourteen Brooklyn sanitation workers each pocketed up to $60,000 a year in bribes to collect garbage from homeowners and businesses, running an illegal "mini-cartel" that sweeps across the city, investigators charged yesterday.
"What they were doing was running mini-commercial carting businesses . . . on city time with city resources," said Department of Investigation Commissioner Edward Kuriansky in announcing the arrests, which followed a 14-month undercover operation.
"We do not view this as just a Brooklyn problem or an East New York problem," he said, citing complaints from homeowners from all over the city.
"And we want the message sent across the city to homeowners don't pay this tribute."
Over more than three years, the garbage collectors got so rich from their illegal empire that they turned down promotions to stay on the road, he said.
The workers senior employes assigned to the North District Five Garage at 606 Milford St., which takes in Highland Park and East New York, were arrested during morning roll call yesterday and suspended without pay.
They included Russel Feddern, 51, of Glendale, Queens, a 25-year veteran just shy of retirement to a lucrative city pension, and John Riola, 45, a 17-year veteran from North Bellmore, L.I.
The workers, charged with soliciting and accepting bribes, official misconduct and operating an unlicensed garbage-removal business, were arraigned in Brooklyn Criminal Court last night. They face up to seven years in jail if convicted.
Seven supervisors and five other workers in the same garage, including the district superintendent, have been suspended without pay or transferred for ignoring the corruption, DOI officials said.
Investigators said the scandal hit 35% of the day shift at the 130-worker garage.
For construction firms and small businesses, the sanitation workers allegedly carted away construction and other debris at a third of the price charged by the private haulers that the businesses are required by law to use.
For homeowners, they allegedly swept away furniture or debris from home renovations quicker than the usual once-a-week city pickups.
The homeowners "just wanted their trash collected," Kuriansky said.
Over the last year, DOI investigators have received two to three calls a week from homeowners all over the city complaining that sanitation workers demanded money to perform a basic service, officials said.
One woman even called Mayor Giuliani's radio show a few weeks ago. "Her garbage was accumulating, and she couldn't get them to pick it up unless she paid them off," Kuriansky said.
On a good day, a two-man crew allegedly pocketed up to $600 a day from businesses and homeowners, which amounted to $60,000 a year each on top of their $42,000 average salaries.
The cartel had no ringleader, probers said. Canvassing for business two to a truck, the workers did not pool resources but competed for turf.
"If one of their colleagues found them poaching, they'd view it as a breach of the little mini-cartel they'd set up in the neighborhood," Kuriansky said.
Steven Kirschner, the union attorney representing 12 of the workers, said, "It's easy to have a press conference and say these guys are the scourge of the earth, when in fact it could be a misunderstanding or they could have the wrong people."
Besides Feddern and Riola, the arrested workers are Jose Garriga, 36, of Brooklyn; Brian Hamilton, 45, of Queens; Henry Harden, 48, of Brooklyn; John Kempf, 45, of Long Island; Ronald King, 32, of Queens; Elliot Koppel, 34, of Long Island; Francois Marcelin, 58, of Long Island; Ernest Massarotti, 47, of Long Island; Luis Sanchez, 45, of Brooklyn; Rufus Stancil, 44, of Queens; Ernest Tribble, 51, of Brooklyn, and Terry Walton, 47, of Queens.
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Fourteen Brooklyn sanitation workers each pocketed up to $60,000 a year in bribes to collect garbage from homeowners and businesses, running an illegal "mini-cartel"that sweeps across the city, investigators charged yesterday. "What they were doing was running mini-commercial carting businesses . . . on city time with city resources,"said Department of Investigation Commissioner Edward Kuriansky in announcing the arrests, which followed a 14-month undercover operation. "We do not view this as just a Brooklyn problem or
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JERMAINE COMPLAINTS
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BY A.J. BENZA & MICHAEL LEWITTES
Wednesday, November 29th 1995, 5:23AM
'I thought he was one of The Commodores when I first saw him," Margaret Maldonado Jackson told us, regarding her first, flirtatious meeting with Jermaine Jackson. "He asked me if I rode a horse, and did I want to be in a music video in Jamaica." Eight years and two children later, the video had never happened. But Margaret gathered enough material for her own tell-all book, which, as we warned you yesterday, hits stores next month.
The best inside stuff the book has to offer, in our opinion, concerns the extramarital activities indulged in by most of the Jackson men. In particular, we mean Jackie Jackson's alleged affair with Paula Abdul and Jermaine's reputed relationships with Iman and Whitney Houston while he was married to Hazel Gordy. Wait, it gets better! There was even a time, Margaret claims, when Jermaine was creasing the sheets with Hazel and Margaret. "How do I know? We both have sons the same exact age. Neither one of us had any idea," Margaret told us.
Remarkably, Margaret and Hazel are now friends. Together, they like to talk about a woman named Alejandra, Jermaine's current wife. By the way, Alejandra was formerly Randy Jackson's wife, and the two of them live with Catherine Jackson. "Randy talks to me a lot," Margaret says. "He hates the fact that his two children see their mommy sleeping with his brother every night." Yeah, that would kinda stink.
Once again, no comment from Jermaine's camp.
Hey, fellas, you might wanna buy some flowers, a box of chocolates and an E.P.T. kit. Janice Dickinson is a free agent. Yes, the marriage we once believed was Camelot Dickinson's union with real-estate developer Albert Gersten is now kaput after seven months. A housekeeper at Gersten's home was nice enough to confirm that the divorce was final a couple months ago. But inside sources tell us it's not a complete tragedy. Not nearly like the time she admitted, finally, that Sly Stallone was not the father of her first child.
We hear Janice made off with a $60,000 cash settlement and got to keep the $180,000, 23-karat diamond engagement ring Gersten gave her. Hey, Gersten's not a complete fool: He demanded she return the leased Mercedes. Janice took the $60,000 and drove home in a new BMW. Her current residence? Jon Peters' Home for Wayward Women.
Beyond that, we hear Janice is still incensed that Jackie Stallone continues to dog her on national television. Jackie told us Janice called her just last week and screamed, "I'm sick of you trashing me. How can I make this end?"
Grab the popcorn and put the kids to bed. John Wayne Bobbitt is set to begin production on his second porno flick, "John Wayne Bobbitt's Frankenpenis." This film, a sequel to "Uncut" and, we hope, part of a trilogy, touches on the subject of Bobbitt's most recent penile enlargement and extension surgery. And, attention, film buffs the video also comes with a free audio cassette, featuring Bobbitt's own rendition of the Chuck Berry classic "My Ding-A-Ling."
Hey, it's one thing to mangle a guy's works, but to ruin a good song like that: Why that's unconscionable! Apparently, that's how Berry feels. A spokesman for the singer told us Chuck didn't want to consent when they were first approached for permission to use the tune in the film. Unfortunately, the law was on Bobbitt's side and the song will be included in the film when it begins production Monday in Vegas. Penthouse Pet of the Century Lori Wagner will make her skin-flick debut in what will surely be a cinematic tour de force.
If you love Neil Simon but hate that Theater District traffic, pull up a Barca-Lounger, because Robert Halmi's producing not one Simon play for TV, but a whopping seven.
Before a Friars Club screening of Simon and Halmi's first TV endeavor, "The Sunshine Boys," starring Woody Allen, Peter Falk, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Whoopi Goldberg, Halmi told us that "Neil was desperately looking for something new to do." How about bridge? So they decided to "bring Broadway to the living room," said Halmi.
"The Sunshine Boys," however, isn't their only made-for-TV play full of stars. For their next project, an adaptation of "Jake's Women," Simon's got Alan Alda to reprise his role, along with Mira Sorvino, Anne Archer, Lolita Davidovich, Joyce Van Patten and Julie Kavner. Slated after that is "Barefoot in the Park" with Matthew Broderick and "London Suite," starring Kelsey Grammer, John Cleese, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Richards, Miranda Richardson and Madeline Kahn. Also in the lineup are "Promises, Promises," "Laughter on the 23rd Floor" with Nathan Lane and a play Simon has just penned, called "Proposal," which will air before its premiere on Broadway.
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'I thought he was one of The Commodores when I first saw him,"Margaret Maldonado Jackson told us, regarding her first, flirtatious meeting with Jermaine Jackson. "He asked me if I rode a horse, and did I want to be in a music video in Jamaica."Eight years and two children later, the video had never happened. But Margaret gathered enough material for her own tell-all book, which, as we warned you yesterday, hits stores
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D.C. 'SPIN': CLINTON WANTS HIS MUMMY
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BY GEORGE RUSH AND JOANNA MOLLOY WITH MARCUS BARAM
Wednesday, February 25th 1998, 2:03AM
Howard Kurtz reveals in his new book, to be published next month, that McCurry, who has been so deft in handling the President's current Sexgate crisis, often whispered about Clinton's peccadilloes when he worked for Sen. Bob Kerrey's 1992 presidential campaign.
At the time, there were rumors that Clinton "put the moves on Ron Brown's daughter," Kurtz writes. And McCurry, he adds, "did not shy away from passing on some of this sexual gossip."
And that's not all. In 1996, when McCurry was working for the President, Clinton made a joke at a Connecticut fund-raiser about a recently discovered mummified young Inca woman.
"You know, if I were a single man, I might ask that mummy out," Clinton said. "That's a good-looking mummy." McCurry privately told the President that, in view of his reputation, the remark had been unwise but Clinton "snapped" at him, Kurtz writes.
McCurry rode with the press home to Washington, and, after a cocktail, muttered, "Probably she does look good compared to the mummy he's been f." Reporters never printed the off-the-record remark until now.
McCurry did not have any comment yesterday, saying he hadn't seen the book.
What is it about actors and bowling? Lanes all over New York are filled with actors on their off-days and that certainly was the case Monday night at the premiere bowling party for "The Big Lebowski" at Chelsea Piers.
"I think it's the secure connection to smoking and drinking," said stunning Robert Sean Leonard, who attended the bash and now toils as a student at Columbia. "It's the antithesis of physicality, really."
"I'm a scratch bowler," said Paul Newman. "I'm a 300 bowler."
"We used to bowl while Bogie was shooting `The Treasure of the Sierra Madre' in Mexico," recalled Lauren Bacall. "Walter Huston, John Huston, Bogie and me. It was fun. And I actually was very good."
Meanwhile James Caan who along with the others was bowling for charity and in homage to the screamingly funny new Coen brothers comedy thriller had a few things to say about his pin partners.
"I'm upset with my team," he said. "They're drinking too much, and they're not wearing the shoes."
The flick stars Jeff Bridges and John Goodman as eccentrics whose only toehold in life seems to be rolling the big balls.
Bridges kept away from the lanes, though he has shed the potbelly he put on for the film by "eating ice cream and not working out." Bridges, who has a hallucinogenic dance number in the film ("I love to dance"), was full of praise for the brothers Coen, Ethan and Joel. "You never know what's going to happen next," he said.
At that, pro bowler Brian Voss stepped up to the lane next to where John McEnroe had been showing off, bowled two balls at once, watched them crisscross midlane, and hit the pins in a strike.
Uma Thurman has finally broken a bad habit for the good of her unborn baby.
The full-lipped actress, who expects Ethan Hawke's baby in July, has been spotted smoking cigarets at restaurants and clubs across town including a party at the Life nightclub last month attended by her mother and father. The sight of the puffing, pregnant beauty raised eyebrows among those concerned for the effects on the baby.
But, as with many smokers, quitting wasn't easy for the "Gattica" star.
"She was a smoker, yes," said Thurman's spokesman, Robert Garlock. "But she's quit, as of three weeks ago. She quit cold turkey, through sheer old willpower. She wanted to do it for the baby. And she's been good. We were just in London, and that's the hardest place not to smoke."
Hard-nosed IBM chief Louis V. Gerstner Jr. ranked seventh this year in Vanity Fair's tally of America's most powerful people. But the man who rescued Big Blue leads a very private life, so he can't be happy about the news that Doug Garr just nabbed a fat six-figure advance from HarperCollins to write the CEO's unauthorized biography.
Garr is a one-time IBM insider a speechwriter for top executives who wrote "The Prodigal Son of Silicon Valley," about Apple founder Steve Wozniak.
Sure to come up are the layoffs of more than 100,000 people at the company during Gerstner's tenure and a lifestyle that leaves little time for pleasures other than golf. Garr tells us: "I don't think Lou's priority is being nice. It's being tough. But he is obviously a brilliant businessman. I'm here to write an honest book." Garr has written to Gerstner requesting an interview. No answer yet.
Not everybody got the joke when the New York Press ran its pro-fur ad spoof this week. Under the headline "FUR SURE!", fur-bearing men and women were urged to come to Central Park today to "stand up for their rights." The ad promised a night of entertainment provided by Carly Simon and Mariah Carey, as well as an Isaac Mizrahi fashion show. If those weren't enough clues that the night was fake, the model shown is a 300-pound Divine look-alike.
New York Press managing editor Sam Sifton said Simon's assistant called the weekly's editors to insist her boss wasn't involved. And the ad hoodwinked the 50-year-old group "Friends of Animals," which vowed to stop the rally.
"In December, we ran a [satirical] ad for a `March Against Tragedy,' " Sifton told us. "People actually showed up."
Oh, Mom! Not only has proud parent Meryl Streep been attending every performance of her son, Henry Gummer, as Biff in "Death of a Salesman" at the private Hotchkiss School, but she brought playwright Arthur Miller to see him opening night, says a source.
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Howard Kurtz reveals in his new book, to be published next month, that McCurry, who has been so deft in handling the President's current Sexgate crisis, often whispered about Clinton's peccadilloes when he worked for Sen. Bob Kerrey's 1992 presidential campaign. At the time, there were rumors that Clinton "put the moves on Ron Brown's daughter,"Kurtz writes. And McCurry, he adds, "did not shy away from passing on some of this sexual gossip."And
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WEDNESDAY IN NEW YORK
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Wednesday, February 27th 2002, 2:25AM
 Singer David Campbell performs pop tunes from Down Under and a musical tribute to Bobby Darin and Sammy Davis Jr. at the Cafe Carlyle. 8:45 p.m., $75 cover/no minimum. Madison Ave. and 76th St. (212) 570-7189.
 The Jewish Community Center in Manhattan stages "Pisk: A Slam," an evening of poetry and music, at Bar 13. Poets Bob Hershon, Elinor Nauen and Joanne Fuhrman read their works, followed by an open-mike session. 8 p.m., $5. 35 E. 13th St. (third floor). To register to participate, call (646) 505-5708.
 A Jazz at Lincoln Center screening of "Charles Mingus on Film" at the Walter Reade Theater features a lecture by bassist Rufus Reid. 8 p.m., $15. 65th St. between Columbus and Amsterdam Aves. (212) 721-6500.
 At Joe's Pub at the Public Theater, co-founder of the Royal Shakespeare Company John Barton performs "The Morte D'Arthur," Thomas Malory's original text on the Arthurian legend. A discussion on storytelling follows. 8:30 p.m., $20. 425 Lafayette St., at Astor Place. (212) 539-8778.
 T.K. Kirkland's "Keep It Gangsta" standup show is at Carolines on Broadway. 9:30 p.m., $17 cover/two-drink minimum. 1626 Broadway, at 49th St. (212) 757-4100.
 Daylight hours are getting longer, but the Empire State Building still beams red, white and blue from dusk to midnight. 34th St. and Fifth Ave.
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MAKING A (SPLISH) SPLASH Â Singer David Campbell performs pop tunes from Down Under and a musical tribute to Bobby Darin and Sammy Davis Jr. at the Cafe Carlyle. 8:45 p.m., $75 cover/no minimum. Madison Ave. and 76th St. (212) 570-7189. POETS' GRAND 'SLAM' Â The Jewish Community Center in Manhattan stages "Pisk: A Slam,"an evening of poetry and music, at Bar 13. Poets Bob
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THE REBEL INVASION. - No Attack Yet Made on Harrisburgh. SOME SKIRMISHING BETWEEN PICKETS. LEE'S WHOLE ARMY IN PENNSYLVANIA. Thirty-seven Thousand Troops, with 104 Pieces of Artillery, Passing Through Chambersburgh. Lee, Longstreet and A.P. Hill Going Toward Gettysburgh. The Rebels at Wrightsville Fallen Back to York. Heavy Contributions Levied on the Citizens of that Place by Gen. Early. Carlisle Barracks Occupied by Rebel Troops. Our Cavalry Operating Near Gettysburgh. SQUADS OF REBEL CAVALRY CAPTURED. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Cut Thirty Miles from Baltimore. TELEGRAMS FROM HARRISBURGH. - Front Page - NYTimes.com
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Special Dispatch to the New-York Times.
Throughout the day our forces have held a position beyond the Harrisburgh fortifications, in anticipation of the enemy's advance. The rebels have not shown an inclination to make an attack. This morning a few shots were exchanged between the rebel and our own pickets, and subsequently our men practiced with the mounted guns in order to get the range.
The opinion is gaining credence that the rebels are manoeuvring to take Harrisburgh by a [???]ank movement. The report that they have a pontoon train 12 miles this side of Columbia, however, is somewhat doubted.
It has been agreed that the tap of the Court-house bell shall be the signal for men to assemble at the bridge, and place themselves under military orders.
A gentleman just escaped from the rebel lines at Chambersburgh, reports the rebel column moring eastward to number 37,000, accompanied by one hundred and four pieces of artillery. Gen. LEE, with his Staff officers, were in Chambersburgh last Saturday.
Thirty-three prisoners, captured at Mount Union, were brought into town this morning.
Gen. STAHL has been appointed to assume command of the cavalry forces in this Department.
Another order has been issued by the rebel Gen. EWILL, dated June 22, relative to the restrictions enjoined upon his army and the citizens of the country through which the rebels pass. He urges that a toady acquiescence with the demands of the military authorities will serve greatly to lessen the rigors of war.
It was confidently believed this morning that the enemy would commence an attack to-day. In all probability, to-morrow or next day will develop his intended movements. Possibly LEE may contemplate the capture of Baltimore, and consider Harrisburgh of secondary importance.
A proclamation has been issued by Mayor ROAMFORT, appealing to the patriotism of the citizens to respond with proper spirit to the following letter from the Major-General commanding. He says: "Let every man willing to cross the river report himself as soon as possible, at my office this evening."
HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE SUSQUEHANNA, June 29, 1863.
SIR: The Major-General Commanding requests that you forward three hundred men, to work on the defences of Harrisburgh. They will report to Capt. WUEELER, Chief Engineer of this Department, on the south side of the Susquehanna River. It is hoped that the citizens will respond at once to this call. The time has arrived for action.
I am, Sir, very respectfully, your ob't serv't, JNO. S. SEPULKI, Major and A.A.G. Hon. A.L. ROAMFORT, Mayor of Harrisburgh.
WAYNS McVEAGH, Esq., has been appointed Aid to Gen. COUCH, with the rank of Major, and we are obliged to him for favors. WHIT.
HARRISBURGH Penn., Monday, June 29.
Information was received by the authorities this morning, which they consider perfectly reliable, that thirty-seven thousand rebel troops had passed though Chambersburgh up to Saturday, together with one hundred and four pieces of artillery.
Gen. LEE was at Chambersburgh with his Staff on Saturday.
The indications are that a strong effort will he made to obtain a foothold on this side of the river.
The rebels have remained, apparently inactive in our front up to the present time.
HARRISBURGH. Monday, June 29 -- 1 1/2 P.M.
Two refugees have just arrived here by the Pittsburgh mail route, who left Chambersburgh on Saturday evening.
