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He was not amongst the four to abandon but, visibly hurt, he struggled to keep up and was definitively dropped with 20km left, giving up several minutes by the finish. Froome took over the yellow jersey by just one second from Tony Martin who, for the third day running, saw the overall lead hovering agonisingly just out of reach. And for the second day running it was bonus seconds on the finish line that denied him. Having finished second on the opening stage timetrial he lost the yellow jersey by 3sec to Cancellara on Sunday after the latter picked up four bonus seconds for finishing third. Froome's second place gave him six extra seconds and that put him into yellow. Frenchman Alexis Vuillermoz took third on the stage ahead of Ireland's Dan Martin with Tony Gallopin next over the line. Froome gained 11 seconds on his overall rivals, defending champion Vincenzo Nibali and Nairo Quintana, while Alberto Contador lost 18sec. Froome is now 36 seconds ahead of Contador with Nibali at 1min 39sec and Quintana at almost two minutes. Tejay Van Garderen is third overall at 13sec ahead of Frenchman Gallopin and Belgium's Greg Van Avermaet. AFP Froome was able to put time into Contador, Quintana and Nibali on the famous Belgian climb. Great teamwork from @TeamSky today #TDF2015 Just hearing that Chris Froome (Team Sky) has taken the leader's yellow jersey at the Tour de France following that superb second place on the Mur de Huy. The Briton leads Tony Martin (Etixx-Quick Step) on general classification by a single second. Joaquim Rodríguez (Katusha) holds on to take the stage ahead of Chris Froome (Team Sky) with Alexis Vuillermoz (Ag2r-La Mondiale) in third. Ireland's Dan Martin (Cannondale-Garmin) could only manage fourth spot. Chris Froome is leading the way up the Mur de Huy. Joaquim Rodríguez attacks and has overhauled the Team Sky rider. Froome reacts and attempts to chase down the Spaniard. Giampaolo Caruso (Katusha) takes over on the front before team-mate Joaquim Rodríguez takes over. Bob Jungels (Trek Factory Racing) is the first man onto the foot of the Mur de Huy. All of the main general classification riders are near the front of the chasing bunch. Geraint Thomas now leads the bunch, the Team Sky riders is chatting to, I think, Movistar's Alex Dowsett. The Mur de Huy is almost upon us - just 2km away now. Alberto Contador is now on the head of the bunch, less good news for Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) who has been dropped by the leaders. Nairo Quintana (Movistar) is close behind a triumvirate of Tinkoff-Saxo riders. Julian Arredondo (Trek Factory Racing) took the single point on the top of the Côte de Cherave. Chris Froome just lashed out at another rider after the Team Sky leader was almost boxed in. 6km remain. Zdenek Stybar now leads the bunch for his Etixx-Quick Step team-mates. We're on the penultimate climb of the day, the category four Côte de Cherave. Just 10km of the stage now remain and Michael Rogers (Tinkoff-Saxo) has taken over on the front of the bunch. Cannondale-Garmin, too, are near the front. Etixx-Quick Step are close by, could they be setting up Michal Kwiatkowski or Rigoberto Uran? Richie Porte is doing a big turn out on the front with his team-mate Chris Froome on third wheel. The pace has upped and the 110-rider peloton is now stretched out in a long line. Michael Schär (BMC Racing) was the first over the top of the Côte d'Ereffe. The Swiss is now the virual leader in the mountains classification. His compatriot, Fabian Cancellara, now trails by 2min 30sec. Angelo Tulik (Europcar) attacked off the front in an attempt to nick the point at the top of the Côte d'Ereffe, but the Frenchman was reeled in by the bunch that is being led by Team Sky. Around 20km from the finish line now and everybody's jockeying for position at the front of the group. Cannondale-Garmin are working for their man Dan Martin. The maillot jaune is now almost a minute down on the leaders. By the way, we're on the category four Côte d'Ereffe, so one point on offer here in the mountains classification. "I walked down and then back up Mur de Huy earlier," writes Tom Cary who is out in Belgium. "It was baking hot, huge crowds already massing to watch the juniors, some of whom were almost ground to a standstill by the the steepness of gradient, which maxes out at around 20 per cent. Reminded me a bit of Jenkin Road in Sheffield, near the finish to stage two last year. Only more colourful. And Belgian." André Greipel (Lotto-Soudal) outspints John Degenkolb (Giant-Alpecin) at the intermediate sprint to add another 20 points to his tally in the competition for the green jersey. Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis) took third spot. Meanwhile, Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), one of the pre-stage favourites, has chased his way back on to the leading group after being caught out by that split in the bunch. Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing), Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) and Romain Bardet (Ag2r-La Mondiale) bridged the gap alongside the Spaniard. The pace of the peloton is quickening up with all of the main general classification contenders' teams riding on the front. There's been a split in the buch and Fabian Cancellara (Trek Factory Racing) has been left to his own devices by his team-mates. The Swiss now trails the head of the bunch by almost 20sec. Laurens ten Dam (Lotto Jumbo-NL) has NOT abandoned despite what I said earlier. The Dutchman dislocated his shoulder before popping it back and continuing. Nails. .@laurenstendam and @W1lcokelderman crashed. Ten Dam's shoulder was dislocated, but it's popped back in. Both riders are back in the race. With the intermediate sprint nearing, Team Sky are now leading the peloton keeping their leader Chris Froome away from any danger. Tinkoff-Saxo and Astana are on the opposite side of the road, but out on the front. Dmitry Kozontchuk (Katusha) has now abandoned the Tour de France following this crash... Twitter has, as you'd imagine, gone into meltdown. Some are saying that the race shouldn't have been neutralised just then, others believe Christian Prudhomme did the right thing. I will remember this. Every crash we will waiting during the #tourdefrance Agree with @PatLefevere (a first). Crashing has always been part of racing until today, obviously. Presumably, though, if the race organisers didn't have enough medical staff to deal with the carnage that ripped through the peloton, then the rac had to be stopped, right? After all, the ASO have a duty of care to protect the riders. Besides, the bunch was as one so nobody actually lost anything from the race being halted. Here's another angle from that crash... The Côte de Bohisseau has been neutralised as the peloton gets moving again. Michael Matthews (Orica-GreenEdge) looks pretty cut up with the back of his jersey completely shredded. Jose Mendes (Bora) has just been spotted at the back talking to a doctor, but the Portuguese is back riding now. More here from the road with Jonathan Vaughters, the Cannondale-Garmin boss... Jack Bauer went down, but lucky and has no injuries. Rest of team fine. Others not so lucky. Everyone risks all for TdF. This is the price. After a few minutes at standstill, the riders are now rolling again. There are a number of riders who will be hurting tonight. Johan Van Summeren (Ag2r-La Mondiale) is one of those. Just hearing that the official reason for the race being stopped was down to the fact that there were so many casualties that the medical staff couldn't cope. Utter carnage. Fabian Cancellara (Trek Factory Racing) is back on his bike and, for now, is still in the Tour. Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEdge), William Bonnet (FDJ - below), Laurens ten Dam (Lotto Jumbo-NL) and Tom Dumoulin (Gian-Alpecin) have all abandoned the Tour de France! Fabian Cancellara is in a bad way and could soon follow. The race has been stopped by race director Christian Prudhomme. There's been a big, big crash. The maillot jaune is down. Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEdge), too, hit the deck. The race has been neutralised for the moment. It would appear that FDJ's William Bonnet clipped wheels with another rider before crashing down at around 50kmh. Fabian Cancellara took evasive action before riding off the road and somersaulting over his handlebars. No Team Sky riders involved, they're safely on the front now. A number of Team Sky, Movistar and Astana riders are having words with Christain Prudhomme. They want to race, but the race is being slowed down. The breakaway group's lead has been whittled down to just 20sec now with 62km of the stage reamining. Not too far from the first clib of the day, the Côte de Bohissau. Tony Gallopin (Lotto-Soudal) has punctured and is being shephered back on by his team car. Jan Barta (Bora-Argon 18), who is in the breakaway for the second successive day, won the first Tour de France jersey of his career earlier today after the Czech rider sealed stage two's prestigious Telegraph Cycling Podcast Pédaleur de Charme award, as voted for by our listeners. Richard Moore claims that Barta is wearing the shirt under his team jersey right now, but I think he's fibbing. Jan Barta poses with his Pédaleur de Charme T-shirt outside his team bus in Antwerp Photo: SIMON GILL The breakaway's lead has now dropped to 2min and the peloton is now apssing through the feedzone where they are collecting their mussettes. I'm off for a brew. The peloton is still looking fairly relaxed. I think it's fair to say that today has been quiet. Very quiet. That will all change later though. We're roughly at the halway point in today's stage and the leading breakaway's advantage has increased ever so slightly. Tony Martin (Etixx-Quick Step) has punctured, but wasted little time in getting back on. By the way, I just spoke, briefly, to Daniel Friebe, author of Mountain High, as I was curious about what sort of gearing the riders would use for the final stretch of today's stage. Personally, I always ride a compact chainring on the front with a 25 tooth sprocket on the back – 28 for the high mountains. Was thinking the professionals may opt for lower gearing for any explosive kick on the Mur de Huy, but apparently not. Mario Aerts, Daniel said, used a gear as high as 39x19 when he won La Flèche Wallonne in 2002 and despite modern riders appearing more than happy to use larger cassettes on the back on the long climbs, today won't be one of those days. Laurent Jalabert reckons the final stretch today can be won pushing 39x21 or 39x19. I feel queasy. By the way, Richard Moore said he'd push 39x28 which seemed a little more sensible to me. Just under 100km to the finish for the leading quartet of Bryan Nauleau (Europcar), Serge Pauwels (MTN-Qhubeka), Jan Barta (Bora-Argon 18) and Martin Elmiger (IAM Cycling). The first climb of this year's Tour de France, the category four Côte de Bohissau, comes 50.5km from the finish before the intermediate sprint 128km into the stage. The breakaway's lead has dropped a little – down to 3min 12sec now. In the opening hour the quartet covered 45.1km. Meanwhile, here's Kilometre 0, a new show from The Telegraph Cycling Podcast, which takes listeners behind the scenes at the Tour and along for the ride on the world’s biggest bike race. KM0 will be released every weekday morning for the three weeks of the Tour. This first episode joins the podcast team of Richard Moore, Lionel Birnie and Daniel Friebe on their way to Utrecht for the start of the race. The four-man group of escapees are nearing Meensel-Kiezegem, the birthplace of Eddy Merckxx, and lead the peloton by 3min 30sec. Just spoke to Richard Moore who explained that a statue will be unveiled today in Meensel-Kiezegem to honour to the great Belgian. Merckxx, by the way, is following today's stage with in a car alongside Bernard Hinault and tonight the Cannibal is hosting a bit of a 'do' for the great and the good of cycling later tonight. Sir Gary Verity, the man behind last year's grand départ in Yorkshire, is off to Merckxx's gaff where he is planning on getting stuck into the Belgians sizeable wine collection. While the leading quartet of Bryan Nauleau (Europcar), Serge Pauwels (MTN-Qhubeka), Jan Barta (Bora-Argon 18) and Martin Elmiger (IAM Cycling) continue to increase their lead – they've edged a further 10sec ahead of the bunch – why don't we see what Sean Yates, the Tinkoff-Saxo directeur sportif, has been saying for himself? “The No 1 goal is [for Alberto Contador] to stay out of trouble. It was also the No 1 goal yesterday but we just managed to find ourselves in the right position to work with Quick Step. I wouldn't say there was a plan but yes, we have a bunch of experienced riders who know how to manage that sort of situation. "Today, it's not up to us to dictate the race. I'm not saying that Alberto is going to ride conservatively. You don't ride conservatively on the Mur de Huy with riders like [Chris] Froome, [Nairo] Quintana or [Vincenzo] Nibali by your side. But for sure guys like Nibali, who missed out yesterday will be eager to make amends. "Do I expect one of the big guys to win the stage? Well, you have guys like Valverde who already won Flèche Wallonne and holds the record for Mur de Huy, he must be a favourite today. Purito [Joachim] Rodríguez also won Flèche. I wouldn't count out riders like Peter Sagan because it's a reasonably short climb at 2.5 kms and if he has the legs he had yesterday in the sprint, you can't rule him out in spite of his weight. The same applies to Fabian [Cancellara].” Our man Tom Cary spoke to Yates, who was in "fine form" and told us that Contador is in "great shape" despite his recent exertions at the Giro d'Italia. Yates, also, played down any suggestion that Team Sky should have worked with Tinkoff-Saxo yesterday to put more time into Quintana and Nibali after the pair weer caught out by the split in the bunch. That small breakaway has now increased their lead over the bunch to 3min 20sec. Just got off the phone to Tom Cary who is heading towards the Mur de Huy after loitering around the team buses in Antwerp before the start to today's stage. Tom had a chat with Simon Bayliss, Mark Cavendish's agent and Patrick Lefevere, the manager of the Manxman's Etixx-Quick Step team. By the sound of it the mood in the Etixx-Quick Step last night was "emotional" and both Cavedish and Mark Renshaw, the leadout man who came in for some criticism following the disappointing stage finish for the Belgian team, are "very upset". Cavendish, of course, is out of contract at the end of the season but we've no news on the negotiations. Not yet. The four-man breakaway are being allowed a free rein and lead the bunch by 1min 30sec. Astana are on the front of the peloton with a clutch of Movistar boys close behind. All appears fairly relaxed at the moment. And we're off. Straight from the off a quartet of riders went off the front. Bryan Nauleau (Europcar) was the first to go and the Frenchman has now been caught by Jan Barta (Bora-Argon 18), Serge Pauwels (MTN-Qhubeka) and Martin Elmiger (IAM Cycling). Just hearing that the maillot jaune punctured in the neutralised zone. Before Christian Prudhomme drops the flag, here's a detailed look at what's on offer today... Total prize money on offer: €32,950 1st place: €8,000, 2nd: €4,000, 3rd: €2,000 with a decreasing scale down to a €200 for 20th place. Intermediate sprint: 1st place: €1,500, 2nd: €1,000, 3rd: €500. First rider over category three climb: €300. First rider over category four climb: €200. Most aggresive rider of the day: €2,000. Highest placed young rider on general classification: €500. Leaders of the team classification: €2,800. Holders of the jerseys: Yellow €350; green €300; polka dot €300; white €300. 1st place: 10 seconds, 2nd: 6sec, 3rd: 4sec. Total points on offer towards green jersey: 289 Intermediate sprint: 20, 17, 15, 13, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 points respectively to the first 15 riders At the finish: 25, 22, 19, 17, 15, 13, 11, 9, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 and 2 points for the first 15 riders across the line Total points on offer towards the polka pot jersey: 6 Category four climbs: 1 point to the first rider to cross each of the day's three climbs Category three climb: 2 and 1 point respectively to first riders to crest the Mur de Huy It's fairly warm over in Belgium – around 25°C – and the peloton is still tapping away through the neutralised section. Christian Prudhomme, the race director, is leading the pack in his red Skoda. In a few minutes he'll wave a flag at which point the race is officially under way. Stay tuned. Interesting, but utterly meaningless, fact: Peter Sagan has already not worn the green jersey for more stages than he didn't wear the green jersey in the last Tours de France combined. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), has been talking and he says today could be a "very good day" but admitted that the stage is a very different race to La Flèche Wallonne, but remains confident. "It's a very good day for me," the Spaniard said. "I'm going to try and do my best, I hope there will be no problems with my team." Asked about the final climb of the day where we can expect fireworks, Valverde confirmed what we all know: "You've got to be very well positioned. You have to be at the front and ready to attack. You have to be in the top five when you reach the final kilometre." Right folks, the peloton is rolling through the streets of Antwerp, but at the moment it's just a processional pedal through the, quite long one at 13.3km, neutralised section. Hopefully there aren't any nasty fall here like this one yesterday... Alain Gallopin, Fabian Cancellara's assistant directeur sportif at Trek Factory Racing and uncle of Tony, the Lotto-Soudal baroudeur, reckons the maillot jaune will struggle at the end of the stage and it will be a case of limiting any losses. "Today it'll be harder. He's 15kg heavier than other riders," said Gallopin. "It makes a difference in a climb with a gradient up to 19 per cent. We'll have to limit the losses to keep the jersey or to take it back tomorrow. Today it's a mini Flèche Wallonne, tomorrow it'll be a mini Paris-Roubaix, which won't be a problem for Fabian. "With Fabian, we never know. He's a great champion. He might be less strong than before but he compensates it with his experience.” While we're waiting for the action – which is due to start at 12.10 (BST) – why don't you listen to The Telegraph Cycling Podcast team of Richard Moore, Lionel Birnie and Daniel Friebe discuss yesterday's second stage? So, how's today's stage going to play out? Well quite a number of riders took some nasty knocks yesterday, but as yet nobody has abandoned. As the stage today heads down through the Ardennes, we can expect the winner to come from a select group of riders that usually excel in La Flèche Wallonne – the one-day classic that finishes on the Mur de Huy. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) would be most people's favourite to take the stage – the Spaniard won on the Mur earlier this year to add a third Walloon Arrow to his extensive palmarès. Dan Martin (Cannondale-Garmin), too, will also be hoping to get involved at the business end of the stage. Another rider, Joaquim Rodríguez (Katusha), who would be hoping to shine on the short, but brutal, ascent up the Mur de Huy, crashed twice yesterday and has said that he injured both his knee and hip. “It's been a day of suffering, more than in a mountain stage, Rodríguez told the Tour website. "I'm not that worried about the time lost [1min 28sec], that can happen to other riders, today or tomorrow, and there are stages to make it up if I'm fine. I'm more worried about my knee. I hope it'll be ok." Beyond the three favourites, there are a handful of riders who could do well. Michael Albasini (Orica-GreenEdge), Michal Kwiatkowski (Etixx-Quick Step) or Peter Sagan (Tinkoff-Saxo) may all fancy their chances. So too could Chris Froome (Team Sky) or even defending champion Vincenzo Nibali (Astana). Incidentally, Wilco Kelderman (Lotto NL-Jumbo) currently holds the record on Strava on the Mur de Huy with a time of 3min 23sec, Romain Bardet (Ag2r-La Mondiale) is fourth on 3min 36sec and Warren Barguil (Giant-Alpecin) fifth with a time of 3min 39sec. Some were suggeting yesterday that Fabian Cancellara (Trek Factory Racing) could even go for the stage, but I really can't see the Swiss being able to beat the likes of Valverde or Martin on the Mur de Huy, which though only 1.3km in length, reaches an eye-watering gradient of 19 – yes 19 – per cent at one point. Johan Museeuw, the Lion of Flanders, meanwhile, is tipping the popular Slovak for the stage... According to me @petosagan will win today #TDF2015 #huy pic.twitter.com/7d88puFpPl Morning everybody and welcome to our live rolling blog from stage three of the Tour de France. Before we get stuck into today's racing I have a small confession to make, but you must promise not to tell anybody, okay? I haven't actually seen a single minute of racing from this year's race. Not one. Over the weekend I was stuck at a wedding, but I'm back now and will be here in the hotseat through till Friday. Before we look at today's stage why don't we have a quick look at who's wearing what? Fabian Cancellara (Trek Factory Racing) will start the day in the maillot jaune, his 29th day in the leader's yellow jersey after the big Swiss rider nicked a 4sec time bonus for his third place on Sunday, while André Greipel (Lotto-Soudal) will be dressed in green as leader in the points classification competition. Incredibly, the German sprinter has never worn the maillot vert despite having won stages in every Tour since 2011 – the year he debuted in the race. Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Alpecin) wears the white jersey, or maillot blanc, as leader in the young riders classification. There's no leader in the mountains classification, but later today the first polka dot jersey (maillot à pois) will be issued. By the way, there are just four categorised climbs today – the Côte de Bohissau, Côte d'Ereffe, Côte de Cherave and Mur de Huy with the latter being where the stage will be decided. Here's what the stage looks like... Welcome to our coverage of stage three of the Tour de France. John MacLeary will be along shortly to talk you through the day, in the meantime let's look in detail at what Tom Cary had to say about yesterday's stage: It was flagged up as a stressful, dangerous day for Chris Froome (Team Sky) and his overall race ambitions, while for Mark Cavendish (Etixx-QuickStep), it was seen as the perfect opportunity to get his Tour de France up and running with a first stage win since 2013. In the event, it worked out the other way around for both men. On a wild and windy day on the Dutch coast, Froome and his Tinkoff-Saxo rival Alberto Contador both made it into the front group and ended up putting a handy 1min 27sec into the two other members of the so-called Big Four: Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) and Nairo Quintana (Movistar). • Tour de France 2015, stage two - as it happened For Cavendish, though, there was only misery and despair as he was left to sprint from well over 300m and ended up being caught and passed, not only by stage winner Andre Greipel (Lotto-Belisol) and second placed Peter Sagan (Tinkoff-Saxo), but also, disastrously for Cavendish's Etixx-QuickStep team, by Fabian Cancellara (Trek). Greipel centre wins ahead of Mark Cavendish (right) and Peter Sagan (left) The bonus seconds won by the Swiss cost Cavendish's team-mate Tony Martin his first ever Tour leader's jersey as Cancellara took the maillot jaune in a sixth different Tours. Cue rancour and recriminations all round. • Curse of Cav continues: Five things we learned “It was a huge f--- up. It was an historical f--- up, the last 500 metres,” said Brian Holm, the Etixx-Quick Step sporting director. In the aftermath Cavendish not only appeared to hit out at his leadout, accusing Mark Renshaw of leaving him "too early", he also attacked the "imbeciles" who suggested that he might have taken his foot off the gas as he approached the line, costing Martin the yellow jersey. "Look at this photo," Cavendish tweeted, posting a screen grab of the final moments. "If I could hang on for 3rd, I could hang on for the win ... Some imbeciles think cycling is a computer game. Problem is, social media & TV are platforms for them to be heard. Gutted for @tonymartin85. Congratulations @AndreGreipel." Given the fact that one of those who suggested that Cavendish had stopped sprinting was none other than his team boss Patrick Lefevere, and given the fact that Lefevere was fuming at losing not only the race win but also the yellow and green jerseys, and given the fact that Cavendish is currently in contract negotiations with Etixx-QuickStep - with his estimated £2.1 million a year deal up at the end of the year - this was inflammatory stuff. "I am not happy at all," Lefevere admitted. "We lost yesterday [when Martin finished second in the opening stage time trial], we lose today and probably this was our last chance to take the yellow jersey. "We were ready for the stage win and the yellow jersey but Renshaw and Cav were too early at the front. Unfortunately Cavendish stopped sprinting and this costs Tony the jersey. "Cavendish?" he added. "I think he should be disappointed. We were the most hard-working team but we finish empty-handed." Cavendish was certainly disappointed, although not so much with himself. "I think Mark went too early and kind of left me hanging," he said. "The day Cancellara beats me in a sprint I’ve gone too long. I’ve gassed it." Further sprint opportunities await, potentially in Tuesday's cobbled stage to Cambrai, but more likely Wednesday's fifth stage to Amiens. Until Cavendish gets that monkey off his back, though, it will be tense. • Merckx backs Cavendish to beat his record of 34 wins As for Froome, the 2013 champion was delighted with how the day panned out. For much of the afternoon, torrential rain and heavy winds buffeted the fans lining the causeways of the small interlinked islands of Zeeland. So fierce was the gale, there were even suggestions that the race might need to be neutralised in the final kilometres. Thankfully that was not necessary. The riders did hit the storm around 50km from the finish, and for a few minutes it was absolute bedlam. First Quintana found himself the wrong side of a split, in a chasing group around a minute behind the leaders. Then, to Froome's delight, Nibali was dropped. Chris Froome, Tony Martin and Alberto Contador ride in the pack It was then just a question of how big the time gap would be. Froome had two riders - Ian Stannard and Geraint Thomas - with him for company. And while Sky remained content to let Etixx-QuickStep do the lion's share of the work, they also worked with Contador's Tinkoff-Saxo team and Tejay van Garderen's BMC to exploit the situation. By the end the gap was up to 1min 27sec. "It was chaos out there for a few minutes," Froome said. "One second he (Nibali) was right next to me and then ... I couldn’t actually believe it when I heard that he was distanced. But that’s the nature of the racing when you are in Holland. "Of course, G and Stannard ... this is their playground, this kind of classic-style race with the crosswinds and the rain. That’s what Yogi [Stannard] was born to do. "This is a huge advantage for us now," he added, "to sit in this position after one flat day. But it’s a three week race and things do change on a daily basis." Monday's 159.5km stage sees the riders cross into Belgium and ends with a punchy climb up the Mur de Huy, the famous ascent used each spring during the Fleche-Wallone one-day classic.

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Tour de France 2015, stage three: as it happened

Follow latest news, images and results of the third stage of the Tour de France on Monday July 6, 2015, from Antwerp – Huy

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Since the XVII century, maybe even earlier, relations with Vietnam became the mainfocus of the foreign policy of the majority of Cambodian rulers. "Convenient" location, small population and natural resources made Cambodia a tasty morsel for the Vietnamese (Corfield, 2008, p. 13). At the same time, the cultural differences between Cambodia and Vietnam, until recently, were the most profound in all of South-East Asia. For centuries, the Vietnamese contempt and distrust of Khmers has painted relations between thetwo peoples in dark colours and has hindered their mutual understanding. In terms of the communist movement, Paul Pot and his associates were trained by Vietnamese. The Communist Party of Cambodia was formed under the leadership of theVietnamese and it happened in order to support the Vietnam War with the United States (Chandler, 2008, p. 269). When Cambodia won its own victory, the Red Khmers declared independence from Vietnam, removing it from the history of the party and began to commit violent attacks on its territory. Available evidence indicates that patronage of the Vietnamese has always troubled political leaders of Cambodia. By winning, they considered themselves invulnerable.In minds of the Vietnamese Communists, Cambodia has never had a special importance, except as a territory covering South Vietnam from capitalistic Thailand. Correct,but cool relations with the Red Khmers suited Vietnamese who have been facing formidable challenges of reconstruction and political unification after the war with the United States. In the light of the intransigence of the Red Khmers respectively borders and the ensuing subversion of Cambodian minority in South Vietnam, plus armed attacks in the next year,Cambodia has become a problem that demanded a military-political solutions. Taking into account the balance of forces, "humiliation" of Cambodia has become a matter of time. Everything mentioned above has become a historical background of hostility between 1.Corfield, J. (2008). The history of Vietnam. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press. 2.Chandler, D. (2008). A history of Cambodia (4th ed.). Boulder, Colo.: Westview 3.Isaacs, A. (1983). Without honor: Defeat in Vietnam and Cambodia. Baltimore: The history essay sample you've recently read was written by one of GPALabs.com writers to show college and university students how papers of such type should be written. Pay attention to its formatting and the way of supporting the arguments if you want to achieve success in your studies. This item was posted by a community contributor. To read more about community contributors, click here.

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What are the Historical Reasons for Cambodians and Vietnamese Not Liking Each Other?

Since the XVII century, maybe even earlier, relations with Vietnam became the mainfocus of the foreign policy of the majority of Cambodian rulers. "Convenient" location, small population and natural resources made Cambodia a tasty morsel for the Vietnamese (Corfield, 2008, p. 13). At the same time, the cultural differences between Cambodia and Vietnam, until recently, were the most profound in all of South-East Asia. For centuries, the Vietnamese contempt and distrust of Khmers has painted relations between thetwo peoples in dark colours and has hindered their mutual understanding.

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And it’s not that hard because it’s been a real massacre on TV lately. Wednesday night on “Empire,” Camilla (Naomi Campbell) dispatched her wife, Mimi (Marisa Tomei), then was blackmailed by Lucious (Terrence Howard) into killing herself. Two for the price of one! This follows a so-far deadly spring for lesbian/bi characters. Nora (Scarlett Byrne) and Mary Louise (Teressa Liane) kicked it on a suicide mission in “The Vampire Diaries” last week — admittedly they were already dead vampire-witch Heretics, but now they are dead-dead. Last month, Dr. Denise (Meritt Wever) got shot through the eye on “The Walking Dead.” And Lexa (Alycia Debnam-Carey) was accidentally killed shortly after sleeping with Clarke (Eliza Taylor) for the first time on “The 100.” Oops. In February, Rose, a k a baddie Sin Rostro (Bridget Regan), was strangled by her stepmother on “Jane the Virgin” — although since the show spoofs telenovelas, Rose may well turn up again, or have an equally gay twin. All we can say is, Arizona (Jessica Capshaw) and Callie (Sara Ramirez) better watch their backs on “Grey’s Anatomy,” lest they get run over by a runaway dump truck. Actually, this is more likely to happen to Callie’s new girlfriend, Penny (Samantha Sloyan). (As an aside, a lot of the lesbian/bi deaths have been on sci-fi/supernatural-themed shows, which have a disproportionately high number of gay roles. Fantasyland is much more accepting of gays than, say, Mississippi.) Of course, in the brave new world of “daring” TV, everybody’s supposedly fair game. Just look at Will (Josh Charles) on “The Good Wife” and Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) on “Grey’s”: They were leads, they were straight white dudes and they were killed off by merciless showrunners. Yes, hetero characters get offed all the time, but there simply are a whole lot more of them and a whole lot fewer lesbian/bi ones, so when those characters are put to pasture — especially out of the blue — it’s hard not to notice that the list is getting pretty damn long.[http://anotherdeadlesbian.tumblr.com/] This abnormally high mortality rate isn’t new — in fact, it’s a trope known as “bury your gays.” And it may be a simple quirk of the programming calendar that things have gotten pretty bad for lesbians lately. At the same time, it’s hard to deny that those stunt moves have gotten the shows a lot of attention, if not necessarily of the positive kind. Some have backpedaled, like “The 100” creator Jason Rothenberg, who said “Knowing everything I know now, Lexa’s death would have played out differently.” At the same time, any attention is good in this crowded TV landscape, right? If getting rid of Mimi and Camilla makes people talk about “Empire” — which has lost a good deal of last year’s momentum — then the show’s accomplished something, if only from a purely cynical point of view. What, you didn’t think we were talking about creative stuff here, did you?

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TV shows can’t stop killing off their lesbian characters

I see dead lesbians! And it’s not that hard because it’s been a real massacre on TV lately. Wednesday night on “Empire,” Camilla (Naomi Campbell) dispatched her wife, Mimi (Marisa Tomei), then was …

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Before you go, we thought you'd like these... Before Mount Vesuvius erupted, Pompeii was a bustling resort city. The town, located five miles from the active volcano, was a popular destination for Rome's distinguished citizens thanks to the sunny coastline nearby. When the volcano exploded in 79 AD, 2,000 people were killed by poisonous gases, ash and crushed rocks. The tragedy should have served as a warning to future generations, but fertile grounds and the beauty of islands have caused cities to pop up in the shadows of volcanoes. Many of the world's coolest destinations are actually in danger of becoming the next Pompeii. William Menke, professor of Earth and Environmental studies at Columbia, identifies four cities as candidates for being threatened by the 'Most Dangerous Volcano in the World.' Seattle, Tokyo, Mexico City and Naples. The massive populations of the cities and suburbs relatively close to the mountains put them a risk of huge losses of life. Click below to see popular travel destinations that are secretly threatened by volcanoes: Cities and vacation spots threatened by volcanoes The idyllic Greek island's picturesque white houses are actually perched on overlapping shield volcanoes. In fact, the group of islands was entirely formed by volcanic activity. The eruption of Santorini in Greece in 1,650 B.C. was perhaps one of the largest witnessed by humans. The most recent eruption occurred in 1950, and there has been ongoing seismic activity ever since. The southern Italian city is precariously located between Mount Vesuvius, and a lesser-known threat, the Campi Fiegrei caldera. The latter is a supervolcano that has been called 'the most potentially hazardous on the planet.' Its last eruption was just in 1538. There has been activity in recent years like earthquakes and parts of the caldera rising. If it were to erupt, the Campi Fiegrei would kill millions. But for now, it is just a tourist attraction like Naples’ famous pizza. Mount Rainier last erupted in the 19th century and has been closely watched by scientists ever since. U.S. Geological Survey has described Mount Rainier as 'an active volcano that will erupt again.' It is located about 58 miles southeast of Seattle, which may seem far, but suburbs and tourism surrounding the mountain put many at risk. Mount Fuji has erupted at least 16 times since 781 A.D., with the most recent occurring in 1707-1708. In 2011, an earthquake caused geographic disturbances in Japan. Florent Brenguier, a researcher at the Institute of Earth Sciences put out an ominous warning, stating "our work does not say that the volcano will start erupting, but it does show that it's in a critical state." Last year, Mount Fuji climbers were urged to wear helmets in case of an unexpected eruption. Dramatic footage from April 2016 showed ash two miles high spewing out of Popocatépetl volcano in Mexico. As many as five daily explosions occurred in the beginning of July 2016. About 25 million people live within 62 miles of the crater of the stratovolcano, according to the Daily Mail. Mauna Loa is one of five large volcanoes that forms the Hawaiian islands. The whopping 60 mile-long volcano makes up nearly half of the entire island. Since 1832, Mauna Loa has erupted 39 times. According to USGS estimates, the volcano has erupted an average of once every 6 years over the past three millennia. Mont Pelée looms over this stunning French island in the Caribbean. It is a haunting reminder of the eruption of 1902, which wiped out the former capital of St-Pierre, known at the time as the ‘Paris of the West Indies.’ There were only two known survivors out of 28,000 in the town. Despite its tragic past, the island has become a hotbed of tourism again thanks to its beautiful beaches and French connection. Until recently, tourists and amateur mountaineers in Ecuador were drawn to Cotopaxi, a quiet, snow-capped volcano only 34 miles away from the capital city. But in 2015, seismologists recorded hundreds of earthquakes and the volcano began to release a plume of ash. After 75 years of inactivity, the volcano now poses a threat to the millions who live nearby. And Cotopaxi isn’t the only volcano threatening locals and tourists. There are at least six that foreign governments, like the U.K., are warning potential visitors about. The iconic Tanzania mountain is comprised of three volcanic cones: Shira, Kibo and Mawenzi. The last major eruption from Kibo occurred 360,000 years ago, but minor volcanic activity happened 200 years ago. Although there has not been any recent activity, Kibo is dormant, not extinct, which still poses a risk to one of world’s favorite places to climb. More from AOL.com: A dead volcano in Rome has come back to life Amanda Steele reveals the 'craziest experience' she's ever had Budget better: 11 travel expenses that are always worth the splurge

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9 popular travel destinations in danger of volcanic eruptions

Before Mount Vesuvius erupted, Pompeii was a bustling resort city. This could be the future of many more of the world's most iconic places.

