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http://fortune.com/2011/04/11/the-man-who-won-steve-jobs-trust-2/

http://web.archive.org/web/20141228075539id_/http://fortune.com/2011/04/11/the-man-who-won-steve-jobs-trust-2/

The man who won Steve Jobs’ trust

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Who is Walter Isaacson, and why did Jobs choose him to tell the story of his life? [NOTE: Simon & Schuster announced Sunday that the first authorized biography of Steve Jobs — iSteve: The Book of Jobs by Walter Isaacson [Since renamed Steve Jobs] — will be published in early 2012. A version of this article was posted in February 2010 before the S&S publicity machine was ready to kick into gear.] Apple’s January 2010 iPad event was packed cheek to jowl with the famous and well-connected, from John Doerr to Al Gore. But I was still surprised see my old Time magazine editor in the middle of the action. What in the world was Walter Isaacson doing at an Apple AAPL event in San Francisco? The answer came two and a half weeks later in the New York Times , which reported that Steve Jobs — having fought off a long list of would-be biographers over the years — had chosen Isaacson to write, with Jobs’ help, the story of his life. The news came as no surprise to anyone who has worked with Isaacson. If there is one thread that runs through his long career in journalism and public service, it’s his talent for spotting the most influential people in any room and finding a way to get close to them. Born into a middle-class New Orleans family in 1952, Isaacson seemed to live a charmed life. He was educated at the prestigious Isidore Newman School, whose graduates include Michael (Liar’s Poker) Lewis and quarterback Peyton Manning. He went to Harvard and won a Rhodes Scholarship, which sent him to Oxford University. He joined Time‘s Washington bureau in 1978, where he covered the Reagan White House. At Time, where his byline appears on 218 stories, he quickly climbed the ranks, becoming editor of the Nation section, then editor of the whole back of the book (science, technology, arts, law, books, etc.) — somehow finding time on weekends to write the definitive biography of Henry Kissinger. He became Time‘s managing editor — the magazine’s top job — in 1996. In an era of belt-tightening he managed to grow the staff and launch several high-profile projects, including the Time 100, Person of the Century, and Time‘s 75th Anniversary celebration at Radio City Music Hall, to which every living person who had ever been on the cover was invited. Time staffers wondered what a man as ambitious as Walter would do after leaving the magazine. Rumor had it he was angling for a post in a Democratic administration — perhaps Secretary of State. Instead, he moved into new media and public policy. He had been instrumental in putting Time on AOL AOL in the early 1990s, and in 1994 — before taking the reins at Time — he launched Pathfinder, a grand but ultimately doomed Time Warner TWX Web portal whose rise and fall was chronicled in Michael Wolff’s Burn Rate . [UPDATE: See Wolff’s take on what kind of Jobs biography Isaacson might write here.] After Time and Pathfinder, Isaacson spent two unhappy years as chairman of CNN before taking over the Aspen Institute, where he remains president and CEO — a post that gives him the credentials to make guest appearances on TV (most frequently on the Charlie Rose Show) and plenty of time for other projects. In the past decade, he has accepted a long list of honorary positions. He is on the boards of Tulane University, United Airlines and the Bipartisan Policy Center. He is chairman of the board of Teach for America and vice chairman of the Louisiana Recovery Authority. He serves as co-chair of the U.S.-Vietnamese Dialogue on Agent Orange, and in 2007 President George W. Bush named him chairman of the U.S.-Palestinian Public-Private Partnership. The Jobs book will be his fourth major biography. In addition to Kissinger: A Biography (1992) he has written Benjamin Franklin: An American Life (2003) and Einstein: His Life and Universe (2007). His most recent book is American Sketches: Great Leaders, Creative Thinkers, and Heroes of a Hurricane (2009). According to Simon & Schuster, Apple’s CEO has given Isaacson unprecedented access — including access to his family, colleagues at Apple and a tour of his childhood home. But until Sunday’s announcement, it wasn’t clear to outsiders that the book was a sure thing. Because what Jobs gives, he can also take away. In the early 1980s Jobs invited Michael Moritz, then Time‘s Silicon Valley reporter, to chronicle the creation of the Macintosh for the book that became The Little Kingdom (1984). But when Moritz reported, in Time‘s 1983 Machine of the Year cover package, the story (here) of how Jobs’ initially refused to acknowledge paternity of his first daughter, Lisa, access was abruptly cut off. Moritz had to finish the book without Apple’s cooperation. Moritz went on to become a partner at Sequoia Capital and to play a key role in funding, among other high-tech start-ups, Google GOOG , YouTube, Yahoo YHOO and Cisco CSCO . This will not be Isaacson’s first crack at high-tech hagiography. In 1996 he persuaded Microsoft’s MSFT Bill Gates to give him access for what Isaacson pitched as a shot at making Gates Time‘s Person of the Year. Gates lost out to AIDS researcher David Ho, but Isaacson’s piece ran on the cover the next week. You can read it here. How did Walter manage to win the trust of Steve Jobs, a man whose penchant for secrecy — and his contempt for journalists — are legendary? Says Simon & Schuster editor-in-chief Priscilla Painton, Isaacson’s editor and a Time alumna: “It was Walter’s idea. And you know Walter — he just worked at it.” [Follow Philip Elmer-DeWitt on Twitter @philiped]

Who is Walter Isaacson, and why did Jobs choose him to tell the story of his life? [NOTE: Simon & Schuster announced Sunday that the first authorized biography of Steve Jobs -- iSteve: The Book of Jobs by Walter Isaacson [Since renamed Steve Jobs] -- will be published in early 2012. A version of this article…

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http://fortune.com/2010/09/01/google-responds-to-steve-jobs-activation-counting-accusations/

http://web.archive.org/web/20141230014544id_/http://fortune.com:80/2010/09/01/google-responds-to-steve-jobs-activation-counting-accusations/

Google responds to Steve Jobs’ activation counting accusations

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At the Apple Event today, Steve Jobs slipped some jabs Google’s way but also lauded AppleTV’s ability to play YouTube. There is not much news for Google watchers at Apple events these days and what there is is usually bad. Steve Jobs started off the presentation today saying that Apple was activating 230,000 devices a day. Google’s Eric Schmidt last month said that Google was activating over 200,000 devices a day and growing. But Steve Jobs can’t believe those numbers are legit. He told the event audience that: “We think some of our friends are counting upgrades in their numbers” That’s obviously a direct accusation aimed at Google. He added, ” we think we are ahead of everyone”. Updated: A Google Spokesperson told me: “The Android activation numbers do not include upgrades and are, in fact, only a portion of the Android devices in the market since we only include devices that have Google services.” –meaning that Jobs’ assertions were wrong. On AppleTV, he took a less direct hit at Google’s Google TV. He said that consumers want Hollywood blockbusters and high-end TV shows, but not “amateur hour.” GoogleTV will allow you to pull content from anywhere, including amateur video sites. Jobs added it is hard for technology companies to understand that consumers “don’t want a computer in their living room”. GoogleTV is operated with Google’s familiar browser search bar as the main navigation interface. On the positive side for Google, he did mention that AppleTV would still play YouTube movies (which some would consider amateur hour and professional at the same time) and mentioned that HD YouTubes would play on the AppleTV as well. Google’s Android OS will be well represented at this week’s ITA conference in Germany and GoogleTV will be released later this summer.

At the Apple Event today, Steve Jobs slipped some jabs Google's way but also lauded AppleTV's ability to play YouTube. There is not much news for Google watchers at Apple events these days and what there is is usually bad.  Steve Jobs started off the presentation today saying that Apple was activating 230,000 devices a…

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http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/11/04/04greenwire-historic-water-reform-package-passes-calif-leg-45542.html

http://web.archive.org/web/20150101220410id_/http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/11/04/04greenwire-historic-water-reform-package-passes-calif-leg-45542.html

Historic Water Reform Package Passes Calif. Legislature

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The California Legislature voted early this morning to overhaul the state's governance of water supply, sending a five-part reform package to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R). A day after the water effort seemed near collapse, Senate leaders managed to negotiate a settlement to finish their half of the work as the clock ticked well beyond midnight. Crucially, the Senate passed revised legislation to enact a groundwater monitoring program, clearing a key roadblock. With the Senate's work done, the action turned to the lower chamber, where lawmakers traded blows until about 4 a.m. PST over a comprehensive package that opponents called an unprecedented expansion of a state bureaucracy that is already the nation's most extensive. But the Assembly overcame the protests to pass the four policy sections of the omnibus effort, along with an $11.14 billion bond measure to finance water projects. If the governor signs the package, the bond would be placed on the November ballot next year, as any new debt must be approved directly by voters. The bond was raised at the last minute in the Assembly from a previous level of $9.99 billion. The increase brought a round of reprisals from critics who cited the state's economic woes and recent budget cuts to core programs like education and health care. Assemblymember Chuck DeVore (R), a candidate for Sen. Barbara Boxer's (D) seat in Washington, said the bond measure had been "so bulked up with pork" it would fail next year. "This is not the time to put an $11.14 billion bond before the voters," Assemblymember Mariko Yamada (D) added. Schwarzenegger, a supporter of the bond, is expected to sign the entire package. The bills moved by the Legislature are nothing if not complex, but they would essentially accomplish five key goals. The package would: Water monitoring had threatened to derail negotiations this week, but Senate Democratic leader Darrell Steinberg offered a concession to Republicans who feared regulators would encroach on private property, writing language into the final bill that would prohibit regulators from accessing private land without prior approval. "It's a fair balance," Steinberg said minutes before the Senate passed the bill. Elsewhere, many proponents hope the new governing council, with members appointed by the governor and the Legislature, will be able to cut through red tape and slow-moving environmental reviews to expand conveyance and storage facilities. Among the options the council would likely consider once created is construction of a multibillion-dollar peripheral canal around the delta to farms and urban users in the south. The votes yesterday came after an intense round of lobbying that saw prominent environmental groups in Sacramento working against each other. In support of the policy provisions (but not necessarily the bond) were the Nature Conservancy, Environmental Defense Fund, Natural Resources Defense Council and California League of Conservation Voters, among others. Firmly against it were the Sierra Club, Friends of the River, and Planning and Conservation League. To Steve Evans, conservation director of Friends of the River, the backing of NRDC, in particular, meant implicit support for building a peripheral canal around the delta. Moreover, Evans took issue with NRDC's claim that it has no position on the bond, calling it a politically convenient calculation. "NRDC claims that they oppose the bond, but if you pass policy without funding, it's just a piece of paper," Evans said. NRDC's Barry Nelson, head of the group's Western Water Project, countered that his coalition of environmental groups had formed the first "growing middle" on water legislation in a generation. He noted that the groups had joined with the Westland Water District, the Orange County Business Council and others to back Steinberg's package in what amounts to a cease-fire among common enemies. "Suffice it to say that NRDC and the Westlands Water District have disagreed about many things over the years, frequently before a federal judge," Nelson wrote in a blog post. "But perhaps it is a sign that a truce is possible, giving us time and breathing room to develop workable solutions."

The California Legislature voted early this morning to overhaul the state's governance of water supply, sending a five-part r...

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http://fortune.com/2014/02/21/a-luxury-car-by-kia/

http://web.archive.org/web/20150102070729id_/http://fortune.com:80/2014/02/21/a-luxury-car-by-kia/

A luxury car by … Kia?

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FORTUNE — Kia Motor’s new fullsize K900 luxury sedan evokes memories of a January day in 1989 in Detroit when a different Asian automaker, Toyota Motor Corp. TM , lifted the veils from its first luxury sedan, the LS400. In those days Detroit and German automakers didn’t take Toyota and its Mercedes S-Class knockoff too seriously. After all, Toyota was a synonym for inexpensive and efficient, not premium. How many self-respecting shoppers would choose Lexus, even at a deep discount to cars with similar features? (Many, many, it turns out.) Kia, the South Korean affiliate of Hyundai Motor Co., has swiped a page from Toyota’s playbook. But this time, I doubt executives in Detroit, Stuttgart, Wolfsburg, and Tokyo are taking Kia lightly. The K900 drives, looks and feels very much like a BMW 7 Series and, at prices starting at $65,000, sells at about 25% off. MORE: A union-free VW could get the works council in Tennessee Oh, yes: The big boys have seen this movie, and they don’t like the ending. For the moment, Kia isn’t positioning itself as a giant killer. Quite the opposite. “The K900 isn’t going to be a big volume seller,” said Michael Sprague, Kia’s executive vice president of sales, marketing, and communications. “It’s really about the Kia brand.” If Kia sells 3,000 K900s, that will be a fine debut, nothing to make Lexus executives lose sleep. The company mainly is hoping that its Optima, Cadenza, Sorento, and other models will benefit from K900’s halo as consumers realize Kia — a name they don’t know well — can put a BMW surrogate on the road. K900 will be sold at Kia dealerships alongside the brand’s less expensive models. At a typical luxury franchise, like Lexus, the dealer is dedicated to dispensing kid-glove service. Toyotas aren’t seen in the vicinity. Sprague and his colleagues know that to create a true luxury brand — as opposed to a single luxury model — takes decades and loads of capital. That’s not the highest priority yet. But just as Samsung started as a cheap alternative to Sony, Kia one day might be seen as premium, justifying further models and perhaps a separate franchise. Meantime, Kia sold 535,179 vehicles in the U.S. last year, down 4% due to slow launches, compared to 438,134 for Volkswagen. But VW’s average transaction price per vehicle was $26,107, according to Kbb.com, compared with Kia’s $24,161. One of Kia’s key business goals will be to keep raising average transaction prices, which K900 could positively influence. MORE: The bear market for classic American cars Kia’s Super Bowl commercial spoofing The Matrix, starring Lawrence Fishburne, captured strong viewer attention during the game, measurably lifting shopper awareness of the K900. “K900 meets expectations on a refinement and feature level,” said Karl Brauer, senior analyst for Kelley Blue Book. “Kia knows it will face an uphill battle in getting traditional luxury shoppers to consider its brand; but those that look past the hood emblem will be impressed.” Coming up with a name for the new luxury sedan was tricky. In South Korea it’s known as “K9.” English-speaking societies would mock such a name. Since alphanumerics for luxury cars are all the rage, planners came up with K900. The K900 designation is a departure for a model line that has names like Optima and Soul. It will be just fine, however, if Kia keeps progressing at its current pace and one day makes a bid for its own luxury franchise.

The K900 sedan is a clever branding play for the Korean automaker, showing customers it can put a BMW surrogate on the road.

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http://fortune.com/2015/01/02/7-holiday-traditions-that-are-practical-and-profitable-all-year-long/

http://web.archive.org/web/20150102173801id_/http://fortune.com/2015/01/02/7-holiday-traditions-that-are-practical-and-profitable-all-year-long/

7 holiday traditions that are practical and profitable all year long

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This post is in partnership with Entrepreneur. The article below was originally published at Entrepreneur.com. Here we are at the beginning of a New Year. The revelry of the holidays is behind us, and it’s time to get serious and get back to work. But before we get too deep into goals, strategies, tactics and financial projections, let’s take a look at how you can turn some traditional holiday practices into greater profits in 2015. My clients and I use the phrase “Pop a cork!” as a cue to stop and celebrate. Why? Because sharing a toast does two things; it recognizes progress and potential. It says, “Wow, something great happened, and here’s a toast to having more of it!” That’s the kind of energy we need to keep us moving all year long, so don’t save your celebrations for the beginning of 2016, find a reason to pop a cork (real or virtual) at least once a month. We’re reminded, during the holidays, of how much we have to be grateful for. Expressing gratitude can be a powerful exercise in business as well. Take stock of all the things you have to be grateful for in your professional life. All the people you’ve connected with, all the experience you’ve accumulated, all the clients you’ve served. Guess what you’ve done. You’ve inventoried your resources. And you’ve probably uncovered a few that are undeveloped; people you’ve neglected, talents and skills you haven’t leveraged, testimonials you haven’t asked for. Develop those resources, and you’ll have more reasons to say “Pop a cork” and even more to be grateful for the next time you take stock. Right now it’s probably easy to remember the last time you received a physical card, with a stamp and a handwritten address. But by March you’ll probably have to think back three months to remember how it felt knowing someone took the time to think of you. If it’s true for you it’s probably true for some people who are important to your business. They may be prospects you haven’t worked with yet, referral sources you haven’t talked to for a while, or even ex-employees who’ve gone on to bigger things but might be your best source of talent and clients if you keep the relationship fresh. Anyone who showed up on your gratitude inventory should probably go on your “just because” greeting card list. Do you know when you’ll find the most sugar in your dentist’s office? You got it, between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. That’s because general dentists refer business to dental specialists. So every year they get an avalanche of gifts from the practices who have received their referrals. And, as ironic as it may be, most of those gifts are sweets. Gifts are sweet any time of year. In fact, they’re even sweeter when they aren’t anticipated, or expected. You don’t have to give big gifts, it might just mean spending a little extra time with a client or making a small contribution to a cause you know an employee holds dear. It’s more than the thought that counts, but it’s the thought that counts the most in building meaningful relationships with your referral partners, prospects, employees and friends of the business. Not the drink until dawn kind of parties. With the exception of a few industries, those probably won’t do much for your reputation. But during the holidays we take more time to reconnect, see people we haven’t seen for a while, and hang out with no agenda except catching up or getting to know each other a little better. Anyone can put together a networking event, the real key to building business relationships by hosting get-togethers is to let go of the agendas and simply connect. Each year as we say “goodbye” to the old and “hello” to the new, many of us have made a practice of reflecting on the year past. But in business we usually go straight into analysis mode. What a SWOTT analysis of the business won’t tell us is our own strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats and trends. Yet, the greatest strengths and opportunities, as well as the greatest weaknesses and threats, aren’t going to be found in looking at operations, or profit margins, or sales funnels or market trends. You’ll only become aware of them by looking at leadership. And that begins with you. Most people have “failed” on their New Year’s resolutions so many times they’ve given up on making them. That’s because most people don’t really make sure they have the resolve to do what they say they’re going to do. Even more people don’t realize that resolving isn’t a onetime activity, it’s a daily practice that becomes easier with repitition. Keep resolving, on New Year’s Day and the 364 days that follow, and you’re likely to find a lot of your problems resolved by this time next year. 4 Motivating TED Talks to Help You Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions For Entrepreneurs, The Gift-Giving Season is Year Round 5 Simple Ways to Express Gratitude Every Day

Turn these once-a-year activities into monthly habits and watch your business grow.

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http://fortune.com/2015/01/06/stock-market-suck-2015/

http://web.archive.org/web/20150107012742id_/http://fortune.com/2015/01/06/stock-market-suck-2015/

6 reasons why stocks may tank in 2015

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Despite some tumultuous twists and turns, the U.S. stock market made big gains in 2014. But the new year has got off to a rough start with a market-wide sell-off. In 2014, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 7.5% as it crossed both the 17,000-point and 18,000-point marks for the first time ever. The S&P 500 posted 53 record highs as it rose 12% on the year while the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite jumped more than 13% to its highest levels since the dot-com bubble burst in 2000. But this year, the Dow has already lost more than 2.5%, and it is more than 700 points behind its record levels of just weeks ago. Both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq have also dropped by roughly 3% during that time because of concerns about the European economy and falling oil prices. Despite 2014’s record levels, this year’s slow start has some market analysts declaring an end to the bull market and predicting that Wall Street’s bear is emerging from hibernation. Here are some reasons why 2015 might be a disappointing year for the stock market:

From steadily declining oil prices to possible interest rate hikes, the market faces a number of headwinds.

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http://www.foxsports.com/arizona/story/sun-devils-expect-breakout-season-from-free-safety-randall-081114

http://web.archive.org/web/20150107161203id_/http://www.foxsports.com:80/arizona/story/sun-devils-expect-breakout-season-from-free-safety-randall-081114

Sun Devils expect breakout season from free safety Damarious Randall

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Updated AUG 11, 2014 7:08p ET TEMPE, Ariz. -- A year ago, Arizona State safety Damarious Randall found himself in a tough spot. Rehabbing an injury during fall camp, Randall had little chance to prove himself and wasn't even ready to play until the ASU's second game. This year, coaches know what to expect. "He can be as good as anybody in the country," safeties coach and co-defensive coordinator Chris Ball said. "If he keeps working and works on his physical game, he could be one of the best in the country." After a year in ASU's system, Randall enters his senior season poised to star in the Sun Devils' defense and establish himself among the Pac-12's best defensive backs. In his first season at ASU after transferring from Mesa Community College, Randall laid the foundation for a big follow-up campaign. After getting healthy, he took the starting job at free safety in ASU's fifth game and only got better from there. He finished tied for third on the team in tackles (71) and had three interceptions. Then, Randall went through spring drills and his first summer in ASU's strength and conditioning program. Put it all together and coaches see a big difference in Randall from this time last year. "He has a mastery of what he's doing," coach Todd Graham said. "He's activated. I think what activates kids is when they see that the system is designed for them and the amount of input they have in the system." Ball said Randall is now reacting more than he is thinking on the field, and Randall agrees. What he is supposed to do has become second nature. "Now once Coach Graham calls the defense I don't have to sit there and be like 'OK, I have to do this and do that,' " Randall said. "Now I'm saying 'OK, this guy does this and this guy does that, so I do that.' It's more like I actually know the whole defense." That comfort level should help Randall get back to being the ball hawk he was at MCC, where in 2012 his nine interceptions were more than any player in the country at any level. Last season, he returned an interception for a touchdown in ASU's regular-season finale against Arizona. Randall says he wants double-digit interceptions this year -- "My goal is like from 12 to 15," he said -- and to lead the nation. Those are lofty goals considering only seven players have tallied 10 or more interceptions since 2000, and no one has had more than 12. "Last year I was a free, free safety -- I was kind of deep deep a lot," Randall said. "This year I'm going to be more around the ball and more of an enforcer up on the run too." Added Ball: "No question he'll have a ton of interceptions. We're going to put him in position to make plays, put him in position to get interceptions and defend the routes we think need to be defended." Ball said up until a few days ago Randall had at least one pick in every practice. That started to make ASU's quarterbacks more wary of his presence, an effect Ball says should translate to opponents. Randall played in the shadow last year of veterans Alden Darby and Robert Nelson, whose six interceptions helped make him a First Team All-Pac-12 cornerback. He didn't even make the preseason watch list for the Jim Thorpe Award, which honors the nation's best defensive back annually, while players from schools such as Bowling Green and Western Kentucky did. Given all that, Randall could surprise some people this year. Just not his own coaches. "My goal for him is obviously to graduate college, and I want him to be a Jim Thorpe Award winner and a first-round draft pick," Ball said. Again, that's setting the bar very high, but the coaching staff thinks he ranks along with the likes of Oregon's Ifo Ekpre-Olomu and USC's Su'a Cravens among the Pac-12 premier defensive backs. "He's really got a mastery of what he's doing and what he's good at," Graham said. "He's got a chance to be special." Follow Tyler Lockman on Twitter

After a year in ASU's system, Damarious Randall enters his senior season poised to star in the Sun Devils' defense and establish himself among the Pac-12's best defensive backs.

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http://www.9news.com.au/world/2015/01/03/05/03/three-suspected-ecstasy-deaths-in-england

http://web.archive.org/web/20150109113605id_/http://www.9news.com.au:80/world/2015/01/03/05/03/three-suspected-ecstasy-deaths-in-england

Three suspected ecstasy deaths in England

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Police in England are urging anyone who may have bought a dangerous brand of ecstasy tablet to surrender them to authorities, without fear of arrest, following three suspected drug deaths. A 20-year-old labourer, named as John Hocking, died after being found seriously unwell in Rendlesham, near Ipswich in Suffolk, on Thursday. A second man, also in his 20s and originally from Lithuania, died in Ipswich the same day. Another man from the same address was taken to hospital in a serious condition. Detectives believe their cases may be linked to the drugs-related death in Ipswich on Christmas Eve of another man, also aged in his 20s. Police believe the deaths could have been a result of taking a particularly dangerous batch of ecstasy. Superintendent Louisa Pepper, from Suffolk Police, said that anyone in possession of the tablets, believed to be red, triangular and embossed with an "S" Superman emblem, should hand them in at a police station, accident and emergency department or fire station. "Tragically three young men have lost their lives. "We view this particular drug as especially dangerous and want to prevent further deaths and save lives." Supt Pepper said she could understand people's reluctance to surrender drugs to authorities "but we are not looking to arrest or prosecute people". Police have drawn a link between the drugs and dangerous pills with a similar appearance which were in circulation in the Netherlands last month. Those tablets had a large concentration of PMMA, which acts more slowly than MDMA, the main component of ecstasy. This causes people to take more pills because they think they are not working. PMMA can cause high body temperature and an increased heart rate. Do you have any news photos or videos?

Police in England believe a bad batch of ecstasy tablets is behind the deaths of three young men and have urged people to hand in any suspect drugs.

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http://www.people.com/article/kellie-pickler-meow-mix-partnership

http://web.archive.org/web/20150111080806id_/http://www.people.com:80/article/kellie-pickler-meow-mix-partnership

Kellie Pickler Partners with Meow Mix to Feed Poor House Cats : People.com

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updated 08/14/2014 AT 06:30 AM EDT •originally published 08/12/2014 AT 04:55 PM EDT , she knew she'd have to get her feline fix elsewhere. cat food to help local, less fortunate families feed the house cats of New York. "Being that my husband's severely allergic to cats – he's allergic to air, he's allergic to everything – I kind of have to get my cat fix by doing things like this," the 28-year-old tells PEOPLE. On Wednesday, Pickler and a Meow Mix mobile sound booth will be stationed in New York City's Columbus Circle from noon until 6 p.m., inviting cat lovers and fans to record their own version of the Meow Mix jingle. For each recording, Meow Mix will donate 100 meals to the Food Bank for New York City. "It's amazing to be a part of something that matters," says the singer. "I'm encouraging all the cat lovers out there to jump into the studio … and whoever wants to get in there can sing with me." So what does husband Kyle Jacobs think of her furry pastime? "He is so supportive in everything that I do," she says. I'm blessed to have that support from him."

"It's amazing to be a part of something that matters," the singer says of her partnership with Meow Mix cat food

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http://fortune.com/2015/01/15/how-corporate-america-is-tackling-unconscious-bias/

http://web.archive.org/web/20150115121302id_/http://fortune.com/2015/01/15/how-corporate-america-is-tackling-unconscious-bias/

How corporate America is tackling unconscious bias

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Equality is a worthy goal—but its tough to achieve when unconscious bias so pervades the American workplace. Certainly women have made inroads in corporate America, but a Pew Research Center survey released Wednesday points at why women struggle to climb to the corporate world’s highest ranks—and often tone down their ideas, hide behind an agreeable facade or leave the workplace altogether. Four out of 10 surveyed in the Pew study said that there are double standards for women seeking the highest levels of leadership in politics or business. They added that women have to outshine their male counterparts—and more than one-third of respondents believe the electorate and corporate America are not ready to put more women in top leadership positions. That conclusion comes as no surprise to Howard J. Ross, a diversity expert from Silver Spring, Md., who says “men are more likely, on television and elsewhere, to be seen in the workplace. It affects the way men see women and the way women see themselves.” Ross, who addressed the issue in his recent book, Everyday Bias: Identifying and Navigating Unconscious Judgments in Our Daily Lives, says, “It’s not just men but women too who have ingrained expectations of workplace roles.” Google’s GOOG disclosure last year that it has a 70% male workforce and its public effort to address that “deserves recognition,” says Ross. Google, along with companies like BAE Systems, Exel, Genentech, T. Rowe Price and Roche Diagnostics are among those who are moving to overcome their workplace biases, he said. One step some companies are taking when hiring? Stripping resumes of names and other identifying information and assigning numbers, Ross says. Roche Diagnostics, a subsidiary of pharmaceutical giant Roche Group, is aiming to make its managers more aware of unconscious bias. It held two bias acquaintance sessions with its senior and middle managers in recent months and has plans for a third at its national sales meeting in late January. “We are trying to ensure that our culture understands how bias exists everywhere, and being aware of it is critical,” says Bridget Boyle, Roche Diagnostics’ vice president of human resources. In addition to ongoing training to highlight unconscious bias, the company broadened its recruitment and promotion policies in 2013. More than half of its lower level employees were women but their presence began to thin in middle management, Boyle says. To spark change, the company instituted a mentor policy that has paired 150 sets of employees over 18 months. It’s also strengthening maternity and paternity benefits and assuring diverse slates of candidates for the 750-800 openings it fills each year, Boyle adds. Royal Bank of Canada started an effort in May 2013 to raise awareness of bias among its 78,000 employees worldwide. Dr. Mahzarin Banaji, a Harvard University social ethics professor who co-authored Blind Spot: The Hidden Biases of Good People, has held sessions for about 1,000 of RBC’s executives to help alert them of their biases. In addition to these meetings, employees have access to tests developed by Harvard to assess their unconscious biases and apply their personal findings in workshops. These sessions, says Norma Tombari, RBC’s director of global diversity, are continuing in 2015 as part of the company’s “entire talent management decision-making.” The program covers gender, race, disability and LGBT biases. Despite such concerted efforts, change won’t be sudden, warns Gerard J. Holder, the author of Hidden Bias: How Unconscious Attitudes on Diversity Undermine Organizations and What to do about It. “We didn’t get conditioned overnight,” says Holder, who works with companies to help reeducate employees on their learned behaviors. “It’s a learning process that has to be done over a period of time, not a training that can be done in three hours.” A transformed workforce may be a while away, but the Pew study did reveal several gems that hint at progress. Women won high rankings on key leadership traits like ambition and decisiveness. The respondents also said that women place more importance on intelligence and honesty than men do—and that those are essential leadership traits.

Roche Diagnostics and Royal Bank of Canada have launched internal initiatives in hopes of increasing workforce diversity.

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NASCAR's Jeff Gordon Destroys NBA Fan In Tricycle Race At Wizards Game

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If there's a disadvantage to Jeff Gordon's thirst for victory, it looks like we've found it. The Washington Wizards brought in Gordon to participate in an on-court tricycle race during Tuesday night's game, matching the NASCAR legend up against an unassuming NBA fan. When the proverbial starter's pistol went off, Gordon took off. And almost immediately, he destroyed his competition. This @WashWizards fan had no chance in a race against Jeff Gordon #Dusted https://t.co/zXbxQ7B1Tg — NBA TV (@NBATV) January 14, 2015 For all the entertainment of watching Gordon smile, holler and celebrate while riding a tricycle built for a full-size man, the best part of this clip might be listening to Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley provide color commentary. While Smith yells "Don't do it, Jeff! You've got too much respect!" at the start of the race, his counterpart Barkley is able to fully enjoy what unfolds in front of them. And while it's true that Gordon's trike race is weird, even unsettling, no one can deny that it makes for good television. Gordon wasn't bashful about celebrating his victory, either. 1st win of the 2015 season! Trike race @WashWizards game. @DISupdates #DAYTONA500 — Jeff Gordon (@JeffGordonWeb) January 14, 2015 Oops! Forgot to send pic! pic.twitter.com/D3qW0v3hkj — Jeff Gordon (@JeffGordonWeb) January 14, 2015 “@NASCAR: First win of the season? SMOKED this @WashWizards fan. https://t.co/9KQSoA7SVw Who says I need to work on restarts? — Jeff Gordon (@JeffGordonWeb) January 14, 2015 Like us on facebook, follow us on twitter, and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

If there's a disadvantage to Jeff Gordon's thirst for victory, it looks like we've found it. The Washington Wizards brought in Gordon to participate ...

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G.R.L. Opens Up About Simone Battle's Suicide : People.com

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It should have been the greatest time of their lives. Last April, the all-girl band was just gaining buzz, heating up the charts with "Ugly Heart" and singing the chorus to Pitbull's popular radio jam, "Wild Wild Love." The five singers were huge in Australia and performed on the And then, the unthinkable happened. Group member Simone Battle, 25, who had risen to fame as a finalist on the 2011 U.S. version of "It all just came to a stop," says member Paula Van Oppen, 25. "Everything halted." was almost unbearable for the group. "You can never prepare yourself for something like this, ever," says group member Lauren Bennett, 25. "We'd just been in rehearsals the day before, learning choreography for our show, and the next day we were starting the morning as usual when we got the call. I still can't believe it. I don't think any of us can. It's weird that we're even sitting here, talking about it." Ray Tamarra / GC Images The members say the last four months have been a blur, dealing with the loss of their friend, taking care of one another, going through therapy (both together and individually) and slowly trying to regroup and find their next path. They don't just want to get back in the studio and start working on an album – they want to make a difference in the world, to prevent a tragedy like this from happening to anyone else. "This time has given us a moment to reflect and find purpose as a group," Van Oppen says. "A big part of what's helping us move forward is partnering with this amazing organization, , which raises awareness for mental health issues and helps people learn about the signs of depression." They say their main mission is to bring the topic of depression out in the open, especially among their young fans, for whom that sort of stuff is generally taboo to talk about. "Mental health is important for everyone, and people need to be able to talk about it," says member Natasha Slayton, 26. "And also be aware of the signs that friends and family members can look out for, in case someone close to them is going through something." They say the fact that they didn't realize their close friend was struggling so much will always stay with them. "She was such a strong woman, and very independent, and we had no idea what she was going through, or her pain," Van Oppen says. "We admire how prideful she was, but now we just wish she'd let us in a little bit so maybe we could have helped her. Now we want to spread that message that it's okay to talk about, and help people, maybe even change the world." They recently recorded the single "Lighthouse," a song about being there for your friends, and the entire video features footage of Battle, from her childhood to her time with G.R.L. "We rehearsed the other day without her, and it's just weird. But she was so passionate about singing and this group, and I feel like we're keeping her memory alive by being together," says member Emmalyn Estrada, 22. "But right now we're focused on the song and the positive message overall, about being together in hard times. We're taking everything else one day at a time." "We learned so much from her," says Bennett, choking back tears. "In the video you can see her passion for performance, and you can see her strumming along to the music in the beginning. It's us showing that she's still part of the group. She'll always be part of this group."

Members of the girl group open up about how they've been coping and how they vow to honor Battle's memory

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Steve Jobs and Bill Gates: Exclusive bio excerpt in Fortune Monday

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They were the best of frenemies for nearly 30 years. Walter Isaacson has the inside story. The first excerpt from the year’s most eagerly awaited — and carefully guarded — biography will appear in Fortune on Monday. The magazine has secured exclusive rights to the sections in Walter Isaacson’s Steve Jobs devoted to Jobs’ relationship to Bill Gates. For nearly three decades the co-founder of Apple AAPL and the co-founder of Microsoft MSFT were the twin pillars of personal computing — at times fierce competitors, at times key allies. According to Simon & Schuster, Isaacson conducted more than 40 interviews with Jobs over the past two years — as well as with hundreds of friends, family members, colleagues and competitors, among them Bill Gates. By the time the two sat down for a joint interview with Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher at the All Things D conference in 2007, they were, as Jobs recalled, among the oldest men still active in the industry they helped create. Steve: You know, when Bill and I first met each other and worked together in the early days, generally, we were both the youngest guys in the room, right? Individually or together. I’m about six months older than he is, but roughly the same age. And now when we’re working at our respective companies, I don’t know about you, but I’m the oldest guy in the room most of the time. And that’s why I love being here. Walt: Happy to oblige. Happy to oblige. Steve: And, you know, I think of most things in life as either a Bob Dylan or a Beatles song, but there’s that one line in that one Beatles song, “you and I have memories longer than the road that stretches out ahead.” And that’s clearly true here. Fortune‘s excerpt will be available for purchase Monday on newsstands and on the Fortune iPad app. A snapshot of it will be online early Monday.

They were the best of frenemies for nearly 30 years. Walter Isaacson has the inside story. The first excerpt from the year's most eagerly awaited -- and carefully guarded -- biography will appear in Fortune on Monday. The magazine has secured exclusive rights to the sections in Walter Isaacson's Steve Jobs devoted to Jobs' relationship to Bill…

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Are annual performance reviews necessary?

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FORTUNE — If you’ve ever been frustrated, annoyed, or otherwise perturbed by annual performance reviews — whether giving them, getting them, or both — here’s something that may surprise you: Not even the HR people in charge of overseeing yearly appraisals really think they’re worth doing. At least, that is one finding from a recent poll of 2,677 people (made up of 1,800 employees, 645 human resources managers, and 232 CEOs) by San Francisco-based rewards-and-recognition consulting firm Achievers, which numbers Microsoft MSFT , 3M MMM , CVS cvs , and Levi Strauss among its clients. Although virtually all the companies surveyed use some form of annual evaluation as their chief means of giving performance feedback to employees, only 2% of HR people think these reviews accomplish anything useful. What’s more, the study found a big disconnect between what CEOs think is going on below them and what employees say actually happens. (What? That doesn’t shock you?) Consider: 57% of CEOs believe their people are “regularly recognized” for their hard work and contributions. Employees who agree: 9%. MORE: 5 Gen-Y corporate refugee entrepreneurs While 61% of employees say they would welcome immediate, on-the spot feedback from bosses and peers about how they’re doing, only 24% say they get it. Meanwhile, 54% of CEOs believe they do. “That gap may be because CEOs are projecting, based on their own behavior,” notes Achievers chairman Razor Suleman. “Chief executives usually give their own direct reports frequent feedback about their job performance, so they think everyone is doing that all down through the ranks.” If not even the HR department sees any real value in annual reviews, why are they still so ubiquitous? Part of the answer is that, for legal reasons, companies need a formal, standardized method of creating a “paper trail” that documents discussions about performance problems, in case a terminated employee later decides to sue. Still, with the technology currently available, there’s no logical reason why managers couldn’t track and report the same information in real-time instead of once every 12 months. “The annual review is a relic of the pre-electronic past,” observes Suleman. “It persists mostly out of inertia. If you ask, ‘Why are you doing this?’ the response you usually get is, ‘Because we’ve always done it this way.’” A far more productive way of giving feedback, he adds, is “having coaching conversations every day, instead of once a year.” A cynic might note — correctly — that Suleman naturally favors that approach: His company is in the business of selling software that clients use to give employees real-time updates on how they’re doing. Nonetheless, there is plenty of evidence that, without daily or weekly conversations about their work — especially pats on the back for a job well done — your best people are likely to quit. One of the many strange quirks in the current labor market is that, although unemployment is high, people who have jobs are not hesitating to ditch them for a better offer. A new study from PricewaterhouseCoopers says voluntary turnover has increased by 14% since 2010 and is still rising. The No. 1 reason people give for quitting, according to the U.S. Department of Labor: They don’t feel that their efforts are recognized or appreciated by their direct bosses. MORE: Exposing management’s dirty little secret “Employees want to know what they are doing well and where they can improve,” says Kristen Leverone, a senior vice president at outplacement and coaching giant Lee Hecht Harrison. “Career conversations are critical to engagement and retention.” The firm did a poll, released last month, showing that 52% of employees say they rarely or never get on-the-spot feedback. Leverone acknowledges that managers now are stretched so thin that frequent coaching sessions are tough to fit in. But she says even a two-minute chat, on some kind of regular basis, can help: “Quick check-ins are just as important as full career discussions.” Or as Razor Suleman puts it: “Think about a football team. During a game, the coach and the quarterback are in constant communication, play by play. What if they only talked once a year? Would they ever win a game?”

Ninety-eight percent of human resources executives say yearly evaluations aren't useful, according to a recent survey. So why are companies still doing them?