They state that at 11 o'clock on Saturday morning Gen. LEE. in company with Gens. LONGSTREET and A.P. HILL, with their Staffs and escorts, left Chambersburgh, taking the Baltimore Pike, in the direction of Cettysburgh.
When the retugee[???] Gen. HILL's was passing through the town, taking the road Gen. LEE went out on.
The only rebel troops that passed through Chambersburgh, coming in this direction, were those of Gen. RHODEO' and Gen. JOHNSON's divisions attached to the corps of Gen. EWELL.
Forty-two rebel prisoners, including a Major and Lieutenant, were sent to Philadelphia for safe keeping to-day. They are the accumulations of the past week.
A citizen of Carlisle, who left that place at 11 o'clock last night, arrived here to-day. He states that the barracks are occupied by 7,000 men; besides a brigade is encamped at each end of the town. He left there on Saturday for Gettysburgh, where LONGSTREET's headquarters are now established. HILL's corps was between Carlisle and Chambersburgh; while ANDERSON's corps (division?) was at Chambersburgh on Friday.
This is the latest information received here in regard to the position of the main body of LEE's army.
The city was considerably excited late this afternoon by artillery firing in front. When the truth was ascertained, it was found that our men were shelling the woods where a rebel picket had been established.
The enemy have shown no disposition to advance to-day.
Gen. COUCH to-day received the following information from York from a source which he considers perfectly reliable.
The rebel forces at York are 15,000 strong, under Gen. EARLY, who has issued an order levying a contribution of $150,000,150 barrels of flour, 40,000 pounds of beef, 50 bags of coffee, and large Quantities of sugar and groceries. He has given them 26 hours to comply with his wishes. Men of Pennsylvania, you see a foretaste of the fate reserved for you.
The rebel troops which were at Wrightsville, opposite Columbia, fell back to York to-day.
IMBODEN, with 6,000 troops of all arms, is believed to be 12 miles from Bloody Run, and advancing.
HARRISBURGH, Monday, June 29 -- Midnight.
On the Northern Central Railroad six bridges have been burned between Goldsborough and York, a distance of sixteen miles.
Great anxiety is felt for the safety of the Pennsylvania railroad. The enemy's movements show that they are endeavoring to reach it thirty or forty miles west of this place.
Everything is quiet. Troops are rapidly arriving for the defense of the capital.
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Throughout the day our forces have held a position beyond the Harrisburgh fortifications, in anticipation of the enemy's advance. The rebels have not shown an inclination to make an attack.
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OLYMPIC EFFORT TO RESCUE DOGS
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By AMY SACKS DAILY NEWS WRITER
Saturday, April 24th 2004, 7:04AM
Two badly beaten dogs embarked on a 26-hour journey recently that took them from a small town in northern Greece to Kennedy Airport.
Moments after Zoe and Lucky emerged from the plane's cargo hold and were given the go-ahead to enter New York, Marijo Gillis broke down and cried.
The April 8 mercy airlift to save Lucky, a poodle, and Zoe, a Border collie mix, was part of a complex international rescue effort orchestrated by Gillis.
Gillis, an animal rights activist who lived in Greece for 14 years, has taken on the daunting task of trying to help save some of the thousands of stray dogs and cats prowling the streets of that country.
The issue has made headlines recently with charges the animals are being poisoned in a bid to beautify the streets of Athens before the Olympic Games this summer.
In Greece, where it's rare to spay or neuter pets, there are an estimated 5,000 stray dogs roaming the streets of the capital alone. Officials have denied any plot to kill them, but Gillis said exterminating strays is a common practice across the country.
Gillis has found new homes for many Athenian dogs in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and England. About 25 have come to New York.
Zoe, who is about 2 years old, and Lucky, who is about 4, were rescued with the help of several big-hearted New Yorkers.
"I'm amazed at the kind of compassion that two unknown, little animals have brought out in this city," said Gillis, who runs Welfare for Animals in Greece, or WAG, a nonprofit lobbying group based in Manhattan.
On a recent trip to Greece, Gillis came across the two dogs, both partially paralyzed and lying inside the courtyard of a dilapidated house in a northern city of Thessalonike.
"I couldn't get the animals out of my mind," she said.
The haunting images prompted her to post a plea for help on an international rights network, which sparked a flurry of E-mail responses from across the globe.
But it was Sara Whalen, director of Pets Alive, a 77-acre animal sanctuary in Middletown, Orange County, who agreed to provide a home for the disabled dogs.
"I couldn't get past the pictures I saw. You just can't overlook that kind of suffering," she said.
In late March, once the dogs had a destination, Gillis set the rescue effort in motion, transporting the nearly dead dogs to a safe house in northern Greece.
The New York office of Olympic Airlines donated free tickets to fly Gillis and the dogs to Athens and then on to New York.
At Kennedy Airport, cargo manager Nick Georgatos was standing by to help Gillis and the dogs clear Customs. Then Joseph Pastore, a volunteer with the York City Animal Care & Control, drove the exhausted trio to the sanctuary in a sport-utility vehicle donated by Enterprise Rent-A-Car on the upper East side.
Gillis described it as "a rescue effort by individuals, corporations and businesses that came together."
When they arrived at Pets Alive, Gillis said the once-skittish, decrepit dogs came alive. "They were all over us," she said.
This week, the recovering pooches will be fitted with carts. In time, Lucky and Zoe should be strong enough to be adopted, Whalen said, but only "to special people who enjoy having a dog that needs assistance."
For more information or to make a donation, call WAG at (212) 427-0587 or go to www.canadianvoiceforanimals.org/WAG3.html.
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Two badly beaten dogs embarked on a 26-hour journey recently that took them from a small town in northern Greece to Kennedy Airport. Moments after Zoe and Lucky emerged from the plane's cargo hold and were given the go-ahead to enter New York, Marijo Gillis broke down and cried. The April 8 mercy airlift to save Lucky, a poodle, and Zoe, a Border collie mix, was
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SOUTH CAROLINA. - Military Organization of the Department of South Carolina. - Article - NYTimes.com
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Comprising the Districts of Charleston, Colleton, Orangeburgh, Lexington, Barnwell and Richland.
Commanding Officer, Brevet Maj.-Gen. JOHN P. HATCH.
Provost-Marshal, Maj. JOSEPH T. PRATT, 32d United States Colored Troops.
First Sub-District -- Comprises the City of Charleston, the district of country outside the Charleston City limits, within five miles of the fortifications on Charleston Neck, the Parishes of St. Andrew's and St. John's, Colleton, Sullivan's Island and Fort Sumter, and such part of the District of Charleston as is not included in the Second Sub-District.
Commanding Officer, Brevet Brig.-Gen. W.T. BENNETT.
Garrison -- 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers, 54th Massachusetts Volunteers, 165th New-York Volunteers, and the companies of the 3d Rhode Island Artillery now on duty in the district.
Assistant Provost-Marshal Maj. LEVI STUBER, 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers.
Assistant Provost Judge, Capt. LEWIS REED, 54th Massachusetts Volunteers.
Second Sub-District -- Comprises Colleton District and the country within five miles of Summerville.
Commanding Officer, Col. JAMES C. BEECHER, 35th United States Colored Troops.
Garrison -- 35th United States Colored Troops and one company 1st Ohio Cavalry.
Assistant Provost-Marshal, 1st Lieut. CHARLES A. CLARK, 35th United States Colored Troops.
Assistant Provost Judge, Capt. JAALAM GATES, 35th United States Colored Troops.
Third Sub-district -- Comprises the Districts of Orangeburgh and Barnwell.
Commanding Officer, Brevet Brig.-Gen. A.S. HARTWELL.
Garrison -- 54th New-York Volunteers, 55th Massachusetts Volunteers, and one company 1st Ohio Cavalry.
Assistant Provost-Marshal, First Lieut. W. GANNETT, 55th Massachusetts Volunteers.
Assistant Provost-Judge, Capt. C.C. SOUTLE, 55th Massachusetts Volunteers.
Fourth Sub-district -- Comprises Districts of Richland and Lexington.
Commanding Officer, Col. N. HOUGHTON, 25th Ohio Volunteers.
Garrison -- 25th Ohio Volunteers and one company 1st Ohio Cavalry.
Assistant Provost-Marshal, Capt. W.P. SCOTT, 26th Ohio Volunteers.
Assistant Provost Judge, Second Lieut. Geo. N. IDEN, 25th Ohio Volunteers.
MILITARY DISTRICT OF PORT ROYAL.
Comprises the district of Beaufort only.
Commanding officer, Col. JOHN D. GREENE, 6th United States Infantry.
Provost-Marshal, First Lieut. FRANK GEISE, 54th New-York Volunteers.
First Southern Sub-district -- Comprises the parishes of St. Luke and St. Peter.
Commanding officer, G.W. BAIRD, 32d United States Colored Troops.
Garrison -- 6th United States Infantry, 9th Connecticut Volunteers, 32d United States Colored Troops, part of the 26th United States Colored Troops, and 21st United States Colored Troops.
Assistant Provost-Marshal, Capt. J.W. GRAHAM, 9th Connecticut Volunteers.
Assistant Provost Judge, Capt. S.M. SMITH, 32d United States Colored Troops.
Second (Northern) Sub-District -- Comprising the Parishes of Prince William and St. Helena.
Commanding Officer, Col. C.H. HOWARD, 128th United States Colored Troops.
Garrison -- 104th and 128th United States States Colored Troops, Battery G 2d United States Colored Troops, and part of 26th United States Colored Troops.
Assistant Provost-Marshal, Capt. B.H. MANNING, 128th United States Colored Troops.
Assistant Provost Judge, Col. W.B. GUERNSEY, 25th United States Colored Troops.
MILITARY DISTRICT OF EASTERN SOUTH CAROLINA
Comprises the Districts of Georgetown, Horry, Marion, Williamsburgh, Marlboro', Darlington, Sumpter, Kershaw and Chesterfield.
Commanding Officer, Brig.-Gen. GEO. L. BEAL.
First Sub-District -- Comprise[???] the Districts of Georgetown, and Horry.
Commanding Officer, Col. ISAAC DYER, 15th Maine Volunteers.
Assistant Provost-Marshal, Capt. HENRY A. SHOREY, 15th Maine Volunteers.
Assistant Provost-Judge, Capt. LESTER DWINEL, 15th Maine Volunteers.
Second Sub-District -- Comprises the Districts of Darlington, Williamsburgh and Marion.
Commanding Officer, Col. GEO. N. NYE, 29th Maine Volunteers.
Assistant Provost-Marshal, Capt. W.W. WHITMARSH, 29th Maine Volunteers.
Assistant Provost-Judge, Major JOHN M. GOULD, 20th Maine Volunteers.
Third Sub-District -- Comprising the Districts of Sumter and Kershaw:
Commanding officer, Lieut.-Col. F.H. WHITTIER, 30th Massachusetts Volunteers.
Assistant Provost-Marshal, Capt. T.B. JOHNSON, 30th Massachusetts Volunteers.
Assistant Provost-Judge, Capt. E.R. CLARK, 30th Massachusetts Volunteers.
Fourth Sub-District -- Comprises the District of Chesterfield and Marlboro:
Commanding officer, Lieut.-Col. C.S. BROWN, 1st Maine Volunteers.
Assistant Provost-Marshal, Capt. F.O. HOWE, 15th Maine Volunteers.
Assistant Provost-Judge, Lieut. W.E. LEIGHTON, 1st Battalion Maine Volunteers.
MILITARY DISTRICT OF WESTERN SOUTH CAROLINA.
Comprises the Districts of Lancaster, Fairfield, Chester, York, Union, Newberry, Edgefield, Abbeville, Laurens, Spartanburg, Greenville, Anderson and Pickens.
Commanding officer, Brig.-Gen. JAS. B. FESSENDEN.
First Sub-District -- Comprises the Districts of Greenville, Anderson and Pickens.
Commanding officer, Lieut.-Col. C.T. TROWBRIDGE.
Second Sub-District -- Comprises the Districts of Laurens, Abbeville, Edgefield and Newberry.
Commanding Officer, Brevet Brig.-Gen. C.H. VAN WYCK.
Third Sub-District -- Comprises the Districts of Spartanburgh and Union.
Fourth Sub-District -- Comprises the Districts of Fairfield, Chester, York and Lancaster.
Commanding Officer, Brevet Brig.-Gen. H.L. CHIPMAN.
HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF SOUTH CAROLINA, HILTON HEAD, S.C., July 31, 1865.
Official -- W.L.M. BURGER, Asst. Adjt.-Gen.
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MILITARY DISTRICT OF CHARLESTON. (First Separate Brigade.) Comprising the Districts of Charleston, Colleton, Orangeburgh, Lexington, Barnwell and Richland. Commanding Officer, Brevet Maj.-Gen. JOHN P. HATCH.
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SAFETY FIRST? NOT AT ALL CITY BUILDINGS Good defense for some, others more exposed
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BY PAUL H.B. SHIN and ROBERT INGRASSIA DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Monday, January 21th 2002, 2:24AM
Manhattan's most famous skyscrapers haven't relaxed their post-Sept. 11 security measures, but some high-profile buildings are still disturbingly easy to penetrate, a Daily News survey found.
Four months after terrorists felled the World Trade Center towers, high-rise workers have grown accustomed to fishing for an ID every time they enter their buildings.
The days when employees, visitors and pizza deliverymen could stroll freely into office towers apparently are gone forever.
But even with the heightened security, The News discovered that messengers and guests can roam unescorted through some of the city's most recognizable skyscrapers - including the Empire State, Chrysler, Woolworth and MetLife buildings.
Security experts called the procedures at those buildings troubling, especially since law enforcement officials in Washington say the nation continues to be on constant alert for terrorism.
"Anybody who walks in off the street should be escorted through your building," said Willie Simmons, a principal for Chicago-based security consultant Baker-Eubanks. "They should not have free run of the place."
To examine whether building managers have eased security since the high-alert period last fall, News reporters entered 16 prominent office towers and attempted to hand-deliver envelopes to an upper-floor tenant.
Guards halted the reporters in the lobby of 10 buildings, forcing them to leave their package at a delivery center or wait for an employee to pick it up.
But the reporters passed security and wandered the halls of six buildings, including those housing offices of NBC, the Securities and Exchange Commission, Brown Brothers Harriman and Dreyfus Corp.
All 16 buildings examined by The News had some form of lobby security. None allowed visitors to walk into an elevator without speaking to a guard.
But some towers had more elaborate procedures than others. Managers of places such as Citigroup Center, the Bear Stearns tower, the Time & Life Building, 75 Rockefeller Plaza (AOL Time Warner) and 60 Wall St. (Deutsche Bank) strictly excluded unescorted visitors from upper floors.
At the Empire State Building, employees and all other visitors must pass through a metal detector and put bags through an X-ray machine. None of the other buildings surveyed had such detectors in the lobby.
But once visitors clear the Empire State lobby, they have free access to most floors. The building's managers purposefully chose a security operation that allows unannounced visits, said Howard Rubenstein, a spokesman for manager Helmsley-Spear.
"They had to balance security needs and access," he said. "They have many retail firms on the upper floors."
Security was fairly lax at several towers.
A guard at the Woolworth Building let a reporter pass after glancing at his driver's license and checking his shoulder bag. The reporter rode an elevator to SEC offices on the 14th floor, where an employee who didn't know the reporter opened a locked entrance.
Lawyer Daniel Sitomer, an emergency management specialist with Jenkens & Gilchrist Parker Chapin, called the easy access to the landmark Woolworth Building "shocking."
"I'm concerned there's starting to be some complacency," Sitomer said. "The ultimate goal is [to] know who's in [the] building, where they are and what they're doing there."
Wayne Carlan, director of the SEC's Northeast regional office in New York, said:
"Maintaining the security of our premises is extremely important to us. We also recognize that security can always be improved. In light of the information you have reported, we will take appropriate steps to enhance our existing security arrangements."
Representatives of the Witkoff Group, which owns the Woolworth Building, did not return phone calls for comment.
At the Chrysler and MetLife buildings, lobby guards phoned offices The News chose to visit. Receptionists okayed the unscheduled visit without knowing who the visitor was or verifying the reporter's identity. The reporter then was able to tour the buildings unaccompanied.
Guards searched the reporter's briefcase at the MetLife tower - which houses the Dreyfus Corp. and many other large companies, but not at the Chrysler Building.
A spokeswoman for Insignia/ESG, which manages the MetLife Building, called security the firm's "highest priority."
"At the same time, Insignia/ESG, as property manager, must balance security procedures with the need for visitors to have access to our premises, so that our tenants may conduct business efficiently," said spokeswoman Melanie Keenan.
The security chief for 4 Times Square, one of the buildings The News couldn't penetrate, said that relying on harried receptionists to screen visitors is risky.
"There's always a danger in letting just anybody give the green light for someone to enter," said Michael Terzano, building operations director for the Durst Organization.
Reporters also gained access to 30 Rockefeller Plaza, the home of NBC, and 140 Broadway, which houses Brown Brothers Harriman.
In those instances, guards looked at a driver's license and gave the reporter a pass without checking with anyone to see if the guests were expected.
At 30 Rockefeller Plaza, a reporter had access to floors that included CNBC executive offices and NBC sales offices. NBC's executive suites, served by a guarded bank of elevators, were not accessible.
Wayne Walther, a legal aide who works at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, said he doesn't believe the guards offer much protection.
"All you've got to do is show a license to get in," Walther said. "Who's that going to stop? The guys that flew the planes into the buildings had licenses."
Tishman Speyer Properties, which owns the Chrysler Building and 30 Rockefeller Plaza, stated that the firm doesn't discuss the details of its security operations.
"We have created them with the input and guidance of our city's and nation's leading law enforcement officials and in cooperation with our tenants," a spokeswoman said.
The manager of 140 Broadway, Silverstein Properties, has "significantly stepped up security in all of its large buildings," said Steve Solomon, a company spokesman.
And Silverstein plans to implement more security measures, which may include high-tech electronic card-keys, Solomon said.
Workers appear to be taking the heightened security in stride, despite some inconvenience during the first few weeks following the attacks.
At the General Motors Building on Fifth Ave., employees had to wait on long lines on the mornings following Sept. 11 as people fumbled for their IDs. Since then, the process has begun running more quickly, workers said.
"I'd rather it be this way," said Carolyn Karuse, an EstÂe Lauder employee. "At least you get a sense of who's coming in and out."
Despite the relatively easy access to the Woolworth Building, insurance company worker Brenda White said she feels more secure.
"Before Sept. 11, you basically just walked in," she said. "Anybody could be able to get into the building, and so of course you wouldn't feel that safe being there."
At 140 Broadway, where The News found easy access, one worker said he's willing to tolerate added security - to a point.
"You have to give up certain things for security," said Steven Anderson, a YMCA Retirements receptionist. "But you can't run the entire country like a prison. Then it's not America anymore."
(Metal detector and X-ray machines for bags in lobby, but after that a visitor is allowed to roam freely through most floors)
(Securities and Exchange Commission offices)
In addition to the buildings shown in the pictures, here are the other buildings the Daily News attempted to enter.
405 Lexington Ave. (at 42nd St.)
Security experts suggest that office tower managers adopt the following measures:
Open a central delivery center in the lobby or loading dock. Do not allow messengers onto upper floors.
Require employees to pick up food deliveries in the lobby.
Create a visitors desk where clerks or guards phone employees who have guests.
Install electronic turnstiles and distribute key cards to employees.
Search bags of guests and maintenance workers.