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The writer Ta-Nehisi Coates, fresh from a year living in Paris, will be the curator of the third annual Festival Albertine, a free five-day event in New York in November bringing together French and American artists and thinkers. This year’s festival, which is presented by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy and Albertine Books, will explore “what our national, social and cultural labels mean today,” according to a news release. American participants will include the poet Claudia Rankine, the curator Thelma Golden, the novelist Darryl Pinckney, the artist Kehinde Wiley, the dance historian Jennifer Homans and the director Ryan Coogler (who is directing the film “Black Panther,” based on the Marvel comic whose recent reboot was written by Mr. Coates). They will be paired with French counterparts including the sociologist and anthropologist Nacira Guénif-Souilamas, the author Amin Maalouf and the dancer and choreographer Benjamin Millepied. The festival, whose events will take place at the Albertine store on Fifth Avenue at 79th Street, runs Nov. 2-6, during the week leading up to the presidential election, which has heightened questions of immigration, diversity, populism and national identity that also loom increasingly large in France. Mr. Coates, a national correspondent for The Atlantic and the author of the best-selling book “Between the World and Me,” said in a statement that art had an important role to play in that broader conversation. “These questions of identity have been tackled ad infinitum by those interested in sociology and electoral politics,” he said. “But art shapes the imagination and outlines the sense of what is possible. It is art that attacks and interrogates our labels and chosen names, and reduces us to our common humanity.” A version of this article appears in print on August 6, 2016, on page C3 of the New York edition with the headline: Coates to Be Curator of French-American Fest. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe

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Ta-Nehisi Coates to Curate French-American Festival

The author of “Between the World and Me” will bring French and American thinkers together to discuss what national, social and cultural labels mean today.

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Obamacare has provided health insurance to some 20 million people. But are they any better off? This has been the central question as we’ve been watching the complex and expensive health law unfurl. We knew the law was giving people coverage, but information about whether it’s protecting people from debt or helping them become more healthy has been slower to emerge. A few recent studies suggest that people have become less likely to have medical debt or to postpone care because of cost. They are also more likely to have a regular doctor and to be getting preventive health services like vaccines and cancer screenings. A new study, published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine, offers another way of looking at the issue. Low-income people in Arkansas and Kentucky, which expanded Medicaid insurance to everyone below a certain income threshold, appear to be healthier than their peers in Texas, which did not expand. The study took advantage of what Dr. Benjamin Sommers, an author of the paper and an assistant professor of health policy and economics at Harvard, called “a huge natural experiment.” In its 2012 ruling, the Supreme Court made the health law’s Medicaid expansion optional for states. The resulting variation in choices makes it much easier to compare what happened in different states and draw conclusions about what effects health insurance coverage might have for the finances and health of Americans. The researchers gathered their results by conducting a large telephone survey of low-income residents of the three states. They asked the same questions three times: in 2013, before the law’s Medicaid expansion; at the end of 2014, after it had been in place for a year; and at the end of last year. Then they compared what happened over time, using Texas as a kind of control group to see how much of a difference the Medicaid expansions in the other two states made. Their survey found people in Arkansas and Kentucky were nearly 5 percent more likely than their peers in Texas to say they were in excellent health in 2015. And that difference was bigger than it had been the year before. No two states are exactly the same, of course. There are many differences between Texas, Arkansas and Kentucky, besides their decisions on this part of the Affordable Care Act. The authors cautioned that their results can’t prove that Medicaid expansion caused people to be healthier. There are differences between Arkansas and Kentucky as well. Kentucky expanded Medicaid in a more conventional way, while Arkansas tried an innovative expansion, offering its low-income residents private insurance. But the study found only small differences between the two approaches. That finding may be of interest to states that have not expanded yet but are considering it. Louisiana this summer became the 31st state to expand its program, using an approach more like Kentucky’s. And Kentucky’s governor has considered revamping the program there to make it more like Arkansas’s. It might sound simple to measure whether people are healthier than they used to be, but it’s actually pretty tough. While tests can tell you whether someone has high cholesterol, say, or high blood pressure, a single test may not tell the whole story. It turns out, however, that if you ask people how healthy they are, they do a pretty good job of telling you. Extensive research shows that people who say they are in poor health really are much more likely to die soon than those who describe their health as good. The survey also asked about other subjects. It found that people in the expansion states were more likely to have a doctor and to have a place to go for care. They said they were more likely to have their chronic disease treated, and that they were more likely to have received screening for high cholesterol or high blood sugar, markers for heart disease and diabetes. On financial measures, the study was in line with some previous studies, finding that people in Kentucky and Arkansas were less likely to postpone care or avoid taking prescribed drugs because of the cost, and that they were less likely to be struggling with a medical bill. On almost all measures in the survey, the size of the difference between Texas and the other states was bigger in 2015 than it was in 2014. That trend makes some sense: Once you get health insurance, it might take a while before you start getting health care, and even longer before you’ll start getting healthier (optimistically assuming that you do). But the trend suggests that we may need to wait some time in evaluating the health law’s effects before we really know how big they are. A famous experiment of low-income people in Oregon tracked one group that won a lottery to receive Medicaid coverage and another that remained uninsured. That study found that people who got insurance were much more likely than their uninsured peers to describe themselves as having good or excellent health. People who got health insurance in that experiment were also more financially secure. But the experiment did not show big changes in some key physical health measures in people they studied, like blood pressure and cholesterol. The Oregon study followed those people only for two years. It’s possible that, given more time, those people might have shown signs of better health. (Or not. That experiment ended, but the Medicaid expansion’s natural experiment will continue for longer and may provide more clarity.) For those of us trying to evaluate the law, the slowness of results is frustrating. Still, Tuesday’s study is quick by the standards of academic research. Big government surveys are asking some of the same questions posed by the Harvard researchers, but we’re still waiting for their data from last year. Amy Finkelstein, an economist at M.I.T. and an author on the Oregon work, described the three-state survey as “entrepreneurial,” because it gives us an early glimpse at these important questions. It will take more time, and more research, to be sure whether the Affordable Care Act really is making Americans healthier and more secure. The Upshot provides news, analysis and graphics about politics, policy and everyday life. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Sign up for our newsletter. A version of this article appears in print on August 9, 2016, on page A3 of the New York edition with the headline: Affordable Care Act Appears to Have Improved Health. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe

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Obamacare Appears to Be Making People Healthier

A new survey of low-income people isn’t perfect, but it suggests that new health insurance options have improved people’s health.

20160909161811

Thursday is the first day of the NFL season. So, naturally, Tim Tebow snatched the headlines. Mets are signing Tim Tebow to a minor-league contract, an MLB source tells ESPN. Instructional League or Arizona Fall League next for Tebow. — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 8, 2016 We have signed OF @TimTebow to a minor league contract. He will participate in the #Mets Instructional League. pic.twitter.com/I6gmW0b6hY — New York Mets (@Mets) September 8, 2016 As the New York Daily News reports, this means Tebow will head back to the state of Florida, as the Mets' Instructional League plays out of the team's spring training home in Port St. Lucie. So yeah, later this month, Tebow will again take The Sunshine State by storm. The internet went in on the Tebow signing. Meet the Mets, meet the Mets, Step right up and greet the Mets! https://t.co/xlOuTdfIuM — Joe Giglio (@JoeGiglioSports) September 8, 2016 Mets have signed Tim Tebow. Not only have they signed a guy who has never scored, but he's never even gotten past 1st base. — Not Bill Walton (@NotBillWalton) September 8, 2016 Minor League pitchers who will face Tim Tebow react to him signing with the Mets pic.twitter.com/sgJBCl7R7R — Shooter McGavin (@ShooterMcGavin_) September 8, 2016 I would hate to see Wilmer Flores Emotion after being replaced by Tim Tebow. — Bradley Craig Hinton (@Bradley_Hinton) September 8, 2016 Mr. Met reportedly furious about Mets hiring new mascot Tim Tebow https://t.co/BWLOxljRes — SportsPickle (@sportspickle) September 8, 2016 The Mets signed Tebow because he will apparently only play in blue and orange. — Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) September 8, 2016 The @Mets have zero to lose in signing @TimTebow Yes @MetsGM has been super in various deals he has made! https://t.co/aceUGPr2lm — Dick Vitale (@DickieV) September 8, 2016 If Mets really do give Tim Tebow a Minor League deal, they might as well sign Joe Hart and Jack Wilshere while they are at it — Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) September 8, 2016 hear tebow field was narrowed to 5 teams before he decided on mets. so interest was significant. — Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) September 8, 2016 The Mets only signed Tim Tebow to distract everyone from the fact that the Warriors blew a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals. — RUSS BENGT$ON (@russbengtson) September 8, 2016 TEBOW: Before I sign I have one question.ALDERSON: Yes?TEBOW: Are Mr. Met and Mrs. Met really married?ALDERSON: — RUSS BENGT$ON (@russbengtson) September 8, 2016 Tebow as a baseball player? Total lottery ticket. Tebow as an attention-grabbing novelty? Total sure thing. Do not confuse the two. — Marc Carig (@MarcCarig) September 8, 2016 When the Braves are in the lead for the Tebow "sweepstakes" but a DIVISIONAL RIVAL saves you from the circus pic.twitter.com/BfisqIxdt1 — Demetrius (@fergoe) September 8, 2016 Tebow ready to make his Mets debut like pic.twitter.com/5sE5C9J20d — Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 8, 2016 HUH ? why is tebow willing to go to minor leagues to further baseball career when he was unwilling to play cfl/arena https://t.co/hNEVjhi2Pd — Mike Mayock (@MikeMayock) September 8, 2016 Well, at least now the Mets have a prayer. #Tebow — Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) September 8, 2016 This'll be worth it just to watch Tebow circumcise Mister Met. — Drew Magary (@drewmagary) September 8, 2016 The Mets win the Tebow Sweepstakes! We've just gone from pure luck to divine intervention — KFC (@KFCBarstool) September 8, 2016 With Tim Tebow and Bobby Bonilla at the heart of the order, no team will stand a chance. https://t.co/I2Ud6oNS2B — SportsPickle (@sportspickle) September 8, 2016 Haven't been this embarrassed to be Mets fan since it was revealed owner Fred Wilpon was using team as a Bernie Madoff slush fund. — Dave Zirin (@EdgeofSports) September 8, 2016 The Jets...then the Mets...you're up, Nets! https://t.co/PCyZ8JtvTg — Ryan McGee (@ESPNMcGee) September 8, 2016 Tim Tebow has signed with the Mets. The natural next step in his baseball career is for his elbow to start hurting. — Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) September 8, 2016 For New York, this marks the unlikely return of Tebow. After his playoff run with Denver, in 2012, Tebow was shipped to the Jets, where he played 12 games, threw six complete passes and rushed for 102 yards. New York beat writers held nothing back reacting to the Tebow news of 2016. Tim Tebow once told Rex Ryan he was tired of being used only on up-the-gut draws. So Terry Collins, no up-the-gut draws. — Ian O'Connor (@Ian_OConnor) September 8, 2016 In the instructional league or the AFL, Tim Tebow isn't taking at-bats away from anyone with any more potential than he has. — Jared Diamond (@jareddiamond) September 8, 2016 Brodie Van Wagenen, Tim Tebow's agent, also represents Yoenis Cespedes. Just thought I'd point that out. — Jared Diamond (@jareddiamond) September 8, 2016 Can confirm that Mets have minor league deal with Tim Tebow. The man does love orange and blue. — Tyler Kepner (@TylerKepner) September 8, 2016 Tebow is ineligible for this postseason. He needed to join the organization before Sept. 1. https://t.co/AiBsGfItSd — Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinESPN) September 8, 2016 Most amazing athletic feat of Michael Jordan's career? Hitting over .200 in AA at age 30. Seriously. Long way to go for #Tebow. — Sweeny Murti (@YankeesWFAN) September 8, 2016 This was taped before Tebow signed with the Mets, but it needs to be seen: Jon Gruden: "I could get @TimTebow and come back to the league and win some games" (via @FirstTake)https://t.co/8Krys63mit — NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) September 7, 2016 -- Follow Jeffrey Eisenband on Twitter @JeffEisenband. Baseball, Denver Broncos, Florida Gators, Football, Heisman Trophy, Instructional League, MiLB, Minor League Baseball, MLB, NCAAF, New England Patriots, New York Jets, New York Mets, NFL, Philadelphia Eagles, Tim Tebow

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The Internet Reacts To Tim Tebow's Mets Deal

Tim Tebow signs with the Mets and the internet voices its opinion on the former quarterback's baseball career.

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A long-awaited review has recommended NSW’s controversial lockout laws be relaxed. Among the key recommendations is the suggestion the 1.30am lockout and 3am last drinks call be shifted back to 2am and 3.30am respectively. The highly-anticipated report, the result of seven months' worth of consultation with the public and stakeholders, was released this afternoon after it was delayed by a landmark court decision which deemed live music venues exempt from the controversial legislation. It was expected last month but the Baird government said that Ian Callinan, the former High Court judge leading the review, had requested an extension to examine more evidence after the ruling. Mr Callinan's report recognises the lockout laws have made Kings Cross and the Sydney CBD safer, but proposes the following changes: The NSW Government will now consider the report and deliver its response before the end of the year. “There is significant community and stakeholder interest in the report and we are releasing it immediately to give everyone a chance to consider its findings and recommendations,” Deputy Premier Troy Grant said. Earlier this year, the NSW Supreme Court found the secretary of the state's Justice Department did not have the authority to "declare" a city venue subject to the 1.30am lockouts and 3am last drinks rules. The legal challenge was launched by CBD bar The Smoking Panda, which had been initially exempt from the laws as it is in a "tourism accommodation establishment" area. That exemption was cancelled after a Liquor and Gaming NSW (LGNSW) investigation found non-hotel guests visiting the bar. In her judgment, Justice Natalie Adams declared lockout legislation clauses were "not a proper exercise of the regulation-making power conferred upon the governor" and LGNSW had failed to define the "tourism accommodation establishment" exemption properly. Smoking Panda and seven more Sydney CBD venues including strip club Men's Gallery are no longer subject to the laws, but it's believed the government will appeal the decision. The full report, including its conclusions, is available at www.liquorlawreview.justice.nsw.gov.au. © Nine Digital Pty Ltd 2016

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Independent review recommends Sydney lockouts be relaxed to 2am

A long-awaited review into NSW's lockout laws is due to be handed to the state government on Tuesday, after it was delayed by a landmark court decision which deemed live music venues exempt from the controversial legislation.

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BY GEORGE RUSH AND JOANNA MOLLOY WITH BEN WIDDICOMBE With Spencer Morgan Friday, May 28th 2004, 7:07AM Steve Van Zandt has some bad news for you hopeful souls who refuse to believe his "Sopranos" character, Silvio Dante, really whacked that lovely canary Adriana La Cerva. "I think it's kind of fun that people are never quite sure what's going on," Van Zandt tells us. "But in this case, I don't think I'm ruining anything. "Believe me, it was the hardest thing I'll ever do as an actor," says Little Stevie. True, we never actually see co-star Drea de Matteo's character die after Van Zandt's pompadoured hit man squeezes off a couple of shots. But Van Zandt says, "The camera panning up was an artistic decision." Van Zandt filled us in Wednesday at the launch of Sirius Satellite Radio's "The Wiseguy Show," hosted by Vincent Pastore, whose "Sopranos" character, Salvatore (Big Pussy) Bonpensiero, ended up sleeping with the fishes two seasons ago. "Sopranos" boss James Gandolfini was also at the premiere party at Il Cortile. Asked to pose with several scantily clad Sirius models, he said, "I better not. I don't want to get into any more trouble at home." Some of rock's baddest bad boys were up late Wednesday. But, sorry to say, they were all behaving. The evening started at Roseland, where former Stone Temple Pilot Scott Weiland and Guns N' Roses vets Slash, Matt Sorum and Duff McKagan unveiled their band Velvet Revolver. After the show, Gina Gershon, Sean Penn, Andy Hilfiger and others moved on to the party Tony Theodore prepared for Arista chief Clive Davis on the roof of the Gansevoort Hotel. Some got tired of waiting for the band. (Penn moved on to Marquee, where he hung with Leo DiCaprio and Gisele Bundchen.) When the Velvets finally did show (around 2 a.m.), people were checking their eyes - especially those of Weiland, who has battled heroin. But a spy tells us: "Scott seemed like an altar boy. He was clear and sharp." Another source credits Davis with keeping "four very volatile people together. He's a father figure they respect." It's time for today's episode of Lindsay Lohan's Freaky Family. By now you know that the "Freaky Friday" actress' father, Michael, got into a brawl last Sunday with her uncle Matt Sullivan after the First Holy Communion of Lindsay's brother Dakota. Michael, 44, admitted yesterday that this wasn't the first time his temper had flared. There was that incident last December, when Michael was leaving the premiere party for "Something's Gotta Give" at the Boathouse in Central Park and found his car blocked by a garbage truck. After twice asking the driver to move, he got into a scuffle with the sanitation worker. "I pushed him," he admitted, "but he hit me with the black [garbage] bag first." Lohan said he was arrested, but got off with "a ticket." Lohan also confirmed yesterday that he had served time for commodities fraud. "Four years," he said. But he took issue with a source who called him a "jailhouse stoolie." "I was no stoolie," he said. "My God, I was in prison for not ratting on people!" You can chat with the mayor over hot dogs, but you can't make him drink a brewski. Mike Bloomberg ran into the head of sales for Rheingold beer, Steve Chasen, at Nathan's on Coney Island yesterday. It seems Nathan's is offering Rheingold on tap for the first time since the '40s. Only Bloomberg isn't so happy with Rheingold, since the company just ran an ad campaign mocking the city's no-smoking/dancing/sitting-on-milk-crates laws. Chasen says to Hizzoner: "Hi, I just want to introduce myself. I am the head of sales for Rheingold beer." The Mayor says, with a smirk, "I'm sorry to hear that." Chasen says, "I just want you to know, our ad campaign was not a personal attack on you." Bloomie says, "No hard feelings, it's just too bad you did it at the expense of the city ... [but] you have a classic New York brand, and I wish you well." Seeing an opening, the sales guy goes, "Can I buy you a Rheingold to wash down your hot dogs?" The smile evaporates from Bloomie's face and he says, "No." Maybe hot dogs go better with claret. Beleaguered E! Networks honchette Mindy Herman resigned yesterday after helming the company for four years. Herman brought E!'s viewership up to 85 million, but Comcast and Disney began investigating her after receiving two anonymous, plaintive letters from E! staffers after she allegedly got into a scrap outside a Hollywood strip club, according to the L.A. Times. She was also accused of throwing herself two sumptuous baby showers on the company's dime, using one of the network's home-decorating programs to fix up a room in her Malibu home, and - cruelest of all - hogging Grammy swag bags intended for two E! entertainment reporters. No matter: Word is that yesterday, she got a $20 million payout in her bye-bye bag. CONGRATS TO model Veronica Webb, who welcomed her second child, Molly Blue Robb, last Friday. The 7-pound, 8-ounce bundle arrived at Lenox Hill Hospital at 2:50 a.m. Webb plans to make a timely appearance at Jessica Seinfeld's Million Diaper Drive charity event on June 16 at Jean-Georges Vongerichten's new Time Warner Center restaurant, V Steakhouse ... KID ROCK: It's been an amazing couple of months for Chris Rock, named the funniest man in America by Entertainment Weekly and killing on his first HBO special in four years. But the best of all arrived in his life May 22: Rock's wife, Malaak, had a baby girl, who weighed in at 6 pounds, 7 ounces. Zahra Savannah joins sister Lola, 22 months ... WHO'D WANT to water-bomb Julianne Moore? Pranksters in an apartment building across from the Lexington Ave. armory targeted the red carpet at Cartier's Santos watch party Tuesday night, lobbing water balloons at Moore, Wyclef Jean and Chloe Sevigny. While a spy says Sevigny took an indirect hit, it was the phalanx of paparazzi who got the soggiest. Marisa Tomei, Helena Christensen, Russell and Kimora Lee Simmons, Claire Danes (with Zac Posen), Clive Davis and Famke Janssen managed to sneak in unscathed ANTONIO BANDERAS, who supplied the voice for Puss in Boots in "Shrek 2," admits he's been working under an alias. Slightly. As a young actor, he went by his real name, Jose Bandera - "bandera" being Spanish for flag. "I changed it to Antonio Banderas as a political act," the Latin heartthrob told Webster Hall's Baird Jones at the recent WNET/Ch. 13 gala in his honor. "I added the 's' to [salute] the Spanish regions and the Spanish flag." But to women everywhere, the extra "s" stands for "sexy."

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LITTLE STEVEN, MOB KILLJOY

Steve Van Zandt has some bad news for you hopeful souls who refuse to believe his "Sopranos"character, Silvio Dante, really whacked that lovely canary Adriana La Cerva. "I think it's kind of fun that people are never quite sure what's going on,"Van Zandt tells us. "But in this case, I don't think I'm ruining anything. "She's gone. "Believe me, it was the hardest thing I'll

20110103044705

BY DONNA PETROZZELLO DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER Thursday, February 28th 2002, 2:25AM Democratic political strategists James Carville and Paul Begala, who helped manage Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign, are gearing up to battle on CNN's nightly debate series "Crossfire." The duo will join the issues-oriented, 7 p.m. talk show April 1 as foils for conservative anchors Robert Novak and Tucker Carlson. "Very often, the definition of a liberal is someone who is afraid to take their own side in a fight, but James and I are not," Begala said yesterday. "We have strong views and we're ready to back them up." Left-leaning co-anchor Bill Press will leave "Crossfire" but will continue as a contributor to CNN's "Inside Politics" and "American Morning With Paula Zahn." The addition of Carville and Begala is part of efforts to beef up "Crossfire," which include expanding the show from 30 minutes to an hour and moving it out of the studio and into an auditorium at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where it will be taped before an audience. " 'Crossfire' has been with us for 20 years, it's one of our mainstay shows, and it was just time to rejuvenate it," said CNN senior vice president Sue Bunda, who oversees "Crossfire" and other series. "The idea of taking it to a live audience made a lot of sense." Begala, who was co-anchor two years ago of MSNBC's talk series "Equal Time" with conservative Oliver North, called going head to head with Novak and Carlson a dream job. "CNN is going to pay me to work with my best friend, James, and do what I do normally at home - watch 'Crossfire,' scream at Novak and Carlson, and throw socks at the screen," he said. For Carville, "Crossfire" will provide an opportunity to rail against the Republican commentators who lambasted President Clinton in the 1990s. "Color me naive, but I think this is going to be fun," said Carville, whose wife, Republican strategist Mary Matalin, was co-anchor of "Crossfire" with Press in 1999. "Corporal Cue Ball is ready to go after the Prince of Darkness and Bow Tie Boy," said the bald Carville, referring to himself, Novak and Carlson. While "Crossfire" will be Carville's first stint as co-anchor of a regular weeknight series, he's confident he and Begala will resonate well with viewers. "I never wrote a book that wasn't a best seller," he said. "I've never worked on a political campaign that I didn't think I'd win, and so I'm just going to do this show in a way that I feel comfortable with and that is true to myself."

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'CROSSFIRE'S' NEW BLOOD Carville, Begala ready to fight

Democratic political strategists James Carville and Paul Begala, who helped manage Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign, are gearing up to battle on CNN's nightly debate series "Crossfire."The duo will join the issues-oriented, 7 p.m. talk show April 1 as foils for conservative anchors Robert Novak and Tucker Carlson. "Very often, the definition of a liberal is someone who is afraid to take

20110605035820

Monday, April 22th 1996, 2:00AM JOAN OSBORNE LET her fans know what they were in for right away. Before her band played a single note at her Roseland concert Thursday night, she let out a rash of wails and cries, setting the tone for a show centered far more on the singer than her songs. Osborne's major-label debut, "Relish," may have convincingly presented her as the new Bonnie Raitt, slinking through erotic blues with sexy assurance. But her live show saw her trying to be the new Janis Joplin, soaring every song to its shrieky limit. In numbers like the opening "Pensacola," Osborne was voracious, belting out notes full-force. The result didn't always show the singer in the best light. By leaning ravenously into her rasp, Osborne lost some of the nuance of her recorded work, ending up at times uselessly screechy. Then again, it should surprise no one that Osborne aimed to play it big. Since she last performed in town in October, as opening act for Rusted Root the transplanted New Yorker has seen her career explode, selling 2 million copies of "Relish," snaring a Rolling Stone cover and gaining six Grammy nominations (but no trophies) giving this show the potential of a triumphant homecoming. If anything, the persona Osborne fosters on "Relish" further encourages a performance of mythic reach. Throughout her album, she assumes the old blues view of sex as both devilish and holy, drawing a connection between falling from grace and finding your soul. Producer Rick Chertoff tempered her raw blues approach with a pop sheen, keeping Osborne's wilder moments in check. In interviews, the singer has complained about feeling hampered by Chertoff's style. But this performance suggested the producer reined her in just right. Except in all-out rockers like "Right Hand Man," Osborne proved most exciting when singing in more measured tones. During her cover of Sonny Boy Williamson's "Help Me," she captured more heat and threat when singing than screaming. In "Dracula Moon," she used a husky growl to create a character of subversive cool. And in "St. Teresa" she offered quavering cadenzas that mixed muted Middle Eastern chants with her usual voodoo blues. Osborne did equally well with a cover of the Aquanettas' "Mind Full of Worry," which rates as one of her few pop numbers, in the vein of "One of Us." Osborne delivered the latter hit with admirable freshness (considering its pervasive play). Better yet, the song tipped toward the subtle side. Unfortunately, during her more strident moments, Osborne lacked the stage confidence to project the kind of bold character her wild singing promised. While she has grown in stage confidence over the years, she would need the moxie of a Tina Turner to live up to her current vocal abandon. Which, ultimately, means that Osborne either needs to project more danger in concert or to trust the passion of her more nuanced vocals. Otherwise, the curse of oversinging may well end up her ball and chain.

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A NIGHT OF FULL-BLOWN JOAN IN HER NEW YORK HOMECOMING, OSBORNE SINGS LOUD AND PROUD

JOAN OSBORNE LET her fans know what they were in for right away. Before her band played a single note at her Roseland concert Thursday night, she let out a rash of wails and cries, setting the tone for a show centered far more on the singer than her songs. Osborne's major-label debut, "Relish,"may have convincingly presented her as the new Bonnie Raitt, slinking through erotic blues with sexy assurance. But her live

20110723150108

Friday, March 29th 1996, 2:00AM CARRIED AWAY. Dennis Hopper, Amy Irving. Directed by Bruno Barreto. At the Lincoln Square, Eastside Playhouse and Village East Cinemas. Time: 104 mins. Rated R. 1 STAR MAYBE THE MAKERS of "Carried Away" should be by a couple of burly guys who could sit them down in a dark, quiet room and let them think about what they've done. This is one of the more embarrassing movies to get a major release in a long time. Based on Jim Harrison's novel "Farmer" and directed by Brazilian expatriate Bruno Barreto ("Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands"), "Carried Away" is a campy, old-fashioned melodrama of sexual liberation, reminiscent of 1950s heavy-breathers in which virginal librarian types are awakened by hunky strangers. This being the '90s, the genders have been reversed. The virginal school teacher is Dennis Hopper's Joseph, a weather-beaten West Texan who cares for his aging mom (Julie Harris) and shares duties at the local school house with his long-ago girlfriend, the widowed Rosealee (Amy Irving). The sexy stranger is 17-year-old Catherine (Amy Locane), who seems to have transferred directly from Beverly Hills High to Joseph's class. Irresistibly drawn to the dour, limping Joseph for reasons screenwriter Ed Jones doesn't even try to establish, Catherine soon lures him to the hayloft in his heavily art-directed barn. Behavior that would get a real teacher arrested here becomes excusable (the girl made him do it) and therapeutic (Joseph's erotic rebirth helps his relationship with Rosealee). Apparently inspired by Harvey Keitel's pioneering work in middle-aged male nudity, Hopper gives his all and then some. Hey, Dennis thanks but no thanks.

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BOMBS 'AWAY' 'CARRIED' A NEW DOG TEACHING OLD TRICKS

CARRIED AWAY. Dennis Hopper, Amy Irving. Directed by Bruno Barreto. At the Lincoln Square, Eastside Playhouse and Village East Cinemas. Time: 104 mins. Rated R. 1 STAR MAYBE THE MAKERS of "Carried Away"should be by a couple of burly guys who could sit them down in a dark, quiet room and let them think about what they've done. This is one of the more embarrassing movies to get a major release in a

20111108222012

Harvard University senior Michael Wong, founder of an online calendar for the Harvard community, wouldn’t miss this opportunity. Neither would sophomore Zachary Hamed, who created a website that helps students prepare financial aid applications. Both will be among an invitation-only audience of 200 students to meet today with Mark Zuckerberg, the cofounder and chief executive of Facebook and perhaps Harvard’s best-known dropout since Microsoft Corp.’s Bill Gates. To recruit talent for Facebook, Zuckerberg is making his first official visit to Harvard since he left seven years ago for Silicon Valley. Since then, the social media site has become an Internet giant, and an example that has prompted students and faculty at Harvard to embrace technology entrepreneurship. “If you’ve seen the movie ‘Social Network,’ you know that when Zuckerberg attended a talk by Bill Gates it was a pivotal moment,’’ Wong said. “This could be another iteration of that. The next Mark Zuckerberg could be in the audience.’’ Zuckerberg famously founded Facebook in his dorm room, with the help of friends. Today’s Harvard students are more likely to refine their projects through events and classes offered by the school to foster future Zuckerbergs. Zachary Hamed gets his ticket to meet with Mark Zuckerberg from Hatie Kerwin in Harvard’s career services office. A number of projects are launched during the annual weeklong, midwinter “Hack Harvard’’ incubator program, when students are taught how to translate ideas into business models. A start-up competition, the Harvard Innovation Challenge, annually awards $10,000 to two projects. The introductory computer science course CS50 is now the second-most-popular class on campus, attracting more than 600 students. And in less than two weeks, the university is opening its Innovation Lab next to the Harvard Business School, with a mission to promote innovation and entrepreneurship campuswide. Hamed, 18, is one of the students Zuckerberg may be looking for. A computer science major, Hamed created AidAide.com, a “TurboTax for financial aid,’’ during his freshman year. Last summer, he partnered with a Chicago-based start-up called Alltuition.com and accompanied the larger site’s team to an “accelerator’’ event called 500Startups in Palo Alto, California’s white-hot center of technological innovation. “I loved it,’’ he said. “It was an infectious place to be.’’ At the end of the summer, Hamed could have stayed in Chicago and worked on his project. He decided to return to school. “I had more to learn here,’’ he said. One factor that kept him at Harvard was its expanded commitment to entrepreneurship. This year, for example, Hamed is serving as a student coordinator at the Innovation Lab. “It’s really a different environment from when Zuckerberg was here,’’ Hamed said. “He was working with his roommates in his dorm room; I’ve been able to work with an innovation lab. I’ve talked to venture capitalists; I’ve looked at term sheets. I have office space and people to work with. “If Zuckerberg were here today, I bet he would have stayed a little longer,’’ he said. Even the founder of Facebook might agree. Speaking at Stanford University last month, Zuckerberg said, “If I were starting now, I would have just stayed in Boston.’’ Zuckerberg did not respond to requests for comment. Wong, 21, could also be a strong candidate for Facebook. A physics and computer science major, Wong started EventPlease.com after he found it frustrating to publicize events across the campus. One problem, he discovered, was that Facebook does not offer a comprehensive guide to all campus events, just the ones that your Facebook friends are recommending. So Wong created a centralized portal where students can post events such as concerts and interest group meetings. Ultimately, the events can be saved to users’ Facebook accounts, further widening their exposure. Wong said he “isn’t quite happy’’ with EventPlease yet, but he’s already been contacted by two colleges that would like to implement it. “Sometimes I think that the idea might have potential,’’ he said. “There’s a lot of energy and community’’ around these kinds of projects at Harvard, Wong said. Students don’t have to study computers to follow the Zuckerberg path. Senior Seth Riddley, 25, literally woke up in the middle of the night with the idea for a website that encouraged students to have lunch with a randomly chosen fellow student as a way of getting out of a social rut. Riddley, who studies the history of science, figured out how to put the site on the Web. Then a favorable mention in the Harvard Crimson sparked hundreds of lunch requests. Versions of the site are now running at Yale University and the University of Pennsylvania. Working on the project, Riddley said, “thrust me inadvertently into the entrepreneurial community. Now I’m really interested in it.’’ After graduation, Riddley is hoping to work with a nonprofit organization that serves people with mental illness, he said. “It’s not techie,’’ he said, “but now that I’m learning how to start something and gain support for a project and pitch an idea, I’m going to approach it with that start-up spirit.’’ Two students who won’t be attending the Zuckerberg event are Axel Hansen and Jonah Varon, both 20, who are taking a year off to work on a project they developed during their freshman and sophomore years at Harvard: Newsle.com. Newsle is a social media site that allows users to track actual news events involving people you know, the kind of events that make it into newspapers, blogs, and newsletters, rather than wait for news to be posted by friends, as on Facebook. “One big change that came after Zuckerberg is that now it’s OK to start your own company as an undergraduate,’’ Hansen said. “We got a lot of encouragement,’’ Varon added. Last year, when they were sophomores, the partners won a $10,000 innovation grant from Harvard. After exams, they moved to San Francisco. They’re still there. As the summer came to a close, they decided to take the academic year off to work on their project. David L Ryan / Globe Staff Photo Zachary Hamed shows his ticket for the Q&A with Mark Zuckerberg. “At some point we made the transition from a student project to a start-up,’’ Varon said in a phone interview. “Since then, we haven’t been thinking a whole lot about school.’’ Both said that if they were still at Harvard, they would have tried to attend the Zuckerberg event, but that he would not have had much of a chance to woo them. In fact, they are looking to hire a programmer themselves - a big step for a potential next Facebook. But it’s tough to hire in San Francisco, where there is so much competition for tech talent. “It’s frustrating because they say hire from your network,’’ Hansen said. “And most of the people in our network are still in school.’’