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http://www.people.com/article/nick-offerman-nascar-ad-petition-gluten

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Change.Org Petition Gets Almost 18K Signatures : People.com

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02/02/2015 AT 09:35 AM EST 's NASCAR ad that ran during the Super Bowl, decrying it as offensive to people living with celiac disease. The ad plays on Offermnan's uber-masculine image, and features the following line in its "America's gone soft"-themed narration: "When our idea of danger is eating gluten, there's trouble afoot." At least one man, "Gluten Dude," from Newtown, Pennsylvania, took issue with that and began circulating a petition last week to have NBC cancel the ad. "[The ad] implies that we're soft," he writes. "We're weak ... we're part of America's problem. When all we're trying to do is manage our disease." Gluten Dude posted on Jan. 31 that NBC had promised to remove the gluten reference, though he later said that the change had not gone through. already parodied this style of overamped "America's gone soft" rhetoric back in 2012, and it was

The signees claim that the ad is offensive to people with gluten allergies

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Nets Superfan Tossed Out Of Madison Square Garden Without Prosthetic Leg

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Things got ugly Tuesday night for the Brooklyn Nets' most colorful fan. Jeffrey Vanchiro, a superfan known for wearing neon and dancing at Brooklyn games, was tossed out of the Nets-Knicks game at Madison Square Garden after "unruly" behavior. A video was captured of Madison Square Garden security carrying Vanchiro out of the stands. Vanchiro, who lost his left leg in a car accident at age 21, seems to be without the prosthesis in this video: Vanchiro had the prosthetic leg returned to him after he was ejected, the New York Post reported. Vanchiro, 38, is a former professional poker player who goes by the name Jeffrey Gamblero. The Knicks issued the following statement regarding Vanchiro: "An unruly fan was ejected after MSG security received multiple complaints from fans sitting in that area," the team said via a team spokesperson. "The fan was warned multiple times before being removed. He will not be permitted back into Madison Square Garden." Some reports indicated that Vanchiro had taken off his prosthetic leg and was hitting people with it. A few reporters took to Twitter to invalidate that claim: I haven't had or seen a single eyewitness come forward to say Jeffrey Gamblero hit someone with his prosthetic leg, as MSG staffers claimed. — devin kharpertian (@uuords) December 3, 2014 FWIW, various eyewitness fans told me Jeffrey Gamblero's prosthetic left leg was merely held up in protest, not wielded with aggression. — Andrew Keh (@andrewkeh) December 3, 2014 Whatever the reason for the ejection, this may be Vanchiro's last game at Madison Square Garden: They also said Gamblero was warned multiple times before being ejected, and that he won't be allowed to come back to Madison Square Garden. — Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) December 3, 2014 This isn't the first time a fan has been unruly as he is escorted out of Madison Square Garden. A man sued Madison Square Garden after he says he was unfairly tossed from a game on Jan. 7, 2014 for heckling the players. Ugly Christmas Sweaters: Sports Style Like us on facebook, follow us on twitter, and subscribe to our YouTube channel. Tom Brady's Super Bowl 49 Presser

Things got ugly Tuesday night for the Brooklyn Nets' most colorful fan. Jeffrey Vanchiro, a superfan known for wearing neon and dancing at Brooklyn ga...

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'Bold and the Beautiful' Star Linsey Godfrey Hit by Car : People.com

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02/03/2015 AT 07:00 AM EST underwent surgery late Monday after she was hit by a car in Los Angeles. PEOPLE has confirmed that Linsey Godfrey, who plays Caroline Spencer on the CBS drama, was struck Monday afternoon while walking down a street. The car had after colliding with another vehicle. A bystander reportedly pulled Godfrey, 26, from the wreckage before she was rushed to a hospital. A spokeswoman told PEOPLE that Godfrey's injuries were limited to her ankles and she is expected to make a full recovery. was dark on Monday. A spokeswoman for the daytime drama said Godfrey's character is in a "major story arc right now" but producers have rearranged taping for the next few days. Fans of Godfrey, who was nominated last year for a daytime Emmy, have already flooded her "Sending love & prayers for a speedy recovery to my favorite B&B actress @ohmygodfrey," said one.

Linsey Godfrey was struck while walking down the street in Los Angeles Monday afternoon

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iPad ad: Apple’s homage to the Newton

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A bit of nostalgia — and some unfortunate associations — in the new TV campaign For viewers with short memories, the deep-voiced narrator in the “What Is iPad?” ad that debuted Wednesday evening on American Idol might have sounded a bit too much like a Motorola MOT Droid commercial (“Should a phone be pretty? Should it be a tiara-wearing digitally clueless beauty pageant queen?”) But as several observers have pointed out — starting, we believe, with Mac Rumors‘ Arnold Kim — the reference is both older and more problematic. The ad is actually an homage to “What Is Newton?,” the first TV commercial for Apple’s AAPL famously unsuccessful PDA. When Steve Jobs returned to Cupertino after his sojourn in the desert of NeXT, putting Newton out of its misery was one of the first executive decisions he made. Some of the early reviews for the new campaign have been positive, some less so. In Apple’s defense, Get a Mac is a hard act to follow. Below the fold: The old “What Is” and the new. [Follow Philip Elmer-DeWitt on Twitter @philiped]

A bit of nostalgia -- and some unfortunate associations -- in the new TV campaign For viewers with short memories, the deep-voiced narrator in the "What Is iPad?" ad that debuted Wednesday evening on American Idol might have sounded a bit too much like a Motorola Droid commercial ("Should a phone be pretty? Should it…

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Hotel in Japan to be Staffed Entirely by Robots

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02/05/2015 AT 04:15 PM EST Domo arigato for the room service, Mr. Roboto. A new hotel opening this summer in Japan's Huis Ten Bosch theme park will be entirely staffed by robots. The futuristic hotel is named , or "strange hotel" in Japanese, and will be automatically opening its doors on July 17. The hotel's robot staff will clean rooms, manage the front desk, and even provide porter service – all free of tips. Guests will also gain access to their rooms through facial recognition, in lieu of old fashioned key cards. "We will make the most efficient hotel in the world," the company's president, Hideo Sawada, said during a press conference. "In the future, we'd like to have more than 90 percent of hotel services operated by robots." A single room is set to run around $1,120 a night, while a double will cost or $1,440 a night, according to the

The futuristic robot-run hotel will open in Japan on July 17

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AmEx shares plunge as Costco dumps its credit cards

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As of next year, Costco Wholesale shoppers will be safe to leave home without their American Express cards. AmEx AXP shares dropped to their lowest levels since mid-October on Thursday after the credit card company announced that its exclusivity deal with wholesale club retailer Costco is set to expire at the end of March 2016. The market reacted swiftly and sharply to the prospect of Costco no longer accepting AmEx cards. AmEx is currently the only credit card accepted by the retailer, which is one of the largest U.S. retailers with nearly 470 stores across the country. The credit card company’s shares dropped to around $80 in early trading and were recently trading down by about 6.7%, at $80.88. The steep decline erased roughly $5.9 billion from the payment card giant’s market value, which is still nearly $88 billion. Costco previously dropped AmEx as its exclusive credit card issuer in Canada and Bloomberg reported last fall that the retailer was considering making the same move in the U.S. The retailer negotiated a deal to partner with Capital One Financial Corp. COF and MasterCard MA in Canada. Shares of Capital One and MasterCard were each up roughly 3% on Thursday. In a Thursday morning earnings call, AmEx said losing the Costco contract would drag down its earnings and revenue this year and in 2016. The company said it now expects earnings to be flat this year after analysts projected 10% earnings growth, based on polling by Thomson Reuters. AmEx expects earnings growth to return next year. AmEx and Costco had been engaged in negotiations to extend their agreement in the U.S., but the two sides were unable to reach a deal, AmEx CEO Kenneth Chenault said in a statement. The chief executive added that his company will instead “focus on opportunities in other parts of our business where we see significant potential for growth and attractive returns over the moderate to long term.” AmEx shares are down 13% on the year and the company announced last month that it plans to cut more than 4,000 jobs this year.

AmEx's stock decline erased more than $5 billion from its market value Thursday.

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Gilt Groupe’s haute sample sales expand

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This is one in a series of articles leading up to Fortune Brainstorm Tech , which takes place July 22-24 in Aspen, Colo. The articles will look back at the progress of companies that presented at Brainstorm in 2009 as well as look forward to those that will present this year. By Mary Jo A Pham, contributor Shoppers who thrive on elbowing competitors out of the bargain bin to get a Gucci markdown can now have that experience virtually. The catch? Steeply discounted deals include limited items such as vintage Chanel jewelry, but each buying window is a flash sale that only lasts for 36 hours. In 2007, founders Alexis Maybank and Alexandra Wilkis Wilson created Gilt Groupe, which pushes luxury goods on its website, www.gilt.com. The company sells itself, says Maybank. In 2009 alone, the privately held company generated $170 million in revenue, up from its initial cache of $30 million in 2008. It expects that figure to balloon to $400 million this year. Gilt Groupe introduced flash sales to e-commerce by taking typical sample sales out of New York City and into the broadband marketplace. The exclusive access to designer goods at sample sale prices draws over one million unique visitors on a monthly basis, according to the founders. The company successfully handles inventory for approximately 70 unique sales a week. Most of Gilt Groupe’s customers became members of the site through word of mouth. “This viral impact has been most significant” on motivating sales and bolstering revenue, Maybanks says. Once a shopper becomes a member, they learn of the flash sales through blast emails. In an interview with Fortune, Maybank discussed the company’s online success, the challenge of hosting traffic from millions of shoppers, and what people at the fashionista-techie junction can anticipate from the site in the coming year. We’ll hear more later from Susan Lyne, the company’s CEO, at Fortune’s 2010 Brainstorm Tech Conference. Fortune: Membership to Gilt Groupe is free, but it’s invitation only. How many people currently have a Gilt Groupe membership? Maybank: We have three million members now. Current members have attracted about 75% of our audience to date with our membership referral process. Fortune: What are some of Gilt Groupe’s top accomplishments to date? Maybank: We have a loyal fashion following that sees the selection that we put [online] and go to the site daily for [fashion] advice. The experience we created, the trust, and the closeness with customers are accomplishments we are most proud of. We launched Jet Setter last fall. Jet Setter is an online specialty e-commerce website that provides travel services for a consumer looking for greater lifestyle services and experience purchases. Fortune: What have been some of the greatest challenges Gilt Groupe has faced in terms of generating sales and growing the company? Maybank: The most exciting challenge we’ve faced is how 50% of all revenue from Gilt sales come in less than an hour [after the sales start online]. What that means is that we have to build a stronger underlying system that can manage enormous traffic from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. Our website has to balloon to be the size of a sale site like Amazon, for about two hours everyday. It’s technologically challenging to scale, but we’re attracting some of the best technology talent. We’ve made tremendous headway and it’s a big area of focus for us as traffic increases from 100,000 shoppers to one million online at once. We have 17 new sales starting each day, and as many as 70 different sales weekly. Therefore, we’re turning over inventory 70 times a week. This can’t be done anywhere else except through e-commerce. Fortune: Gilt Groupe continued to expand during the worst recession in 50 years — what enabled your company to successfully do that? Maybank: I think it’s fair to say that more customers were looking for even more value in 2008. They were not shopping more, but there was more inventory that became available to our customers. We were really happy to be a strong partner with our brands, giving them business when times were uncertain — and helping them ride out the recession. Fortune: What are some new services that Gilt Groupe is planning to launch? Maybank: So far we’ve been really surprised by the amount of business generated on the iPhone and iPad. During weekdays, they constitute 5% of daily sales and on the weekends, 8%. We’re excited about our new Android application coming out in the fall. We’re also doing deeper Facebook integration so that members can better communicate with their friends about the things that they like from Gilt Groupe.

This is one in a series of articles leading up to Fortune Brainstorm Tech , which takes place July 22-24 in Aspen, Colo. The articles will look back at the progress of companies that presented at Brainstorm in 2009 as well as look forward to those that will present this year. By Mary Jo A…

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Be respectful in representations: Bali duo

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Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran have asked that any representations to save them from execution are made firmly, but with respect. Melbourne barrister Michael O'Connell SC visited the condemned Australians in Kerobokan jail on Thursday, where he said they were remarkably well under the circumstances, but concerned that representations were "firm but respectful". "I think Andrew and Myuran are very concerned that people remain respectful when they make representations on their behalf," Mr O'Connell said. "But of course they want those representations to be firmly made." The pair's concerns follow a sharp reaction from Jakarta to Prime Minister Tony Abbott linking the men's fate to Australia's donation of $1 billion in aid following the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami. Mr Abbott had said Indonesia should "reciprocate in this way at this time". Indonesia's foreign affairs ministry spokesman, Arrmanatha Nasir, hit back, saying "no one responds well to threats". Mr Abbott on Thursday said he had only meant to recall the long-running friendship of the two nations. Chan and Sukumaran are enjoying a few days' reprieve from the firing squad after Indonesia was caught unprepared for the executions and delayed moving them from their Bali jail cells. Mr O'Connell says the Bali Nine drug smugglers have also been briefed on arrangements for Tuesday's administrative court challenge. A panel of judges will question their lawyers on their argument that President Joko Widodo did not properly examine their requests for clemency before rejecting them. There are reports Mr Joko did not have documentation before him that outlined the men's rehabilitation before he denied them mercy. Mr O'Connell said his clients' case was strong regardless. Mr Joko has already proclaimed publicly that he will reject clemency in all death row drug cases, he said. "The public position taken by the Indonesian government and particularly the president ... demonstrates there was not a genuine and realistic consideration of the clemency application that had been made," he said. Indonesia has not announced a new schedule for the men's move from Kerobokan prison, or their execution date. But planning goes on regardless, with more meetings to discuss security arrangements for the Australians' transfer to Nusakambangan island scheduled for Friday. Almost 2500 people were in Melbourne's Federation Square on Wednesday night when a letter from Sukumaran was read. "Whatever happens, I know that me and Andrew are good people now, and even though we have been in prison with a death sentence, we have been truly blessed," he wrote. Mr O'Connell said both men were grateful for the public's support. "They're humbled really by the depth of support that has been coming from Australia and to some extent in Indonesia as well," he said. "They are very grateful for it and they simply wait and hope." Do you have any news photos or videos?

Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran are enjoying precious extra days with their families while Indonesia takes more time to plan for their executions.

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http://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/theater-art/2015/02/19/apple-plays-family-digests-state-nation/Mp5xE96gw5AJ7eQb3pXy7K/story.html

http://web.archive.org/web/20150222010832id_/http://www.bostonglobe.com:80/arts/theater-art/2015/02/19/apple-plays-family-digests-state-nation/Mp5xE96gw5AJ7eQb3pXy7K/story.html

In the Apple plays, a family digests the state of the nation

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STONEHAM — On the stage of the Stoneham Theatre, actors move around two dinner tables, passing dessert, silverware, glasses, and napkins, and working on the timing of the dramatic spill of a piece of pumpkin pie. As director Weylin Symes suggests adjustments in the delivery of dialogue, the actors interrupt the action to talk about fine-tuning the way the characters relate to each other. The group is in the thick of rehearsals for “That Hopey Changey Thing,” the first play in Richard Nelson’s quartet of Apple Family Plays, which begins performances Feb. 26 at Stoneham Theatre. The title refers to Sarah Palin’s mocking reference to Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign slogan, and the action of the play takes place on the night of the midterm elections in 2010. “I really love these plays because they are deceptively naturalistic and simple,” says Symes. “On one level, it’s a family getting together for dinner, but it’s remarkable how much other stuff is going on. These plays are snapshots of how we live today.” Each of Nelson’s four plays is tied to a particular political moment or historical anniversary. To honor the connection the plays have to one another, Stoneham Theatre has teamed up with the Gloucester Stage Company to produce all four over the next two years. “That Hopey Changey Thing” will be followed by “Sweet and Sad,” which is set on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and will play at Gloucester Stage May 28-June 20. In the spring of 2016 Stoneham Theater will produce “Sorry,” set on Election Day in 2012, and Gloucester Stage will follow with “Regular Singing,” the final play in the series, which is set in 2013 on the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy’s assassination. Symes’s careful attention to the business of getting dinner on and off the table is designed, he says, to make the actors comfortable with it so that they can dig into their relationships with each other. The play’s story line follows three sisters, a brother, their uncle, and one sister’s boyfriend, and explores the dynamics that emerge at family get-togethers, where momentous and mundane moments intersect almost without warning. “I often find political plays feel like essays,” says Symes, “but these plays really cut to the heart of where the political meets the personal.” Symes will direct all four plays, and he is hoping his cast of Joel Colodner, Laura Latreille, Karen MacDonald, Paul Melendy, Bill Mootos, and Sarah Newhouse will perform the same roles throughout.. “It’s a big commitment,” says Symes, “but for audiences, it provides the continuity with these characters that adds another level to the play. For the actors, it’s an opportunity to develop some meaty relationships.” Stoneham and Gloucester Stage collaborated in 2003 on a coproduction of “Stones in His Pockets,” but this project is particularly ambitious. “The novelty of doing a four-part series has a lot of cachet,” says Jon Wojciechowski, executive managing director of Gloucester Stage, who arrived in October. “This is at the heart of what we should be doing to build new audiences.” Wojciechowski credits former Gloucester artistic director Eric Engel with forging the partnership. “He had directed the [Alan] Ayckbourn plays, which Gloucester Stage had produced with the same cast over two seasons, and saw the potential for success,” he says. “We are in a transition year, and this provides a continuity that is helpful as we extend our season through the end of December and reach out to new audiences.” Both Wojciechowski and Symes agree that the economies of scale, particularly a shared set and design team, were key to the success of the partnership. “I love the logistics of it,” says Wojciechowski. “I was so impressed with the modular set that Crystal Tiala designed. We were worried that our stages are so different, with Stoneham a traditional proscenium and Gloucester Stage a thrust stage, but her dining room will work perfectly in both spaces.” Both theaters also hope to introduce new audiences to each other’s theaters, but Symes and Wojciechowski say the goal is getting as many people as possible to see Nelson’s work. “I think audiences will recognize themselves or their own family members on stage,” says Wojciechowski. “The opportunity to get to know them over four plays is extrarordinary.” At: Gloucester Stage Company, May 28-June 20

Stoneham Theater and Gloucester Stage Company have formed a partnership to produce all four of Richard Nelson’s Apple Family Plays, beginning with “That Hopey Changey Thing” in Stoneham Feb. 26-March 15.

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On power: Women in politics and men in big families

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I’m back from “vacation.” Since the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit (view sessions here) wrapped in early October, the “chronic networker” that I am (one of my Time Inc. bosses accused me of being this) has been racing around the U.S. — LA, San Francisco, Palo Alto, Boston, Atlanta, Allentown PA, my hometown. I’m back on New York terra firma at last. While I was out, I worked on a couple of projects, gave talks on Women and Power, attended a class at Stanford University, reported on formerly famous bosses for Fortune‘s “Where are They Now?” feature, dined with and blogged about Google’s Marissa Mayer and schmoozed all around. I now need a vacation (a real one), but I return with some relevant things to say on Postcards. I’ll share more later — but on Election Day, a few ramblings from the road: Speaking about Women and Power in Atlanta and Boston and New York City, I encountered lots of curiosity about Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina — both onetime No. 1’s on Fortune‘s Most Powerful Women list and now running for governor and the U.S. Senate, respectively, in California. It’s no big surprise to me that the former CEOs of eBay and Hewlett-Packard have branched into politics. Women tend to define “power” more broadly and horizontally than men do. Female leaders are often even more eager than the guys to step off the career “ladder” and test themselves in other fields. Though for both Meg and Carly, their political careers may already be over. Whitman, until the past couple of weeks, appeared to have a decent chance against Jerry Brown, who has already been California’s governor. And Fiorina seemed like she might upset incumbent Sen. Barbara Boxer. But the ex-CEOs, both on the GOP ticket, are now way behind in the polls. Corporate America’s terrible image doesn’t help either of them. (“Voters are ready to throw the bums out, and CEOs have joined the ranks of the bums,” as Time‘s current cover story observes.) Moreover, Whitman and Fiorina’s can-do authority plays poorly with the public. Powerful women, in fact, still get scrutinized more harshly than powerful men — and especially, we’re seeing now, by female voters. As Fiorina told me when she was running HP and struggling with her image problems there: “My strength is my strength, but it can also be a weakness.” Whitman, meanwhile, has tried to soften her focus in these final days of her campaign. (And I wonder, how does Meg feel now about spending $142 million of her own money on this race — more than any non-Presidential candidate in history?!) It doesn’t help to be a billionaire, as Whitman is. And it’s more critical than ever to be a man — or a woman — of the people. That notion struck me last month when I met two of the men who head financial services giants. Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan swung by our MPWomen Summit in Washington, D.C. to see CMO Anne Finucane and wealth management boss Sallie Krawcheck, both attendees. Moynihan grew up in an Irish-Catholic family with nine kids. I mentioned this fact about Moynihan to Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman when I met him last week. His parents, in Australia, had 12 children. Two died, and Gorman now is No. 6, in birth order, among his nine Aussie brothers and sisters. Is it just coincidence that these top bosses have slews of siblings? Who knows? But it’s worth noting today that America’s Speaker of the House-in-waiting, Rep. John Boehner, is one of 12 kids from a working-class Ohio family. Boehner likes to tell people that his upbringing — where he learned to share and serve lots of constituents — helped him relate to the masses. That could just be campaign talk. Or maybe there’s something to it.

by Patricia Sellers I'm back from "vacation." Since the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit (view sessions here) wrapped in early October, the "chronic networker" that I am (one of my Time Inc. bosses accused me of being this) has been racing around the U.S. -- LA, San Francisco, Palo Alto, Boston, Atlanta, Allentown PA, my…

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NFL Draft Combine: Jaelen Strong builds his case as first-round pick

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Updated FEB 21, 2015 8:17p ET Arizona State wide receiver Jaelen Strong already found his name in enough mock drafts that calling him a first-round pick wouldn't be looney. Arguably, the majority of draft experts see him there, even though Strong's speed has been his biggest criticism. NFL.com's draft profile of Strong quoted an NFL scout who said, "He's not going to run fast, but it won't matter because any team who drafts him is going to have a plan for him." After Strong performed Saturday at the 2015 NFL Combine, such experts will need to find something else to nitpick. The Sun Devil product put together 40-yard dash times of 4.51 seconds and 4.44 seconds. Those are just outside of being top-10 marks amongst receivers alone, but for a 6-foot-3, 217-pound receiver who on tape looks at his best catching jump balls and back-shoulder throws, it was nothing but a positive result. Earlier in the day, Strong's 42-inch vertical jump became the fourth-best among wideouts in the past 10 years, per NFL.com's Bryan Fischer. Georgia's Chris Conley set the 2015 mark with a 45-inch leap. Strong, who left ASU following his junior season, might be a lock for the first round soon enough. Strong is projected to go 18th overall in FOX Sports' Pete Schragers' first mock. Sporting News' Eric Galko has Strong going seventh, while CBS Sports' Rob Rang predicts Strong will be drafted 19th. Here are a few reactions to Strong's combine performance from some of the top NFL Draft experts. Some great buzz abt #ASU WR Jaelen Strong. Fantastic ball skills & today wowed NFL ppl with a 4.44 40 and 42-inch vertical. ASU WR Jaelen Strong making 1st Rd case. 42" VJ is outstanding. 4.44 40 (unofficial) is surprising. He showed elite ball skill on 2014 tape ASU WR Jaelen Strong ran 4.51 40. NFL Net analyst Mike Mayock has compared him to Larry Fitzgerald -- who ran a 4.63 at the combine in '04. Follow Kevin Zimmerman on Twitter

Jaelen Strong ran a 4.44 40-yard dash and measured out with a 42-inch vertical jump in the NFL Combine on Saturday.

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Cambridge students study science with a CSI-inspired crime lab

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A little after noon on Wednesday, two technicians from the Cambridge Police Department crime lab arrived at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, kits in tow. The famed center was not the scene of a crime. Rather, it was hosting a four-day vacation science camp for middle-schoolers, and the crime lab techs were participating in a session called “Get A Clue” that introduced 22 adolescents to scientific pursuits such as microscopy and dissections. To make the session all the more engaging, the Whitehead and its partner in the program, the educational group Science from Scientists, had cooked up a whodunit: the theft of a candy recipe they would solve using technical sleuthing taught by real-life CSI types. In the Whitehead’s auditorium, technicians Catherine Russo and Michaela McManus unload their tools on a table: crime scene tape, fingerprinting powder, and dusters. “Show of hands, how many people watch crime TV shows?” Russo asked. A dozen hands shot up, followed by a chorus of answers: “Criminal Minds”, “Blue Bloods,” “White Collar,” “Law and Order,” “Sherlock,” “Elementary.” The case in brief: A respected scientist, Emmet D. Seption, created a formula for an irresistible candy. But it’s stolen before he sells his recipe. Was it Seption’s old mentor, Derek Decker? Or colleague-turned nemesis, Corinne Kealy? Maybe it was Gary Smith, who was edged out of the top-secret candy project. “Right now they think that everybody is the culprit, which is kind of what I want,” said Cortney Weiber, the education director at Science from Scientists who designed the course and its characters — all fictitious scientists. Weiber set up the course so the students would get a steady drip of information through the week. The days began with recorded video interviews with the four suspects, who would drop clues in their answers. In the afternoons, Weiber and her colleagues taught the class to examine material evidence found at the “crime scene,” with a healthy serving of science. There was a session involving liquid analysis by chromatography, showing them how to identify ink, followed by blood type analysis of a sample found at Seption’s lab, and fingerprint dusting to compare those found on site with the suspects. Callie Rabins, a sixth grader at Clark Middle School in Lexington, found the science camp “much more cooler” than the TV shows. “You really get to know the process. When you show it on TV, you don’t get to see everything and how the tech does everything,” Rabins said. Her classmate, Jane McKenney, was thrilled because the camp lined up with her interests. “I really want to be in the CSI, or like the FBI when I’m older. So I think it’s really fun,” the 12-year-old said. At the end of four days, students lined up their evidence: The hair fibers found in Seption’s lab belonged to Derek Decker’s dog. The blood sample matched Corinne Kealy, and fingerprints and the ink on a letter lead them to Gary Smith. With the clues pointing to different suspects, the students are supposed to smell a rat and deduce that Seption planted them all. It turns out word of his recipe got out before he was able to get the science to work. To avoid a scandal, he faked the theft and blamed his colleagues. The goal of the camp is not explicitly to lead the students into science and technology careers, the so-called STEM path, said Amy Tremblay, the officer for public programming at the Whitehead Institute. “These kids will grow up to be policy makers, voters, maybe scientists,” Tremblay said. “It’s to spark that interest in STEM and hope that they become informed adults in some capacity, whether an engineer or a lawyer.” The session drew middle-schoolers from Lexington, Wellesley, Somerville, and Cambridge. The fee was $450, with 10 slots offering scholarships. The Whitehead also runs a weeklong science camp during the summer, CampBio, that costs $550. Its educational lineup owes to the commitment by Susan Lindquist, a faculty member and former Whitehead director, to enhancing science awareness in primary school. Tremblay said Lindquist is especially committed to addressing the gender imbalance in the field. In April, the Whitehead will host a two-day conference for high school girls; attendees will present posters of their science projects, meet leading scientists, and befriend peers with similar interests.

Whitehead Institute­ for Biomedical Researchin Cambridge, But was hosting a four-day vacation science camp for middle-schoolers, and two crime lab techs were participating in a session called “Get A Clue” that introduced 22 adolescents to scientific pursuits skills such as microscopy and dissections.

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http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2008/apr/09/art.saatchigallery

http://web.archive.org/web/20150227020919id_/http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2008/apr/09/art.saatchigallery

Francesca Martin on the next generation of Young British Artists

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More than 20 years after he unleashed the first wave of Young British Artists on an unsuspecting public, Charles Saatchi is to present a new exhibition of work by the next generation of YBAs. New Britannia is due to open in summer 2009 at Saatchi's new London gallery, and will feature works by more than 42 artists, many of them from Saatchi's own collection. One of the earliest collectors of artists such as Tracey Emin and Damien Hirst, Saatchi has a keen eye for new UK talent, and lent 110 of his works for the infamous 1997 show Sensation at the Royal Academy of Arts. Among the works on display in New Britannia will be miniature animal sculptures by Tessa Farmer, sketches in black ink by Scotland's Donald Urquhart, paintings by Toby Ziegler, and Happiness, an installation by Barry Reigate. Saatchi's previous gallery, in London's County Hall, closed in 2005. The opening of his new premises in Chelsea, originally expected earlier this year, is now planned for the summer. Its 70,000 sq ft will make it the largest independent contemporary art space in the capital. The gallery will house the permanent installation 20:50, Richard Wilson's pool of recycled engine oil; there will also be a series of temporary displays. As well as New Britannia, these will include exhibitions of art from India and China, according to the gallery's Annabel Fallon. "Our inaugural exhibition will be The Revolution Continues: New Art from China," Fallon says. "We expect to follow this exhibition with our sculpture show The Shape of Things to Come and other exhibitions, such as New Britannia." · Email your arts stories to arts.diary@guardian.co.uk

Francesca Martin: Charles Saatchi is to present a new exhibition of work by the next generation of Young British Artists

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Horace Dediu: Beware the siren song of the Apple car

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Ten commandments and a chart. That’s what Asymco’s Horace Dediu delivered Monday in The Entrant’s Guide to the Automobile Industry, his take on the latest Apple product rumor. Dediu looks at industries through the lens of disruptive innovation, and he’s been asking for some time — before the Apple car reports started piling up — what it would take for a new entrant to displace the U.S., European and Asian incumbents. The chart, shortened above to fit Fortune’s procrustean format, shows the number of new players in the U.S. auto industry peaking 100 years ago — in 1914 — when production accelerated, economies of scale kicked in and barriers of entry, in his word, exploded. According to Dediu, 1,556 firms entered the U.S. auto market before consolidation wiped out all but a handful. “In the last half-century 14 tried and all failed,” he writes. “The first analytical task for the entrant today is to ask why there have been so few others succeeding in the last century.” As for the 10 commandments, they include: (I quote) For his other seven commandments, click here. Dediu sometimes sounds like former GM CEO Dan Akerson, who recently said of Apple: They’d better think carefully if they want to get into the hard-core manufacturing. We take steel, raw steel, and turn it into car. They have no idea what they’re getting into if they get into that.” (link) The difference between Dediu and Akerson is that one thinks disruption is impossible. The other thinks it’s inevitable. Follow Philip Elmer-DeWitt on Twitter at @philiped. Read his Apple AAPL coverage at fortune.com/ped or subscribe via his RSS feed.

Looking at the latest Apple product rumor through the lens of disruption.

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Today in Tech: The exclusive Steve Jobs book excerpt

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Fortune’s curated selection of newsworthy tech stories from the last 24 hours. Sign up to get the round-up delivered to you every day. “I’m not a very social person,” but “Google+ I instantly found compelling.” – Google cofounder Sergey Brin (Search Engine Land) * Looking forward to Walter Isaacson’s authorized biography of Steve Jobs? The first exclusive excerpt, highlighting Jobs’ nearly 30-year frenemy relationship with Bill Gates, will run in the latest issue of Fortune available via newsstands and the iPad app this Monday. A preview of the excerpt will appear online early Monday as well. (Fortune) * Mountain View-based startup Lytro announced the Lytro camera, a slick, slender, rectangular device that lets users focus or refocus an image any time after the image is actually taken. (Fortune) * eBay EBAY announced its third quarter revenues jumped 32% to $3 billion and income climbed 18% to $628 million driven largely by PayPal. (TechCrunch) * Is Groupon planning a scaled back initial public offering (IPO)? (The Wall Street Journal) * Digg founder Kevin Rose announced the first product from his new startup Milk: an app called Oink that lets users find and rate “things not people.” (Information Week) Don’t miss the latest tech news. Sign up now to get Today in Tech emailed each and every morning.

Fortune's curated selection of newsworthy tech stories from the last 24 hours. Sign up to get the round-up delivered to you every day. "I'm not a very social person," but "Google+ I instantly found compelling." - Google cofounder Sergey Brin (Search Engine Land) * Looking forward to Walter Isaacson's authorized biography of Steve Jobs? The first exclusive excerpt,…

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Monday’s business agenda

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The Boston Redevelopment Authorityis hosting a public meeting at which the Fisher College Task Force can present its Institutional Master Plan. The meeting was rescheduled from Feb. 10 because of snow. Monday, 6 to 8 p.m., Alumni Hall, Fisher College, 116 Beacon St., Boston. New England Restaurant Networking is putting together a “winter warmer” event, with a cash bar, to benefit the Massachusetts Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. Monday, 6 to 9 p.m., Empire Restaurant and Lounge, 55 Northern Ave., Boston. $25. TechBreakfast is organizing its monthly breakfast meeting for techies to present their work in a show-and-tell format. Tuesday, 8 a.m., Microsoft NERD, Horace Mann Room, Cambridge. Free. Protagonist Consulting Group is holdinga workshop on building leadership skills such as confidence, poise, and presence. Tuesday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Belmont Lion’s Club, One Common St., Belmont. $75. At its monthly meeting, the Downtown Boston Rotary Club will host speaker Richard Parr, research director at the Boston polling firm MassInc Polling. Tuesday, 6 to 7:30 p.m., Brandy Pete’s, 267 Franklin St., Boston. Free to first-time guests; $20 for others.

Breakfast tech, leadership skills, and other notable events and things to know.

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Andreessen: America’s consumer electronics comeback

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FORTUNE — Could America be on the verge of a consumer electronics renaissance? That’s the “radical” belief of venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, who was interviewed today by Fortune managing editor Andy Serwer at the Fortune Brainstorm Tech event in Aspen. His basic argument is that almost all smartphone software is developed in the U.S., and that the product profits are realized domestically. “I think the fact that software is becoming so important is leading to a hardware renaissance,” Andreessen explained. “Today you have the iPhone, which is assembled in China, but the profits come back to the U.S.” MORE: Andreessen on Marissa Mayer’s new role at Yahoo He added that his venture capital firm, Andreessen Horowitz, has invested in U.S. hardware companies like Lytro (cameras) and Jawbone (speakers). When asked if U.S. consumer electronics profits would be accompanied by manufacturing jobs, Andreessen said he was unsure. On the one hand, better software could lead to fewer components, thus making it more cost effective to assemble locally. He also argued that more complex assembly might also occur in the U.S., so that the designers can be close by if something goes wrong. On the other hand, Andreessen suggested that “manufacturing job,” in this context, is being overemphasized from an economic standpoint. “What you have to look at from an economic standpoint is gross margin, and you’ll find that people who designed the majority of the IP are getting a majority of the profits,” he said. “These are not high-value jobs, and I think there are very few Americans who would want to work in a Chinese manufacturing plant.” Follow here for all #FortuneTech coverage.

Marc Andresseen opened the Fortune Brainstorm Tech conference in Aspen, CO.

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TV Ticket for Sunday, March 8

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This series from the Duplass brothers is about love, relationships, and proximity — it’s as general as that, and yet, given the performances and script, also quite a specific story about four people. This is the season finale, with another season already on order. The Bachelor 8 p.m., ABC I know this is going to make you awfully sad, but it is my duty to inform you that it’s time for Chris to hand out the final rose. And he won’t be handing it to you. He will choose between Becca and Whitney, and he will then love and cherish his chosen one for all of eternity, and she won’t be you. A Place in the Sun 8 p.m., TCM Theodore Dreiser’s “An American Tragedy” is a devastating story of ambition and class. And so is the 1951 film adaptation of it, directed by George Stevens and starring Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor, and Shelley Winters. Mike Nichols once said this was his favorite movie. My City’s Just Not That Into Me 10 p.m., FYI I’m just not that into “My City’s Just Not That Into Me,” but I’m totally into the awfulness of the title “My City’s Just Not That Into Me,” which is about people who live in cities they can’t afford. American Crime 10 p.m., ABC Here’s episode two of the show that wants to be the next “True Detective” with lots of big acting and artsy editing. Timothy Hutton and Felicity Huffman work hard as the grieving parents of a murdered man at the beginning of a twisty investigation. Exporting Raymond 10 p.m., TVLand This documentary follows “Everybody Loves Raymond” creator Phil Rosenthal as he attempts something that sounds crazy and impossible: creating a Russian version of the series. In an Instant 9 p.m., ABC ABC moves into the territory of those adventure-disaster cable shows with this series about harrowing survival tales. Naturally, there’s a grizzly bear attack and a bridge collapse.

SUNDAY MARCH 8 Togetherness 9:30 p.m., HBO This series from the Duplass brothers is about love, relationships, and proximity – it’s as general as that, and yet, given the performances and script, also quite a specific story about four people

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Facebook ‘trading halt’ has happened before

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Facebook shares are still trading on secondary markets, despite suggestions to the contrary. There is lots of talk this morning that Facebook’s IPO filing is imminent, based on a Bloomberg report that Facebook’s legal reps at Fenwick & West instituted a three-day “halt” on processing secondary trades of Facebook shares. The story says: “While buy and sell orders can be made, transactions won’t be processed by Facebook’s attorneys at Fenwick & West LLC from [January 25] until Jan. 27, said the people, who declined to be named because details on secondary transactions are kept private. The halt pertains to trading of Facebook shares only, one of the people said… ” Bloomberg got “no comments” from Facebook, Fenwick & West, SecondMarket and SharesPost. What’s important to know, however, is that this isn’t the first time Fenwick & West has temporarily suspended trading in Facebook shares. I’m told that it’s done so on multiple occasions in the past, and is telling market participants that the current move is so that it can conduct “shareholder record audits.” Maybe it’s a ruse, but obviously Facebook didn’t file its S-1 during previous trade suspensions. Moreover, remember that while the Bloomberg headline is “Facebook trades to be halted for three days,” the actual story says, trades themselves are ongoing. SecondMarket, for example, is in the midst of a Facebook share auction right now. And SharesPost just announced that one concluded. The “halt” refers to actual closings of new transactions – which is what Fenwick & West is charged with signing off on. Everyone seems to expect a Facebook IPO filing within the next couple of months, and it certainly could come within this three-day period. But the Fenwick & West move, alone, shouldn’t lead anyone to draw that conclusion. Sign up for my daily email newsletter on deals and deal-makers: GetTermSheet.com

Facebook shares are still trading on secondary markets, despite suggestions to the contrary. There is lots of talk this morning that Facebook's IPO filing is imminent, based on a Bloomberg report that Facebook’s legal reps at Fenwick & West instituted a three-day “halt” on processing secondary trades of Facebook shares. The story says: “While buy and sell…

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http://www.people.com/article/cressida-bonas-prince-harry-ex-paralyzingly-shy

http://web.archive.org/web/20150314180804id_/http://www.people.com:80/article/cressida-bonas-prince-harry-ex-paralyzingly-shy

Prince Harry's Ex Cressida Bonas Says She Is 'Paralyzingly' Shy

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updated 03/13/2015 AT 09:15 AM EDT •originally published 03/12/2015 AT 07:30 PM EDT 's ex is moving on in a big way. After scoring an enviable fashion gig with Mulberry and a role in a high-profile film alongside 's star is rising further – as "In real life I'm often so shy – paralyzingly so," the 26-year-old aristocrat says in the magazine's April edition (a supplement to the main issue of ). "But when I'm performing, it's totally different – I feel free." As if to prove the point, Bonas dances carefree through the streets of London, in a casual Breton-style top and leggings, singing posted on the magazine's website (watch it below), while giggling nervously as she chats about her London life. Since splitting from Prince Harry , partly due to her dance and acting ambitions, Bonas has been steadily One of 11 siblings, the blue-blooded Bonas – her mother, Lady Mary-Gaye Curzon, was a London It Girl in the 1960s – says her love of singing and dancing stems from growing up in a house full of "drama, but drama in the best possible way – there was so much singing and dancing, mostly to musicals." Despite getting her first performing gig as a junior associate at the at age 9, her parents, who divorced when she was 5, still have their reservations when it comes to her chosen career. "They think it's not a proper way of earning a living," she said, adding, "and they think I'm too sensitive." due to hit screens in November, the single star juggles her acting and dancing ambitions with a desk job at Mubi, an online film firm, but says she is most excited about her upcoming video project with filmmaker Martha Fiennes and "daring, less conventional projects." fan spends her downtime trawling the stalls at London's Portobello market. Her ultimate dream? "I would most like to dance with Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly," she said. Watch Bonas's new ad for Mulberry below.