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By PAUL H.B. SHIN and ROBERT INGRASSIA DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS Manhattan's most famous skyscrapers haven't relaxed their post-Sept. 11 security measures, but some high-profile buildings are still disturbingly easy to penetrate, a Daily News survey found. Four months after terrorists felled the World Trade Center towers, high-rise workers have grown accustomed to fishing for an ID every time they enter their buildings. The days when employees, visitors and pizza deliverymen could stroll freely
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'ULTIMATE LIE' IS ULTIMATELY POWERFUL
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Monday, March 18th 1996, 1:95AM
EVERY now and then, TV tries to sneak one in on us. It waits until after a high-profile, highly competitive ratings period, and then slips in something that's quietly, classily mind-blowing.
NBC does just that tonight at 9 with "The Ultimate Lie," a TV movie starring Blair Brown, Michael Murphy, Kristen Davis and George Eads as the McGrath family.
To label the McGraths dysfunctional is like calling the Stealth bomber an airplane. It sort of understates the case.
But at least you can look at a Stealth and tell that it's something special. The McGraths seem to be an ordinary upper-middle-class American family: a couple of parents, a couple of kids, a few problems.
But a disturbing opening scene tips us that something's off, and what follows soon confirms our suspicions. Malcolm McGrath (Murphy), the respected dean of a law school, secretly patronizes high-priced hookers. His wife, Joan (Brown), can't quite remember why she gave up a stellar law career two decades ago.
And Claire (Davis) . . . well, Claire has dropped out of college and moved back home, and now fritters away her time drinking at late-night dance clubs and who knows what else.
Actually, we soon learn what else, but I'd be remiss to reveal it here.
This is not, however, one of those familiar sleaze-in-the-suburbs flicks. The essence of tonight's film written by Rob Fresco and directed by Larry Shaw is a relentless, painful exploration of the corrosive effect of lies and self-delusion on supposedly close relationships.
And Fresco and Shaw push their film to a second level: Once the lies begin to unravel and the relationships begin to crumble, they wonder, is there a way to make things right? No easy way, apparently. Putting the family back together is daunting and dangerous, and there's no telling what it will look like when the process ends.
In its honesty, "The Ultimate Lie" is one tough piece of film.
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EVERY now and then, TV tries to sneak one in on us. It waits until after a high-profile, highly competitive ratings period, and then slips in something that's quietly, classily mind-blowing. NBC does just that tonight at 9 with "The Ultimate Lie,"a TV movie starring Blair Brown, Michael Murphy, Kristen Davis and George Eads as the McGrath family. To label the McGraths dysfunctional is like calling the Stealth bomber an air
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WSJ VS. 'JERSEY GIRLS'
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BY LLOYD GROVE with Hudson Morgan
Thursday, May 13th 2004, 7:03AM
Wall Street Journal pundit Dorothy Rabinowitz - who last month penned an acid assault on the "Jersey Girls," four 9/11 widows who've dared to criticize the Bush administration - received some payback yesterday at the hands of "Jersey Girl" Kristin Breitweiser.
The 33-year-old widow of portfolio manager Ron Breitweiser, who died in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers, gleefully shared with the Daily News Rabinowitz's intemperate and insulting response to Breitweiser's recent op-ed submission to the Journal enumerating "systemic" problems with government efforts to meet the terrorist threat.
In a message meant for Journal deputy editorial page editor Tunku Varadarajan, but was instead accidently E-mailed to Breitweiser on Tuesday, Rabinowitz wrote: "total and complete - not to mention repetitive - nonsense from people given endless media access to repeat the very same stupid charges, suspicions, and the rest...
"but this is just an opportunity for these absurd products of the zeitgeist - women clearly in the grip of the delusion that they know something, have some policy, and wisdom not given to the rest of us to know - to grab the spotlight. again. and repeat, again, the same tripe before a national audience.
"My thoughts - we don't publish nonsensical contentions that offer no news, no insight - solely on the grounds that those who feel attacked get a chance to defend their views. For that we have the letters column."
Shortly after getting that E-mail, Breitweiser received another one: "Rabinowitz, Dorothy would like to recall the message, '9/11 Widows' Response - the 'jersey girls.' "
Yesterday Breitweiser told me: "Frankly, I think it's shocking and atrocious. What kind of operation are they running over at The Wall Street Journal?"
Rabinowitz explained (this time via a deliberately sent E-mail): "The note was intended for internal consumption, and not for the recipient - all the result of hitting the wrong computer key."
Varadarajan, by the way, did Rabinowitz's bidding, advising Breitweiser to submit her essay to the letters editor.
DOG STEPS IN IT, UNFAIRLY
Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
But a teensy-eensy bit of power - such as the power to slap a $50 fine on the owner of a small dog who briefly put her paws on restricted park grass - might be the worst power of all.
So says Star Magazine editor in chief Joe Dolce, who was pulled over by two plainclothes park police officers around 8 a.m. Tuesday morning while jogging alongside the Hudson River with his two leashed mutts, Drew and Bumper.
Dolce told me he was proceeding south from 14th St. toward his Tribeca loft when Drew, running to his left, accidentally touched the "no dogs allowed" lawn.
"These two women flashed their badges, and I stopped, and then one of them wrote out a ticket," Dolce recounted. Bumper, running to Dolce's right, was not implicated in any crime.
Chris Martin, spokesman for the Hudson River Park Trust, which controls the area (in which a bicyclist was handcuffed by cops last fall for pedaling in a no-ride zone), declined to comment on this latest incident.
"I'm not going to hypothesize about it," Martin told me. "Look, we do have dog-free lawns in the park, and a lot of dog-accessible areas, too."
Half in jest but wholly in earnest, Dolce declared: "Drew has been traumatized by the events of Tuesday morning. She didn't eat dinner last night and was up early this morning, nervously walking the room.
"She can't seem to understand how padding on a lawn for five seconds could get her in trouble with the law.
MAN TALK? I hear that Sean Connery - who, for my money, will always remain the one true James Bond - is finally ready to share his version of his much-storied life. The 73-year-old Connery's literary agent, Mort Janklow, has been out testing the publishing waters for his client's memoirs, I'm told, but so far Janklow hasn't mentioned the inevitable seven-figure demand.
FOREVER AMBER: Is supermodel Amber Valletta turning to the supernatural for career advice?
Last weekend she was spotted paying a visit to Zena, a psychic and tarot card reader on Bleecker St. in Greenwich Village. The 30-year-old Valletta, who will star opposite Kate Hudson in the upcoming comedy "Raising Helen," didn't want to discuss her visit to the fortuneteller, but her agent, Didier Fernandez, told Lowdown: "It was her first time." He added: "I don't think it's very professional to write about - it's awkward. It's like going to the doctor." It seems that Zena has a spotty track record regarding accurate prophecy. In 1994, for instance,
Time magazine asked her to predict who would win the major Academy Awards. Of the seven categories she foretold, Zena got only two right. She didn't respond to Lowdown's detailed messages seeking comment, but I'm sure she already knew this item would run today.
SUN-SHY: At Tuesday night's star- encrusted open house of the
Creative Artist Agency's brand-new Manhattan offices - where Jimmy Fallon, Peter Gallagher and Julianne Moore answered the CAA summons - Nicole Kidman was lamenting her lack of a tan. "I can't go out in the sun. Imagine what that's like in Australia!" the fair-skinned, blue-eyed beauty told me. What about spray-on? "That'll give you cancer," she quipped. "Everything gives you cancer."
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Wall Street Journal pundit Dorothy Rabinowitz - who last month penned an acid assault on the "Jersey Girls,"four 9/11 widows who've dared to criticize the Bush administration - received some payback yesterday at the hands of "Jersey Girl"Kristin Breitweiser. The 33-year-old widow of portfolio manager Ron Breitweiser, who died in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers, gleefully shared with the Daily News Rabinowitz's intemperate and
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COLD HANDS WARM HEARTS Where to have a hot date - even if the temperature is below freezing
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Thursday, December 2th 2004, 1:05AM
The weather may be frightful, but there's no reason that a first date and budding relationship can't still be delightful.
"Don't let the cold New York weather put you in a romantic slump," says Erika Rychik, whose company Petals & Wine (www.petalsandwine.com) custom-tailors romantic occasions for any season. "Bundling up in a warm down coat and heading outdoors to the city's most romantic spots is just what the love doctor ordered."
Petals & Wine co-founder Mor Soued points out that less can sometimes be more. "Sipping hot chocolate at your favorite cafe or riding a sled down a snowy hill is understated and very romantic," she advises.
Here are nine of the best ways to experience weather-resistant romance in the Big Apple this winter:
Sarah Hughes may win medals on the rink, but you can win big brownie points by taking your date ice-skating. Skip the high prices and tourist throngs at Rockefeller Center and head to the Chelsea Piers Sky Rink, where select Friday and Saturday evenings are Date Night at the arena. There are actually two rinks, one NHL- and one Olympic-size, and the views of the Hudson River and city skyline are unbeatable. Date Night costs just $15 per couple (including skate rentals), which is about $20 less than for two people skating separately. You probably won't work up a sweat thanks to the climate control, and be sure to let a novice skating partner hold you tightly to "steady" him- or herself. (212) 336-6100; www.chelseapiers.com. Skating is also available to the general public; call ahead for schedules.
If you need to warm your extremities after crafting snowmen, head inside and heat up with some of the city's finest purveyors of rich, authentic hot chocolate. Among the best is Jacques Torres, whose cocoa includes such varieties as "wicked," which contains allspice, cinnamon and two varieties of chili pepper. 66 Water St. in Brooklyn (718-875-9772) or 350 Hudson St. at King St. in Manhattan (212-414-2462); www.mrchocolate.com.
On the upper West Side, Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker's 4-ounce, highly concentrated mugs are made with hand-selected, fermented cacao beans. Your date may soon realize that $2 is Âtruly a small price to pay for ecstasy in a cup, and if they somehow still need convincing, win them over with some of Scharffen Berger's chocolate confectionery aphrodisiacs. 473 Amsterdam Ave., between 82nd and 83rd Sts., (212) 362-9734; www.scharffenberger.com.
Settling in next to a roaring fire for drinks during the cold months is not just for the après-ski crowd; there are hundreds of bars and restaurants with fireplaces in the five boroughs. Try the Library at the Hudson Hotel (356 W. 58th St.; 212-554-6000), which boasts a huge fireplace in an Old English drawing room featuring dark-wood paneling, throw rugs, a billiards table and Internet access. For something more laid-back, try West Village pub mainstay Chumley's (86 Bedford St. at Grove St.; 212-675-4449), with multiple hearths, good beer and sawdust on the floor. Across the river in Carroll Gardens, Marco Polo Ristorante (345 Court St. at Union St., Brooklyn; 718-852-5015) serves tasty Italian specialties next to an elegant oversize fireplace. The place "oozes romance," raves a recent customer.
For a fun icebreaker, make a pilgrimage to the historic Bowlmor Lanes in Greenwich Village, the venue of choice for thousands of first dates since 1938. Monday features Night Strike from 10 p.m.-3 a.m., which keeps things lively with glow-in-the-dark bowling and a deejay spinning house music. Unlimited bowling (including shoe rental) is $20 per person. 110 University Place at 12th St., (212) 255-8188; www.bowlmor.com.
In Brooklyn, Maple Lanes has been a consistent Flatbush favorite for more than four decades, with 48 lanes staying open past midnight seven days a week. On Saturdays, Cosmic Bowling adds lasers, glowing pins, drink specials and prizes to the mix. 1570 60th St. at 16th Ave., (718) 331-9000; www.bowlmaple.com.
It's easier than you think to make your date a steamy one this winter - just head to the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, where there is lush foliage in gigantic greenhouses, plus the garden's famous holiday train show (until Jan. 9), a sure hit among lovebirds of all ages. Trains and trolleys zip around tracks past 100-plus miniature city landmarks and across trestles, accompanied by holiday lights and the rich smell of evergreens. After marveling at the display, walk a few feet in either direction and you'll be surrounded by tropical trees, exotic plants and mild temperatures in adjacent conservatories. (718) 817-8700; www.nybg.org.
A midwinter trip to the park to build a snowman can quickly shed light on your significant other's artistic skills (and tolerance for cold air). Make sure you bring along a Snowman-in-a-Box kit from Fred Flare, which features a top hat, pipe, scarf and other objects that will let you apply the finishing touches to your frozen masterpiece. The kit also includes a booklet with tips and strategies for making your Frosty the envy of snow sculptors everywhere. $9.95, available at www.fredflare.com or call (718) 599-9221.
Many nightclubs aren't very romance-friendly unless you're easily impressed by how many burly bouncers your date knows. The East Village's Sutra, however, likes to check attitudes along with coats and - in case the name didn't tip you off - gladly embraces cuddling couples. The ground floor is swathed in red velvet and candlelight, while upstairs, lavish banquettes, private nooks and an oval-shaped billiard room multiply the effect. If you buy a bottle of Champagne, Sutra springs for a plate of chocolate-covered fruit. Or try a fireside Velvet Kiss ($10), made with Navan vanilla cognac, Bailey's and Kahlua. 16 First Ave at First St., (212) 677-9477; www.sutranyc.com.
Supermud has been operating in a sunny studio just south of Columbia University since 1997 and is an ideal spot to show off one's inner child. This pot spot offers classes (in both hand-built and wheel-thrown varieties), most of which have a limit of eight per session. There's also a pottery bar, where visitors short on time or potting skills can buy and paint premade items for $5-$30. It's usually open on weekends, too. Remember, nothing says love like a beautiful poem - so why not paint it on the side of a coffee mug? 2744 Broadway at 105th St., second floor, (212) 865-9190; www.supermudpottery studio.com.
Skip movie houses this winter and cozy up inside the Triomphe Restaurant at the Iroquois Hotel for a screening in Petite Triomphe, its private event room. The restaurant offers room-service-style menus with various food and cocktail options, any film you like (so long as it's available in a Âvideo store) and a 42-inch, LCD flat-screen TV to watch it on. They'll even send a customized invitation in the shape of a Âmovie ticket to your date. ÂPrices start at just $40 per person, which includes an entree, dessert and popcorn; double the price for an open bar throughout the film. 49 W. 44th St., (212) 453-4211; www.triomphe-newyork.com.
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COLD HANDS WARM HEARTS Where to have a hot date - even if the temperature is below freezing BY JULIAN KESNER The weather may be frightful, but there's no reason that a first date and budding relationship can't still be delightful. "Don't let the cold New York weather put you in a romantic slump,"says Erika Rychik, whose company Petals & Wine (www.petalsandwine.com) custom-tailors romantic occasions for any season. "Bundling up in a warm down
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CITY'S CIG FANS HUFF AND PUFF
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By MIKE RICHMAN and JOSE MARTINEZ DAILY NEWS WRITERS With Julia Cosgrove and Elizabeth O'Brien
Friday, August 9th 2002, 7:04AM
That was the message for Mayor Bloomberg yesterday from smokers who were blazing mad after hearing his plans to ban lighting up in bars and restaurants.
"We have to ask ourselves, 'How far does it go?' " griped William Flowers, somewhere inside a cloud of smoke at the Blarney Stone pub on W. 31st St. "Do we next need to ask permission to have sex in our own homes?"
"How is he going to enforce this new law anyway? It's ridiculous," said the pub's owner, Neil McGillion, 59.
Although the proposed ban drew cheers from anti-tobacco crusaders, it's another blow to the city's dwindling smoking section.
"It seems Giuliani-like in a way," complained Jonathan Aubry, 26, at Foodbar in Chelsea.
"He's out of order. He's totally wrong," railed electrician Brian Ferran, 42, a patron of the White Horse Tavern in Greenwich Village.
At the Gate pub in Park Slope, Brooklyn, manager Kristine Morfogen wished the mayor "Good luck. . . . I don't think he can possibly pass that in New York City, but hey, he can try."
Restaurant owners who cater to tobacco enthusiasts hoped the measure would be snuffed out.
At Frank's, a steakhouse on W. 15th St., owner Christopher Molinari built a glass-encased room with its own air conditioning for smokers.
"We went to great pains to build that space," sighed Molinari, 41.
One of the room's occasional visitors, he said, was Bloomberg's cigar-puffing predecessor, Rudy Giuliani.
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Butt out, Mr. Mayor. That was the message for Mayor Bloomberg yesterday from smokers who were blazing mad after hearing his plans to ban lighting up in bars and restaurants. "We have to ask ourselves, 'How far does it go?' "griped William Flowers, somewhere inside a cloud of smoke at the Blarney Stone pub on W. 31st St. "Do we next need to ask permission to
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GIULIANI'S PARTY POLITICS CRUSHES MAG FETE IN MOVE VS. HIL
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By CELIA McGEE and MICHAEL R. BLOOD
Wednesday, June 23th 1999, 2:10AM
A gala bash featuring fireboats and fireworks that could have been the biggest social event of the summer has been scuttled even before the invites went out.
City Hall yesterday torpedoed plans for a Brooklyn Navy Yard launch party for the glitzy new magazine Talk, saying it could become a political gathering to honor likely debut-issue cover girl Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Officials said the gritty one-time birthplace of battleships is no place for a party that could turn into a lovefest for the First Lady, who is mulling a U.S. Senate run that could pit her against Mayor Giuliani.
"A week ago, we heard they were going to put Mrs. Clinton on the cover, and we thought that would lead to an event possibly becoming politicized," Deputy Mayor Randy Levine said. "There was the possibility that this thing would turn into a circus."
Talk, a joint venture of Miramax Films and Hearst Publishing led by high-powered former New Yorker editor Tina Brown, will have to look elsewhere to celebrate its unveiling in late August. Brown is married to Harold Evans, vice chairman and editorial director of the Daily News.
A magazine spokesman accused the Giuliani administration of doing a flip-flop on the deal.
But Levine denied the deal had been finalized.
"There was never any contract. There was never any commitment," he said. "This is Talk magazine trying to get a lot of publicity for Talk magazine."
Levine questioned whether the city would have been able to comply with all the requests for services coming from the magazine which included fireboats. "It's not a place where you normally hold parties," he said.
But he also said the focus of the party contributed to the decision. "We told them in the beginning . . . we didn't want this to have any ability to evolve into a political thing," he said.
"This could turn into a political fiasco, and that's not what the appropriate purpose of a city facility is for," Levine added. "We just didn't want to use a city facility for something people could perceive as political by either side."
Andrew Stengel, a spokesman for Miramax, said the magazine and the city had reached an oral agreement to use the yard, once a major Navy shipbuilding center.
Magazine executives were "surprised that the party has been canceled," he said. "We are disappointed and hope the city reconsiders."
Giuliani once had a cordial relationship with President Clinton and lobbied for his crime bill. But City Hall's ties with the White House have unraveled with the First Lady's growing interest in the Senate.
She could get a boost of publicity from the magazine. Her office confirmed she was working on a project with Brown.
There are other political ties as well. Miramax is headed by Harvey Weinstein, a White House ally and supporter.
Also, Miramax announced plans in May for a $150 million deal with actor Robert De Niro to build a film studio at the navy yard. The party was to have taken place at that site.
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A gala bash featuring fireboats and fireworks that could have been the biggest social event of the summer has been scuttled even before the invites went out. City Hall yesterday torpedoed plans for a Brooklyn Navy Yard launch party for the glitzy new magazine Talk, saying it could become a political gathering to honor likely debut-issue cover girl Hillary Rodham Clinton. Officials said the gritty one-time birthplace of battleships is no place for a party
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VACCINE CAN PROTECT WOMEN GETTING GENITAL HERPES
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By PAULA YOUNG DAILY NEWS EXPRESS WITH WIRE SERVICES
Monday, September 18th 2000, 2:14AM
A pharmaceutical firm has developed the first vaccine to protect against genital herpes.