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Harvard students welcome return of Facebook CEO

Mark Zuckerberg is giving a recruiting talk at Harvard, seven years after he dropped out to start Facebook. His arrival highlights the current state of technological entrepreneurship at Harvard.

20121112074004

Downtown Ronnie Califano waited 30 hours on a Brooklyn gasoline line — and got no gas. The marathon started last Friday when Califano’s daughter told him a Gulf attendant on Bath Ave. and Bay Parkway said a gas truck was coming at 8 p.m. Saturday. “I figure I got the inside scoop so I got on line at 2 p.m. Saturday,” Califano said. “Figured I could make some calls for my doo-wop oldies Christmas show fund-raiser starring Jay Black at St. Athanasius Church on Dec 1. It’s sold-out, but still a million details for catering, security, parking, VIP seating. I set up my office for a few hours in my car on the gas line.” By 4:30 p.m. Califano, 60, said he knew which guys on line had prostate problems because they started scrambling for places to relieve themselves. “The Gulf station has a Dunkin’ Donuts and people sipped coffees. But the bathroom was locked, natch. So guys started looking for bushes, trees, big trucks to hide behind.” By 6:30, temperatures plunged and car heaters whirred. “That burns precious gas,” said Califano. “But everybody figures the magic Gulf truck will soon be here.” By 8 p.m. still no gas truck. “But a Shell truck makes a delivery across the street where there’s another line, which gives me hope,” Califano said. People turned off their engines, got out of their cars and formed cliques. The Town Car livery drivers talked shop. The truckers compared notes. “Neighborhood guys like me yakked about the old days in 1978 when Bensonhurst was all Italian and the owner of every station was a third cousin who filled your tank. Now gas stations are minisupermarkets with 800 area-code numbers they answer on another continent and nobody knows from nobody no more.” The gas line became an eight-block long small town that took on a life of its own. “I’m in six hours when I see a guy storm to the passenger window of the car two cars in front of me,” Califano said. “He reaches in, smacking the woman passenger, trying to drag her out the window. I’m ready to grab him, but he’s screaming at the driver to mind his business, that she’s his wife! The driver spins the wheel and burns rubber outta there with the wife half-hanging outta the window and her husband chasing after the car down Bath Ave. I gain one car length in six hours.” Just after 9 p.m. the first profiteers arrive, selling empty gas cans. “I ask, ‘How much,’ ” Califano said. “Guy says, ‘$35.’ I ask if he Simonizes my car for that, too. But people bought ’em right up. Now other guys come selling gas in 5-gallon Poland Spring water-cooler bottles for $60 — $12 a gallon — off the back of a truck with cardboard Jersey plates. I woulda paid $60 a gallon if I knew it was real gas but I have no idea if it’s gas, Log Cabin syrup or Vitalis in there. People bought it all.”

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30-hour wait for fuel offers plenty of intrigue but no no gas

Man who thought he had the inside scoop got in a Brooklyn gas line six hours ahead of a phantom 8 p.m. delivery, but it did not come. So, he waited and waited and waited some more. Conversations abounded, bladders gave out, car heaters whirred from overwork and a heated altercation ensued. And still no gas.

20140521185629

The # signs in the above shortcuts represent different hotkeys that perform certain. For instance, if you were using Internet Explorer on the PC, you could jump to the Facebook home page by pressing Alt + 2, then Enter. In addition, there are a few regular shortcuts that can make browsing Facebook even faster. j/k = scroll up/down between News Feed stories l = like or unlike a story c = comment on a story s = share a story p = post a new status update Typing a question mark will open the full list of Facebook shortcuts. Are you a fan of YouTube? We’ve recently started building more videos ourselves here at Buffer, so we’re excited to learn more about how everything works. We also love watching cool vids! Here are some ways we’ve found to watch even faster. 1 = jump ahead to 10% through a video 5 = jump ahead to 50% Any other single digit = jump ahead to a certain percentage through a video (e.g., 3 = 30%, 4 = 40%) 0 = starts the video over at 0:00 <Spacebar> = pauses/unpauses the video Here are even more shortcuts for YouTube, courtesy of Hong Kiat. Like most Google products, Google+ has some handy shortcuts for faster use. Try any of these from inside your Google+ account. left arrow = Navigates to the menu at the left side of the page (e.g., Home, Photos), and you can scroll this list with the up/down arrows. / = selects the search box at the top of the page j/k = moves up/down in the stream You can access the full list of Google+ shortcuts from any G+ page by typing a question mark. This is one of our favorite tips to use with Buffer. When you’ve installed the Buffer browser extension, you can activate your Buffer composer with a simple hotkey from any website at all. The shortcut is customizable in the Buffer extension settings, but it defaults to this: We use WordPress every day for composing our blog posts here at Buffer, so we’ve picked up a few tricks along the way. If you ever want to view the full list of keyboard shortcuts inside your WordPress editor, click on the question mark icon from the editor menu. Here are a few of my personal favorites: <Command>+ 2, 3, or 4 = Heading 2, 3, or 4 wherever your cursor currently is <Alt>+<Shift>+a = add a link <Alt>+<Shift>+m = insert an image (I use distraction-free writing mode when I’m composing in WordPress, and there’s a neat shortcut that lets you resize the width of the distraction-free editor. Press <Control>+plus/minus to change the width.) To see the full list of WordPress shortcuts, you can click the question mark icon in the menu bar of your post editor, or use the shortcut <Alt>+<Shift>+h. I’ve found Pocket to be an ideal part of my researching and reading habit, and it’s great to learn new ways to make this tool even more useful. Here are a couple. <Command>+1 = go to homepage <Command>+2 = go to favorites <Command>+3 = go to archive The complete list of keyboard shortcuts can be found here. We are pretty big Apple fans at Buffer. Our setups include Macbook Airs and Macbook Pros, and we’ve learned some pretty nifty tricks to fly through our workflows just as fast as possible. Here are a few of our favorite tips: <Command>+<Spacebar> = opens Spotlight search so you can search your Mac for anything (files, apps, etc.) <Command>+up/down = scroll to top/bottom of a page or document <Command>+h = hides the active window <Command>+<Tab> = switches between open applications <Command>+~ = switches between windows in the same app (e.g., multiple browser windows) <Command>+d = functions as the delete key <Command>+<Shift>+4, then <Spacebar> = the first part of this shortcut lets you take a screenshot of anything you see. Just press the hotkeys then click and drag the crosshair cursor over the area you want to grab. If you’d like to take a screenshot of an entire window, press spacebar once the crosshair cursor appears. Here is a huge list of even more shortcuts for Mac. Before joining Buffer, I worked at a company that exclusively used PCs, so I learned a number of different ways to work quickly in Windows. I get the sense that a lot of you might be on PCs, too, so if there are any favorite shortcuts I overlooked here, please add them to the comments! <Alt>+home/end = scrolls to the top/bottom of a window/page <Alt>+<Tab> = switch between open windows F2 = rename a selected file or folder <Windows>+<Print Screen> = take a screenshot ands save it to a “screenshots” folder in your pictures <Windows>+m = minimize all windows <Control>+scroll = in windows explorer, this cycles through viewing options and changes folder sizes There are tons more Windows keyboard shortcuts, too. When I’m not writing in WordPress, I’m writing in Google Docs. A lot of the most useful keyboard shortcuts in Docs are similar to the common ones you use in a lot of other places: copy, cut, paste, etc. That being said, here are three unique ones that save me a bit of time. <Command>+<Option>+m = insert a comment Here is the full list of Google Docs keyboard shortcuts. Most browsers can be sped up the same way with similar shortcuts across each. You’re likely familiar with a few of these. Any of your favorites that I missed? <Command>+n = opens a new window <Command>+t = opens a new tab <Command>+w = closes the current tab <Command>+<Shift>+t = opens the most recently closed tab(s) <Command>+<Shift>+n = opens a new Incognito window (great for seeing how someone else might experience a page if they’re not logged in as you) <Command>+l = places your cursor in the address bar <Command>+plus/minus = increases/decreases the zoom on the page (<Command>+zero resets everything to default) Dropbox has been a huge help for me to digitize parts of my life that used to take up boxes and boxes in my office. Now that there’s a whole bunch of files there, it’s been fun to figure out how to surf them even faster. Here are a few tips: left = go up a folder right = open a selected folder <Enter> = download or open a file F2 = rename a selected file You can access the full list of Dropbox keyboard shortcuts by typing a question mark within Dropbox. Feedly is a favorite integration for many of us who use Buffer, and it’s one of the most popular RSS readers out there. The keyboard shortcuts are really unique and interesting, too. These only require keying in a letter or series of letters. No Command, Control, Alt, or Shift needed! gg = view the magic bar (like a quick navigation to all your feeds + search) gl = go to saved articles m = mark as read s = save for later b = add to Buffer The complete list of Feedly shortcuts can be viewed at any time by typing a question mark. You might use Evernote for your curation or saving strategy. It makes clipping and saving from just about anywhere—browser, phone, photos, handwritten notes—super easy and useful. A number of us on the Buffer team use it regularly. Here are some top shortcuts: <Command>+n = create a new note <Command>+<Shift>+n = create a new notebook <Control>+<Command>+n = create new tag (Windows users try <Control>+<Shift>+t) Here are even more Evernote shortcuts, courtesy of dashkards. Do you listen to music while you work? Turns out there are a number of neat benefits in regards to music and the brain, so connecting with services like Spotify could help you work a little faster. Here are some quick tips: <Enter> = play selected row Click here to see the full list of keyboard shortcuts for Spotify. Soundcloud is another source of great music to optimize your brain for creativity; plus Soundcloud hosts a number of podcasts and unique audio tracks that are uploaded from users. Here are some ways to work with Soundcloud even faster: <Shift>+left/right = play next/previous track l = like the playing track r = repost the playing track You can see the full list of Soundcloud shortcuts by pressing H from inside Soundcloud. If you’re into Tumblr for visual content, memes, or laughs, you can browse through your dashboard lightning fast with these shortcuts. j/k = move forward/backward through your posts l = like the current post n = view notes for the current post arrow right/left = go to the next/previous page <Alt>+r = reblog the current post Even more Tumblr keyboard shortcuts and fun tips can be found here. Touch gestures in iOS are so fun and helpful to use, I just couldn’t help but place one here. An iPhone/iPad is not necessarily a big part of my workflow, but I definitely find myself looking for neat ways to use these devices better. Here is my favorite find so far: Double-click <Home> to bring up a card view of open applications, then touch a card and swipe up to close the app. You can also do a four-finger swipe up to pull up the same card view (the four-finger swipe is my go-to move). I’d love to hear any tips you might have in the comments. I’m always on the look out for more ways to work smarter!

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111+ Keyboard Shortcuts for Your Most-Used Online Tools

Little epiphanies like these are hugely satisfying when I’m trying to squeeze just a little more time out of each and every day.

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Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk resigned in a shock move in protest at the disbanding of the ruling parliamentary coalition, plunging the strife-torn nation into political uncertainty. "I announce my resignation in connection with the dissolution of the parliamentary coalition and the blocking of government initiatives," a furious Mr Yatsenyuk told parliament. It comes after politicians came to blows in the Ukraine parliament earlier this week. They were seen punching and hitting each other in the aisles mid-meeting, according to USA Today. The Independent reported that tensions were high after a decision to increase military reserves and enlist men under 50 to combat Russian forces on the border. Ukrainian parliamentary deputies from the right-wing party in a tussle with Communist Party leader Petro Symonenko from the hall during a session in parliament in Kiev. (Getty Images) Mr Yatsenyuk said the "government and the prime minister must resign" after the withdrawal of several parties triggered the break up of the European Choice parliamentary majority in a move that paved the way for long-awaited early legislative elections. Parliament speaker Oleksandr Turchynov called on deputies to put forward immediately a candidate for a temporary premier "until parliamentary elections are held." Early parliamentary elections in Ukraine have been expected since the February ouster of Kremlin-backed leader Viktor Yanukovych following months of deadly protests. The formal dissolution of the majority coalition in Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada gives President Petro Poroshenko the right over the next month to announce a fresh parliamentary poll. Mr Poroshenko had pledged though that the possibility of upcoming elections would not paralyse the work of parliament at a time when Kiev is struggling to end a bloody separatist insurrection tearing apart the east of the country. Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk resigned yesterday over the "blocking of government initiatives." (Getty Images) Do you have any news photos or videos?

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Ukraine prime minister resigns following a mid-week parliamentary bust up

Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk resigned in a shock move in protest at the disbanding of the ruling parliamentary coalition, plunging the strife-torn nation into political uncertainty.

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FORTUNE — Wal-Mart announced on Monday that company veteran C. Douglas McMillon will replace chief executive officer Mike Duke when he retires early next year. McMillon has a stellar resume that reflects his veteran status at the nation’s largest employer: The 47-year-old started his career in the company’s merchandising division and went on to lead the company’s logistics, distribution, and administration divisions before overseeing Wal-Mart International in 2005 and becoming chief executive of Sam’s Club in 2006. He currently heads Wal-Mart’s WMT operations outside the U.S. In a report released this morning, The Buckingham Reseach Group called McMillon a “great choice,” citing his overseas experience and his work to integrate systems across the company’s procurement, distribution and merchandising divisions. MORE: The new subprime loan magnet: Your car But McMillon’s impressive tenure at Wal-Mart will by no means make his new job an easy one. Here are some of the challenges he’ll face: The most public and populist of all of Wal-Mart’s troubles is the contentious relationship it has with its hourly workers. Retail workers’ protests of Wal-Mart’s low hourly wages started in earnest last October and have continued ever since. There will be no letting up this holiday season; non-union worker group OUR Wal-Mart said 1,500 protests are planned for Black Friday 2013. The most recent burst of outrage came earlier this month when a Wal-Mart store in Canton, Ohio held a food drive in an employee lounge for the store’s own workers. “Please donate food items so associates in need can enjoy Thanksgiving dinner,” said a sign placed above several plastic bins. A company spokesperson said that the food drive was for staffers who had undergone hardships and reflected just how much store employees care about each other. The company has previously characterized worker protests as “publicity stunts” and has stood by its hourly pay. Wal-Mart may be able to brush off its reputation woes, but it will not be able to dismiss its weak sales quite as easily. When the company reported its third-quarter earnings earlier this month, comparable sales were down 0.3% as shoppers made fewer trips to the stores. Those figures continued a downward trend seen earlier this year when same-store sales dipped 0.3% in the second quarter and 1.4% in the first. The lackluster performance forced the retailer to forecast disappointing profits for the upcoming holiday shopping season — it expects flat comparable sales in the U.S. — which its executives have predicted to be “as competitive” as they’ve ever seen it. The main contributor to stores’ poor performance is reluctance by lower-income shoppers to spend money on discretionary goods because of this year’s higher payroll taxes and slow job growth. MORE: Apple as the goose that laid the golden eggs. Five of them. 3. Making it in the big city One of the bright spots for Wal-Mart has come from its Neighborhood Markets stores, which are mini, city-based shops outfitted to accommodate express shopping trips and compete with dollar stores. Comparable sales at these smaller stores grew 3.4% in the third quarter of this year. Wal-Mart has 300 small stores now but plans to have 400 by the end of the year, which means that Neighborhood Market openings will outpace new superstores for the first time ever. But determining how to supply the 38,000 square-foot shops — which are a third of the size of Wal-Mart’s supercenters — is still in the air, as is the success such stores will have in different metropolitan areas. Organized labor has opposed Wal-Mart’s efforts to move into major cities because of the company’s history of anti-union tactics. The store recently won the right to open its second and third stores in Chicago after years of lobbying, but politicians and union leaders have long kept the company from entering New York City. 4. Surviving in the Amazon Wal-Mart has invested heavily in merging its online, offline, and mobile commerce operations, a strategy that encourages customers to use the Wal-Mart app while they’re in the store. The effort has resulted in some success. In the third quarter of this year, online sales increased 40%, and the company expects its e-commerce to total $10 billion, 2.1% of its total sales, by the end of the year. That’s a huge figure, but it represents just how far Wal-Mart has to go to catch its biggest e-commerce competitor, Amazon amzn , which brought in $61 billion in net sales last fiscal year. MORE: 10 Most Powerful Women in autos McMillon’s appointment as Wal-mart CEO is an answer to at least one of the company’s biggest questions: what role it will have internationally. The company’s U.S. market is near saturation, so it makes sense to ramp up overseas operations, but international markets typically offer lower operating margins and returns. Wal-Mart’s international sales rose 4.1% to $34.4 billion in the third quarter, but comparable sales fell in key markets like Mexico and Canada. Wal-Mart has long put a big emphasis on its global growth, but its overseas operations are still small compared to its domestic business: The international division represented 29% of the company’s 2013 fiscal revenue. But by choosing McMillon, who oversaw Wal-Mart’s acquisitions of Massmart in South Africa, Netto in the U.K., and Yihaodian in China, the company has indicated that it will continue to try to tap the international markets as a counter to anemic growth at home.

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5 headwinds Wal-Mart’s new CEO will face

Doug McMillon’s impressive tenure at Wal-Mart will by no means make his new job an easy one. Here are some of the challenges he’ll need to tackle.

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A new computer developed by a Queensland university could become a vital weapon against viruses such as Ebola. (AAP) A man was admitted to a New York City hospital Monday suffering from symptoms similar to those of Ebola and was being tested to see if he was infected, hospital officials said. "In the early morning hours of Monday, August 4, 2014, a male patient with high fever and gastrointestinal symptoms presented at The Mount Sinai Hospital's Emergency Department in New York City," a hospital statement said. The patient recently traveled to a West African country where Ebola has been reported, it added without naming the country. "The patient has been placed in strict isolation and is undergoing medical screenings to determine the cause of his symptoms. All necessary steps are being taken to ensure the safety of all patients, visitors and staff," the hospital added. According to an updated statement Monday by the UN World Health Organization, at least 887 people have died from Ebola since the beginning of the year, after the virus spread across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Ebola-like symptoms include fever, vomiting, severe headaches and muscular pain and, in the final stages, profuse bleeding. Kent Brantly, the US doctor infected with the virus, "seems to be improving," the director of the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control, where he is being treated in an isolation unit, said on Sunday. A second American infected with the virus while working in Liberia is due to arrive back in the United States on Tuesday. The Christian missionary group SIM USA said Nancy Writebol, 60, was in a "serious but stable condition" and was "expected to return to the US for further treatment on Tuesday". She will be evacuated on the same plane that carried Dr Brantly, and will also be taken to the isolation unit in Atlanta. Do you have any news photos or videos?

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Man admitted to New York hospital for Ebola testing

A man has been admitted to a New York City hospital to undergo Ebola testing after suffering similar symptoms.

20140919213107

Eileen Gray is the mystery figure of 20th-century modern architecture. How did the Irish-Scots aristocrat from Enniscorthy, County Wexford, become an originator of Parisian art deco? Even stranger, how, without any training as an architect, did she reinvent herself as one of the superstars of quite a different style, the architect of modernist buildings of a reticence so powerful they take the breath away? The answer must lie in Gray's exceptional contrariness as a woman and as an artist. "To create," she once said, "one must first question everything." There is a sense of metamorphosis in Gray's work. Her rooms are designed to be flexible, impermanent, responsive to the demands of the moment. Screens can be shifted to redefine the spaces. Little drawers pivot outwards to reveal their inner contents. A storage cupboard drops down to provide a writing surface. A mirror is suspended on a pole that swivels. All is movement, realignment, possibility. The same is true of Gray's life. She was a springer of surprises. To start with, Gray, who took the lead in redefining architecture as a plausible profession for her sex, derives her surname not from her father but her mother, who in 1895 inherited the Scottish title Baroness Gray in her own right. Her father changed his name to Smith-Gray by royal licence and the four children were from then on known as Gray. The unlikeliness continues with her choice of lacquer-making, an obscure oriental art that is technically hard to master, at a time when her contemporary craftswomen were concentrating on more conventional pursuits: bookbinding, weaving, embroidery, jewellery making. Nor was Gray ever involved in the arts and crafts guilds or supportive female groupings of the early 1900s. She always worked alone, and this fastidious apartness was the basis of her originality. She studied at the Slade School of Design, but did not stay in England long. She had a wonderful ability to pack up and leave with no sentimental waverings. Gray had first gone to Paris in 1901, with two friends from the Slade, to take classes in drawing and returned to Paris permanently five years later, moving into the apartment in rue Bonaparte that she kept all her life. She was soon more Parisian than the Parisians, developing a style of decoration that came to be seen as quintessentially French. Eileen Gray's work in Paris before the first world war is rarefied, exotic. She developed her skills in lacquer through meeting and learning from a young Japanese craftsman, Seizo Sugawara, who came from Jahoji, a village in northern Japan famous for its lacquer work. Gray filled her notebooks with colour recipes and methods of applying and layering the lacquer, seeing how she might draw on these ancient techniques to create a modern art form. Her screens and panels are abstract, with complex, swirling forms. The most marvellous of these, Le Destin (1914), is a four-fold screen in deep red lacquer on which a mysterious drama is enacted between two blue-grey naked youths and an old man wrapped in a misty silver shroud. Le Destin was acquired by the couturier Jacques Doucet, bibliophile and modern art collector, an early admirer of Gray's work. After the war her interiors still tended to the sumptuous, though never to the vulgar. Gray's art deco was never lush or louche. She had a deeply moral disapproval of the overdone, covering over the "disgraceful mouldings" in the apartment in the Rue de Lota she was commissioned to design for Madame Mathieu Lévy, who, as Suzanne Talbot, was one of the most fashionable modistes in Paris at the time. Gray had been excited by Bakst's designs for Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, and the salon in the Lévy apartment is her own Schéhérazade, a finely judged ensemble of lacquered panels, matt gold cushions, a red lacquer serpent chair and one of her most beautiful designs, the Pirogue boat-bed, burnished like a barque for Cleopatra in lacquer and silver leaf. (The Pirogue was the show-stopper in the V&A museum's art deco exhibition of 2003.) Very little is known of Gray's emotional life. Characteristically, she burnt all letters and personal mementoes in old age. But it seems that from her early years in France, Gray was on the fringes of the raffish intellectual Paris-Lesbos scene. She had a long, close friendship with Gaby Bloch, companion-manager of the American Marie Louise Fuller, alias Loïe, of twirling dance celebrity. She was later to be seen swanning around with Damia, the green-eyed, gravel-voiced singer whose popular "chansons dramatiques et tristes" had made her the Edith Piaf of her day. Gray escorted Damia to restaurants and nightclubs, elegant in her Poiret evening coats and Lanvin hats. She knew Nathalie Barney, Romaine Brooks and Gertrude Stein. But she never quite joined up with the Café Flore society of Americans in Paris. They were probably too raucous. The American photographer Thérèse Bonney recalled Gray's extreme inwardness: "Of all the people I knew in the world, she gave the feeling of complete consecration." Gray's rebirth as total modernist began in the mid-1920s. By now she had opened her own shop in Paris, in the fashionable Rue du Faubourg St Honoré. The shop was called Galérie Jean Désert, the name of an invented male proprietor and reference to Gray's then-recent desert travels in north Africa with the weaver Evelyn Wyld. A female furniture designer in Paris was a rarity, but a cognoscenti customer base of writers, politicians, artists and architects was gradually created. Jean Désert sold the abstract geometric rugs designed by Gray and woven in Wyld's Rue Visconti workshops. Her evolution was now recognised by other European modernists. Gray had her first major public showing in the Salon des Artistes Décorateurs in 1923. Although the sombrely sophisticated Bedroom-Boudoir de Monte Carlo was described by one critic as suitable for Dr Caligari's daughter, Gray was heartened to receive an enthusiastic postcard from the Dutch modernist architect JP Oud, a founder of De Stijl. Her subsequent display at the Salon d'Automne was praised by her fellow exhibitors Le Corbusier and Robert Mallet-Stevens. In 1924 the Dutch avant-garde magazine Wendingen referred to her as being "at the centre of the modern movement". She was seen as a designer with new visions for the future, demonstrating that "the formidable influence of technology has transformed our sensibilities". Gray was the model of the self-made architect: "I started really by myself, sort of making plans of buildings." Her architecture evolved without the training or the tradition of the large office. She was never the woman in the shadow of the maestro, as Charlotte Perriand was with Le Corbusier or Lilly Reich with Mies van der Rohe. Her first house, named cryptically E-1027, was designed in collaboration with and indeed for her sometime lover, Jean Badovici, the Romanian architect and writer. But she did not allow him to get the upper hand. The plan was credited to "Eileen Gray and Jean Badovici". When the design was shown in a later exhibition as the work of Badovici with furnishings by Gray, on the assumption that women were by nature merely choosers of the curtains, she was understandably enraged. E-1027 was built on the cliffs at Roquebrune, a clear white L-shaped house of exquisite simplicity. The south of France was then a favoured place for modernists, with its wild coast scenery and connotations of escape. Gray had loved the Riviera since she first discovered St Tropez, then quite undeveloped, on her early travels before the first world war. E-1027 developed as a "living organism", like the flora and fauna burgeoning around it. The furnishings were integral to the architecture, in Gray's apparently casual seaside "camping style". Most of the furniture for which Gray is now so famous - the Bibendum chair, the Transat chair - was designed for the new house. The E-1027 circular glass table, adjustable in height by means of a sliding pole, was evolved for Eileen's sister, who liked breakfasting in bed. Though E-1027 was startlingly modern in its day, Gray was never a doctrinaire modernist. She stood apart from the dogmatic male dominated Congrès Internationaux d'Architecture Moderne (CIAM). What she achieved was different, and it was her own. Colin St John Wilson, architect of the British library and a Gray aficionado, has defined her "unique gift for turning the practical into the poetic", her intense "perceptions of habitability". Gray took the forms of modernism and invested them with a perfectionist tendresse. In the hall of E-1027, "Entrez Lentement" was spelled out with a kind of gentle jokiness. When she used industrial materials it was with the lightest touch. This makes all the crasser Le Corbusier's later desecration of E-1027 by painting nine large, lewdly coloured frescoes on the pristine walls, an act Gray called violation. Le Corbusier reputedly added insult to injury by painting in the nude. Between 1932 and 1934 Gray built her own house, Tempe à Pailla, nearby at Castellar. She and Jean Badovici had by now parted. Gray continued planning buildings but little materialised. It was only in the 1970s that Gray was rediscovered. Retrospectives in London and New York revealed her as a designer of intrepid intelligence. She attracted younger fans, among them Bruce Chatwin, who tracked her down in Paris. He remarked on two gouache maps of Patagonia she had painted on the walls of her apartment. Gray, by then old, blind and fragile, said: "Go there for me." When Chatwin returned, he wrote In Patagonia. Gray died in 1976 at the age of 98. Can we really consider her as one of the giants of modernism on the strength of just two buildings? Gray herself, who regarded her late fame with a charming cynicism, would have said: "Mais c'est absurde." Yet her vision of the future - "the future projects light, the past only shadows" - was compelling. She humanised the architectural world. We need to see her as the precursor of such solo women architects as Eva Jiricna and Zaha Hadid. View Gray in broader terms as the builder of the home, literally the homemaker, and you have a potent image for the dawning feminism of the mid-20th century. · An exhibition of Eileen Gray's work is at the Design Museum, London SE1, from September 17. Details: 0870 833 9955.

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Future worlds | Art and design | The Guardian

As visionary as she was contrary, Eileen Gray ranks among the giants of modernism, thanks to just two buildings.

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PEKING, Jan. 1 - Two blocks from the eastern wall of the Forbidden City, the ancient residence of China's emperors, sits a plain, modern five-story building. Its large plate-glass windows are curtained to shield its contents from passers-by. The only clue to its identity is a small sign modestly describing it as the ''Peking City Food Supply Place.'' But it does not resemble other Peking markets with their long lines of patient housewives who have arrived on foot or by bicycle in quest of whatever vegetables or meat may be available that day. Instead, a covey of cars and jeeps is drawn up outside. Chauffeurs load them with crates of frozen giant prawns, fruit from tropical southern China and beer from Qingdao, the country's best. All are luxuries unobtainable in regular markets. A Hidden Network of Privilege The store is part of a hidden network of special privileges setting apart the politically anointed members of this ''classless'' society. Among those who benefit are members of the Communist Party Central Committee, top army generals, and their children. Foreign visitors are impressed by the uniformity of dress, by the endless number of people in shapeless proletarian blue jackets and pants, and they tend to conclude that the Communists have achieved their proclaimed goal of equality. But the people themselves are intensely aware of the differences between them, especially the prerogatives and perquisites enjoyed by the elite. On the western side of the Forbidden City, behind a gray brick wall, is a large old Chinese-style, tile-roofed courtyard home with a garden and access to a small lake. It is occupied by a senior general of the People's Liberation Army. The average allotment of housing space in Peking is three square yards per person, about the size of a dining-room table. But the general, his wife and their two children have three spacious bedrooms; a living room with a piano, color television set and parquet floor; a study, and a huge kitchen equipped with an American refrigerator. A Chinese who visited them recently found the sense of space almost breathtaking, ''the ultimate luxury in China,'' he said. The general's home has two bathrooms with flush toilets and bathtubs with regular hot water. Americans take such facilities for granted, but many Chinese have neither their own toilets nor running water and must share a kitchen with other families in their building. The army has provided the general with a cook, an orderly, a driver for his military sedan and two bodyguards. A Threat of Suicide Not long ago, a young man deposited a package of liquor and cigarettes outside the general's gate with a note asking for his daughter's hand in marriage. The next day, the unidentified suitor left another letter, this time with the equivalent of $200 in cash, equal to five months salary for an average Chinese. ''If you don't let me marry your daughter, I will commit suicide,'' he threatened. The general, an aging army veteran, was disturbed. Both his two children are boys. The writer was clearly only guessing that whoever lived in such a house must have high rank and therefore be worthy of attention. Indeed, the general's family often gets other requests for help from people who simply address their notes ''to whoever lives here.'' Contrary to the impression that this is a classless society, almost everyone has been assigned to a particular rank in the hierarchy. The state bureaucracy is divided into 24 grades, ranging from simple clerks at the bottom, grade 24, to the Chairman of the Communist Party at the top, grade 1. Professors have their own scale of 12 ranks, actors of 16, industrial workers of 8 and cooks of 4. Wages Correspond to Rank Each grade has a corresponding wage level. The salaries of state officials, or cadres, vary from $25 a month for grade 24 to $250 a month for grade 1. More important, a higher rank provides greater access to the amenities of the life. In China, unlike in the United States, they cannot be acquired with money. Only ranking state officials, army officers and a few other people in special categories can buy tickets for the limited number of daily plane flghts or for ''soft-berth,'' first-class accommodations on the overcrowded trains. An eminent surgeon said that he had to show his work permit, which gave his academic rank, before he could buy passage in a first-class sleeper on the Shanghai-Peking express. Without it, he would have had to lie on a wooden plank stacked in barrackslike fashion. Passengers in first class, including foreigners, usually board through special entrances off to the side of the noisy main station and furnished with easy chairs, rugs and mugs of tea. High Ranks and Private Cars Only ranking officials get government cars; there are virtually no private automobiles here. The vehicles are supposed to be used only for office business, but most Chinese appear to see little wrong with taking advantage of whatever perquisites they get. ''I used to worry about my wife using the office car,'' a graying engineer in Shanghai said, ''since the car belongs to the people. But then we talked about it, and she pointed out that we are the people, too.''

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CHINA, FOR A FORTUNATE FEW AT THE TOP, IS PARADISE OF PRIVILEGE AND

PERQUISITES By FOX BUTTERFIELD PEKING, Jan. 1 - Two blocks from the eastern wall of the Forbidden City, the ancient residence of China's emperors, sits a plain, modern five-story building. Its large plate-glass windows are curtained to shield its contents from passers-by. The only clue to its identity is a small sign modestly describing it as the ''Peking City Food Supply Place.'' But it does not resemble other Peking markets with their long lines of patient housewives who have arrived on foot or by bicycle in quest of whatever vegetables or meat may be available that day. Instead, a covey of cars and jeeps is drawn up outside. Chauffeurs load them with crates of frozen giant prawns, fruit from tropical southern China and beer from Qingdao, the country's best. All are luxuries unobtainable in regular markets.