"But when I'm performing, it's totally different – I feel free," the actress tells Miss Vogue

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http://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2015/03/13/music-runs-backward-future-machaut-rondeau/dmNkKkAcOwt1F9QezKxg6M/story.html

http://web.archive.org/web/20150315073144id_/http://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2015/03/13/music-runs-backward-future-machaut-rondeau/dmNkKkAcOwt1F9QezKxg6M/story.html

Music runs backward to the future in Machaut’s rondeau

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On Thursday, early-music groups Blue Heron and Les Délices combine for a Cambridge concert that includes one of the medieval era’s most ingenious works. Guillaume de Machaut’s 14th-century “Ma fin est ma commencement” is one of the earliest examples of a crab canon: a canon in which one of the voices sings the theme in retrograde, or reverse. Machaut’s piece is particularly intricate — the text simultaneously narrates the music’s construction. “My end is my beginning and my beginning, my end,” the voices sing. “My third part moves in retrograde three times and thus ends.” The work’s conceptual-art overtones have made it seem perennially modern, a favorite of the avant-garde. Milton Babbitt, that most thoroughgoing of musical modernists, paid homage with his 1978 clarinet solo, called “My Ends Are My Beginnings.” Babbitt’s borrowing of the title is, in part, characteristically punning. The middle of the work’s three sections elaborates a retrograde transformation of the music’s well of pitch material; that underlying scaffolding combines 12-tone rows by overlapping their final and initial pitches. But the title also hints at renewal. The basic structure — a four-part, all-partition array, in theoretical terms — was both a summation of Babbitt’s research into the musical implications of partitions (dividing a row into smaller, interrelated motives) and a forward-looking breakthrough. The background array of “My Ends Are My Beginnings” would seed numerous subsequent works. The symbolism can run even deeper — or higher. Scholar Michael Eisenberg noted how the construction and self-referential text of Machaut’s “Ma fin” echoes divine descriptions from Revelations (“I am Alpha and Omega”) and the Gospel of John (“the Word was with God, and the Word was God”). The 20th-century French composer Olivier Messiaen — who, in his vast, posthumously published “Traité de Rythme, de Couleur, et d’Ornithologie,” cited Machaut as the pioneer of such permutations — was of a similar mind, considering musical retrograde as a leap beyond human concepts of directional time, toward divine eternalities. For all three composers, the technique of retrograde was a specific reconciling of a musical work’s inherent forward flow with its self-contained, objective identity — an idea that can extend well beyond music. T. S. Eliot, in “East Coker” (from the “Four Quartets”), likewise graduated from a rueful consideration of time’s passage to conclude that “Love is most nearly itself / When here and now cease to matter.” The poem ends with a familiar refrain: “In my end is my beginning.” The Cambridge Society for Early Music presents Blue Heron and Les Délices in “ ‘A More Subtle Art’: the 14th-Century Avant-Garde,” Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Christ Church, Cambridge. Tickets $25-$30. 617-489-2062, csem.org.

Machaut’s self-referential 14th-century rondeau “Ma fin est ma commencement” set the stage for future developments with its structural and philosophical ingenuity.

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http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2015/03/18/draft-fantasy-game-gets-outside-funding/FA9gi9cPkQfk8QJ5nnGR2L/story.html

http://web.archive.org/web/20150322073858id_/http://www.bostonglobe.com:80/business/2015/03/18/draft-fantasy-game-gets-outside-funding/FA9gi9cPkQfk8QJ5nnGR2L/story.html

Draft fantasy game gets outside funding

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It has been a busy week for fantasy sports startups with local connections. First, Fortune reported that Draft Kings is in talks with Disney about raising money that could value the Boston-based company at more than $1 billion. And Wednesday, former StarStreet founders Jeremy Levine and Nicolo Giorgi revealed their new company has raised $3.5 million. The funds are for Draft, a mobile fantasy sports game that allows players to challenge each other in head-to-head competitions. This is the first institutional round for the New York City-based company, which Levine and Giorgi previously funded using their proceeds from the sale of Cambridge-based StarStreet to Draft Kings last year. Levine has described Draft as the daily fantasy sports version of the popular mobile game “Words With Friends.” To Levine, Draft is a easy entry-point for folks who may be overwhelmed by the more elaborate games such as Draft Kings and FanDuel. Draft lets users put money on the line, between $1.50 and $55, that can be won as part of its head-to-head challenges. Draft has offered its challenges for NFL, NBA, and NHL games, and it hopes to add golf and baseball options soon. “Other games take long-term commitments or time-intensive hardcore drafts. ‘Draft’ is quick and simple,” said Levine. “There’s over 200 million sports fans in America, and if you ask any of them why they don’t play fan-tasy sports, they say it’s because of the time commitment or effort involved.” Levine also said the company will use the new funding to add new team members as it moves to a larger office. Although he is now based in New York City, Levine is still an active investor in Boston tech as part of Bridge Boys, the angel investment group he started with fellow Cantabrigian and CoachUp president Jordan Fliegel. The new Series A funding round was led by Upfront Ventures and included Advancit Capital, BoxGroup, The Chernin Group and QueensBridge Venture Partners, whose key investors include the rapper Nas.

Wednesday, former StarStreet founders Jeremy Levine and Nicolo Giorgi announced their new company has raised $3.5 million

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http://web.archive.org/web/20150326074455id_/http://fortune.com:80/2008/06/05/apple-store-under-louvres-glass-pyramid-gets-the-green-light/

Apple Store under Louvre’s glass pyramid gets the green light

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Apple’s application to build a store in Paris – its first in France – has been approved, according to the French financial daily La Tribune. The location: the Carrousel du Louvre, prime retail space under the pyramid that dominates Napoleon’s courtyard at the museum’s grand entrance. According to La Tribune’s brief report, Apple AAPL has drawn up plans to build a two-story, 715 square meter store in space previously occupied by two shops – Résonances and Lalique. Among its new commercial neighbors: Sephora, Esprit and a Virgin Megastore. ifoAppleStore, which watches Apple’s retail activities more closely than a security guard, adds this: The mall hosts 9 million visitors a year, of which at least 40 percent are tourists. In an unusual move, the store was officially acknowledged by Jasmine Khounnala, Apple’s Paris-based public relations manager, who said, ”We are thrilled that our opening project of an Apple Store in the Carrousel du Louvre has been approved by the (local planning commission).” She added that Apple is “delighted” to offer Paris the experience of Apple retail stores, just as in other countries. (link, with diagram) Of course, construction does not necessarily follow approval, but I.M Pei’s glass pyramid would complement nicely Apple’s glass cube on Manhattan’s Fifth Ave.

Apple's application to build a store in Paris - its first in France - has been approved, according to the French financial daily La Tribune. The location: the Carrousel du Louvre, prime retail space under the pyramid that dominates Napoleon's courtyard at the museum's grand entrance. According to La Tribune's brief report, Apple has drawn…

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http://www.people.com/article/gina-rodriguez-jane-virgin-finale

http://web.archive.org/web/20150327143623id_/http://www.people.com:80/article/gina-rodriguez-jane-virgin-finale

Jane the Virgin Finale is a Shocker : People.com

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updated 03/26/2015 AT 12:50 PM EDT •originally published 03/26/2015 AT 12:20 PM EDT 's first season just weeks away, breakout star is amping up the anticipation. "Let me tell you something, it gets better and better," the actress teased reporters at 's Nuevas Latinas Living Fabulosa event in New York City on Wednesday night. Added the actress, 30, "Our season finale, which I just wrapped two days ago, is so strong and such a shocker." Without giving away too many details, Rodriguez shared that the finale will feature the end of Jane's pregnancy and some inspiring female empowerment. "You're going to see Jane going through the last periods of her transformation dealing with her pregnancy and her relationship with Rafael, the father of the child," she said. "You're going to see more of Jane's fearlessness, more of her confidence as a woman. She's going to really start having conversations. I can tease that women are going to be real proud." Fans dreading the end of the hit show's season are in good company. Rodriguez, who earned a for her role, said she can't wait to find out what's next for Jane. "I feel like the fans are really going to be blown away and also really want the second season to come already because I want the second season to come already. I'm like, 'Wait! What happens next?' " airs Mondays (9 p.m. ET) on The CW.

The Golden Globe winner said "women are going to be real proud" of her character

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http://www.people.com/article/jody-lee-hunt-found-dead

http://web.archive.org/web/20150328013144id_/http://www.people.com/article/jody-lee-hunt-found-dead

Jody Lee Hunt, Suspect in 4 West Virginia Killings, Found Dead

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Police are searching for suspected gunman Jody Lee Hunt 12/02/2014 AT 09:10 AM EST After allegedly fatally shooting four people, setting off an hourslong manhunt and putting schools and residents on alert for an armed man, the owner of a small towing business was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in his truck in the woods, state police said Monday. , 39, began about 10 a.m., when state and local authorities warned people to look out for his black 2011 Ford F-150. Hunt was wanted in three separate shootings – two in the Westover area, outside Morgantown, and another in the Cheat Lake area in Monongalia County, state police said. Officials released the names of two of the victims but little other information until after 7 p.m., when he was found in his vehicle. The truck was in "a power line right of way," state police spokesman Lt. Dennis Johnson said. Medical officials will work to confirm the body's identity, police said, but few other details about the man or the shootings were released. On Tuesday, investigators at each of the three crime scenes will "sit down and piece all those puzzle pieces together and find out how this all happened," state police spokesman Lt. Michael Baylous said. Hunt owned J&J Towing and Repair LLC of Westover, according to state documents. There was little activity there Monday, and the door was padlocked. Neighbor Frank Brown said business is usually brisk, especially in the early morning. By Monday night, three of the four victims' names had been released: Sharon Kay Berkshire, 39, of Westover; Michael David Frum, 28, of Maidsville; and Doug Brady, owner of a towing company located less than a quarter mile from Hunt's company. Berkshire filed a domestic violence case against Hunt last month, according to Monongalia County Circuit Court records. Court records indicated there were no protective orders currently in place for Berkshire. Frum's aunt, Ellen Shafer, of the Cheat Lake area, said she knew few details about her nephew's death. She said Frum worked on detailing cars in Westover and did some construction work and other odd jobs. "We were just saddened, and we're living with the realization of his death and coping the best we can," Shafer said. Arlene Barnett of Westover said she was drinking coffee at her home when she heard four gunshots shortly after 10 a.m. at a nearby trailer where one of the victims lived. "I didn't pay any attention to it because I thought, oh heck, it's deer season," Barnett said. "I thought they were deer hunting. I just went about my business and didn't connect anything. Then I heard the sirens."

Cops say Jody Lee Hunt fatally shot four people and set off a manhunt Monday

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http://web.archive.org/web/20150328122952id_/http://fortune.com:80/2015/03/25/career-success-job-interviews/

A headhunter's tell-all guide to avoiding career suicide

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“We now know beyond any reasonable doubt that much of what we were taught about how to succeed in life is goofy, wrong-headed, or just plain false,” writes Mark Jaffe about halfway through Let Me Give It to You Straight. By his lights, feeling overwhelmed by the pace of change these days is normal. “If every single morning at work feels like an audition for a play that is yet to be written, you’ve got the idea.” Still, Jaffe, of eponymous recruiting powerhouse Wyatt & Jaffe, has spent 30 years observing — and shaping — executive careers, and his book is evidence that even tumultuous times can be funny. At just shy of 200 pages, it’s about the right length for a flight from, say, New York to Minneapolis, and it reads as if its author were coaching you on your next career move over an old-fashioned three-martini lunch. Consider, for instance, what’s (probably) wrong with your resume. If you’re like most candidates for senior management jobs, it’s too long. “Less is more. The sole purpose of a resume is to get you an interview, period,” Jaffe writes. “It’s not an autobiography. If you blurt it all out now, why would anyone want to meet you?” If your CV is spangled with glowing adjectives, lose them. “Before I forget to ask, did your last employer sign off on you being a ‘visionary, world-class entrepreneur,’ or did you kind of decide that on your own?” Jaffe wonders. “What would she say about you? That the thesaurus called and they want their synonyms back?” A chapter called Choose Better Habits and Enjoy Them Less lists Jaffe’s seven tips on setting yourself up for success. “Get up before the sun” is one: “No practice could ever feel more bizarre and unnatural, particularly to yours truly. But it’s the right thing to do and you know it…. Set your alarm for the same ridiculous time each day and get moving.” Want to know how Jaffe and his clients spot which candidates to avoid, and how not to be one of them? Take a look at Chapter 10, dubbed Danger! Bad Candidate! Run Away! It’s a checklist of nine red flags that can pop up in interviews, and most of them are errors that well-intentioned interviewees don’t realize they’re making. It seems reasonable, for instance, to assume that one way to make a great impression is to downplay any disasters in your past. Yet Jaffe says a prospective hire’s “lack of ‘crash and burn’ experience makes it impossible to know how he or she deals with situational failures, setbacks, and disappointments. Will the candidate fold like a cheap suit at the first sign of serious pressure?” So how does Jaffe recommend that a management job candidate wow an employer? “My solution is ridiculously simple,” Jaffe writes. “Forget about being a candidate. Imagine instead that you’re a consultant, and that you’ve already been paid a non-refundable consulting fee to attend this meeting.” It works because “you don’t have to worry about selling yourself. No posing, no posturing, no tap dancing of any kind. You’re there to be helpful, to identify your client’s needs…. Now you can sit on the same side of the table, metaphorically speaking, and ask the hard questions” — including where the company has been, where it’s going, how this executive job opening is defined and why, what great performance in it would look like, and how excellence would be measured. “What will stick with them is that you asked the right questions, paid close attention to the answers, and really fathomed what their organization is all about,” Jaffe writes. “Now they’re hooked. “Just remember: It’s not about you; it’s all about them. The more you want to be taken seriously as a candidate, the more you should forget that you are one.” Watch more business news from Fortune:

Not every business advice book has a diagram on the cover showing how to tie a noose, but this one does.

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http://www.people.com/article/connecticut-high-school-student-prom-murder-insanity-plea

http://web.archive.org/web/20150401231837id_/http://www.people.com/article/connecticut-high-school-student-prom-murder-insanity-plea

Christopher Plaskon Accused of Killing Maren Sanchez Enters Insanity Plea : People.com

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New Haven Register, Peter Hvizdak/AP 04/01/2015 AT 05:30 PM EDT A 17-year-old Connecticut high school student accused in the fatal stabbing of his classmate nearly a year ago plans to use an insanity defense, according to recently filed court documents. Christopher Plaskon is charged with stabbing 16-year-old Maren Sanchez in the chest and neck with a knife in a stairwell at Jonathan Law High School in Milford on the morning of their junior prom. Police have been investigating if the April 2014 attack was related to Sanchez's refusal to be Plaskon's prom date. In court documents obtained by PEOPLE, Plaskon's attorney, Edward J. Gavin, says Plaskon, at the time of the alleged offense, was "suffering from a mental disease or defect and/or extreme emotional disturbance." In the motion filed Monday, Gavin said he planned to introduce expert testimony about Plaskon's mental state. , a superior court judge granted State's attorney Kevin Lawlor's motion to have the teen undergo a psychiatric evaluation by a mental health professional hired by the state. "We will either verify or refute the defense's claim," Lawlor tells PEOPLE. The evaluation, which will be conducted by Dr. Howard Zonana, professor of psychiatry and clinical professor of law at Yale University, will take place over the next several months. "We are going to do our best to ensure justice is done and it will be determined based on the facts as we continue to find them," says Lawlor. The alleged attack took place on April 25 around 7:10 a.m. in a stairwell base by a school access door, according to a probable cause statement released by police. A witness observed Plaskon on top of Sanchez during the attack and "actually unsuccessfully tried to pull him away from the victim," the report states. After the alleged assault, Plaskon, whose hands and clothes were bloody, told a school resource officer, "I did it. Just arrest me," according to the document. Police recovered the knife in the hallway a short distance from the scene. Sanchez, who had plans to go to the prom with her boyfriend and had posted a photo of her blue prom dress on Facebook, was friends with Plaskon, but they never dated, the Plaskon, who pleaded not guilty last year, is looking at 60 years in prison if convicted of Sanchez's murder. If found not guilty by reason of insanity, he could spend 60 years at a state maximum-security psychiatric hospital or potentially released earlier if doctors decide he is no longer dangerous to himself or others, according to

Christopher Plaskon is accused of fatally stabbing Maren Sanchez on the morning of their junior prom

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http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2013/08/14/past-hult-prize-winners/X9yiWKCjY9TISohhhvukKO/story.html

http://web.archive.org/web/20150404235328id_/http://www.bostonglobe.com:80/business/2013/08/14/past-hult-prize-winners/X9yiWKCjY9TISohhhvukKO/story.html

Past Hult Prize winners

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Here are the past winners of the Hult Prize, an international competition that aims to address some of the world’s biggest social issues: 2009 — 2010: Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh While partnering with One Laptop Per Child, which provides low-cost laptops to improve the educational opportunities of poor children, the team created an app store that would allow parents to use the computers to buy and sell goods and services throughout their villages. The concept was included in last month’s distribution of the One Laptop Per Child tablets. 2010 — 2011: University of Cambridge, Judge School of Business, Cambridge, UK There are more cellphones than toilets in the world, according to m.Paani, the company set up by the Cambridge team. So, m.Paani created a mobile-based loyalty program in which people’s use of specific mobile carriers accumulates rebates that go to improve access to safe water, education, and nutrition. Team leader Akanksha Hazari was named one of India’s top social entrepreneurs by the Times of India. 2011 — 2012: New York University, New York The team created SolarAid. now the largest solar panel producer in Africa. Nearly 600 million people in Africa live without electricity, and many use kerosene lamps, according to SolarAid. The charity’s aim is to eliminate the use of the fuel-powered lamps on the continent by 2020 and replace them with high-tech solar lamps that would be cheaper over the long-run. They have sold nearly 600,000 solar panels. SolarAid won the Google Global Impact Challenge this year and was awarded about $750,000.

Here are the recent winners of the Hult prize: 2009 – 2010: Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh team While partnering with One Laptop Per Child, which provides low-cost laptops to improve the educational opportunities of poor children, the team created an app store that would allow parents to use the computers to buy and sell goods and services throughout the villages. The concept was included in last month’s distribution of the One Laptop Per Child tablets. 2010 - 2011: University of Cambridge, Judge School of Business, Cambridge, UK There are more cell phones than toilets in the world, according to m.Paani, the company set up by the Cambridge team. So, m.Paani created a mobile-based loyalty program to improve access to safe water, education, and nutrition.

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http://www.people.com/article/gopro-camera-falls-10000-feet

http://web.archive.org/web/20150409174732id_/http://www.people.com:80/article/gopro-camera-falls-10000-feet

GoPro Falls 10,000 Feet, Memory Card Shows Footage : People.com

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04/07/2015 AT 01:40 PM EDT You know those dreams you have where you're falling, and you wake up right before you hit the ground? Have you ever wanted to have that experience drawn out over the course of three minutes and filmed as a viral video? in a forest in Gringelstad, Sweden, and decided to look at the device's memory card. It was intact, which is something of a miracle considering its last journey: The camera was apparently attached to a skydiver's helmet, fell off mid-dive and plummeted nearly 10,000 feet in a dizzying spiral before impacting the ground. (Do inanimate objects scream? We imagine this GoPro's last words were deafening.) Örstadius is looking for the camera's owner to try to return the piece of equipment. (Hopefully the jumper fared better during the jump than the GoPro.) The rest of us, meanwhile, are just enjoying this head trip of a video. Try soundtracking it with the appropriately tension-ratcheting instrumental of your choice, timing the song's climax to line up with the moment the camera hits the ground. Instant viral video classic.

The camera fell off a skydiver shortly after the diver exited the plane

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http://www.people.com/article/makeup-brush-paralyzes-australian-mother-staph-infection

http://web.archive.org/web/20150410200911id_/http://www.people.com:80/article/makeup-brush-paralyzes-australian-mother-staph-infection

Makeup Brush Paralyzes Australian Mother After Staph Infection : People.com

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04/08/2015 AT 03:40 PM EDT An Australian mother has been left partially paralyzed after borrowing a friend's makeup brush. Jo Gilchrist began feeling pain in her back in February, according to the . She soon lost all feeling in her lower body and legs and had to undergo emergency surgery. Doctors found that the partial paralysis was caused by a type of staph infection that is resistant to drugs, most likely contracted when Gilchrist, 27, borrowed a makeup brush from a friend, who had a staph infection on her face. "It started as a dull ache and I thought it was my bad posture, but it got worse and worse and got to the point I had to call one of those doctors who come to you because I couldn't get out of bed," she told the newspaper. "I rate the pain worse than childbirth; I literally thought I was going to die." Although doctors originally said Gilchrist might never walk again, she has been making incredible strides with physical therapy and intensive treatment. Last week, she posted a video on of her standing up and taking a couple of steps. For all the kind words and love I thank you, it's been the hardest struggle I've ever faced. There's been lots of sleepless nights and days spent sleeping. There's been vomiting, tremendous pain. Tears for the unknown and tears for all the accidents. As hard as it has been Im so lucky to have muscle power and no feeling than the other way around! I have fought with everything I have to lead to this. Surprise! xx#jolovessethsentry "It's been the hardest struggle I've ever faced," she wrote. "I have fought with everything I have to lead to this." She is also separated from her son Tommy, 2, while she is treated at the Princess Alexandra Hospital Home for the next few months. "I have pictures of him and his drawings all over the walls and I look at them every day," she told the According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 30 percent of people carry the staph infection in their noses, with most of these cases not resulting in infection. However, those that do cause infection can be extremely serious and even fatal. For more information about staph, visit the

She was told she'd never walk again, but Jo Gilchrist has been making strides in her recovery

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http://www.people.com/article/boy-george-reality-show-keeping-up-kardashians-producers

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Keeping Up with the Kardashian Producers Developing Boy George Reality Show : People.com

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04/09/2015 AT 07:55 PM EDT is (finally) getting his own reality show – and who better to produce the docuseries than the guys behind frontman's move from London to Los Angeles, according to George, 53, announced the show by proclaiming, "If Marge Simpson met Dolly Parton and went dancing with Ziggy Stardust, it wouldn’t come close to what you’ll see." And if you had any questions as to why the former pop star has suddenly decided to try his hand at television, he's got the answers: "Why now – why not? Why me – who else?” For anyone who missed out on the '80s, Boy George had a string of hits with his band, The Culture Club – including classics like "Karma Chameleon," "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me," and "I'll Tumble 4 Ya." The British singer's androgynous persona was considered quite shocking at the time. “Boy George is a musical and cultural icon, and it’s about time someone captured his story," said Gil Goldschein, chairman and CEO of BMP. "We are experts in producing celeb-reality docuseries, and we couldn’t be more excited with the opportunity to tell this story with the right broadcast partner." Goldschein's company has already created hit franchises like George celebrated the announcement with this psychedelic Tweet: Some say the waking state is the most hallucinogenic! Lets find out! http://t.co/OLYAch3Koq

The show will chronicle the Culture Club frontman's move from London to Los Angeles

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http://web.archive.org/web/20150413082500id_/http://fortune.com:80/2015/04/10/listeria-hysteria-heres-what-foods-are-affected-and-why/

The latest listeria outbreak & food safety: What you need to know

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Two food manufacturers have recalled tens of thousands of cases of their products from stores nationwide after finding evidence of the potentially deadly bacterium listeria, in an outbreak that has already resulted in at least eight illnesses and three deaths. Sabra Dipping Company was the latest food manufacturer to find evidence of the contamination, recalling 30,000 cases of its classic hummus. That follows Blue Bell’s first-ever recall after customers in Texas and Kansas fell ill due to listeria connected to its ice cream and other frozen snacks. So far, the Centers for Disease control has linked eight cases in the current outbreak to Blue Bell items; no cases officially have been linked back to Sabra. Listeria is one of the most dangerous food-borne illnesses, especially for older adults, pregnant women and those with weakened immune systems. It sickens about 1,600 Americans a year, causing fever and muscle aches and gastrointestinal problems. In 2012, 13% of patients sickened by listeria died, according to CDC statistics. That’s quite high when compared with a more common food-borne disease like salmonella, which kills less than 1% of infected patients. Listeria outbreaks linked to specific food manufacturers or farms have been especially lethal. The deadliest outbreak was in 2011 when listeria-infected cantaloupes from Jensen Farms in Colorado killed 33 people and sickened another 140. Sabra and Blue Bell aren’t the only companies with recent listeria-connected recalls, either. Amy’s Kitchen, Wegmans Food Markets and Carmel Food Group have all recalled products this year over listeria concerns. The constant lineup of recalls raises concerns that regulators at the Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Department of Agriculture are slipping on their duties to American citizens. Part of that may be due to a shortage in funding for food safety: Following the enactment of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) in 2011, one of the biggest reforms to food safety laws in more than 70 years, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the FDA would need $580 million to carry out the reforms over four years. Congress allotted less than half that amount, about $162 million, for a five-year period. The FSMA is designed to shift the focus from responding to contamination to preventing it. The burden currently falls on manufacturers to ensure a product’s safety–food companies are tasked with completing internal tests and then notifying the FDA if there are any issues. State-run agencies also conduct their own random food safety tests (which is how the Sabra contamination was found). Regulatory agencies are working hard to police a more than $1 trillion industry with limited funds, potentially leaving more U.S. consumers vulnerable to food contamination problems. Each year, about 48 million Americans get sick due to food-borne illnesses, 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 die because of the exposure. For more information about foods affected by the current outbreak, see Sabra’s recall announcement and Blue Bell’s recall announcement.

Blue Bell and Sabra are two of the latest food manufacturers to recall their products due to listeria contamination; efforts to prevent such outbreaks are severely underfunded.

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http://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2015/04/12/iyer-trio-digs-deep-grooves-regattabar/StMAbAjiEYgoORuD536yxN/story.html

http://web.archive.org/web/20150416001313id_/http://www.bostonglobe.com:80/arts/music/2015/04/12/iyer-trio-digs-deep-grooves-regattabar/StMAbAjiEYgoORuD536yxN/story.html?

Iyer’s Trio digs deep grooves at Regattabar

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CAMBRIDGE — “My name’s Vijay Iyer, I play piano, and I. . .” — brief pause — “work here in town,” the natty musician said from the stage at the Regattabar on Friday evening, welcoming the audience to the first set of a two-night stand. That last detail seemed meant to acknowledge a sizable portion of the crowd that evidently had trooped up the road from Harvard, where Iyer is a professor in the music department. Harvard is among the facts that have become de rigueur to cite in reporting on Iyer’s work. Others include his South Indian heritage, his formidable academic C.V., his burgeoning sideline in composing concert music, and his award of a MacArthur “genius grant” in 2013. Those points, salient and not, at times have been used to exile Iyer from whatever passes for a jazz mainstream. It's true, on evidence provided during a capacious set, Iyer’s 11-year-old trio with the bassist Stephan Crump and the drummer Marcus Gilmore sounds not quite like any other working group, present or past. But equally important, Iyer and his mates honor a time-tested tradition and format, while extending it in ways that are fresh, coherent, and attuned to the here and now. For many leaders who’ve arrived in the wake of 1960s free jazz and its ecstatic elimination of standard forms, inventing new structural strategies can be an abiding concern. Iyer has his favored methods: Tunes built up from tiny cells, repeated and varied; rhythmic vamps of gradually mounting intensity, which swell and shift, then recede or crash; a tight bond between piano and drums, the principal role shifting constantly, while the bass provides a fulcrum. Those notions and more surfaced in the seamless sequence that opened Iyer’s set: “Geese” and “Chorale,” from the trio’s recent ECM Records debut, “Break Stuff”; a new tune titled “Combat Breathing”; and a tart Henry Threadgill piece, “Little Pocket Size Demons.” Telepathy can be a jazz critic’s favorite cliché, but this combo’s knack for nailing sudden transitions without visible or audible cues defied reason repeatedly. After a brief interlude (“Nope”) came two more cuts from “Break Stuff,” a lanky rendition of Thelonious Monk’s “Work” and an original, “Hood.” The latter, a tribute to techno producer Robert Hood, initially feels static, stuck. Submit to its groove, and your focus intensifies; tiny shifts and deviations convey oversize impact. Reworked portions of “Time, Place, Action,” which Iyer composed for the Brentano String Quartet, formed an impressionistic frame around “Down to the Wire,” a bristling new tune with a skittering Gilmore solo. “Wrens,” humble and songful as its title implies, provided the heady set with its gracious benediction.

Vijay Iyer’s 11-year-old trio sounds not quite like any other working group, but it honors a time-tested tradition and format, while extending it in ways that are fresh and coherent.

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http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2015/03/13/college-presidents-worry-their-schools-won-survive-report-says/9cS7Hrceqj8uTL5JrCC1uM/story.html

http://web.archive.org/web/20150419160712id_/http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2015/03/13/college-presidents-worry-their-schools-won-survive-report-says/9cS7Hrceqj8uTL5JrCC1uM/story.html

College presidents worry their schools won’t survive, report says

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Facing shrinking budgets and, in some cases, flagging enrollment, a growing number of college presidents are concerned about the future of their institutions, a new Inside Higher Ed report based on Gallup data finds. Only 39 percent of college presidents surveyed for the report felt confident their institution’s financial model would be sustainable for the next decade, down from 50 percent the previous year. They were more positive about shorter-term survival: 56 predicted they’d be OK for five years. That’s still well below the 62 percent who felt that way in 2014. To gauge the officials’ sentiment, Gallup polled presidents of 338 public institutions and 262 private nonprofits in the US in January and February. “We’ve really reached a turning point,” says Ronald Ehrenberg, professor of industrial and labor relations and economics at Cornell and head of the Cornell Higher Education Research Institute. “The growing debt crisis and decline in family incomes after the recession has made people very cost conscious, and institutions aren’t going to be able to increase tuition as rapidly in the future.” Hoping to counteract budgetary woes, colleges have raised tuition faster than inflation for four decades. Still, that hasn’t always enough to dampen costs. The typical private college gives back more than 40 percent of its tuition dollars in the form of financial aid for undergraduates, according to Ehrenberg, which means even record-high tuition rates aren’t leaving fat margins for spending. “When you’re limited on your ability to raise tuition, and you’re using a substantial amount of tuition to pay to help students attend, you don’t really have a lot of money left to run the institution,” Ehrenberg says. The drop in confidence was particularly pronounced at public universities, many of which have seen their budgets slashed by state legislatures in recent years. Among presidents of public schools granting bachelor’s degrees, 45 percent said they were optimistic about their schools’ financial sustainability over the next five years, a 16 percentage-point drop. The numbers reflect a stark reality for the country’s publicly funded higher education institutions: state support hasn’t increased proportionally with rising costs, forcing many schools to lay off staff, rely more on adjunct faculty, or cut programs. All but two states are still spending less per college student than they did in fiscal year 2008, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Presidents of private colleges rated their sustainability somewhat more positively. This year, 58 were optimistic about the next five years, the same as 2014. Their peers, however, predict a less rosy outcome for these schools. Researchers also asked presidents for their opinions on the educational landscape at large, and they were the least bullish on small, private four-year schools (ones with an endowment less than $500 million, if they were liberal arts schools), rating for-profit universities as more likely to have sustainable business models. Excluding the wealthiest among them, many private colleges lack robust endowments and must rely more on tuition dollars for revenue. A growing number, fighting what some analysts have dubbed the private college death spiral, have been forced to close in recent years, including, most recently, Sweet Briar College in Sweet Briar, Va. “There may be more closures in the future,” Ehrenberg says, “but hopefully the institutions will be able to survive by sharing resources.”

Facing shrinking budgets and, in some cases, flagging enrollment, a growing number of college presidents are concerned about the future of their institutions, a new Inside Higher Ed report based on Gallup data finds.

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http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2015/01/09/ten-things-you-may-have-missed-thursday-from-world-business/mFcUePtQlicn47ELSrs8dP/story.html

http://web.archive.org/web/20150422144508id_/http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2015/01/09/ten-things-you-may-have-missed-thursday-from-world-business/mFcUePtQlicn47ELSrs8dP/story.html

Ten things you may have missed Thursday from the world of business

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In one of his last official acts as governor, Deval Patrick signed into law a measure that restores authorization for small “farmer-wineries” to distribute their wine and cider to stores and restaurants. Small Massachusetts producers of wine and hard ciders have long been allowed to bypass distributors and sell directly to liquor stores, bars, and restaurants. But last summer, the Legislature unintentionally deleted that section of the state’s alcohol laws when it passed a budget amendment making it easier for consumers to mail-order wine from other states. — Dan Adams SAN FRANCISCO — Users of iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches spent nearly $500 million on applications and in-app services during the first week of the year, figures released by Apple Inc. shows. It was the highest weekly volume recorded by Apple since it opened its App Store seven years ago and revolutionized the way people connect with online services and play games. If sales continue at the same pace, Apple and the makers of the apps would split up about $25 billion in revenue. Apple’s revenue-sharing formula calls for 70 percent of app sales to be paid to the developers, with the rest kept by the company. Apple’s app billings surged 50 percent in 2014, according to Thursday’s breakdown. — ASSOCIATED PRESS J.C. Penney Co. said it will close about 40 stores this year and cut approximately 2,250 jobs as it tries to improve its profitability. Most of the stores, located in malls around the country, will close by April 4. The Plano, Texas, company currently runs about 1,060 stores. The chain is closing two stores in Massachusetts — at Silver City Galleria in Taunton and the Hanover Mall — plus its store at the Providence Place mall. — ASSOCIATED PRESS CINCINNATI — Macy’s Inc. plans to restructure its merchandising and marketing and lay off of thousands of workers in response to changes in the way customers shop, in stores and online. The retailer said Thursday that it will also close 14 department stores but open two at new locations, resulting in annual savings of roughly $140 million. Macy’s plans to reinvest those savings into its business. None of the stores to be closed are in New England. Macy’s said the job reductions will average two to three positions per store. Its overall workforce of about 175,000 will remain level, the company said. — ASSOCIATED PRESS Consumers celebrating $2-a-gallon gas prices can spend their savings on $125-a-month electricity bills. Starting this month, the electricity bills for most NStar customers will rise 29 percent compared to last January. The rate increase, which was approved by state regulators in November, could eat into the benefit consumers are reaping from the falling price of crude oil -- low prices on gasoline and heating oil. A typical NStar household in Boston, which uses about 500 kilowatt-hours of electricity, would see their monthly bill rise from $95.80 last winter to $123.10, according to company figures. NStar said the utility will charge customers more because power generators are demanding a higher price for electricity. — Jack Newsham DETROIT — Subaru is recalling about 199,000 cars and SUVs for a second time to fix rusty brake lines that can leak fluid and cause longer stopping distances. The recall covers the 2009 through 2013 Forester, 2008 through 2011 Impreza, and the 2008 through 2014 WRX and WRX-STI models. It affects vehicles in 20 US cold weather states and Washington, D.C., where salt is used to clear roads in the winter. Subaru says in documents posted Thursday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that salty water can splash on the brake lines through a gap in the fuel tank protector. That can cause rust and leaks. A recall from last year for the same problem didn’t work due to incomplete repair instructions to dealers. — ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON — The government says it is fining Honda $70 million for not reporting to safety regulators more than 1,700 complaints that its vehicles caused deaths and injuries, and for not reporting warranty claims. It’s the largest civil penalty the agency has levied against an automaker. Honda disclosed the reporting failure in November, admitting that company officials had waited three years after finding out about the reporting failure before making the disclosure to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. — Associated Press NEW YORK — New York City will move to the forefront of a growing environmental trend by banning food establishments from using plastic foam containers starting this summer, Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration said Thursday. New York will now be the largest city in the country — following San Francisco, Seattle, and Portland, Ore. — to prohibit the foam containers, which environmental groups have long decried as a hazard that clogs the nation’s landfills. Administration officials believe that the ban will remove nearly 30,000 tons of expanded polystyrene from the city’s streets, waterways and landfills. The ban will go into effect July 1. — Associated Press Biogen Idec Inc.’s experimental drug for multiple sclerosis showed signs it could help repair nerve damage in patients’ eyes, a tentatively positive step for a drug aimed at reversing progression of the disease. In a mid-stage trial of 82 patients, there was a 34 percent improvement in those who completed the study — a hair below the threshold for statistical significance. Including patients who did not complete the study, the results were positive but not statistically significant, Biogen said. Patients in the trial generally tolerated the drug well, but two had hypersensitivity reactions around the time the drug was infused. One had an elevation in enzymes that could cause liver damage, resolved when the patient stopped using the drug. — Bloomberg News MADRID — Banco Santander, Europe’s largest bank by market value, said it plans to raise up to $8.8 billion in a share sale. In a statement Thursday, Santander said the amount would represent 9.9 percent of its overall capital. The bank said also it was cutting its quarterly dividend payment to 5 cents per share, down from 15 cents in 2014. It will pay three dividends in cash and one in shares. Santander, which has its US headquarters in Boston, is the third-largest bank doing business in Massachusetts. It has about 700 branches and ATMs in nine states in the US Northeast. — Associated Press

1. Patrick signs farmer-winery ‘fix’ moments before leaving office In one of his last official acts as governor, Deval Patrick signed into law a measure that restores authorization for small “farmer-wineries” to distribute their wine and cider to stores and restaurants.