The vaccine, which works only on women, has proven 75% effective if the women have never had cold sores.
"We've got a grip on the herpes virus for the first time," said Dr. Spotswood Spruance of the University of Utah, who tested the vaccine, developed by the SmithKline Beecham pharmaceutical firm.
He predicted it would be given to girls ages 10 to 13, because, "At that age, infection rates are still low for either form of the herpes virus."
By age 35, about 65% to 70% of the population tests positive for cold sore infections, known as herpes simplex virus type 1, or HSV-1, he said.
Doctors said the vaccine could reduce genital herpes in both sexes by lowering the chance of males coming into contact with infected females.
Recent surveys suggest that 45 million people - almost 20% of the U.S. population age 12 and older - are infected with the genital herpes virus.
No cure has been found.
Cold sores and genital herpes are caused by related viruses. While HSV-1 causes fever blisters in the mouth, HSV-2 appears as sores on the genitals.
Some 2,500 women worldwide who never had either form of the virus were tested.
Experts said the fact that the vaccine works in women but not in men could signal unexpected trouble in creating vaccines for other sexually transmitted diseases, such as AIDS.
Further testing is expected before the vaccine is approved.
Hepatitis B is the only other sexually transmitted disease that can be stopped with a vaccine.
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[BYLINE]By PAULA YOUNG DAILY NEWS EXPRESS [TEXT]A pharmaceutical firm has developed the first vaccine to protect against genital herpes. The vaccine, which works only on women, has proven 75% effective if the women have never had cold sores. "We've got a grip on the herpes virus for the first time,"said Dr. Spotswood Spruance of the University of Utah, who tested the vaccine, developed by the SmithKline Beecham pharmaceutical firm. He predicted it would be given to girls ages 10 to 13, because, "At that age, infection rates are stil
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OH, BABY: PREGNANT ACTRESS SUES OVER 'MELROSE' OUSTER
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Wednesday, May 15th 1996, 2:00AM
This maternity suit has nothing to do with fashionable wear for moms-to-be.
Former daytime diva Hunter Tylo has filed suit against the production company owned by nighttime soap king Aaron Spelling, alleging discrimination.
In February, Tylo inked a deal to do an eight-episode arc on Fox' "Melrose Place." Then, in March, the one-time "Bold and the Beautiful" star learned she was pregnant, and informed the "Melrose" producers of her condition. According to papers filed Monday, Tylo was released from her contract via a letter dated April 10, that said the real-life pregnancy would not fit with her "Melrose" character.
Represented by Denise Brown's attorney, Gloria Allred, Tylo is seeking unspecified damages from Spelling Entertainment and Spelling TV.
In a statement released yesterday, Spelling Entertainment counsel Sally Suchil said the role Tylo was slated to play a seemingly happily married woman who has an affair with another character on the show was "simply incompatible with her pregnancy." It also says the company made an offer to cast her in another role during the show's 1996-97 season, if the show returns for a sixth year.
Ironically, Tylo is a devout Christian who before taking the "Melrose" job made it clear to producers she wouldn't want her character doing anything "real dicey." That, of course, could hamper the plot possibilities, on a steamy show such as "Melrose," for a pregnant actress. Christy Slewinski
The videotape that has surfaced showing the bizarre and unrepentant prison life of mass murderer Richard Speck will air, in part, Saturday night at 9 on A & E's "Investigative Reports."
On the tape, Speck, who didn't confess at his trial, admits to his brutal killing of eight nurses in a Chicago townhouse in 1966.
Speck, who died five years ago, adds that the women were killed because "it just wasn't their night."
Portions of the Speck videotape, which also show him snorting what looks to be cocaine and cavorting sexually with a prison lover, began airing last week on Chicago's WBBM-TV, where "Investigative Reports" host Bill Kurtis serves as an anchor. C.S.
Cable's USA Network has a whale of a miniseries on deck for next season. The network announced yesterday that Robert Halmi Sr. ("Gulliver's Travels") will executive produce a four-hour movie based on Herman Melville's classic tome "Mob y Dick."
USA will spend more than $12 million to produce "Moby Dick" its biggest film expenditure ever.
"People will be talking about these miniseries not just in the United States but around the world," said Rod Perth, president of USA Networks Entertainment.
The seafaring adventure is one of four "event" big-budget movies Halmi, the chairman of Hallmark Entertainment, will produce for USA and sister service the Sci-Fi Channel. He'll also helm, for USA, a three-hour movie about Louis Armstrong; an adaptation for Sci-Fi of Aldous Huxley's novel "Brave New World," and also for Sci-Fi an adaptation of Jules Verne's novel "Journey to the Center of the Earth." Richard Huff
Producing an in-depth report on race relations in America is something that's been gnawing at the staff of ABC's "Nightline" for some time, said executive producer Tom Bettag.
"We said we can't put up with the gnawing anymore," said Bettag yesterday, as the staff was putting the final touches on a five-part series on race relations starting Monday. The series, he said, will begin an ongoing effort to air shows on race topics.
According to Bettag, through frequent internal conversations it became clear that "there was a concern that the image television puts out of minorities is, to a large extent, distorted and clearly not complex enough."
During the series,"Nightline" will look at such stories as that of a Philadelphia woman who moved into an all-white neighborhood and found racial epithets scrawled on her house.
Throughout the week, there will also be a running quiz on racial issues, wherein blacks and whites respond to the same questions.
"You'll be startled" by the discrepancies, Bettag said. "If you ask whites one thing, you get one answer. If you ask blacks, you get another." R.H.
Dot's all . . .
Fox has given "Mad TV," its first-year Saturday-night late-nighter, a renewal for 25 shows next season. No word yet on Roseanne's "Saturday Night Special," which has filled the same slot the past five weeks. . . . MTV has tapped Ben Stiller ("Flirting With Disaster") and Janeane Garofalo ("The Truth About Cats and Dogs") to host the "1996 MTV Movie Awards" airing June 13 at 9 p.m. . . . Cable's Sci-Fi Channel has picked up the repeat rights to the former network series "Earth 2," "seaQuest DSV" and "MANTIS." They'll start airing next season. R.H.
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BUT SERIOUSLY... BILL MURRAY THANKS TO HIS MONUMENTAL PERFORMANCE IN 'RUSHMORE,' HE'S FINALLY GETTING LEGITIMATE RECOGNITION
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NEWS STAFF & WIRE SERVICE REPORTS
Sunday, February 7th 1999, 2:10AM
Bill Murray isn't a "funny guy" actor anymore - not after the acclaim he's getting for his performance in the quirky new comedy "Rushmore." In fact, Hollywood insiders say there's a good chance that an Oscar nomination may come his way Tuesday.
"It's funny," Murray says. "After all this time, all of a sudden I'm legit."
His new reputation is that of a great character actor who can be funny as hell - when he so chooses. But forget about seeing him in any more movies in which he co-stars with an elephant ("Larger Than Life") or plays a lunatic ("What About Bob?") or a hapless spy ("The Man Who Knew Too Little").
Murray is simply too good to be wasted.
"He's at a stage in his life where he does what he wants to do out of pure interest," says Andy Fierberg, a producer of the upcoming "Hamlet," in which Murray plays Polonius opposite Ethan Hawke's Angry Dane.
"If [a role] doesn't intrigue him, he doesn't have to do anything," Fierberg says. "If it doesn't strike a chord, he doesn't answer the phone."
It's not that Murray hasn't tackled dramatic roles before. One attempt at a serious starring role came in "The Razor's Edge," a 1984 remake of a 1946 film starring Tyrone Power. But most critics hated it, and audiences stayed away.
But now, the former "Saturday Night Live" star is being singled out for his performance in director Wes Anderson's "Rushmore." Murray plays Herman Blume, a middle-aged industrialist who falls in love with Rosemary (Olivia Williams), a teacher at Rushmore Academy, the private school to which he sends his sons. The plot centers around Herman's rivalry over Rosemary with Max (Jason Schwartzman), a 15-year-old student who is also deeply smitten with the young, widowed teacher.
Murray's is not a broadly comic performance; in fact, it's mostly about sadness and depression. Herman doesn't much like himself or his job or even his children - and yet, Murray is always amusing, sometimes even hilarious.
It seems that the actor is at his most cunning - his funniest, really - when he's playing it subtle. He's a master of minimalism. (His role as a sleazy Florida detective in "Wild Things" is another recent example.) And the world seems to be catching on to this. Finally.
In early January, Murray won his third best-supporting-actor award (for "Rushmore") from the National Society of Film Critics, which followed tributes by New York and Los Angeles film critics late last year. Add to this his Golden Globe nomination in the same category, and it's nearly guaranteed that he'll get an Oscar nomination. He could very easily win, too.
With a disheveled look and wild hair that make him look like a younger Prof. Irwin Corey, Murray says he doesn't quite know how to take all the attention. "It sort of knocks you off-kilter a little bit," he says.
He admits that when the Golden Globe went to Ed Harris (for "The Truman Show"), he felt a little pouty, and demonstrates by comically protruding his lower lip like Charles Laughton in "Mutiny on the Bounty."
"Why did they even invite me?" he says, going into a mock whine. "I don't want their Champagne. Who cares if I got a little box of chocolates to take home?"
To hear it from colleagues, Murray has wanted recognition as a serious actor all his life, but he's been slow - maybe even conflicted - about putting this notion before the public.
Because his role as Dustin Hoffman's roommate in "Tootsie" in 1982 diverted from his broadly comic "Saturday Night Live" shtick, Murray refused to allow the studio to give him a screen credit - or even use his name in promoting the film.
In 1993, Murray gave one of his best performances as a Chicago mobster who dabbles in standup comedy in "Mad Dog and Glory." Otherwise, the '90s seemed like a bum decade in which the actor was mired in a run of lowbrow flicks including "What About Bob?", "Kingpin" (playing a yahoo bowler), "Larger Than Life" and "The Man Who Knew Too Little." One bright spot was Murray's campy performance as Bunny Breckenridge in Tim Burton's "Ed Wood" in 1994.
Privately, Murray is known as a quirky, mercurial, intensely private type. He is 48 years old - and looks it. He is divorced. He lives with his two sons. He reportedly never gives out his phone number, let alone picks up the phone. Producers wishing to contact him are given an 800 number.
He is known to be almost paranoid about people finding out where he lives. (Allegedly, it's in one of those little towns on the Hudson north of Manhattan.) He reportedly became agitated on the "Hamlet" set when an assistant director asked him to fill out a form that requested his home address.
It's the kind of attitude that could get an actor in trouble, but it also may hold a key to the mystery of Murray's sudden success.
He is "crazy, like a lot of actors," says a former colleague. "But he's a good actor, maybe a brilliant actor. I know he takes himself very seriously as one."
"He'll kill you if you do something dishonest," says producer Peter Evans, who will team with Murray later this year in "Veeck as in Wreck," a bio-pic about the P.T. Barnum-like baseball-club owner Bill Veeck.
"There are studios whom [Murray] won't work with because of the way they treated him or the movie," Evans says. "It's about respect."
Many years back, Murray went to a school like Rushmore, where almost everyone else had money and cars while he had to bum rides. The fifth of nine children growing up in a Chicago suburb, he worked during summers as a caddy to pay his tuition. By the time their father, a lumber salesman, died in 1969, the older Murray children were on their own or paying their way through Catholic school.
"Once that tuition was paid, that was it," Murray says, laughing. "There wasn't any extra."
Now, the kids who had cars and money back then borrow money from him - and he's deliciously happy about it.
"It's really sweet," he says. "I remember this one kid calling me and asking to borrow money, and I just loved it."
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Bill Murray isn't a "funny guy"actor anymore - not after the acclaim he's getting for his performance in the quirky new comedy "Rushmore."In fact, Hollywood insiders say there's a good chance that an Oscar nomination may come his way Tuesday. "It's funny,"Murray says. "After all this time, all of a sudden I'm legit."His new reputation is that of a great character actor who can be funny as hell - when he so chooses.
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TODAY IN NEW YORK
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Monday, July 31th 2000, 2:13AM
The last day of the month is also closing day to enter three contests and the final chance to see a downtown exhibition of Louis Armstrong memorabilia. But it's also a day of "firsts." The Mostly Mozart Festival launches with a free outdoor concert, and starting this morning, a talk-show host goes it alone: It's the first day of simply "Live With Regis."
 Doris Day plays an interior decorator who has a problem with her telephone party line and Rock Hudson is the romantic interest in the 1959 classic "Pillow Talk." Sunset, free. Bryant Park, Sixth Ave. at 42nd St., via 7,B,D,F,Q to Fifth Ave./42nd St.; (212) 512-5700.
 Tickets for Barbra Streisand's "Timeless" Sept. 27-28 bow-out shows go on sale. Limit: six per customer. 9 a.m., $125-$2,500. Madison Square Garden, Seventh Ave. at 32nd St., via 1,2,3,9,A,C,E to 34th St.; 1-888-922-7727.
 Through hikes, nature games, arts and crafts, children learn about woodlands, wetlands, animals and plants as APEC Explorers. 8-10 a.m., $60-$90 for six sessions. Alley Pond Environmental Center, 228-06 Northern Blvd., via LIRR to Douglaston; (718) 229-4000.
 It's never a dull moment at the Dixon Place "Big Boat Extravaganza" on the docked Yankee Clipper ferry - with dinner by Marion's Restaurant, then an all-girl parody of the Backstreet Boys, Forward dance company and other acts in the "Celebration of Queer Culture." 6:30 p.m., $35-$100. Pier 25, Hudson River near Laight St., via 1,9 to Franklin St.; (212) 532-1546.
 Kids wearing a favorite basketball team jersey and accompanied by an adult get free admission to the play "Joe Fearless," about a fan whose dream comes true when his team makes it to the finals. 8 p.m., $35 for adults. Atlantic Theater, 336 W. 20th St., via C,E to 23rd St.; (212) 645-8015.
 Richard Pryor devotee Jim Norton, "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" warmup comic Quentin Heggs and comic/singer Richie Byrne topline this week at Dangerfield's. 8:45 p.m., $12.50. 1118 First Ave., via 4,5,6,N,R to 59th St.; (212) 593-1650.
GET A WHIFF OF THIS
 Fight the dog days of summer while creating essential oils for soothing aromatherapy in a workshop at 6th & B Garden. 7 p.m., free. Sixth St. and Avenue B, via F to Second Ave.; (212) 982-5673.
 After an open-mike session, Team Union Square goes for local bragging rights against Urbana and the Nuyorican Poets Café in "Slam This? NYC." 7 p.m., $3-$5. 13 Bar/Lounge, 35 E. 13th St., via 4,5,6,N,R,L to 14th St.; (212) 979-6677.
 The Digital Club Network Festival offers free salsa lessons, then music by Dominican salsero Johnny Pacheco and special guests Monguita E. Unico. 7 p.m., free before 7, then $20. S.O.B.'s. 204 Varick St., via 1,9 to Houston St.; (212) 243-4940.
 Famous father David Crosby leads the jazzy, rock/folk group CPR, which features the sharp guitar rifts of his son, James Raymond. 7 and 10:30 p.m., $20-$30, plus two-drink minimum. B.B. King Blues Club and Grill, 233 W. 42nd St., via 1,2,3,7,9,N,R,S to 42nd St.; (212) 997-4144.
 Nurse/actress Marjorie Edwards presents "Relationships: The Bitter and the Sweet or There Must Be a God Somewhere," a series of monologues about relationships involving African American women. 8 p.m., $5. The Raw Space, 529 W. 42nd St., via A,C,E to 42nd St.; (212) 712-6462.
 The "Things We Do" music video of Nakota nation group Indigenous and "Pepper's Powwow," a documentary about late jazz saxophonist/composer Jim Pepper, are screened at the Mu- seum of the American Indian. 1 p.m., free, Video Viewing Room. 1 Bowling Green, via 4,5 to Bowling Green.; (212) 512-3823.
 Pride of Peru, singer Eva Ayllon, stars in the first of two nights at the Latino Cultural Festival. 8 p.m., $23-$30. Queens Theatre in the Park. Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, via 7 to Willets Point/Shea Stadium; (718) 760-0064.
 It's the last day of the month to see the Empire State Building decked out in classic white. Dusk, 34th St. at Fifth Ave.
 Produce a greeting for Sherry Lansing (56), and for Geraldine Chaplin (56), Evonne Goolagong (49) and Irv Kupcinet (88).
Opening its 34th season, the Mostly Mozart Festival holds its first free outdoor concert, with violinist Jennifer Frautschi making her debut in the "Violin Concerto No. 3." 8 p.m., free. Guggenheim Bandshell, Damrosch Park, Lincoln Center, via 1,9 to 66th St.; (212) 875-5399.
Eliot Feld Ballet Tech opens its Summer Preview Season, performing the honey and vinegar "Doo Dah Day," electric "Ion," "Yo, Shake-speare," and featuring the return of alum Mucuy Bolles in "Contra Pose." 8 p.m., $35. Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Ave., via 1,9 to 18th St.; (212) 242-0800.
LAST CHANCE . . .
 Last day of the "I Want The Blues!" contest, in which kids ages 4-12 submit writings, drawings or videos about why they love to eat Kraft Macaroni & Cheese for scholarship prizes and the chance to be pictured on the product's packages. Mail to: I Want the Blues 2000 Contest, P.O. Box 466021, Lawrenceville, GA 30042-6021; 1-800-288-4024.
 Last day for potential players in an upcoming version of "The Rocky Horror Show" to choose a song, sing it on a one-minute audition tape and submit it for an online audition. Drop off tape at Broadway.com, 838 Broadway, Attn.: Rocky Horror VHS tapes. Via 4,5,6,L,N,R to 14th St.; (212) 254-6189.
 Last day to see hand-decorated tape boxes, big band parts, the musician's gold-plated trumpet and custom-made gold-plated mouthpiece and other artifacts in "Louis Armstrong Making Every Minute Count." 10 a.m.-6 p.m., free. Tourneau Timemachine, 12 E. 57th St., via N,R to Fifth Ave.; (212) 758-7300.
 Storyteller Bobby Gonzalez spins "The Skunk Who Fell in Love with
the Moon" and other American-Indian stories for children ages 5-12. 3:30 p.m., free. Van Nest Branch Library, 2147 Barnes Ave., via 2,5 to Pelham; (718) 829-5864.
 Learn how to help administer a TB test, to help seniors at home, to work with kids in after-school programs and other AmeriCorps volunteer activities. 3-5 p.m., free. Church Ave. Merchants Block Association HQ at 885 Flatbush Ave., via D to Church Ave.; (718) 287-0010.
 A program of puppet stories for kids ages 5-9 features "The Three Little Pigs" and "The Boy Who Cried Wolf." 3:30 p.m., free. Huguenot Park Branch Library, 830 Huguenot Ave., via SIRT to Huguenot Park; (718) 984-4636.
 Juilliard artists perform pieces by Mozart, Handel, Prezel and Holst in a midday concert. 12:30 p.m., free. The Continental Center, 180 Maiden Lane, via 2,3,4,5,A,C,J,M to Fulton/ Broadway-Nassau; (212) 799-5000, ext. 313.
 The Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre stages "The Reluctant Dragon" for Cultural Collaborative Jamaica's Arts in the Parks 2000. 10:30 a.m. and noon. King Park, Jamaica Ave., between 150th-153rd Sts.; (718) 526-3217.