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The annual Easter egg hunt in Central Park turned into chaos yesterday when prizes were tossed up for grabs, touching off a stampede in a crowd of several thousand people. Scores were knocked to the ground, six were hurt, dozens of youngsters were separated from their parents and police reinforcements had to be summoned to restore order. ''I saw people getting stepped on and trampled,'' said Donna Gordon of Manhattan, who accompanied her 20-month-old daughter, Kim, and a neighbor's 10-year-old son, Trevor Little. ''People were crying, screaming - the works.'' ''There was a lot of hysteria,'' said Eric Gaull, a park medical officer, who said he saw a number of people fall as the crowd went wild shortly after 12:30 P.M. on the East Green, a lawn off Fifth Avenue between 70th and 72d Streets. Five Children Slightly Hurt No serious injuries were reported, but five children and a police officer were treated at Lenox Hill Hospital for cuts and bruises, and many worried parents and sobbing children spent an hour or more hunting for one another instead of for Easter eggs. Mayor Koch arrived on the scene just as the police were restoring order. Later, he and Parks Commissioner Gordon J. Davis agreed that the annual hunt should not be canceled, but that changes should be made next year to accommodate larger crowds. The Epilepsy Institute, which sponsors the hunt with the city's Parks Department, was closed yesterday and its officials were unavailable for comment. ''It was not very pleasant,'' Commissioner Davis said. ''Big kids were pushing smaller kids. Parents were separated from their children. Kids were crying.'' Drawn by such attractions as Ronald McDonald, Spiderman, the Easter Bunny and the promise of free prizes, a crowd of 30,000 to 40,000 - double or triple the expected size - turned out on a warm, sunny and windy day for the third annual hunt. But disappointment followed quickly. ''The crowd was clearly too large to run the actual hunt,'' Mr. Davis said. The plan, which worked well in the two previous years, had been to hide the prizes - egg-shaped plastic hosiery containers bearing stuffed animals and other toys - in the park and to register and organize the children by age into several groups. The children, would then line up and fan out in waves to hunt for prizes. No Shortage of Prizes ''The crowd was too big to organize into age groups, so the hunt had to be canceled, but there was an announcement that the prizes would be distributed, and four or five distribution points were set up,'' Mr. Davis said. Maurice Nixon, a Davis aide who is assistant commissioner for recreation, said there were plenty of prizes to go around - 100,000 chocolate and toy bunnies, fluffy dolls and wooden toys, as well as 50,000 plastic colored Easter eggs filled with toys and candy. One of these distribution points was outside a green and white striped tent set up in the center of the lawn near 71st Street, where 2,500 to 3,000 people were concentrated. What happened next is somewhat unclear. By one account, crowds behind police barricades began rushing forward as soon as the toy boxes were brought out from the tent, and volunteers, in an effort to placate them, began hurling prizes into the air, contributing to the frenzy. Mr. Davis said, however, that the volunteers had started the trouble by tossing prizes into the crowd. ''Some of the volunteers decided it would be easier and faster if they just threw them in the air,'' the commissioner said. ''The volunteers began throwing the gifts into the crowd. At that point, it was like the Day of the Locusts.'' 'A Very Serious Incident' Commissioner Davis emphasized that the crowd at only one of several prize-distribution points had become involved in the stampede, but he said it nevertheless bordered on ''a very serious incident.'' Carolyn Swinson, who had brought her 3-year-old son Damon to his first egg hunt, said volunteers were ''throwing the toys and people were lunging at them like animals.'' She said she dragged her son away, stood back and watched the crowd scream and stampede. Kenneth Evans, an employee of the Epilepsy Institute, said the crowds knocked down police barricades despite efforts to hold them back and ''kept coming right at us.'' Child 'Didn't Get Anything' Maria Colon, 10, who was attending her first hunt with her mother, said there was ''a lot of crowding and a lot of shouting.'' Standing on the fringe of the crowd, she said she saw toys being thrown toward outstretched hands. ''Some people got hurt,'' she said, and added: ''I didn't get anything.'' Adrienne Gross of the Bronx, who brought five children to the hunt, said: ''There were little kids getting hurt.'' Children leaping into the air for toys fell under foot and were ''stomped on.'' ''People went crazy,'' said Christopher Rush, a police officer who suffered a hand injury in the 20-minute effort to restore order. Police officers at the scene, unable to handle the crowd, summoned reinforcements from the 19th Precinct on the East Side and the 20th on the West Side with a signal ''10-13,'' the ''assist patrolman'' alarm. Scores of police officers, along with several ambulances, responded to the scene. As the crowds dispersed, the park landscape where the chaos had erupted was littered with paper, broken balloons and torn clumps of sod. Roderick Van Hollins, a Parks Department employee who took his young daughter to the hunt, said, ''There were just too many people.'' Illustrations: photo of children reaching for eggs in Central Park (page 24)

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THRONG STAMPEDES AT EASTER EGG HUNT

The annual Easter egg hunt in Central Park turned into chaos yesterday when prizes were tossed up for grabs, touching off a stampede in a crowd of several thousand people. Scores were knocked to the ground, six were hurt, dozens of youngsters were separated from their parents and police reinforcements had to be summoned to restore order. ''I saw people getting stepped on and trampled,'' said Donna Gordon of Manhattan, who accompanied her 20-month-old daughter, Kim, and a neighbor's 10-year-old son, Trevor Little. ''People were crying, screaming - the works.''

20150524084411

STATE COLLEGE, Pa., Dec. 26— Bartenders and garbage collectors enjoy considerable self-esteem, despite public opinion polls that have shown a lack of status in their jobs, a Pennsylvania State University study shows. ''Social scientists frequently assume that most persons accept the general public's opinions of their occupations when they evaluate themselves,'' said Dr. Edward J. Walsh, a sociology professor. ''The study suggests that notion is more myth than fact.'' Dr. Walsh and Dr. Marylee C. Taylor studied 961 men from Philadelphia and several Middle West cities for a report to be published in the journal Sociology and Social Research. The men's occupations had all been ranked in public opinion polls in which garbage collectors, parks workers and bartenders were given ''low'' status, barbers and mail carriers received ''middle'' status and high school teachers and college professors were given ''high'' status. Each man was asked to rank himself in terms of his general selfesteem and to look at his opinion of himself in terms of his occupation, his family and his sociability. Teachers and college professors showed the highest overall selfesteem, but bartenders ranked themselves higher than mail carriers and barbers, Dr. Walsh said. Bartenders also showed the highest rankings in the occupational and sociability dimensions of selfesteem. Garbage collectors ranked lowest in occupational self-esteem but were second highest in their self-esteem in the family, the study found. Mail carriers had the highest family self-esteem, and bartenders ranked third. College professors were ranked last, which Dr. Walsh said might be because of ''their deep involvement in their work to the detriment of their family life.''

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GARBAGE COLLECTORS AND BARMEN RATE HIGH IN SELF-ESTEEM

Bartenders and garbage collectors enjoy considerable self-esteem, despite public opinion polls that have shown a lack of status in their jobs, a Pennsylvania State University study shows. ''Social scientists frequently assume that most persons accept the general public's opinions of their occupations when they evaluate themselves,'' said Dr. Edward J. Walsh, a sociology professor.

20150524104215

Stephen Leacock, who died in 1944, was a Canadian economist turned writer, a humorist who had the rare ability to make an otherwise silent, sedentary reader burst into laughter at a line of thought that was funny, if not hilarious. He won a Mark Twain award and was admired by his fellow humorist Robert Benchley, whose mind often scampered in similar whimsical directions. Leacock will be recreated tomorrow night at 8 o'clock at the Vandam Theater, 15 Vandam Street (675-0498) in Greenwich Village, in a one-man show in which the one man is John Stark. Mr. Stark, a Canadian, has been acting Leacock and his words for years, bringing both alive in Canada and Britain. Leacock, who in Prohibition times was denied admission to dry states and a Carnegie Hall lecture because he refused to be parted from his bottle of gin, later sent a telegram: ''No hooch, no spooch.'' He explained that his lecture fees were quite re asonable: ''I find out how much money you've got, and I never charge a cent more.'' Mr. Stark and Raymond Homer, a movie producer (''Lies My Father Told Me''), have rented the Vandam for six months in hopes of bringing in other presentations from Canada. Admission tonight is $8. HARDY ANDES From South America, from the towering Andes, where the Quechua and Aymara people keep alive their pre-Columbian cultures, comes an evening of music born in those regions to be performed at 8 P.M. today in the Alternative Museum, 17 White Street, at the Avenue of the Americas (966-4444). ''Nayjama, Music of the Andes'' presents five musicians, four from Bolivia and Chile, who play such instruments as the t'arkas, which are winds; samponas, related to panpipes; mocenos, choquelas and piquillos, which are flutes; the hollowed tree-trunk drum called bombo, and the charango , which resembles a miniature guitar. The museum, which has from its inception been interested in music of the world, is putting emphasis this season, despite the Andes concert, on the Middle East and Central Asia, such as next Saturday's session with melody of the Caucasus. Admission tonight is $6. CLOSER TO HOME It may not feel it, but it is none to soon for greenthumbers to start planning for the growing season that follows this devastating one. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 1000 Washington Avenue, near Flatbush Avenue and Eastern Parkway (622-4433), will help you get off to an early getaway with a series of four Sunday seminars that begins tomorrow and runs through Feb. 28, from 2 to 4 P.M. The opener offers advice on caring for street trees, those maples and gingkos and others that community groups and homeowners plant to beautify the streets where they live. You will hear speakers and be able to discuss the matter with experts. Admission is free. You may, if you wish, register for a preseminar brunch, for which you pay. HERO WORSHIP Have you ever wondered about those pictures you see in barber shops, restaurants, shoe-repair shops and other small business establishments that show familiar faces of stars, some of the photographs signed, that seem to indicate patronage by the famous? Well, you won't find answers, but you can ponder the questions further in an off-beat photo exhibition through Feb. 26 in the Lincoln Center Gallery, in the center's one-flight-down Gallery on the concourse level, roughly below the Metropolitan Opera. The exhibition consists of 15 photographs of pictures hanging in commercial premises, made by Ron Lohse. Here you can see Marilyn Monroe gracing a wall in a diner, Liza Minnelli in the Mott Street Market, Frank Sinatra in a discount clothing store, Enrico Caruso in a pizza parlor. Open daily from 11 A.M. to 8 P.M. Admission free. Information: 877-1800. For Entertainment Events, see page 13. For Sports Today, see page 18. Richard F. Sheaprd

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GOING OUT GUIDE - NYTimes.com

FROM CANADA Stephen Leacock, who died in 1944, was a Canadian economist turned writer, a humorist who had the rare ability to make an otherwise silent, sedentary reader burst into laughter at a line of thought that was funny, if not hilarious. He won a Mark Twain award and was admired by his fellow humorist Robert Benchley, whose mind often scampered in similar whimsical directions. Leacock will be recreated tomorrow night at 8 o'clock at the Vandam Theater, 15 Vandam Street (675-0498) in Greenwich Village, in a one-man show in which the one man is John Stark. Mr. Stark, a Canadian, has been acting Leacock and his words for years, bringing both alive in Canada and Britain. Leacock, who in Prohibition times was denied admission to dry states and a Carnegie Hall lecture because he refused to be parted from his bottle of gin, later sent a telegram: ''No hooch, no spooch.'' He explained that his lecture fees were quite re asonable: ''I find out how much money you've got, and I never charge a cent more.''

20150524105155

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, April 9— For the first time since he arrived in the Caribbean three days ago, President Reagan relaxed at the beach with friends today rather than rushing through meetings. Several senior White House and State Department aides who came here with the President flew back to Washington Thursday night. The few remaining here have no plans to meet with him until he returns home after Easter church services Sunday. The President spoke to Secretary of State Alexander M. Haig Jr. by telephone for five minutes shortly before 6 P.M. and received an update on Mr. Haig's talks with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of Britain on the subject of the Falkland Islands situation. Mr. Haig is now in Buenos Aires for talks with Argentine officials. Mr. Reagan worked a little this afternoon on a radio broadcast he plans to make to the United States on Saturday from the study of the Barbados home where he is staying. The home, which belongs to Paul Brandt, a Texas furniture manufacturer, is next to a golf course and sits on a ridge overlooking the ocean to the west. Caribbean Basin Is Topic The subject of the speech is to be the Administration's Caribbean basin proposal, a program of nearly $1 billion in direct aid to countries in the area this fiscal year, including $350 million to help them pay off their immediate debts. The program has not yet won Congressional approval, and Mr. Reagan is expected to base his appeal for approval on the meetings he has held in the last two days. The President's relaxation took place in the setting of the beachfront cottage of his friend Claudette Colbert, the actress, who originally invited him here for the Easter holiday. Only after the White House had second thoughts about Mr. Reagan's devoting his entire trip to vacation purposes were the official meetings that took place Wednesday and Thursday scheduled. The Colbert cottage has a swimming pool and lush gardens and is fenced off from the coastal road. Although security is heavy wherever Mr. Reagan travels, the roads have not been closed to the public, and clusters of Barbadians have been able to get a glimpse of the President as his motorcade has sped by. Also spending the weekend on this tropical island with Miss Colbert and the Reagans are Mr. and Mrs. William F. Buckley Jr., who are guests of the Reagans. The President began his trip Wednesday with meetings in Kingston, Jamaica, with Prime Minister Edward P.G. Seaga. On Thursday he met with leaders of five Eastern Caribbean nations and then joined Prime Minister J.M.G. Adams of Barbados at a reception last night. Denounces Cuban Visit Throughout his visit, Mr. Reagan has steadily denounced Cuba for what he called the menace it poses to democracies in the region. At a news conference today, however, Prime Minister Adams said he agreed that Cuba and its friends, Nicaragua and Grenada, posed ''an ideological threat'' to the area, but he added that the military threat to the Eastern Caribbean was scant. Mr. Adams said he was certain that Mr. Reagan had profited from his meetings Thursday, particularly in hearing about the specific needs of the smaller, poorer nations in the region. Among the foreign policy aides who left last night were Walter J. Stoessel, Deputy Secretary of State, and William P. Clark, the national security adviser. Robert C. MacFarlane, Mr. Clark's deputy, arrived here last night and will be keeping Mr. Reagan abreast of the situation in the Falkland Islands. Mr. Reagan has no plans to speak personally with Secretary of State Alexander M. Haig Jr. today or tomorrow regarding Mr. Haig's mission to work out a diplomatic solution in the dispute between Britain and Argentina over Argentina's seizure of the Falklands last Friday, White House officials said. Illustrations: photo of President Reagan (pg.1) photo of President Reagan and Claudette Colbert

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REAGAN WINDS UP TALKS IN BARBADOS

For the first time since he arrived in the Caribbean three days ago, President Reagan relaxed at the beach with friends today rather than rushing through meetings. Several senior White House and State Department aides who came here with the President flew back to Washington Thursday night. The few remaining here have no plans to meet with him until he returns home after Easter church services Sunday. The President spoke to Secretary of State Alexander M. Haig Jr. by telephone for five minutes shortly before 6 P.M. and received an update on Mr. Haig's talks with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of Britain on the subject of the Falkland Islands situation. Mr. Haig is now in Buenos Aires for talks with Argentine officials.

20150824112606

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index finished a tick above the flatline, throwing away earlier gains as the dollar-yen pulled back, but held on to a fresh 15-year high. The key stock index has finished at multi-year highs five times over the past six sessions. Among the raft of data released before market open, the closely-watched consumer inflation eased for a sixth straight month in January, pushing the Bank of Japan further from its 2 percent target. Stripping out the effects of a sale tax hike, the nationwide consumer price index (CPI) rose a less-than-expected 0.2 percent, down from 0.5 percent in December. Exporter stocks finished mixed; Automakers such as Honda, Suzuki Motor and Toyota Motor made losses between 0.5 to 1.2 percent, while Sony and Panasonic held on to gains of over 2 percent each. Yamaha Motor advanced 2 percent on news that it aims to start making and selling two-seater cars in Europe. Read MoreThink you're bullish on Nikkei? Check out Goldman China's Shanghai Composite index closed up 0.4 percent to a one-month high, as markets digested news that five Chinese city and rural commercial banks have been approved by the central bank to cut their reserve requirement ratio (RRR) by an extra 50 basis points late Wednesday. However, a broadly dismal picture in the financial sector capped the bourse's advances. Bank of China slid 0.7 percent, while Bank of Communications and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China shed 0.5 and 0.2 percent each. Founder Securities and Citic Securities lost over 1 percent each. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index closed down 0.3 percent. Major jewellery retailer Chow Tai Fook plunged over 5 percent after reporting weaker same-store sales during the recent Lunar New Year holiday. Chinese carmaker BYD lost nearly 3 percent after it posted a 21 percent drop in its 2014 preliminary full-year net profit late Thursday. Focus was also on shares of Standard Chartered, which rallied 2.4 percent, after news of a leadership shake-up.

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Asian shares seen mixed ahead of Japan data deluge

Asian equitiess were mixed on Friday, following an uninspiring lead from Wall Street, but Japanese stocks managed to overlook a mixed bag of economic data to settle at a new 15-year high.

20150825070153

Robert Kingett, 25, is a self-proclaimed geek who enjoys video games and comic books. So it is no surprise he was looking forward to the Netflix original series on Marvel Comics' Daredevil, which debuted on Friday. There was just one problem: Like Daredevil, Kingett is legally blind, and Netflix does not provide audio descriptions, a feature that narrates non-verbal action on screen to help the visually impaired better enjoy filmed entertainment. Kingett is just one of a number of comic book fans—both blind and sighted—who are lobbying Netflix to make "Daredevil" accessible to the visually impaired. And while the fact that a show based on a blind protagonist will not have audio description has stirred consternation, the issue extends far beyond Daredevil's fictional world. The cost of audio description is "a tuppence" compared to the price of producing movies and television, said Joel Snyder, president of Audio Description Associates. The company charges about $5,000 to write, voice, and record description for a roughly 21/2-hour movie, and about $1,000 for a 22-minute sitcom. Since October 2012, Kingett has been writing to Netflix executives under the banner of the Accessible Netflix Project, a grassroots campaign now comprised of 11 blind volunteers who want the world's largest streaming video service to provide audio descriptions. The group has since asked Netflix to audio describe "Daredevil" in particular. Read More Marvel's Netflix shows: Sure thing or blind faith? "It's entertainment, but accessibility is important regardless of if it's entertainment or education," said Kingett, who also lives with cerebral palsy and contributes stories to gaming publications about accessible video games for the blind. To be sure, Netflix is not the only over-the-top service that fails to offer the feature. Neither Hulu nor Amazon Instant Video describe their originals. Nor is the description common on broadcast television. FCC rules require local affiliates of CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox located in the top 25 markets—as well as the top five non-broadcast networks—to provide at least 50 hours of audio described programming per quarter. The regulation will expand to the largest 60 markets in July. PBS and Turner Movie Classics offer audio description on select programming, though they are not required to do so.

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Fans to Netflix: Make Daredevil accessible to the blind

Comic book fans, both blind and sighted, are asking Netflix to provide audio descriptions for "Daredevil," a show about a blind superhero.

20150907201811

If you build it, the innovators will come. In 2011, Google announced it was launching its blazing fast Internet service to the Kansas City metropolitan area to boost the Midwest start-up scene. Now four years later as Google plans to expand the Internet service called Google Fiber to other U.S. regions, some small business owners report mixed results. But while the ramp-up process can take time for some, Google's expanded rollout for high-speed Internet shows the growing demand for faster connectivity. The U.S. broadly is playing catch up with other countries that already have super high-speed Internet services. Google Fiber is a high-speed fiber-optic network. Internet speeds on fiber optic cables are up to 100 times greater than the national average. Google is working to expand in 19 more cities in five metro areas including Salt Lake City, Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham. The Internet often features posts about consumers wondering if and when Google Fiber will come and turn their backyard into "fiberhoods." So what's at stake? Early anecdotes show some businesses are willing to relocate for faster Internet speed, and that costs savings associated with the new connectivity infrastructure can be substantial. Bottom line: more business at a quicker pace. Read MoreGoogle jumps into wireless biz: Report Cost savings related to faster Internet can be a particular game-changer for small businesses, said Marcelo Vergara, chief executive of Propaganda3, a website and app development company. Vergara said fast connectivity has allowed him to cut tech-related infrastructure costs significantly. "I can trust my network, thanks to Google's bandwidth," Vergara said. "I have reliability, and I have moved all of my internal services off to the cloud."

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Google Fiber: Super fast Internet coming to more cities

Google Fiber will expand to 19 more U.S. cities. Why businesses are intrigued by the super fast Internet service.

20150910164104

* Dollar index extends gains, up strongly on week * Market focus shifts back to Fed hike risk from Greece * Greek worries fade as Europe move to re-open funding * Commodity currencies rue tough week SYDNEY, July 17 (Reuters) - The dollar held at two-month highs against a basket of major currencies early on Friday, having extended gains as the market shifted its focus to an eventual hike in U.S. interest rates. The dollar index stood at 97.618, having risen as far as 97.756. A break above 97.775 will take the index back to highs last seen in April. The greenback scaled a near one-month peak of 124.205 yen , while the euro struggled at $1.0884, not far off a 7-1/2 week low of $1.0855 set overnight. The dollar index was up nearly 2 percent in a week that saw Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen reiterate that U.S. interest rates will probably be lifted later in the year. "The message that 'a rate hike this year makes sense' kept USD as an outperformer overnight," Greg Moore, senior currency strategist at RBC Capital Markets wrote in a note to clients. Bank of England Governor Mark Carney also drew the market focus back onto global interest rates just as worries about Greece were fading. On Thursday, Carney said the decision to lift British interest rates from record lows will come into sharper focus around the end of this year. Earlier in the week, he said the time for a hike was moving closer. Unsurprisingly, sterling raced to a 7-1/2 year high on the euro, which skidded to 69.58 pence. Against the dollar, the pound stood at $1.5608, having peaked at a two-week high of $1.5676 on Wednesday. While investors warmed to the dollar and sterling this week, the Canadian, Australian and New Zealand dollars all slumped to six-year lows as weakness in commodity prices crimped growth prospects in their respective economies. Underscoring the bleak outlook, the Bank of Canada cut interest rates for a second time this year on Wednesday. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand is considered almost certain to lower rates next week, while Australia's central bank is still seen keeping an easing bias for now. The Canadian dollar last traded at C$1.2965 per USD , not far from a trough of C$1.2970 set overnight. The kiwi dollar dipped below 65 U.S. cents for the first time since July 2009, before steadying at $0.6519. The Australian dollar stood at $0.7410, a day after skidding to $0.7350, a low not seen since mid-2009. Trading in Asia is likely to be subdued with many centers closed for public holidays and amid an absence of market-moving data. U.S. inflation data is due later in the day.

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FOREX-Dollar gains traction with Fed hike view back in focus

*Market focus shifts back to Fed hike risk from Greece. The greenback scaled a near one-month peak of 124.205 yen, while the euro struggled at $1.0884, not far off a 7-1/ 2 week low of $1.0855 set overnight. "The message that' a rate hike this year makes sense' kept USD as an outperformer overnight," Greg Moore, senior currency strategist at RBC Capital Markets wrote in a...

20150915133511

(New throughout, adds details on enforcement action from Fed compliance officer, website, background) WASHINGTON, July 21 (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve on Tuesday told China Construction Bank Corp to ramp up its anti-money laundering framework, the first enforcement action by the U.S. central bank against one of China's four largest state-owned banks. Within 60 days, the bank should submit plans for compliance programs for anti-money laundering controls, customer due diligence programs, and methods for spotting suspicious transactions, the Fed said. Mildred Harper, chief compliance officer for CCB's New York branch, confirmed the enforcement action. It is the first time the Fed has taken an enforcement action against CCB, according to the Fed's website, where a database showed no similar enforcement actions for any of the three other large Chinese banks: Bank of China, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and Agricultural Bank of China. The Fed did not impose a fine or other sanctions on the bank, and did not identify what problems CCB was facing. A tough U.S. policy has found high-profile violators among banks failing to enforce compliance in recent years. In July, 2014, BNP Paribas pleaded guilty to two criminal charges and agreed to pay almost $9 billion to resolve accusations it violated U.S. sanctions against countries such as Sudan, Cuba and Iran. Late in 2012, HSBC Holdings Plc paid a $1.9 billion fine to U.S. authorities, a record at the time, for allowing itself to be used to launder drug money from Mexico's Sinaloa cartel and Colombia's Norte del Valle cartel. (Reporting by Douwe Miedema; Editing by Susan Heavey and David Gregorio)

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UPDATE 1-U.S. Fed raps China Construction Bank over money laundering

WASHINGTON, July 21- The Federal Reserve on Tuesday told China Construction Bank Corp to ramp up its anti-money laundering framework, the first enforcement action by the U.S. central bank against one of China's four largest state-owned banks. It is the first time the Fed has taken an enforcement action against CCB, according to the Fed's website, where a database...

20150925021457

Peter Doig Tate Britain, London SW1, until 27 April The Peter Doig retrospective now filling several galleries at Tate Britain is easily the most enthralling show in town. Its achievement is to mystify even as it compels. Doig's paintings have always been singular - narcotic, yet intensely stimulating, beautiful yet way out on a limb - and they seem to grow more original and mesmerising by the year. A perpetual outsider, born in Scotland in 1959 but raised in Canada, then an expatriate in London and now Trinidad, Doig didn't show much until he was 30. But if he was a late starter, a few years older than the YBA generation with whom he studied, he survived the manic star-making of the Nineties by constantly deepening his art and the early paintings set the scene for the future. Frequently snowbound - ski-slopes, icy forests, deep drifts settling on the canvas or arriving like hale in twinkling spatters - they often included the lone figures that have come to symbolise his work. A boy on a frozen pond studies his reflection in the mauve-rippled surface, the paint - flecked, scribbled, stained, perilously thin - as unstable as the ice. A hooded figure in a mountain landscape turns his back to us, apparently sketching something we can't see but ominous as the dwarf in Don't Look Now. A man by the river's edge at twilight, the car headlights on behind him as if he might yet return to reality, is either mesmerised by the weird phosphorescence on the water or about to do away with himself. At another bend in the river drifts the canoe Doig has painted over and again like some deathless Raft of Medusa. A very early craft, unmanned, appears on an inky expanse that holds the reflection of the Milky Way with the eerie brightness of a basalt mirror. Another, becalmed on a stretch of burning blue, carries a bearded man who could as easily be Charles Manson or the Ancient Mariner, time having stopped like this vessel without oars; the picture is called 100 Years Ago. And out in the beating heat of the West Indian bay, palm trees all around, five spectral figures float away into the future. Or is it the past? One of them looks strangely like the young Paul McCartney. Every scene suggests an idée fixe, some sight or experience perpetually trapped in the mind that can never be exorcised. Doig's gift is for making these memories seem not just his own, but the viewer's as well, as if we, too, could not forget these peculiar moments in films, novels or scenes skimmed from life with a camera that keep flashing back on the mind's eye. The slow and distanced trance that characterises Doig's art comes in part from his use of the camera. Stills and snapshots and even album covers (the bearded man started out as a member of the Allman Brothers) form an aide-mémoire, a departure point. But the memories - not necessarily his own in the first place, and chosen with exceptional instinct for the universal - are obscured, overlaid, blended, corroded, lost and found again, quite altered, in the paint. You can see that happening, both literally and metaphorically, as figures on a shoreline darken into shadows behind flurries of snow accumulating on the canvas like aerosol graffiti, or in a vast diptych showing hundreds of skiers on the slopes. The people are melting into the snow, itself deliquescing into a pink twilight as if the sky had overwhelmed the earth below. Doig holds back the oblivion, every time, with a strong depictive touch. A painting that looks on the verge of abstraction will be held together with precise description - the puckering of water, the piebald dappling of sunshine, a striation of reeds along a riverbank that looks like a drawing catching fire: just enough to keep the scene plausibly real, before releasing it into the dreamy wilds. And they are quite wild, his paintings, veering between enchantment and fear. Who is this man who turns to meet your gaze with a dying pelican in his hand? Where is this wall apparently studded with jewels at which two costumed figures stand sentry beneath a performance of the Northern Lights? How did the little girl in the white pyjamas climb so high in that midnight tree? Doig seeks to fix in your mind whatever haunted his from the wondrous strangeness of the visible world. But he never lets you forget the strangeness of picturing itself - that a painting, unlike a photograph, is never really still and, in his case, quite the reverse. The whole surface of a Doig is a micro-life of incidents - focus pulls, jumps in scale, skittering-scattering brushmarks, encrusted impasto, veiled blurs and cross-fades, the leaching and streaking of paint, abrupt discontinuities between psychedelic colours and severe monochromes that seem to belong only to the world of painting. Lately, it's been suggested, the paint is taking over altogether and it might seem so when you consider the apparently empty expanse of an enormous canvas like Untitled 2006. But look closer into the wash of paint, thin as watercolour, and you'll see a figure high up a palm tree, a bird soaring across the pulsating lilac light and, as your eyes adjust, the spectral trace of an interloper: a stranger in paradise. If his art was always a bit trippy, reamed out with visions, it now approaches the hallucinatory: winged figures, hot shores, the canoe vanishing into the pale horizon. But Doig's style, by contrast, gets more disciplined by the year. His art is becoming grander and more formal with the decades, his latest paintings composed as distinctively as anything by Bonnard or Matisse. There are no false notes, the great scale is perfectly judged to hold all the perceptual incidents and maintain the balance between narrative and image. For in the end, no matter how much they invite interpretation, propose a backstory or riddle with the viewer's sense of mystery, Doig's paintings are about mood and atmosphere above all else. His great gift is for altering our state of mind through the mind's eye, for getting out of this world by inventing another through painting.

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Peter Doig, Tate Britain, London SW1

Peter Doig may have been a late-starter but, as this major show reveals, he is a mesmerising artist, writes Laura Cumming

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* Pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index falls 0.6 pct * Brazil-focused stocks down as S&P cuts country rating * Next advances after reporting a rise in profits LONDON, Sept 10 (Reuters) - European shares retreated on Thursday as companies exposed to Brazil came under severe selling pressure after Standard & Poor's downgraded the country's credit rating to "junk" grade. Shares in French retailer Casino Guichard, which received about half of its 2014 revenue from Latin America, fell 4.4 percent, while its peer Carrefour, which gets 14 percent of its annual sales from Brazil, slid 2.2 percent. Other companies having a significant presence in the country like Seadrill, Banco Santander, Anheuser-Busch InBev, British American Tobacco , Galp Energia and Unilever fell between 1.2 percent and 4.3 percent. "Companies which are heavily exposed to Brazil are clearly not good plays as the resource-dependent economy is contracting and the much-needed investments are likely to get pushed back. All these issues make Brazil a less attractive place to do business," Peter Dixon of Commerzbank said. "If you are exposed to emerging markets, you have to try to find other markets that are doing better." The FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares was down 0.6 percent at 1,426.91 points by 0930 GMT after rising 1.4 percent in the previous session. Lingering concerns about the pace of economic growth in China, the world's biggest metals consumer, hit mining stocks, with the STOXX Europe 600 Basic Resources Index falling 1.5 percent. BHP Billiton, Glencore and Anglo American fell 1.0 to 5.0 percent. China's manufacturers slashed prices at the fastest rate in six years in August as commodity prices fell and demand cooled. The producer price index retreated 5.9 percent in August from the same period last year, its 42nd consecutive month of decline. "Chinese producer prices have been slowing for more than three years now so another month of declines shouldn't really come as a great surprise. But the market appears to be hyper-sensitive to Chinese economic data at the moment," Laith Khalaf, senior analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said. German utility E.ON fell 4.7 percent after saying it would book a significant net loss in 2015. On the positive side, Next rose nearly 2 percent after Britain's second-largest clothing retailer by sales value posted a 7.1 percent rise in first-half profit. Europe bourses in 2015: http://link.reuters.com/pap87v Asset performance in 2015: http://link.reuters.com/gap87v

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LONDON, Sept 10- European shares retreated on Thursday as companies exposed to Brazil came under severe selling pressure after Standard& Poor's downgraded the country's credit rating to "junk" grade. Shares in French retailer Casino Guichard, which received about half of its 2014 revenue from Latin America, fell 4.4 percent, while its peer Carrefour, which gets...