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http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2011/sep/11/british-architecture-modernism-key-buildings

http://web.archive.org/web/20150425100035id_/http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2011/sep/11/british-architecture-modernism-key-buildings

British architecture: examples of the modernist era

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The nautical theme has been reduced to a corny joke in British seaside architecture, but there's a dignified restraint to it here. The modernist tides of 1930s Europe washed this elegant culture palace up on our shores thanks to an enlightened patron (Earl De La Warr, mayor of Bexhill) and two émigré architects (German Eric Mendelsohn and Chechen Serge Chermayeff). The strong horizontal lines of this 1935 building are reinforced by cantilevered balconies and minimal detailing, and the visual lightness is enabled by a then-radical prefabricated steel-frame and concrete structure. A majestic crown of thorns or a leaky concrete wigwam, depending on whom you ask, Frederick Gibberd's bold design (completed 1967) successfully translated Christian architectural language into a modern idiom. The trusses of the circular structure evoke gothic flying buttresses, while the circular nave radiates congregational intimacy. Internal highlights include the lantern, with stained glass by John Piper and Patrick Reyntiens, and the cavernous crypt of Edwardian architect Sir Edwin Lutyens' previous, unfinished cathedral design – a taste of what might have been. A fine illustration of form following function designed and built between 1959 and 1963. You can almost read the separate components from the outside, particularly the jutting lecture halls. But rather than slavishly following modernist tenets, with this building James Stirling and James Gowan led the movement away from its purist roots, into something more eclectic and mindful of the past. The crystalline roofscape of the laboratory block, for example, evokes the warehouses of industrial Britain, while the articulated structure draws on the gothic as much as Le Corbusier. The Barbican's soaring, sprawling scale speaks of irrepressible utopian ambition. Its designers were young architects Chamberlin, Powell and Bon, who won the competition in 1955 to redevelop a badly bombed area of London – although they would be old or even dead by the time it was finished in 1982. The brutalist treatment has been much maligned, but the concrete is actually of exceptional quality, and the apartments are designed to 140 different floor plans. And despite the maze-like complexity, the scheme was ahead of its time in the creation of a safe, quiet, car-free, pedestrian-friendly mini-town; an urban fortress enclosing oases of culture and calm. This estate reflects the layout of Le Corbusier's (unbuilt) Ville Radieuse (Radiant City), with its rational layout of giant apartment blocks in wide-open parkland completed in 1959. The ocean liner-like, 11-storey, concrete slab blocks, raised on their slender piloti, were directly inspired by Le Corbusier's Unité d'Habitation in Marseilles, which the London county council architects had recently visited. But there is a mix of housing options here, from 12-storey towers down to single-storey retirement dwellings. Alton East, modelled on Scandinavian public housing, highlights the ideological split in Britain's postwar housing design. Not open to the public Berthold Lubetkin said he designed London Zoo's most famous structure as a stage set, albeit one better for showing off the properties of concrete than the natural behaviour of penguins (they were moved to a different enclosure in 2003). It's perhaps better viewed as an abstract sculpture. Its dazzling white curves, long openings and slender piloti distil the Corbusian zeitgeist into a delightful folly, and the intertwining spiral catwalks are a brilliant structural conceit – an aviation-inspired double swoop that soars in ways a penguin cannot. It was once derided as a Ballardian symbol of all that was wrong with modernism, and its architect even gave his name to a Bond villain, but it later turned out all that Erno Goldfinger's 1968 west London high-rise needed was a concierge in reception to iron out its problems. Like its younger east London cousin, the Balfron Tower, the Trellick's detached service tower gives it an unmistakable silhouette. And there's a logic and efficiency to the design: gallery levels with stair access to apartments above and below mean the lift only needs to stop every three floors, hence the spaced-out bridges over to the main block. The exteriors are carefully composed, too (note the line of maisonettes two-thirds of the way up). Britain didn't quite embrace high-rise living as Goldfinger wished, but to those enjoying the view from up there today, the rest of us missed out. Not open to the public The only survivor of the 1951 Festival of Britain introduced a forward-looking Scandinavian-style coolness to London's bustling riverside, and to Britain as a whole – a clean, simple form and a clean break with the past. Designed by a team of London county council architects under Leslie Martin and Peter Moro, the building's concept was also simple: an egg in a box. The egg being the auditorium, acoustically isolated from the surrounding public and support areas. As it turned out, the acoustics were one of the building's great failures (until a 2007 revamp). However, the open, flowing spaces of the single-level foyer and terraces are a model of democratic space. This 1932 building is proof that modern architecture could achieve a civic presence even within the historic patchwork of a city like London, though sadly the neighbourhood built around it never matched the station's clarity of form and intent. Architect Charles Holden drew on the more classically inclined examples of European modernism, particularly Gunnar Asplund's Stockholm City Library. The contents of the station (and several others like it) were all of a piece with the design, from the benches to the enduring typeface of the signage. With a bluntness that betrays his roots in engineering rather than architecture, Owen Williams laid out Boots' 1932 Nottingham manufacturing complex to a functionalist design. Block D10 is the highlight: a vast but light-footed "wet" factory for preparing pharmaceuticals. It is concrete and glass and little else. The massive, mushroom-headed columns enabled large, practical spans and gave the building a dynamic, sculptural quality, while natural light was brought in through the all-glass elevations and light wells. Not open to the public

Modernism produced perhaps the biggest variety of styles in history, from concrete wigwams and penguin pools to streets in the sky, says Steve Rose

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Fugitive Turns Himself In After 40 Years on the Run : People.com

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04/23/2015 AT 12:30 PM EDT Four decades ago, Clarence David Moore escaped from a North Carolina prison while serving an 11-year sentence for larceny. And on Monday, he finally turned himself in, desperate for medical attention. When Franklin County Sheriff Pat Melton showed up at Moore's house in Frankfort, Kentucky, he found the 66-year-old in a hospital bed. "He looks like he's almost 90," the sheriff told the "As soon as he saw us, he started crying," Melton added. "He said, 'I just want to get this behind me. I want to be done.' " Living under an assumed name, Moore struggled to obtain medical care without a Social Security number or legitimate identification. Neighbors said they had no idea who Moore was. They simply knew him as Ronnie T. Dickinson, a man who mostly kept to himself after suffering a stroke. "He made some bad choices, but at the end of the day he wanted to make them right and he stepped up," Melton said Wednesday. After being arrested, he was taken to Frankfort Regional Medical Center for a medical evaluation, according to

"As soon as he saw us, he started crying," Franklin County Sheriff Pat Melton said

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Dribble-down economics - Business - The Boston Globe

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20,000: That’s the number of rally towels made by Somerville’s Grossman Marketing Group for Thursday night’s Celtics playoff game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, enough for every fan at TD Garden. Few basketball fans expected the Celtics to qualify for the playoffs, but a late-season surge propelled them toward a surprise berth, despite a losing record overall. For the local printer, the team’s postseason appearance meant an unexpected order worth about $25,000. “We were pleasantly surprised,” said company copresident Dan Grossman.

20,000: Rally towels made by Grossman Marketing Group of Somerville for Wednesday night’s Celtics playoff game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, enough for every fan at TD Garden.

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Adult Learners' Week: 20 years of inspiration

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"The learning has completely turned my life around," says Bob Wells, winner of the outstanding learner of the year award for London last year. His comment is typical of the hundreds of award winners over 20 years of Adult Learners' Week. What they have in common is that they all achieved something they thought impossible. Charis Sebastian, a single mother who had never worked, got a placement with Carmarthen county council supporting disaffected 14- to 16-year-olds and is now taking City and Guilds qualifications. "If I hadn't taken this first step with Jobforce Wales, I don't think I would have done any of this," she said. In England and Wales more than 130,000 people took part in over 4,000 events last year. Some 90,000 visited the campaign website and 80% of people who called the helpline enrolled on a course. In 1997 Unesco adopted the idea; now more than 50 countries have similar festivals. Numerous further education organisations see benefits in the awards week. Lynne Sedgmore, executive director of the 157 Group, says: "We have seen, over the years, clear and increasing evidence that Adult Learners' Week inspires more people to take up learning." This view is shared by the Association of Colleges, whose spokesman added: "So many colleges are involved each year because their own research indicates that the week stimulates interest in courses." Indeed, the week rapidly became a festival of learning as more and more organisations, from the European Social Fund to education publisher Pearson, signed up to sponsor awards. Saul Nassé, controller of BBC Learning, says: "We are proud to sponsor the digital participation award for the second year." It's a long way from 1992, when Niace decided to spend £5,000 on a national festival. At the time, it was very much against the culture of adult education to single out individuals or groups, but the organisation wanted to use winners to show the public what learning could do for them. The involvement of broadcast media helped fuel success as each ITV region showcased award winners, Channel 4 made a documentary and the BBC produced short plays to promote learning. Local authorities and other organisations supported the helpline. Another crucial feature was that partner organisations could offer whatever learning they liked to the public, from IT to cookery to horticulture to needlecraft, in places such as museums, libraries and even supermarkets. "It's the mix of activities and media support that has helped make it more than the sum of its parts," says Alan Tuckett of Niace." And the annual participation survey has influence on policy makers. SJ

Over the years, Adult Learners' Week has from strength to strength – now, more than 50 countries have similar festivals

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Shawn Mendes - Music - The Boston Globe

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This week, the Billboard 200 is led by a crushworthy Canadian teen who parlayed his online stardom into a chart-topping album. If that back story sounds vaguely familiar, it’s because it generally describes the early career arc of Justin Bieber, whose Usher covers on YouTube led to his first blush of teen idoldom. But this time, the No. 1 album belongs to Shawn Mendes (pictured), the 16-year-old singer-songwriter who came to fame via the 6-second video app Vine. After racking up views on his compressed covers (which included his takes on Lana Del Rey and OneRepublic) and hitting the road alongside fellow Vine stars Nash Grier and Cameron Dallas, Mendes signed to Island Records in 2014 and released an EP last summer. “Handwritten,” the affable troubadour’s first album, moved 119,000 units during the week ending April 19; 106,000 pieces of that total came from traditional album sales, while 4.8 million streams and 103,000 single-song sales rounded out the rest. It’s worth noting that Mendes, like Bieber before him, has so far seen little support from Top-40 radio. The unfailingly perky lead single, “Something Good,” only peaked at No. 80 on the Hot 100. Still, Mendes has an extremely loyal chunk of the Internet on his side, and he’s got some famous fans as well: In July, he’ll take the stage at Gillette Stadium when he opens for pop doyenne Taylor Swift. Six seconds can, it seems, make a big difference.

This week, the Billboard 200 is led by a crushworthy Canadian teen who parlayed his online stardom into a chart-topping album: Shawn Mendes, the 16-year-old singer-songwriter who came to fame via the six-second video app Vine.

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http://web.archive.org/web/20150428015051id_/http://fortune.com:80/2015/04/24/state-of-airline-travel/

The pathetic state of airline travel today was predicted long ago

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This post is in partnership with Money. The article below was originally published at Money.com. The airline business is complicated. To some extent, however, making a profit is as simple as getting as many passengers on board your company’s airplanes as possible, and charging each customer as much as possible for the services provided. Lately, airlines have been extremely good at being profitable. Airline profits soared in 2014 amid plummeting fuel prices, and the trend has continued in 2015. The first quarter of the year is generally a slow, lackluster period in travel, yet most domestic airlines reported record-high profits for the first three months of 2015. American Airlines AAPL reportedly took in a profit of $1.2 billion in the first quarter, according to the Dallas Morning News; previously, the carrier’s best first quarter was a haul of a mere $480 million. Historically, in a scenario like the one outlined above, airline executives could be relied upon to add flights and new routes, and/or cut airfares, with the goal of winning over new passengers and snagging market share. None of the above is happening, however. For an explanation of why this is so, look no further than the string of airline mergers that took place in recent years—and that effectively killed the robust competition that existed in the industry not long ago. “The airline industry is increasingly looking like an uncompetitive oligopoly,” Andrew Ross Sorkin wrote in a recent New York Times analysis. Sorkin pointed to the insights of analyst Vinay Bhaskara, who in late 2014 wrote in Airway News, “We are unquestionably living in an air travel oligopoly,” in which virtually all power in the industry lies in the hands of very few players. “I will go on record stating that I believe that 2015 will be yet another year of record profitability for US airlines,” Bhaskara wrote at the end of 2014. Based on the first quarter results, his predictions appear to be coming true. As for the idea that airlines would expand service to take advantage of low fuel prices and attempt to win over business from their competitors? Let’s just say no one should go holding their breath waiting for heated competition and price wars anytime soon. “The idea that US airlines would, once again, devolve into a war for market share is founded on a misunderstanding of the new structure of US airlines.” This “new structure” is one in which airlines are rigorously maintaining “discipline,” as Bhaskara puts it. This highly profitable approach is one in which the airlines aren’t expanding service because they prefer to fly densely packed planes, and they aren’t cutting fares because, well, they just don’t have to as demand remains high. The approach might come across as greedy and opportunistic. But it shouldn’t come as a surprise. After all, the marketplace we have today is one that was predicted years ago by airline merger critics. Back in 2010, when United Airlines was close to completing its acquisition of Continental, consumer advocate Bill McGee published a manifesto about the ramifications of such mergers. Among other things, his analysis showed: “When merger partners’ route maps overlap, certain cities will lose service, with fewer flight frequencies and loss of nonstops. Airline mergers don’t improve customer service. When one airline suddenly dominates a route where it previously competed with a merger partner, ticket prices are likely to rise—often considerably.” Likewise, over the years various consumer groups and business travel coalitions have urged regulators to stop mergers from taking place for largely the same reasons. And, based on the routinely oligopolistic tactics of airlines in the post-merger world, in which travelers based in cities like Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis have seen dramatic reductions in flights, and in which average flights in the U.S. have pushed past $500 (not including fees), the critics sure do seem to have been on to something. Most unfortunate of all, the average airline customer should only expect more of the same approach going forward. Instead of adding flights, “Almost all of our capacity growth domestically is about putting more seats on airplanes,” American Airlines president Scott Kirby explained in a recent investment conference. “We will absolutely not lose our capacity discipline,” or the practice of limiting expansion in order to keep airfares high, United CEO Jeff Sismek said earlier this year, while announcing the company had nearly doubled profits in 2014. Thanks to seat design “innovations,” airlines are able to cram more and more tiny seats into economy sections. This obviously makes flying worse, but that’s not stopping airlines from going forward. “When it comes to passenger comfort, the airlines are saying that this isn’t something that’s very important to them,” Eric Gonzales, an engineering professor at UMass-Amherst specializing in transportation issues, said to the Los Angeles Times. “These changes are intended solely to improve the bottom line.” If the airline space were more competitive, it would arguably be a lot more difficult for carriers to get away with this kind of stuff. Yet they get away with this and more, including all manner of fees for services that used to be covered in the price of a ticket, plus a range of cost-cutting steps that show through in the results of a new study indicating that customer complaints, lost bags, lateness, and overbooking were all up in 2014. As if it isn’t already clear, Brent Bowen, dean of the College of Aviation at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and a co-author of the study, explained how we got to this point: “Airline mergers and consolidations are taking a systemic toll that is bad for consumers… Performance by the airlines is slipping while they claimed this would make them better.”

No one should be remotely surprised that flights today are more crowded and more expensive, with more fees and worse service. As many critics warned, this is exactly what would happen with widespread airline consolidation.

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http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20150424-how-to-survive-interview-hell

http://web.archive.org/web/20150428075516id_/http://www.bbc.com:80/capital/story/20150424-how-to-survive-interview-hell

Sweaty palms? How to survive interview hell

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New York-based interview coach Pamela Skillings has seen her fair share of interview-phobics over the years. Recently, she had a bright and accomplished client who dreaded interviews so much that he stayed in a job he disliked for a year too long. As a child, he had a stutter but had learned over time how to control it. After the stutter surfaced in a couple of interviews, he became convinced that it would come out whenever he got nervous. His fear took over and became distracting and stressful, said Skilling in an email. Your nerves might be due to a wide range of things, from speech issues to rusty interview skills or an introverted personality. But, the result is the same, fear of facing the all-important in-person meeting. So, what’s an interview-shy candidate to do? How can you make yourself appear as convincing in person as you are on paper and get over your anxiety? Can never be too prepared In the case of Skilling’s client, the trick for him was to work on his answers and prepare thoroughly enough before a meeting to feel completely confident. “It also helped him to get candid feedback on his speaking style and realise that a hint of stutter coming out really wasn't a big deal as long as he could refocus, get back on track, and give good answers,” she said. The result: he soon landed a new job much better suited to his skills and interests. At the American University of Paris, director of career development, Danielle Savage, works with students and alumni from around the globe. She says that in many of the students’ cultures, just the idea of “selling oneself” is distasteful. So, when it is time for a job interview, many of these would-be employees are already at a disadvantage. Savage tries to help current and former students around this disdain for self-promotion. She likens the preparation for an interview to what marketers do: study up to know their market. “As a candidate, you need to know your potential employers’ needs, wants and pain points. Then it’s up to you to craft stories that give examples of how you used your key attributes to solve problems similar to those experienced by your interviewer,” Savage said in an email. “This shifts the focus from what might be perceived as bragging or mindlessly repeating what’s on your resume (CV), to what the employer needs and what you as a candidate can bring to the table.” By explaining your key accomplishments and how you solve problems, you will automatically feel more enthusiastic and less intimidated, said Savage. “[You] will naturally come across as more compelling.” And you might feel less like you’re selling something and more like you’re simply having a friendly conversation with a colleague. Joannah Griffin, human resources manager at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia, has a number of steps she suggests to students with interview phobias. The first is to rehearse the interview beforehand with a family member or friend to help you feel more at ease talking about yourself. Second is to dress for success. “Your appearance can completely change the way you feel about yourself,” she said in an email. “The better you feel, the more confident you are.” Griffin tells her students to take slow deep breaths to help relax their bodies. “Close your eyes and picture the interview progressing successfully,” she said. “Research the role, the company and your abilities to meet the section criteria. The more you know, the more confident you will be in being able to respond to questions.” Many interviewees make the mistake of thinking that the interviewer is out to get them or trip them up. But that’s not the case, said Devora Zack, chief executive officer at Only Connect Consulting, a career consulting firm in Washington, DC, and author of soon-to-be-published Singletasking, in an email. “No interviewer thinks, 'I hope this candidate is a big waste of my time and completely blows the interview.'” said Zack. “They are thinking 'I hope this person is the solution. I hope s/he's fantastic.'” In other words, you both want the same thing. If you would like to comment on this story or anything else you have seen on BBC Capital, head over to our Facebook page or message us on Twitter.

Take a deep breath and tackle your terror of interviews with this plan.

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http://www.nytimes.com/1981/09/02/obituaries/albert-speer-dies-at-76-close-associate-of-hitler.html

http://web.archive.org/web/20150430015548id_/http://www.nytimes.com:80/1981/09/02/obituaries/albert-speer-dies-at-76-close-associate-of-hitler.html?

ALBERT SPEER DIES AT 76

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LONDON, Sept. 1— Albert Speer, Hitler's architect, who became Minister of Armaments and War Production in World War II, died today at St. Mary's Hospital. He was 76 years old. Mr. Speer had been taken to the hospital from a London hotel, where he was preparing for a television interview. A hospital spokesman said Mr. Speer was believed to have died of a cerebral hemorrhage. ---- Dedicated Administrator By PAUL L. MONTGOMERY From the time he joined the National Socialist Party in 1931, Albert Speer was an important power in Hitler's movement, a dedicated administrator who kept the war machine running with forced labor and incessant planning. He was also Hitler's chosen architect and stage designer, who devised plans for grandiose monuments and mass rallies. Mr. Speer (the name is pronounced shpair) was the only Nazi leader at the Nuremberg war-crimes trials in 1945-46 to admit his guilt. There were those who thought he spent the rest of his life trying to expiate the horrors of the concentration camps and slave factories, and others who found his memoirs self-serving, showing the pure technician unmove d by human misery. When Mr. Speer was released from West Berlin's Spandau prison in 1966 after having completed his 20-year sentence, he made a career of writing his memoirs. His first two books - ''Inside the Third Reich'' (1970) and ''Spandau: The Secret Diaries'' (1976) - sold several million copies and made him a rich man. A third book, ''Infiltration: The SS and German Armament,'' was published in the United States in July. Many Critics Praised Candor Most critics praised his candor in writing about the responsibility he bore for the Nazi excesses. ''My moral failure is not a matter of this item or that,'' he wrote in ''Inside the Third Reich.'' ''It resides in my active association with the whole course of events. I had participated in a war which, as we of the intimate circle should never have doubted, was aimed at world dominion. What is more, by my abilities and energies, I prolonged that war by many months.'' Mr. Speer also dealt with the excuse that he knew little or nothing about the death camps. ''Whether I knew or did not know, or how much or how little I knew, is totally unimportant when I consider what horrors I ought to have known about and what conclusions would have been the natural ones to draw from the little I did know,'' he wrote. ''No apologies are possible.'' In his role as one of the survivors of the Nazi leadership - the only one now living is Rudolf Hess, the 87-year-old former Deputy Fuhrer, still a prisoner at Spandau - Mr. Speer was one of the few people in postwar Germany to be able to discuss the Hitler period from first-hand experience in the ruling group. Met Hitler at Rally in 1923 Mr. Speer was born on March 19, 1905, in Mannheim and was trained to be an architect. When he was 28, he recalled, he met Hitler at an early Nazi rally in Berlin and was enthralled by the party leader's plans, particularly for rebuilding Berlin. ''For the commission to do a great building, I would have sold my soul like Faust,'' Mr. Speer said. ''Now I had found my Mephistopheles. He seemed no less engaging that Goethe's.'' Hitler, whose party at that time was dominated by uneducated thugs, was also attracted to the ambitious, worshipful young man. ''If Adolf Hitler had ever had a friend, I would have been that friend,'' Mr. Speer later wrote. In 1934, he was appointed Hitler's architect as well as the official in charge of Government construction. Among his early projects was a stadium in Nuremberg, party headquarters in Munich and the chancellery in Berlin. There were many projects that were never built - a triumphal arch 49 times larger than the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, a stadium for 300,000 spectators, a dome nearly 900 feet high. Many Projects Stopped by War ''All these concepts were more than plans, they were projects already under way when the war began,'' Mr. Speer wrote. ''Hitler did not even overlook a hall of fame, a kind of pantheon to commemorate his victories. And underneath it, a crypt in which, Hitler's advance orders said, the sarcophagi of his successful commanders and the coffins of the heroes of the wars being planned in 1936 were to have their place.'' In 1938, Mr. Speer was placed in charge of the reconstruction of Berlin, which was to be a Nazi showplace. The plans, barely begun when the Germans invaded Poland on Sept. 1, 1939, had to be abandoned because of the war. Writing in The New York Times on the 40th anniversary of the invasion, Mr. Speer said Eastern Europe was not the end of Hitler's plans. ''The conquest of Russia was not the final goal toward which Hitler was heading on Sept. 1, 1939,'' he wrote. ''As he noted in his 1936 memorandum, economic self-sufficiency was the means to wage war on international Jewry. The ultimate war aim that Hitler had set for himself in 1936 meant that, given his opini on of the power of theJews in the U nited States, he would not rest before achieving domination ov er America.'' Had Rank of Colonel in the SS

Albert Speer, Hitler's architect, who became Minister of Armaments and War Production in World War II, died today at St. Mary's Hospital. He was 76 years old. Mr. Speer had been taken to the hospital from a London hotel, where he was preparing for a television interview. A hospital spokesman said Mr. Speer was believed to have died of a cerebral hemorrhage. ---- Dedicated Administrator By PAUL L. MONTGOMERY From the time he joined the National Socialist Party in 1931, Albert Speer was an important power in Hitler's movement, a dedicated administrator who kept the war machine running with forced labor and incessant planning. He was also Hitler's chosen architect and stage designer, who devised plans for grandiose monuments and mass rallies.

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http://www.people.com/article/baltimore-riots-the-wire-creator-david-simon-calls-end-violence

http://web.archive.org/web/20150430150327id_/http://www.people.com:80/article/baltimore-riots-the-wire-creator-david-simon-calls-end-violence

The Wire's David Simon Calls for End to Violence, Celebs React : People.com

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Protesters at rally for Freddie Gray 04/28/2015 AT 08:35 AM EDT creator David Simon is urging for peace in Baltimore in the wake of Monday night's violence. across the city following the funeral for Freddie Gray, who after suffering a severe spinal injury while in police custody earlier this month. Rioters set fire to buildings throughout the city – including an affordable housing center for seniors that was just months away from opening – while looters tore apart a local CVS drugstore. Simon, whose critically acclaimed crime series centers on the streets of Baltimore, condemned the violence in a passionate "The anger and the selfishness and the brutality of those claiming the right to violence in Freddie Gray's name needs to cease," he wrote. "There was real power and potential in the peaceful protests that spoke in Mr. Gray's name initially, and there was real unity at his homegoing today. But this, now, in the streets, is an affront to that man's memory and a diminution of the absolute moral lesson that underlies his unnecessary death." He concluded by begging protestors to go home. "If you can't seek redress and demand reform without a brick in your hand, you risk losing this moment for all of us in Baltimore." Meanwhile, other celebs took to Twitter to express their reactions to the chaos. What's going on in Baltimore is honestly hurting my heart!!!! I'm praying for the city in a whole....I promote Peace not War!!!! Nobody wins in Baltimore tonight. My heart is broken watching the news in Singapore right now. #prayersforbaltimore The media isn't the problem in Baltimore. It's the ABJECT LACK OF LEADERSHIP. The media isn't the problem here. #BaltimoreRiots Gray's family also called for to the horrific violence on Monday. "Don't do it like this," his mother Gloria Darden said. "Don't tear up the whole city just for him. That's wrong."

Riots broke out across the city following the funeral for Freddie Gray

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http://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2015/04/29/requiem-heralds-courage-perseverence-symphony-hall/gMJ6tPG4NBecMOZsD0OeLJ/story.html

http://web.archive.org/web/20150501123404id_/http://www.bostonglobe.com:80/arts/music/2015/04/29/requiem-heralds-courage-perseverence-symphony-hall/gMJ6tPG4NBecMOZsD0OeLJ/story.html

Requiem heralds courage, perseverence at Symphony Hall

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“When the judge takes his seat, / whatever is hidden shall be made manifest, / nothing shall remain unavenged.” Those words, from the “Liber scriptus” of the Catholic Mass for the dead, might have been uppermost in the minds of the detainees at the Nazis’ Terezín concentration camp who, between October 1943 and June 1944, gave 16 performances of the Verdi Requiem. On Monday at Symphony Hall, in a concert postponed from January, Murry Sidlin led the Orchestra of Terezín Remembrance and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus in a commemoration, “Defiant Requiem: Verdi at Terezín,” which interspersed the sections of the Requiem with film clips and narration by local actors Will LeBow and Jeremiah Kissel. The evening was as uplifting as it was sobering. Despite the atrocious conditions — hunger, disease, torture, and the dire threat of “transport to the east” — the arts flourished at Terezín: lectures, art, plays, even opera. With just a vocal and piano score at his disposal, Rafael Schächter taught a chorus of 150 to sing the Verdi Requiem, an act of defiance and faith. Immediately after the first performance, more than half of his singers were shipped off to Auschwitz; he recruited new ones. After the final performance, which the Nazis staged for the benefit of the Red Cross, Schächter himself was sent to Auschwitz. He did not survive, but his bunkmate, Edgar Krasa, did. Krasa, who now lives in Newton, had sung in all 16 performances at Terezín. Here, his sons Daniel and Raphael and his grandson Alexander sang with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus. Since its 2002 premiere, “Defiant Requiem” has been presented more than 30 times in the US and Europe, including three times in Terezín. Monday’s performance began with a video-screen photo of the camp entrance, the slogan “Arbeit macht frei” on the arch, followed by video testimony from Krasa and other survivors who sang in Schächter’s chorus. Sidlin offered a brief introduction to Terezín, and after a flurry of Jewish music that included a snatch of “Bei mir bistu shein,” the Requiem began. The performance was full of character, now gentle and tender, now anguished and despairing. Here and there Vytas Baksys’s piano replaced the orchestra, in tribute to the Terezín performances. Sidlin and Kissel provided narration; LeBow portrayed Schächter. The soloists — soprano Aga Mikolaj, mezzo-soprano Ann McMahon Quintero, tenor Marc Heller, and bass Nathan Stark — were fervent, but the star was the chorus, heaven-storming in the “Dies irae” and “Rex tremendae” and “Sanctus.” The “Agnus Dei” was accompanied by silent footage from a Nazi propaganda film depicting Terezín as a happy Jewish resort village. Another chilling moment came in the concluding “Libera me,” Mikolaj soaring on the “Requiem aeternam” over the lulling chorus. But nothing could have been more moving than the evening’s end. The final image on the video screen was Hana Krasa, Edgar’s wife, who died on April 13. The orchestra members got up and left as Bruce Creditor’s clarinet played “Oseh Shalom,” the Hebrew prayer for peace. Concertmaster Herbert Greenberg took up the tune as the chorus, humming it, exited down the Symphony Hall aisles. A minute of silence was requested in lieu of applause; the audience observed the minute, then applauded anyway. Performed by the Orchestra of Terezín Remembrance and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, conducted by Murry Sidlin

‘Defiant Requiem,’ presented at Symphony Hall on Monday, interspersed archival images and narrative among movements of Verdi’s Requiem to recount the story of Terezín performances.

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http://fortune.com/2015/04/29/why-millennials-and-the-depression-era-generation-are-more-similar-than-you-think/

http://web.archive.org/web/20150501191231id_/http://fortune.com:80/2015/04/29/why-millennials-and-the-depression-era-generation-are-more-similar-than-you-think/

Why millennials and the Depression-era generation are more similar than you think

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Millennials have a bad rap. We imagine them spending their days updating social media accounts with headsets covering their ears and their parents’ credit card numbers pre-logged into Amazon Prime accounts. A nice life if you can get it, but the reality is far different, according to research by Standard & Poor’s. Millennials — those born between the early 1980s through the early 2000s and also known as Generation Y— are shaping up to be a frugal and career-focused generation with the potential to lead a robust and sustainable U.S. economy. We I say potential because they’re not yet the potent economic force that they could be; they are thus far a quiet group, economically conservative and waiting for better conditions to roar to life. The success or failure of this generation will have widespread economic consequences. Already, millennials spend about $600 billion annually and are on track to spend $1.4 trillion a year by 2020. According to our research, continued low wages for millennials could reduce U.S. GDP by as much as $244 billion through 2019, or $49 billion a year, relative to our baseline scenario. This suggests that policies around housing, wages, and the new threat caused by high student debt may have the greatest potential to help or harm millennials — things policymakers should heed as this generation grows as a political force. We come to this conclusion in part by looking to the past. If you compare millennials to other generations you’ll find, somewhat surprisingly, that they share the most similarities with the so-called Silent Generation. These were Americans born in the mid-1920s through the early 1940s and who grew up during the Great Depression, but eventually drove a booming economy. Just as their grandparents (and great-grandparents) before them, millennials experienced a major financial crisis during their formative years that has infused in them financial conservatism and a propensity to save. They are more likely to keep a larger amount of cash on hand, holding more than half their assets in cash, less than a third in equities, and 15% in fixed-income assets. So why aren’t millennials guaranteed a strong economy in their middle years? The differences with the Silent Generation come in two areas, in particular: a slow-growth economy with lower wages combined with crushing loads of student debt. The Silent Generation entered adulthood during a robust growth cycle in part due to programs, such as the New Deal and Works Progress Administration. Millennials, instead, have only seen slow to moderate growth in GDP, with near stagnant gain in wages as they enter the workforce. Adding to this difficulty are massive student loan bills. Millennials are the most educated generation in American history, but it has come at a cost ranging in the hundreds of billions of dollars. Indeed, many of millennials’ spending and saving habits can be attributed to this debt – a major determinant of current and future spending ability, given the length of loan maturities and weak post-recession wage growth to date. To see the weight student-load debt is having on millennials, consider this: for the first time in at least 10 years, 30-year-olds with no history of student loans are more likely to purchase their homes than those with a history of student debt, according to the New York Federal Reserve Bank. The effects of student-loan debt could be mitigated if the economic recovery continues. A growing economy means the launch of the millennials into the U.S. economy will have been delayed, but not grounded. Over the next five years, I expect the labor market will keep improving and wages will start increasing. Student loans that once looked very difficult to repay will become manageable, and delays to home-buying—albeit more skewed toward urban areas than in the past—will pick up. My downside scenario, however, paints a grimmer picture. What if wages continue to stagnate through the next decade due to fundamental shifts in the U.S. economy? How would this anemic (or absent) growth impact a generation, which already must wait an added four years to reach middle-income status? First, graduates with modest income opportunities would likely continue to use government options in order to delay student-loan payments – an option that may prevent default, but also means balances would climb. More borrowers would be caught in the web of higher balances, where they can only barely cover minimum payments, which in turn would continue to weigh on their credit scores. The potential impact of this outcome on the economy could be significant. Millennials would likely be forced to continue their current pattern of economic behavior, avoiding big-ticket purchases like cars or homes and continuing to delay starting families. Options to take on more debt to start a business would be curtailed, with business creation holding near current 20-year low levels. Further, housing starts would climb only slowly, with most activity in rental units, rather than single-family homes. Indeed, if millennials were to buy homes at the same sluggish rate as in the current recovery, housing starts wouldn’t reach 1.5 million units until almost two years later than in our baseline projection. This is why it’s crucial for economists, policymakers, and the business community to consider this downside scenario when thinking of the future of the U.S. economy, and to have options ready to combat a difficult adulthood for this otherwise promising generation. If, as we hope, millennials inherit a more robust economy and with higher wages and growth potential, we will more likely see the launch they appear very capable of orchestrating. Beth Ann Bovino is the U.S. chief economist at Standard & Poor’s.

Both generations grew up amid a major financial crisis, making them less willing to spend and more likely to save. What sets them a part, though, is the burden of student loans.

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http://fortune.com/2015/05/06/sears-lampert-shareholders/

http://web.archive.org/web/20150508232141id_/http://fortune.com:80/2015/05/06/sears-lampert-shareholders/?

Sears’ Lampert reassures shareholders about turnaround

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Sears Holdings SHLD has raised billions of dollars in the last year by spinning off some of its best assets, leasing out space in stores in prime locations, and selling many of its best stores into a new investment vehicle. To some, that might sound like a fire sale by a retailer grappling with a long decline. But to CEO and top shareholder Eddie Lampert, these moves are giving Sears the ammo it needs to move even farther away from what the hedge fund titan in a blog post on Wednesday described as a passé bricks-and-mortar approach to retail, to becoming a store that makes much more extensive use of technology and data to sell in a more targeted way to its customers. “Sears and Kmart have already moved beyond the old and sorely outdated traditional store network models. Every day, we are building richer, deeper relationships with our members,” Lampert said in the blog, posted ahead of Sears Holdings’ annual shareholders meeting. He pointed to Sears’ e-commerce power and Shop Your Way loyalty program as key tools for the company. “By raising such substantial capital in 2014 and 2015, we’ll now be able to accelerate our company’s transformation.” (Lampert controls nearly half of Sears through his investment vehicle ESL and his direct holdings.) Sears has been a pioneer on the digital front, offering in-store pickup for online orders years before the competition. And the Shop Your Way loyalty program it is banking on for its future is behind a growing percentage of its sales — last year, some 74% of its revenue came via the program, up from 69% a year earlier. But the fact remains, even after hundreds of closings, the company still operates 717 Sears department stores and 979 Kmart stores, meaning it must get more people to come into its physical locations. And it is facing tough competition from everyone, from J.C. Penney JCP and Macy’s M for apparel and kitchenware, to Best Buy BBY and Home Depot HD for electronics and appliances. Sears’ sales performance in recent years suggests many shoppers have moved on, making it a fair question as to whether excellent retail tech will be enough to keep Sears in the game. Last year, Sears generated $2.4 billion with moves such as the spinoff of its Lands End apparel business, and selling off most of its Sears Canada stake. This year, it expects to raise $2.5 billion from the creation of a real estate investment trust, Seritage Growth Properties, which contains many of its best stores. Last month, it raised $400 million from joint ventures with major mall developers Macerich MAC , Simon Properties SPG , and General Growth Properties GGP . “As important as it is to have a good plan and adapt to changing circumstances, you also need to find the resources to effect the transformation,” Lampert wrote. In February, Sears reported its 11th straight quarterly loss, as comparable sales fell 7% at Sears and 2% at Kmart, bringing total losses in the last four fiscal years to $7 billion. So it’s easy to see why Lampert would be in a hurry to carry out this transformation.

Sears’ CEO and top shareholder said the sell-off of key assets in the last year has given the retailer the money it needs to speed up its transformation.

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http://www.foxsports.com/baseball/story/ex-tiger-reed-faces-trial-court-arraignment-on-sex-charges-031315

http://web.archive.org/web/20150512045332id_/http://www.foxsports.com/baseball/story/ex-tiger-reed-faces-trial-court-arraignment-on-sex-charges-031315

Ex-Tiger Reed scheduled for trial in July on sex charges

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Updated MAR 13, 2015 9:32a ET DETROIT (AP) Former Detroit Tigers pitcher Evan Reed is scheduled for trial in July on sexual assault charges. The Wayne County prosecutor's office says Reed was arraigned in trial court Friday on two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct. A final conference is May 1 and a jury trial is July 13. The case might not move forward as scheduled, however, due to appeals by Reed. Charges were earlier dismissed and reinstated. A 45-year-old woman says she met Reed the evening before last opening day at a suburban bar and they went to a Detroit casino-hotel. She says she blacked out after drinking and awoke naked in bed with Reed. The 29-year-old Reed says their sex was consensual. Reed appeared in 32 games last season for Detroit and 17 with Triple-A Toledo.

Ex-Tiger Reed scheduled for trial in July on sex charges

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http://www.people.com/article/american-idol-worst-auditions-lesser-known

http://web.archive.org/web/20150514234741id_/http://www.people.com:80/article/american-idol-worst-auditions-lesser-known

Lesser-Known Worst Auditions : People.com

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From left: Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell on American Idol's third season 05/12/2015 AT 12:55 PM EDT At its peak, the reality juggernaut seemed like a perfectly scripted high drama occasionally soundtracked with Bee Gees songs. At its lows, it was also that, but with worse singing. the chills-inducing performances and heartwarming stories of personal triumph, yes, but more important, we're going to miss the train-wreck a chance to wild out on some misguided people and made us all feel a little bit better about ourselves. And because we're all familiar with William Hung, General Larry Platt, Keith Beukelaer and the inimitable James Lewis (not to mention "Red" Thoen and – God love her – Mary Roach), there are a few stars whose terrible auditions haven't been hung from the show's rafters in quite the same way. Otherwise known as "the guy who wouldn't leave," Norrell's season 9 audition culminated in his being escorted from the audition room by two security guards. He was later shown being handcuffed. "I'm very fiery," Manoukian said early on. "Fire equaling three men," he helpfully quantified. His striptease, insistence on performing an original song called "Sweetest Princess," and big cat impression left us all vigorously nodding in agreement ... and then backing away slowly. Stillings oversold himself right from the start, telling judges that he believed he "could do a lot for this country." In a sense, he was right. We're not sure which is worse: being doomed to be known as "Scat Girl" on the Internet forever, or hearing the final note Roman lets out at the end of her version of "Route 66." Never have a prolonged stare and a pair of exchanged nods said so much. Sadly, this video doesn't have the best part of Moore's audition, "yes" after each time the judges say "no." "I just like to hear it," she says, which is … well, kind of heartbreaking. But still, hailing from Minneapolis and mangling a Prince song like that? Come on. Reedy, or Meesha, brought her mom to the audition! For ... help, we guess. And don't worry, she's kept at the music thing, unbowed by her lack of

We all know about William Hung, but does anyone remember Tashawn Moore?

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http://fortune.com/2015/05/13/shared-ownership-a-solution-to-the-affordable-housing-conundrum/

http://web.archive.org/web/20150516013511id_/http://fortune.com:80/2015/05/13/shared-ownership-a-solution-to-the-affordable-housing-conundrum/?

Shared ownership: A solution to the affordable housing conundrum?