 The Queens Council on the Arts holds mandatory seminars explaining grant application procedures for artists at Alley Pond Environmental Center. 4 p.m. for artists; 5 p.m. for organizations, free. 228-06 Northern Blvd., via LIRR to Douglaston; (718) 229-4000.
'NEWS 2 AT 4' TUESDAY
 Those who are "suddenly single" learn to put their finances and lives in order, Junior's Cheesecake serves up recipe secrets, plus actor John Davidson from "High Infidelity." 4 p.m., WCBS/Ch. 2.
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SUNDOWNER Â Doris Day plays an interior decorator who has a problem with her telephone party line and Rock Hudson is the romantic interest in the 1959 classic "Pillow Talk."Sunset, free. Bryant Park, Sixth Ave. at 42nd St., via 7,B,D,F,Q to Fifth Ave./42nd St.; (212) 512-5700. FUNNY GIRL'S FINALE Â Tickets for Barbra Streisand's "Timeless"Sept. 27-28 bow-out shows go on sale. Limit: six per customer.
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NOW MOVIE DIGEST Capsule reviews of current releases
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By JAMI BERNARD & JACK MATHEWS
Friday, April 14th 2000, 2:12AM
EAST IS EAST. Rated R: Brief nudity, domestic violence. 3 Stars.
The seven Khan kids spend their days (and nights) trying to wriggle around their father's stultifyingly strict rules in Damien O'Donnell's "East Is East," a raucous but dark movie about conflicts in a mixed-marriage home, based on Ayub Khan Din's play.
George Khan (Om Puri) is a Pakistani married to Englishwoman Ella (Linda Bassett) and trying to make ends and cultures meet with a small fish-and-chips shop in Manchester. George's aim is to marry off his daughter and multitude of sons to good Pakistani families and retain some semblance of the life and customs of his homeland. The kids wanna party all the time.
Puri and Bassett, as a couple whose dilemma seems achingly real, give the material a cumulative weight, and it all makes for moments funny, coarse and occasionally touching. Jami Bernard
THE GIRL NEXT DOOR. Unrated: Graphic language, sexuality, nudity. 3 Stars.
The happiest event in actress and former Oklahoma housewife Stacy Valentine's life comes at a glittery awards banquet, when she is honored as performer of the year. "They've finally recognized me," she cheerfully reports to her mother. Stacy's excitement and her proud mom's reaction are not in the least dampened by the fact that the award is for best porn performer of the year.
In Christine Fugate's fascinating fly-on-the-wall documentary, chronicling two years in Valentine's professional and personal life, Stacy toils in the pornographic vineyard with a Puritan ethic - she works hard, takes pride in her skills and gets along with everyone.
As glamorous and normal as Stacy's life seems to her, we come away with the same sad view of the porn subculture as we got from "Boogie Nights." Stacy sounds like the girl next door, but like her, we have no idea where she'll end up. Jack Mathews
THIRD WORLD COP. Rated R: Violence, strong sexuality, language and drug content. 1 Star.
If you're in it for the music, buy Sly & Robbie's throbbing soundtrack to "Third World Cop." Chris Browne's movie is a megahit in Jamaica, where it's set, but the low-budget look and clichéd story are not likely to impress those weaned on slick fare like "Lethal Weapon."
Capone (Paul Campbell) and Ratty (Mark Danvers) are childhood pals who have gone in different directions: Capone's a cop; the other's a crook and when they reunite Â
The Caribbean setting may seem exotic, but you've seen this story countless times. Jami Bernard
SET ME FREE. Unrated: Adult themes. In French with English subtitles. 2 1/2 Stars.
You can tell how 13-year-old Hanna (Karine Vanasse) feels about her father's iron rule by the tear that slides down her cheek after she is forced to get her hair cut short in "Set Me Free," Lea Pool's earnest French-Canadian coming-of-age drama.
Mom is permanently zoned out, and about the only place Hanna can find comfort is the movie theater where Godard's "Vivre sa vie" ("My Life to Live") is playing. Hanna is entranced by Anna Karina's Nana, a prostitute, and the flirtatious, adult things she can do with a cigarette or a man.
"Set Me Free" is a slice of life that adds up to exactly the sum of its parts, no more, no less. Jami Bernard
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*** EAST IS EAST. Rated R: Brief nudity, domestic violence. The seven Khan kids spend their days (and nights) trying to wriggle around their father's stultifyingly strict rules in Damien O'Donnell's "East Is East,"a raucous but dark movie about conflicts in a mixed-marriage home, based on Ayub Khan Din's play. George Khan (Om Puri) is a Pakistani married to Englishwoman Ella (Linda Bassett) and trying to
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OSCAR'S FRENCH ACCENT ISN'T OVERUSED, BUT IT'S VERY GOOD
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By GRAHAM FULLER DAILY NEWS FEATURE WRITER
Friday, March 16th 2001, 2:20AM
'T his is a dream, I think, a French dream," said Juliette Binoche, in accepting the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her portrayal in 1996 of the guilt-ridden nurse in "The English Patient."
No one was more stunned than Binoche when she won the award - unless, of course, it was fellow nominee and odds-on favorite Lauren Bacall.
Binoche, this year nominated for Best Actress for her performance in "Chocolat," could join a very select group of actresses who have won Oscars in both the leading role and supporting categories. The only others to accomplish it are Helen Hayes, Ingrid Bergman, Maggie Smith and Jessica Lange.
Binoche is an outsider again, especially given the competition of Julia Roberts from "Erin Brockovich." But her ebullient campaign team is led by Miramax' Harvey Weinstein, as it was in '96, so don't discount the popular French star's chances.
Binoche's presence on the ballot adds to a short but impressive list of French nominees for Academy Awards. Her Oscar is only the third won by a French actor (the others went to Simone Signoret for the 1959 "Room at the Top," and French-born, U.S.-reared Claudette Colbert for the 1934 "It Happened One Night").
Her nomination for "Chocolat" is just the 17th for a French actor in 72 years. But the Academy has chosen wisely when it has chosen.
Though such great French stars as Yves Montand, Isabelle Huppert, Jean Gabin and Jean-Paul Belmondo have never made a ballot, many other household French names have: Catherine Deneuve, Maurice Chevalier, Charles Boyer, Isabelle Adjani, Leslie Caron and Gerard Depardieu among them.
On six occasions, the Academy even nominated performances given in French: Deneuve for "Indochine" (1992); Marie-Christine Barrault for "Cousin, Cousine" (1976); Anouk Aimee for "A Man and a Woman" (1966); Depardieu for "Cyrano De Bergerac (1990), and Adjani twice, for "The Story of Adele H." (1975) and "Camille Claudel" (1989).
That no Frenchman has taken home an acting Oscar ultimately says more about Hollywood's isolationism than it does about the marvelous treats French actors have brought to the table over the years.
Back in the 1930s, when Hollywood opened its doors to the sophisticated charm that could only hail from Paris, a pair of French romantic idols managed to transport their appeal to the American screen, and were rewarded with a batch of nominations.
Maurice Chevalier - of the straw hat and the jocular Gallic innuendo - was an instant star in Hollywood, receiving two nominations in 1929 for the musicals "The Big Pond" and Ernst Lubitsch's first sound film, "The Love Parade." But a perceived insult from Irving Thalberg, who insisted Chevalier take second billing to Grace Moore, sent the singer packing for Europe in a huff.
By then, another Frenchman was above the title. Charles Boyer, whose bedroom eyes and seductive accent made him the epitome of the mysterious French lover, made a brief run at a Hollywood career in the late 1920s, gave it up, then returned in 1934 to become one of the bright lights of the Depression Era.
Boyer leads all French actors with four Best Actor nominations, his first two coming back to back, in 1937 for "Conquest," playing Napoleon to Greta Garbo's Countess Walewska, and in 1938 for "Algiers," in which he is credited with creating one of the great come-on lines in history - "Come with me to the Casbah" - even though he never says it.
Boyer's subsequent nominations came in 1944 for "Gaslight" and in 1961 for "Fanny." Justice might have finally been served had he been nominated for his supporting performance in 1967's "Barefoot in the Park."
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'T his is a dream, I think, a French dream,"said Juliette Binoche, in accepting the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her portrayal in 1996 of the guilt-ridden nurse in "The English Patient."No one was more stunned than Binoche when she won the award - unless, of course, it was fellow nominee and odds-on favorite Lauren Bacall. Binoche, this year nominated for Best Actress for her performance in
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8/13/2007 11:16 AM PDT by TMZ Staff
Someone get Joe Francis on the line -- there' a new force to be reckoned with in the world of aquatic erotica! Who's hungry?!Sporting a soaking wet t-shirt and a rather fetching ankle tattoo, boat-tipping Rosie O'Donnell, along with her daughter Chelsea, took their motor out for a weekend spin near their Florida home. Chips a-hoy, matey!
Tags: Paparazzi Photo, Rosie O'Donnell
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Someone get Joe Francis on the line -- there' a new force to be reckoned with in the world of aquatic erotica! Who's hungry?! Sporting a soaking wet…
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LIFTING EVERY HEART WITH SONG
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By HOWARD KISSEL DAILY NEWS DRAMA CRITIC
Wednesday, December 12th 2001, 2:24AM
At 11 o'clock Monday morning, 12 young men walked down the aisle of the auditorium of Community School 61 on Crotona Park East in the Bronx.
The group, a vocal ensemble called Chanticleer, had been introduced by Principal Pat Quigley to the assembly as an "a cappella" group, which, she explained, means "without instruments."
With no further preparation, the 300 students in the audience, from grades five through eight, heard Chanticleer sing a multi-part Spanish Renaissance song.
There was a little giggling, because several of the young men are countertenors, but by and large the students comported themselves attentively and, at the end, applauded with wild enthusiasm.
The same thing had been true the night before, when Chanticleer, in white tie, gave its annual Christmas concert in the medieval sculpture hall of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. There, they sang in front of a huge Christmas tree decorated with 18th-century Neapolitan ornaments.
The sold-out audience at the Met, which included Tom Brokaw and Broadway actress Dana Ivey, also gave the singers a warm response.
The San Francisco-based group, in its 24th season, has performed all over the world. Its Christmas album is No. 4 on the Billboard classical chart, right behind Billy Joel, Yo-Yo Ma and Andrea Bocelli.
Generally the group appears in schools that have choral programs. The singers came to CS 61 for another reason.
A photo of a former classmate who died in the Santo Domingo flight that crashed in Queens a few weeks ago hangs in the auditorium. Twenty-six family members of CS 61 students also were on that flight.
The school appearance came about because retired newspaper executive Tom Wright, who is on Chanticleer's board, happened to speak to his sister Kathy White O'Rourke, associate director of development for the Children's Aid Society, one of New York's oldest charities.
After the Renaissance piece, Chanticleer sang a Cuban folk song. They also demonstrated the four types of voices the group comprises, and their arranger Joe Jennings, explained: "This is our regular job. This is what we do every day."
There was no condescension to the audience. Many of the pieces Chanticleer sang Monday morning, they had sung the night before at the Met.
"They seemed apprehensive at first," bass Eric Alator said after the audience cheered the last number, a gospel song called "Mary and the Baby."
"But then they were as appreciative as any group we've sung for."
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At 11 o'clock Monday morning, 12 young men walked down the aisle of the auditorium of Community School 61 on Crotona Park East in the Bronx. The group, a vocal ensemble called Chanticleer, had been introduced by Principal Pat Quigley to the assembly as an "a cappella"group, which, she explained, means "without instruments."With no further preparation, the 300 students in the audience, from grades
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The cheery gloom of the Liberal Democrats
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HERE is my print column this week, looking back at the rather odd mood at the Liberal Democrats' annual conference:
SHORT of installing an organ and stuffed ravens, the annual conference of the Liberal Democrats, held in Birmingham this week, could scarcely have plumbed greater depths of Gothic gloom. Speech after speech talked of global crisis, painful choices and the horrors of coalition with the Conservatives. Yet simultaneously, members of Britain’s third party—usually a fractious bunch—seemed in a splendid mood. There were both good and bad reasons for this paradoxical good cheer.
First prize for gloom went to the business secretary Vince Cable, who told delegates that the country faced a crisis that was “the economic equivalent of war”. The party’s president Tim Farron—a blokeish populist who, given a guitar, would make a fine youth-club leader or rather irritating vicar—apologised to hundreds of Lib Dems who lost council seats at elections in May (or, as he put it, “got their backsides kicked”). At the same time delegates were both upbeat and unusually disciplined, voting down an attempted revolt over health policy, and in one meeting applauding their leader and deputy prime minister Nick Clegg so warmly he joked it felt like North Korea.
This was odd. The day the party went into coalition with the Tories, it lost a great mass of voters, the “eco-pacifist lefties” as one adviser puts it, who had thought the Lib Dems a left-wing alternative to New Labour. It lost a further mass of students when the coalition allowed universities to triple tuition fees (breaking a Lib Dem election pledge). Not much has improved since: the party’s current poll ratings range between single figures and 13%.
At Birmingham, the mood of calm extended to both grassroots Lib Dems and the sleeker, suits-and-smartphones crowd around Mr Clegg. Dig beneath the surface, and the two groups offer very different rationales for their optimism.
The grassroots (and their idols) say they are in good heart, above all, because they have “been here before”. As Lord Ashdown, a former leader, reminded activists, in 1989 his party’s poll rating was briefly an asterisk, meaning too small to measure with confidence. Or, in the words of Mr Farron (a popular favourite, tipped as a future leader): “been there, bought the T-shirt.”
That is wrong. The Lib Dems have not been here before. At previous low points, the party’s big problem was irrelevance. They have a wholly new problem now. Lots of voters hate them, and think they have sold out for a perch in a ministerial Jaguar.
Another big source of grassroots cheer is that Lib Dem bigwigs have started attacking the Conservatives, ending an initial truce during which Mr Clegg’s team stressed coalition unity to reassure voters that hung parliaments did not spell chaos. This “differentiation” began when Mr Clegg seized an unmissable chance to rough up the Tories over a botched health reform.
At Birmingham, ambitious figures, notably from the party’s social-democratic wing, called the Tories “reactionary” and predicted that a “divorce” is “inevitable” (Mr Farron); warned Tories not to “slaver over tax cuts for the rich” (Chris Huhne, the energy secretary); and implied that David Cameron’s top policy wonk takes a Dickensian villain’s view of workers’ rights (Mr Cable).
Many Lib Dems argue that Tory-bashing is good politics, and long overdue. It is true that differentiation does have a strategic aim: persuading voters that the Lib Dems are not powerless puppets in a Tory government. But those same Lib Dems underestimate the emotional temptations to which they are giving way.
The Lib Dems think it unfair that they are hated. They think (rightly) that inconclusive election results and a mood of national crisis made joining the Tories in the coalition last year the responsible thing to do. They can tolerate self-sacrifice: Lib Dems enjoy the moral high ground. What they cannot bear is that many on the left suspect them of enjoying high office. At one fringe meeting, Mr Huhne was asked how he planned to spend his “30 pieces of silver”. That explains why attacks on the Tories cheer Lib Dems so: they can live with being martyrs, but not with being thought Judases (especially when many, if not most, would prefer a coalition with Labour).
The better sort of good cheer
The grassroots, in short, are cheerful for alarmingly self-regarding reasons. The optimism around Mr Clegg is more calculating, and more focused on the world outside the party tribe. True, at the start of his leader’s speech in Birmingham, Mr Clegg paid mawkish tribute to his party’s “grace under fire”. But within the leader’s inner circle, the focus is economic: the fate of the party, the coalition and Britain’s economy are seen as indivisible. That means those months spent stressing coalition unity are still regarded as invaluable. Before bed each night in Birmingham, one senior Clegg aide checked ten-year government bond yields. That they did not budge was seen as a triumph: a sign that bond markets trust the Lib Dems to stick with the coalition’s economic plans, for all the noisy Tory-bashing.
Come the next general election, the Clegg camp believes that Labour will have less economic credibility than the coalition. They also hope that within the coalition, the Lib Dems will be seen as more compassionate than the Tories—and as less in hock to powerful interests, from trade unions to bankers, than either big party. But coalition credibility comes first. Hence Mr Clegg’s fierce assault on Labour in his speech, urging voters: “never, ever trust Labour with our economy again.”
That passage was greeted with only polite applause. Rank-and-file Lib Dems were much more excited by a bit that praised their party as being in nobody’s pockets (Mr Clegg had to hush them, saying “Okay, I get it, you agree”). To survive and prosper, the Lib Dems need to be more strategic, and less keen on cheering themselves. Mr Clegg gets that better than his party.
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HERE is my print column this week, looking back at the rather odd mood at the Liberal Democrats' annual conference:SHORT of installing an organ and stuffed ravens, the annual conference of the Liberal Democrats, held in Birm
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Why Britain has centrist politics
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MY PRINT column this week looks at a huge shake-up of Britain's parliamentary map that is currently underway, and the degree to which this boundary review is causing what one senior Tory describes as "stress and angst" among MPs at Westminster. The accusation from the Labour Party is that horrid partisan motives lie behind the boundary review, which will take the House of Commons from 650 to 600 members and redraw hundreds of seats so that they contain almost identical numbers of electors (a big change from the status quo, in which lots of Welsh or Scottish seats contain as few as 50,000 voters, while several English seats contain 75,000 or more).
Now, it is true that the government's motives for embarking on this boundary review are, ahem, complex. Over drinks a year or so ago, I heard Conservative politicians chortling that the boundary review would cost Labour 20 seats, and because it was all in the name of fairness there was nothing that Labour could do about it, ho ho.
Labour tends to fear and dislike boundary reviews, because over time Labour seats tend to shrink and Tory ones grow (it is to do with long-term population shifts from cities and towns towards the suburbs) so that every time the system is reset, Labour tends to lose out. The great exception, psephologists report, was the 1997 election, before which an unusually brilliant Labour organiser called David Gardner marshalled local Labour activists to challenge proposed boundaries across the country so brilliantly that he probably added 15 or 20 seats to Tony Blair's first majority. Mr Gardner's success was such that the other parties made sure that they were just as carefully prepared at subsequent boundary reviews, eroding Labour's competitive advantage.
A few months ago, you could hear a lot of Conservatives grumbling that the review was vital because Britain's electoral map contains a built-in pro-Labour bias. It is certainly the case that on average, Labour MPs are elected with smaller numbers of winning votes than Tory MPs. It is also the case that Wales and Scotland have traditionally been given more constituencies than their populations justify, in comparison to England. And since the Tories barely exist in Wales and Scotland at the level of Westminster politics, that has been another blow to the Conservatives.
But in fact constituency size is only part of the explanation for the apparent "bias" in the electoral map. A more important difference is that Conservatives specialise in super-safe seats: even when a Tory victory is certain in a given seat local Tories will turn out to vote in large numbers, piling up lots of "surplus" votes. Labour votes are distributed more efficiently: their supporters tend only to turn out just enough to push their candidates across the winning line.
This message has been sinking in among Conservatives, as have studies showing that all three parties may see quite chunky numbers of safe seats turn marginal or vanish after the review, even if Labour and the Lib Dems are set to come off worse.
At Westminster, it is rare to hear a kind word about the whole process, which is routinely described as savagely partisan by Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs, and as a mess by Tories. Some prominent figures on the Conservative right are so sure that the process will hammer the Lib Dems that they predict their junior coalition partners will ultimately do the dirty and vote all the new boundaries down in the House of Lords, when they come up for final parliamentary approval. I wonder: it would take a very bold bunch of unelected peers to vote down a measure that affects their elected brethren in the House of Commons. There is also the small matter than the boundary review is in the coalition agreement, as part of a tripartite deal on constitutional reform between the Tories and Lib Dems (the other parts being the AV referendum that the Lib Dems lost in May, and the whole question of turning the House of Lords into a largely-elected upper house).