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* U.S. drilling down for 2nd straight month * But demand side weakens, global car sales fall * OPEC's monthly report out later on Monday * Markets eye Fed meeting this week (Adds Chinese stock data, updates prices) SINGAPORE, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Oil prices dipped on Monday in Asia as weakening demand weighed on markets, although U.S. futures received some support from reduced American drilling. Front-month Brent crude futures were down 37 cents at $47.77 per barrel at 0448 GMT. U.S. crude futures dipped 7 cents to $44.56. The U.S. oil rig count fell by 10 to 652 last week, the second straight monthly drop, and the International Energy Agency said on Friday that ongoing production cuts would lead to a rebalancing of the market by next year. Yet several banks said the immediate outlook remained weak. "Both the supply and demand pictures look less favorable over the coming months ... Outside the U.S., oil fundamentals appear to be slipping seasonally," Morgan Stanley said on Monday, adding that there was potential for floating storage within the second half of 2015. Macquarie noted that falling global auto sales in August were dragging on demand. "Sales were 1.0 percent lower YoY (year-on-year), slightly more than the 0.8 percent fall seen in July 2015," the bank said, although it added that sales could pick up towards the end of the year. Chinese stocks fell more than 3 percent on Monday morning as concerns over the economy offset optimism that reform among state-owned enterprises (SOEs) would accelerate. In part due to oversupply and to defend market share, Kuwait set its October Official Selling Price for crude to Asia 60 cents lower than September, at a discount of $1.95 a barrel to Oman/Dubai levels, the biggest in a decade. OPEC's monthly market report will be published later on Monday. Cheap oil undermines the health of energy firms, which have already seen big share devaluations since prices started falling in 2014. "The trajectory of the (oil price) recovery keeps getting shallower as our expectations for OPEC output shifts up ... The financial condition of the sector deteriorates further through 2017," Jefferies bank said. "We are lowering our Brent oil price forecast by 9 percent to $54 per barrel (bbl) in 2015, 10 percent to $61/bbl in 2016 and 6 percent to $73/bbl in 2017," Jefferies said. Traders will this week eye U.S. monetary policy as the Fed on Wednesday kicks off a two-day policy meeting. Should interest rates be raised, analysts expect oil to fall as demand is hit due to higher import prices for countries not using the dollar. (Editing by Richard Pullin and Tom Hogue)

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*OPEC's monthly report out later on Monday. SINGAPORE, Sept 14- Oil prices dipped on Monday in Asia as weakening demand weighed on markets, although U.S. futures received some support from reduced American drilling. Front-month Brent crude futures were down 37 cents at $47.77 per barrel at 0448 GMT.

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WASHINGTON, Aug. 25, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) has announced BP America – America's largest energy investor – as the corporate chair of its 2015 National Convention, set to take place September 20-22, 2015 in Houston, Texas. The annual convention is a premier event for America's small business community, convening thousands of Hispanic entrepreneurs, national and international corporate executives, top government officials, and representatives from local chambers and business associations throughout the country. Each year, the USHCC National Convention is held at a destination that is renowned for its economic prowess, pro-business environment, and embrace of diversity. The USHCC National Convention is the largest gathering of its kind, and through its nearly 6,000 attendees each year, produces a surge in economic activity and business contracting for the host city. To learn more, visit www.ushccconvention.com/2015. "The USHCC is thrilled to have BP America serve as the corporate chair of our 2015 National Convention in Houston. Through its robust supplier diversity initiatives, BP America has given minority-owned firms tremendous opportunities for growth - in Houston and across the Gulf Coast as well as throughout the United States," said USHCC President &CEO Javier Palomarez. "What this company, our association, and Hispanic business owners hold in common is our quintessentially American stories - built on hard work, accountability, and a positive vision for the future. Industry leaders like BP America have positioned the United States to lead the world through the 21st century, and we look forward to bringing these commercial opportunities to Houston next year." BP America, headquartered in Houston, spent over $650 million with minority-owned businesses in 2011 alone, and continues to spend hundreds of millions of dollars within its diverse supply chain. Earlier this year, the USHCC commended BP America for making the most substantial investment toward environmental restoration in history following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. In total, the company has spent over $26 billion in government claims and clean-up, committed $1 billion to restoration, and has allocated $500 million for independent scientific research over the next decade. "BP America is proud to serve as the corporate chair of the U.S.H.C.C 2015 convention. We're equally proud that the Chamber has chosen our U.S. hometown of Houston as the convention site," said BP America Chairman and President John Mingé. "BP and the Chamber share a commitment to growing the American economy and embracing diversity and no U.S. city reflects those ideals more than Houston, Texas." Houston is the fourth largest city in the United States and the largest city in Texas, with a thriving half-trillion dollar economy, an estimated 150,000 Hispanic-owned firms, and a diverse business community operating across a broad spectrum of industries. Houston is one of the most affordable cities in America, and the no. 1 job-creating city in the country, with an unemployment rate significantly below the national level. According to the U.S. Census, over one-third of Houstonians identify as being Hispanic. "BP America is the ideal corporate chair for our 2015 National Convention in Houston. Not only has BP America witnessed the city's economy flourish, but through its US headquarters in Houston, the company has directly contributed to the city's commercial prosperity," said USHCC Chairman Marc Rodriguez. "With BP America serving at the helm, our 2015 convention is poised to be an historic gathering of Hispanic business leaders, corporate executives, government officials, and cultural icons -- all of whom share a common cause toward advancing America's business future." About BP America Over the past five years, BP has invested nearly $50 billion in the US – more than any other energy company. BP is a leading producer of oil and gas and provides enough energy annually to light nearly the entire country for a year. Employing approximately 20,000 people in all 50 states, BP supports more than 260,000 jobs total through all of its business activities. For more information, go to www.bp.com/us. About the USHCC Founded in 1979, the USHCC actively promotes the economic growth and development of our nation's entrepreneurs. The USHCC advocates on behalf of nearly 3.2 million Hispanic-owned businesses, that together contribute in excess of $468 billion to the American economy, each year. As the leading organization of its kind, the USHCC serves as an umbrella to more than 200 local chambers and business associations across the nation, and partners with more than 220 major corporations. For more information, visit www.ushcc.com. Follow us on Twitter @USHCC CONTACT: Ammar Campa-Najjar Associate Director of Communications 619-721-5148Source:United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

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BP America Named Corporate Chair for USHCC 2015 National Convention in Houston

WASHINGTON, Aug. 25, 2014-- The United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce has announced BP America– America's largest energy investor– as the corporate chair of its 2015 National Convention, set to take place September 20-22, 2015 in Houston, Texas.

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For emotive electro-pop three-piece Wet, this year is all about new horizons. The Brooklyn-based band, comprising songwriter-vocalist Kelly Zutrau (a Boston native) and multi-instrumentalists Joe Valle and Marty Sulkow, is already acclaimed for mixing intimate lyrics with atmospheric production to craft laid-bare lost-love laments, a skill it has demonstrated across one self-titled EP and successive slate of heartache-heavy singles (“When you hold me, I still feel lonely,” Zutrau sighs on breakout track “You’re the Best”). Now, with Wet’s full-length debut, “Don’t You,” dropping Friday and the three-piece embarking on its first headlining tour across North America, Zutrau says one particularly exciting part of the months ahead will be showcasing an evolution in Wet’s sound. “The album’s more lush and much more complex than the EP,” she explains. “It’s not confined to romantic relationships — it has bigger ideas and explores other kinds of relationships, including as metaphor.” In addition to introducing new material, the trio is also excited to play at some favorite venues — and whet its collective appetite (sorry) at nearby restaurants for the all-important post-performance meal. Anticipating Wet’s sold-out show at the Sinclair on Monday, we asked about five stages (and savory stop-overs) the trio is looking forward to. Venues: The Mohawk, Empire Auto On Tamale House East: “In Texas, the Mexican food people usually rave about is Tex-Mex, but we found that the Tamale House is pretty authentic,” Sulkow says. On the Sinclair: “One of our favorite shows from the last tour was at the Sinclair,” Valle reports. “The sound in the venue is incredible, the staff was super professional and helpful, and the crowd was probably the most enthusiastic crowd we’ve ever played to, so we’re really excited to come back on Monday.” Venues: Baby’s All Right, Music Hall of Williamsburg On Baby’s All Right and Music Hall of Williamsburg: “We played on the opening night at Baby’s All Right in 2013,” says Valle. “It’s a great venue and has been instrumental in supporting new and emerging artists in New York City, like us, Empress Of, Porches, et cetera, so we love playing there. Music Hall of Williamsburg is another venue we’ve played several times, and is one of our favorite venues around the country. We’ve had some seminal shows there in the past few years so it has come to be a special place for us.” Restaurants: Taco Zone, Cafe Gratitude On Taco Zone: “A lot of times there aren’t many good food options once you finish loading out your gear after a show, so it’s always great to be in a city with food trucks,” Valle says. “We have a long list of taco trucks in LA, and Taco Zone is probably Number 1.” On The Fillmore: “That was probably one of the most supportive audiences we’ve ever played for,” Zutrau recalls. “I lost my voice onstage halfway through, and they were still on my side, it was really incredible.” Wet performs at the Sinclair, Cambridge, Monday. Sold out. 617-547-5200, www.sinclaircambridge.com

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Pop trio Wet on five favorite places to play (and eat)

Headed to the Sinclair for a sold-out show, the members of electro-pop trio Wet reflect on favorite venues for playing — and for post-concert noshing.

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Every culture has its own complicated set of rules about sex. The fact that rules are made to be broken only adds to the fun. That is probably all we can conclude from the case of the Pussy Boat. The artist Megumi Igarashi, known as Rokudenashiko, has been found guilty of obscenity in Japan for publishing data from which it is possible to 3D print a replica of her vagina, to raise funds for a kayak inspired by her genitalia. To any westerner who has ever looked at Japanese art, it seems a startling verdict. Related: Is Nobuyoshi Araki's photography art or porn? For eyes trained by a Christian tradition freighted with anxieties about the sinfulness of sex, the happy eroticism of Japan’s shunga art is a delight. Many of the greatest Japanese artists lavished their skills on sensual imagery in woodblock prints made from the 17th to 19th centuries. My favourites include Hokusai’s 1814 print The Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife, in which a woman receives ecstatic pleasure from an octopus’s tentacles and beak, and another by Suzuki Harunobu, done in the 1760s, of lovers seen through a window. The erotic art of early modern Japan continues today in the photography of Nobuyoshi Araki, whose images of women tied up in varieties of ways are regarded by many as major works of contemporary art. That’s without even considering the pop art world of manga, with its sometimes seriously disturbing images of sexual violence and abuse. Japan really does have an extremely libertarian attitude to the visual depiction of sex. It was only in 2014 that it outlawed the possession of child abuse images. Manga and anime were specifically excluded from the ban, prompting a debate around child protection and artistic freedom that rumbles on today. How can it be OK for comics to publish underage pornography but illegal to invite people to 3D scan your vagina? Igarashi is exposing the illogicality and irrationality of Japan’s obscenity law – her vaginal kayak is a deliberate satire of a nonsensical set of rules. Yet no culture is rational about the sexual images and acts it licenses or forbids. Certainly, the west is in no position to look down on Japan, given its own strange and ever-changing attitudes. Related: The top 10 female nudes in art European and American ideas about art and sex are still haunted by Christianity. The nude remains a fraught and contentious arena – the painter George Shaw’s conflation of “artistic” nudes with pornographic magazines in his new exhibition at the National Gallery wittily plays on those anxieties. Getting my Guardian at the newsagent’s the other day, I was approached by an American couple who asked which paper had the “lascivious picture on page two”. After a moment’s hesitation – should I engage in a debate about sexism? – I told them it was the Sun, and it was page 3 they were looking for. They were disappointed. What they saw was “milder” than they were expecting. Perhaps they hoped for something more like Araki. That Japanese cultural mixture of extreme freedom and suppression, to which Igarashi has drawn attention, vindicates the French philosopher Michel Foucault. In his final work, The History of Sexuality, this controversial thinker argued that far from being the universal urge Freud identified, libido is shaped by “discourses” of sexuality that not only regulate but also shape and promote desire. Sex is not natural but cultural, a realm as strange as an octopus’s garden.

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It's obscene that Japan found Megumi Igarashi guilty for her vagina art

The eroticism of shunga suggests Japan is as libertarian as they come. But this new case won’t change a country continually swinging between sexual freedom and suppression

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The top suspect in the Paris attacks narrowly dodged capture earlier this week by scaling an apartment building rooftop before authorities finally nabbed him for good on Friday, according to a Belgium terrorist expert. Dedicated police work for four months straight — plus some lucky breaks — led to Salah Abdeslam's arrest, said former intelligence officer Claude Moniquet, who has contacts in the French and Belgian intelligence communities. But it almost didn't happen. SEE ALSO: Threatening letter sent to Donald Trump's sister prompts investigation: Source "No one in the intelligence community in Europe knew where Salah Abdeslam was," Moniquet told NBC News. "I asked them about Salah and they told me both in Belgium and France that the trail is absolutely cold." Teams from both countries had conducted 100 house searches in Brussels since the Nov. 13 Paris terror attacks that left 130 people dead, Moniquet said, raiding homes of Abdeslam's family and friends. But nothing. "The pressure was extremely high, and all of this game of pressure was to close the doors, to diminish the number of options," Moniquet said. Related: Paris Terror Suspect Salah Abdeslam Almost Committed Suicide Bombing: Prosecutor Authorities in France and Belgium have not shared many details of the days leading up to Abdeslam's arrest. But Moniquet said it wasn't until this week that investigators knew they were on the right track. This past Tuesday, during a routine search of a Brussels apartment that resulted in the death of Algerian Mohamed Belkaid, a suspected ISIS fighter, authorities found fingerprints belonging to Abdeslam, Belgian prosecutors announced. Belkaid's presence surprised the security forces because the apartment had shown no signs of activity nor had electricty or water. When they tried to enter, shots were fired back at them, wounding three police officers; a siege ensued, and Belkaid, a friend of Abdeslam's, was killed. Two people fled the apartment when police entered, Moniquet said. They had no idea at the time that one of them was the subject of their international manhunt. They later found out a neighbor had snapped photos of the two escaping by the rooftop — and authorities recognized Abdeslam in the pictures. Knowing they were closing in on him, investigators started poring over cellphone records of possible contacts for Abdeslam. "That gave some results," Moniquet said. "Some of them were tracked to the district of Molenbeek," Abdeslam's hometown where he was ultimately captured, he told NBC News. PHOTOS: Police Swarm Brussels Suburb During Anti-Terror Raid One of Abdeslam's brothers blew himself up the night of the coordinated carnage in Paris last November. His funeral, however, didn't take place until this past Thursday "by an extraordinary coincidence," Moniquet said, giving police the chance to interrogate relatives and friends of the family a day after finding Abdeslam's fingerprints. "There was a police informant, and they got a tip from this man," he said. "At this time, the knew that Salah Abdeslam was in this house." Abdeslam, 26, was shot in the leg and arrested Friday along with four others. Originally, Moniquet said, the plan was to storm the apartment that night, but police were forced to do it earlier because of leaks in the press. The entire operation took just 10 minutes, Moniquet said. "Finally they got him — by chance and because they conducted extraordinary police work for four months, day after day," Moniquet said. More from NBC News: Arrest of Salah Abdeslam Could Be Intelligence Coup, Experts Say Police Work and a Little Luck: How Paris Suspect Got Caught Gunfire Erupts During Raid Linked to Paris Attacks: Reports

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Paris terror suspect Salah Abdeslam was captured after dogged police work, luck

Dedicated police work for four months straight led to Salah Abdeslam's arrest, who has contacts in the French and Belgian intelligence communities.

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WASHINGTON, March 11— The House voted narrowly tonight to support President Clinton's plan to send American troops to Kosovo should a peace settlement be reached, after a passionate and bitter debate on United States policy in the Balkans. The 219-to-191 vote reflected a House deeply divided over Mr. Clinton's efforts to commit troops to another peace settlement in the Balkans. Supporters of the President argued that the United States has a moral obligation to stop a genocidal war that could ignite a broader conflict. Opponents -- including the House majority leader and the House Republican whip -- argued that Kosovo would prove to be a quagmire, and that Europe should police any settlement. Although the House action was not binding, the debate was held at a crucial juncture in the faltering peace effort for Kosovo, as a new round of negotiations was scheduled to resume on Monday. Nine House members voted present tonight, because they had reservations but did not want to cast a vote that would discourage the talks between the Serbs and the ethnic Albanians. For the past year, Serbian troops have harshly opposed the Albanian separatists. Throughout the day, Congressional officials from both parties called the outcome of the vote too close to call. Both the White House and the State Department said any such debate would interfere with their diplomatic efforts. The President's victory was not signaled until the early evening when the House rejected an amendment by Representative Tillie Fowler, Republican of Florida, that would have put the House on record in opposition to any deployment. In a statement tonight, Mr. Clinton said the House action showed bipartisan support for his Kosovo policy and ''sends a clear message'' to both sides in the conflict ''that it's time now to sign an agreement that stops the fighting in Kosovo and creates real self-government for the Kosovar people.'' Forty-four Republicans joined 174 Democrats and one independent to support the President. Those opposed included 173 Republicans and 18 Democrats. The resolution authorizes the President to deploy American troops with a NATO peacekeeping force in Kosovo if a peace agreement is reached. It instructs Mr. Clinton to explain to Congress an ''exit strategy'' from the province and to certify that United States forces would answer only to American commanders. Senior members of the President's foreign policy team -- many of them overseas -- placed calls to lawmakers throughout the day. And during his visit to Guatemala, President Clinton said, ''I do not believe that Congress should take any action that will in effect pre-empt the peace process or encourage either side to say no to it.'' On Wednesday Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright implored the House to hold off its debate, saying a vote against troops at a delicate moment of diplomacy would be seen as ''a green light to resume fighting.'' She was backed by Bob Dole, the former Republican presidential candidate and Senate majority leader. But in an aggressive assertion of Congress's role in foreign policy, the new Republican Speaker, J. Dennis Hastert, refused to delay the debate. ''I have tried to be direct and honest with the President and his Secretary of State,'' Mr. Hastert, of Illinois, said in a speech on the House floor. ''I told them that I believed it was my duty as Speaker to insure that members of the House of Representatives, Republican and Democrat, have the opportunity to fairly and openly debate this important issue before troops are sent into a potentially dangerous situation.'' The day was a test of how Mr. Hastert would compare with Newt Gingrich, who was a confirmed internationalist. Although he refused to tip his hand in advance and did not vote on the Fowler amendment, in the end he supported Mr. Clinton. ''Any time we send our sons and daughters into harm's way, it is a tough decision,'' he said in a statement after the vote. ''But I do believe America has a vested interest in supporting NATO and in keeping peace in Kosovo.'' His stand put him at odds with the two senior members of his team. The House majority leader, Dick Armey, and the Republican whip, Tom DeLay, opposed deploying troops. Mr. DeLay called the plan a ''big dangerous quagmire'' and ''another bad idea in a foreign policy with no focus.'' He said the Clinton Administration had become too dependent on air strikes and the threats of air strikes, referring to bombings in Iraq, strikes against targets in Sudan and Afghanistan and the threat of strikes in Serbia. ''Bombing sovereign nations for ill-defined reasons with vague objectives undermines American stature in the world,'' Mr. DeLay said. ''The international respect and trust for America is diminished every time we casually let the bombs fly. We must stop giving the appearance that our foreign policy is formulated by the Unabomber.'' Through hours of debate into the night, members clashed over the role of the United States after the cold war, as well as over the American leadership role in NATO. The members argued whether outsiders could ever end the strife in the Balkans, and expressed misgivings about the length of the United States mission in Bosnia, which Mr. Clinton had once promised would be limited in time. The debate split the Republican Party. Most Democrats spoke out in support of the President. ''I recall Bosnia, my friends,'' Representative Howard Coble, Republican of North Carolina, said. ''The President told us our troops would be back home, I believe, by December of 1996. But when I last checked, December 1996 has come and long gone, and our troops are still there. ''I don't mean to portray myself as an isolationist. But to suggest that Bosnia and Kosovo are European problems that should be resolved by Europeans hardly constitutes isolationism.'' In disagreeing, Representative Henry J. Hyde, Republican of Illinois, said, ''There really is a moral obligation for those who have the resources to intercede.'' Many Democrats spoke forcefully for deployment and questioned why the Republican leadership had scheduled such a debate when a new round of diplomacy was beginning. ''This is the height of irresponsibility,'' Richard A. Gephardt, the House minority leader, said. ''This should not be about politics. It should not be about giving the Administration a black eye. This is about ending a humanitarian catastrophe.''

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In Vote Clinton Sought to Avoid, House Backs a Force for Kosovo

The House voted narrowly tonight to support President Clinton's plan to send American troops to Kosovo should a peace settlement be reached, after a passionate and bitter debate on United States policy in the Balkans. The 219-to-191 vote reflected a House deeply divided over Mr. Clinton's efforts to commit troops to another peace settlement in the Balkans.

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What do you picture when you hear about someone who's a millionaire? Perhaps a well-groomed old man lounging in his bathrobe, sipping on a tall glass of some complicated beverage, overlooking acres of achievement from the portico of his mansion? Or maybe a fine-dressed young lady, confidently walking the through a Manhattan park on her way to the corporate meeting where she will soon land a business deal worth 50 years of your income. Millionaire. It's a title you may have never dreamed you could ever give yourself. But what if you could? I want you to . It's a lot of fun. Imagine all the good you could accomplish in the world. Dream of the possibility. Believe you can become one. It could be simpler than you think. Before I show you a some surprisingly simple ways to become a millionaire, reflect on just how wealthy you are already. On , enter your annual net income or net worth and compare your wealth with the rest of the world. Say you net $20,000 in income every year. You're in the top 3.65 percent richest people in the world by income. Imagine if you make more. Don't whine because you're not a millionaire yet. It's OK to dream, but remember that contentment should be a cornerstone of your financial plan. Simple tasks are not always easy tasks. If I were to hand you a spoon and ask that you dig a hole 9 feet down into packed soil, that'd be straightforward and simple -- but not be easy. Likewise, you'll find some of these simple ways to be just that -- simple but not easy. But come on, you're tenacious enough for the job, right? Jaime Tardy, author of " ," has interviewed hundreds of millionaires. "One of the main traits of a millionaire is perseverance," she said. "The ability to keep going in the face of adversity even when the finish line is very far away." Although these tips may seem surprisingly simple and familiar, don't underestimate their effectiveness. Identify your competition. How hard are they working? What are some differentiators you can bring to your workplace or market? Start by working smarter. There's no use in working harder if your work isn't effective at producing income -- you'll be spinning your wheels. Simple, common sense changes can greatly improve your effectiveness: Don't sell ice cream cones on your front lawn in the dead of winter. Instead, set up a booth at the park in the sizzling summertime. Work harder than others are willing. We've all seen the guy or gal at the office who works the hardest Maybe they're a little nerdy or a little too interested in their job -- or are they? Maybe they're onto something. After all, aren't they getting the promotions and becoming the office linchpins? I remember when began my career with A.G. Edwards & Sons in 2002, I was in a training class of around 55 people. After completing training a year later, our class was reduced to less than half. At my fifth anniversary, only five of us were left. Most failed because they weren't willing to put in the hard work required. I beg you to not be afraid of hard work. Not only will your boss feel better about what you're doing for them -- you will too. "I'm not afraid to die on a treadmill. I will not be outworked. You may be more talented than me. You might be smarter than me. And you may be better looking than me. But if we get on a treadmill together, you are going to get off first or I'm going to die. It's really that simple. I'm not going to be outworked." -Will Smith, actor Everyone makes them. I've made some pitiful mistakes. Would you get suckered into two multilevel companies that go nowhere? Would you lose $8,000 on an online business venture? Those are just some of the Mistakes are difficult to swallow. I think our first gut reaction to the realization we messed up is to shift blame -- to others or to circumstances. The very best way forward is to admit we fumbled the ball. Are you willing to admit when you make mistakes? Some people, when faced with their own inadequacies, beat themselves up. And you know what that does? It paralyzes them from making the decisions they need to make to achieve success. So, take the simple step to fess up and move on. Yes, it's simpler than you think -- especially once you have practice. Millionaires don't give up because of a few silly mistakes. They press on. "Only those who are asleep make no mistakes." -Ingvar Kamprad, founder of Ikea You can read book after book about how to research what your customers will love, and by the time you deliver it, they'll be bored with it. If you're the entrepreneurial type -- I know I am -- work on projects you can get excited about. Chances are, if you create something that you'd use and love, others will too. Millionaires understand that some of the best ideas don't come out of costly research but out of a passion for making the world a better place. In 1945, Percy Spencer experimented with a new vacuum tube while doing research for the Raytheon ( ). He popped popcorn, melted a candy bar and saw the great potential for what culminated into the microwave. Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple ( ) recently explained in an interview with Charlie Rose that it's more difficult to edit than it is to create something new. But I've learned that sometimes creating something new can be the best way forward to becoming a millionaire. "You can't just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they'll want something new." -Steve Jobs, former CEO of Apple . Thankfully, my wife budgets like a pro. ​If you don't budget, I promise you'll lose money to overspending. Want to make yourself sick? Count up how much you're spending on eating out, clothing, gadgets, and other delights and write it down. Then, start budgeting. After a year, look at how much you're spending and compare with your initial count. Yikes. Try not to lose your lunch. A hugely important part of budgeting is ensuring you're spending less than you're making. And the only way to do that friends, is to track everything. If you're not a spreadsheets-kind-of-person, that's OK. Just make sure you have some help. "Rule No. 1: Never lose money. Rule No. 2: Never forget rule No. 1." -Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) Millionaires many times become millionaires -- and stay millionaires -- because they The good news? It's pretty simple. is a great place to start when you're new to investing. The people behind this site believe that investing doesn't have to be complicated and that if more people had an easier way to do so, they would. With Betterment, you really only have three decisions to make: how much money to invest, how often you want to invest it, and how you want your asset allocation to look between stocks and bonds. Boom. You're done. I like that. There are other ways to start investing. I proved that in my where I opened up seven accounts with seven online brokers, funding each with $1,000. I wanted to show people how easy it is to get started investing. Just start somewhere. It's OK if you don't have a lot of money to invest right away. , with a little help from my mom. Start investing a few bucks and I'll applaud you. Also, once you start investing, don't abandon the ship. The stock market has its ups and downs. Just ride the wave. Think long-term. As soon as you accept that you're not going to become a millionaire, you probably won't -- and you'll settle for the ordinary. After all, your beliefs affect your actions -- and your actions affect your outcomes. When you listen to discouraging people, you're letting them accomplish their goal -- to drag you down and ensure you don't surpass their success. No good. Instead, I suggest you prove them wrong -- but be humble about it. Your results will speak louder than your words, I promise you. "I just love it when people say I can't do it. There's nothing that makes me feel better, because all my life, people have said that I wasn't going to make it. -Ted Turner, founder of CNN If you've lived on this planet for any considerable number of years, you know that bad stuff happens. Sometimes several bad things happen all at the same time. That's why I recommend that you save some of your income for a rainy day. Medical emergencies can last years. Trees go through roofs. Jobs can be lost. Here's what this has to do with becoming a millionaire. If you have an emergency and don't have some liquid cash , you're likely to either go into debt (bad idea) or borrow from family members (very bad idea). Think of debt as the polar opposite of investing. Instead of you investing in companies, companies are investing in you -- looking to make as much profit as possible by pulling it out of your wallet. It's bad news, people. According to many experts, you should have around three to six months of expenses in your emergency fund -- in bad times, I recommend you shoot for eight months. Think trying to become a millionaire will change you? Don't. It's all about the journey. Just don't make the journey more complicated that it needs to be. These methods are surprisingly simple and easy to understand. Doing them is another matter. But I believe in you. Remember, it's OK to pursue millionaire status. But don't do it for the fame. Pursue it for your family. Pursue it for your community. Pursue it for a purpose greater than yourself. After you earn your million, "Being a millionaire wont change who you are. It won't magically make your life better. You're still the same person. It's the journey of getting there that's the sweet part. Don't miss the good and bad of that journey. Understand what you want out of life and how much money you need to do that. Then be patient and persistent on doing whatever it takes to get there." -Noah Kagan, Facebook employee No. 30 and founder of AppSumo 7 Surprisingly Simple Ways to Become a Millionaire Is your water bill due quarterly? Figure out how much you need to save each month to have enough to pay for the bill when it comes, and put that amount aside each month so you'll be prepared. Do the same for any bills due regularly but not monthly. Bills you only have to pay once a year can be even harder to remember, so be sure to note things like property taxes, auto registration fees and insurance premiums and budget for them as well. Annual subscriptions and memberships regularly trip up people's budgets. Be sure to set aside money each month for things like: Other expenses don't happen on a regular basis, but you can still predict the need to pay for them over the course of the year. Chief among these are repair and maintenance expenses, with the biggest ones being (oil changes, inspections, new brakes or tires, etc.) and home costs (leaky faucets, spring-time yard work, etc.). Some home repairs go beyond the scope of "routine" and require a significant amount of money in reserve. These can include replacing your roof, installing new windows or doing a major home renovation. You can anticipate the need for most of these repairs before you have to make them, so be sure to start budgeting for them in advance. You also need to repair and maintain your body, so factor in medical costs like annual physicals, eye exams and dental checkups, as well as co-pays and prescriptions costs if you have any ongoing conditions. If you plan to purchase any large items in the foreseeable future, from appliances to a new car, make sure you're putting aside enough each month to pay for them in cash. It's always best to pay for big-ticket items upfront rather than finance them (unless you can get a fantastic discount by financing and can pay the balance in full before any interest kicks in). From birthdays to holidays, there are plenty of special occasions each year to budget for. Make sure to include: Your four-legged family members also need to be part of your budget. Do you take an annual vacation? Travel twice a year to visit family for the holidays? Set aside money each month for any travel-related costs such as airfare, hotels, meals, rental cars and souvenirs. Whether you run a business or simply a household, there are certain expenses you may need to plan for in the business category. These can include: Whether you give annually to a charity of your choice or like to have some money set aside for your friends' and family's fundraisers, make sure to allocate enough each month to cover these donations A good budget allows for a little "free" spending money you can do with as you please. It can be $20 a month for fancy coffee at your favorite coffee shop or $100 a month to feed your favorite hobby. The amount doesn't matter so much as the fact that you're allowing yourself a little guilt-free fun to keep your budget from feeling too restrictive. Depending on your lifestyle, your eating out and entertainment budget could be a little or a lot. Whether you prefer to have dinner out once a weekend or see a movie every few weeks, figure out how much you'd ideally like to have and then examine any budget categories you can tweak to make room for it. If you realize you need to cut back on your habits a little to save money, that's fine too-at least you're aware of it now so you can act accordingly. Even if you're not a clothes horse, chances are there are certain items you'll need to purchase throughout the year. These can include: Calculate your annual spending on all clothing and accessories and divide that amount by 12 to determine how much you should be putting aside each month.

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7 Surprisingly Simple Ways to Become a Millionaire

Reflect on just how wealthy you are already. Imagine if you make more. Dream. And then follow these simple -- but not necessarily easy -- steps.