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Consider the conundrum of Spain’s housing market: the country has tons of empty housing—about 3.4 million empty residences, including about 440,000 unsold new ones—and yet it has a housing problem because the empty units are either in the wrong place or just too expensive for Spaniards still recovering from the country’s economic crisis. Building a bunch of affordable rental housing is one obvious solution, but that takes a lot of time and money. So what do you do? Sergio Nasarre thinks he has at least part of the answer. A law professor and head of the housing center at the Universitat Rovira I Virgili in Tarragona, Nasarre is part of a group that wrote legislation, now under consideration by the regional government of Catalonia, that would allow for partial and temporary home ownership. This system of “shared” home ownership is inspired in large part by programs that have existed in the U.K. for over three decades. Here’s how it works: In a partial ownership system, a person purchases a portion of a property (say, 25%) with a down payment and mortgage, and then buys more shares as he can afford to, eventually getting to full ownership. He pays rent to the seller on the part he does not yet own. In a temporary system, buyers purchase a certain number of years (from six to 99, in Nasarre’s system) from a seller who doesn’t want to sell a property but doesn’t expect to use it until, say, his children grow up. In both systems—which can be combined—the buyers would have all the rights and obligations of owners: taxes, maintenance, and subletting. As in the U.K., the shared ownership model promoted by Nasarre is aimed at making homeownership available to people stuck in the middle, especially “key workers” like nurses and teachers who need to live in expensive areas and want to build equity. “It’s for working people who can’t qualify for subsidies and can’t afford mortgages for a 100% buy,” he says. “There are a lot.” According to data from Spain’s polling bureau, the Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas (CIS), about 38% of Spanish households take home between €1,200 and €2,400 per month. That’s the target demographic for a shared ownership program, Nasarre says. But are these programs the solution? According to researchers who have studied the British experience, the answer is, well, not entirely. “The model, in theory, is good, but in practice, doesn’t really work,” says Anupam Nanda, an associate professor of real estate economics at the Henley Business School at the University of Reading, who recently co-wrote a study on the subject. According to Nanda and his co-author, Gavin Parker, the chair of planning studies at the school, the problem with shared ownership is that its marketing and its reality don’t match. Shared ownership is generally sold as a way to help working people go from being renters to homeowners. But while buyers of partial ownership are expected to expand their share and eventually buy a property outright – to “staircase,” in U.K. parlance – very few actually do. “Government continues to think it’s good because it helps them claim they’re doing something about the problem of housing affordability, because the entry cost is lower,” Parker says. “But what happens to the people once they’re in?” The vast majority remain partial owners, Parker says, because the total costs make saving up to purchase the property very difficult, and selling a shared ownership can be especially difficult in weak property markets. According to a report from the Cambridge Centre for Housing & Planning Research, between 2004 and 2011 the percentage of shared owners who staircased to 100% ownership ranged between 0.9% and 3.4% a year. The rest remained in a sort of real estate limbo, where they neither really owned nor rented but suffered the downsides of both (the need to pay upkeep, the lack of landlord service, rent that rises over time, the inability to profit from most of the property’s increase in value, etc.). Buyers get stuck because the people who buy into shared ownership do so precisely because they can’t afford to buy a whole property, and probably won’t ever, says Anna Clarke, who co-authored the Cambridge report. “Most people get the maximum mortgage they can, so unless you have massive wage growth or marry a rich partner it’s not likely that you’ll be able to staircase to 100%. If property prices rise, then the share you don’t own moves up in price too, so the gap to full ownership grows,” says Clarke. “Buyers are often quite frustrated and dissatisfied.” There are, of course, differences between the U.K. and Spanish situations. In the U.K., there is an urgent need for housing, so non-profit associations build houses and condos specifically for shared ownership. In Catalonia, as in the rest of Spain, the problem is more a matching issue between existing housing and buyers with modest incomes. With that in mind, Nasarre says the shared ownership model in Catalonia would be attractive to private sellers as a way to profit from unused properties. That might be a hard sell for many private owners, however; under the proposed legislation, Nasarre says, the seller gives up all rights, including the right to approve subletting, even if he only sells a minority portion of the property. “The seller’s only right is to collect rent. He cannot decide anything related to the property,” Nassare says. “The buyer has all rights, but has to pay all taxes and other costs.” As Parker and Nanda note, this raises a slew of questions. What does it mean to “own” a property? And would an owner of 25% take good care of a property? Of course, those issues, like questions over prices, rental costs, and rights, will be answered in the market and through the contract terms between sellers and buyers. The legislation will be debated this month and should be passed by October, Nasarre says. Whether the system can succeed in Spain will then become clear.

In a partial ownership system, a person purchases a portion of a property with a down payment and mortgage, and then buys more shares as he can afford to, eventually getting to full ownership.

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http://fortune.com/2009/11/19/rumor-apple-tablet-delayed/

http://web.archive.org/web/20150516102006id_/http://fortune.com:80/2009/11/19/rumor-apple-tablet-delayed/

Rumor: Apple tablet delayed

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Steve Jobs’ next big thing is being retooled, Asian supply-chain sources report Live by the rumor, die by the rumor. Or at least go on life support. The Apple AAPL tablet computer that all Silicon Valley has taken as a given — but no one outside of Cupertino seems to have seen — won’t be arriving early next year, as widely rumored, and may not appear until the second half of 2010. This according to a report Thursday in DigiTimes , a Taipei-based daily newspaper that covers — with uneven results — every hiccup in the Taiwanese and greater Chinese electronics industry. At one point, MacRumors, which trades in Apple gossip itself, stopped citing the paper without heavy disclaimers about its track record (see here.) Still, the report includes pricing and component details that, if true, could cause Apple’s competitors to rethink their own product plans. Among other things, DigiTimes reports that Apple is gearing up to make two models, one with a 10.6 inch LCD screen, another with a far more expensive 9.7-inch organic LED (OLED) panel. Based on the cost of components, an OLED tablet might sell for as much as $1,200-1,500, according to DigiTimes, although the price point could be reduced if subsidized by, say, AT&T T or Verizon VZ . DigiTimes‘ sources expect the 10.6-inch model to priced in the $800-1,000 range. You can read the full report here. Take it all with a grain of salt. UPDATE: Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster, one of several analysts who had predicted an early 2010 launch, issued his take on the DigiTimes report in a quick note to clients Thursday morning: “Bottom line. At this point we cannot confirm or deny the validity of this report, but believe the exact timing is irrelevant given Street models do not currently reflect the tablet, expectations for actual units in 2010 are low, and investors focus is more on whether the tablet is real and less on timing. “For purposes of sensitivity, assuming the tablet comes out on September 1, we believe Apple would sell around 650,000 units at a $600 ASP in CY10 and would equate to an increase of about 1% to revenue.” Apple shares closed at $200.51, down 5.45 points (2.65%) for the day. [Follow Philip Elmer-DeWitt on Twitter @philiped]

Steve Jobs' next big thing is being retooled, Asian supply-chain sources report Live by the rumor, die by the rumor. Or at least go on life support. The Apple tablet computer that all Silicon Valley has taken as a given -- but no one outside of Cupertino seems to have seen -- won't be arriving…

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http://fortune.com/2015/05/20/netflix-website-design/

http://web.archive.org/web/20150523013131id_/http://fortune.com:80/2015/05/20/netflix-website-design/

Netflix: Desktop Web Redesign Coming Next Month

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There’s a change coming for those Netflix customers who stream their favorite flicks on the web. The Netflix NFLX website is undergoing a design upgrade this June, TechCrunch reports. The change will bring its interface more in line with what you see when you use the service on a mobile device or gaming console. (It seems the company has been testing the upgrade with a number of customers already.) The new design does away with Netflix’s scrolling carousel, the plodding selection tool that some users found bothersome enough to create a workaround for earlier this year. (See Netflix’s “god mode” hack.) In terms of display, the update will show fewer titles and larger thumbnail images that can be expanded to show more information, rather than having to click a link that redirects to a different screen. Navigating Netflix’s hordes of content will presumably become quicker. The update is Netflix’s first big desktop overhaul since 2011, TechCrunch notes. For those who stream their shows on, say, a Sony Playstation, Xbox 360, or Roku, there won’t be a meaningful variation. For those who watch Parks & Recreation or Daredevil on their web browsers, however, there will be a difference. Earlier this year, Netflix also announced that it will begin encrypting all of its internet traffic over the course of the next couple of years. There’s speculation that the company is attempting to entering the market in China, too, possibly through a deal with a media company backed by Alibaba [“BABA” founder Jack Ma—a rumor that greatly boosted Netflix’s share price.

Get ready for a new Netflix

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http://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/01/sports/outdoors-new-wave-in-water-sports.html

http://web.archive.org/web/20150524075315id_/http://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/01/sports/outdoors-new-wave-in-water-sports.html

OUTDOORS - NEW WAVE IN WATER SPORTS - NYTimes.com

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IN America there are not many companies with products to sell that keep their telephone numbers unlisted. Stan Stunik runs one, Apple Line of Scotia, N.Y., which manufactures canoes and kayaks, plain or fancy. ''We can make about 1,000 a year, and we get requests for 12,000,'' Mr. Stunik explained. ''So we hide. Otherwise we'd be on the telephone all the time saying sorry, maybe next year, and never get any work done.'' Canoeing and kayaking, kissing cousins, make up a sport enjoying considerable discovery and growth much like cross-country skiing, back-packing or camping. Americans cannot seem to get enough of these outdoors pastimes. The world of canoeing and kayaking is a fractionalized one. As for the broad recreational base, the boating industry estimates that there are about 1.2 million canoes in use and that 55 different manufacturers sold 114,350 new units in 1980. Those would be open canoes used for fishing, hunting, camping or just plain paddling. Mr. Stunik's company sells an 18-foot average paddler made of fiberglass for only $427. Then there are the more serious participants, 45,000 of whom subscribe to Canoe Magazine, published in Fort Wayne, Ind. Of that number, 4,500 belong to the American Canoe Association, 100 years old last year, and 550 are regular competitive racers. That is not very many compared to West Germany, which has 75,000 members in its canoe federation, or one small region in France, Brittany, which has 2,000 racers. Yet the United States has become a foremost power in the whitewater division of the sport an is now readying a squad of 48 men and women for the forthcoming world championships which the last United States team dominated in 1979, to the astonishment of the world's canoeists. On the world class level there are two kinds of competition best distinguished as flatwater and whitewater. One kind of kayak racing is done in decked-over lightweight vessels 13 to 14 feet long, utilizing twin-bladed paddles on lakes or quiet rivers over set courses in competition similar to crew racing. This is an Olympic Games sport that is big in Europe, but almost a secret in the United States. Whitewater racing is done on fast-running rivers in the rapids, using specialized kayaks and canoes. There are two kinds of competition, racing 300 meters through about 30 slalom gates set just above the water against an electric clock, or racing the clock four to six miles downriver through wild water. This is spectacular sport which television belatedly has begun to discover. The American whitewater canoe-kayak team, whose selection was completed in competition over the weekend on the Nantahala River in Bryson City, N.C., is to compete at the biennial world's championship in Bala, Wales, July 15-25. The most formidable teams will be boated by the Austrians, Britons, French, Poles and West Germans. Yet the Americans will command respect on account of people like Cathy Hearn, a 22-year-old kayaker from Garrett Park, Md., and her 20-year-old brother, David. Miss Hearn won a record three gold medals at the last world's championships held in 1979 at Jonquiere, Quebec, and her brother helped the men's kayak trio take gold, silver and bronze for the first time since such competition began in 1949. The Americans are enjoying a technological edge because of Kevlar, the DuPont product now used in hull construction but unavailable to foreign manufacturers because of patent and tariff difficulties. Kevlar is a strong but light material, and Apple Line's kayak for single slalom competition, 13 feet 2 inches in length with 28-inch beam, weighs only 13 pounds. A similar 16 1/2-foot two-person canoe for whitewater racing with 32-inch beam weighs but 30 pounds. Costs are $500 to $800. Americans have also contributed design improvisations. A few years ago Stan Chamberlain changed the two canoe cockpits, moving them from bow and stern into the middle of the boat with telling effect. Almost two-thirds of the members of the whitewater team are from the Washington area, and for reason. Proper and reachable water conditions are essential, and the Potomac River plus the Cedar and C. & O. canals provide them. The Potomac has white water rapids year around only seven miles beyond the District of Columbia. The United States Navy allows the athletes to use its huge, threequarter mile basin at Bethesda, a tremendous advantage for the slalom competitors. There is no other facility in the world like the model basin for these paddlers. Also Bill Endicott, the 35-year-old coach, is from the area, and this former competitor is regaded as a foremost instructor and innovator in paddling techniques. Abby Endicott, his wife and a team official, is in charge of a gala dinner-dance scheduled for the Gangplank Restaurant in Washington on June 14 to help raise money for the trip to Wales. She describes the water at Bala as ''a narrow river with thrilling rapids set in rolling countryside dotted with sheep, truly beautiful.'' Canoeists and kayakers consider their mode of travel far superior to the automobile or even the feet as a means of seeing, smelling, feeling, tasting and enjoying the countryside. In the first century of America , the people used the inland waterways, principally for commerce, and then all but abandoned them. They are still there, many revitalized because of recent cleanwater legislation, being discovered again by adventurers in canoes and kayaks. The more daring seek out whitewaters, classified as follows: A rating of 1 would be flat water; 2, choppy; 3, capability paddling in 2-to-3-foot waves; 4, fast moving water, right locations essential; 5, difficult continuous rapids; 6, unrunable water with falls.

IN America there are not many companies with products to sell that keep their telephone numbers unlisted. Stan Stunik runs one, Apple Line of Scotia, N.Y., which manufactures canoes and kayaks, plain or fancy. ''We can make about 1,000 a year, and we get requests for 12,000,'' Mr. Stunik explained. ''So we hide. Otherwise we'd be on the telephone all the time saying sorry, maybe next year, and never get any work done.'' Canoeing and kayaking, kissing cousins, make up a sport enjoying considerable discovery and growth much like cross-country skiing, back-packing or camping. Americans cannot seem to get enough of these outdoors pastimes.

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http://www.nytimes.com/1981/10/01/sports/coach-bryant-denies-report-of-bias.html

http://web.archive.org/web/20150524075401id_/http://www.nytimes.com/1981/10/01/sports/coach-bryant-denies-report-of-bias.html

Coach Bryant Denies Report of Bias

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala., Sept. 30— Coach Bear Bryant of the University of Alabama denied today a published report that a racial double standard was being applied in the disciplining of his football players. ''To me,'' the coach said at his weekly news conference, ''I don't care whether they are white, black, brown, purple, green or yellow. If they have a problem, I hope they come to me. I think they all know that whatever I'm going to do, I'm going to be fair. That's what I've done and what I'm going to do.'' Bryant, who is only five victories away from the career record for a college football coach, was responding to a report in today's issue of The Atlanta Constitution that misbehaving black players had been punished in public while white players' transgressions had been ''swept under the rug.'' The Constitution quoted several black players, whom it did not identify, as having said that three other players missed curfew on the night earlier this year that Thomas Boyd, an all-America linebacker who is black, was late returning to the athletic dorm. Boyd was put out of the athletic dorm and demoted to the scout team. Bryant Gives Version Bryant confirmed that other players had violated rules but said they had been punished. ''We had three others that were late, and I took their complimentary tickets,'' he said. ''That's $48. Whether that was enough or not, I don't know.'' The following weekend, two other black players, the running backs Linnie Patrick and Charley Williams, also suffered loss of tickets for not showing up for a session with trainers. ''What's got a lot of the brothers on the team upset,'' the newspaper quoted one black player as having said, ''is the fact that every time something bad happens to one of us, it's in the papers. If it's one of the other players, it's swept under the rug. You don't hear anything about it.'' Another black player was quoted as having said that Jack Rutledge, an assistant coach, knew of violations committed by white players and had done nothing. ''Several players got drunk and threw up in his presence, and he didn't do anything about it,'' this player was quoted as having said. Rutledge to ld the newspaper that he did not view drunkenness as a ''violation o f the football team's guidelines.''

Coach Bear Bryant of the University of Alabama denied today a published report that a racial double standard was being applied in the disciplining of his football players. ''To me,'' the coach said at his weekly news conference, ''I don't care whether they are white, black, brown, purple, green or yellow. If they have a problem, I hope they come to me. I think they all know that whatever I'm going to do, I'm going to be fair. That's what I've done and what I'm going to do.''

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http://www.nytimes.com/1981/04/02/nyregion/jersey-mayor-sees-edge-in-his-race-for-governor.html

http://web.archive.org/web/20150524075413id_/http://www.nytimes.com/1981/04/02/nyregion/jersey-mayor-sees-edge-in-his-race-for-governor.html

JERSEY MAYOR SEES EDGE IN HIS RACE FOR GOVERNOR

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PATERSON, N.J.— -Although changes in the New Jersey election law tripped up his campaign for the gubernatorial nomination after a promising start, Lawrence F. Kramer believes his record as four-term Mayor of this industrial city will still give him the edge in the June 2 Republican primary. "By Election Day all the candidates will be very close on the issues," he said."The difference is that we are running for an administrative post, and, just as they did with Ronald Reagan's record as Governor, the voters will be looking for some way to measure our performance--to determine what we might do." Among his accomplishments, Mr. Kramer cited holding property taxes in check, reducing street crime by 24 percent over the last six years and improving Paterson's bond rating. "And I never fired a policeman, teacher, or fireman," he said. "There were some layoffs, but they were at City Hall." When he first was elected Mayor of the state's third largest city in 1966, Mr. Kramer--popularly known by his nickname "Pat"--was the head of a building supply company.He was re-elected in 1969, but left the city in mid-term two years later when Gov. William T. Cahill appointed him State Commissioner of Community Affairs. He returned to Paterson, which had changed to a nonpartisan form of government, and was re-elected Mayor in 1974 and 1978. The 47-year-old candidate is married to Mary Ellen Forbes, an active campaigner on his behalf. The couple have three children--Kimberly, 17; Lawrence Jr.,14, and Kelly, l2. As Governor, Mr. Kramer said, he would work "for a complete reversal of the way we are doing things--people have supported a sales tax, the income tax and casino gambling when asked by the government, and they've seen the money go to Trenton and the problems get worse." He said he would try to "streamline the state government and provide a better atmosphere to allow business to do business in New Jersey." Before the state's public-financing law was extended last fall to cover the primary election, Mr. Kramer had been working on the gubernatorial campaign for two years and had raised more than $100,000. He was forced to return more than $50,000 in individual gifts greater than $800, the maximum allowed by the law. Set Back by New Law He was also set back by a new open-primary law, passed at the urging of Governor Byrne with the support of some of Mr. Kramer's primary opponents. It requires that gubernatorial candidates be listed apart from candidates for legislative and local office. When he announced his candidacy in January, Mr. Kramer said he had strong support in four southern counties and the endorsements of the Passaic and Bergen County leaders. He eventually gained endorsements from nine of the 21 county G.O.P. organizations, while none of his opponents had more than two. "We were driving to lock the thing up by the filing deadline," he said, "and then they changed the law on me." Because of the change before the April 23 filing deadline, his name will not appear at the head of the organization ticket in any of the counties in which he won endorsement. Although the party's county conventions mean little in determining who will win the counties in the election--especially since the passing of the open-primary law--they are still worth publicity points for the winner, and Mr. Kramer has been unable to translate his organizational support into strength in this area. He did not fare well in a series of conventions in central New Jersey counties that his campaign had bypassed earlier because other candidates appeared to be stronger. 'Whisper' Charges Denied Perceptions are important in politics, and although the State Election Law Enforcement Commission says Mr. Kramer has raised more money than any other G.O.P. candidate--and he has signed on W. Paul Stillman, chairman of the First National Bancorporation, as his finance chairman--he still must deal with a whispering campaign that began more than a year ago. It is intimated that as a gubernatorial candidate he would be vulnerable because of a 1974 state grand jury investigation that uncovered a wide-ranging conspiracy to rig highway bids in Passaic County in the 1950's and 1960's. Mr. Kramer voluntarily testified before the grand jury and was not among the several public officials and contracting companies indicted. Denying any part in the bid-rigging conspiracy, he said that the whispering campaign "was a cancer that was killing me" and that although it had cost him some political support, he believed he had overcome its effects. He added that before he had begun his campaign, he approached David B. Kelly, the retired State Police Superintendent, "to find out if there was anything that could be used against me as a campaign issue--I certainly didn't want to subject myself or my family to anything that could hurt my reputation or them." Mr. Kelly, now the head of a private investigation company, confirmed in an interview that he had talked to investigators in the Passaic County case and said he was convinced that Mr. Kramer "was not involved and that he is being pictured unfairly by some of the other candidates." Illustrations: Photo of Lawrence F. Kramer

-Although changes in the New Jersey election law tripped up his campaign for the gubernatorial nomination after a promising start, Lawrence F. Kramer believes his record as four-term Mayor of this industrial city will still give him the edge in the June 2 Republican primary. "By Election Day all the candidates will be very close on the issues," he said."The difference is that we are running for an administrative post, and, just as they did with Ronald Reagan's record as Governor, the voters will be looking for some way to measure our performance--to determine what we might do." Among his accomplishments, Mr. Kramer cited holding property taxes in check, reducing street crime by 24 percent over the last six years and improving Paterson's bond rating. "And I never fired a policeman, teacher, or fireman," he said. "There were some layoffs, but they were at City Hall."

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http://www.nytimes.com/1981/05/02/us/around-the-nation-23-striking-miners-arrested-in-stoning-of-virginia-police.html

http://web.archive.org/web/20150524075551id_/http://www.nytimes.com/1981/05/02/us/around-the-nation-23-striking-miners-arrested-in-stoning-of-virginia-police.html

AROUND THE NATION - 23 Striking Miners Arrested In Stoning of Virginia Police - NYTimes.com

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By The Associated Press Twenty-three miners were arrested yesterday as strikers in Virginia hurled stones at police cruisers. In Kentucky, 200 troopers were placed on alert and police planes were sent into the air to curb violence in the coalfields. The arrests came on the 36th day of a strike by 160,000 soft-coal miners of the United Mine Workers, a walkout that was given added impetus when about 2,000 Pennsylvania hard-coal miners also rejected a proposed contract and left their jobs at 12:01 A.M. yesterday. Capt. W.S. Hicklin of the Virginia state police said that the 23 miners were charged with unlawful assembly after two police cruisers were pelted with stones on Route 606. The troopers were posted at a point near the Kentucky border where union pickets have been demonstrating against nonunion miners on their way to work. Kentucky state police officials said that 200 troopers had been mobilized in the state's eastern coalfields. In addition, two state police planes were assigned to patrol the coalfields and work with ground units.

By The Associated Press Twenty-three miners were arrested yesterday as strikers in Virginia hurled stones at police cruisers. In Kentucky, 200 troopers were placed on alert and police planes were sent into the air to curb violence in the coalfields.

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http://www.nytimes.com/1981/07/03/us/asbestos-injury-suits-mount-with-severe-business-impact.html

http://web.archive.org/web/20150524075658id_/http://www.nytimes.com/1981/07/03/us/asbestos-injury-suits-mount-with-severe-business-impact.html

ASBESTOS INJURY SUITS MOUNT, WITH SEVERE BUSINESS IMPACT

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Damage claims by workers exposed to asbestos and by their families now constitute the largest, and potentially most costly, block of product liability litigation ever to confront American industry. About 25,000 people who believe they are victims have already filed 12,000 suits against 260 companies that manufacture, use or sell asbestos products, according to Michael Mealey, editor of the Asbestos Litigation Reporter. More than 400 new suits are filed each month against the Johns-Manville Corporation of Denver, once the biggest asbestos producer, by those claiming injury from exposure. That is an increase from 150 a month last summer, and as of May Johns-Manville had been named in a total of 7,200 suits, many with several plaintiffs. ''It is impossible to predict when it will peak,'' Richard B. Von Wald, Johns-Mansville's corporate counsel, said of the cases faced by the company, Resolution of the cases holds broad implications for the liability of both manufacturing companies and their insurers and for the way that American industry deals with hazardous but economically valuable materials. Asbestos is one of the most widely used mineral products, as an insulator, a coating for cables and wires, and a component of floor and ceiling tiles. The flood of cases may yet intensify. The current litigation represents a small part of the potential load because many of the tens of thousands of victims to date have failed to associate their cancers or lung disease with exposure to the mineral's microscopic fibers in decades past, according to Dr. Irving J. Selikoff, head of the Mount Sinai Hospital Environmental Sciences Laboratory, the leading independent asbestos disease research center. Dr. William Nicholson, who works with Dr. Selikoff, projects that 200,000 ''excess cancer deaths'' will be caused by asbestos over the next two decades. All of this holds a special threat to business, which fears the litigation as a trend that could involve potentially hazardous chemicals, such as formaldehyde and benzene, and products that emit radiation. As with asbestos, millions of workers and consumers have been exposed to the chemicals and radiation, and they are suspected of causing cancers and other slow-to-appear diseases. There is no way to ascertain the cost of settlements made to date because many have been sealed. However, last year's annual reports of publicly traded defendant companies disclosed hundreds of cases settled at average costs ranging from a few thousand dollars to, in Johns-Mansville's case, $23,000. The Asbestos Compensation Coalition, an industry-led group attempting to build broad-based support for a fund that would be mandated by Congress with industrial, insurance and Federal Government contributions, estimated that the average cost of settlements and awards this year was $75,000 a plaintiff., ''The numbers scare the hell out of me,'' said William Bailey, the senior vice president at the Commercial Union Insurance Company, who is the head of the committee of American Insurance Association executives monitoring the asbestos litigation. Mr. Bailey's worstcase projections place the amount of money at stake between $120 billion and $150 billion, exclusive of the indirect costs that might result from bankrupting some businesses. Microscopic Stone Fibers Asbestos has been recognized as a remarkable substance since the days of ancient Greece. It is a mineral consisting of microscopic stone fibers that can be processed - even woven - into other materials to lend them strength, flexibility, and resistance to corrosion, heat and fire. Asbestos is also a good insulator: it does not conduct electricity and because it does not react to most chemicals it is exceptionally stable. Asbestos is still used widely in hundreds of construction products, piping materials and friction products, such as the brake linings of trucks. Since the turn of the century, however, evidence has been accumulating that inhalation of the fibers can cause certain forms of cancer and a sometimes-disabling respiratory disease, asbestosis, many years, even decades, after initial exposure. The asbestos industry maintains that the true extent of the mineral's hazards were not understood until Dr. Selikoff's publication in 1964 of a study of asbestos-related diseases among insulation workers. Since then, they say, methods to protect workers and consumers from exposure have been developed and unsafe products have been removed from the market. Nevertheless, since millions of Americans have already been significantly exposed, some accountants and businessmen are wondering whether Johns-Manville and other industrial defendants, and the insurance companies backing them, have the means to compensate all of the potential victims. Most defendants have far fewer resources that Johns-Manville, which last year earned $80.6 million on sales of $2.27 billion despite weaknesses in many of its major markets. One major issue for which a vital precedent may be set is an insurance question: When a hazardous substance causes an injury that takes decades to appear, can the manufacturer resort to insurance held throughout the time the victims were exposed or only the policies held when the injury appeared? Resolution Is Inconsistent

Damage claims by workers exposed to asbestos and by their families now constitute the largest, and potentially most costly, block of product liability litigation ever to confront American industry. About 25,000 people who believe they are victims have already filed 12,000 suits against 260 companies that manufacture, use or sell asbestos products, according to Michael Mealey, editor of the Asbestos Litigation Reporter. More than 400 new suits are filed each month against the Johns-Manville Corporation of Denver, once the biggest asbestos producer, by those claiming injury from exposure. That is an increase from 150 a month last summer, and as of May Johns-Manville had been named in a total of 7,200 suits, many with several plaintiffs. ''It is impossible to predict when it will peak,'' Richard B. Von Wald, Johns-Mansville's corporate counsel, said of the cases faced by the company, Resolution of the cases holds broad implications for the liability of both manufacturing companies and their insurers and for the way that American industry deals with hazardous but economically valuable materials. Asbestos is one of the most widely used mineral products, as an insulator, a coating for cables and wires, and a component of floor and ceiling tiles.

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MEXICO REJECTS ACCUSATIONS ON SALVADOR

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MEXICO CITY, Sept. 4— Mexico today characterized as ''totally false'' accusations by nine Latin American nations that the declaration by Mexico and France last week recognizing El Salvador's guerrilla opposition constituted interference in that country's internal affairs. A statement protesting the French-Mexican declaration was issued Wednesday in Caracas, Venezuela, and was signed by the foreign ministers of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay and Venezuela. Yesterday Brazil also accused Mexico and France of intervention in El Salvador's affairs, and the Salvadoran Foreign Minister, Fidel Chavez Mena, said he had received expressions of support from Costa Rica, Ecuador and Peru. Diplomatic sources here said that while the declaration by France and Mexico recognizing the guerrillas had been aimed primarily at promoting negotiations to end the strife in El Salvador, it had had the effect of polarizing opinion throught Latin America and prompting several governments to express public support for the Salvadoran junta. Foreign Minister Jorge Castaneda of Mexico said at a news conference that the charges were ''absurd'' and ''totally false,'' and he again called for negotiations between the warring factions to bring an end to the Salvadoran conflict. Mr. Castane da stressed that Mexico and France had not broken diplomatic re lations with El Salvador and had only recognized the opposition as ''a representative political force that should participate i n negotiations if a political solution is sincerely being sought. '' ''We are not legitimizing the guerrillas,'' he continued. ''We didn't create the guerrillas. But they are a reality. They control part of the territory, and they have the support of a substantial part of the population.'' Apparently alluding to United States military support for the Salvadoran junta, the Mexican Foreign Minister also warned that ''to support a military solution to the crisis is not only to favor continuation of the violence but also to invite all kinds of 'foreign entities' to intervene.'' Mr. Castaneda nevertheless acknowledged tha t Mexico was ''relatively isolated'' in Latin America on t his issue. In private, Mexican officials expressed both surprise and dismay at the widespread negative reaction to the French-Me xican declaration. Mexican Expects New Support But Mr. Castaneda said today that he expected several Western European countries to support the French-M@exican declaration and that Mexico would consult with other members of the United Nations Security Council on the Salvadoran question. In a defense against charges of intervention, he also argued that the United Nations frequently voices opinions on the internal situations of member countries. He specifically mentioned South Africa and Chile, and pointed out that the United Nations General Assembly expressed its concern about human rights violations in El Salvador itself last December. ''The deterioration of the situation in El Salvador has been particularly bothersome over the past year,'' Mr. Castaneda said. ''We have observed the violence resulting from the civil conflict. We have witnessed over the past two years the uncontrolled activity of groups identified with the official apparatus that have liquidated hundreds and thousands of persons, frequently in a bestial fashion. We cannot remain alien or insensitive to this suffering.'' The Foreign Minister added that Mexico had supplied neither arms nor economic aid to the factions in El Salvador and had instead repeatedly tried to promote negotiations leading to ''authentically free'' elections. ''But it has not been possible to establish this dialogue,'' he said. Elections Scheduled for March Elections for a constitutional assembly in El Salvador are scheduled for March, but leftist political groups have refused to participate, arguing that conditions for free elections cannot exist before negotiations begin and the military is reorganized. The United States, though, is strongly backing the election process as the only available ''political solution'' to the war. Questioned about the impact of the controversy on Mexico's relations with the United States, Mr. Castaneda said the two Governments disagreed on a solution to the Salvadoran conflict, ''but we listen to each other with interest and respect.'' He also resisted any direct attacks on the signers of the Caracas protest, except Chile, with which Mexico has no diplomatic relations.

Mexico today characterized as ''totally false'' accusations by nine Latin American nations that the declaration by Mexico and France last week recognizing El Salvador's guerrilla opposition constituted interference in that country's internal affairs. A statement protesting the French-Mexican declaration was issued Wednesday in Caracas, Venezuela, and was signed by the foreign ministers of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay and Venezuela. Yesterday Brazil also accused Mexico and France of intervention in El Salvador's affairs, and the Salvadoran Foreign Minister, Fidel Chavez Mena, said he had received expressions of support from Costa Rica, Ecuador and Peru. Diplomatic sources here said that while the declaration by France and Mexico recognizing the guerrillas had been aimed primarily at promoting negotiations to end the strife in El Salvador, it had had the effect of polarizing opinion throught Latin America and prompting several governments to express public support for the Salvadoran junta.

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DE GUSTIBUS - THE PEPPER ROUTINE CAN ANNOY A DINER - NYTimes.com

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Even the best of ideas, carried to extremes, can deteriorate into absurdity. As evidence of that possibility, consider freshly ground black pepper - surely a lively, savory and superior alternative to the faded, ready-ground variety. But in too many restaurants, the ritual surrounding the use of the pepper mill can be considered only ridiculous and totally in opposition to the basic tenets of connoisseurship. Anyone who has thought about it knows that it is silly to salt food before it has been tasted. Yet diligent waiters and captains stand with pepper mills at the ready as soon as a dish is placed on the table, generally long before diners have a chance to taste it and decide if they want pepper and, if so, how much. One almost suspects that the chef has deliberately left pepper out of his preparation so that the captain has a chance to give evidence of service and earn a generous tip. When powdered pepper is in use, it is simply on the table for the customers to add or ignore. But as freshly ground pepper gained status, restaurant owners who placed small pepper mills on tables rapidly discovered that they were stolen in dismayingly large numbers. The natural if exaggerated result was a larger pepper mill that could not easily be stashed in a purse or pocket, and with which a staff member could reach out and dispense pepper onto plates. In a way, the more diligent and prompt the waiter, the more awkward the situation for the diner, for an earlier decision becomes necessary. If you play it safe and ask for just a little pepper, you may find, upon tasting, that the food needs just a touch more to achieve your idea of perfection. Then you have to catch the eye of the man with the mill and try to effect an encore. Because freshly ground pepper has status, it is offered for just about every dish except dessert, and many diners seem intimidated into accepting it. But sprinkled over everything indiscriminately, it can make all dishes taste alike and may obliterate the most subtle flavors. In many cases, it is a mistake to add pepper to food that is already cooked or arranged on a plate. Carelessly Brandished With a green salad, for example, it would be preferable to have pepper tossed in as part of the dressing, along with salt, lemon or vinegar, oil and perhaps garlic. If the management takes a position on those ingredients, why not on pepper also? Crisp greens with dressing arranged on a relatively small plate are difficult to toss adequately without landing them on the table-cloth and so the added grains of pepper stick to the top leaves only. Pepper ground over a stiff, cold pate can also throw off the well-blended balance of flavors. If the large pepper mills had a practical origin, their size in many restaurants has grown to the ridiculous and often they are carelessly brandished in a style suggestive of an drum majorette twirling a baton. Recently in a restaurant, I was almost hit on the head by the business end of a pepper mill that was easily three feet long, when the waiter came up behind me, extending the mill across my shoulder just as I leaned over to talk to a friend. Only that friend's gentle push of the mill saved a head-on collision. The public's defense against all of this can be twofold. For one thing, insist on your right to taste the food before deciding if you want pepper. Then have it added in small doses and retaste as you go along. Let the waiter wait. The more effective if slightly cumbersome ploy would be to carry your own small pocket-size pepper mill, tell the waiter, ''no thanks,'' and add pepper to your palate's content. Such mills are available in many fancy cookware stores and gift shops, and specifically at the Hoffritz stores where a twoinch-high brass mill in a red leather pouch sells for $25 - a high price, perhaps, for a tiny pepper mill, but a small price to pay for freedom.

18 By MIMI SHERATON Even the best of ideas, carried to extremes, can deteriorate into absurdity. As evidence of that possibility, consider freshly ground black pepper - surely a lively, savory and superior alternative to the faded, ready-ground variety. But in too many restaurants, the ritual surrounding the use of the pepper mill can be considered only ridiculous and totally in opposition to the basic tenets of connoisseurship. Anyone who has thought about it knows that it is silly to salt food before it has been tasted. Yet diligent waiters and captains stand with pepper mills at the ready as soon as a dish is placed on the table, generally long before diners have a chance to taste it and decide if they want pepper and, if so, how much. One almost suspects that the chef has deliberately left pepper out of his preparation so that the captain has a chance to give evidence of service and earn a generous tip.

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GISCARD AND MITTERRAND AND MEET IN A CRUCIAL TV DEBATE

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PARIS, May 5— President Valery Giscard d'Estaing and Francois Mitterrand argued for two hours tonight in a televised debate that was designed to be the climax of their battle for the presidential election Sunday. The encounter between Mr. Giscard d'Estaing and his Socialist rival had a great deal riding on it. Up to now, the two candidates have appeared to stand virtually even, with inconclusive indications that Mr. Mitterrand might hold a slight but far from decisive advantage. Political commentators who had little else to go on because of the legal ban on polls in the week before the vote have been predicting that the debate, broadcast over all three television channels, might tilt the race decisively. This expectation and the atmosphere of virtual dead heat produced such tension in the rival camps that it was only at the last moment yesterday that representatives of Mr. Giscard d'Estaing and Mr. Mitterrand were able to agree on a format for the session. It was a very stiff format - no camera movements except from middle distance to close-up, no reaction shots, and no simultaneous views of the debaters -and much of the debate was fairly stiff as well. Questioned alternately by two journalists who acted as moderators, and addressing direct questions to each other, the two men started out in an evident state of nerves, to the point of breathlessness. A Sense of Authority Mr. Giscard d'Estaing, who tends to be easier with television and manages to project a sense of authority, seemed to recover himself first. Mr. Mitterrand, with a fuller face and a less aggressive manner, tends to react more slowly and think more complicated thoughts, which come out awkwardly on the screen. For most of the time, the President seemed to hold the initiative, and to press his opponent harder than his opponent was pressing him. It remains to be seen how the performances will be judged; it was not a debate that produced any great drama or any positions that had not already been aired thoroughly by the campaign. By agreement, the debate was divided into three sections: political questions, economics and foreign policy. Mr. Giscard d'Estaing may have scored most heavily in the first part, given that both men are now trying to win the support of center-right voters who showed their displeasure with the President by voting for his Gaullist rival, Jacques Chirac, in the first round of the elections April 26. These voters want change, but they are afraid that the Socialists will change too much. Mr. Giscard d'Estaing hit hard on the theme that Mr. Mitterrand will need the help of the Communists if he is to obtain a governing majority in Parliament in the legislative elections he has promised to call if chosen as President. ''How can you govern France if Parliament is returned against you?'' Mr. Giscard d'Estaing asked. ''You will have no authority. You need a majority, and it will have to be Socialist and Communist.'' France's 'Will to Change' Mr. Mitterrand replied that if he was elected President it meant that France would give him a majority. ''Imagine the spirit of France after Sunday; her will to change,'' he said. ''If those who have elected me President wish to help me put through this change, I will be there.'' He went on to accuse Mr. Giscard d'Estaing of thinking that ''the workers are good enough to pay taxes, to work, to fight in the army, but not to form a government majority.'' Debating the economy, Mr. Giscard defended his Government's record in guiding France through two oil crises and a host of other problems. He accused his opponent of ignoring the real difficulties that the country had to face. ''It is a great advantage to have done nothing - but don't abuse it,'' he said, in a gibe at Mr. Mitterrand's long and so far fruitless effort to become President. Mr. Mitterrand reiterated the grimmer statistics of the past year: a 14 percent inflation rate and 1.7 million unemployed. ''You have not acted against that,'' he said, ''you have accepted it.'' The two argued about nuclear power, taxes and foreign affairs without managing to raise a clear issue out of their differences. Mr. Giscard d'Estaing criticized Mr. Mitterrand's plan to nationalize a number of basic industries and the 25 percent of banking that is not yet in Government hands. Mr. Mitterrand retorted that Charles de Gaulle had set the example for him. Summing up, Mr. Giscard d'Estaing urged the French to take note of his sucesses, conceded that he had made mistakes, but argued that he had changed and learned through his seven years in office. Mr. Mitterrand's appeal, evoking the need for change and liberty, was delivered too quickly - time was running out - to be very effective. He did manage to get out one pointed line, referring to Mr. Giscard d'Estaing's rather aggressive delivery during the debate. ''Mr. Giscard,'' he said, ''is like a driver who has driven into a ditch, and now comes over to me to ask for my driver's license.''

President Valery Giscard d'Estaing and Francois Mitterrand argued for two hours tonight in a televised debate that was designed to be the climax of their battle for the presidential election Sunday. The encounter between Mr. Giscard d'Estaing and his Socialist rival had a great deal riding on it. Up to now, the two candidates have appeared to stand virtually even, with inconclusive indications that Mr. Mitterrand might hold a slight but far from decisive advantage. Political commentators who had little else to go on because of the legal ban on polls in the week before the vote have been predicting that the debate, broadcast over all three television channels, might tilt the race decisively. This expectation and the atmosphere of virtual dead heat produced such tension in the rival camps that it was only at the last moment yesterday that representatives of Mr. Giscard d'Estaing and Mr. Mitterrand were able to agree on a format for the session.