The Boundary Commission for England (there are separate commissions for each of the four home nations) is currently holding dozens of public hearings all round the country, taking submissions from MPs, political parties and other interested locals in each region. Fleeing the Westminster bubble, I took myself to a public hearing this week in Ludlow, an achingly pretty market town in Shropshire (think expensive restaurants in half-timbered Elizabethan inns, lots of antique restorers and picture framers, and shops selling Farrow & Ball paint).
The stakes are pretty high for many of the MPs whose seats were being discussed at the Ludlow hearing. The only Labour MP in the surrounding county of Shropshire stands to lose his seat on the map being proposed by the Boundary Commission. Overall, the county is losing a seat, and Shropshire's four Conservative MPs may end up scrapping with Tory neighbours in "blue on blue" fights for the best of the area's new constituencies. That could make for some interesting fights: two Tory stalwarts whose seats are in the mix, Philip Dunne and Bill Wiggin, are government whips, while another Shropshire Tory, Mark Pritchard, is a leading Eurosceptic rebel (though at Westminster, well-informed sorts murmur that Peter Luff, a Conservative MP from next-door Worcestershire, is destined for the House of Lords, which would free up space for colleagues).
The odd thing is, despite all the high emotion at Westminster, when you go to watch the actual boundary review process on the ground, it is terribly polite, calm and good-natured. The column ponders why this might be, and concludes that if MPs are filled with fear and loathing, their distrust is aimed at each other, not the Boundary Commission, whose officers are seen as genuinely impartial.
More particularly, in the case of grumpy Tory MPs, their sharpest distrust is reserved for their own party leadership. David Cameron has told his MPs that boundary casualties will be looked after. Reader, not all of Mr Cameron's MPs believe him. And several of those who do believe him are so upset by what one senior figure calls the "appalling arrogance" of the party leadership towards MPs that they hate the idea of party HQ enjoying powers of patronage over seat-less members in need of a new constituency or a safe berth in the House of Lords (assuming that it still exists).
LISTEN to the opposition Labour Party, and a shake-up of Britain’s electoral map now under way—with 50 parliamentary seats for the chop, and hundreds facing redrawn borders—is an act of partisan “gerrymandering”. Believe some disgruntled MPs, and the review threatens the very fabric of democracy, creating new seats that will cross county lines and other time-hallowed boundaries. Oddly, given that the review is a Conservative initiative, some of the loudest complaints come from Tory MPs.
The grumblers should get out more. Some years ago, Bagehot was sent after 51 Texan Democrats who had fled their home state to wreck a legislative session and with it a scheme to carve a batch of safe (if weirdly-shaped) Republican seats from the congressional map. Pursued by arrest warrants, the runaways holed up at an Oklahoma motel, offering visiting reporters interviews, cigars and whisky. The Democrats won that round, but after more wrangling and a legal fight that went to the Supreme Court, Republicans mostly got their map. That’s gerrymandering.
This week, in contrast, Bagehot headed to Ludlow, a handsome market town in Shropshire, to watch a public hearing being held by the Boundary Commission for England. That independent body has been asked to draw up new constituencies with nearly identical numbers of electors each, a big change from the status quo (sister commissions exist for other bits of the British Isles). Nationwide, for various reasons, that change will probably favour the Tories more than other parties. But Ludlow’s hearing, in a Victorian former school hall, was hardly partisan at all.
Shropshire’s only Labour MP, David Wright, came to appeal against a proposal to split his current seat in two, probably eliminating his majority. Mr Wright argued for a constituency drawn tightly around the county’s largest town, the unlovely 1960s creation of Telford, surrounded by a second seat made up of villages and market towns. In psephologist-speak, he was arguing for a “doughnut”: a solidly Labour urban seat within a Tory outer ring. Conservative speakers came to lobby for what election-wonks call a “sandwich”: a pair of constituencies made up of urban, suburban and rural slices. They were taking a punt that one or both might return a Tory. Yet nobody could admit to pursuing party interests, for the Boundary Commission only considers appeals based on geography and the maintenance of “local ties”. The result was a festival of genteel special-pleading.
Mr Wright said that plans to split Telford in two would separate the foundry that makes the cast iron for Aga ovens (a brand of posh cookers costing as much as a small car) from the factory that assembles them. Speakers from Telford’s Labour-controlled council talked about its “urban heartland”, as if it were the Bronx. In pursuit of their own interests, Conservative speakers portrayed the nearby River Wye as an almost impassable barrier crossed by only a few, narrow bridges, and fretted that one proposed seat would involve a lot of driving for its MP.
From Much Wenlock, a pretty town full of pricey houses, came a plea not to be lumped in with grittier Telford. Nobody said it aloud, but this smelled of snobbery: Aga-owners not wanting to mix with Aga-makers. After each submission, the assistant commissioner—a grand London lawyer hired to oversee the public consultation—asked brisk questions and pored over bundles of maps. From outside came the reassuring tinkle of teacups, promising that a break neared. Later, party representatives denied they had been pursuing partisan goals. Well, maybe a bit, they admitted, but mostly their concern was preserving local communities. All believed absolutely in the commission’s independence.
This matters. Even at a time of deep hostility to politics, the British still have faith in avowedly impartial bits of the state, such as boundary commissions, public inquiries and judicial reviews. If the boundary review is causing unhappiness among politicians, that is largely because being an MP today is rather grim.
The dangers of safe seats
Labour unhappiness is easily explained. The review is expected to cost it about 20 MPs, partly because under-sized seats in Wales and Scotland will be culled. The Liberal Democrats are also due to take a pasting. Yet—for all that Conservative bigwigs expect to lose just 13 or so seats—Conservative MPs are among the grumpiest of all. A senior Tory describes a mood of “angst and stress”.
Angst among Tory parliamentarians has two causes. First, a sense that constituency associations have a whip hand over MPs: the expenses scandal did for deference, grassroots activists have firm views on such issues as Europe (and use the internet to track how MPs vote), and after the review many MPs will need to woo new associations. Local activists are unfussed about current Conservative MPs having to fight over the best new seats. This is about Shropshire, says one Tory stalwart, not “some MP’s career”.
Secondly, many Tory MPs distrust their leadership. David Cameron, the Conservative leader, has vowed that boundary casualties will be looked after. But the mood is so toxic that some right-wingers want him to put his pledge in writing, or to ditch the review altogether. Some MPs want ambassadorial appointments to be opened to seat-less Tories. With others hoping to be sent to the House of Lords, there is pressure to ditch a coalition pledge to Lib Dems to create a mostly elected upper house.
Politicians should not push their luck. In Ludlow market, shoppers declared that they did not care how large new constituencies were, if a smaller House of Commons saved money. Being an MP is an insecure business just now. On balance, that is a good thing: safe seats feed extremism. For all the Westminster grumbling, British political debate still leaves room for a moderate middle, and not just deafening partisans. Quaint, impartial boundary commissioners can take much of the credit.
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MY PRINT column this week looks at a huge shake-up of Britain's parliamentary map that is currently underway, and the degree to which this boundary review is causing what one senior Tory describes as
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A Revved-Up Rick Perry Woos a Conservative New Hampshire Crowd
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MANCHESTER, N.H. – Rick Perry gave the crowd tonight at the Cornerstone Action Dinner a peek at a different Rick Perry than the one that’s been on display in recent debates and television interviews.
Perry, who has received criticism over his lack of energy in some debates and speeches, adopted a more lively tone as he spoke to the conservative advocacy group, despite having to miss his Texas Rangers play in game seven of the World Series.
“Holy mackerel, I’ve held up my whole week,” Perry said as he recounted the prior night’s World Series game six. “I’ve held up my whole year, and we roll in here last night and, you know, at [a Rangers lead of] 7-4, and it’s awesome. It’s all going to be over with. The Texas Rangers, after 50 years, they’re going to win a World Series. Oops.”
The St. Louis Cardinals came back multiple times in dramatic fashion Thursday evening and won the game 10-9 in 11 innings, forcing a seventh and deciding World Series game tonight.
As he joked with the crowd of approximately 450 people, Perry compared the slogan of the state of New Hampshire to that of the Alamo.
“This is such a cool state,” he said. “I mean, c’mon. ‘Live free or die.’ You gotta love that right? I come from a state, you know, where they have this little place called the Alamo and they declared, ‘Victory or death.’ We’re kind of into those slogans – ‘Live free or die.’ ‘Victory or death.’ ‘Bring it.’”
Perry carried his energetic tone throughout the speech as he touted the new tax plan he unveiled earlier this week. His campaign even distributed at each seat a sample postcard people could use to file their taxes under the proposed 20 percent flat tax system.
“I have a great respect for the New Hampshire model,” he said. “You think about no state income tax, no state sales tax. If you do that right-to-work thing, then you are going somewhere. You can put those big signs up, big neon signs up on the border of this state that say ‘open for business,’ and they will come.”
Though Perry was in Mitt Romney’s backyard, he called out only one candidate by name – Herman Cain – and criticized Cain’s 9-9-9 plan, which Perry argued would not play well in a state with no sales tax.
“That plan I just shared with you doesn’t force the Granite State to expand your tax footprint, if you know what I mean - like 9 percent expansion,” Perry said to laughter. “I love Herman. Is he the best? I just try to have fun with him. He’s a great and interesting guy. And thank you, Herman, for helping pay for the event tonight.”
Herman Cain for President was a gold sponsor for the Cornerstone Action dinner Friday night.
Perry spent the remainder of his speech expressing his commitment to enhancing “policies that make our families stronger.”
“As a society, we have to stay in for the principle that every life is worth living regardless of the circumstance,” he said. “In America, it’s not where you are from. It’s where you’re going that matters. And as Americans, we must affirm daily the value of life not just in our Declaration of Independence but in the way we live our lives.”
Perry accused some candidates of espousing anti-abortion values just for political reasons, not because it comprises their core beliefs.
“For some people, for some candidates, for an election, the issue of life is a slogan for the campaign,” he said. “It’s how to get some votes. To me, it’s about an enduring principle that innocent human life should be protected in all forms and at all stages of life.”
The Texas governor lambasted President Obama for providing federal grants to Planned Parenthood and employed a similar line to one used by Rep. Michele Bachmann when urging voters to oust the current resident of the White House.
“We must make President Obama a one-term president,” Perry said.
Perry, who filed his paperwork to formally run in the New Hampshire primary earlier Friday, boasted of the promise of America as he ended his speech.
“I’m for saying it loud and saying it proudly. We are the land of the free. Let’s let America be America again and again, be the land of the free,” Perry said.
And with baseball still on his mind, Perry asked someone as he exited the stage if they knew the score of the game.
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MANCHESTER, N.H. – Rick Perry gave the crowd tonight at the Cornerstone Action Dinner a peek at a different Rick Perry than the one that’s been on display in recent debates and television interviews. Perry, who has received criticism over his lack of energy in some debates and speeches, adopted a more lively tone as he spoke to the conservative advocacy group, despite having to miss his Texas Rangers play in game seven of the World Series. “Holy mackerel, I’ve held up my whole week,” Perry said as he recounted the prior night’s World Series game six. “I’ve held up…
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Politicians Mangling Spanish, 'No Comprendo!' (VIDEO)
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On his recent campaign stop in Miami, Herman Cain took some time to try some Latino cuisine, and offend a few Latinos along the way. After biting into a croqueta at Miami's famed Versailles Cafe, Cain asks, "How do you say delicious in Cuban?" Cuban, as many know, is not a language. In Spanish, however, delicious is delicioso.
On his recent campaign stop in Miami, Herman Cain took some time to try some Latino cuisine, and offend a few Latinos along the way. After biting into a croqueta at Miami's famed Versailles Cafe, Cain asks, "How do you say delicious in Cuban?" Cuban, as many know, is not a language. In Spanish, however, delicious is delicioso.
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It was bound to happen. And it will happen again.
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Fake Products and the Movies That Loved Them
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THE spread of product placements in movies has irritated many film fans. But such marketing was not always the norm.
Before product placement became a lucrative business, movie studios mostly kept well-known brands off the screen. They generally considered the appearance of real products to be too great a distraction from the escapist worlds they conjured up for moviegoers at neighborhood cinemas.
Also, in the decades when the stars worked directly for the studios, the movie moguls had little interest in having famous names like Bogart, Gable and Hepburn share the screen with famous brands like BVD, Geritol and Heinz. And few marketers were interested in being included in the many films that made fun of the business world, particularly Madison Avenue.
So although, say, an actual airline would sometimes turn up in a film about flying, like American Airlines in "Three Guys Named Mike" (1951), products almost always carried made-up names. The practice was prevalent enough to be parodied in Warner Brothers cartoons, where every product bore the brand name Acme.
Here are 10 imaginary products that movie (and ad) buffs still fondly recall.
BEAUTEE SOAP In "The Hucksters" (1947), the adman Victor Norman, played by Clark Gable, strives to satisfy the unreasonable demands of his imperious client, Evan Llewellyn Evans (Sydney Greenstreet), as he creates campaigns for Evans's leading brand, Beautee soap.
There are plenty of mock commercials for Beautee in period style, meaning radio spots replete with jingles constantly spelling out the brand name ("B-e-a-u-t-double-e") and continuously repeating the same simple slogan ("Love that soap!").
Evan Evans was based on an actual advertiser, George Washington Hill, who was the president of the American Tobacco Company. His hard-selling tactics are described in a speech by Evans: "Beautee soap, Beautee soap, Beautee soap. Repeat it until it comes out of their ears. Repeat it until they say it in their sleep. Irritate them, Mr. Norman. Irritate, irritate, irritate them."
CRAZY EDDIE In "A Letter to Three Wives" (1949), one wife (Ann Sothern) is a writer of radio soap operas whose bane is the sponsor of her show. Her husband (Kirk Douglas) decries what he considers the coarsening effects of radio and the ads that pay for the programming.
There are several fake commercials that wickedly send up the conventions of radio advertising, for products called Baby Breath and Protecto. The best is for a car dealer, Crazy Eddie, based on Earl Muntz, who sold used cars in the 1940's under the name Madman Muntz. The commercial features an inane rhyming jingle and Crazy Eddie's demonic laughter.
New Yorkers may recall an actual chain of consumer electronics stores with the Crazy Eddie name, owned by Eddie Antar, which was advertised incessantly during the 70's and 80's. Coincidentally, after Madman Muntz left the car business, he sold TV sets and car stereos.
DAZZLEDENT In "The Seven Year Itch" (1955), Richard Sherman (Tom Ewell), a book publisher, is tempted, while his wife is away for the summer, by his upstairs neighbor, a model (Marilyn Monroe).
When they are not together, Ms. Monroe's character makes television commercials for Dazzledent toothpaste, clearly based on the real-life brand Pepsodent. Her spiel: "I had onions at lunch. I had garlic dressing for dinner. But he'll never know because I stay kissing sweet, the new Dazzledent way." In one scene, after Richard kisses her, he proclaims, "My faith in the integrity of American advertising is somewhat restored."
HAPPY In "The Thrill of It All" (1963), a wife and mother (Doris Day) charms the maker of Happy soap and detergent at a dinner party. Her tales of how much she and her family like the products persuade him to hire her as his national spokeswoman. Happy's omnipresent ads and billboards transform her into a celebrity, much to the dismay of her husband (James Garner).
KLENZRITE "It's Always Fair Weather" (1955) sends up the early days of TV and TV advertising. There are several mock commercials for products like Klenzrite, a washing soap peddled by an animated character called Miss Mop Up.
An unctuous announcer (Frank Nelson) urges viewers to buy Klenzrite and its sibling brands, Duzrite, Izrite and Wuzrite, along with H2O Cola, which tastes as good as water because, he confides, "it is water."
MAXFORD HOUSE In "Christmas in July" (1940), a young dreamer (Dick Powell) who works for Baxter & Sons Coffee is tricked by his co-workers into believing he has won the $25,000 grand prize in a slogan-writing contest for a competitor, Maxford House Coffee (modeled after Maxwell House, natch). His "winning" slogan: "If you can't sleep, it isn't the coffee - it's the bunk."
PIKE'S PALE ALE In "The Lady Eve" (1941), one reason that a naïve explorer (Henry Fonda) initially catches the eye of a femme fatale (Barbara Stanwyck) is that he is the heir to the Pike's Pale Ale fortune.
A giant billboard looming over the brewery calls Pike's "the ale that won for Yale." An ad linking athletic prowess and alcohol would be impossible today, but remember, this was an era when baseball players endorsed cigarettes.
VIP In "Lover Come Back" (1961), the battle between Jerry Webster, a playboy adman (Rock Hudson), and his virginal rival (Doris Day) changes course when he tries to trick her by filming commercials for a product that does not exist, which he calls VIP. When the spots are mistakenly broadcast, Jerry is forced to put VIP into production with the help of an oddball scientist (Jack Kruschen), who invents candy that "enters the bloodstream as pure alcohol," instantly inebriating anyone who eats it.
Love eventually conquers all, thanks to the liquor industry's bribing Jerry to suppress the formula for VIP so the world will never know the joys of what the scientist calls "a good 10-cent drunk."
WALLACE FLOWRIGHT In "Laura" (1944), Waldo Lydecker (Clifton Webb), a famous columnist, becomes obsessed with a young woman, Laura Hunt (Gene Tierney). When they first meet, she is a tyro at an ad agency who interrupts his lunch at the Algonquin Hotel to ask him to endorse the Wallace Flowright fountain pen.
"I don't use a pen," Waldo snaps. "I write with a goose quill dipped in venom." Later, he apologizes to her and endorses the pen "for reasons which are too embarrassing to mention" - that is, the $5,000 fee.
WHAM In "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House" (1948), the career of Jim Blandings (Cary Grant), an adman who makes a whopping $15,000 a year, hinges on his ability to create a slam-bang campaign for his client's ham product, Wham. The resemblance between Wham and the real-life brand Spam was purely intentional.
Time and again, Jim fails to come up with a good slogan. His housekeeper Gussie (Louise Beavers) saves the day when she brings him breakfast and declares, "If you ain't eatin' Wham, you ain't eatin' ham." The line saves his job and Jim gets to finish restoring his dream home.
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Before product placement became such a lucrative business, movie studios tended to place imaginary products on the screen.
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Los Angeles Times Announces Editor Transition
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today announced that Russ Stanton will step down as its executive vice president and editor on December 23, and that Davan Maharaj will succeed him in that position. Maharaj has served as managing editor for news at The Times since May 2008, overseeing the Foreign, National, Metro, Sports and Business departments.
"Russ Stanton has been an outstanding editor for the Los Angeles Times over the past four years," said Times President and Chief Operating Officer Kathy Thomson. "As he moves on to the next phase of his career, we are extremely fortunate to have someone as talented and experienced as Davan Maharaj who can step in immediately with energy and vision for how to continue The Times' advancement in the digital age."
Maharaj becomes the 15th editor of The Times. He joined the company in 1989, working as a reporter in Orange County, Los Angeles and East Africa. His six-part series "Living on Pennies," in collaboration with Times photographer Francine Orr, won the 2004 Ernie Pyle Award for Human Interest Writing and inspired readers to donate tens of thousands of dollars to aid agencies working in Africa. Closer to home, Maharaj's investigative report about a probate attorney who inherited millions of dollars in stock, land and other "gifts" from his clients led to changes in California probate law.