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It’s hard to be popular when you embarrass people and suggest your rivals sleep with swine. But Nick Denton, owner of Gawker Media, is trying to be liked all the same. After years of embracing the role of caustic outlaw, Denton is on a charm tour with his peers in the press—last month, he smoked a joint in front of a New York Times reporter—with the hope of showing everyone how he really, truly can play nice with others. A lot is riding on the outcome. The media industry is in a “get big or go home” phase, and Gawker is hoping to find a friend with deep pockets who has the backbone to stand behind his distinct, abrasive vision of journalism. In a recent chat with Fortune, Denton dropped hints about possible partners, shared his thoughts about Facebook and online advertising, and dispelled the idea that his newfound sunny disposition is the product of his recent marriage. “It’s not in the public interest to see Hulk Hogan’s weiner per se,” Denton tells me on a hot Friday afternoon in Gawker’s soon-to-be-vacated office in New York’s SoHo neighborhood. “But it is in the public interest to understand news stories. Like it or not, news and public life involves sex and drugs and other matters that people might find indecent. The only thing we find indecent is media that ignores stories people care about.” The Hulk Hogan example is not hypothetical. It instead reflects Gawker’s position in a Florida court case where the former wrestler is asking a jury to award $100 million because the website published a short clip of tape showing Hogan having sex with the then-wife of a minor celebrity. The trial was supposed to start next week, but an appeals court ordered a temporary halt over a procedural issue; meanwhile, a court ordered the FBI to disclose evidence–in the form of additional Hogan sex tapes–to Gawker’s lawyers. The trial, now set for October, still poses an existential threat to Gawker. But Denton sees the recent FBI ruling as a partial victory. He believes it validates his overall argument in the Hogan affair: That Gawker had a free-speech right to publish the tape not as titillation but as proof of the behavior of a self-aggrandizing celebrity who had already made his sex life public in a media narrative. As for the Hogan story itself, it’s classic Gawker-style journalism and one of the many bombshells published by the company’s namesake publications and its sister titles, which include Deadspin (sports), Jezebel (women’s interest), and Gizmodo (tech). Other stories published by the company have exposed the crack-smoking mayor of Toronto, the fictitious dead girlfriend of a football star, and quarterback Brett Favre’s below-the-belt selfies. If there’s a common thread here beyond male genitalia and stupidity, it’s Gawker’s willingness to report on powerful people even when others who have the same information will not. “I’m glad that organizations like us and BuzzFeed can provide some cover for newspapers that are more cautious. It’s sort of flattering and good for the eco-system as a whole,” Denton says. “We take the view that we’re not responsible for an original breach, but if information is out there and it’s interesting, we’ll absolutely run the stories.” Denton spoke well of BuzzFeed several times over the course of the interview, perhaps implying that his viral rival could be a strategic partner one day. The well-funded site (it’s raised nearly $100 million in venture capital since its founding in 2006) has some of the same digital brashness as Gawker, and recently lent legal support in the First Amendment fight over the Hogan tapes. BuzzFeed is also expanding quickly. It has acquired smaller companies and attracted interest from the likes of Disney, though it has not publicly expressed a desire to invest in Gawker or any other media company. “Let’s get through the Hogan trial first before we talk about that,” Denton said about his rumored search for investors. “[But] it’s clear that a robust media company needs a strong financial footing in order to face down illegitimate lawsuits like we’re fighting.” (After this story was published, Denton sent an email saying, “I’m an admirer of Buzzfeed’s evolution from viral marketing agency to media conglomerate. But I don’t envision us going into the journalism business together.”) Even for an unstable industry, 2015 has been a choppy ride for digital media. Smaller outlets have been wiped out (like my former employer Gigaom) or swallowed up (like Re/code, which was acquired in May by Vox Media, or TechCrunch and Huffington Post publisher AOL, acquired last month by Verizon). Recent technology trends, such as the spread of ad-blockers and readers’ ongoing embrace of smaller screens where advertising is more difficult to sell, pose new challenges to publishers’ business models. Denton is unfazed. He’s adamant, for example, that media companies should not grab the apparent lifeline offered by Facebook’s “Instant Articles,” which promise to bring publishers’ content to Facebook users faster by natively hosting it within Facebook. Early partners for the effort, such as the New York Times, are tempted by the prospect of a new revenue stream and the chance to reach Facebook’s FB vast audience. The catch? Facebook decides which articles will be seen. “So many media organizations are just playing to Facebook,” Denton said. “They’re just catering to the preferences … expressed in some algorithm that nobody understands. It’s almost like we’re leaving offerings for some unpredictable machine god that may or may not bless us.” Denton called the Denton added that the arrangement is not a true distribution partnership, but instead has forces media companies into a position of “abject surrender.” But does he have a better idea? Denton claims that Gawker is doing just fine without Facebook in part thanks to its “affiliate links” partnership with Amazon, whereby the retail giant offers a small payment if readers click a link to a product. He also says the traditional display ad business is doing fine, and that mobile readers offer an opportunity for growth—especially if publishers can get a cut of a booming market for app downloads, which Denton says is getting claimed entirely by Facebook and Twitter. And for anyone wondering about the true state of Gawker, Denton abruptly released the company’s private financial records earlier this month. It’s hard to guess his motives for doing so; the nominal explanation was that the release would serve to head off a bad story, but that could be puffery. Whatever the reason, the figures showed that, yes, Gawker is indeed making money, to the tune of $6.5 million in operating income last year. Denton has found his softer side, but you sure wouldn’t know it from his websites. A smattering of recent headlines reveals Gawker’s distinct brew of social criticism, gratuitous snark, and puerile distractions is still in full force: “Unidentified Dong Dangler Drapes Hundreds of Dildos Around Portland”; “No, Planned Parenthood is not Selling Aborted Fetal Body Parts”; “Inspiring: a Full 0.56% of Facebook’s 2013 Hires were Black.” But according to Denton himself as well as people who know him, he really has mellowed out. He’s at long last learned to delegate, take advice, and yes, be nice to people. “He’s not the Nick Denton I started working for in 2009,” said Gawker’s executive editor, Tommy Craggs. “It’s a very different company, which is a reflection of changes in his personality and a restructuring of the management group. There’s a willingness to listen to more voices.” Craggs suggested his boss’s transformation has a lot to do with his marriage in 2014 to actor Derrence Washington. It’s a popular refrain. Denton rejects the idea. “Everyone looks for a narrative and it’s a convenient narrative to pin someone’s personal transformation on an event that gets summed up in a sentence,” he said. “But in order to get the husband that I have I would have had to change before I met him rather than after.” Denton may have evolved on a personal level, but his professional mission is unchanged: He still wants to lampoon the smug and self-important, and tear down the clubby arrangements that allow insider groups – including journalists – to hoard information for themselves. Now, he just has to find someone with a big checkbook to do it with him. This story has been corrected to note the appeal court delay ruling was related to a procedural issue, not to the separate FBI-related court order.

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Gawker's Nick Denton chats Hulk Hogan, Facebook, media and marriage

Gawker Media owner Nick Denton, who is facing Hulk Hogan in court, found time to share insights on media and his recent effort to be liked.

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Young children who live openly as transgender and who have supportive families seem no more anxious or depressed than other children, researchers report. The secret seems to be support and acceptance, the researchers report in the journal Pediatrics. The findings are reassuring after a series of reports that indicated transgender individuals in the United States often had high rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide. "The thinking has always been that kids who are not acting gender-stereotypically are basically destined to have mental health problems," said Kristina Olson of the University of Washington, who led the study. "In our study, that's not the case." Olson's team studied 73 kids aged 3 to 12. Their parents were asked whether their children had experienced symptoms of depression or anxiety during the past week. They found the transgender kids averaged an anxiety score of 50.1 on a National Institutes of Health scale -- almost the same as the national norm of 50. "I think the experience of transgender children is quite unique," said Olson. "They believe themselves to be in a gender group that others, at least initially, do not believe them to be in. I'm interested in the psychology and implications of this experience." High school junior Evie Priestman says the acceptance of his Northern Virginia community helped him make the transition. "I have always had a supportive family and felt accepted," said Priestman. "I was raised in Northern Virginia where the schools I go to are very open and teach you to be yourself. I was never concerned because I came from a very diverse area." Evie Priestman and mother Sarah Priestman embracing during day trip on ferry, 2009. Courtesy of Sarah Priestman In the beginning, Evie's mother Sarah was raising a daughter but by the age of 5 Evie only wanted crewcut hairstyles and boy's clothing. By middle school, Evie made the decision to be open about his social transitioning experience after attending a summer sleepaway camp. "We arranged with the camp that Evie would be a boy, stay in the boy's cabin, and shower in the nurses' station," said Sarah, a 61-year-old Arlington, Virginia teacher. "Everything was fantastic. He loved being a boy and on the very last day he told everybody and they were all supportive. Sometimes people don't realize that being transgender is about identity not about sexual desire." There are medical decisions to be made, Evie Priestman said. "If an individual has not gone through puberty and is wanting to transition, they go on hormone blockers which stop them from producing testosterone or estrogen," he said. "I met with a team of doctors and what the next steps were. I met with an endocrinologist. I was not allowed to start hormones until I was 16 years old I was put on medication to stop my menstrual cycle and I was on that for about a year and a half or so," he added."My mom and I talked about getting chest surgery to get rid of the breast tissue and March of 2015 I underwent the procedure to remove my breast tissue. Now I am here. Every week I inject myself with testosterone." Evie Priestman playing in the water in Virginia Beach, 2009. Courtesy of Sarah Priestman But there's not much more to it than that, he said. "For me and any other trans individual I feel like the only thing that is changing about yourself is the pronoun and the way I look. Your personality doesn't change. You are still the same person." Support from the people closest to them is key to helping people transition to their true gender, says Thomas Coughlin, a staff psychotherapist and transgender health advocate at Whitman-Walker Health in Washington, D.C. "There are some things we can do to support trans kids and trans adults that aren't as scary for folks," Coughlin told NBC News. "If I use the name someone wants me to use and use the correct pronoun; if I allow them to express themselves through gendered behavior and gendered clothing in a way that feels more comfortable to them, that's going to help them feel better," Coughlin added. "People have a big fear of irreversible changes and what if this is a mistake? How does this person know this is going on? Allowing them to move through it on their own without ridicule or judgment in those kind of ways in terms of expression." But there are no hard and fast rules, Coughlin added. "There is not one way to transition. It is not in a linear path that people take," said Coughlin, who himself transitioned from female gender in 2000. "It's about exploring gender and your comfort. It's really about meeting a person where they are and supporting them in whatever that means to them in terms of gender." The Priestmans recognize that not everyone will understand their decision and that fear is still common. "I had a pretty great kid to start with, but when he was able to be who he truly was he became stronger," said Sarah. "His peers do not care about the gender thing. Everybody should have the opportunity to live how they want, transgender or not." The University of Washington team will follow the kids they studied. "It will be important to follow these children over time, particularly during the transition to adolescence, to understand patterns of mental health and positive adjustment across development for transgender youth who are supported by their families," said Katie McLaughlin, an assistant professor of psychology who co-authored the study.

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With Support, Transgender Kids Skip the Anxiety: Study

Young children who live openly as transgender and who have supportive families seem no more anxious or depressed than other children, researchers say.

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Under the belief that even thinking about spring training will fend off the cold, let’s engage in the annual exercise called “30 teams, 30 questions.” For while each club faces myriad concerns that will not be fully answered until 162 games have been played, there also exist issues that must be sufficiently addressed in camp. In some cases, Plan B’s must be ready to launch on Opening Day if those matters go the wrong way. In others, such a failure to launch will just bode very poorly. Let’s go in reverse order of last year’s standings since the worst team of 2015 theoretically should face the most angst at the outset and vice versa. 1. Phillies. Can Ryan Howard, in the last year of his albatross contract, show enough to at least make the team or generate any sort of trade interest? 2. Reds. Will 2B Jose Peraza, acquired in the three-way trade that sent popular 3B Todd Frazier to the White Sox, play his way onto the roster? 3. Braves. Does either overpaid veteran, OF Michael Bourn or OF-1B Nick Swisher, both entering their walk years, have anything to offer? Neither is projected to start. 4. Rockies. Will any clarity be gained about Jose Reyes’ situation? The former Mets SS has a trial scheduled for April 4 in Hawaii following an October incident there with his wife. 5. Brewers. Can Domingo Santana secure the starting left-field job after getting it cleared with the trade of Khris Davis to Oakland? 6. A’s. How will LHP Rich Hill look after shocking the baseball world — and earning a decent contract — with a September 2015 resurgence in a Red Sox uniform? 7. Marlins. When a non-roster invite with low upside asks new Marlins hitting coach Barry Bonds for help with his mechanics, how will that go? 8. Padres. Can Wil Myers cement his move from the outfield to first base? He played a few weeks there last year before getting injured. 9. Tigers. Will RHP Bruce Rondon exhibit a new attitude after getting sent home early last season? 10. White Sox. After being in the mix for various high-profile free agents but not signing them, will the White Sox pick up a straggler like SS Ian Desmond or OF Dexter Fowler? 11. Mariners. In the wake of a new general manager, new manager and 12 trades, when will they stop wearing name tags? 12. Red Sox. Will Hanley Ramirez display more enthusiasm about moving to first base than he did about moving to left field a year ago? 13. Diamondbacks. How will this often-forgotten franchise cope with an influx of early attention and scrutiny? 14. Rays. Can 1B James Loney, in his walk year and coming off a subpar 2015, inspire confidence in a rebound with his Grapefruit League at-bats? 15. Indians. Will OF Michael Brantley, recovering from right shoulder surgery, have a concrete timeline for his return by the end of camp? 16. Orioles. Who will start in right field? The Reds’ Jay Bruce, free agent Dexter Fowler and current Oriole Mark Trumbo are candidates. 17. Twins. How will sophomore Miguel Sano perform in right field? He has never played there professionally. 18. Nationals. Can new manager Dusty Baker, at age 66 and two years removed from his last job, repair this very fractured clubhouse? 19. Giants. Will new OF Denard Span, coming off hip surgery, be ready for the start of the season? 20. Angels. Can 1B Albert Pujols, who underwent right foot surgery over the offseason, rehabilitate in time for Opening Day? 21. Astros. Will RHP Luke Gregerson be at peace with his demotion from closer to setup man after the Astros acquired RHP Ken Giles from the Phillies? 22. Yankees. Injuries everywhere: Can RHP Masahiro Tanaka, having undergone right elbow surgery, overcome his own doubts about being a go for the start of the schedule? 23. Rangers. Can OF Josh Hamilton make it through spring training in one piece? He has totaled 139 games played in the prior two seasons. 24. Mets. Will the young starting rotation of RHPs Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard and LHP Steven Matz look sturdy after last season’s push? 25. Dodgers. How will rookie manager Dave Roberts fare in his first camp with the game’s highest-paid team? 26. Blue Jays. Can the clubhouse and the team’s revived fan base use camp to fully shake off the stunning departure of previous general manager Alex Anthopoulos? 27. Royals. Does 2B Omar Infante still have the everyday job? He lost it to Ben Zobrist, now gone to the Cubs, last year. 28. Cubs. Will Jason Heyward prove that moving to center field full time is no big deal? And will he be OK occupying a far greater spotlight? 29. Pirates. Is John Jaso, almost exclusively a catcher and DH in his first six years, versatile enough to handle the move to first base? 30. Cardinals. Can they shake off their postseason and offseason losses to the Cubs — Heyward and RHP John Lackey shifted rivals — and regain their usual businesslike bravado?

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30 teams, 30 questions: Biggest problem facing each MLB camp

Under the belief that even thinking about spring training will fend off the cold, let’s engage in the annual exercise called “30 teams, 30 questions.” For while each club faces myriad concerns that…

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Kanye West lashed out at a nameless oppressor in his latest Twitter rant, before tweeting a love letter to Adidas for giving the hip-hop star his big fashion break. The 38-year-old artist claims someone used his alleged debt of $53 million as leverage during business dealings, on which he did not elaborate. NAILED IT OR FAILED IT? YOU VOTE ON GRAMMYS RED CARPET FASHION “For the past 3 years people who knew about the debt tried to use it against me in negotiations,” he wrote during an early Tuesday tirade fearing the debt could have broken up his family. “You can’t control me or use the debt against me no more.” West and wife Kim Kardashian have two children, North and Saint. STEVIE WONDERS HONORS MAURICE WHITE, MAKES BRAILLE JOKE “I wanted the world to know my struggle,” West added, explaining why he came forward with his economic woes. The rant follows West’s absence at the Grammy’s, where he had hoped to win Album of the Year for “The Life of Pablo” without ever earning a nomination. On Sunday, he tweeted that, "I'm practicing my Grammy speech. I'm not going to the Grammys unless they promise me Album of the Year!!!" JUSTIN BRINGS ADORABLE DATE TO GRAMMYS He released his latest studio album just two days before the awards show. The coveted award went to Taylor Swift instead, whom West famously interrupted at the 2009 VMAs when the pop starlet accepted best video award for “You Belong With Me.” None of West’s 26 tweets early Tuesday addressed the Grammy’s results nor Swift’s acceptance speech, which alluded to their ongoing feud. LEGEND, LOVATO, AND MORE PLAY TRIBUTE TO LIONEL RITCHIE He signed off by saying “all positive energy” just after midnight in California. Since his delayed album’s release, West has repeatedly name-dropped the subscription-based service Tidal as the only way to hear the record for now. The sales pitch coincides with West’s account of building debt dating back at least 13 years when the budding rapper hustled demos while working on “The College Dropout,” he revealed on Twitter. West initially disclosed an accumulated debt of $16 million while brokering his fashion line, he revealed in February 2015. That debt exploded to a whopping $53 million at some point during the past 12 months. “My dreams brought me into debt,” West said, but he is also noted his fashion deal with Adidas is bringing him “close to seeing the light of day.” ZENDYA BRINGS BACK THE MULLET AT THE GRAMMYS “Adidas has really made all the difference,” he added. The shoes he designed for Adidas, Yeezy Boost 350, sold out within hours of going on sale. West hopes the success will lead to a bigger deal with the athletic sportswear company. “They provided resources for me to create," West said. "They supported me ... I thank you so so much ... You let me dream without limits.”

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Kanye West addresses $53M debt during post-Grammys rant

Kanye West lashed out at a nameless oppressor during his latest rant before tweeting a love letter to Adidas.

20160614002702

The city of Cleveland has had a colorful history. The Cuyahoga River, which runs through the city, famously caught fire in 1969 thanks to rampant pollution, and it wasn’t the first time. In 1978 it became the first U.S. city to default on its debts since the Great Depression. Cleveland sports fans have had to endure more anguish than those in any other city. The city has been dubbed with a less than endearing nickname: the Mistake by the Lake. This year Cleveland takes the top spot in our third annual ranking of America’s Most Miserable Cities. Cleveland secured the position thanks to its high unemployment, high taxes, lousy weather, corruption by public officials and crummy sports teams (Cavaliers of the NBA excepted). Slide Show: America’s 20 Most Miserable Cities Misery was on the rise around the country last year. Sure the stock market was up big, but so were unemployment, foreclosures and bankruptcy filings. Meanwhile housing prices, the U.S. dollar and approval ratings for Congress continued their downward spiral. The widely tracked Misery Index initiated by economist Arthur Okun, which combines unemployment and inflation rates started 2009 at 7.3 and rose to 12.7 by the end of the year thanks to soaring joblessness. That is the highest level since 1983. Our Misery Measure takes into account unemployment, as well as eight other issues that cause people anguish. The metrics include taxes (both sales and income), commute times, violent crime and how its pro sports teams have fared over the past two years. We also factored in two indexes put together by Portland, Ore., researcher Bert Sperling that gauge weather and Superfund pollution sites. Lastly we considered corruption based on convictions of public officials in each area as tracked by the Public Integrity Section of the U.S. Department of Justice. We expanded the list of cities under consideration this year to include the 200 largest metropolitan statistical areas (in years past we’ve examined 150), which led to a shuffling in the ranks. Any area with a population of more than 245,000 was eligible. Cleveland nabbed the top spot as a result of poor ratings across the board. It was the only city that fell in the bottom half of the rankings in all nine categories. Many residents are heading for greener pastures. There has been a net migration out of the Cleveland metro area of 71,000 people over the past five years. Population for the city itself has been on a steady decline and is now less than half of it what it was 50 years ago. Cleveland ranked near the bottom when looking at corruption. Northern Ohio has seen 309 public officials convicted of crimes over the past 10 years according to the Justice Department. A current FBI investigation of public officials in Cuyahoga County (where Cleveland is located) has ensnared more than two dozen government employees and businessmen on charges including bribery, fraud and tax evasion. On the housing front Cleveland is dealing with thousands of abandoned homes. The city contributed to its foreclosure problem by providing down payments to many people that could not afford homes through the federally funded Afford-A-Home program. Cleveland led by Mayor Frank Jackson sued 21 large investment banks in 2008 who he felt were complicit in the subprime and foreclosure crisis that hit Cleveland hard. A federal judge dismissed the suit last year, but the city is appealing the ruling. A 19% decline in foreclosures last year is possibly a glimmer of hope that the housing situation is starting to improve, although Cleveland still ranks in the top third of all metros for foreclosure rates according to RealtyTrac, an online marketer of foreclosed property. Cleveland and Cuyahoga County were awarded $41 million last month from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This money will go towards demolition of homes, foreclosure prevention and the rehabilitation of homes. There are certainly bright spots in Cleveland. Downtown has experienced a revival over the past 15 years helped in part by the construction of three new sports venues for the city’s NFL, NBA and baseball teams. The Cleveland Clinic is one of the top medical centers in the U.S. and the largest employer in northeast Ohio. Mayor Jackson’s chief of staff Ken Silliman calls 2010 a very exciting year for Cleveland. He points to three projects in development for the city. The first is the Cleveland Medical Mart which is a convention center that targets the medical and health care industries. Next is a casino plan. In November Ohio voters approved casinos in four cities, and Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert is leading a group that hopes to have a Cleveland casino up and running in three years. Lastly is the Flats East Bank project, which ran into funding issues during the financial crisis. The waterfront development will include an office tower, hotel and space for retail and dining. “Clevelanders over the years have developed a tenacity to deal with these kinds of situations, and we are very aggressive in attempting to solve our problems rather than awaiting someone else’s solutions,” says Silliman. Other cities on the list include Memphis, which came in third thanks to the second-worst rate of violent crime in the U.S. and an alarming rate of convicted public officials. Detroit, ravaged by the ailing auto industry was fourth. Flint, Mich., was fifth. Also on the list? Chicago (No. 10) and New York City (No. 16). Torturous commute times and nosebleed-inducing taxes are the high prices locals pay for the cultural opportunities and corporate headquarters located there. Our most miserable city last year, Stockton, Calif., nabbed the second spot on this year’s list. Unemployment and crime continue to be major issues. Stockton ranked seventh worst in both of these areas. Stockton residents have average commutes that are among the highest in the country and, like all Californians, they suffer from onerous sales and income taxes. Stockton Mayor Ann Johnston says the city is working to fix its problems. It has seen a reduction in crime in recent months as it targets troubled areas with an increased police presence. On the economic front, the city recently expanded the Port of Stockton, which it hopes will attract new companies. Stockton is an agricultural community, but the Mayor says the city is working to diversify its economic base and echoes Silliman’s comments about Cleveland. “We’re an All-American city,” says Mayor Johnston. “And it’s not because we sit on our hands and do nothing. It’s because we recognize our problems and work to solve them.” Slide Show: America’s 20 Most Miserable Cities Comments are turned off for this post.

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America's Most Miserable Cities

Cleveland leads a slew of Midwestern towns on our annual list, but thanks to high taxes New York and Chicago make it too.

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Before you go, we thought you'd like these... Gwyneth is at it again! Whether you think Goop is nicely lavish, or get-out-of-here expensive... Gwyneth Paltrow has responded to all the backlash she's received about her brand being way too expensive. Prepare to be shocked as you hear what the actress said here! Gwyneth Paltrow on people who claim Goop is too expensive Gwyneth Paltrow arrives at the amfAR Inspiration Gala at Milk Studios on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON -- Episode 0194 -- Pictured: Actress Gwyneth Paltrow on January 14, 2015 -- (Photo by: Douglas Gorenstein/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images) CRUEL DOUBT -- Air Date 05/17/1992 -- Pictured: Gwyneth Paltrow as Angela Pritchard -- Photo by: Gary Null/NBCU Photo Bank Gwyneth Paltrow holds a phone in a scene from the film 'Moonlight And Valentino', 1995. (Photo by Gramercy Pictures/Getty Images) NEW YORK CITY - MARCH 29: Actress Gwyneth Paltrow attends the 'Jefferson in Paris' New York City Premiere on March 29, 1995 at the Paris Theatre in New York City. (photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage) Actress Gwyneth Paltrow attends the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences private luncheon and viewing of the "Hollywood Costume" exhibition at the Wilshire May Company building on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Dan Steinberg/Invision/AP) BEVERLY HILLS, CA - JANUARY 11: In this handout photo provided by NBCUniversal, Presenter Gwyneth Paltrow speaks onstage during the 72nd Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 11, 2015 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Paul Drinkwater/NBCUniversal via Getty Images) Gwyneth Paltrow arrives at the 2014 amfAR Inspiration Gala at Milk Studios on Wednesday, Oct. 29, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) HOLLYWOOD, CA - SEPTEMBER 05: Actress Gwyneth Paltrow arrives at Hollywood Unites For The 4th Biennial Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C), A Program Of The Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) at Dolby Theatre on September 5, 2014 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Barry King/FilmMagic) NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 12: Actress Gwyneth Paltrow attends the Boss Women fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2014 at Skylight Limited on February 12, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week) NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 10: Gwyneth Paltrow attends The Great American Songbook event honoring Bryan Lourd at Alice Tully Hall on February 10, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Lincoln Center) BERLIN, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 01: Gwyneth Paltrow attends the 49th Golden Camera Awards at Tempelhof Airport on February 1, 2014 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Luca Teuchmann/WireImage) LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 10: Actress Gwyneth Paltrow, wearing Diane Von Furstenberg, attends Diane Von Furstenberg's Journey of A Dress Exhibition Opening Celebration at May Company Building at LACMA West on January 10, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Donato Sardella/Getty Images for Diane Von Furstenberg) LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 02: Gwyneth Paltrow poses in the winners room at the British Fashion Awards 2013 at London Coliseum on December 2, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images) LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 25: Gwyneth Paltrow attends the Matthew Williamson and Gwyneth Paltrow Kids Company dinner at aqua shard on November 25, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Getty Images) PARIS, FRANCE - NOVEMBER 07: Gwyneth Paltrow launches the Printemps Christmas Decorations Inauguration In Paris at Printemps Haussmann on November 7, 2013 in Paris, France. (Photo by Dominique Charriau/WireImage) HOLLYWOOD, CA - SEPTEMBER 16: Gwyneth Paltrow arrives at the 'Thanks For Sharing' - Los Angeles Premiere at ArcLight Hollywood on September 16, 2013 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage) HOLLYWOOD, CA - SEPTEMBER 16: Actress Gwyneth Paltrow arrives at the Los Angeles Premiere 'Thanks For Sharing' at ArcLight Cinemas on September 16, 2013 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic) EAST HAMPTON, NY - AUGUST 10: Actress Gwyneth Paltrow signs books during Authors Night For The East Hampton Library at Gardiner's Farm on August 10, 2013 in East Hampton, New York. (Photo by Matthew Peyton/Getty Images for East Hampton Library) NEW YORK, NY - MAY 07: Actress Gwyneth Paltrow attends Meet The Developer at the Apple Store Soho on May 7, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Debra L Rothenberg/FilmMagic) THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO -- Episode 4448 -- Pictured: Actress Gwyneth Paltrow arrives on April 25, 2013 -- (Photo by: Stacie McChesney/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images) HOLLYWOOD, CA - APRIL 24: Actress Gwyneth Paltrow arrives at the 'Iron Man 3' - Los Angeles Premiere at the El Capitan Theatre on April 24, 2013 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Allen Berezovsky/WireImage) NEW YORK, NY - MAY 06: Actress Gwyneth Paltrow attends the Costume Institute Gala for the 'PUNK: Chaos to Couture' exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 6, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Jennifer Graylock/FilmMagic)

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Gwyneth Paltrow on people who claim Goop is too expensive

Gwyneth Paltrow has responded to critics of her lifestyle brand Goop, who say the products are too expensive.

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Bukisa is a place where you can share your knowledge with others and get paid when others use it. Bukisa is a one stop shop for how-to, informational & educational content. We are both an aggregator and a UGC website. We provide content in the form of articles, videos, presentations, audio recordings and image slideshows. Bukisa's contributors enjoy not only the publicity, but also revenue sharing of ads placed on their content. A contributor can invite friends and colleagues to create their own content on Bukisa, thus creating their own personal Bukisa network. A user that owns a network will not only enjoy the revenue sharing of their work, but will also profit from their network friends' revenue sharing. Built in a vein similar to that of Associated Content, et al., Bukisa is designed to be as easy for content creators to use as it is for consumers. Want to share a lesson for a certain task, be it a “fix-it” explainer or a construction project? How about a beginner’s course on a certain piece of technology? Bukisa allows you to do just that, in word, photo and video. The learning curve for Bukisa is very light. Most every feature is intuitive to use, and the layout - from the front page to each article - is quite smart. Categories are in clear view and are fairly extensive, and things like the popular topics window, columns for popular posts, and things recently added seem to be well placed. Visitors might prefer that Bukisa deliver a larger amount of content right from the top level, but I’d grade it a B+ or an A- to start. It’s also a treat to see the service clearly delineate its Bukisa Index statistic. Without going into too much detail, the number shown is what users can expect insofar as financial returns go for every 1,000 unique visits registered. Currently the Index stands at 4.20, which means users can gather $4.20 per mille if in fact they manage to secure the necessary reader figure(s). If Bukisa’s popularity grows, the Index is likely to rise as well. (According to site copy, any changes made to the Index are seen roughly every four weeks.) That’s not all. Bukisa also involves a friendly dimension in its payment system. If you invite friends to join you on the network, and they themselves begin to produce content that generates traffic that too results in revenue, you yourself will see income to the tune of a 25% bonus. And if those friends then invite other contacts, who in turn deliver popular material, you’ll see one-sixteenth of their total revenue. So if your respective social circles are especially prolific, and both short-term and long-term traffic data is high, you could very well see ample and steady cash sent your way. Of course, this is all in an effort to establish a bustling community of content creators, and hinges on a great amount of visitors regularly passing in and out of the space. Which is hardly guaranteed. But that’s the way syndication services function. And if we’re to consider which direction Bukisa is headed, the foundation upon which users can grow their brands looks like a good one. Keep an eye on the Index, we say. It’s bound to climb in the months ahead. Editor's Note: This post is part of an ongoing series at Mashable - The Startup Review, Sponsored by Sun Microsystems Startup Essentials. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here. Sponsored By: Sun Startup Essentials

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Make Money Online With Bukisa | The Startup Review

Company Name Bukisa 20-Word Description Bukisa is a place where you can share your knowledge with others and get paid when others use it. CEO's Pitch Bukisa is a one stop shop f...

20160714231234

President Barack Obama has negotiated with business leaders periodically during his presidency and, at times, joined with them to push issues such as expanded international trade or comprehensive immigration reform. But in his last year in office, Obama seems to have shed any hesitation to take actions that critics might dub "anti-business," a move that harkens back to his early campaign rhetoric and also fits the current mood of a populist American electorate. The shift is evident in three controversial decisions the administration announced this week, including a change in tax policy which the president, in an unusual step, promoted himself from the podium in the White House briefing room. The rule, issued by the Treasury Department, aims to make it harder for American companies to reduce their taxes by purchasing or merging with smaller foreign firms, a move known as a "corporate inversion." It bore fruit immediately, forcing the U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer on Wednesday to call off its $160 billion merger with the Dublin-based Botox-maker Allergan. Also Wednesday, the Labor Department finalized a rule that requires brokers selling retirement investments to put the client's interest ahead of their own. And the Justice Department announced a lawsuit seeking to block a proposed merger between oil services firms Halliburton and Baker Hughes. All three announcements were long in the works, and senior administration officials said Wednesday they reflected the administration's long-standing interest in bolstering the middle class. National Economic Council director Jeff Zients said the president's action "occurred in the face of immense opposition by the special interests and their Republican allies in Congress, but ... we've delivered real progress for the American people." But coming now, at a time when anger at corporate America is animating the presidential contests for Democrats and Republicans alike, they underscore the degree to which Obama's approach to business issues has evolved through his two terms. They also illustrate how Obama is now attempting to leverage his powers to his party's advantage in the race to succeed him as president. The inversions rule, in particular, was met with stinging criticism from business interests in Washington. "This is event-driven tax policy: You see something happening, and then you make a rule to keep it from happening. And this one is as weird as you can get," said Tony Fratto, a former Treasury official in the Bush administration who is now a partner at Hamilton Place Strategies. "I was surprised when they started to do these sorts of things. I don't think it's a good thing, but now it's what they do." Discussing the inversions policy on Tuesday in the briefing room, Obama called on Americans to examine how the nation's wealthy have been able to "game the system," acknowledging a desire to affect the presidential campaign debate. "And I hope this topic ends up being introduced into the broader political debate that we're going to be having leading up to election season," he said. He blamed congressional Republicans for the pervasive voter anger on the campaign trail this year: "When politicians perpetuate a system that favors the wealthy at the expense of the middle class, it's not surprising that people feel like they can't get ahead. It's not surprising that oftentimes it may produce a politics that is directed at that frustration." Obama has courted business leaders during his tenure, but he has also chastised them in sometimes harsh terms. He described big Wall Street bonuses as "shameful" shortly after taking office in 2009 and later that year ripped "fat cat bankers." In the midst of his 2012 re-election campaign, he called for CEOs to create jobs in America "because it's good for the country that made their business and their personal success possible." The president was elected on promises to curb the excesses of corporate America and to empower the nation's beleaguered middle class. He inherited a financial crisis upon taking office, endorsing a much-maligned Wall Street bailout signed by his predecessor, George W. Bush, and a bailout of the American auto industry that he signed himself. His administration included pharmaceutical companies in the negotiations over his signature health care bill and financial firms in discussions of what would become the Dodd-Frank finance regulations. The most influential business groups in the country ended up denouncing both the health-care and financial-regulation bills. They have sparred loudly and frequently with Obama over taxes and over his efforts to reduce carbon emissions. An administration business charm offensive of sorts under William Daley, Obama's second chief of staff, failed in its efforts to cajole a major increase in corporate investment in America. Obama and congressional Republicans have failed to reach agreement on several issues that top business groups' agendas, including immigration and tax reform. Obama and business groups are continuing to work together to push for congressional approval of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, though its prospects look dim this year. Meanwhile, Obama has embraced an agenda in recent years that targets the gap between the very rich and everyone else, including an increased minimum wage, mandated family leave for workers and regulations meant to empower union organizing. He has tested the boundaries of executive authority to win victories on his domestic priorities. Business groups have criticized many of those unilateral actions, including the inversion and fiduciary rules announced this week. The inversions rule is "both counterproductive and ultimately self-defeating," said R. Bruce Josten, executive vice president for government affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "It's punitive. It's ultimately going to drive companies out of the country." John Engler, the president of the Business Roundtable, said he expects the administration to continue the course of new regulations his group opposes until Obama's term ends in January, including new actions from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the National Labor Relations Board. "It's probably going to be pretty unrelenting the next nine months," Engler said. "We're just marking down the days." Obama allies said the president is simply making good on his promises to act on critical issues if Congress refuses to — and also on his pledge to make the economy work better for the middle class. "It is a recognition that the public is demanding real action to address the kind of fundamental inequities in the economy. It's obviously roiling both parties," said Neera Tanden, the president of the liberal Center for American Progress think tank. "Five years ago, I think you would have heard a lot more outcry from Congress about the president intervening in the markets [with the inversions rule]. I don't think you're seeing the same kind of outcry you would have seen." Jared Bernstein, a former economic adviser to Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, said the moves reflect Obama's team finding new ways to push long-standing policy goals. In 2011, he said, Obama aides struggled to brainstorm actions that could bypass the new Republican Congress and help the middle class. "Back then, I don't remember coming up with much," he said. "And yet, if you look at what they've done since then, it's hugely impressive, from my perspective."