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MITLEMAN REPEATS 100-MILE RUN VICTORY

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From a distance early yesterday morning one could make out shadowy figures moving quietly in the night around the two-and-a-quarter-mile lake in Flushing Meadows Park. The paved path on which they moved was lit dimly by lampposts and, at short intervals, by candles burning in brown bags, as if part of a strange nocturnal rite. Nothing unusual, unless one finds something odd in running 100 miles, 44 times around the lake, the distance from downtown Manhattan to downtown Philadelphia. At least 38 people didn't - those that made up the field for the fourth annual New York Invitational 100 Mile Ultra-Marathon. And the candles along the lake's edge were a precaution. ''Long distance runners can get dehydrated and then disoriented,'' said Fred Lebow, president of the New York Road Runners Club, which sponsored and conducted the event. ''We didn't want anyone ending up in the lake.'' At about 2:30 A.M. the leader, Don Paul of San Francisco, peeling into his 51st mile at a clip of 6 minutes per, began to stagger. At an aid station by the bridge, several race officials hurried to help. They splashed water over him. ''How do you feel?'' he was asked. Pace, Humidity Take Toll ''Fine,'' he said. He started off again, wobbly, in the wrong direction. An ambulance was summoned and Paul, an oil rigger, logger and a published essayist, was removed from the race. His fast pace - he had said he would try to break the world record of 11 hours 30 minutes 51 seconds - and the heavy humidity in the first hours of the race, which began at 6 P.M. Saturday, were obstacles too great for him. ''What happened?'' asked Stu Mittleman as he came by. Mittleman was the winner of the race last year. ''It's Paul - he crashed and burned,'' Mittleman was informed. ''Ugh,'' said Mittleman. Which meant he was sorry that Paul was ill, but not sorry to take the lead. And off he went. Some four and a half hours later -shortly past 7 A.M. - with the sun rising and the mist lifting off the lake and the birds twittering, Mittleman, in red shorts and bare-chested with ribs showing on a 5-foot-8-inch, 140-pound body, broke the tape at the pennant-strewn finish line. His arms were upraised, there was a big smile on his bearded face and a ruby earring glinted in his left ear. He was met by his handler and companion, Claudie Hardy, and some 200 others, including more of his friends and the handlers and supporters of the other runners. They had clustered through the night in and around the front of the Flushing Meadows Theater. They had stretched out in blankets and foam-rubber mats in tents, like a runners' refugee camp. A Soggy Hug for Winner Now they were up, and there was enthusiastic applause for the winner and, from Miss Hardy a soggy hug, plus a cup of de-fizzed Coke (with water added) and a few spoonfuls of banana baby food, which Mittleman had downed periodically in the race. He had also made liberal use of brownies he had baked himself the night before and dolomite and potassium tablets to ward off cramping, plus Vaseline, vitamin C tablets, aspirins and Rolaids. Also ready for use, but never needed were tape, sun-tan lotion and pads for corns. Mittleman's feet were fine, and so, oddly enough after running 100 miles, was the rest of him. ''Except for a little stiffness,'' he said, as he sat against a column at the amphitheater steps, and, with Miss Hardy's help, removed his running shoes. He said he felt satisfied that he had bettered his time of last year; he finished in 13 hours 11 seconds today, nearly four minutes better than his previous time. ''But I know I'll feel it in about two weeks,'' he said, ''when the euphoria fades. I remember last year that it was about two weeks later that I started getting depressed after - until I raced again.'' Mittleman, who lives on the Upper West Side, is a 30-year-old instructor in sports psychology at Queens College. He is working toward his doctorate in movement science at Columbia. He started running only four years ago in order ''to relax and find some quiet time.'' He ran his first race three years ago, a three-miler in Connecticut. ''I came in huffing and puffing,'' he said, with a laugh. Then he began trying for longer distances and eventually ran respectable marathons; he recently won a 50-miler at Lake Waramaug in Connecticut. Beyond the Marathon ''I'm compulsive, obsessive,'' he said. ''I seem to always have to try to do more and go farther. This 100-mile race is a good test of yourself. Everyone seems to be running the marathon. The ultramarathon is something different.'' His next goal? ''I heard there's a trans-continental in the works for next April. A 40-mile race for 77 straight days. I think I'd have as good a chance as any to hold up.'' Last December, though, it did not seem as if he would ever run again. An orthopedist told him his right knee was arthritic, and advised him not to run. There was also a low in his personal life; Claudie and he had broken up. For the next four months Mittleman ran very little, because of his knee and his heart. But then his knee responded, and he and Claudie got back together. While Mittleman was accepting accolades, the other runners - only 13 of the original 38 would finish - continued past: In second place, nearly an hour behind Mittleman, was Cahit Yeter, 46, formerly from Turkey and now living in the Bronx. Also in the pack was Louis Rosas who, before the race, received permission from Lebow to carry a radio. ''It gets lonely out there,'' said Rosas. And Nancy Sheehy, the only woman entered in the race, who told Lebow about halfway through, ''I know I'm crazy, but I'm going to finish if I have to crawl in.'' She finished next to last, in 22 hours 5 minutes 38 seconds. Her major problem came near the end: She kept falling asleep on her feet, but would wake when she heard herself snoring. As Mittleman carried off his silver cup, someone asked him what the hardest part of the race was. ''The gnats at sundown,'' he said. ''I swallowed a bunch of 'em.'' ''Hey,'' a friend said, ''I thought you were a vegetarian.'' ''Not anymore,'' Mittleman said, laughing. ''But next time I run with my mouth closed.'' Illustrations: Photo of Stu Mittleman

From a distance early yesterday morning one could make out shadowy figures moving quietly in the night around the two-and-a-quarter-mile lake in Flushing Meadows Park. The paved path on which they moved was lit dimly by lampposts and, at short intervals, by candles burning in brown bags, as if part of a strange nocturnal rite. Nothing unusual, unless one finds something odd in running 100 miles, 44 times around the lake, the distance from downtown Manhattan to downtown Philadelphia. At least 38 people didn't - those that made up the field for the fourth annual New York Invitational 100 Mile Ultra-Marathon. And the candles along the lake's edge were a precaution. ''Long distance runners can get dehydrated and then disoriented,'' said Fred Lebow, president of the New York Road Runners Club, which sponsored and conducted the event. ''We didn't want anyone ending up in the lake.''

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LAWMAKERS REPORT CONCERNS AT HOME ON REAGAN

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WASHINGTON, July 8— While Representative James L. Oberstar was riding in a Fourth of July parade through his Minnesota district, the Democratic lawmaker heard an earful from his constituents lining the parade route. ''People were shouting, 'Give Ronnie hell, stop the Social Security cuts!' '' Mr. Oberstar recalled. ''That was the principal focus.'' As they returned to Washington today from their 10-day holiday, many mambers of Congress reported hearing similar sentiments about the President from voters back home. ''They like the image of the man, they like him as a king,'' said Representative Mike Lowry, Democrat of Washington. ''But they're really starting to wonder about the impact of his programs.'' These growing doubts, the Democrats concede, are too little and too late to block the President's budget cuts. Both houses have adopted budgets that conform closely to White House requests, and the House-Senate conference to resolve the remaining differences will begin next week. But the Democrats hope to capitalize on these doubts in the coming fight over the tax bill, which should reach the House floor the last week of July. '$50,000 Question' Cited In his campaign to promote the Democrats' tax package, the House Speaker, Thomas P. O'Neill Jr. of Massachusetts, said today that the debate would turn on a ''$50,000 question.'' Voters who make less than that, he said, would be better off with the Democratic bill, while wealthier taxpayers would gain more advantages under the Reagan plan. The Democrats' mood on Capitol Hill received a lift yesterday in Mississippi, where Wayne Dowdy, the 37-year-old Democratic Mayor of McComb, Miss., won an upset victory over Liles B. Williams in a special election to fill a vacant Congressional seat. Mr. Williams, a Republican who is a staunch backer of President Reagan's programs, had been heavily favored to win the election. In a statement to reporters this morning, Mr. O'Neill tried to link the Mississippi election to the tax issue. ''They voted their pocketbooks,'' the Speaker said. ''They voted to protect Social Security against Republican cuts. They voted for a candidate who would look out for the average taxpayer, who would stand up to big business and reject Reagan's rich man's tax cut.'' Criticism Called Exaggerated Republicans generally conceded that there were grumblings of discontent against the President, but they discounted its political importance. Representative Jim Courter, Republican of New Jersey, said that Democrats had ''grossly exaggerated'' the potential impact of the Reagan budget cuts, and added: ''I have a feeling that six months or a year from now people will say, 'Hey, things are not so bad.' '' Representative Barber B. Conable Jr., Republican of upstate New York, said that most criticism of the budget cuts was coming from those who had a vested interest in maintaining government programs. ''People who depend on government programs, either as beneficiaries or as employees, are concerned about program cuts,'' Mr. Conable said. ''What do you expect?'' Moreover, a sizeable group of lawmakers discerned continuing support for Mr. Reagan's economic austerity program. ''The people of my district, and I share their feeling, have concluded that what we're doing now is not working,'' reported Representative Dan Daniel of Virginia, one of 29 Democrats who provided Mr. Reagan's margin of victory in a key budget test 10 days ago. ''They don't know whether the President's program will work, but they want to give it a chance.'' Changes in Social Security But even some Republicans believe that Mr. Reagan hurt himself by proposing drastic changes in the Social Security System that would reduce benefits for workers who want to retire early. ''To be honest with you, I think it was a mistake,'' Mr. Courter said of the President's proposal. ''He did a very bad job of articulating the problem.'' ''Jimmy Carter never got people thinking about Ronald Reagan's real program,'' said Mr. Lowry, the Washington Democrat. ''But the Social Security proposals, more than anything else, have made people start thinking about it.'' A number of lawmakers also said that the Republicans were damaged by the hasty and confusing way they pushed their budget cuts through the House. ''People were very upset with the way we passed the budget resolution,'' said Representative Robert T. Matsui, Democrat of California. ''I couldn't even tell them what was in it.'' Right-Wing Criticism Growing From another direction, some supporters of the President are concerned about the growing criticism directed against him by rightwing activists who believe he has not been sufficiently aggressive in promoting such ''social'' issues as a ban on abortions and a revival of school prayer. Representative Gary A. Lee, Republican of upstate New York, said that such issues were a ''sleeping giant'' that could disturb the ''harmonious environment'' the President had fostered in pressing for his economic program. Democrats concede that Mr. Reagan has virtually won the budget battle, and that whatever tax bill emerges will clearly bear his imprint. But they see some small reason for hope. ''The President won this thing this year,'' Mr. Lowry said, ''but there's always next year.''

While Representative James L. Oberstar was riding in a Fourth of July parade through his Minnesota district, the Democratic lawmaker heard an earful from his constituents lining the parade route. ''People were shouting, 'Give Ronnie hell, stop the Social Security cuts!' '' Mr. Oberstar recalled. ''That was the principal focus.'' As they returned to Washington today from their 10-day holiday, many mambers of Congress reported hearing similar sentiments about the President from voters back home. ''They like the image of the man, they like him as a king,'' said Representative Mike Lowry, Democrat of Washington. ''But they're really starting to wonder about the impact of his programs.''

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RECORD INDUSTRY'S UPHEAVAL

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In the summer of 1953, Elvis Presley stepped into a studio and recorded his first song, a ballad that helped propel the retail record industry into a multibillion-dollar business and that now describes it perfectly as it enters middle age. The song was called ''That's When Your Heartaches Begin.'' The year 1981 will be remembered in the record business for three dubious milestones: The list price of a top-selling album hit $9.98, the average age of a rock superstar hit 30 and one of the founding fathers of the retail record trade filed for bankruptcy. Behind these seemingly unrelated events is the story of an industry come of age. The maturing process has turned the retail record business upside down in the past 18 months, but left the survivors stronger for the experience. It has also left behind higher prices, fewer recordings by top stars and in some cases fewer records on the shelf. ''There has been a massive restructuring of the retail record industry, and it is still going on.'' said Barrie Bergman, president of the Record Bar, a retail chain based in Durham, N.C. ''The end result will be a much healthier industry.'' ''Those whose poor business practices were disguised by the unparalleled growth in previous years have been shaken out,'' said Clive Davis, president of Arista Records. ''The record business has finally come of age.'' Sharp Sales Decline A variety of shifts in the economy, demography and taste patterns of the American public coalesced between 1979 and 1981 to produce a sharp drop in the sale of records and tapes from which the industry is only now beginning to recover. According to the Record Industry Association of America, a trade group for retail dealers, United States record manufacturers shipped 726 million singles, LP's and cassette tapes in 1978, 683 million in 1979 and 650 million in 1980. For an industry that depended on everrising volume, those numbers have proved deadly. It was not always so. In the 1950's, as music became part of the youth culture, the retail record business began what would eventually be a 25-year period of uninterrupted growth. To accommodate the huge increase in demand spurred by Elvis Presley and the Beatles, record sales were moved out of the cloistered corners of department stores and into retail outlets that sold only LP's and 45's. But so many pop tunes were being recorded that few dealers could afford to stock the huge inventory of disks. The companies were so eager to expand the marketplace, however, that they decided to finance the inventory costs of almost anyone who wanted to get into the retail trade. Offering free advertising, generous service, regular discounts and - most important - extremely easy credit -the record companies attracted an unlikely blend of long-haired record buffs, fly-by-night discounters and savvy mass marketers to the business. Bonanza for the Consumer ''Price cutting was rampant, because the investment by the owner was so cheap,'' said David Lieberman, chairman of the Minneapolisbased Lieberman Enterprises, a Middle West record distributorship. ''There was plenty of volume and the manufacturers weren't pressing for the bills,'' he added. ''The consumer enjoyed a real bonanza.'' Between the mid-1950's and the mid-1970's the list price of top-selling disks held steady at $5.98, and often sold for less. Sales started to peak in 1977-78 when the death of Elvis set off a nationwide wave of nostalgia purchases. The Presley surge was followed by the release of the record industry's two all-time high sellers: ''Saturday Night Fever'' and ''Grease,'' which brought millions of people into the record stores. With the expectation of continued quantum growth, the companies pressed millions of disks and engaged in savage bloodletting to sign top talent. And then the music stopped. Higher gasoline prices cut deeply into the pocketbooks of the teenage record buyers, just as increased petroleum prices started pushing up the cost of the vinyl in records. Oddly enough, the disco phenomenon dampened sales as well. It meant going to a club, taking dance lessons, buying clothes and laying out money for a lot of things other than records. Another crucial factor was the lack of production in 1979 from the pop superstars, those who could ring up huge sales. People like Fleetwood Mac, the Rolling Stones, Linda Ronstadt, the Bee Gees or the Eagles had no new records ready to draw people into the stores. Few New Superstars ''The big names in rock all came out of the 60's and early 70's and there have been few superstars to develop since,'' said Kal Rudman, publisher of the Friday Morning Quarterback, the top record guide for American disk jockeys. Mr. Rudman and many other industry executives believe that the huge sums being paid to the top stars, such as Elton John and Diana Ross, have encouraged some of them to make fewer albums. It has also helped push the list price of some top-selling LP's to $9.98. CBS Records abolished the list price entirely on June 1, arguing that it was no longer viable in the present economic climate. ''If RCA gives Diana Ross $18 million,'' said David Geffen, president of Geffen Records, ''They have got to get it back in the record sales.'' Album sales were also hurt by the advances in recording and tape equipment, which enabled people to record a song from the radio or a friend's album for the cost of a blank cassette. The new equipment also greatly increased the volume and quality of bootleg albums. New Rules for Retailers Finding themselves stuck with millions of unsold disks, the record companies recently decided to change the rules of the game. Henceforth, retailers would be able to return only about one-fifth of their unsold disks and they would have to pay for most of their own advertising. Consignment sales were eliminated. ''Retailers either got out of the business,'' Mr. Lieberman said, ''or they got religion.'' One of the many retailers hit hard by changes in the record industy was Tom Heiman. During the past two decades he opened 30 ''super'' record stores in 23 states, some of them as large as 15,000 square feet. He is acknowledged throughout the industry as having been at the leading edge of the retail record boom, and so it came as a jolt to many when his Peaches Records and Tapes Inc. filed for bankruptcy June 1. Mr. Heiman acknowledges that, in his rush to expand, ''proper financial controls'' were ignored. His high rent and energy costs required him to maintain a constantly rising volume to stay profitable. When volume dipped and the companies refused to underwrite his large inventory at present interest rates, it became time for Chapter 11. Mr. Heiman and many like him have also had to pay a high price for ignoring the new demographics of music. According to a study by Warner Communications Inc. the single biggest group of record buyers today is not teen-agers but people between the ages of 25 and 44. The retailers who are continuing to be successful in the record industry are those knowledgeable about both music and merchandising - the chain operators like the Record Bar, the Warehouse and Camelot Records, which followed their customers out of the city and off the college campus into the suburban mall. ''We are going for the older consumer who doesn't have to wait for his allowance to buy a record,'' Mr. Bergman said. ''People who grew up with records as a life-style item are sticking with them. Our stores are designed to attract them.'' Illustrations: graph on record and tape sales, 1975-1980, showing drop since 1978 peak photos of recording stars

In the summer of 1953, Elvis Presley stepped into a studio and recorded his first song, a ballad that helped propel the retail record industry into a multibillion-dollar business and that now describes it perfectly as it enters middle age. The song was called ''That's When Your Heartaches Begin.'' The year 1981 will be remembered in the record business for three dubious milestones: The list price of a top-selling album hit $9.98, the average age of a rock superstar hit 30 and one of the founding fathers of the retail record trade filed for bankruptcy. Behind these seemingly unrelated events is the story of an industry come of age. The maturing process has turned the retail record business upside down in the past 18 months, but left the survivors stronger for the experience. It has also left behind higher prices, fewer recordings by top stars and in some cases fewer records on the shelf.

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http://www.nytimes.com/1981/03/10/opinion/buying-arms-instead-of-strength.html

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Buying Arms Instead of Strength

20150524080741

American defenses are deficient and the nation is not so poor that they cannot be set right. But that proposition does not justify the shape of President Reagan's new military budget. The Administration is asking Congress to increase 1981 budget authority by 12.4 percent and, inflation aside, wants to go up by 14.6 percent more in 1982. After that, it contends, increases can be moderated to 7 percent a year, for a five-year program costing $1.3 trillion. Large as it is, Mr. Reagan's budget plan understates the commitments it would make. For in rushing to take advantage of his election mandate, the President has simply raised the limits that Mr. Carter imposed on the standing new-weapons shopping lists of the Army and Air Force and added a massive Navy buildup. The lifetime costs of these weapons and manning and maintaining them, with inflation, are bound to require much greater outlays than are conceded. The proposed buildup would not only fail to meet current readiness requirements but, without still further expenditures, would leave the built-up forces equally unready in the future. Buying new weapons and larger forces makes no sense when the Pentagon cannot deploy what it already has. Poor maintenance and personnel shortages have left a third of the armed forces poorly prepared for combat. By any definition of defense, these shortfalls should come first. The Soviet Union keeps twice as many men under arms as the United States. It has also caught up with many American weapons technologically, notably tanks, some tactical aircraft and mobile surface-to-air missiles. But counting Western Europe's forces, China's hostility and Soviet uncertainties in Eastern Europe, and despite readiness gaps, there probably remains an overall military balance, notably in Europe. The wars to be deterred, or fought, are elsewhere. Thus the Carter Administration wisely planned to devote most additional outlays in 1982 to readiness, especially for wars outside Europe. The Reagan plan, unfortunately, would do little more in this respect. It still defers a critical decision on a new CX transport plane. It would speed up the conversion of fast commercial ships to move a mechanized Army division rapidly to the Persian Gulf. But if yet more money is to be spent, it should be buying another set of such ships and more munitions, tactical missiles and spare parts and paying bonuses to skilled personnel who re-enlist. By far the most questionable plan is to enlarge the Navy by onethird, from 450 to 600 ships and from 12 to 15 supercarrier task forces. That would require another 100,000 to 150,000 seamen - at a time when ships are languishing in port for lack of 20,000 petty officers. Naval officers, and former Navy men in key Administration positions, naturally think it can be done. But is it realistic to build vulnerable supercarriers to engage land-based Soviet aircraft around Murmansk? It is land-based air power that should be rotated in and out of the Persian Gulf, as long as no bases are available. Until that is done, Indian Ocean requirements probably justify refurbishing an old carrier while building a 13th modern one - provided, again, that the personnel can be recruited. But it is hard to see the value of two more supercarrier task forces, at more than $5 billion each. And refitting two World War II battleships, at $1 billion, to carry 640 cruise missiles into the Indian Ocean is a waste of money. Congress clearly has a job to do. The public's tolerance for more defense spending has produced a flood of projects whose true cost and utility are far from proven. And the Pentagon's boasts of economy are misleading. Obviously, building new weapons in large volume rather than over time promises some production savings. But it does not promise a balanced and effective force at the earliest possible time.

American defenses are deficient and the nation is not so poor that they cannot be set right. But that proposition does not justify the shape of President Reagan's new military budget. The Administration is asking Congress to increase 1981 budget authority by 12.4 percent and, inflation aside, wants to go up by 14.6 percent more in 1982. After that, it contends, increases can be moderated to 7 percent a year, for a five-year program costing $1.3 trillion.

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CITING LA GUARDIA, KOCH ACCEPTS G.O.P. SUPPORT

20150524081129

Invoking the name of Fiorello H. La Guardia in justification of his ''fusion'' campaign for re-election, Mayor Koch accepted last night an official invitation from the citywide Republican organization to seek the Republican nomination as well as the Democrat nomination in next fall's election. A large majority of Republican committee members voted to place Mr. Koch in the Republican primary even though he is a Democrat. ''The great Mayor Fiorello La Guardia commented on this when he said, 'There is no Republican way or Democratic way to clean the streets,' '' Mr. Koch said. ''And now that the city can afford it, I am saying we'll do our best to make the streets cleaner.'' Mr. Koch got 233 of the 317 committee members, but the four rows of Queens seats in the Terrace Ballroom of the Roosevelt Hotel were empty as Republican leaders voted to let the Democratic Mr. Koch run in their party's primary. His friends say that one reason Mr. Koch wants the Republican line is to outdo Mr. La Guardia, whose support never included the two major parties. Backing Called 'Intolerable' Queens has its own candidate, Assemblyman John S. Esposito, and the county leader, Jack R. Muratori, called the endorsement of Mr. Koch by the other four counties ''intolerable.'' Mr. Muratori said Queens might sue to upset the vote. The Staten Island leader, George Hart, praised Mr. Koch's ''feisty spirit'' and moved to extend the invitation to the Mayor, whom he described as ''a true Republican.'' State Senator Roy M. Goodman, the Manhattan chairman and the host at the meeting of Republican leaders, said that in endorsing Mr. Koch for a second four-year term, his party was ''putting the welfare of seven million New Yorkers above partisan politics.'' The Republicans were also acknowledging the Mayor's promises to help them with fund-raising and to heed their recommendations on jobs. And they were trying to protect candidates lower down on the voting machines from slippage that could be suffered without the name of Mr. Koch at the top. The session conferred official designation on the Mayor's two Republican running mates - Richard A. Bernstein, a Manhattan realestate man, for City Comptroller, and Guy J. Velella, an Assemblyman from the Bronx, for president of the City Council. There had been two declared mayoral Republican candidates, but Bernard Rome pulled out yesterday and accused the Mayor of buying Republican support with promises of jobs and judgeships. Mr. Rome said he wanted Mr. Esposito to win ''because no Mayor should have a two-party endorsement, particularly one that he didn't earn but that he bought.'' No matter what Republican voters decide in the primary on Sept. 10, Mr. Esposito will run in November as the Conservative Party's mayoral candidate. Mr. Koch must win in September to get the Republican nomination. The Liberals picked Mary T. Codd, a Staten Island City Council member. For the Democratic nomination, Mr. Koch is being challenged by Assemblyman Frank J. Barbaro of Brooklyn and by two political outsiders, Jim Smith and Harold Koppersmith.

Invoking the name of Fiorello H. La Guardia in justification of his ''fusion'' campaign for re-election, Mayor Koch accepted last night an official invitation from the citywide Republican organization to seek the Republican nomination as well as the Democrat nomination in next fall's election. A large majority of Republican committee members voted to place Mr. Koch in the Republican primary even though he is a Democrat. ''The great Mayor Fiorello La Guardia commented on this when he said, 'There is no Republican way or Democratic way to clean the streets,' '' Mr. Koch said. ''And now that the city can afford it, I am saying we'll do our best to make the streets cleaner.''

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MUSIC - MOURA LYMPANY, FAMILIAR ENGLISH PIANIST - NYTimes.com

20150524081142

FOR a good proportion of the audience at Carnegie Hall last evening, Moura Lympany's appearance to begin her piano recital must have set the nostalgia glands to pumping. The English pianist, who made her American debut in 1948 and last played here 16 years ago, came of age artistically shortly before World War II, and in the years immediately afterward she caught the musical public's fancy both for her elegant playing and in particular for the records she made in the dawn of the high-fidelity phonograph age. In the dim light of memory, at least, Miss Lympany will never lose her stature as a significant artist. The state of her art in 1981, however, was the subject under review at this recital. It can be said at once that the peculiar kind of low-key virtuosity that she always dealt in has not deserted her: her technique remains more than respectable, though far from flawless in the modern contest-winner's manner. Now in her early 60's, Miss Lympany seems to be drifting, whether by nature or by design, toward the refined and gracious style that one associates with the late Dame Myra Hess, though without yet having captured that great pianist's solidity and authority. For this occasion, Miss Lympany selected a program largely made up of virtuoso encore pieces. The two exceptions were Haydn's Sonata in E minor (No. 53 in the Christa Landon edition) and Schumann's ''Symphonic Etudes.'' The Schumann, played in the traditional version that excludes the five posthumously published variations, worked well in sections but did not hold together from piece to piece and trace the necessary big, arching line. Miss Lympany's brand of virtuosity, which stressed finesse in small details just at those moments when bravura was called for, allowed the tension to slacken frequently. In the punishing finale, she faltered near the end but was able to recover for the ultimate assault. The recitalist's approach worked far better in the Haydn, in which gentility and surface charm could carry the day. Otherwise, the program was an exhibit of musical Impressionism. Miss Lympany had one of her finest moments in Liszt's ''Feux follets,'' where her facility and control over delicate shadings caught the etude's winged lightness beautifully. ''Harmonies du soir,'' however, was prosaically done and muddied in the climaxes by overpedaling. A spate of French music brought the program to an end. Miss Lympany's Debussy was perhaps her most persuasive work of the night, particularly in a poised and sonorous reading of ''Reflets dans l'eau.'' The Etude No. 11, ''Pour les arpeges composes,'' also caught the Debussyan tone of voice, though the reading did not rise much above the utilitarian level at any time. ''Poissons d'or'' and, continuing the watery theme, Ravel's ''Ondine'' shimmered and rippled suitably. The program closed with a solid but less than spectacular performance of Ravel's Toccata from ''Le Tombeau de Couperin.'' Spectacular, however, is not the word that a Lympany enthusiast would want to hear applied to her. The English pianist's appeal lies in her dignified approach to music, in her reliability. She radiates assurance to her listeners that while she may not deal in extreme excitations, she will never go far wrong either. No bad taste, no gaffes. Hers does not seem to be a terribly inventive or arresting turn of mind, but that has never bothered those to whom her unruffled, level-headed playing appears to be the epitome of British musicianship. The Program MOURA LYMPANY, pianist. At Carnegie Hall. Piano Sonata No. 34 in E minor (Op. 42) .........Haydn Symphonic Etudes .............................Schumann Transcendental Etudes: No. 11 (Harmonies du soir) and No. 5 (Feux follets) .................Liszt Reflets dans l'eau; Poisson d'or; Etude No. 11 (Pour les arpeges) ...........................Debussy Ondine (Gaspard de la nuit); Toccata ............Ravel Illustrations: Photo of Moura Lympany

FOR a good proportion of the audience at Carnegie Hall last evening, Moura Lympany's appearance to begin her piano recital must have set the nostalgia glands to pumping. The English pianist, who made her American debut in 1948 and last played here 16 years ago, came of age artistically shortly before World War II, and in the years immediately afterward she caught the musical public's fancy both for her elegant playing and in particular for the records she made in the dawn of the high-fidelity phonograph age. In the dim light of memory, at least, Miss Lympany will never lose her stature as a significant artist. The state of her art in 1981, however, was the subject under review at this recital. It can be said at once that the peculiar kind of low-key virtuosity that she always dealt in has not deserted her: her technique remains more than respectable, though far from flawless in the modern contest-winner's manner. Now in her early 60's, Miss Lympany seems to be drifting, whether by nature or by design, toward the refined and gracious style that one associates with the late Dame Myra Hess, though without yet having captured that great pianist's solidity and authority.

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AIDE SEEKING FASTER NEWS FOR REAGAN

20150524081412

The editor of President Reagan's newspaper, worried about deadline problems, is concocting plans to go electronic so that more news can be delivered on time to the Oval Office. The newspaper is the White House News Summary, a daily compendium of what network television and the major newspapers are reporting and editorializing about the Administration. The summary, which runs 16 to 20 mimeographed pages a day, is delivered every weekday morning to the President, the Cabinet officers and 350 top Government officials. In the Carter Administration, the summary was prepared in the afternoon, giving the staff time to cull virtually all of the major newspapers as they came in from around the country. But Mr. Reagan insisted on morning delivery, said the editor, William E. Hart, and this means that he and his three aides have time to include only the top evening newscasts, from the news services and from The Washington Post. Mr. Hart, a 49-year-old retired Air Force chief master sergeant, said he was considering linking up with an electronic information service that gets news from other papers by midnight or 1 A.M. in time for the next morning summary. Until he gets appoval to spend the money, he said, he will seek to satisfy the President's need for a diversity of editorial voices by running a sa mpling of letters to theeditor of other papers. The first extract was from The Dallas Morning News, in which a writer complained th at, in proposing cuts inSocial Security, Mr. Reagan was ''sweeping do wn after the battle to shoot the wounded.'' A proposal by the R.J. Reynolds Company for a ''Camel Scoreboard'' that would combine advertising and sports scores in Monday newspapers continues to stir debate. Most of the major newspapers have rejected it as an unacceptable commercialization of news content, but Reynolds still plans to go ahead with the campaign in the medium-size and small papers that have accepted it. The proposal calls for Camel to buy up to a full page for a display that would be topped by a logotype saying ''Camel Scoreboard,'' under which the paper would put all the small-type listings of scores it normally prints. A full-scale debate on the issue is scheduled later this month in Toronto at the Associated Press Managing Editors' annual convention. The A.P. has taken an informal survey of editors but will not disclose the results. The preliminary betting is that most who replied opposed the advertising. As in other matters, however, the crucial votes may rest with the publishers. M. Roland Nachman finally had a chance to argue a ''Sullivan'' defense before a jury in a newspaper libel case, and the victory vas sweet. Seventeen y ears ago, Mr. Nachman, a Montgomery, Ala., lawyer, had represented t he local Police Commissioner, L.B. Sullivan, in a case against The N ew York Times. He lost when the Supreme Court, creating what has beco me the strongest press defense in libel suits, ruled that ''public figures'' cannot win damages unless they can prove thatthe offending publication printed an article that it knew was false or with reckl ess disregard of whether the article was true or false. In August a jury in Montgomery ruled in favor of Mr. Nachman's clients, The Montgomery Advertiser and the former State Finance Director, David G. Bronner, defendants in a $7.1 million libel suit. Two former state employees had sued Mr. Bronner for his comments about them at a news conference and had sued the paper for reporting what Mr. Bronner had said. Resorting to the Sullivan defense, Mr. Nachman convinced the judge that the plaintiffs were ''public figures,'' virtually compelling the favorable jury verdict. Buoyed by his success, the 57-year-old lawyer said he now intended to challenge Alabama's ''scintilla'' rule. This says a libel case cannot be summarily dismissed, but must go to a jury if a plaintiff has the least little bit of evidence to prove reportorial malice. The Bulletin in Philadelphia won a reprieve from its unions two months ago as they agreed to nearly $5 million in pay cuts, but that has not ended the problem of its advertising and circulation losses. The paper said that its daily sales of 401,000 in July dropped to 379,000 in August and then recovered to 397,000 last month. Some advertisers, reading the August figures, pulled away from normal end-of-holiday placement of advertising. Craig Ammerman, The Bulletin's ebullient executive editor, said the paper was beginning to spend the $30 million committed by the parent company. The money has been used for more street-sale racks, delivery trucks and, most importantly for him, four more pages a day for news articles. The Daily News in New York City has opened its books to auditors for its 11 unions, which are said to be looking not just at whether its projection of an $11 million loss is real but also at what could be done to cut deficits in the future. In the meantime, The News said its daily circulation was 1,518,000 in September, with a morning circulation 111,000 more than a year earlier. The Boston Herald American, in a do-or-die effort to get itself back in the game with The Boston Globe, switched last month to tabloid format. Official word on sales will not be available for several weeks; one insider said they were up a respectable 10 percent.

The editor of President Reagan's newspaper, worried about deadline problems, is concocting plans to go electronic so that more news can be delivered on time to the Oval Office. The newspaper is the White House News Summary, a daily compendium of what network television and the major newspapers are reporting and editorializing about the Administration. The summary, which runs 16 to 20 mimeographed pages a day, is delivered every weekday morning to the President, the Cabinet officers and 350 top Government officials. In the Carter Administration, the summary was prepared in the afternoon, giving the staff time to cull virtually all of the major newspapers as they came in from around the country. But Mr. Reagan insisted on morning delivery, said the editor, William E. Hart, and this means that he and his three aides have time to include only the top evening newscasts, from the news services and from The Washington Post.

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Technology - Quality Check For Welding - NYTimes.com

20150524081645

IF you want to make anything much more complicated than a paper clip out of metal, there's a good chance you will have to resort to welding. Thousands of welds go into cars and airplanes. Tens of thousands strengthen the metal skeletons of skyscrapers and stitch together oil pipelines. In essence, welding is simple. Heat the surface of two metal pieces until they are molten, remove the heat source and watch them fuse. Or, if the surfaces are not shaped so that they can easily fuse to each other, a molten metal to which they will fuse can be laid down between them and cooled. In practice, the process is difficult to control and not even fully understood. Slight disturbances in temperature, heating and cooling rates, and even exposure to air, can create drastic faults. The metallurgy involved is highly specialized and a wide variety of welding techniques have been invented to meet the peculiar demands of binding various metals together in different situations. Faulty welding is common, costly to repair and occasionally lifethreatening. To combat it, most manufacturers, contractors and equipment servicing operations invest in testing devices that locate faults so that they can be corrected before products are delivered to customers. The quality control devices are, unfortunately, far from foolproof. The most common ones, such as those that search for minute subsurface holes, cracks and foreign particles with X-rays or ultrasonic soundings, require experts to interpret their findings. There is plenty of room for subjective judgments. And, as the belated discovery of thousands of defective welds on the Alaska pipeline demonstrated, findings can be falsified. No wonder welding experts have dreamed of being able to identify when a weld is likely to be defective as it is being made. That ability, usually called real-time quality control, would allow onthe-spot corrections in many cases, thus eliminating a great deal of labor-intensive repair work. Moreover, it would help avoid the need to reweld in situations where safety is as much of a problem as expense. In high-pressure containers such as nuclear reactors, for instance, welds join rare metals that can be damaged and weakened if rewelded. ''Real-time quality control has always been a Utopian vision,'' said Glenn Oyler, executive director-elect of the Welding Research Council. Now, research engineers at the Construction Engineering Research Laboratory of the Army Corps of Engineers in Champaign, Ill., think they have come up with the first true real-time weld monitor. Using a microprocessor-controlled information feedback system, they say, they can monitor and instantly process information about the three variables that have the most to do with whether the typical electric arc weld is successful: heat input, the area of the weld on the surface (known as weld nugget area) and weld penetration depth. The information is processed along with prerecorded data about the metals involved and tells the operator if the operation is within the range likely to produce a good weld. In addition to using the information to quickly correct operating problems, especially where welding is automated, the real-time system stores data that allow engineers to pinpoint likely bad welds for inspection with traditional devices. In some configurations, the information is supplemented with optical sensing devices. By monitoring the light waves emitted by the electric arc shooting out of the welding gun and, in some cases, the molten weld material, one can check information about heat input and learn a great deal about what materials are present. If dust or some undesirable gas is being mixed in to the weld, the light waves emitted during the welding will be altered. More importantly, when the welding surface is shielded with argon gas to keep the heated metal from reacting with the oxygen in the air, the optical monitoring systems show when the shield has broken down. Frank Kearney, the engineer who has led the development team for the real-time device, says that about 10 different configurations, costing between $1,000 and $20,000, have been designed to date. To the welder, it appears to be just a couple of wires attached to the gun. The microprocessor is well away from the work station. The system can be connected to speakers that tell the welder when to make adjustments. The first field test of the real-time system was at an Arkansas River hydroelectric project in 1977. It is now being tested by Allis-Chalmers, the contractor chosen for repairs on seven large hydroelectric turbines from dams on that river. Mr. Kearney said that the company expects the system to cut by half the welding in need of repairs, saving $600,000. The system is also being used by the Chrysler Corporation at its Lima, Ohio, plant for monitoring the 1,500 pounds of welds on the new Abrams M-1 tank. Although applications have been confined so far to electric arc welding, industry interest in the virtually unpublicized program is intense. Welding applications have continued to expand, through boom and recession alike, according to Herbert Hinkel, publisher of Welding Design and Fabrication magazine in Cleveland, and electric arc welding is the most popular technique. Noting that real-time monitoring requires processing tremendous amounts of information rapidly - automatic welders move at the rate of 200 inches a minute - Roy McCauley, the professor who heads Ohio State University's department of welding engineering, said, "At present, the corps' program isn't quite real-time, but they are getting awfully close." Illustrations: Photo of a welder

IF you want to make anything much more complicated than a paper clip out of metal, there's a good chance you will have to resort to welding. Thousands of welds go into cars and airplanes. Tens of thousands strengthen the metal skeletons of skyscrapers and stitch together oil pipelines. In essence, welding is simple. Heat the surface of two metal pieces until they are molten, remove the heat source and watch them fuse. Or, if the surfaces are not shaped so that they can easily fuse to each other, a molten metal to which they will fuse can be laid down between them and cooled.