Maharaj also served as an assistant foreign editor and was appointed Business editor in 2007. During that time, he revamped the organization's Business coverage, giving greater emphasis to consumer issues and personal finances. Following his appointment as managing editor in 2008, Maharaj worked with Stanton to help transform The Times newsroom into a fully-staffed, 24-hour operation, delivering news across multiple platforms including digital, mobile, video and print.
"I am humbled and honored to lead one of the most talented and resilient newsrooms in the nation," said Maharaj. "We've made huge strides in getting our journalism to wide and diverse audiences across Southern California and beyond. We will continue to push forward, especially in the digital and mobile space. Our commitment to delivering high-quality journalism remains unwavering."
During Stanton's tenure as editor, the Los Angeles Times grew its digital audience significantly; it now reaches more than 17 million unique readers every month. Under Stanton's leadership, The Times won three Pulitzer Prizes, including the 2011 Public Service Award for its coverage of political corruption in the city of Bell, California.
"I am very proud of what this staff has accomplished over the last four years," said Stanton. "This is a newsroom filled with dedicated, knowledgeable, and experienced journalists, and under Davan's leadership there is continued greatness ahead for the Los Angeles Times."
(LATMG) businesses and affiliates include the
Los Angeles and reach approximately 5.1 million or 38% of all adults in the Southern California marketplace. LATMG also owns and operates
's west coast division and is part of
, one of the country's leading media companies with businesses in publishing, the Internet and broadcasting.
The flagship Los Angeles Times is the largest metropolitan daily newspaper in the country, with a readership of 1.9 million Monday through Saturday and 2.9 million on Sunday, more than 17 million unique latimes.com visitors monthly and a combined print and online local weekly audience of 4.4 million. The Pulitzer Prize-winning Times has been covering Southern California for more than 129 years. Additional information is available at
Nancy Sullivan | Los Angeles Times | 213.237.6160 |
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LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Times today announced that Russ Stanton will step down as its
executive vice president and editor on December 23, and that Davan Maharaj will succeed him in that position. Maharaj has served as managing editor for news
at The Times since May 2008, overseeing the Foreign, National, Metro, Sports and Business departments.
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Bond market gives eurozone brief respite
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LISBON - Europe won modest respite from its debt crisis yesterday as Germany and Portugal became the latest countries to borrow with relative ease.
But news that a major Italian bank had to offer an unexpectedly large discount to raise capital and strengthen its finances was a reminder the crisis is weighing on banks as well as governments.
Germany, the biggest contributor to Europe’s bailouts, sold $5.3 billion of its benchmark 10-year bonds at an average yield of 1.93 percent, down from the previous 1.98 percent it had to pay. But demand barely covered the bonds on offer.
Portugal, bailed out in April after being locked out of international markets, paid a markedly lower interest rate to borrow $1.3 billion with three-month treasury bills.
But the Italian bank UniCredit saw its share price tumble by more than 10 percent as it sold new shares at a 69 percent discount to Tuesday’s closing price. It is trying to raise $9.8 billion to meet new European requirements for banks to cushion against possible losses.
Banks are an integral part of the debt crisis because they hold government bonds. A default or steep fall in the value of bonds issued by an indebted government could inflict heavy losses on banks and choke off credit to the economy. That’s why regulators want Europe’s banks to raise $150 billion over the next few months.
Eurozone governments are struggling to convince financial markets that indebted governments will not default and should be able to borrow at affordable rates to repay debts as they come due. Greece, Ireland, and Portugal have needed bailouts, while much larger Italy and Spain have seen their borrowing costs rise ominously.
Italy must borrow to cover $69 billion in expiring debt in the first quarter alone in a series of debt auctions beginning Jan. 13. They will test whether the government of new Prime Minister Mario Monti is making progress.
Further trouble could come from a slowing eurozone economy that may have shrunk in the fourth quarter.
Greece must also win approval of a second $169 billion bailout, without which it can’t pay its debts.
Portugal looks in better shape at the moment. The rate it had to pay at its auction fell to an eight-month low of 4.346 percent. Though Portugal cannot tap long-term bond markets at a reasonable price, it has sought to maintain a market presence by issuing shorter-term debt.
Germany can borrow cheaply and for longer because its finances are among the strongest in the eurozone but concerns about the costs of bailing out other countries have raised questions about its finances, too.
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Europe won some further modest respite from its debt crisis Wednesday as Germany and Portugal became the latest countries to borrow with relative ease ahead of a hazard-filled few weeks for the 17-nation eurozone. But news that a major Italian bank had to offer an unexpectedly large discount to raise new capital and strengthen its finances was a reminder of how the crisis is weighing on banks, as well as governments.
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Seth Godin on What it Takes to be a Linchpin [INTERVIEW]
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Steve Cunningham is the CEO of Polar Unlimited, a digital marketing agency.
In his book — Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? — Seth Godin poses a challenge: Take your gift, whatever it is, and use it to change the world.
In the tradition of his previous books, Godin has not settled for a standard how-to, but has written a book that will push and prod you into seeing things differently. I had the chance to interview Mr. Godin about his book and the concept of the linchpin.
The audio from the interview is below and the full text follows.
As Godin says, “a linchpin is the essential element, the person who holds part of the operation together. Without the linchpin, the thing falls apart.”
For much of our lives, we have been trained to be the opposite of a linchpin — an interchangeable part in an industrial machine. Even before the global recession, it often took a career of job hopping to get ahead. In today’s world, companies and customers will show their loyalty only to those who are indispensable. This arrangement, Godin explains, leverages talent and creativity more than it rewards obedience.
However, we are hardwired to avoid this arrangement like the plague. Our “lizard” brain is what prevents us from becoming a Linchpin, and it orchestrates what Godin calls the “resistance.” The resistance is what prevents us from doing what we say we will do. It prevents us from getting that project completed, those phone calls done, and from stepping outside of our comfort zones. Our lizard brain wants us to remain safe, and at the earliest sign of danger, gives us all sorts of reasons why we can’t accomplish what we set out to do. For instance, it will tell you that people will laugh at your ideas if you hit publish on that blog post, and that you should probably rework that last paragraph to be a little less confrontational. Godin tells the story of a software engineer at Apple who was reluctant to finish a piece of code he had been holding on to because “it wasn’t quite ready,” to which Steve Jobs replied, “artists ship.” So, the only real way to prevent your lizard brain from taking over your life is to complete things even when it feels uncomfortable.
What is clear from Godin’s book is that the world has changed, and you are at the right place at the right time to make a huge difference in your organization and in your life. Reading this book just might be the kickstart you need to become a linchpin yourself. I hope you’ll take on that challenge.
Steve Cunningham: We’re here with Seth Godin, the author of Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? Thanks for being here, Seth.
Seth Godin: Well, thanks for taking the time, Steve. I appreciate it.
Steve Cunningham: No problem. So, let’s start with the obvious question. What’s a linchpin?
Seth Godin: A linchpin is a little piece of a vehicle or device that you can’t live without. It has a very high utility to size ratio. In the terms of my book, a linchpin represents a fundamental shift in the way our economy works. Our economy was built for a hundred years to train people to fit in and be compliant and be productive cogs in a giant machine. And what has shifted just in the last five or ten years, is that those people are not rewarded any more. Those people are outsourced and mistreated and discarded. And instead the people who are accruing the value and doing the work that we’re proud of are what I call linchpins — the people we can’t live without.
Steve Cunningham: This book has a much more, I’d say personal tone to it than your previous books. It seems to be written directly to the person who’s reading it rather than about an idea. Why write this book right now?
Seth Godin: Well, you know, I get a lot of e-mail everyday — a couple hundred letters — and I saw in the last year or so the tone of it changing. What was happening is, you know, it’s fun to talk about strategy. It’s fun to talk about organizational concepts. But what I discovered that made me quite angry is that a large number of people had been brainwashed and abused, and tricked, and found themselves on a dead end because they had believed something about the system that just wasn’t true. And I felt like I had this moment in time where I could speak up and talk about this shift, and try, maybe just for 5 or 10% of the people who read the book, to push people to make a choice. And that’s all the book is about, is making a choice to stand out as opposed to fit in. Because what I’m seeing everywhere I look is that the people who are making that choice, not only are they more rewarded, but they’re happier.
Steve Cunningham: A little bit further in the book you talk about the resistance and why it is so hard for us to ship. James Cameron seems to be able to turn off all those distractions and take 10 years and create what the market is calling a masterpiece. Why is there so much resistance for us as everyday people working on everyday things to actually become a linchpin?
Seth Godin: Well, we evolved to want to fit in like most species. You don’t have a long profitable life by standing up and yelling when the saber tooth tigers are around or by offending the chief of the village. And thus our lizard brain, which is at your brain stem the top of your spine — the original brain, the brain that a chicken has — is speaking up on our behalf all the time. Lizard brain is responsible for fear and revenge and anger and sex and reproduction and survival. Well that leads to what Steve Pressfield calls the resistance. The resistance is that little voice in the back of your head that says, “Well don’t do that you’ll get in trouble. Don’t do that, they’ll laugh at you. Don’t do that, it won’t work.”
This resistance get worse when we go to a committee meeting. This resistance gets worse when we’re getting close to a deadline. It’s the resistance that makes Dell Computer, Dell Computer, but, it’s fighting the resistance that makes Apple Computer, Apple Computer. That every single time you are inclined to sand off a rough edge, what you’re doing is making yourself more average. And the problem with average is that other people are better at being average than you are. And other people are cheaper at being average that you are. And thus, there is little chance for your blog to build a following, or your tweets to get retweeted, or your product to get passed on if it’s average. Because who needs more average? We’ve got plenty of that.
And thus, what James Cameron has figured out is he doesn’t need to dig ditches for a living. He doesn’t need to be stronger than other people for a living. He doesn’t need to put on more hours as a telemarketer to make a living. All he needs to do is fight the resistance. That every time someone says, “Well why don’t we just make this part a little more average. If he can just stand up and say no I’m going to make it exceptional — even if it’s not better, just exceptional — that’s what he does for a living. That’s his job. And what I am challenging people to do is understand that that’s a pretty good job. And it’s one that almost anyone is capable of doing.
Steve Cunningham: Let’s get personal for a second. We talked about the resistance taking over our lives at some point. So did the resistance take over your life, at some point? And if it did, what did you do about it?
Seth Godin: Oh, every single day I fight the resistance. You know, the time I was probably defeated the most visibly was when I was building my first Internet company, and I was in the right place at the right time, with the right resources, and we could have built it to something quite large. Once I hit 72 employees, I couldn’t do it anymore. The resistance, the voice in my head said, “You know what, you have no business building a company with 200, or 400, or 1,000 people in it, and that’s when we made the decision to hook up with Yahoo. I was pleased that I was honest enough with myself that I wasn’t going to be able to overcome that one, but disappointed that I let that voice in my head rule the decisions that I was making. On a more prosaic note, every single day when I write a blog post, every single day when I decide what I’m going to do next, there’s a very loud voice in the back of my head that says, “You know, maybe you’re going to blow it with this one. Maybe you’re going too far. Why don’t you just take it easy? And that conversation, as I was talking about with James Cameron, that conversation’s what I do for a living.
I can’t listen inside your head Steve, but I’m imagining lots of people have that conversation. And I guess if there’s a difference between me and them, at least in terms of my career, it’s that I don’t listen to resistance. Instead I seduce it, or I trick it, or I ignore it, or I fight it different ways everyday. But I don’t let it beat me.
Steve Cunningham: Shifting on to the last topic now — and this is one that you’ve not gotten in trouble for, but people have spoken out about before — [is that] is you don’t give a map. You don’t tell people, “Here’s how you do it. Here’s how you become a linchpin.” Why is it so hard to create a map to become an artist?
Seth Godin: The minute there’s a map there is no art. Paint by numbers is not art. Paint by numbers is a mechanical activity. There’s a village in China called Dafen… By one estimate, a third of all the oil paintings in the world are painted in this village in China. And what happens is as soon as the sun rises hundreds of thousands of people run outside, set up their easels, and paint as fast as they can until sunset. That’s what they do for a living. No one would claim that these people are artists. They are painters. They are people who put oil paint on canvas. They have a manual. They have a map.
If I told you, step-by-step, what to do to become indispensable, then anyone could do it. And if anyone could do it, it wouldn’t be worth very much. Scarcity creates value. And, this is going to frustrate people, but the emotional labor of work, today — the thing that makes you worth $50,000 or $100,000 or $150,000 a year — is that you can navigate the world without a map. People who need a map, are going to get paid less and less and work harder and harder every day, because there’s plenty of those people, and I can find them with a click of the mouse. Challenge — the only thing I’m selling in this book — is the decision that you will now live without a map, that you will be less obedient, not more obedient; less compliant, not more compliant; and that ultimately, you will do work that matters. And, if I achieve that, with even a hundred people it will be worth the effort.
Steve Cunningham: Excellent. So we’re at the end of the interview here. What is the one thing you want anybody who listens to this interview or reads the book to do.
Seth Godin: Well, I’m hoping that if you get that far, you’ve already made some sort of the change that you need to make a difference. So what I would like you to do is be generous and teach somebody else this idea. Teach somebody else, maybe a kid, maybe a peer, maybe a boss, about the power of doing work that people talk about.
Steve Cunningham: Thank you so much for being here, Seth. If you are listening to this, you have to go out and get this book. It’s a fantastic book, and I for one will be playing with more cowbell from now on. Thank you very much Seth.
Seth Godin: Thanks Steve, I’ll see ya.
- 5 Ways Small Businesses Can Avoid Social Media Panic - HOW TO: Implement a Social Media Business Strategy - 18 Online Productivity Tools for Your Business - The 10 Stages of Social Media Business Integration - HOW TO: Use Social Media to Connect with Other Entrepreneurs
Images courtesy of iStockphoto, 3DStock, & sethgodin.com.
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Seth Godin's new book "Linchpin" explains the importance of being indispensable in today's economy. He spoke to Mashable about this concept in an interview.
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Emotional interview with Alzheimer's patient, husband
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WW II vet honored after 66 years
In 1945, Carl Clark saved the Navy destroyer ship Aaron Ward from Japanese Kamikaze pilots. But he was not recognized for his heroism because of his race. Now, 66 years later, Clark was awarded his Medal for Distinguished Service in Combat. John Blackstone reports.
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CBS News video: Emotional interview with Alzheimer's patient, husband - Carol Daly is 68-years old and suffering from advanced Alzheimer's disease. In an emotional interview, Dr. Jon LaPook sits down with Mrs. Daly and her husband Mike, and asks about the couple's years-long struggle with the disease.
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Sudden Wisdom - Forbes.com
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The aphorism--defined as a short, witty, philosophical saying--is the oldest written art form on the planet. The Chinese and Egyptians were composing aphorisms more than 5,000 years ago. Indeed, the world's first book, the I Ching, or Chinese Book of Changes, compiled around 3000 B.C., is nothing more than a collection of beautiful, if often bewildering, aphorisms. The Egyptians specialized in aphoristic instruction manuals, in which a father (usually some minor potentate) passed on moral lessons to his children. Ptah-Hotep, a local governor during the third millennium B.C., was one such ancient aphorist, advising his son:
"Baldness is the gradual transformation of the head into an ass, first in shape and then in content."
Aphorisms proclaim rather than persuade. They make you think precisely because they present no evidence whatsoever for their claims. The best aphorists provide only one half of the equation. They assert something interesting, something paradoxical, something strange or funny, and then compel us to complete their thought.
When Polish dissident Stanislaw Jerzy Lec wrote, "No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible," Lec didn't provide any footnotes to explain what he meant. To figure it out, you have to imagine what it would be like to be a single snowflake in an avalanche. Only then does this devastating critique of group think, whether in government or business, make sense. Aphorisms don't present "the truth" but incite us to discover it for ourselves.
Readers will find lots of incitement in Thoughts on the Business of Life, including from members of the Forbes family itself. Bertie Charles and Malcolm Forbes are part of a small group of aphorists for whom a talent for the form has run in the family.
There are only a few other examples of aphoristic family trees. George Savile, First Marquis of Halifax, wrote the aphoristic Advice to a Daughter for his daughter Elizabeth; Elizabeth's son, Philip Stanhope, Fourth Earl of Chesterfield, followed in his grandfather's footsteps, composing aphorisms in the letters he regularly sent to his son. In the U.S., "Fireside Poet" Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. passed on some aphoristic genes to his son, Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., who was a U.S. Supreme Court justice. And, of course, the Roosevelts--President Theodore, First Lady Eleanor (Theodore's niece) and U.S. President Franklin Delano (Eleanor's distant cousin and husband)--were consistently aphoristic. The aphorisms of Bertie Charles Forbes tend to be moralistic and civic-minded:
"Better to be occasionally cheated than perpetually suspicious."
Those of his son, Malcolm, are more philosophical, even Zen-like:
"When you catch what you're after, it's gone."
The aphorisms of both men, though, remind us why this intimate, idiosyncratic form is so special. No other kind of writing does so much with so little. Aphorisms are literature's hand luggage, containing just enough essentials to get us through a rough day at work or a dark night of the soul.
This aphorism, variously attributed to everyone from humorist James Thurber to politician Paul Tsongas, has always stuck in my mind:
"Nobody on their deathbed ever said, I wish I had spent more time at the office."
Nobody who wants to get ahead in the business of life will regret spending more time with aphorisms.
James Geary is the author of Geary's Guide to the World's Great Aphorists and The World in a Phrase: A Brief History of the Aphorism.
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Aphorisms are literature's hand luggage--no other type of writing does so much with so little.
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http://mashable.com/2008/09/04/metallica-ok-with-piracy/
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Metallica is Suddenly OK With Piracy
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I am of the opinion that if you encourage fans to ‘bootleg’ your music when you are starting out, you really should not be a ‘cyber-narc’ years later; it is rather hypocritical.
‘Bootlegging’ recorded music on cassettes was illegal, under the law it was considered stealing.
I grew up in the mid 80′s with groups like Metallica, Antrax, Slayer, Overkill, Megadeth, etc. I was at concerts in the Meadowlands, NJ, when Metallica stole the show from Ozzy’s headlining show as well as at infamous shows at the now-defunct, temple of heavy metal/nightclub, L’Amour in Brooklyn.
The mainstream rock crowd was not enamored with Metallica in any way. I distinctly remember when people who did not like any thrash groups started getting into Metallica b/c of the MTV airplay of ‘One’. That was the end of Metallica for me, as it was for many others. Part of Metallica’s allure was that nobody liked them other than the true fans! They were even a group who bad-mouthed most rock/heavy metal groups. Once the rock fans started liking them, it was not the same, the music was not the same and the allure was gone.
In regards to my comment about one song, I was merely stating that many people bought the Black album for one song-in today’s marketplace they may not have sold as many records, but rather an insane amount of digital downloads for the song ‘Sandman’.
No one can disparage Metallica’s success. It is tremendous. I, like many people (but not all people, not all ‘millions’ of fans), refuse to support a band that has the gall to complain and narc on fans because the paradigm has changed, instead of welcoming it and finding/inventing new revenue streams (which they are now forced to do). When I hear bands like Metallica and Kiss say how much they love their fans, it makes me laugh. They love their fans when they can maximize their profits off of them, yet when they can’t any longer b/c of the evolution of technology/markets, they damn the system, damn the universe, and present the names of fans who have spent money on them in the past, to authorities b/c they downloaded some of their music.
It’s actually comical-they are actually upset b/c they can’t be on a pedestal anymore. Someone needs to tell them that, “…the only constant is change”.