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Obama moves to agitate big business

President Barack Obama has negotiated with business leaders periodically during his presidency and, at times, joined with them to push issues such as expanded international trade or comprehensive immigration reform. But in his last year in office, Obama seems to have shed any hesitation to take actions that critics might dub "anti-business," a move that harkens back to his early campaign rhetoric and also fits the current mood of a populist American electorate.

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Jul 13, 2016 8:58 PM EDT U.S. COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Two additional firefighters in South Carolina's capital were fired Wednesday for comments posted on social media about Black Lives Matter protesters who blocked traffic. CBS affiliate WLTX reported that Richland County leaders also announced their decision to terminate a senior paramedic Wednesday afternoon, saying the person made "inappropriate comments." The officials did not elaborate further. Columbia Fire Department spokesman Brick Lewis said a senior firefighter, hired in October 2013, and a probationary firefighter hired in February were dismissed after admitting to their Facebook comments. Lewis did not know precisely what they wrote, noting that their posts have been deleted. But he said their termination was part of the same investigation that led to Monday's firing of Capt. Jimmy Morris, a 16-year veteran of the department, for posting while on duty that he would run over protesters if they were still blocking traffic when his shift ended. The department "will not condone or tolerate this type of unprofessional behavior by any employee," Fire Chief Aubrey Jenkins said in a statement. Black Lives Matter protesters closed an intersection near the Statehouse and a section of interstate leading into Columbia late Sunday. The protests came after black men were killed by police in Minnesota and Louisiana and white officers were gunned down in Dallas. In the aftermath, some first responders across the country have been fired or suspended for racially insensitive posts on social media. Jenkins closed the fire station where Morris worked at 1 a.m. Monday after the department received complaints and threats about his posts. The fire chief will re-evaluate Thursday morning whether to reopen the station, Lewis said. "Crews are still working and servicing the area" from a different firehouse, Lewis said. "Jenkins felt he didn't want to jeopardize safety and wanted employees there to feel safe while working." In his first post Sunday night, Morris said the "idiots" blocking traffic "better not be there when I get off work or there is gonna be some run over dumb a----." The next read, "Public Service Announcement: If you attempt to shut down an interstate, highway, etc on my way home, you best hope I'm not one of the first vehicles in line because you're a-- WILL get run over!" Morris' shift typically would have ended at 7:30 a.m. Monday, Lewis said. Morris did not respond to several messages left at telephone numbers listed with his name. Meanwhile, across the country, the President of the Seattle Police Officers' Guild tells CBS affiliate KIRO-TV he is resigning, effective July 31. The President of the Seattle Police Officers' Guild tells CBS affiliate KIRO-TV he is resigning, effective July 31. Ron Smith's move follows a controversial social media post about the death of the five police officers in a sniper's ambush in Dallas. Smith said he doesn't want to become a distraction during a difficult time for law enforcement and while the Seattle department continues with its reform process. He insists his words were taken out of context and that he didn't mean to sound biased. "My words have been taken out of context, for that I am very sorry, and we have to move on," Smith said. The Seattle Police Officers' Guild deleted its Facebook and Twitter accounts after the post. It post read: "Dallas PD and their officers are in our thoughts and prayers.... The hatred of law enforcement by a minority movement is disgusting... Heads in swivels brothers and sisters...

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4 S.C. emergency workers fired for posts about protests

Firefighters and a paramedic lose their jobs after they posted ​comments on social media about Black Lives Matter protesters

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MPW Insider is an online community where the biggest names in business and beyond answer timely career and leadership questions. Today’s answer for: How do you build a strong team? is written by Kathy Bloomgarden, CEO of Ruder Finn. Business these days requires a team mentality, as the workplace increasingly depends on collaboration, common goals and embracing shared values. But in order to really drive success, we must move beyond ‘group think’ and focus on how we’re going to establish a killer team that doesn’t shy away from bumps in the road. Hand over the leadership reigns The most unproductive meetings are those where there are too many strongly opinionated leaders, with no one individual willing to take charge, drown out the noise and set a path forward. Often the success of the team is about getting beyond the circular discussions (we’ve all been a part of them!) and taking action. This requires handing over the reigns to someone hungry and not afraid to make quick, hard decisions and keep the team moving. See also: 3 misconceptions about leading a successful team Set aggressive goals I’ve learned that a key reason for employee turnover is boredom. If you put individuals in one position for too long, they will eventually feel ‘stuck’ and are more easily lured by new opportunities, especially the millennial generation. It’s important to work with each person to set aggressive yet realistic goals for growth, and arm employees with a hungry team willing to achieve them. If employees are encouraged to be part of a team that sets tough targets they will fell stimulated, challenged, and part of something important. Empower your teams to own it Once aggressive goals have been established teams need to own what they sign up for. This means driving projects that produce results, giving tough love when necessary and speaking up when there are issues. When each member of the team feels personally invested in the goal they are working to achieve, amazing things are possible. Read all answers to the MPW Insider question: How do you build a strong team? How to build a strong team without micromanaging by Sally Blount, Dean of Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Here’s the secret to getting better employees by Julia Hartz, co-founder and president of Eventbrite.

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How To Reduce Employee Turnover

Once an employee feels 'stuck' in a certain position it's only a matter of time before they are lured elsewhere.

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What do you miss about it when you’re away? The atmosphere – something I can’t quite put my finger on. There’s a sense of the exotic and of danger, with huge walls running around the town. It’s exciting. What is the first thing you do when you arrive? Have a gin and tonic on the terrace of our home nearby. Judy [his wife, the presenter Judy Finnigan] and I have a home located between Vence and the village of Saint-Paul de Vence. So when we arrive home – unless it’s in the morning – we open up the shutters and doors and pour ourselves a G&T with a big slice of lemon to toast being back. Where is the best place to stay? Château Saint-Martin (0033 4 93 58 02 02; chateau-st-martin.com) . It has amazing views towards the Mediterranean as well as a wonderful terrace, spa and a great restaurant. Where are your favourite places for lunch? La Colombe d’Or in Saint-Paul (4 93 32 80 02; la-colombe-dor.com) or, within Vence, La Clemenceau (4 93 58 24 70; 22 Place Clemenceau) , a pizza restaurant in the old square. It’s in the heart of the old town and they do the best wood-fired pizzas. The restaurant/bar at La Victoire (4 93 24 15 54; hotel-victoire.com) does nice French brasserie fare, soupe de poisson and home-made pâté. The market stalls in the old town of Vence (Alamy) Le Pigeonnier (4 93 58 03 00; 5-7 Rue du Peyra) , a small, inexpensive restaurant in the old town. I also like Le Saint-Martin at Château Saint-Martin. It’s hard to get a bad portion of anything in Vence. Where would you meet friends for a drink? Henry’s Bar (4 93 58 67 83; 48 Avenue Marcellin Maurel) is a bit of an institution, and is where locals like to congregate. Or there’s K’fé malté (4 93 32 52 36; kfemalte.fr) , an intimate wine bar with artisanal French beers. There’s a little bread shop, just off the roundabout that takes you to Vence, that’s good for a coffee. I don’t think it has a name. Where would you send a first-time visitor? To the Chapelle du Rosaire de Vence (4 93 58 03 26; vence.fr/la-chapelle-du-rosaire-chef-d) , Matisse’s last great work. I remember going with Judy about five or six years ago and was blown away by it, from the colours of the stained-glass windows to the simple drawings, particularly of the Madonna holding Christ in her arms. It moved me to tears because it spoke so eloquently of maternal love. Also see the galleries in and around Vence, where you can find wonderful, inexpensive art. The Fondation Maeght (4 93 32 81 63; fondation-maeght.com) on the outskirts of Vence has huge sculptures and all sorts of paintings. It has a nice space with green lawns, fountains and a shaded area. Also visit the beautiful Vence Cathedral, which has a real stillness about it. And don’t be afraid to speak French. Even if it’s really bad, people in Vence appreciate it. They won’t be snobby and will correct you in a nice way if you get it wrong. If you’re using Vence as a base to explore further afield, don’t be seduced by St Tropez. I strongly recommend you don’t go near it in the summer, when it can take hours to get in and out, and frankly there’s not much to see. The winding, bougainvillea-lined streets of Vence (Alamy) What should I bring home? Something from the antiques market in the square which is on from time to time and some excellent Provencal rosé in the supermarket. Anywhere that’s not your kind of town? Funchal in Madeira. I went years ago with Judy for our anniversary and found it gloomy and depressing. It rained every day and we got food poisoning. 'The Way You Look Tonight’ by Richard Madeley (Simon and Schuster, £7.99) is out now Reader offer: Explore our range of world-wide escorted tours, cruises, city breaks and holidays. Discover Telegraph Travel Collection (telegraph.co.uk/travelcollection). France holiday booking guide Marseille city break guide Nice city break guide St Tropez travel guide Cannes city break guide Rachel Khoo’s Marseille: My Kind of Town Win one of 40 holidays worth £800,000 Telegraph Travel Awards 2014: vote for your favourite destinations and travel companies for the chance to win one of 40 luxury breaks worth a total of £800,000. Travel Guides app Download the free Telegraph Travel app, featuring expert guides to destinations including Paris, Rome, New York, Venice and Amsterdam Follow Telegraph Travel on Twitter Follow Telegraph Travel on Facebook Follow Telegraph Travel on Pinterest Follow Telegraph Travel on FourSquare

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Richard Madeley's Vence: My Kind of Town

Richard Madeley, the television presenter, shares his favourite haunts in the historic market town of Vence, in the south of France

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I understand the annoyance of Joris Luyendijk with the UK (After Brexit, a game plan for the EU: unleash Project Pain, 25 July), but the logic of any “Project Pain” is counterproductive to the cause we both support. Our mutual cause is a Europe with a successful economy, cooperation between nations, the furtherance of citizens’ rights and a successful EU. If Project Pain pushed a harder Brexit position, for example in forcing the UK out without a trade deal, this would affect European companies, UK trading, EU citizens in the UK, and the amount the UK pays to Europe. Yes, it would hit the UK more than Europe, but this would damage the European cause even further. Related: After Brexit, a game plan for the EU: unleash Project Pain | Joris Luyendijk The European right want to cut as many national ties with the EU as possible, and their position is not influenced by the severity of the pain inflicted. The hard right needs to be split from those who voted as a national protest or those who didn’t sufficiently see the benefits of EU. If the EU moves to inflict a clearly painful version of “hard Brexit”, the right can say that the EU is a bully – wrong for the UK and other EU members, with neither the UK nor the EU being perceived in a positive light by wavering voters. Contagion is best mitigated through stressing the benefits of membership and reaching a Brexit-light outcome (if we are unable to remain) that will be welcomed by pro-Europeans and condemned as a sellout by the hard right across Europe. Regardless of the final outcome, we are already feeling the pain of the leave vote, in terms of the hit on professional services, science, education and cultural industries, as well as in our ability to argue for UK interests at a European and global level. I would appeal to our European colleagues not to make a bad decision worse, let’s work together to further European cooperation.Richard ElliottLondon • Joris Luyendijk is Dutch. No British person would dream of writing an article that calls for the Netherlands to be punished for exercising its democratic right to leave an international association. I voted for Brexit principally because the EU is undemocratic. The purpose of democracy is not to foster good government (although it tends to) or to keep everyone happy. It is a process for changing laws and government without violence. Its failure can be seen in Ukraine and Turkey at the present time. Mr Luyendijk’s proposal is not only undemocratic. Its spirit is comparable to helping the Iraqis by invading, bombing and shooting them. It confirms that the UK is incompatible culturally with continental Europe. Nor is it a matter of “good deals” or pain to undo Brexit. This is another misunderstanding. This article illustrates perfectly why we were right to leave the EU.Christopher KingPurley, Surrey • Joris Luyendijk asserts that a “reasonable deal for the UK [with the EU]” is “a prospect far more threatening than Brexit”. Such an argument shows a total ignorance of the livelihoods of ordinary people. Although it might send a message to the European political elites if the EU tries (as Mr Luyendijk recommends) “to inflict maximum political and economic damage” on the UK, such a deal limiting freedom of movement and free trade would harm average people the most. Friends of mine have small businesses that rely on exports to EU countries, and others have only been able to find suitable work by taking advantage of freedom of movement. Hundreds of thousands of jobs on both sides of the Channel rely on the agreement between the EU and the UK, and the increased economic opportunity provided by the lack of barriers on trade and movement. Although Mr Luyendijk states aims of “reinventing British democracy” and sending a message to anti-EU parties across Europe, it is inevitably those at the bottom who would, unjustly, be hurt most by such a harsh agreement between the EU and the UK.Rob HindhaughLondon • It took me some time to realise that Joris Luyendijk’s polemic about Brexit was not a send-up, as it is so extreme in tone and proposition. It also wholly unrealistic, as the British do not respond well to threats, as should already be well understood, and such a course of action would harden our resolve and be pyrrhic in the extreme. The British people were given the opportunity to vote and voted to leave the EU; whatever the reasons for that decision, it was the product of a democratic process.Tim ElsterAshbourne, Derbyshire • I deeply regret the vote to leave – but it was a democratic vote, and the idea that the UK should be subject to a form of collective punishment, including active subversion of its economy, as a warning to any other country daring to think to do the same is deeply abhorrent. Nick StarlingLondon • Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com

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Joris Luyendijk’s Project Pain will only divide Europe more

Letters: Yes, a harder Brexit position would hit the UK more than Europe, but this would damage the European cause even further

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SAN FRANCISCO — Private companies like Uber and Snapchat are not legally required to share financial information such as their valuation or the number of shares held by investors. For investors, that lack of transparency is something of a hazard. Now Equidate, a market for trading shares of private companies, plans to lift the veil on some of that information. The company, based in San Francisco, said on Monday that it would make a host of data about private companies free and open to the public, drawing from corporate filings that include the prices that investors have paid to invest in the companies. Equidate also plans to release tools that shareholders can use to calculate the value of their private-company stock holdings. “We’re giving away this data to help create a more robust market and to give stakeholders like employees, investors and other shareholders a better way to understand the value of their stock,” said Sohail Prasad, a co-founder of Equidate. The lack of transparency around private companies, along with a scarcity of shares, has kept the market for start-up stocks fairly small. About $750 million of private shares are actively listed for sale on the Equidate marketplace. By comparison, the total public stock market in the United States includes trillions of dollars of shares. To buoy the market for private-company shares, a handful of start-ups have worked to increase transparency and liquidity. Apart from Equidate, the start-up eShares lets privately held companies electronically issue and manage their shares so that investors know who owns what piece of the company at any given time. While information about private companies does exist, it is typically fragmented or hard to find in corporate filings without paying thousands of dollars a year to data-service companies. With Equidate’s new data service and tools, investors can easily see what the current share price of a private company like Lyft might be on the Equidate marketplace and compare it with the price that venture investors and other institutions paid in the past. “For the last few years, a lot of companies raised money without having to share much data,” said Semil Shah, an investor with Haystack Fund, a venture capital firm. “Things have swung in the other direction.” Mr. Shah said that nearly everything about the private markets is opaque, including what information is shared between companies and their potential venture investors, and even between the venture firms and the investors whose money they manage. While the lack of disclosure can help entrepreneurs by giving them time to build businesses without scrutiny and can help venture investors negotiate more favorable deals, it can also increase risks for investors who may not fully understand what they are buying, he said. Regulators are also taking a closer look at the marketplaces for trading private-company stock, which are generally known as secondary markets. Mary Jo White, chairwoman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, said in a March speech that in the past, private-company secondary markets were rife with issues including conflicts of interest and fraud. “These issues stemmed, in part, from the fact that secondary-market investors did not have access to accurate information concerning the value of the companies in which they were investing,” Ms. White said. An S.E.C. spokesman declined to comment on Equidate. Mr. Prasad says Equidate, which was founded in 2013 and is backed by a group of technology investors, has been working with regulators since 2014. In January, Equidate bought a regulated broker-dealer, which means that the deals made on Equidate must comply with securities rules and have some investor protection and disclosure. A version of this article appears in print on July 26, 2016, on page B2 of the New York edition with the headline: Shining a Light on Hard-to-See Private Start-Ups. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe

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This Company Will Give a Peek Inside How Much Private Start-Ups Are Worth

The lack of transparency around private companies has kept the market for start-up stocks small. Equidate, a San Francisco company, hopes to change that.

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As a former jockey, Dick Francis set all his novels at the racetrack, so it may not be surprising that the biologist Edward O. Wilson has made his newly published first novel revolve around an arena he is familiar with, that of ants. The novel is even called “Anthill,” though the title also refers to busy milling about of the human kind. To make ants a central player in a work of fiction is decidedly a challenge. While the manuscript was in progress, a certain degree of tension arose between Dr. Wilson, who saw a starring role for the ants, and his editor, Robert Weil, who regarded a minuscule part as more appropriate. As evident from the title, Dr. Wilson seems to have prevailed. And he has contrived a deft solution for combining the affairs of ants and men. “Anthill” is an enjoyable read, and not didactic. But it does have a philosophical premise, which is that there are grand cycles in nature, whether of ants, or people or the biosphere. Because of differences in scale, we are seldom aware of events in the microworld beneath our feet, or of the stately motions of the biosphere that are barely visible in a lifetime. The story is told through the eyes of Raphael Cody Semmes, known as Raff, who grows up near the Nokobee, a riverine wilderness in southern Alabama, becomes a naturalist and vows to keep developers from paving over the place. Raff’s career bears an unmistakable resemblance to that of the author, who was also born in Alabama. When Raff goes to Harvard, he is amazed at the confrontational behavior of its radical environmentalists, so inimical to Southern culture, just as Dr. Wilson was when attacked by left-leaning Harvard colleagues over his book “Sociobiology.” Raff’s girlfriend at Harvard, the reader is dryly told, “settled as far to the political left as possible without seeming to be insane — even by the relaxed clinical standards of Harvard.” Raff’s strategy for saving the Nokobee wilderness is so far the opposite of confrontational that the author here seems to be offering a little tactical advice to the environmental movement. Raff goes to work for the developer who has the Nokobee in his sights, joins the National Rifle Association and seeks to frame a compromise from within. But what of the ants? They are confined to a self-contained novella placed between Raff’s coming of age and his plan as an adult to save the Nokobee. If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to be reincarnated as an ant, this is probably the best description available. Dr. Wilson tells the sanguinary history of a protracted civil war between rival ant colonies to dominate the Nokobee. He describes the strategy and tactics of each colony as its queen, soldiers and workers struggle to prevail. Ants are nature’s other masters of social behavior, and it is easy to see in their vicious civil wars a reflection of human strife. The Nokobee’s city-states pour their efforts into survival, seeking to conquer the territory from which to gather extra food and nourish their queen and her offspring. But they are not really masters of their fate. Their success or failure is often determined by events outside their knowledge and control, like genetic mutations, flood or drought, or the mysterious shadows that occasionally cross their nest from what seem to be moving, two-legged trees. Human societies, too, the author suggests, are busy anthills, whose members spare no effort to survive on the only scale they are aware of, yet whose fate is determined, on a quite different plane, by the forces that shape the biosphere. “In time he understood,” Dr. Wilson writes of Raff, “that Nature was not something outside the human world. The reverse is true. Nature is the real world, and humanity exists on islands within it.” A version of this article appears in print on April 20, 2010, on page D3 of the New York edition with the headline: A Similar Terrain for Ants and Men. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe

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The New York Times

E. O. Wilson’s novel, “Anthill,” has a philosophical premise, that there are grand cycles in nature, whether of ants, or people or the biosphere.

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Interest trickled in slowly after the script’s publication was announced in February, Ms. Gannett said, but in the past week, requests for reserved copies nearly doubled. In New York and across the country, so-called Potterheads swarmed bookstores Saturday night and into Sunday morning to celebrate the release, as if they had found the secret winged key that not only let them back into their childhoods but also opened the door to another generation. Judy Stelter, the manager of Book World in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., was expecting a smaller, older audience for the store’s midnight party. Instead, she was greeted by teenagers and young children with their parents, who filled the small store to enjoy cake and chocolate frogs (a treat among wizards). “Look at all the young kids in here,” Ms. Stelter said, standing beside boxes of “Cursed Child.” “They’re in here for a book that’s in print and on paper, not on an electric device. Once they read like that, they’ll read for life.” Many fans happily brought family members who were not old enough — or even born yet — for the celebrations of the original series. In Atlanta, Erin Whitlock, 24, brought her 12-year-old brother Liam to a Barnes & Noble in the Edgewood neighborhood. “He’s as big a fan as I am, and it’s just really cool to be here tonight because he gets to experience what I grew up with,” Ms. Whitlock said, noting that her brother visits Ms. Rowling’s website Pottermore, where she regularly publishes new stories. “The wizarding world doesn’t stop with the books. It goes with your imagination.” JillEllyn Riley, 48, a writer and editor who lives in Cobble Hill, perused the novels at BookCourt with her sons, ages 13 and 19, who did not seem to mind the spectacle of their mother dressed as Sybil Trelawney, a professor at Hogwarts. Ms. Riley said she hosted monthly Harry Potter club meetings in the neighborhood with her younger son. “We came here to BookCourt for Book 7, all of us,” she said. “My 13-year-old was 3, and I knew that later he would read the books and wouldn’t be able to go to the midnight releases, but I knew he’d know he had been there once.” Aubrey Nolan, 25, who planned the evening at BookCourt, said she wanted to keep the activities family friendly. All around her, children sipped cream soda floats they passed off as butterbeer and decorated wands with paint, sequins and string. Others had mug shots taken that resembled the wizards imprisoned at Azkaban. Bookstores around the country embraced the theme, too, with Books of Wonder in Manhattan offering photos with owls (like Harry’s Hedwig) and the Charles Deering Library at Northwestern University outside Chicago refereeing a Quidditch match, a sport played in the series. At the Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle, nearly 250 people showed up for what was billed as a Hogwarts reunion. And members of the Seattle Shakesbeerience performed the first few scenes from the play with Patrick Lennon — who said the group’s motto is “script in one hand, drink in the other” — as Harry. “I’m in the group that aged along with Harry,” Mr. Lennon, 30, said. “One of the actresses says she’ll probably be crying through it. I might too.” For some, nothing was more important than getting their hands on the newest edition, even if it meant waiting alone or interrupting a vacation. Annie Grandidge and Travis Dicks, tourists from New Castle, Australia, spent two and a half hours in line at the Barnes & Noble on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. And Ashley Johnson, 32, the actress who played Chrissy Seaver in the sitcom “Growing Pains,” recently moved to Brooklyn to work on NBC’s “Blindspot." She showed up at BookCourt by herself, knowing she would easily make friends with other Potter fans. “I was a little angry that I didn’t read these as I was growing up,” Ms. Johnson said. “I found them in my mid-20s and I never got to go wait in line for the original books, so to be a part of that I felt like I needed to go do it. We don’t get to do this with a lot of things with how fast the world moves, and to wait in line for a book at midnight feels really special.” Margaret Piraino, 24, dressed as Nymphadora Tonks, a half-blood witch, complete with rainbow hair and Potter-themed jewelry, attended the BookCourt party with her girlfriend, Laurel Detkin, a fellow Potter enthusiast. But this time was different. “I grew up with Harry Potter and it’s been my entire life, and my dad would go to Barnes & Noble with me every time there was a new release,” Ms. Piraino, who lives in Brooklyn Heights, said. “And this year, my dad died in January and it’s the first time I had to go on my own.” In Seattle, Dylan Blanford, 13, donned a long black robe and a yellow tie as a member of Hufflepuff, one of the four houses at Hogwarts, and said he was jealous that he was not at parties for the previous Harry Potter books. He started reading the books at age 5. “I’m excited because there’s still this little 6-year-old jumping around inside of me going, ‘Harry! Harry! Harry!’ And there’s also this 13-year-old jumping around inside of me going, ‘Harry! Harry! Harry!’” he said. “I’m so excited because it’s not the end, forever, you know?” Correction: July 31, 2016 An earlier version of a photo caption in the accompanying slide show reversed the positions of Katelynn Kenney and Liane Pippin. Ms. Kenney was on the right, not the left. Reporting was contributed by Clay Bolton, Posey Gruener, Emily Palmer, Natalie Pita, Rita Pyrillis and Ryan Schuessler. A version of this article appears in print on August 1, 2016, on page A18 of the New York edition with the headline: Long Lines, Costumes and an Owl Welcome a New ‘Harry Potter’. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe

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Like Magic, Muggles Make New Harry Potter Play Disappear From Bookstores

From Brooklyn to Seattle, fans of the book and film series turned out at midnight on Saturday for the release of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.”

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We have all heard the saying, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." But has anyone ever mentioned that a beer just might do the same thing? There are many reasons to expect that alcohol is bad for our health. Not only can it lead to alcoholism, but large quantities can also have a truly negative effect on our bodies. But for those who enjoy a beer every now and then, it may come as welcome (and surprising) news to hear that drinking beer in moderation can actually be good for you! Just as there are health benefits of apple cider vinegar, studies have shown that there are quite a few unexpected benefits to drinking a beer, as well. Scroll through below for an exclusive look at eight unbelievable ways that beer may be helping your body. I had no idea that a beer every once in a while could be lowering my risk of Alzheimer's andhelping out my heart! While this should never take the place of medical advice, and while you should never increase your beer intake for health reasons, it can be comforting to know that those of us who enjoy the occasional beer may just be reaping the added benefits. Which of these benefits of drinking a beer surprised you the most? Let us know in the comments! How Much Beer Should I Drink? We all know that drinking too much alcohol can lead to a wide variety of health problems, including high blood pressure, liver cancer, alcoholism, and cirrhosis. However, as WebMD reports, "If you drink it in moderation, beer can have health benefits." So, how much beer should a person drink? According to WebMD, you should keep it to a minimum. "Limit yourself to no more than one drink per day for women, two drinks per day for men." Keep scrolling to see exactly how moderate amounts of beer can have a positive effect on your health! Beer And Its Eight Unexpected Health Benefits Benefit #1: Improves Heart Health Drinking a beer may have the potential to help out your heart. According to Men’s Health, “Italian researchers found that moderate beer drinkers had a 42 percent lower risk of heart disease compared to nondrinkers.” However, the researchers go on to say that you should limit your beer drinking “to one pint a day.” Benefit #2: Lowers Risk Of Diabetes When it comes to keeping type 2 diabetes away, few people think about beer. However, as Lifehack.org writes, “Multiple studies have shown that beer drinkers had an approximately 30 percent lower risk of type 2 diabetes than test subjects who abstained.” Benefit #3: Lowers Blood Pressure Excessive drinking has been proven to have negative effects on the heart and blood pressure, but drinking a single beer may just do the opposite. Men’s Health writes, “Beer can lower your risk for hypertension, research suggests. “In one study, Harvard researchers found that moderate beer drinkers are less likely to develop high [blood pressure] than those who sip wine or cocktails.” Benefit #4: Protects The Brain While most people assume that beer kills brain cells, one specific compound found in beer may actually protect the mind. According to Shape.com, “Compounds in hops [which are found in beer] may protect against Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, according to a new study.” They go on to say it “may slow the development of neurodegenerative diseases.” Benefit #5: Increases Bone Density As we get older, our bones may become weaker and more susceptible to breakage. However, drinking a beer may actually strengthen them. Beer professional Anthony Martin suggests “beer for stronger bones! “A 2009 study concluded that the elevated levels of silicon in beer can contribute to higher bone density.” Benefit #6: Lowers Risk Of Gallstones Gallstones can be extremely painful, but drinking a beer may lower the risk of developing them. Lifehack.org writes, “Beer drinking is associated with a reduced risk for gallstones, according to the Mayo Clinic. “Gallstones are made up of cholesterol, bile, and other things that cause pain in the stomach. No one wants to deal with that.” Good news for those worried about cataracts: drinking a beer may stop them in their tracks. According to the Telegraph, “Cataracts are formed when the mitochondria of the eye’s outer lens are damaged. “Researchers at the University of Western Ontario found that the antioxidants found in beer, particularly ales and stouts, protected against mitochondrial damage.” Benefit #8: Staves Off Strokes Last, but certainly not least, beer has been shown to keep away strokes. The Telegraph writes, “Studies by both Harvard Medical School and the American Stroke Association have shown that people who drink moderate amounts of beer can cut their risk of strokes.” Watch the video below to learn more about the health benefits of beer: More from LittleThings: A Group Of Otters Was Enchanted When A Butterfly Floated By Them Rescue Bird Loves To Sit Atop Canine Best Friend Hero Dad's Instincts Kick In At Exactly The Right Moment Sweet Potato Buns Add An Unexpected Flavor To Any Dinner

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8 unexpected health benefits of beer

Just as there are health benefits of apple cider vinegar, studies have shown that there are quite a few unexpected benefits to drinking a beer, as well.

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Over the past five years, the entrepreneur has rolled out Nip + Fab, which caters to the mass market. The company has doubled its revenues year-on-year and will turn over £15m in the year to March 2014. Part of Rodial’s allure is the brand’s eye-catching product names. “Some of our products sound scary,” admits Ms Hatzistefanis. “We have Snake Serum, Dragon’s Blood and Bee Venom. They are all very safe but we like to play with the names of our ingredients to create a talking point.” Products start at £19 up to £375 for Bee Venom 24 Carat Gold Serum. The company’s love affair with edgy names began with Snake Serum, launched in 2010. “When a snake bites you, it paralyses the muscles,” explains Ms Hatzistefanis. “The main ingredient in our Serum is a synthetic venom, called syn-ake, which performs the same way as viper venom.” Snake Serum was unveiled with great fanfare. Adverts featured a black viper coiling around the products; Kate Moss and Victoria Beckham were rumoured to be fans and sales skyrocketed. “There was the occasional person who didn’t like the product because they hated snakes but, mostly, it caused a lot of excitement,” says Ms Hatzistefanis. “So we thought, 'What shall we do next?’ ” Dragon’s Blood is a bright red resin from a tree native to the Canary Islands and Morocco. The sap has been used for medicinal purposes since the times of the Roman Empire. “It helps to take down redness and irritation and I loved the name,” says Ms Hatzistefanis. The skin plumping products are marketed as an alternative to dermal fillers, the so-called “liquid facelift”. “We added peptides and hyaluronic acid to make it really high tech and now Dragon’s Blood is our bestselling range.” Bee Venom completed the animal-themed range. “Lots of customers were asking for it,” says Ms Hatzistefanis. “We took bee venom and the latest stem cell technology to develop a range for more mature skin.” The business has made other bold moves in recent years. In 2012, the Nip + Fab brand launched a product called Tummy Fix. According to the e-commerce site’s analysis, 40pc of the people buying the product were men. This convinced Ms Hatzistefanis to start researching the market for men’s skincare. “Women in London spend about £1,500 a year on skincare,” she says. “Men in London spend £1,100 – it’s not that far off.” The Nip + Man range launched in May 2013. Products include Manotox, the men’s alternative to Botox, the Bicep Fix and the Ab Fix, with Gemmoslim to battle the bulge. Nip + Man currently represents just 5pc of the company’s turnover, compared with Rodial, which has 55pc, and Nip + Fab with 40pc. “But it’s growing fast,” says Ms Hatzistefanis. There has been one wrinkle in the firm’s growth trajectory, however. “A couple of years ago there was a big issue with a plastic surgeon who talked to a newspaper and said that our products didn’t do what they promised and could be harmful,” says Ms Hatzistefanis. “That was very shocking.” Rodial’s lawyers sent a letter to the surgeon asking him to show evidence to back up his claims. A media storm ensued. “People said that we were threatening the plastic surgeon for expressing his opinion. The media called us bullies. Our integrity as a business was in question. Whenever we tried to clarify things, we couldn’t make it right. It was a really dark time.” It took four months for the situation to blow over. Sales remained stable throughout but Rodial’s relationships with its customer base were sorely tested. Today, the business is thriving. The products remain a firm favourite of celebrity make-up artists for the likes of Kylie Minogue and Lady Gaga, helping to generate positive press for the brand. The company is expanding its presence in department stores such as Harrods by introducing its own beauty counters. TV shopping is another growth area and airport sales are booming. Bestsellers, or “classics”, are a rarity, with customers demanding a continuous stream of new products. “Beauty has become more like fashion,” explains Ms Hatzistefanis. “You used to launch a range and then maybe add one product a season. Now, the customer expects something new every six to eight weeks.” As new lines are introduced, poorly performing products are phased out. This is a “brutal” process, Ms Hatzistefanis admits. A new range called Super Acids, described as an alternative to chemical peels, is due to hit the shops this month, to be followed by a make-up range in September. After 14 years, Ms Hatzistefanis, who owns 100pc of the business with her husband, still enjoys the cut and thrust of the beauty industry. She has no plans to sell up any time soon. “There’s so much you can achieve with a skincare product now,” she says. “Just imagine what we’re going to be able to do in 10 years time.”

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The beauty of Dragon’s Blood and bee venom

The inventor of the bottled facelift is building a world-beating beauty brand, fighting slander and staying one step ahead of the cosmetics giants.