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PERSONAL FINANCE - APPLAUSE FOR THE 'INCENTIVE' STOCK OPTION - NYTimes.com

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FOR business executives, one of the most far-reaching provisions of the tax legislation just enacted is the creation of a new compensation tool, the ''incentive'' stock option. It is being welcomed as the reincarnation of a familiar friend. ''It's like the old qualified stock option but even better,'' George R. Ince, a tax manager with the accounting firm of Ernst & Whinney, enthused. ''It's the Lone Ranger coming to the rescue of executives,'' agreed W. Donald Gough, a partner in Sibson & Company, the Princeton, N.J., employee benefit consulting firm. To be sure, there's plenty of enthusiasm, but there are still voices that say the old way of the nonqualified option is at least as good as the newer versions. The qualified option, which was a tax-favored way of rewarding and inspiring executives by giving them a stake in the performance of their employer's stock, became defunct last May 20. But then Congress heeded the pleas of small business -especially the hightechnology companies that complained they did not have the cash to attract top executives - and resurrected the qualified option in slightly different form. The qualified option, phased out over five years, had long been considered all but dead. In recent years, attention had turned to the ''nonqualified'' stock option and to a host of arrangements, dubbed ''phantom stock,'' that tied executive bonuses to how well the stock performed but awarded cash, rather than shares. None of these arrangement enjoyed preferred tax treatment. On nonqualified options, an executive pays no tax when the option is granted or given to him. But when he exercises the option and purchases the stock, the difference between what he is charged for the stock - typically, the price is the market value when the option was granted - and its current value is taxable immediately as ordinary income at rates as high as 50 percent. (It makes no difference that the executive has yet to sell the shares.) Because that spread is considered compensation, the company gets to claim a tax deduction. By contrast, with the new incentive stock option, as with the old qualified option, the executive pays no tax when he exercises the option. Instead, the tax is deferred until the stock is sold, provided this happens no sooner than one year after the date of exercise and two years after the date of grant. Then, the spread is taxed at capital gains rates, which run no higher than 20 percent, compared with the ordinary income rates of as much as 50 percent. One new sweetener, which did not apply to the old qualified options, is that the spread between the option price and the fair market value of the stock is not considered an item of tax preference, which can trigger the minimum tax. But the drawback, from the corporate view, is that the company can no longer claim a tax deduction for the spread. Mr. Gough provided an example of just how dramatic the combination of the new incentive option and the new across-the-board cuts in rates can be for an executive earning $100,000 a year. Under the old law, if the executive were granted nonqualified options worth $30,000 in 1981 and exercised them in 1983, when the stock had doubled, to $60,000, the $30,000 difference would be ordinary income, subject to a 50 percent tax rate. Thus, after taxes, the executive would net only $15,000. Now consider the same executive who exercised incentive options with the same price pattern in 1982 and sold the stock for $60,000 in 1983. Because the $30,000 spread would be a capital gain, not ordinary income, only 40 percent of it - or $12,000 - would be taxable. Furthermore, because of the coming rate reductions, the executive's marginal rate on the spread would be 44 percent rather than 50 percent. Thus, his tax would come to only $5,280, and the executive would realize $24,720. ''That's a difference of almost $10,000 in his after-tax compensation value, and it works out to an effective tax rate of 17.6 percent versus 50 percent under the old approach,'' Mr. Gough said. Of course, not all is pure gold with incentive options. The law contains several new hooks and barbs that can limit their use. To qualify as an incentive option, for example, an option cannot be exercised while any previously granted incentive option is outstanding. Under another requirement, a plan can grant options to purchase only $100,000 of stock per executive in any one calendar year. To the extent a company does not give an option one year, one-half of the unused amount can be carried forward for three years, effecitvely exceeding the $100,000 limit. Compensation experts say the limitation will make the new tax treatment of options almost meaningless for top corporate executives, whose options are typically in lofty multiples of $100,000, but could give middle-management a needed shot in the arm. Furthermore, because the law is retroactive to a certain extent, it will grant a windfall to some people who have already exercised nonqualified stock options. The new rules are complex, but in general they apply to options granted after 1975 and exercised after 1980 or outstanding at that time. If it makes the necessary changes in its plan, however, a corporation can elect to have options granted before 1981 - but which remain unexercised -treated as incentive stock options. But these options are limited to annual grants of $50,000 a year per employee, up to a maximum of $200,000. ''So if you exercised an old nonqualified option earlier this year, you could still get the benefit of the new rules if your employer makes the election and if your option meets the new tests - particularly the one requiring exercise in chronological order,'' Mr. Ince of Ernst & Whinney said. The corporate tax benefits of nonqualified options are clear. What's more, Mr. Sullivan of Towers Perrin contends that executives can also emerge better off under the old system, ''even though they pay a higher tax rate and pay it sooner.'' To buttress that assertion, he assumed a company in a 50 percent bracket that would share its tax savings with top employees. In his example, the company would give executives two shares of nonqualified options - or an equivalent cash bonus - for every one share of incentive option. ''The math is solid, but there are some practical disadvantages,'' Mr. Sullivan acknowledged. Because the volume of options granted would swell under such an approach, it could create shareholder dissatisfaction. And added cash bonuses would increase the amount of executive compensation shown on the sensitive company proxy statement. ''My gut feeling,'' he concluded, ''is that the wide appeal of incentive stock options, especially with a 20 percent capital gains rate, will tempt a lot of companies to go in that direction and close their eyes to the fact that nonqualified options may be more costeffective.''

FOR business executives, one of the most far-reaching provisions of the tax legislation just enacted is the creation of a new compensation tool, the ''incentive'' stock option. It is being welcomed as the reincarnation of a familiar friend. ''It's like the old qualified stock option but even better,'' George R. Ince, a tax manager with the accounting firm of Ernst & Whinney, enthused. ''It's the Lone Ranger coming to the rescue of executives,'' agreed W. Donald Gough, a partner in Sibson & Company, the Princeton, N.J., employee benefit consulting firm.

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http://www.nytimes.com/1981/01/11/nyregion/only-3-answer-call-for-matching-funds.html

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ONLY 3 ANSWER CALL FOR MATCHING FUNDS

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ONLY three of the two dozen potential candidates for Governor put their money where their mouths were last week, when the state's Election Law Enforcement Commission issued its first call to those who want matching public funds to finance their campaigns. Campaign aides for Mayor Thomas F.X. Smith of Jersey City, a Democrat, and two Republicans - Mayor Lawrence F. Kramer of Paterson and Richard B. McGlynn of Short Hills, a former judge and member of the state's Board of Public Utilities - responded with the necessary documentation showing how much the candidates had raised to date. The light turnout surprised Lewis B. Thurston, the commission's executive director. His telephone conversations with a number of potential candidates had led him to believe that certainly more than three would be seeking the matching funds. The next time that the candidates will be able to submit proof of how much they have raised will be Jan. 26. By then a few of the less-serious aspirants may have moved to the sidelines, but no one is betting on it. Mayor Smith's campaign aides submitted documents showing contributions of $380,354, while those for Mayor Kramer and Mr. McGlynn were $166,835 and $52,770, respectively. The state's public-financing law for the gubernatorial primary - it was enacted just last year - provides $2 in public money for each $1 a candidate raises after he (or she) has raised and spent $50,000. The maximum state contribution for each candidate is $599,975, and he would have to raise about $300,000, in addition to the $50,000 in threshold money, to qualify for the public funds. If the commission auditors find nothing wrong with the records of the reported contributions, which must be in individual amounts no greater than $800, Mayor Smith will have qualified for the maximum in public funds by Jan. 26. Mayor Kramer will be eligible for $233,670 and Mr. McGlynn for $5,541. The only hitch in all this promise of matching funds is that the State Legislature has not yet appropriated the money. Mr. Thurston said he was ''very concerned'' about the failure of the lawmakers to back up the measure with the necessary financing. The Legislature is worried that the prospect of easy money is attracting a number of frivolous officeseekers who will use the public treasury to finance ego trips. For this reason, a bill that would increase the $50,000 threshold money to $100,000 or $150,000 is gaining some support. Governor Byrne, the chief lobbyist for public financing of gubernatorial campaigns, reportedly is leaning toward the higher figure. The bill was introduced by Senator Raymond J. Zane, Democrat of Woodbury. However, the Election Commission has had to wait two years to get a primary-election financing bill that it could administer, and it does not relish the idea of any last-minute changes, especially in such an important item as the threshold amount. ''A lot of campaigns have already been structured based on the law as it is,'' Mr. Thurston said. ''We're not sure it would be possible to make such an important change piecemeal in the 11th hour without rethinking the entire law.'' Illustrations: photo of Thomas F.X. Smith photo of Mayor Lawrence F. Kramer

ONLY three of the two dozen potential candidates for Governor put their money where their mouths were last week, when the state's Election Law Enforcement Commission issued its first call to those who want matching public funds to finance their campaigns. Campaign aides for Mayor Thomas F.X. Smith of Jersey City, a Democrat, and two Republicans - Mayor Lawrence F. Kramer of Paterson and Richard B. McGlynn of Short Hills, a former judge and member of the state's Board of Public Utilities - responded with the necessary documentation showing how much the candidates had raised to date. The light turnout surprised Lewis B. Thurston, the commission's executive director. His telephone conversations with a number of potential candidates had led him to believe that certainly more than three would be seeking the matching funds.

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PROSPECTS - NYTimes.com

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After months of listening to complaints from leaders about the damage done to the world economy by high U.S. interest rates, President Reagan is likely to hear a symphony of similar protests and more at this week's economic summit. And talk about tough monetary policy is not likely to end there. Ottawa is but the first in a series of upcoming top-level international conclaves. In coming months, experts like Harald B. Malmgren expect other Western leaders to try to convince Mr. Reagan that America's leadership in areas besides the inflation flight is needed. Despite efforts by Europeaf leaders, Mr. Malmgren expects high interest rates will remain the thrust of U.S. foreign economic policy. However, easing of current Administration attitudes on some issues is foreseen. Specifically, a more helpful stance on multilateral development banks seems likely. Sluggish Clothing Sales Compared to a year ago, the outlook for fall fashions, due to arrive in stores soon, is bright indeed. But since the economy was only just beginning to climb out of recession in the third quarter last year, the comparison loses much of its luster. And, when matched against this year's second quarter, current projections seem downright sluggish. Sandra Shaber, an economist at Chase Econometrics, says slow economic growth will dampen clothes demand this fall. Shoppers are not likely to browse amidst overflowing racks, Miss Shaber warns. With interest rates expected to remain high, retailers will strive for lean inventories. Currently, Miss Shaber projects sales will reach an inflationadjusted $83.3 billion in the third quarter, up more than 6 percent from a year ago. But the expected increase from the quarter just ended is expected to be a skimpy 0.3 percent. Boom for Bureaucrats? Although easing inflation is moderating private sector wages, salary demands in the public sector remain high. As a result, the $62.1 billion budgeted for government workers in 1982 may not be enough. Tommorrow, 495,000 members of the postal unions threaten to walk unless they get raises substantially in excess of the 4.8 percent increase the administration has proposed for federal employees. On July 28, 15,000 air traffic controllers are likely to overwhelmingly reject a tentative pact with the Transportation Department which provides an 11.4 percent increase in 1981-1982. Previously, civil service employees have not been able to negotiate money items with an adminstrative agency. Although 2.5 million other federal employees are outside the collective bargaining process, economists at the A.F.L.-C.I.O. acknowledge the precedent set by controllers has not been lost on government workers, who may press for additional increases themselves. Failure to win higher salaries could lead to wildcat strikes, or spur higher-level employees to seek employment elsewhere, speeding brain-drain in the public sector. Futures May Flounder While a recent surge in commodity prices is sparking optimism in some trading houses, other evidence suggests the rise may be shortlived. As measured by the Commodity Research Bureau index, prices for 26 commodities have jumped nearly 4 percent from the end of June, a significant increase. However, as economists at ACLI International, a commodity research firm, point out, the outlook in areas which have a strong effect on commodity prices - world trade, oil prices, and real interest rates - is not promising. That suggests prices may again weaken soon. According to ACLI projections, world trade, which accounts for two-thirds of all movement in commodities, is likely to shrink 4-5 percent this year, following a 5 percent reduction in last year's fourth quarter. Oil prices, which have tracked a similar path with the commodity index since 1957, remain slack. And interest rates, which have remained substantially above the inflation rate for some months, are expected to stay high, weakening the allure of commodities as a speculative investment. Due to these factors, ACLI analysts anticipate renewed downward pressure on commodity prices, and think the index could decline to levels not seen since April of 1980.

The Summit Season After months of listening to complaints from leaders about the damage done to the world economy by high U.S. interest rates, President Reagan is likely to hear a symphony of similar protests and more at this week's economic summit. And talk about tough monetary policy is not likely to end there. Ottawa is but the first in a series of upcoming top-level international conclaves. In coming months, experts like Harald B. Malmgren expect other Western leaders to try to convince Mr. Reagan that America's leadership in areas besides the inflation flight is needed.

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http://www.nytimes.com/1981/05/17/weekinreview/identity-crises-afflict-nj-primary-race.html

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IDENTITY CRISES AFFLICT N.J. PRIMARY RACE

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Mayor Thomas F. X. Smith of Jersey City has a commercial featuring his ''talking'' dog, Henry Hudson. Former Judge Richard McGlynn often arrives at political rallies accompanied by a bagpiper. And Joseph A. (Bo) Sullivan has thrown so many campaign parties that one opponent has accused him of singlehandedly driving up the price of shrimp. The New Jersey State Election Law Enforcement Commission last week reported that $5.2 million had been allocated to candidates in the crowded gubernatorial primaries under the state's public campaign financing law. But despite (and, perhaps, because of) the money, it is clear from their attention-getting antics that the candidates are having a difficult time reaching the public. Their sheer number - 13 Democrats and 8 Republicans are in the June 2 contest - is alone enough to intimidate newspapers and television stations and to turn campaign forums into sessions where candidates barely have time to introduce themselves. Even those preparing television blitzes for the final weeks of the campaign worry that with so many commercials for so many candidates on the air, their own messages will be ignored or, even worse, resented. ''Breaking out of the pack'' is the phrase most often heard on the campaign trail these days. Every candidate admits he or she must do it, and many have produced polls showing that they are. But the perception of veteran politicians in both parties is that the pack looks as clumped as ever. Perhaps the best indication is the fact that two of the leading candidates in the Democratic race are United States Representatives James J. Florio of Runnemede and Robert A. Roe of Wayne, both of whom have been busy in Washington and have not attended nearly as many campaign debates as their opponents. This is especially annoying to at least one candidate, former Attorney General John J. Degnan, who has challenged both Mr. Florio and Mr. Roe to a debate on any campaign issue they choose. Sensing an opportunity to leave the pack along with Mr. Degnan, State Senate President Joseph P. Merlino, also a gubernatorial candidate, has volunteered to be moderator. Mr. Smith appears satisfied for now to let his dog, which was wounded on the Jersey City waterfront and nursed back to health by the Mayor, make his campaign pitch (while the camera lingers on Henry Hudson's panting face, a voice says ''see you in Trenton''). Some observers believe the commercial will make Mr. Smith seem frivolous, but his aides disagree. ''It's like a loss leader in advertising,'' said Paul Byrne, a spokesman for the Smith campaign. ''We want people to remember his name so they'll pay more attention when they see one of the five or six other serious commercials we have scheduled for air time.'' Henry Hudson even has an imitator. Senator Frank J. Dodd of West Orange, another Democratic candidate, has his own canine supporter, named Esther Essex, and last week he circulated the dog's picture along with a challenge to Henry Hudson for a ''formal, one-on-one debate.'' Mr. McGlynn, the Republican with the bagpiper, has in addition taken to wearing green sweaters and distributing thousands of green and white balloons. He said he realized early on that, despite his years as a prosecutor, judge and member of the Board of Public Utility Commissioners, he had a serious recognition problem, so he has to rely on such tactics to be seen and heard. Mr. Sullivan of Essex Fells was even less well known to the voters. An industrialist and finance chairman for the Essex County Republicans, he had never held public office, unlike all of his opponents. What sets Mr. Sullivan apart from Mr. McGlynn or anyone else in the race, though, is his considerable personal wealth and his willingness to spend it. He has overcome his lack of recognition with a television campaign that began in January and has found a way around the crowded candidates' forums - ''where we're only allowed to talk for seven minutes'' - by holding ''town meetings'' at which he is the only speaker. ''We've held about 30 of them, in every county,'' he said. ''We invite Republicans in the area by letter and follow this up with two phone calls, and usually have some wine and cheese and beer after we talk.'' Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Roe can both claim a distinction in their respective primary races: They are the only candidates who have refused to accept public funds. Mr. Sullivan turned the money down because accepting it would have forced him to accept a $1,050,000 spending limit on his campaign. He wants to spend about $1.5 million. Mr. Roe is not a wealthy man, but he is gambling that he can turn his opponents' use of public funds against them. He has designed his whole campaign around the public financing question and will appear on television not to discuss the issues on which his opponents have tried to focus - chiefly crime and the economy - but to attack their use of taxpayers' money at a time when the Reagan Administration, and a tight New Jersey budget, are forcing cuts in more and more of the state's social programs. But because the financing law provides two dollars for every one raised by the candidate (up to a maximum of $600,000), Mr. Roe must raise $3 for each $1 raised by his opponents. His campaign is targeted to raise and spend about $750,000. Mr. Sullivan, who has been stung by accusations of trying to buy the election, also has focused on public financing as a means of returning the fire. One of his commercials shows a constituent praising him for spending his money, instead of the taxpayers', to underwrite his campaign. Mr. Sullivan appears in other commercials addressing such problems as toxic waste, crime and the economy, but he said last month that the issue he sees taking hold is that of public financing. If it becomes the crucial one during the campaign's final weeks, it could help Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Roe. Certainly, New Jersey's public financing experiment is being watched closely across the country. The large field of candidates it has encouraged has already become the target of biting commentary. It would be ironic if the law, which was designed to make it easier for candidates to seek public office, ended up overshadowing their campaigns. Illustrations: photo of New Jersey gubernatorial candidates in forum

Mayor Thomas F. X. Smith of Jersey City has a commercial featuring his ''talking'' dog, Henry Hudson. Former Judge Richard McGlynn often arrives at political rallies accompanied by a bagpiper. And Joseph A. (Bo) Sullivan has thrown so many campaign parties that one opponent has accused him of singlehandedly driving up the price of shrimp. The New Jersey State Election Law Enforcement Commission last week reported that $5.2 million had been allocated to candidates in the crowded gubernatorial primaries under the state's public campaign financing law. But despite (and, perhaps, because of) the money, it is clear from their attention-getting antics that the candidates are having a difficult time reaching the public.

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THORNS HAVE BEGUN TO APPEAR IN REAGAN'S ECONOMIC GARDEN

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WASHINGTON— EVEN before he discovered supply-side theory, President Reagan liked to use broad brush strokes and bold colors to paint an idealized economic landscape. Therein, hardy capitalists, cheerful workers and an inherently fair free market produced inevitable prosperity, while enlightened local officials and private charities cared for the poor until they got their share of the economic pie. From time to time, filling in the details confounded Mr. Reagan, as when he proposed in 1976 that state governments take over $90 billion worth of social programs, but neglected to calculate where the money would come from. ''That's when he learned that in a campaign you can't start earmarking programs,'' a White House aide, Michael K. Deaver, recalled recently. A President, unlike a candidate, cannot gloss over painful details. That became clear in the last two weeks as Congressional critics, outraged constituent groups and mainstream economists have teamed up to point out what they regard as flaws in the President's economic recovery program. The Gallup Poll's finding of a sudden 11-point spurt in Mr. Reagan's disapproval rating seemed to underscore the critics' main points. They say that Reaganomics is based on enticing theory, but that, in reality, it has high and potentially disruptive social costs, it is based on the same kind of faith-before-fact economic projections that plunged the Carter Administration into a record deficit, and it is far from free of Democratic-style porkbarreling. Taking Undefended Turf Such criticisms were seldom voiced and even less frequently heeded in the first six weeks of the Reagan Presidency. One reason was the intellectual bankruptcy of the opposition party. Mr. Reagan and his economic spokesmen occupied vast tracts of public relations turf simply because it was utterly undefended by the Democrats. Thoughtful survivors of the Carter Administration pointed out a key reason for the poverty of ideas among the Democrats. Virtually every liberal proposal assumes that there will be economic growth, so the traditional Democratic remedies simply don't fit today's economy of contraction. What does fit the public mood - and the economy as well, say Mr. Reagan's boosters - is the President's blend of economic proposals and social philosophy. ''After all,'' reasons Treasury Secretary Donald Regan, ''he got elected on that. Why not carry it out?'' Indeed, Mr. Reagan has made a spirited run at doing just that, with his call for $48.6 billion in budget cuts for fiscal 1982. In the early going, the Reagan White House was heartened by the generally positive response to the President's proposals, especially from those who, in the view of the Reagan inner circle, had long scorned the President's ideas. ''It's a phenomenal thing for Ronald Reagan,'' said Mr. Deaver, ''for The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time magazine to say, 'Maybe it's time to reassess, maybe we don't need so much government.' The public mood is there.'' But the mood has changed a bit. Even the Democrats, their spines stiffened perhaps by the sight of 8,000 coal miners marching on the White House, have joined the economic debate that is putting a searchlight on the darker side of Mr. Reagan's economic theories. On tax equity, for example, Mr. Reagan's plan for across-the-board income tax cuts of about 10 percent for three successive years is being increasingly criticized as a sop to the rich. Mr. Reagan's press secretary, James S. Brady, doggedly repeats the President's argument that 72 percent of the taxpayers get 73 percent of the benefits under this plan. But that artful averaging can't disguise the fact that at opposite ends of the income scale - $15,000 families as against $100,000 families, for example - both the dollar figures and the percentage increases in aftertax income (adjusted for inflation) greatly favor the affluent. On the budget-cut side, the greatest appeal of the Reagan plan is that it started out as a brave effort to curb the excesses and abuses that Democrats would not face up to. To overcome the Scrooge factor - that is, the appearance that Mr. Reagan would punish the poor to restore prosperity for the few - White House publicity planners and David A. Stockman, the budget director, came up with the concept of the ''safety net'' of basic programs. But now it appears that not only does the net have gaping holes, it is politically selective about whom it catches. For example, two vast voting constituencies, Social Security retirees and veterans, were left with their benefits intact, regardless of need. Meanwhile, the Stockman-Reagan cuts in wage supplement programs have made it attractive for some poor people who have clung to marginal jobs to quit work altogether and thereby qualify for full welfare support. Considering Mr. Reagan's loud and often accurate criticism of the political payoffs in Democratic budgets, there is perhaps nothing more surprising than the degree to which his own is a political document. Mr. Reagan's domestic policy staff, for example, still regards as a ''boondoggle'' the Clinch River breeder reactor project in Tennessee that, nevertheless, was funded to please Howard H. Baker Jr., the Senate majority leader from that state. Interim Steps to What? The principle of states' rights has become a powerful budgetcutting tool for Mr. Reagan, allowing a return of social welfare programs to state control along with the proposed 20 to 25 percent cut in Federal funding. But here, too, the gap between theory and practice is showing up. The Administration proposes to fund such programs with block grants to the states. But Mr. Reagan has long said that these grants were but an interim step in his long-range program to return tax sources to the states. After weeks of studying the Federal budget and the tax codes, however, the Administration has not a clue as to how to make good on Mr. Reagan's promise that the Federal Government will give up some of its tax revenues in favor of the states. The budget process has also led to ideological debate within the White House. Some advisers want to demand that welfare recipients work at public jobs. But the states' rights faction retorts that Mr. Reagan cannot return control of social programs to the states and then impose ''workfare'' rules on them. Similarly, the debate over limiting Japanese imports has arrayed the free-traders against the America-first faction. What will Mr. Reagan's response be to the tangled problems and complicated debates swirling around him? It is helpful to remember that one of Mr. Reagan's favorite rhetorical constructions is to begin his proposals with ''The simple truth is. . . . '' In the face of last week's criticism, Mr. Reagan has turned to the simple responses that served him so well as a candidate who learned not to earmark his proposals with dollars-and-cents figures. When Congressional budget figures raised questions about Mr. Reagan's sunny projections, he dismissed them as ''phony.'' When White House visitors asked about problems arising from the welfare cuts, Mr. Reagan blamed bureaucrats who are ''trying to create an image that we are picking on the poor'' to save their jobs. As for unemployment, Mr. Reagan disclosed last week that he has been reading The New York Times' bulky help-wanted ads to recharge his faith in the hardnosed capitalism upon which his economic plans are founded. ''How,'' Mr. Reagan wondered aloud, ''does a fellow in any one of the those skills justify calling themselves unemployed when there's a fellow spending money advertising and saying, 'I've got a job. Come fill my job.' '' Illustrations: graphs of Federal outlays, 1974-1980 and under Carter and Reagan plans

EVEN before he discovered supply-side theory, President Reagan liked to use broad brush strokes and bold colors to paint an idealized economic landscape. Therein, hardy capitalists, cheerful workers and an inherently fair free market produced inevitable prosperity, while enlightened local officials and private charities cared for the poor until they got their share of the economic pie. From time to time, filling in the details confounded Mr. Reagan, as when he proposed in 1976 that state governments take over $90 billion worth of social programs, but neglected to calculate where the money would come from. ''That's when he learned that in a campaign you can't start earmarking programs,'' a White House aide, Michael K. Deaver, recalled recently. A President, unlike a candidate, cannot gloss over painful details. That became clear in the last two weeks as Congressional critics, outraged constituent groups and mainstream economists have teamed up to point out what they regard as flaws in the President's economic recovery program.

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Judge Mr. Watt Fairly

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Environmentalists rang their alarms when President Reagan appointed James Watt as Interior Secretary. They feared that Mr. Watt, a forceful advocate of economic development, would promote reckless exploitation of the public lands while neglecting his collateral duty to conserve and protect. Now he has taken his first major action and they believe their worst nightmares are coming true. Mr. Watt has reopened the possibility of drilling for oil in the waters off scenic northern California. That reverses a decision by his Democratic predecessor, conservation-minded Cecil Andrus, to withdraw four controversial basins from the offshore oil-leasing schedule. Predictably, environmentalists and the state of California are portraying Mr. Watt as a black hat. But the truth is not so simple. This is not a black and white decision at all, but a close call, on which reasonable officials might differ. The four disputed areas, and a fifth that may contain more oil, were originally scheduled to be leased to private drillers next May. But political opposition in California led Mr. Andrus to delete the four northern tracts. He did not contend that drilling posed any unusual environmental risk; he simply said he was considering the ''preferences and well-being'' of people along the coast and, in one area, the inadequacy of evironmental analyses. There is reason to doubt that this decision was based solely on the merits. The announcement was timed for maximum political effect - just before the November election. Now Mr. Watt has taken over with a mandate from President Reagan to increase the domestic production of oil and gas. He thus had a responsibility to reconsider the four basins. They are estimated to contain significant oil - more than the controversial Georges Bank area off Massachusetts that has been opened to exploration. Developing these areas will not by itself make a major dent, but it can help reduce dependence on imported oil. There are undeniable environmental risks. The central and northern California coast, from Big Sur past the Golden Gate to the Oregon border, is spectacularly beautiful. An oil blowout like the Santa Barbara disaster of 1969 could tar the coastline, disrupt sport and commercial fishing and threaten rare wildlife. Some areas may also be vulnerable to earthquakes that could topple a poorly built rig. But these risks appear manageable if regulators and oil companies demand the highest standards of construction and operation. The overall record of offshore drilling in this country has been remarkably good. American companies have sunk thousands of wells with little environmental damage. This is not the test case that will prove Mr. Watt's rapacity or protectiveness. He was within the bounds of judicious discretion to reopen the issue. Now it is up to California to explain in more detail just why its northern coast should be exempted from the nationwide drive to find new energy sources. Unless there is a better case to be made, it makes sense at least to explore the four basins to see whether they in fact contain enough energy to go after.

Environmentalists rang their alarms when President Reagan appointed James Watt as Interior Secretary. They feared that Mr. Watt, a forceful advocate of economic development, would promote reckless exploitation of the public lands while neglecting his collateral duty to conserve and protect. Now he has taken his first major action and they believe their worst nightmares are coming true.

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http://www.nytimes.com/1981/08/23/nyregion/gas-heating-costs-up-in-new-york-area.html

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GAS HEATING COSTS UP IN NEW YORK AREA

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The cost of gas heating is 14 to 23 percent higher than a year ago in the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut metropolitan area, and both producers and energy officials expect supplies to be adequate this winter. Requests for more price increases are also pending before regulatory bodies. Federal controls over producer prices are being phased down toward a Jan. 1, 1985, deadline, when 40 percent of domestically produced gas would be decontrolled. Moreover, a Cabinet committee this month recommended decontrolling all domestic production by then. One result has been a slowing of conversions from oil heat to gas, although gas utilities say their prices after installation are still far below equivalent oil costs. To hold down future increases, Northeast Utilities, whose subsidiaries serve a population of 1.3 million in Connecticut, is crossing state lines to start a storage project in Independence in New York's Allegheny County. The project would store up to 1.5 billion cubic feet of gas underground when prices are softer, usually in summer, as a reserve to draw on at other times. Northeast's Connecticut Light and Power and Hartford Electric Light Companies send out 28 billion cubic feet a year. Will Buy Canadian Natural Gas To insure future supplies, 14 New York, New England and New Jersey utilities have organized a Boundary Gas Inc. project to import Canadian natural gas. It hopes to begin getting the gas in late 1982. Rival fuel-oil associations, banded together in the Metropolitan Energy Council, are campaigning against conversions to gas. The council contends that capital costs could run $1,800 to $3,500 and that supply limitations have caused recent moratoriums against additional residential hookups by the Boston Gas Company and Philadelphia Gas Works. Brooklyn Union Gas, serving 1.1 million customers in Brooklyn, Staten Island and part of Queens, had an unusually small price increase since last year of 1.7 percent. The year before, however, its prices rose 23.6 percent. Brooklyn Union reports it converted 12,000 customers from oil heat to gas in the year ended last Sept. 30, up from 5,400 the year before. For the 12 months ending this Sept. 30, it sees a slowing to 7,000, in view of oil dealers' ''more aggressive scare tactics on deregulation'' and moderating oil prices. Brooklyn Union itself opposes the accelerated deregulation of prices. Heating Costs Compared The Brooklyn utility says it could currently heat a home for $725 with 129,000 cubic feet of gas during a year at $5.61 a thousand cubic feet, compared with $1,216 for 1,003 gallons of No. 2 oil at $1.21 a gallon. Based on July prices, New York State's Public Service Commission estimates that a gas-heat customer would pay $189.61 for 30,000 cubic feet in a cold month to the Consolidated Edison Company in New York City under present rates, $189.04 to Brooklyn Union and $164.48 to the Long Island Lighting Company, excluding local taxes. In Buffalo, it says, a customer of the National Fuel Gas Distribution Corporation would pay $123.92. This, by commission figures, means rises of 14.8 percent for Con Edison from a year ago, 1.7 percent for Brooklyn Union, 18.9 for Lilco and 7.8 in Buffalo. Last year there had been rises, respectively, of 18.8, 23.6, 5 and 27.2 percent over 1979. Pending applications seek increases in basic rates of about 6 percent for Brooklyn Union, which the commission must decide by Oct. 26, after having allowed a 1.3 percent rise last July for wages and taxes; 2.5 percent for Lilco, which could wait until April for a decision, and 11.7 percent for Con Edison, on which decision could be delayed to mid-June. Rates in Jersey Also Rising In North Jersey, the Public Service Electric and Gas Company estimates that the occupants of a six-room frame house would pay $566 at current rates for gas heating from October through March with 1,096 therms (a therm is 100,000 British thermal units). This would be 23 percent more than the $459 at last year's rates. Under Public Service's pending rate application, which may be decided early in 1982, this could go up to $648, a 14 percent rise. The increase for customers that do not use gas for heating might be 9 percent. Customer bills include basic rates and purchase-of-gas adjustment charges. The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities granted a 28 percent fuel-adjustment increase for residential heating customers of the Elizabethtown Gas Company. The increase was for the adjustment year starting last April 1. Of the state's three other gas utilities, Public Service is seeking a 17 percent increase in its adjustment charge for the year starting Oct. 1; New Jersey Natural Gas, 16 percent for the same period, and South Jersey Gas, 11 percent for the year starting Nov.1. Suppliers Also Raised Prices The metropolitan area's major supplier, the Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, increased its wholesale prices 15 percent last March 1, but says it is filing for a 10 percent reduction Sept. 1. The Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company says its delivery prices in New York City will be 18 percent higher this winter than last. Gas customers' prices will be helped by a May 26 United States Supreme Court decision that invalidated Louisiana's ''first-use tax'' on natural gas from the Gulf of Mexico that is processed there. The court ruled that the tax was an infringement on interstate commerce. In Connecticut, Russell Kaplan, principal planning analyst in the state's Energy Division, said mid-June gas prices were $6.44 a thousand cubic feet for a one-family home. This was 19 percent above the $5.37 figure of a year ago. Northeast Utilities estimates that its gas prices are up 15 percent from last winter, with requests pending before the Department of Public Utility Control for 13.5 percent more for Connecticut Light and Power customers using 5,000 cubic feet a month and 17.9 percent for Hartford Electric. Conversions by Con Ed Up New York State had 17,879 conversions from oil to gas heat in the first half of this year, including residential, commercial and industrial customers, according to the Public Service Commission. These would use 16.3 billion cubic feet of gas a year instead of 115.4 million gallons of oil, Con Edison says its conversions of one- , two- and three-family homes rose from 2,143 in 11 months of 1979 to 5,182 all of last year, but will slip to 4,700 this year. Lilco converted 19,684 residential and commercial customers last year, 8,361 in the first seven months this year. In New Jersey, Public Service had a record 30,382 conversions of residential, commercial and industrial customers last year, up from 15,065 in 1979. The rate slackened to 10,099 residential conversions in the first seven months this year as against 18,000 in the same period last year. Connecticut had 6,500 customers statewide switch from oil to gas in 1979 and 13,500 last year, according to its Energy Division. Northeast Utilities says it had 3,525 conversions last year, and expects a slowing to 2,000 this year.

The cost of gas heating is 14 to 23 percent higher than a year ago in the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut metropolitan area, and both producers and energy officials expect supplies to be adequate this winter. Requests for more price increases are also pending before regulatory bodies. Federal controls over producer prices are being phased down toward a Jan. 1, 1985, deadline, when 40 percent of domestically produced gas would be decontrolled. Moreover, a Cabinet committee this month recommended decontrolling all domestic production by then.

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INDIA AND CHINA TO OPEN BORDER TALKS ON DEC. 10

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NEW DELHI, Nov. 20— A high-level Indian delegation will go to Peking next month for four days of talks that are to include discussion of the disputed Himalayan border between India and China. The announcement by the Foreign Ministry that the long-awaited talks would begin Dec. 10 revived hopes of a border settlement and normal relations. These hopes were raised when Foreign Minister Huang Hua visited Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in June. It was reported at the end of that visit - the first by a senior Chinese official since Prime Minister Zhou Enlai came to India in 1960 - that the two nations would try to resolve their 20-year-old border dispute and that preliminary talks would open in September. At the same time, Mrs. Gandhi accepted an invitation to Peking, although no date was specified. Since then, the prospect of discussions has at times seemed remote. The Chinese for a while withheld a visa for an Indian delegate to a world population conference in Peking last month on the ground that he came from one of the disputed frontier regions. On the other hand, the Chinese did permit small groups of Indians to make pilgrimages to a holy lake in Tibet for the first time in 22 years. Permission for these trips was given by Mr. Huang as a good-will gesture when he was here. Border Is Main Issue Demarcation of parts of the 2,500-mile border is the key issue between the nations. In 1962, China crossed the mountains and seized large areas that had been controlled by India. The Chinese withdrew from the eastern sector but still hold a large part of the desolate land of Ladakh in the west. During his three-day visit this summer, Mr. Huang gave the impression that his Government was eager to sustain the momentum toward normal relations that was created five years ago when India agreed to upgrade diplomatic relations. Another step was taken in February 1979 when Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Foreign Minister in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Morarji R. Desai, made an ice-breaking visit to Peking. The step proved halting, however, when the Chinese attacked Vietnam, a friend of India, and Mr. Vajpayee abruptly flew home. Huang Trip Was Canceled The next year Mr. Huang was to have come to India but canceled his trip after the new Government under Mrs. Gandhi recognized the Soviet-backed Government of Heng Samrin in Cambodia. While here, Mr. Huang was asked about a basis for the settlement of the frontier dispute. He replied that ''since the question involves a controversy, I would not like to address myself to it.'' He repeated, however, that he felt ''a fair, comprehensive and reasonable settlement'' could be reached. Some Western and Asian diplomats have suggested that essentially China wants a legitimization of the present lines and is willing to relinquish its claim to the area in northeastern India. Mr. Huang made it clear that his Government still sided with Pakistan in its dispute with India over Kashmir. Peking has also denounced the absorption into India in 1974 of what had been the autonomous Himalayan kingdom of Sikkim and has refused to recognize the move. Illustrations: map of China-India border area

A high-level Indian delegation will go to Peking next month for four days of talks that are to include discussion of the disputed Himalayan border between India and China. The announcement by the Foreign Ministry that the long-awaited talks would begin Dec. 10 revived hopes of a border settlement and normal relations. These hopes were raised when Foreign Minister Huang Hua visited Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in June.

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ITALIAN ELITE EMBROILED IN A SCANDAL

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ROME, May 23— Italy's Justice Minister, Adolfo Sarti, resigned today following reports linking him to a powerful, secret Masonic lodge that has been implicated in a variety of criminal activities. The growing scandal surrounding the lodge has shaken the coalition Government of Prime Minister Arnaldo Forlani and has dwarfed all other scandals that Italy has endured in the last 30 years. The scandal, which had been simmering for months, broke open Thursday when Mr. Forlani, on the advice of investigating magistrates in Milan, made public a list of 953 names of reported members of the lodge, called Propaganda Due, or P-2. The list included Cabinet ministers, members of Parliament, judges, army and police generals, bankers, journalists and other figures in the Italian Establishment. Mr. Sarti, a Christian Democrat, denied having been a member of the lodge, but documents found in the offices and country villa of Licio Gelli, the lodge's grandmaster, reportedly show that he applied for membership. Yesterday Mr. Gelli, who is in hiding, apparently abroad, was indicted in absentia on charges of spying for Argentina. He is understood to hold Argentine as well as Italian nationality. Col. Antonio Viezzer, a member of the lodge and former head of SID, a now dissolved government intelligence organization, was arrested yesterday on the same charges placed against Mr. Gelli. The Forlani Government and the major political parties have not yet decided what sanctions, if any, they will take against military and civilian officials belonging to the lodge, whose members, according to the police, had sworn ultimate allegiance to their grandmaster rather than to the nation. In a report to the Government, the Milan magistrates wrote that ''Gelli had constructed a very real state within the state,'' using blackmail, favors, promises of advancement and bribes. ''Lodge P-2 is a secret sect that has combined business and politics with the intention of destroying the constitutional order of the country and of transforming the parliamentary system into a presidential system,'' the magistrates said. ''Gelli's strategy has been to bring under his control a large number of powerful and highly placed persons and thus to break down, for the first time in Italian history, the separation between political, administrative, military and economic spheres,'' they said. Powerful Banker Arrested One of Italy's most powerful bankers, Roberto Calvi, a member of the lodge and longtime friend of Mr. Gelli, was arrested Wednesday on charges of having used his banks for illegally exporting huge sums of money and of having been involved, with Mr. Gelli, in the fake kidnapping of Michele Sindona, the bankrupt financier who sought to avoid trial in New York by fleeing to Europe. Mr. Calvi is president of Banco Ambrosiano and of La Centrale Finanziaria, a financial institution. Six members of the board of La Centrale were arrested at the same time, among them Carlo Bonomi, the head of the Invest Financial Company, one of the four largest groups of its kind in the country. The arrest of Mr. Calvi and his associates ''decapitated'' the financial Establishment of Milan, a journalist said. Mr. Calvi's La Centrale had recently bought more than 40 percent of the Rizzoli publishing group, which owns Corriere della Sera, a leading newspaper. Corriere Editor Denies Report The name of Franco Di Bella, editor in chief of Corriere, was on the list of reported members of the lodge. Mr. Di Bella, in a meeting with the paper's news staff, denied that he was a member but said Mr. Gelli, the lodge grandmaster, had approached him on several occasions and had once asked him to dismiss one of the paper's leading writers. Mr. Di Bella said he had rejected the suggestion. Mr. Calvi's involvement in the Sindona affair and in allegedly illegal money transfers came to light in documents seized by the police in Mr. Gelli's house in Arezzo, Tuscany, last March, according to police reports. This in turn led to the resignation of Ugo Zilletti as acting head of the Supreme Council of Magistrates, which is responsible for appointments, promotions and transfers of judges, prosecutors and other legal officers. Mr. Zilletti resigned in the wake of allegations that he improperly helped Mr. Calvi get back his passport after it had been confiscated by the investigating magistrates. Jailed General on List Among the generals whose name appeared on the list of reported members of the lodge is Raffaele Giudice, the former commander of the Finance Guard, the paramilitary force specializing in border control and antismuggling operations. General Giudice is in jail in connection with a huge petroleum tax scandal that came to light last fall, when it was discovered that more than $2 billion from Italian tax revenues had been diverted into private pockets and spirited aborad. Also on the list are about 20 officers of the Carabinieri, the prestigious paramilitary police corps. Gen. Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa, one of the ranking Carabinieri officers, was listed as a candidate for membership who had not been admitted. He has been quoted as telling investigators that he applied for membership in the hope of finding out if any of his men were in the lodge. Gen. Giovanni Grassini, the chief of Sisde, the secret intellegence and security service of the Interior Ministry, and Gen. Giuseppe Santovito, the head of Sisme, the security unit of the Defense Ministry, were also on the list. Labor Minister Franco Foschi, a Christian Democrat, and Foreign Trade Minister Enrico Manca were listed as members but have denied that they had joined. 50 Deny Being Members More than 50 others - including Pietro Longo, the Secretary of the Social Democratic Party, several journalists and members of Parliament - denied being members of the lodge, although their names were on Mr. Gelli's lists. Mr. Gelli, an industrialist, joined a Masonic lodge in 1963 in Frosinone south of Rome and a short time later organized Lodge P-2, apparently as an elite organization intended to reach much deeper into the Italian Establishment than any of the other lodges. Italy has about 550 Masonic lodges. Membership is estimated at 15,000, including many Roman Catholics. But Flaminio Piccoli, the Secretary of the church-connected Christian Democratic Party, said a few days ago that membership in a Masonic lodge was incompatible with being a Christian Democrat because ''the Masons are a force that attacks the church.''