So, my apologies, if I disgraced your favorite band. I was just stating my opinion. I just think that either you don’t remember Metallica when they started out or you weren’t a fan of theirs in the early days b/c their actions against fans in ’00 was so anti-Metallica ethos-they had a strong bond with their fans, you have to remember, they spit in the face of the Motley Crue’s, the Ratt’s, the Quiet Riot’s-all those other group where the standard for ‘metal’-they were the exact opposite.
They were so hungry, they were so street, as I said, I knew people who would have Metallica bootlegs-I used to buy them in NJ! There were even ‘white-label’ records! They did not care, they knew they needed it and it was sort of their way of connecting with the fan base and creating more hype for the group. And, boy, did it work. A Metallica fan was much more dedicated than any other fan for the aforementioned groups. They developed a kinship with their fans which was the reason they grew.
Perhaps they should have broken up after the Black album? I mean, The Beatles as a group only stayed together for 10-13 years…maybe there was no place for them to go other than a downward trajectory, since they started so strong, so revolutionary. Again, just an opinion.
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Metallica's new album has leaked out a week or two early, unsurprisingly. It isn't surprising because it's Metallica, but that it happens to most every artist these days. Some record store so
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Kim Kardashian: Don't Call My Marriage a 'Business Decision'
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20120124144618
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Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries
off of her 72-day marriage to Kris Humphries,
from the New Jersey Nets star was "a bad business decision."
"If you really think about it, if [the marriage] was a business decision, and I really made all that money that everyone was claiming that we made off this wedding, and if the wedding was fake and just for TV ⦠I'm a smart business woman. I would have stayed married longer," Kardashian said sarcastically, while appearing as
Monday morning. "This was a bad business decision. If you really think about it, it doesn't make sense."
Kardashian, 31, told Ripa, she fled to
with two pairs of sweatpants and a pair of pajamas immediately after filing for divorce. Since then, she said, she's been splitting her time between her mom's and her sister
"I really did some soul-searching, and I needed that," she said. "I needed to just be with the family."
, who called herself as a "hopeless romantic," told Ripa she was surprised by the
"It's been a hard couple of months," Kardashian admitted. "I really didn't think that following my heart would create this much backlash."
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"If you really think about it, it doesn't make sense," says the reality star
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Mashable's Weekly Guide to Social Media & Web Development Jobs
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20120128115752
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If you’re seeking a job in social media, we’d like to help out. For starters, Mashable’s Job Lists section gathers together all our resource lists, how-tos and expert guides to help you get hired. In particular, you might want to see our articles on How to Leverage Social Media for Career Success and How to Find a Job on Twitter.
But we’d like to help in a more direct way, too. Mashable’s job boards are a place for socially-savvy companies to find people like you. This week and every week, Mashable features its coveted job board listings for a variety of positions in the web, social media space, and beyond. Have a look at what’s good and new on our job boards:
You have a number of developer/designer blogs that you like and frequent often. You stay on top of current design/development advancements and you can distinguish between a passing fad and a true step forward for the developer community. You are passionate about your work and often pick projects based on how much it interests you rather than just the paycheck. Looking and using developer libraries is great but you recognize the benefits in developing your own and wouldn’t be afraid to do so if necessary (especially in PHP and JS).
Read more about this opportunity here.
at keepwheel in Palo Alto, CA.
You’ll be responsible to work with us to construct a list of features and create mock-ups, prepare a development roadmap/technological architecture and timeline, develop and code the company’s web-based software and database; oversee the development process to ensure overall compatibility, as well as timely delivery; and work with the senior team to develop and implement the business strategy.
Read more about this opportunity here.
at Greystripe in San Francisco, CA.
The initial challenge for this position is to re-architect and extend key aspects of our backend server infrastructure. That’s a big job and you’ll have a huge amount of autonomy to get it done.
Read more about this opportunity here.
Social Media Marketer at Yellowbook in King of Prussia, PA.
The Social Marketer will develop and incorporate social sharing initiatives that drive traffic to both Yellowbook.com and newly developed vertical websites. This candidate will be responsible for increasing the ‘share-ability’ of Yellowbook data and content to facilitate peer-to-peer referral traffic and establish repeat usage in the social network communities. This position requires the candidate to consistently seek out and engage potential customer segments to introduce Yellowbook’s ease of data sharing.
Read more about this opportunity here.
Account Planner at 360i in New York, NY.
360i is looking for a Social Marketing Strategist/Account Planner to help our roster of Fortune 500 clients (like NBC, MTV, Ralph Lauren, H&R Block and JCPenney) navigate and excel in social marketing through innovative ideation, strategy development, flawless execution and thoughtful measurement.
Read more about this opportunity here.
Feed Company is looking for a Manager, Social Video Marketing. The candidate will be responsible for executing online video seeding campaigns. The candidate must have experience executing social marketing campaigns that drive online video views and engagement and managing interns to assist in the execution. The candidate must also be extremely organized, strong communication skills (written, verbal), and (of course) computer and online media savvy.
Read more about this opportunity here.
at a film distribution company in New York, NY.
A New York-based entertainment company is seeking an experienced Social Media Strategist to implement multiple campaigns/accounts.
Read more about this opportunity here.
at U30 Group in Knoxville, TN.
The ideal candidate is capable of creating visual design and Action Script functionality. They are self-motivated to learn the latest trends in Web 2.0 apps, as well as understanding the correct situations to employ them. They are highly organized (in both schedule and coding). They have an undying drive to “get it right” even in a fast-pace, tight-deadline environment. And they are able to do it all by themselves or as part of a larger team.
Read more about this opportunity here.
The Interactive Planner/Strategist – Social Media position at CUnet is responsible to lead the CUnet social media efforts for our career college agency clients and internal lead generation sites. This position is responsible to research and develop social media programs, build and present client proposals, manage program execution, measure and present results and analysis, and build follow-on programs that meet our schools’ performance objectives for creating program awareness and interest, generating prospective student leads and enrollments, and retaining existing students.
Read more about this opportunity here.
As the head of business operations, partnerships and content acquisition you will be a core member of our leadership group. You will immediately have the ability to drive our overall direction for strategic partnerships, revenue objectives and business strategy.
Read more about this opportunity here.
This job is for you if you are a highly energetic, creative and hands-on marketing specialist with experience managing direct response, customer loyalty and subscriber retention campaigns. In this role, your main focus will be promoting the Game Club program, driving new customers to Big Fish Games, and increasing the lifetime value of our existing customers. You are an analytical junkie… well, at least you enjoy analyzing and reporting on campaign performance. You also have a passion for creativity and aren’t afraid to throw interesting and unique ideas on the wall to see if they stick.
Read more about this opportunity here.
We’re looking for a “Senior Content Strategist”. This person will be responsible for providing the vision and direction to grow our audience on-air and online. In this role, you’ll be developing ways Vocalo.org can best reach its audience on multiple platforms, and how we can harness social media to deepen audience participation.
Read more about this opportunity here.
The Associate Producer acts as the voice of the customer, gathering and delivering feedback from the community and representing the development team and the company on the Internet. The ideal candidate is comfortable interacting directly with gamers through forums and Web sites and is committed to creating a positive environment for a diverse audience of gamers.
Read more about this opportunity here.
The Flash Designer’s primary duties will be to help design marketing materials according to detailed specifications. A lot of focus will be spent on making the advertisements visually attractive. The ideal candidate should be well versed in Photoshop, Flash animation, and experienced in all manner of web-design elements.
Read more about this opportunity here.
Enjoy working in social media and interacting with bloggers? Know how to get the web buzzing about major consumer brands and small startups? Are you fluent in SEO/SEM? We’re seeking a talented digital marketing/PR professional for our South Florida office.
Read more about this opportunity here.
You’ll be negotiating rates and schedules, and communicating results to management in addition to developing an advertising client base in a variety of categories such as: electronics, beverage, wine and spirits, automotive, fashion, and travel. You’ll also develop sales projections and target lists, maintain ongoing relationships with brands and represent Behance at industry events to promote business.
Read more about this opportunity here.
Your responsibilities will include conceiving and defending innovative interface design solutions, taking interactive design projects from wireframe to production, and promoting pro-customer usability standards throughout your work.
Read more about this opportunity here.
Responsibilities include coding front and back-end interfaces for our suite of products, including a social network and product checkout, reviewing and upgrading existing code, and researching, prospecting, and developing new services.
Read more about this opportunity here.
Mediasmith is looking for an Ad Ops Tracker with a minimum of one year ad serving experience.
Read more about this opportunity here.
We currently seek an experienced marketing professional to join our Marketing/Sales Operations department at our U.S. corporate headquarters in Bridgewater, NJ. Responsibilities include driving healthcare professional RM, digital practices, and program development for assigned brands and managing external resources to implement and optimize HCP RM programs and digital initiatives in partnership with brands.
Read more about this opportunity here.
The initial focus of this position is to re-architect and overhaul our entire web platform, from the front-end corporate pages and CMS, to the publisher admin pages that configure ad serving for our mobile developer partners, to the internal admin pages that make everything run. That’s a big job and you’ll have a huge amount of autonomy to get it done.
Read more about this opportunity here.
The Senior Manager, Social Media Marketing is a full-time position in Fanscape’s Digital Communications Department which specializes in online word-of-mouth and conversational marketing methods. This position will be engaged in multiple campaigns at all times and must ensure consistent successful execution. This person will take the lead on several marketing campaigns and manage a team to assist in the execution.
Read more about this opportunity here.
Mashable has a variety of web 2.0, application development, business development, and social networking job opportunities available. Check them out at Mashable’s Job Board.
Got a job posting to share with our readers? Post a job to Mashable today ($50 for a 30 day listing) and get it highlighted every week on Mashable.com (in addition to exposure all day every day in the Mashable marketplace).
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If you're seeking a job in social media, we'd like to help out. For starters, Mashable's Job Lists section gathers together all our resource lists, how-tos and expert guides to help you get hire
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David Hasselhoff & Hayley Roberts Engaged? : People.com
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20120131184853
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Hayley Roberts and David Hasselhoff
like a picture-perfect proposal ... but was it for real?
After he unsuccessfully proposed to Welsh model Hayley Roberts two times last year,
, the actor appears to have made the third time the charm.
alum, 59, seemingly broke news of his latest attempt on his
through a series of mysterious messages and photographs.
"Tried it again on top of the Sydney harbour bridge!"
alongside a photo of the couple vacationing in Australia. In the picture, Hasselhoff is down on one knee, holding Roberts's hand like he's proposing.
"What do you think she said!?"
, providing a snapshot of the couple sharing a romantic kiss.
Roberts, 32, played it coy online, too. Her reaction to Hasselhoff's Twitter P.D.A.? ":)))))) xxxxxxxxxxxx,"
A rep for Hasselhoff had no comment.
If the proposal is legit, this will be the third marriage for Hasselhoff. Before the couple met about a year ago at auditions for
– he was a judge in 2011 when she asked for his autograph – Hasselhoff was married to soap actress Catherine Hickland (1984 to 1989) and
(1989 to 2006). He has two children with Bach: Taylor Ann, 21, and Hayley Amber, 19.
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The Baywatch alum gets down on one knee before Hayley Roberts in Australia
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Man rescued from rubble 14 days after Haiti quake
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20120201170356
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By Patrick Markey and Patricia Zengerle
PORT-AU-PRINCE | Tue Jan 26, 2010 5:27pm EST
PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - U.S. troops pulled a man alive from the rubble of a collapsed building in Haiti's destroyed capital on Tuesday, two weeks after a massive earthquake rattled the country.
The 35-year-old man, covered in dust and dressed only in underpants, was carried out from the ruins of a building in downtown Port-au-Prince and was driven off for medical treatment. He did not appear to have any serious injuries.
The rescue, exactly 14 days after the magnitude-7.0 earthquake killed as many as 200,000 people, came as the U.S.-led relief effort was focused on getting help to hundreds of thousands of survivors left homeless, hungry and injured.
Brazilian U.N. peacekeeping troops fired tear gas at a frenzied crowd of thousands of Haitians crowding a food handout outside the wrecked presidential palace as delays in getting help to earthquake survivors persist.
"They're not violent, just desperate. They just want to eat," Brazilian Army Colonel Fernando Soares said. "The problem is, there is not enough food for everyone."
Facing persistent complaints by survivors that the huge amounts of aid flown in to Haiti is not reaching them on the ground, U.S. and U.N. troops and aid workers have widened and intensified the distribution of food and water.
Some of the food handouts in the capital have turned unruly, although the United Nations said the overall security situation in the city remained stable.
It said about 60 percent to 70 percent of Haiti's police force has returned to work.
At the presidential palace on Tuesday, U.N. troops with shotguns handed out sacks of rice with American flags on them. Armored trucks formed a cordon to control the crowd and people were searched as they entered the checkpoint.
"Yesterday they gave us rice, but there was not enough. There were too many people," said Wola Levolise, 47, who is living in the camp with her nine children.
The World Food Program said it handed out 60 tons of food at the camp but ended the distribution early when the crowd got out of control.
"The vast majority of distributions in Haiti are being carried out in an orderly manner. There are isolated, regrettable incidents but these are the exceptions and not the rule," a WFP spokesman said.
The U.N. agency said it has delivered nearly 10 million meals to almost 450,000 people since the quake.
Unsanitary living conditions in Port-au-Prince have raised fears of an outbreak of disease.
So far, doctors on the U.S. Navy hospital ship Comfort anchored offshore said they had seen only one case each of typhoid and dysentery, and several of tetanus and malaria.
In a bid to get the economy going, the United Nations is offering 150 gourdes ($3.77) a day plus food rations to those willing to take two-week jobs clearing rubble from roads and removing waste that posed a potential health threat to those sleeping on the streets.
More than 5,500 Haitians had already started the jobs, using shovels, hammers, wheelbarrows and trucks to load debris and haul it to landfills, the agency said.
The U.S. military said it could scale back its involvement within three to six months as other international organizations assume larger roles providing security and disaster relief. It does, however, plan to help build a 5,000-bed hospital to provide longer-term care to quake victims.
The United States has dispatched more than 15,000 military personnel to Haiti. About 4,700 are deployed on the ground with the rest on ships off the coast.
There were signs the ruined capital was slowly returning to life. A city garbage truck hauled away piles of rubbish at a makeshift camp near St. Peter's Church and a long line snaked outside a bank in the suburb of Petionville. A street market along Rue Geffrard in Port-au-Prince was crowded and chaotic.
The capital's destroyed downtown commercial area, however, had few open shops. Scavengers picked at smashed buildings for planks of lumber, steel bars and other building materials.
Authorities are trying to relocate at least 400,000 survivors from more than 400 makeshift camps across Port-au-Prince to temporary tent villages outside the city.
Health Minister Alex Larsen said 1 million Haitians had been displaced from their homes in the wrecked capital. The government had tents for 400,000 to be used in the new, temporary settlements, but said it would need 200,000 more.
The need for tents is especially urgent due to the upcoming rainy season, which begins in April.
Almost daily aftershocks have shaken Port-au-Prince since the quake, raising the possibility the city might have to be rebuilt on a safer location, away from geological fault lines.
The United Nations said the exodus of quake victims out of the capital has slowed to a trickle, with less than 1,000 leaving over the past day. Since the quake about 236,000 people have left for the countryside but the United Nations said most had moved in with relatives and large-scale shelter wouldn't be needed.
Donors scheduled an international pledging conference at U.N. headquarters in New York in March.
(Additional reporting by Jackie Frank, Matthew Bigg, Joseph Guyler Delva and Carlos Barria in Haiti, Randall Palmer in Montreal; Writing by Eric Beech; Editing by Kieran Murray and Doina Chiacu)
|
PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - U.S. troops pulled a man alive from the rubble of a collapsed building in Haiti's destroyed capital on Tuesday, two weeks after a massive earthquake rattled the country.The
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Vitamin C may be useful to treat cancer after all
|
20120222220542
|
WASHINGTON | Mon Aug 4, 2008 5:18pm EDT
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vitamin C might be useful to treat cancer after all, according to a U.S. study published on Monday in which injections of high doses of it greatly reduced the rate of tumor growth in mice.
The idea that vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, could be used to treat cancer was advanced in the 1970s by American scientist Linus Pauling, who awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1954.
The notion was controversial and subsequent studies failed to show a benefit. But those studies involved vitamin C given orally.
The new study by researchers at the U.S. government's National Institutes of Health involved injections of vitamin C to enable greater concentrations of it to get into the system.
The researchers implanted three types of aggressive cancer cells into laboratory mice -- ovarian, pancreatic and glioblastoma brain tumors. Mice that were given high-dosage injections of vitamin C experienced tumor growth only about half that of similar mice that were not given the injections, they said.
"The key finding here is that this is ascorbic acid used as a drug and it appears to have some promise in treating some cancers," Dr. Mark Levine of the NIH's National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, who led the study, said in a telephone interview.
The researchers believe the elevated amounts of ascorbic acid generate hydrogen peroxide in the body that acts against the cancer cells.
"That hydrogen peroxide leads to death of some cancer cells and does not seem to kill normal cells. Why that is, we don't know," said Levine, whose team's findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Levine said a recent clinical study in Canada in which he was involved showed that similar high doses of vitamin C can be injected into people with very minimal side effects.
"The thing that's realistic here is that the concentrations that are effective, or similar concentrations, can be achieved in humans," Levine said.
A reasonable next step would be to begin studies testing whether this works in people, he said. "I think we're pretty close to being ready to do that," Levine said.
(Editing by Julie Steenhuysen and Bill Trott)
|
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vitamin C might be useful to treat cancer after all, according to a U.S. study published on Monday in which injections of high doses of it greatly reduced the rate of tumor growth
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'Unresponsive' Zsa Zsa Gabor Rushed To Hospital
|
20120227181427
|
Zsa Zsa Gabor's husband called 911 today after finding his ailing wife "unresponsive," a publicist for the 93-year-old actress said.
Gabor, who has been in and out of the hospital since falling out of bed and breaking her hip July 17, was at her Bel Air home when husband Frederic Prinz von Anhalt found her, publicist John Blanchette said.
Her husband called 911 to have the actress rushed to a hospital, Blanchette said.
Gabor underwent hip-replacement surgery and was released from Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center just shy of a month later. But two days later, she developed blood clots and was taken back to the hospital.
Gabor was given last rites at the hospital Aug. 15 and was brought home to her Bel Air Road mansion the following day after declining any more procedures.
Zsa Zsa is the last of the three glamorous Gabor sisters, all of whom had careers in show business. Magda, the eldest, died in 1997 at age 82. Eva, who starred in the 1960s CBS sitcom "Green Acres," died in 1995 at age 76.
Gabor's mother, Jolie, lived to be 101 years old.
Born Sari Gabor on Feb. 6, 1917, in Budapest, Hungary, she was unable to pronounce her first name as a child, calling herself Zsa Zsa instead. She was discovered by opera tenor Richard Tauber during a trip to Vienna in 1936 and was invited to perform in "Der Singende Traum," or "The Singing Dream." She arrived in the United States about 1941. In 1936, she won the Miss Hungary title, but was not able to participate in the Miss Europe pageant because she was underage.
By the early 1950s, she was appearing in films, including John Huston's version of "Moulin Rouge" and Orson Welles' "Touch of Evil."
She made headlines in 1989 when she was arrested for slapping a Beverly Hills police officer who pulled her over for a traffic violation and spent three days in jail.
In 2002, she was partly paralyzed in a car wreck in which her hairdresser was driving, and in 2005 she suffered a stroke.
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'Unresponsive' Zsa Zsa Gabor Rushed to Hospital
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