Italy's Justice Minister, Adolfo Sarti, resigned today following reports linking him to a powerful, secret Masonic lodge that has been implicated in a variety of criminal activities. The growing scandal surrounding the lodge has shaken the coalition Government of Prime Minister Arnaldo Forlani and has dwarfed all other scandals that Italy has endured in the last 30 years. The scandal, which had been simmering for months, broke open Thursday when Mr. Forlani, on the advice of investigating magistrates in Milan, made public a list of 953 names of reported members of the lodge, called Propaganda Due, or P-2. The list included Cabinet ministers, members of Parliament, judges, army and police generals, bankers, journalists and other figures in the Italian Establishment.

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NEW YORK - The Mayor Has Gone Fission - NYTimes.com

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Edward I. Koch, a Democrat, will soon be endorsed for re-election by the Republicans and will thus become the first Mayor of New York City to have the backing of both major parties. Aside from remarks by the handful of minor-party and splinter-group opposition candidates who have surfaced, none of whom has a serious chance of winning, few questions have been raised about the prospect of merging the two major political points of view. Is it not healthy, no matter how successful or popular a public official, for the voters to have a choice between differing philosophies of government? Can one person embody the goals of both major parties? The Mayor says yes to the latter question and insists that the voter will still have a real alternative on the ballot. ''I'm a centrist,'' he said in an interview. ''Both the Democratic and Republican parties are close to the center now. So why shouldn't they back one candidate?'' Madison and Hamilton, in the Federalist papers, have a response for Mr. Koch. Discussing whether political parties, because of the violence and distractions and ''rage'' caused by their divergences, could be eliminated, they wrote: ''Such an event ought to be neither presumed nor desired; because an extinction of parties necessarily implies either a universal alarm for the public safety, or an absolute extinction of liberty.'' The Mayor contends he is not trying to deny the voter his traditional ideological options. ''There's going to be a campaign and the voter will have a clear-cut philosophical choice,'' he said. ''He can vote for the Liberals on the left or for the Conservatives on the right or for me, right down the middle.'' True, those are choices. But the issue is one of scale, since voters do not perceive the Liberal and Conservative alternatives as having the same heft as a battle between the two major parties. ''What's the difference between me and La Guardia?'' the Mayor asked, referring to Fiorello H. La Guardia's Fusion-ticket election to the mayoralty in 1933 through a coalition of the Republican Party and anti-Tammany reformers. There are many differences. One is that La Guardia did not have the backing of both major parties. Another is the difference in philosophies - La Guardia was a Rooseveltian liberal in an era of spending to break the Depression's grip and of concern for the poor. In this changed period of shrunken government resources and disenchantment with social welfare programs, the Mayor - by teaming up with such staunch Republican conservatives as George L. Clark Jr. of Brooklyn and John D. Calandra of the Bronx - does apparently realize that likening himself to La Guardia is somewhat less than appropriate. For he says, getting off one of his trademark oneliners: ''This isn't Fusion. It's bigger than Fusion. It's fission.'' My dictionary defines fission as ''a splitting apart; division into parts.'' Divisions can cause divisiveness and frustration. The Mayor knows that his embrace of the Republicans will be interpreted by the black and Hispanic communities as another affirmation of what they regard as lack of concern about them. But the Mayor also knows that people in these neighborhoods -although they constitute half or more of the city's population, if illegal aliens are counted - do not register or vote in signficant numbers. It can be unhealthy and risky to keep reminding particular groups of their impotence. Mr. Koch disagrees about minority perceptions: ''Some leaders may see it that way, just to cause trouble, but not most of the people.'' Why does Mr. Koch, whose polls show him to be unbeatable, want the Republican nomination so badly? Why does he need it? Friends and critics alike say the answer is ego. He wants to be the first Mayor to garner such unanimity and acclaim and perhaps the Mayor who piles up the biggest vote margin in city history. Critics see a relationship between the Mayor's thirst for G.O.P. endorsement and the lack of vigor in his criticism of the Reagan budget, which is certain to cost the city several hundred million dollars a year in Federal aid. Also seen as related are the Mayor's recent attacks on Governor Carey, whom Mr. Koch's opinion polls show to be very low in the public's approval rating. Mr. Koch's heavy reliance on polling and his pursuit of bipartisan support coincide with the continuing decline in the power of party organizations in New York. What we are seeing more and more often, as party ideological differences are subsumed by conventional winds and wisdom, is government by popularity. Thus the challenge to the Mayor, in his very likely next term, is whether he will be willing to look away from the opinion polls, take a long view of the city's future, and spend some of his popularity, so rarely accumulated in one man, on responsible projects that might not be completely popular. Some people think this is a reasonably good definition of leadership.

Edward I. Koch, a Democrat, will soon be endorsed for re-election by the Republicans and will thus become the first Mayor of New York City to have the backing of both major parties. Aside from remarks by the handful of minor-party and splinter-group opposition candidates who have surfaced, none of whom has a serious chance of winning, few questions have been raised about the prospect of merging the two major political points of view. Is it not healthy, no matter how successful or popular a public official, for the voters to have a choice between differing philosophies of government? Can one person embody the goals of both major parties? The Mayor says yes to the latter question and insists that the voter will still have a real alternative on the ballot. ''I'm a centrist,'' he said in an interview. ''Both the Democratic and Republican parties are close to the center now. So why shouldn't they back one candidate?''

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SENATE APPOINTMENT - A DEAD END - NYTimes.com

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SPECULATION about the likely successor to Senator Harrison A. Williams Jr. now shares New Jersey's political center stage with the gubernatorial election. The findings of the Senate Ethics Committee have allowed private musings to become public, despite Mr. Williams's continued claim of innocence and expressed determination to complete his Senate term. He is, after all, the only elected official implicated in Abscam who is still in office. Governor Byrne already has said that, if Mr. Williams leaves office early, he will appoint someone to serve through the 1982 election, rather than exercise his other option of calling a special election. The appointment of a United States Senator is an unusual political event, for it is one of the least-restricted responsibilities given to any elected official in the country. With no review or approval by a State Legislature or Congress, a Governor can appoint to the Senate anyone who has been a citizen for at least nine years, is at least 30 years old and is a state resident on the day of appointment. If a Senate seat from New Jersey does become vacant, Governor Byrne or his successor would, therefore, have a huge pool of potential Senators from which to choose. He could pick a prominent nonpolitical New Jersey resident like Alan Alda. He could reach outside the state and subtly suggest to someone he might admire - Bill Moyers, Barbara Jordan or Jimmy Carter, for example - that they quickly buy a house in New Jersey, or he could even appoint himself. However, no matter whom Mr. Byrne or any other Governor names to the Senate, the general assumption is likely to be that he has promoted the person's career and made him or her a favorite t o win a full term in the next election. For example, when President Reagan was sele cting his Cabinet, Senator John Tower, Republican of Texas, was thought to be a possible choice for Secretary of Defense. Com mentators noted that Mr.Tower's nomination would enable Mr. Reagan to indirectly reward John Connally for his political support, since the Republican Governor of Texas could appoint Mr. Connally to fill Mr. Tower's Senate term. An examination of the careers of the people who have been appointed to the Senate reveals that their success has often been shortlived. It is true that incumbents generally are re-elected; 76.2 percent of the Senators who sought re-election in the last 20 years were successful. However, of the 17 appointed Senators who subsequently ran for a full term during the same 20-year period, only seven, or 41.1 percent, were victorious. The appointed incumbents have fared particularly poorly since 1968, winning only two of eight elections. Why have appointees finished so badly in Senate elections? Perhaps the voters resent a candidate who seems to have had too easy a road to success, although such sentiments do not appear to have thwarted the political careers of several Kennedys and Rockefellers. More likely, individual sets of unique circumstances have worked against these particular incumbents, and their appointment itself did not foretell or explain their later defeat. Although one certainly cannot safely predict that a Senator appointed by Governor Byrne or his successor would lose being elected to a full term in 1982, neither can one say that such an appointment would be an unqualified blessing. People hoping to be handpicked to fill the end of a Senator's term may understandably dwell on the career of Walter Mondale. He was appointed to the Senate in 1964, and then went on to win Senate elections in 1966 and 1972 before being elected Vice President in 1976. However, they also may want to give at least passing thought to Pierre Salinger, who, also in 1964, was appointed to a Senate seat from California and then, using the slogan ''Retain Pierre Salinger,'' was defeated in November of that year, and to Senators Charles Goodell of New York, Ralph Smith of Illinois, David Gambrell of Georgia, Paul Hatfield of Montana and the others whose political fortunes peaked the day they were appointed to the Senate. --------------------------------------------------------------------- John R. Weingart works for the state's Department of Environmental Protection and is the host of the WPRB-FM radio show, ''Music You Can't Hear on the Radio.''

SPECULATION about the likely successor to Senator Harrison A. Williams Jr. now shares New Jersey's political center stage with the gubernatorial election. The findings of the Senate Ethics Committee have allowed private musings to become public, despite Mr. Williams's continued claim of innocence and expressed determination to complete his Senate term. He is, after all, the only elected official implicated in Abscam who is still in office. Governor Byrne already has said that, if Mr. Williams leaves office early, he will appoint someone to serve through the 1982 election, rather than exercise his other option of calling a special election.

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http://www.nytimes.com/1981/10/25/nyregion/to-a-mother-child-rearing-is-about-choice-and-freedom.html

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TO A MOTHER, CHILD-REARING IS ABOUT CHOICE AND FREEDOM

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The author of the following article, who lives on the South Shore, has asked to remain anonymous. THE books have been ricocheting off the best-seller list like ice pellets on the windshield of a moving car. Films have been made of some of the sad tales, and supposedly the films will reach any man, woman or child who has been unable to pay for the book or catch the author on a talk show. Soon, the entire nation will become aware that the authors - all children of the famous - lived childhoods filled not with terror, hunger and poverty, but the horror of ''cold'' parents - parents who deprived them of choices, such as schools, friends and certain other intangibles. Ours was a generation inundated with guilt. In a determined march, we made great strides - our children were brought up without guilt. This was a total success. What we were unaware of was the shadow that attached itself to this freedom - the albatross of blame that became the stigma of many parents in the United States today. Guilt we carry. We also carry the responsibility of being ourselves and the knowledge that we are what we are because we and we alone made certain choices. We have denied our children that privilege by becoming their scapegoats in times of ill fortune. If I speak emotionally, it is because my 28-year-old daughter could easily write a book that would outsell any on the market today. I know it would be well written because she is not only well educated, but also rich in imagination and charm. At some point I believe I contributed in some measure to these qualities, not only with financial support but also with my own adrenalin, love and complete faith in my child. She has much in common with the other authors who have made such contributions to the newfound problem in contemporary America - the bad parent. My daughter has straight teeth, an education and vocabulary I truly envy, a body that has received each and every inoculation, good feet due to corrective shoes - and, most importantly, a ''cold'' parent. Unfortunately, since she does not have the advantage of having a famous parent, I will be surprised if she makes the best-seller list. However, beyond that small point, I apparently do have more in common with ''cold'' parents than I ever dreamed possible. What frightens me most is that these woeful tales are universally accepted and fed to the public like accounts from a history book. More than one of them has been published when a denial is no longer possible. The child has survived in mental and physical health - strong enough to saturate the environment with venom that has become his own ultimate poison. The parent is dead. I will die, but at the moment I live. So I write my denial now - and hope it is the mea culpa of others who may feel alone in their anguish. I am guilty, but not of the accusation for which I stand trial. My sin was an error of judgment. I failed at a job for which I had no experience and no training. Love was my staff, and it failed me. Thus I failed my child. My judgments were not valid. I once selected a prom dress of great value; of course, I should have allowed her the choice. Never did I dream it would become the raison d'etre for a hate that would not only prevail, but also grow until it filled her being. During the 26 years we shared, if there was one minute of calculated wrong I inflicted, I cannot recall it. The mistakes are branded into my flesh - they will endure as long as I. I read the books (Spock and Gesell), I listened to the lectures and, most of all, I remembered what I had missed and tried to make it my gift to her. What I should have remembered was not what had been lacking in my youth, but what had been so easily accepted and so generously given. This is my cross to bear. I was given the responsibility of being independent, not only in judgments, but in all that life entailed. After childhood ended, there was no prolonged adolescence - no waiting period for adulthood. One door closed and the other opened. One door for my daughter never closed - the realm of my accepting blame for her losses. Thus today all my errors have become framed and laminated into hard plaques to be constantly carried as a reinforcement for her separation from her family. There is no forgiveness in my child, for to forgive would be to admit my humanity, and monsters are not human. I cannot change what has happened to us, but the quiet acceptance we are giving to the stories of other monsters by other children is an outrage. By the commercial acceptance and tacit agreement each story receives, another Frankenstein is created from the shelves of memory. Klutzes perhaps we were, but Frankensteins, no, a thousand times no. Before we forget the legend of the good parent, let us try to cultivate the ground for the good child.

The author of the following article, who lives on the South Shore, has asked to remain anonymous. THE books have been ricocheting off the best-seller list like ice pellets on the windshield of a moving car. Films have been made of some of the sad tales, and supposedly the films will reach any man, woman or child who has been unable to pay for the book or catch the author on a talk show. Soon, the entire nation will become aware that the authors - all children of the famous - lived childhoods filled not with terror, hunger and poverty, but the horror of ''cold'' parents - parents who deprived them of choices, such as schools, friends and certain other intangibles.

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METROPOLITAN DIARY - PLAZA VIEW - NYTimes.com

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Last night a crowd assembled here behind a lank ghost on stilts whose arms of worn-out bedsheets billowed in the cold air. Heralding a new year, it sailed around the fountain, down the darkened avenue where street lights curved in question marks. Skaters on the frozen pond stopped their continuous circles for the fireworks blossoming north of them, and shortly dissolving on the sky. Beneath that panoply we watched the horse-drawn carriages until each grew too small, the hour too late. Something about one carriage stopped at the curb, its dappled gray horse with head bent to feed, something about the driver having a long smoke, his face turned moonward made us know nothing we could see had changed, not inside where we turned our quilted bedcover back, nor out where iceskaters skated in time to the distant inaudible music. THE tragedy of New Year's Eve 1981, says Ed Spitzer of Manhattan, is that it's so difficult to find a great bartender to spend it with. ''You know the guy I mean,'' he said, ''the neighborhood bartender who acted as a combination psychiatrist and philosopher. You could always depend on him for sound advice, expressed in homely homilies.'' Mr. Spitzer said that the onward march of what some might term civilization has made such sages scarce. ''And so, I've invented a bartender of my own,'' he said. ''His name is Max.'' In Mr. Spitzer's mind Max is an irrepressible source of wisdom. So irrepressible that Mr. Spitzer is hard put to keep track of it all. Here is but a small sampling of the thoughts of chairman Max: MAXIMS OF MAX THE BARTENDER Civilization is complicated. You could be run down by a courtesy car. A friend is someone who doesn't do back to you what you shouldn't do to him, but did. I see a danger that the seal of the United States, which is a pyramid with the eye of God over it, is getting to be a hamburger with ketchup over it. We honor all major credit cards these days, but not our fathers and mothers. Dignity is very good to stand on if you have no other foundation. Atheists have a problem. When everyone and everything seems to be against them, who can they complain to? To want a lot from life is only natural; to get a lot, ain't. Nature is very smart. When you're too old to run, you don't see any reason to run. Philosophers argue whether the glass is half full or half empty. Now to me, it all depends on how thirsty you are. Mitchell Cooper was heading along Fifth Avenue, and at 53d Street he heard one well-dressed, elderly woman say to the other, ''I made a mental note of it and put it on my bureau.'' LIMITS Some people move in on you - set doors and windows open or close them, lean elbows on window sills and make themselves at home in anybody's house - build sandwiches, pour a glass of beer at any hour in other people's kitchens. When I hear one on my stairs (having used what latchkey) I hiss at him bluntly: ''We have smallpox here.'' FRANCES HALL A lament from Bett Harper of Manhattan: ''The recent cleaning of the Jefferson Market Library at the corner of the Avenue of the Americas and 10th Street has removed from the face of Manhattan my favorite New York graffito, along with five years' worth of commentary: 'COMMUNISM IS A CAPITALIST GIMMICK TO DIVIDE THE WORLD'S WORKING CLASS.' ''Sic transit graffiti mundi,'' she says. WINTER WONDERLAND My anger peaked soon after the saxophone player began his daily afternoon concerts in the street opposite my office some months ago. At first, I resented the intrusion of his songs into my work space. But gradually, as the months passed, I developed a grudging admiration for the musicality of the tall man who would appear at 3 P.M. each day. The haunting, plaintive sweetness of his playing offered a sharp contrast to the street noises of midtown. On a recent afternoon, as always, he began his concert with ''Summertime.'' Somehow, the music seemed fuller than usual, and glancing out of my window I saw that my old friend had been joined in a duet by another saxophonist. As I stood and listened for a moment to their slow, bluesy rendition of the Gershwin classic, a brief snow flurry began to swirl in the street below. Without obvious signal, and not dropping a note, both musicians immediately broke into an upbeat rendition of ''Winter Wonderland,'' to the delight of passersby. Street musicians are nothing if not adaptable. STEVEN A. SEKLIR

Last night a crowd assembled here behind a lank ghost on stilts whose arms of worn-out bedsheets billowed in the cold air. Heralding a new year, it sailed around the fountain, down the darkened avenue where street lights curved in question marks. Skaters on the frozen pond stopped their continuous circles for the fireworks blossoming north of them, and shortly dissolving on the sky. Beneath that panoply we watched the horse-drawn carriages until each grew too small, the hour too late. Something about one carriage stopped at the curb, its dappled gray horse with head bent to feed, something about the driver having a long smoke, his face turned moonward made us know nothing we could see had changed, not inside where we turned our quilted bedcover back, nor out where iceskaters skated in time to the distant inaudible music. GARDNER McFALL THE tragedy of New Year's Eve 1981, says Ed Spitzer of Manhattan, is that it's so difficult to find a great bartender to spend it with. ''You know the guy I mean,'' he said, ''the neighborhood bartender who acted as a combination psychiatrist and philosopher. You could always depend on him for sound advice, expressed in homely homilies.'' Mr. Spitzer said that the onward march of what some might term civilization has made such sages scarce. ''And so, I've invented a bartender of my own,'' he said. ''His name is Max.''

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GOING OUT GUIDE - NYTimes.com

20150524084749

There is good news for the blues tonight down at the Cookery, the restaurant that also serves up jazz evenings at 21 University Place, at East Eighth Street (OR 4-4450). The good word is that Alberta Hunter, after an interim marked by illness, is back for her fourth year. Miss Hunter is 86 years old, but even before people started to marvel that she was working at an age already deep into Social Security bounds, she was accounted a striking singer of the lonely blues during a career that has, so far, gone 60 years. She has made recordings and sung at the White House and on television. The Cookery has the appearance of a restaurant, with a modern and comfortable decor, but it very neatly does double duty as nightclub. Miss Hunter is accompanied by Gerald Cook, her musical director and pianist, and Jimmy Lewis, on bass. The shows go on at 9 and 11 P.M. Wednesdays through Saturdays. There are $7.50 cover plus a $5 minimum. Main courses are from $5.95 to $12.75 and drinks $2 to $4. SHOWCASE Call it a festival or whatever, but it is a hardy perennial, the effusion of contemporary music sponsored by Composer's Showcase from today through Friday at the Whitney Museum of American Art, Madison Avenue at East 75th Street. Before another word about this 25th anniversary presentation, you had best be warned to telephone ahead at 570-3611 to make sure there is room for you at this popular event, which does each day's program twice, at 7 and 9:30 P.M. Tonight's opener, ''Homage to Stravinsky'' takes place with Aaron Copland, Roger Sessions, Virgil Thomson, Robert Craft and others. You will hear five Stravinsky premieres and, perhaps even more impressively, a performance of ''L'Histoire du Soldat,'' with Mr. Copland as Narrator, Mr. Sessions as Soldier and Mr. Thomson as Devil. Tomorrow, Lotte Lenya, Celeste Holm, Richard Cassilly and Richard Woitach will participate in ''A Kurt Weill Encore.'' On Friday, Arthur Miller, with Austin Pendleton plus other singing actors and a chamber ensemble, will peform in a concert version of ''Up From Paradise,'' a theater piece with book by Mr. Miller and music by Stanley Silverman, who will conduct. The programs will take place in the third-floor gallery space. Cushion seating costs $2; for $4, you may get a chair or a place in the specially constructed bleachers. LONGEVITY Death, particularly when it is staged in the context of mystery or suspense that catches the fancy, is rarely sudden but is more likely to be lingeri ng. Take ''Deathtrap,'' the comedy-thriller by Ira Levinthat opened F eb. 26, 1978 and is still running at the Music Box Theater, 239 West 45th Street (246-4636). Today is a special one for ''Deathtrap,'' more than the usual Wednesday, which means two performances. It marks, at the evening show, the 1,500th performance since the opening. To celebrate, the name of Marian Seldes will be placed, along with that of Farley Granger, who has the lead role, above the title of the show, a gesture that is honorific and meaningful testimony to her role as a star. Miss Seldes has gone the full count with ''Deathtrap,'' having played the female lead since it opened. What is more, she has never missed a performance, an accomplishment that is remarkable in a town where so many reasons for missing things are easily at hand. But Miss Seldes is a busy woman who, in her 35 years as an actress, has won two Obie awards and been nominated for three Tonys. Next month, her first novel, ''Time Together,'' will be in the book shops. Earlier in her ''Deathtrap'' run, Miss Seldes saw ''The Bright Lights,'' a memoir of her life in the theater, published. PRESERVATION The Cathedral Museum, just behind the mighty Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Amsterdam Avenue and West 112th Street, opens its fall lecture series, one in which the talk will run to ''Conservation, Restoration and Art Collecting: A Primer for the Beginning Collector,'' at 6 P.M. today. Rustin Levenson, former conservator of paintings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the National Gallery of Canada, will start the series. The six talks will all be given Wednesdays through Dec. 11 in the museum, where you may also admire an exhibition of 17th-century Flemish and French tapestries and Renaissance Italian and German paintings and sculptures. Lecture admission is $10, and $60 for the series. Call 678-6913, from 11 A.M. to 4 P.M. For today's Entertainment Events listing, see page C29. For Sports Today, see page B10. Richard F. Shepard Illustrations: Photo of Marian Seldes

BLUES IN THE NIGHT There is good news for the blues tonight down at the Cookery, the restaurant that also serves up jazz evenings at 21 University Place, at East Eighth Street (OR 4-4450). The good word is that Alberta Hunter, after an interim marked by illness, is back for her fourth year. Miss Hunter is 86 years old, but even before people started to marvel that she was working at an age already deep into Social Security bounds, she was accounted a striking singer of the lonely blues during a career that has, so far, gone 60 years. She has made recordings and sung at the White House and on television.

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WEICKER MINIMIZES G.O.P. VISIT

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SENATOR Lowell P. Weicker Jr., who is up for re-election next year and who has talked at various times about running for Governor, running again for the Senate, running as an independent and running again as a Republican, seemed to be doing some fence-mending last week with Connecticut Republicans. Last Tuesday night he dropped in for a brief visit at a regular meeting of the Republican State Central Committee at a Hartford steakhouse. Mr. Weicker has never been particularly close to the party organization, and some party officials would like to find another candidate to replace him next year. The Senator sought to play down any significance to his unexpected appearance. Strictly social, he said. He dropped by, he said, ''just to get a free drink.'' But on Wednesday Mr. Weicker was at the State Capitol to thank the 51 Republicans of the State House of Representatives who signed a letter earlier this month urging him to seek re-election. Mr. Weicker said he viewed the support of those who would have to run with him on the ticket as more important than the views of what he called ''the armchair generals'' of the party. The Senator seemed unfazed, as usual, about the possibility of Republican challengers to his renomination. As for Prescott Bush Jr. of Greenwich, the brother of Vice President George Bush who has been urged by some Republicans to run, Mr. Weicker questioned whether Mr. Bush was qualified to run ''for the top spot'' after not being all that visible in the party. As for his two announced Republican challengers - Robin Moore, the author, and Bradford Peery, a financial analyst, both of Westport - Mr. Weicker said: ''They've got to test their credentials with the party.'' Mr. Weicker told reporters that he would make his own decision on whether to run no later than the first two weeks in January. He said every indication was that he would seek re-election to the Senate, although he has not closed the door completely on running for Governor. He said his preference was to run as a Republican, but he said at one point: ''The nomination is the party's, and it really doesn't worry me.'' Mr. Weicker also sought to dismiss speculation that his selection of Alan H. Nevas of Westport to be the United States Attorney for Connecticut had been held up by the White House because of Mr. Weicker's votes and statements against policies of the Reagan Administration. He said that the White House had been moving slowly in nominating new United States Attorneys but that he expected President Reagan to nominate Mr. Nevas ''in the next couple of weeks.'' There has been speculation that the Nevas appointment may have been held up by Frederick K. Biebel, a former Republican state chairman and a Weicker foe who is now the party's deputy national chairman. ''It has nothing to do with Fred Biebel,'' Mr. Weicker said. ''It's the President's appointment in concert with the United States Senate.'' Richard L. Madden

SENATOR Lowell P. Weicker Jr., who is up for re-election next year and who has talked at various times about running for Governor, running again for the Senate, running as an independent and running again as a Republican, seemed to be doing some fence-mending last week with Connecticut Republicans. Last Tuesday night he dropped in for a brief visit at a regular meeting of the Republican State Central Committee at a Hartford steakhouse. Mr. Weicker has never been particularly close to the party organization, and some party officials would like to find another candidate to replace him next year. The Senator sought to play down any significance to his unexpected appearance. Strictly social, he said. He dropped by, he said, ''just to get a free drink.'' But on Wednesday Mr. Weicker was at the State Capitol to thank the 51 Republicans of the State House of Representatives who signed a letter earlier this month urging him to seek re-election.

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SALVADORAN SPREADS WORD ABROAD

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MEXICO CITY, Jan. 28— Guillermo Ungo's entire party, his detractors like to say, would fit into a Volkswagen and leave room for a chauffeur. And the Salvadoran Social Democrat himself, some admirers note sadly, is a well-intentioned man who is now being manipulated by Communists. Yet, over the past year, using his contacts with Social Democrats abroad to great effect at home, Mr. Ungo has emerged as a key figure in the Marxist-dominated opposition movement trying to oust the civilian-military junta in El Salvador. ''He is the one point of real consensus between us,'' said a spokesman for one of the five guerrilla movements allied with nonMarxist groups in the Democratic Revolutionary Front. ''He is respected and courted by all of us and that gives him a lot of clout.'' Recently named president of the front, succeeding Enrique Alvarez Cordova, who was assassinated in San Salvador last November, the 49-year-old Mr. Ungo is the one person certain to belong to a new government should the opposition seize power. Confident of Victory Despite the current lull in the guerrilla offensive, Mr. Ungo says he is confident that victory is still possible. ''The Salvadoran people are giving an example of heroism, decision and courage,'' he said in an interview. ''We cannot stop our military struggle because, if we did, the extermination of the people would be even greater.'' Forced again into exile by repeated death threats in El Salvador, Mr. Ungo now travels abroad seeking support for the offensive. One question he is repeatedly asked in his travels is whether he is not just another Social Democratic figurehead giving an image of respectability to the Marxists who really dominate the opposition. ''Let's not be simplistic,'' he said during a recent visit here. ''This is a marriage of convenience in which there is a foundation of love. The democratic revolutionary model cannot be built without us, but we also can't build it alone. In that sense, then, we're using each other.'' Since the front was formed early last year, Mr. Ungo's Social Democrats and a dissident Christian Democratic movement have succeeded in moderating many of the political stances of the guerrillas, who now say they accept the need for political pluralism, a private sector and international nonalignment in any future regime. Negotiations With U.S. Sought Even more significant, at the urging of their non-Marxist allies, the guerrillas have now suggested negotiating a political resolution of the conflict with the United States, which they consider the junta's main pillar of support. Mr. Ungo's views have also changed as the situation in the tiny Central American republic has polarized. In the 1972 elections he was the vice-presidential running mate of the Christian Democratic candidate, Jose Napoleon Duarte, whose victory was blocked by the army. Today, Mr. Duarte is president of the governing junta and supported by the army, while Mr. Ungo is trying to oust him in league with the guerrillas. ''People generally believe that peaceful methods are synonymous with democracy,'' he said, ''while an armed insurrection is undemocratic. But this is pure fiction in a country like ours that has lived an antidemocracy where 'peaceful methods' were instruments of domination, repression and control.'' But unlike his new guerrilla allies, who have been committed to armed revolution since 1970, Mr. Ungo, who was born into an affluent family and trained as a lawyer, came to accept the need for guerrilla warfare only after participating in numerous frustrated attempts at promoting peaceful changes. In 1969, he joined the new Nationalist Revolutionary Movement, modeled along Western European Social Democratic lines, and within months became its secretary general. The new party then joined the Communists and Christian Democrats in a reformist coalition for the 1972 elections, with Mr. Duarte and Mr. Ungo as its candidates. Two Forced Into Exile But the military rigged the elections and, after an abortive army revolt to protest the fraud, Mr. Duarte and Mr. Ungo were forced into exile. Considered at the time to be a dangerous radical, Mr. Duarte was kept out of El Salvador until October 1979, but Mr. Ungo was allowed back four months later and began teaching at the Jesuit-run Catholic University. After the army again blocked the electoral victory of the coalition in 1977, political violence began to grow dramatically, with the Government struggling to smother popular unrest and the guerrillas gaining steadily in strength. Finally, in October 1979, fearing that the Nicaraguan revolution three months earlier would soon be repeated in El Salvador, young army officers ousted Gen. Carlos Humberto Romero and named a junta committed to change and free elections. Mr. Ungo was one of its five members. This experiment lasted just 10 weeks. Conservative officers regained control of the army high command and began blocking the promised changes. On Jan. 3, 1980, Mr. Ungo and all other liberals and leftists in the Government resigned. Only the Christian Democratic leadership decided to stay with the army. ''Duarte's personal obsession for power and his primitive antiCommunism have all come out,'' Mr. Ungo said bitterly of his former political partner. ''He was willing to ally himself with the army and oligarchy and use an entirely antidemocratic method to reach power.'' Mobilizes Support Abroad Soon after the Democratic Revolutionary Front was formed, Mr. Ungo was forced by repeated death threats to leave El Salvador. In a sense, though, his natural power base was abroad and, through his tiny party's membership of the Socialist International, he was able to mobilize support for the opposition coalition, above all in Western Europe. At the same time, as the guerrillas prepared for the possibility of government as well as the certainty of an armed offensive, Mr. Ungo worked hard to make them more practical. ''Everyone now recognizes that, for both internal and external reasons, socialism cannot be decreed overnight,'' Mr. Ungo said. ''But we also know that there can be no democracy without an antioligarchic program and that the power of the oligarchy can only be broken through a revolution.'' He insisted, though, that a revolution in El Salvador posed no threat to the United States. ''Cuba and Nicaragua have given us political support, but so have lots of other governments in Western Europe and Latin America,'' he said. ''The problem is that Washington's obsession with Communism prevents it from seeing things clearly.'' The purpose of a dialogue with the United States, he said, would not be to dilute the opposition's victory but to discuss the terms under which Washington and a revolutionary government could co-exist. ''We want to talk to Washington because it is the power behind the throne,'' Mr. Ungo went on. ''There is no point in talking to the clowns if you can talk to the owner of the circus.'' Illustrations: Photo of Guillermo Ungo, and Salvador Samayoa

Guillermo Ungo's entire party, his detractors like to say, would fit into a Volkswagen and leave room for a chauffeur. And the Salvadoran Social Democrat himself, some admirers note sadly, is a well-intentioned man who is now being manipulated by Communists. Yet, over the past year, using his contacts with Social Democrats abroad to great effect at home, Mr. Ungo has emerged as a key figure in the Marxist-dominated opposition movement trying to oust the civilian-military junta in El Salvador. ''He is the one point of real consensus between us,'' said a spokesman for one of the five guerrilla movements allied with nonMarxist groups in the Democratic Revolutionary Front. ''He is respected and courted by all of us and that gives him a lot of clout.''

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WEST BANK IS ISRAEL'S, BEGIN ASSERTS

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JERUSALEM, May 3— Prime Minister Menachem Begin said today that Israel would demand sovereignty over the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip at the end of the five-year transition period envisioned by the Camp David accords. He also vowed that no Jewish settlements in the territories would be dismantled as a result of any future peace negotiations. Speaking at the opening of Parliament's summer session, the Prime Minister gave one of the clearest and toughest renditions of his Government's position in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which were captured by Israel in the 1967 war. Under the Camp David accords that led to the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty, the 1.3 million Palestinian Arabs living there are to be granted ''autonomy,'' a limited selfadministration, during five years in which the final status of the areas are to be negotiated among Israel, Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinians. Mr. Begin has always regarded the West Bank, which he calls by its biblical names, Judea and Samaria, as an integral part of ''Eretz Israel'' - Hebrew for ''the Land of Israel.'' But since Israel's withdrawal from Sinai on April 25, he has begun referring to Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip as ''Western Eretz Israel,'' thus reviving the notion of the Revisionist Zionist movement, to which he belongs, that the historical land of Israel also included the east bank of the Jordan River, currently Jordanian territory. At the opening of a settlement last week, supporters of the settlement program sang ''Two Banks Has the Jordan,'' the hymn of Mr. Begin's underground Irgun Zvai Leumi, which had asserted historical Jewish rights to both sides of the Jordan River. In a Memorial Day greeting to the nation last week, Mr. Begin declared: ''Western Eretz Israel will never be divided again. We shall live with our Arab neighbors in peace and mutual respect, but there will never again be a redivision of Western Eretz Israel.'' Accords Termed a 'Guarantee' Today he used the term again, saying, ''The autonomy agreements are a guarantee that under no condition will a Palestinian state be established in Western Eretz Israel.'' This interpretation of autonomy as an obstacle to Palestinian sovereignty is the main reason that the Palestinian leadership has rejected the concept. ''At the end of the transition period set by the Camp David accords,'' Mr. Begin declared, ''Israel will raise its demands for its sovereignty over Judea, Samaria and the Gaza district.'' The five-year transition period does not begin until a Palestinian administrative council has been elected and installed, and there is no certainty that by the end of that period, Israel will still have Mr. Begin or a like-minded Prime Minister in office. But the country's security concerns over the West Bank as a potential base of Palestinian hostility are widely shared across the political spectrum, and they are unlikely to disappear unless the Arab side develops a policy of coexistence with Israel. Mr. Begin, in his address, declared that ''the Government will act to strengthen settlements, to expand and consolidate them.'' ''It is also understood,'' he continued, ''that in future negotiaions for the signing of a peace treaty between Israel and its neighbors, any proposal for the removal or evacuation of Jewish settlements would be rejected.'' Network of Settlements Built Up Since assuming office in 1977, Mr. Begin has established extensive networks of Jewish settlements throughout the West Bank, creating a militant constituency of Jewish nationalists determined to consolidate Israeli control over the area. But Shimon Peres, leader of the opposition Labor Party, noted that Mr. Begin had pledged in a December 1977 speech never to dismantle Israeli settlements in Sinai, and then had agreed to do so in the peace treaty with Egypt. The evacuation and destruction of settlements in northern Sinai just over a week ago had a painful impact on much of the Israeli population. Mr. Peres repeated Labor's longstanding position of support for settlements built for security purposes on the West Bank, but not those in or near Arab population centers. He agreed with Mr. Begin that settlements should not be evacuated. ''We would stand behind not dismantling any Jewish settlements,'' Mr. Peres said, ''but concerning sovereignty, negotiations should be conducted with no preconditions.'' It was the Labor Party's refusal to support a proposed resolution against dismantling settlements that prompted Mr. Begin to withdraw the measure. He did not want such a resolution to pass with nothing more than a slim majority. Government's Record Derided Mr. Peres also derided the Government's settlement record, quoting Defense Minister Ariel Sharon as saying that the total population of Jewish settlers in the territories now amounted to 23,000. When Labor left office five years ago, Mr. Peres said, there were slightly over 10,000; the increase since then is less than half the number of Arab babies born in the occupied areas during the same period, he noted. Israeli officials have set a goal of 100,000 Jews to populate the West Bank by the end of the decade, and are expanding housing there rapidly. In discussing the autonomy negotiations with Egypt, Prime Minister Begin said that sessions must be held in Jerusalem, the city Israel calls its capital, as well as in Cairo and Washington. The Egyptians have resisted coming to Jerusalem, which is also claimed by the Arabs. ''The Israeli delegation will willingly go to both Cairo and Washington,'' Mr. Begin said, ''but only if the American and Egyptian delegations come for talks in Jerusalem. It is inconceivable, Mr. Speaker, that we would agree to the boycott of Jerusalem, our capital.'' Letter From Reagan Cited Mr. Begin also praised President Reagan for his letter of April 20, at the height of intensive negotiations aimed at soothing Israeli apprehensions before the Sinai withdrawal. Mr. Begin quoted Mr. Reagan as giving Israel assurances that the Camp David framework was the only agreed-upon plan to address the Palestinian problem.

Prime Minister Menachem Begin said today that Israel would demand sovereignty over the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip at the end of the five-year transition period envisioned by the Camp David accords. He also vowed that no Jewish settlements in the territories would be dismantled as a result of any future peace negotiations. Speaking at the opening of Parliament's summer session, the Prime Minister gave one of the clearest and toughest renditions of his Government's position in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which were captured by Israel in the 1967 war. Under the Camp David accords that led to the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty, the 1.3 million Palestinian Arabs living there are to be granted ''autonomy,'' a limited selfadministration, during five years in which the final status of the areas are to be negotiated among Israel, Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinians.

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Business Conditions - SOME STRENGTH IN PROFITS - NYTimes.com

20150524105226

Manufacturing industry earnings were better than average in 1981, despite a second recession in as many years. In its annual survey of more than 1,100 manufacturing concerns, economists at Citibank found that, excluding the oil industry, the average rate of return for manufacturing companies rose to 14 percent last year, from 13.4 percent in 1980, or slighly above the average growth of 13 percent recorded over the last 20 years. The results were published in the bank's latest issue of Economic Week. When the oil companies are included, however, overall rates of return dipped from an average of 16.5 percent in 1980 to 15.7 percent last year. Nearly two out of every three companies reported improved after-tax profits in 1981. On average, after-tax profits rose 6 percent, to an aggregate $82.2 billion. Among individual industries, the 30 rubber and allied products companies covered in the survey recorded the biggest earnings improvement. According to Citibank figures, profits in the rubber industry were up 159 percent, to $803 million. Auto and truck manufacturers had the largest losses for the second consecutive year. In 1981, auto and truck companies posted a combined loss of $1.7 billion, but the figure was a pronounced improvement from the $4.6 billion in red ink that Detroit suffered in 1980. For the 72 oil companies in the survey, 1981 was not a good year, as weak demand and slumping prices caused after-tax profits to fall 6 percent, to $29.2 billion. Good news on profits is not likely to continue into 1982, however. Currently, Citibank economists estimate that manufacturers' profits will show a drop of 8 percent to 10 percent from 1981 levels.

Manufacturing industry earnings were better than average in 1981, despite a second recession in as many years. In its annual survey of more than 1,100 manufacturing concerns, economists at Citibank found that, excluding the oil industry, the average rate of return for manufacturing companies rose to 14 percent last year, from 13.4 percent in 1980, or slighly above the average growth of 13 percent recorded over the last 20 years.

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