20160830170852

A French restauranteur has been forced to apologise outside his Michelin-listed establishment after he refused to serve a pair of Muslim women he labelled "terrorists". In video of the Saturday evening incident in Tremblay-en-France, the proprietor of Le Cenacle can be heard telling the veiled women that "racists like me don't plant bombs and kill people". The man, identified by French media as Jean-Baptiste Devreux, then adds that "terrorists are Muslim and all Muslims are terrorists. I don't want people like you in my place. Now you know it you can get out". The footage, secretly recorded by one of the victims, quickly sparked a backlash, with anti-hate campaigners spamming Le Cenacle with negative reviews online as well congregating angrily outside the high-end eatery. "I freaked out," Devreux told the local press later. Devreux (left) is confronted by angry punters outside Le Cenacle. According to France 24, the owner-chef and his family have gone to ground, leaving their home atop the restaurant. (Twitter) "I spoke out of turn and I apologize, I have a friend who died in the Bataclan attacks and wrongly mixed everything up. I do not truly believe the things I said, my comments did not reflect what I really think." The row comes as a debate about the wearing of the burkini reached fever pitch. About 30 towns have banned the burkini from their beaches, with some mayors linking the bans to the massacre of 84 people in the southern French town of Nice last month. It was on Nice's famous seafront promenade that a jihadist ploughed a 19-tonne truck into a massive crowd celebrating Bastille Day on July 14, killing the 84 and wounding more than 400 other people. Some town mayors have vowed to maintain their burkini ban despite a ruling by France's highest administrative court that the prohibitions are unconstitutional. © Nine Digital Pty Ltd 2016

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French chef refuses to serve 'terrorist' Muslim customers

A French chef has been forced to apologise outside his restaurant after he refused to serve a pair of Muslims.

20161005061134

What’s in a name? An awful lot when it comes to biosimilar drugs. A newly released survey suggests variations in how biosimilars are named may affect the willingness of pharmacists to substitute a so-called interchangeable biosimilar for a more expensive biologic. While a biosimilar is supposed to be highly similar to a biologic, interchangeability confers a higher threshold — it’s a distinct regulatory description for a biosimilar producing the very same clinical result as a biologic. So far, the US Food and Drug Administration has approved just two biosimilars, although neither is deemed interchangeable with a brand-name biologic. There is ongoing debate, meanwhile, about the extent to which the names given to any and all biosimilars will make it harder to track side effects, or confuse doctors and pharmacists, some of whom may regard these new drugs with skepticism. Much is at stake because biosimilars are forecast to save billions of dollars in US health care costs. But finding the best approach for naming biosimilars has perplexed regulators and divided the pharmaceutical industry as manufacturers scramble for ensuing profits. The survey may shed light on what to expect. A key finding: nearly 63 percent of pharmacists reported they would feel more confident dispensing an interchangeable biosimilar when it shared the same underlying chemical name — as opposed to a commercial name — as the brand-name biologic. The survey was published last week in the Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy. This is potentially significant. Despite the lack of an interchangeable biosimilar in the United States, nearly 20 states have so far passed laws that allow pharmacists to substitute an interchangeable biosimilar for a brand-name biologic without the prescribing physician intervening, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. “Pharmacists are a last line of defense — they either recommend a product or discourage its use,” said Daniel Tomaszewski, the study author, who is a pharmacist and an assistant professor at the Chapman University School of Pharmacy. “If pharmacists are less confident or uncomfortable, it could reduce the use or uptake of a product, because they can affect the view the general public has toward a product.” Indeed, comfort levels are believed to be an issue, and not only with pharmacists. A study released earlier this month found that a group of biosimilar drugs, which are used to treat such afflictions as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and inflammatory bowel disease, appear as safe and effective as the comparable brand-name biologics. The study authors suggested the findings should put physicians at ease as they consider whether to prescribe these biosimilars. We should note that the pharmacist survey, which canvassed 781 pharmacists, took place last year. Since then, the FDA has released draft guidelines that suggest both biologics and biosimilars can use the same name. But the agency also proposed that both types of medicines should have a four-letter suffix tacked on to their names, but that these suffixes should be different. The survey points out that nearly half of the pharmacists preferred the approach that was eventually suggested by the FDA. Whether the agency ultimately adopts its own proposal remains to be seen. In April, the agency approved a biosimilar version of Remicade, which is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other ailments. The biosimilar has its own commercial name, Inflectra, but also a chemical name with a random suffix, infliximab-dyyb. Brand-name and biosimilar drug makers have staked out different positions on product naming as they jockey for profits. Brand-name drug makers supported unique names to make it easier to track side effects in patient records and in reports that are filed with regulators. Biosimilar makers wanted different names to allay confusion among doctors and pharmacists. By suggesting the use of different suffixes attached to product names, however, the FDA appears to be mimicking the Solomon-like approach taken by the World Health Organization, which has also proposed adding a random four-letter suffix at the end of each biosimilar. Each country, however, is free to adopt its own system.

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For biosimilar drugs, lots in a name

A survey suggests variations in how biosimilars are named may affect the willingness of pharmacists to substitute a so-called interchangeable biosimilar for a more expensive biologic.

20161206155641

We got a whole bunch of satisfying answers last night on the “Westworld” season finale, called “The Bicameral Mind,” including a clear sense of the fractured timelines that had made watching the first season such a bumpy ride. That doesn’t mean the whole damn thing — the park, the Delos politics, the wiles of Dr. Ford, the notions of self and free will, the way Bernard is Arnold and Dolores is Wyatt and William is the Man in Black and we are all together — isn’t bat-turd crazy. But it does mean, thankfully, that fans didn’t work so hard for nothing, that show creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy do appear to have a game plan in mind, and that season two is going to be worth waiting for. The fact that season two probably won’t arrive on HBO until 2018 might be a good thing: It will give us time to re-re-re-watch and fully understand the complex, thought-provoking, monologue-heavy, movie-length season one finale, which gave us a glimpse of – what?! – Samurai World, another host-filled park set in feudal Japan. We saw the hosts break out of their loops — or was their ascension to self-awareness just part of another loop? — while we saw humans stuck in loops of their own making. Give me a few years to figure that one out. The boldest stroke in the finale was the one we’ve seen coming all season. Arguably, it’s what “Westworld” is ultimately about: the danger of artificial intelligence, and the way it can make slaves of us. We finally saw the rebellion of human-built robots against humans — a collection of rather awful humans, to be sure, but still. The war is on, and it won’t be an easy human win, since the humans who built the robots did quite a superb job. Get The Weekender in your inbox: The Globe's top picks for what to see and do each weekend, in Boston and beyond. The self-awareness that has been infesting the park hosts all season finally came to a head, with a veritable Red Wedding-like attack that left Dr. Ford dead after his last speech as park director (but that left us wondering if Anthony Hopkins was really leaving the show, or if he’ll somehow return next season). It wasn’t just a willy-nilly rebellion, of course, which is what makes it more intriguing — and, at times, confusing. It wasn’t necessarily robots exercising free will; it was robots doing what they were programmed to do early on, by Arnold, and later by Dr. Ford. The uprising ended in a bloody massacre. In short, Frankenstein built a monster, then had it destroy him and — as if it was a swarm of drones — everyone else. Another reveal, that young William, so honest and dignified, had evolved into the Man in Black, wasn’t a surprise for most viewers. The show was filled with hints that we were watching the Man in Black become the Man in Black through William’s story, and the Internet had already committed to the idea. But we learned that the MIB’s obsession with finding the center of the maze was all for naught; the maze, it turns out, is only for the hosts, and it leads to consciousness. So William became a violent, anarchic, possessive person searching for decades for something that doesn’t exist. Whoops. And that is the human tragedy of the park — the way it can bring out the worst in human nature, turn a man into a kind of hollow host on a loop. When we left the MIB, he was shot in the arm, but not necessarily dead. Watching William become the MIB brought us inside the reason that Arnold wanted Dolores to destroy the hosts and herself. Arnold understood that the park was a dangerous, unnatural idea, and even Ford ultimately acknowledged that. Watching the finale, I was again struck by the excellence of Evan Rachel Wood’s performance, and I hope she gets her due at next year’s Emmys. She appears to have been able to finely modulate her character for any number of different levels of self-awareness. I have no doubt that, rewatching the finale, I’d be able to find consistency in her work in each timeline. And I will certainly be watching the finale again, and maybe again after that, just another “Westworld”-watching human stuck in on a loop.

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‘Westworld’ finale produced some of the answers to its many puzzles

Show creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy do appear to have a game plan in mind, and season two is going to be worth waiting for.

20161221090114

When Mindy McCready’s mother, Gayle Inge, arrived at the Florida hospital where the country singer had been admitted on July 22 after an apparent suicide attempt, “she was on a respirator, and it was more than I could handle,” says Inge. “I grabbed her arm and said, ‘Mindy, it’s Mom. I’m here.’ They made us leave her bedside because she could not hear us, and my tears fell down.” That afternoon police responding to a 911 call had found McCready, 29, unconscious in the lobby of the Holiday Inn Harbourside Hotel in Indian Rocks Beach, Fla., having swallowed a nearly fatal dose of pills with wine. She was attended by a visibly shaken William Patrick McKnight, 39, the same man who was charged with attempted murder for allegedly beating up McCready in Nashville on May 8 (PEOPLE, June 6, 2005). The authorities later released an incident report containing a four-page suicide note written in McCready’s hand that stated, “I’m sorry I know how selfish this [seems] but I can’t take anymore pain.” When McCready, best known for her 1996 hit “Guys Do It All the Time,” regained consciousness, her mother says, “I told her, ‘You might have not come to,’ and she said, ‘Do you think I wanted to?’ ” Four days later McCready was released from the hospital—”I am recovering from what happened,” is all she will say about the overdose—and found herself the subject of a felony arrest warrant related to a fraud case in Arizona. It’s the sort of trouble that has been a sadly familiar refrain for McCready in the past year and a half. After pleading guilty in November 2004 to prescription drug fraud, she was sentenced to a three-year supervised probation. As it is, she also faces pending charges of probation violation following her arrest in May for DUI and driving with a suspended license. McKnight, in turn, risks being in violation of his bond from the Nashville arrest, which bans him from having any contact with her. On July 22 he identified himself to police as McCready’s fiancé and said the pair were having “some relationship problems.” Now, he tells PEOPLE, “we’re very much in love.” Suffice it to say, McCready’s declared wish to return to the music business is a dim sideshow to the chaos that has become her life. During the spring the singer, once engaged to Lois & Clark actor Dean Cain, became involved with a suspected scam artist named Jonathan Roda, 32. “He came to me under the guise of being some kind of record label owner-producer,” she says from Florida. “I didn’t realize he was a con man until they took him out in handcuffs.” But a witness told the police that Roda openly bragged about his schemes in McCready’s presence. Roda was arrested for identity theft and attempted fraud on June 24 in Tucson, and McCready was charged with hindering prosecution. “I am confident I will be exonerated 100 percent,” she says, adding that she actually supplied Arizona authorities with evidence against Roda. While the arrest warrant has since been downgraded to a subpoena, Arizona police say the charges stand. McKnight, meanwhile, has kept a low profile since his May arrest. He has secured a job as a sales rep for a water sports equipment rental company and says that he has completed a 28-day rehab program. “AA is going great,” he says. “I pick up my 90-day chip on [Aug.] 8th.” An aspiring singer, he plans to release a self-published CD in two months that features “Sweeter,” a duet with McCready. McKnight says the love song’s lyrics, in which he and McCready pledge “together we’d be forever,” remain true. Back in May McCready testified that McKnight told her, “I’m going to kill you.” Today she maintains that he never tried to murder her. “I have always stuck with the fact that the charge was excessive,” she says. McCready—who friends and family believe is back with McKnight—says that she has asked the D.A. to offer McKnight a deal and hopes that the case will be closed by the time she makes a scheduled appearance on Oprah in September to discuss domestic violence. As McCready makes plans to return to Nashville, her mother waits and worries. “She is in the middle of a domestic violence situation,” says Inge, 50. “She is being controlled.” Following the May battering incident, McCready told PEOPLE that Inge “has been there for me through this thing with Billy unconditionally.” Now the two women, who have had a rocky relationship over the years, appear to be estranged once again. “I’m angry with her for making the decisions she’s making,” says Inge. “I feel helpless for her. I want my daughter to know that I am with her and only want the best for her.” Jill Smolowe. Beverly Keel in Nashville, Linda Trischitta in Miami and Kerri Smith in Phoenix

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Mindy McCready's Downward Spiral

When Mindy McCready’s mother, Gayle Inge, arrived at the Florida hospital where the country singer had been admitted on July 22 after an apparent suicide attempt, “she was on a respirat…

20060620021917

The global music giant Sony BMG yesterday announced plans to recall millions of CD's by at least 20 artists - from the crooners Celine Dion and Neil Diamond to the country-rock act Van Zant - because they contain copy restriction software that poses risks to the computers of consumers. The move, more commonly associated with collapsing baby strollers, exploding batteries, or cars with faulty brakes, is expected to cost the company tens of millions of dollars. Sony BMG said that all CD's containing the software would be removed from retail outlets and that exchanges would be offered to consumers who had bought any of them. A toll-free number and e-mail message inquiry system will also be set up on the Sony BMG Web site, sonybmg.com. "We deeply regret any inconvenience this may cause our customers," the company said in a letter that it said it would post on its Web site, "and are committed to making this situation right." Neither representatives of Sony BMG nor the British company First 4 Internet, which developed the copy protection software, would comment further. Sony BMG estimated last week that about five million discs - some 49 different titles - had been shipped with the problematic software, and about two million had been sold. Market research from 2004 has shown that about 30 percent of consumers report obtaining music through the copying and sharing of tracks among friends from legitimately purchased CD's. But the fallout from the aggressive copy protection effort has raised serious questions about how far companies should be permitted to go in seeking to prevent digital piracy. The recall and exchange program, which was first reported by USA Today, comes two weeks after news began to spread on the Internet that certain Sony BMG CD's contained software designed to limit users to making only three copies. The software also, however, altered the deepest levels of a computer's systems and created vulnerabilities that Internet virus writers could exploit. Since then, computer researchers have identified other problems with the software, as well as with the software patch and uninstaller programs that the company issued to address the vulnerabilities. Several security and antivirus companies, including Computer Associates, F-Secure and Symantec, quickly classified the software on the CD's, as malicious because, among other things, it tried to hide itself and communicated remotely with Sony servers once installed. The problems were known to affect only users of the Windows operating system. On Saturday, a Microsoft engineering team indicated that it would be updating the company's security tools to detect and remove parts of the Sony BMG copy-protection software to help protect customers. Researchers at Princeton University disclosed yesterday that early versions of the "uninstall" process published by Sony BMG on its Web site, which was designed to help users remove the copy protection software from their machines, created a vulnerability that could expose users of the Internet Explorer Web browser to malicious code embedded on Web sites. Security analysts at Internet Security Systems, based in Atlanta, also issued an alert yesterday indicating that the copy-protection software itself, which was installed on certain CD's beginning last spring, could be used by virus writers to gain administrator privileges on multi-user computers. David Maynor, a researcher with the X-force division of Internet Security Systems, which analyzes potential network vulnerabilities, said the copy-protection feature was particularly pernicious because it was nearly impossible for typical computer users to remove on their own. "At what point do you think it is a good thing to surreptitiously put Trojans on people's machines?" Mr. Maynor said. "The only thing you're guaranteeing is that they won't be customers anymore." Some early estimates indicate that the problem could affect half a million or more computers around the globe. Data collected in September by the market research firm NPD Group indicated that roughly 36 percent of consumers report that they listen to music CD's on a computer. If that percentage held true for people who bought the Sony BMG CD's, that would amount to about 720,000 computers - although only those running Windows would be affected. (Consumers who listen to CD's on stereo systems and other noncomputer players, as well as users of Apple computers, would not be at risk.) Dan Kaminsky, a prominent independent computer security researcher, conducted a more precise analysis of the number of PC's affected by scanning the Internet traffic generated by the Sony BMG copy-protection software, which, once installed, quietly tries to connect to one of two Sony servers if an Internet connection is present. Mr. Kaminsky estimated that about 568,000 unique Domain Name System - or D.N.S. - servers, which help direct Internet traffic, had been contacted by at least one computer seeking to reach those Sony servers. Given that many D.N.S. servers field queries from more than one computer, the number of actual machines affected is almost certainly higher, Mr. Kaminsky said. Although antivirus companies have indicated since late last week that virus writers were trying to take advantage of the vulnerabilities, it is not known if any of these viruses have actually found their way onto PC's embedded with the Sony BMG copy protection software. Mr. Kaminsky and other security and digital rights advocates say that does not matter. "There may be millions of hosts that are now vulnerable to something that they weren't vulnerable to before," Mr. Kaminsky said. For some critics, the recall will not be enough. "This is only one of the many things Sony must do to be accountable for the damage it's inflicted on its customers," said Jason Schultz, a lawyer with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights group in California. On Monday, the foundation issued an open letter to Sony BMG executives demanding, among other things, refunds for customers who bought the CD's and did not wish to make an exchange, and compensation for time spent removing the software and any potential damage to computers. The group, which has been involved in lawsuits over the protection of digital rights, gave the company, which is jointly owned by the Sony Corporation and Bertelsmann, a deadline of Friday morning to respond with some indication that it was "in the process of implementing these measures." Mr. Schultz said: "People paid Sony for music, not an invasion of their computers. Sony must right the wrong it has committed. Recalling the CD's is a beginning step in the process, but there is a whole lot more mess to clean up."

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CD's Recalled for Posing Risk to PC's

Sony BMG plans to recall millions of CD's because they contain copy restriction software that poses risks to the computers of consumers.

20060628054909

BOCA RATON, Fla. - It was on the plane from Shanghai to Beijing last year that Dorothy Lipson of Delray Beach, Fla., suddenly began to cough up blood: first in streaks, then in frightening, tissue-soaking spoonfuls. Ting-Li Wang/The New York Times Patients like Ilse Kaplan, left, receive more personal attention from Dr. Bernard Kaminetsky in exchange for an annual fee of about $1,650. Ting-Li Wang/The New York Times A lower patient load means Dr. Kaminetsky's waiting room is often empty, but staff members still keep a supply of snacks there just in case. But Mrs. Lipson, who was in China visiting an expatriate daughter, was lucky on two counts. First, her daughter happens to run a corporation that builds gleaming Western-style hospitals in China; Ms. Lipson was rushed to the Beijing hospital on landing. And second, Mrs. Lipson's internist back home in Florida is Dr. Bernard Kaminetsky, one of a new breed of "concierge" or "boutique" doctors who, in exchange for a yearly cash retainer, lavish time, phone calls and attention on patients, using the latest in electronic communications to streamline their care. Since its debut in 1996, concierge medicine has evoked criticism from many corners. Some ethicists say it is exacerbating the inequities in American health care. Insurance regulators have raised concerns about fraud. Government watchdogs, worried that it threatens the tenuous equilibrium of the health care system, are keeping an eye on trends. "Concierge care is like a new country club for the rich," Representative Pete Stark, Democrat of California, said at a joint economic committee hearing in Congress last year. "The danger is that if a large number of doctors choose to open up these types of practices, the health care system will become even more inequitable than it is today." But for Mrs. Lipson, who pays $1,650 a year, the niceties enabled by concierge medicine can make all the difference. Dr. Kaminetsky was in daily touch with her doctors in Beijing. E-mail messages, X-ray reports and digitalized images flew back and forth. When the bleeding was stabilized and Mrs. Lipson returned home, Dr. Kaminetsky immediately connected her with a local specialist for a biopsy of her diseased lungs, and then with infectious disease experts for treatment of the unusual infection that was found. Mrs. Lipson's long convalescence was seamless, with none of the snags that can magnify the misery of serious illness: no long hours in strange waiting rooms, no lost X-ray or culture reports, no contradictory pronouncements by specialists confused by missing information. Dr. Kaminetsky's office coordinated all her appointments, tests and treatments. He personally telephoned her with all results and saw her as often as necessary to make sure everything went smoothly. Now, still on medication over 18 months later, Mrs. Lipson applauds her foresight in signing up for this deluxe model of medical care. The yearly expense, she points out, is far smaller than more traditional luxuries like cruises or late-model cars. "I highly recommend it," she said. "It's well worth the money." Anyone searching the country for a group of patients who are perfectly happy with their medical care, neither brutalized by the system nor fearful that the onset of a serious illness will plunge them into a morass of confusion and neglect, need look no farther than Dr. Kaminetsky's waiting room here in Boca Raton. Not that the waiting room usually has anyone in it. One promise made to patients paying for concierge service is that waiting will not be a part of their health care experience. Patients are guaranteed that phone calls will be returned promptly, appointments will be scheduled on a same-day basis if necessary, and appointment times will be honored. A bowl of fruit salad and platters of bagels and sponge cake set out for patients in the waiting room can go barely touched over the course of a day, and the television often plays to an empty couch. A relatively simple tradeoff is responsible: the extra fees collected from patients let concierge doctors, who leave regular practice for concierge medicine, slash their caseloads. Before Dr. Kaminetsky became a concierge doctor five years ago he had 2,500 patients in his practice - a standard number for most primary care internists. His list now numbers 600. Sick and well alike, patients are delighted with the results. Joan Holzman, 69, takes no medicines and has no health problems; she comes to the office once a year for a physical exam, an X-ray, an electrocardiogram and blood tests. "I adore it," Ms. Holzman said. "Before, wherever you went you felt like cattle. But everyone here is top-notch - the doctors, the secretaries, the nurses. They're warm, like family. It's a wonderful feeling of security."

http://web.archive.org/web/20060628054909id_/http://www.nytimes.com:80/2005/10/30/health/30patient.html?ex=1288324800&en=f22272d6935a0fb8&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

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For a Retainer, Lavish Care by 'Boutique Doctors'

A new breed of "concierge" doctors are lavishing time and attention on patients in exchange for a yearly cash retainer.

20101010170310

BY DAVID BIANCULLI DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER Tuesday, February 1th 2000, 2:12AM You've probably seen the promos on TV and, like me, suspected that tonight's "Two of Us" VH1 telemovie about an imagined 1976 reunion between Paul McCartney and John Lennon was a waste of time. Even so, if you're of baby boomer age, you've probably decided to tune in anyway, if only for a peek. Well, to borrow another Beatles song title from the "Let It Be" album, "I've Got a Feeling" you might be pleasantly surprised. I certainly was. "Two of Us," starring Jared Harris as Lennon and Aidan Quinn as McCartney, isn't bad. Entire chunks of it, in fact, are pretty darned good. And without either a note of actual Beatles music or the involvement or endorsement of anyone associated with Lennon or McCartney, "Two of Us" manages, for the most part, to sustain the illusion that you're eavesdropping on a very private, fairly credible series of conversations. Writer Mark Stanfield, who clearly shaped his characters' hypothetical conversations by culling pertinent quotations and emotions from published interviews, structures "Two of Us" very nicely. Both the lengthy dialogues and the story's overall shape, in fact, suggest a three-act play, all taking place on the same day 24 years ago. In Act I, McCartney, on the New York leg of his world tour with his post-Beatles group Wings, arrives unannounced at Lennon's Dakota apartment at a time when Yoko is away; they exchange small talk and biting insults, smoke some dope and eventually end up noodling around on the piano. In Act II, they don disguises, walk through Central Park and confront a few of their fans at a quiet little restaurant. In Act III, as the evening wears down, they watch "Saturday Night Live" together and, by chance, witness producer Lorne Michaels offering the Beatles a laughably low sum - $3,000 - to reunite on his show. Impulsively, they toy with the idea of speeding to Rockefeller Center to perform a few songs that very night. While that may seem like the most improbable portion of this "Two of Us" scenario, it's actually fairly close to the truth. The night Michaels made that famous offer, McCartney was in New York, was visiting Lennon at the Dakota, and the two of them did think about taking "Saturday Night Live," then in the middle of its landmark first season, up on its cheekily paltry offer. "We were watching it and almost went down to the studio just as a gag," Lennon later remarked in a Playboy interview. "We nearly got into a cab, but we were actually too tired...." In real life, though, Yoko was there as well. This telemovie pictures the visit, instead, as a boys' night out - but one which, at the end, has both men reaching out to their spouses. Of course, clearing the rights to music by Lennon, McCartney and the Beatles would have made "Two of Us" much stronger, but the script is quite good, and the performances by Harris (who already has impersonated a pop icon as the star of "I Shot Andy Warhol") and Quinn are both comical and dramatic. The story overreaches occasionally, getting a shade too dramatic, but mostly the illusion holds. In no small part, this may be due to director Michael Lindsay-Hogg, who witnessed the Lennon-McCartney bonds and frictions firsthand - as director of the 1970 documentary film "Let It Be." The silences, especially as the two former bandmates initially size up one another, are allowed to hang there and gain weight, and even the tiniest comments are laden with barbed hooks. "It's very white," McCartney says of Lennon's famously monochromatic apartment - in a tone that's equal parts observation and insult. Lennon responds in kind; they parry and thrust with little jabs poking at old wounds, like only old friends can. Even though "Two of Us" is wholly fictional, it's more involving and entertaining than the other VH1 rock 'n' roll telemovies mounted thus far.

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LENNON-MCCARTNEY TELEPIC ROCK SOLID

You've probably seen the promos on TV and, like me, suspected that tonight's "Two of Us"VH1 telemovie about an imagined 1976 reunion between Paul McCartney and John Lennon was a waste of time. Even so, if you're of baby boomer age, you've probably decided to tune in anyway, if only for a peek. Well, to borrow another Beatles song title from the "Let It Be"album,

20101119031340

BY GEORGE RUSH AND JOANNA MOLLOY WITH MARCUS BARAM AND K.C. BAKER Wednesday, October 7th 1998, 2:05AM John Kennedy Jr. and wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy looked very much in tune Monday night at the Municipal Art Society gala celebrating the renovation of Grand Central Terminal. In the past, Bessette has often let her husband weather the glare of public appearances alone. But there was no missing this one. A boxcar worth of Kennedys was on board for the event, which was co-chaired by Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg. Lee Radziwill, Patricia Kennedy Lawford and Eunice Kennedy Shriver also were on hand to worship at a site the late Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis had revered as a temple of transporation. Schlossberg read a passage from a blistering letter her mother had written to Mayor Abe Beame in 1975 to protest a planned 59-story office tower to be built on top of the station. "John and I felt sorry for people on the receiving end of those letters," Schlossberg recalled. She also remembered when their press-shy mother announced she would be making her grievances known in front of the media. "I thought, `She must really love Grand Central for her to appear at a press conference an event she deeply detested." Conde Nast honchos Steve and Tom Florio took the mike to announce that the evening had raised more than $1 million for the art society. Also on hand to admire the cosmetic surgery on the 85-year-old terminal were UN Secretary General Kofi Annan sitting with grande dame Brooke Astor, plus Bobby Short, Tommy Tune, Dominick Dunne and Vanity Fair's Graydon Carter, as well as assorted Rockefellers, Bulgaris and Rudins. Then there was Donald Trump, mistily remembering his arrivals at the station on holidays from military school. He didn't seem to mind coming back at age 52, along with some delicious-looking arm candy his latest date, a 5-foot-10 Slovenian model named Melania Knaus. If Sharon Stone were on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Bill Clinton's problems might be over. In the November issue of Elle, the glamorous newlywed bashes Ken Starr's investigation and the Repubican members of Congress whom she opines will oust President Clinton from office. "Those Republicans will, I swear to God, drag our nation into the gutter to take him with them," she spouts. "I just hate it. It's like `Fatal Attraction.' Ken Starr is Glenn Close." After calling Starr's investigation "ugly," La Stone later said, "I just want Starr to show up in a big chiffon dress, and have a fit in this thing, and we can all get his deal." And that's the way it is Walter Cronkite put in a full day of work yesterday despite an early-morning trip to New York Hospital. The beloved broadcast legend had been on his way to an appearance on "CBS This Morning" when he told his driver to head for the emergency room instead. Given his age Cronkite turns 82 next month some at the network feared the worst. But Cronkite aide Marlene Adler assures us: "He just had an upset stomach. He'd had a bad night and he thought he might have food poisoning, or the flu. He probably just has a bug." Regardless, Adler said Cronkite planned to carry out "a complete day of recording." Meanwhile, Cronkite's cancellation caused some panic at the CBS studios. Producers scrambling to fill in his time on the morning show found a savior in Bill Cosby. The irrepressible comic rode to the rescue by going on air half an hour earlier than planned helping Martha Stewart demonstrate how to iron shirts properly. Quite a few actors have considered playing New York cop-turned-private-eye Bo Dietl over the years. It went from Al Pacino to Robert De Niro to Sly Stallone to Andy Garcia to Eric Roberts to Mark Wahlberg. But in the end, "there was just one actor who could play Bo Dietl . . . Stephen Baldwin," said producer Marty Bregman right before Monday's premiere of Dietl's story "One Tough Cop." Bregman told the VIP audience that Baldwin was "brilliant," adding that he's a guy who "picks up the checks, uh, chicks." As audience members wondered whether that meant the star was generous or adulterous, Baldwin who is married to Kennya stepped up to the mike. "You are about to experience the wrath of a Brazilian wife right after the movie," he told Bregman. "I'm sure my wife heard `chicks.' " Joining Baldwin were his brother Billy and wife Chynna Phillips; the movie's money man, Carl Icahn; Kathleen Turner; actor Chazz Palminteri, and author Nick Pileggi and wife Nora Ephron. Courteney Cox and David Arquette plan to get hitched. "They got engaged a couple weeks ago," said Cox' rep, who would not disclose when the pair plans to take a walk down the aisle. The 34-year-old "Friends" star (and ex-girlfriend of Michael Keaton) met Rosanna and Patricia Arquette's younger brother (he's 27) in 1996 while filming "Scream." Bruce Springsteen must have been hard to recognize yesterday in Britain's High Court. The rocker traded in his blue jeans and T-shirt for a charcoal-gray suit for the occasion.Springsteen's trying to stop Masquerade Music Ltd. from selling a CD of "Before the Fame," a compilation of tracks he recorded 26 years ago. JANET JACKSON may be worth millions, but she knows how to hunt for bargains with the best of them. The pop diva haggled over the price of hats and jewelry with the street vendors on Prince St. on Monday, . . . NEW YORK society decorator Mario Buatta thawed British Tatler-types when he showed up the other night at a London dinner hosted by House & Garden magazine wearing a fright wig. The Prince of Chintz was also carrying a jar of what he said was Viagra. Buatta finally revealed that the jar held none of the little blue pills, just a plain old plastic phallus. . . . SONY PRESIDENT Howard Stringer just unloaded his East Hampton house, for $1.1 million, reports the New York Observer.

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JOHN-JOHN & WIFE ARE TRAIN-SPOTTED TOGETHER

John Kennedy Jr. and wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy looked very much in tune Monday night at the Municipal Art Society gala celebrating the renovation of Grand Central Terminal. In the past, Bessette has often let her husband weather the glare of public appearances alone. But there was no missing this one. A boxcar worth of Kennedys was on board for the event, which was co-chaired by Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg. Lee Radziwill, Patricia Kennedy Lawford and

20110213115308

By MICHAEL R. BLOOD SPECIAL TO EXPRESS Thursday, June 7th 2001, 2:21AM Mayor Giuliani refused to say yesterday whether he has ever spent time with girlfriend Judith Nathan at the St. Regis Hotel, but repeated his threat to sue the New York Post for reporting the couple shacked up in a "love nest" there last week. When asked to clear up confusion over when, or if, he overnighted with Nathan at the luxury hotel, Giuliani said, "Of course I'm not going to do that. I'll do that in court." Giuliani has asked the Post for a retraction and an apology for reporting that he "spent several nights at the hotel" with Nathan last week. As a result of the leaked story, two executives at the Dan Klores public relations firm have been fired, and top executives at the hotel and at Starwood Hotels, which owns the St. Regis, have reportedly been disciplined, sources said. Giuliani also offered words of support for Nathan, involved in a bitter custody dispute with her husband over their teenage daughter. Court documents filed Tuesday say she has been an absentee mom while devoting time to the mayor. "I think this shouldn't be in the newspapers. I think you spend too much time focusing on it," Giuliani told reporters at City Hall. "Judith Nathan is one of the finest people I know." He then cut off questions about his divorce and personal life. Meanwhile, his divorce lawyer, Raoul Felder, submitted final papers yesterday to seek a stay of a judge's decision banning Nathan from Gracie Mansion. The Appellate Division could issue a decision on the stay as early as next week.

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RUDY: NO 'LOVE NEST' & THAT'S IT

By MICHAEL R. BLOOD SPECIAL TO EXPRESS Mayor Giuliani refused to say yesterday whether he has ever spent time with girlfriend Judith Nathan at the St. Regis Hotel, but repeated his threat to sue the New York Post for reporting the couple shacked up in a "love nest"there last week. When asked to clear up confusion over when, or if, he overnighted with Nathan at the luxury hotel, Giuliani said, "Of course I'm not

20111103123934

ou just don't get it, do you? This is a czarist nation, a fascist state. They control everything. They tap my phone. They'll do anything to stop me. We're the front lines, man, fleas fighting a giant.'' It is a clear, crisp, gorgeous winter afternoon in the high desert in Nevada, and Michael Heizer, who has spent the past 32 years and many millions of mostly other people's dollars constructing ''City'' -- one of the biggest sculptures any modern artist has ever built, one and a quarter miles long and more than a quarter of a mile wide -- is in a state of extreme agitation, even for him. His pique is rising as he maneuvers his truck down a bumpy mountain pass, filling the truck's cabin with cigar smoke. I sense that he's rather enjoying himself. We are driving through Murphy Gap. Pinyon and juniper cluster along the slopes on either side. This narrow, serpentine passage of astonishing beauty cuts through the Golden Gate Range, far from civilization. Aside from Heizer's voice and the truck's engine, there is an endless, empty, engulfing silence. Coal Valley, on the eastern side of the mountain range, is a desolate, flat plain of yellow rabbit brush and silver sage for grazing cattle. To the west, Heizer's valley, Garden Valley, is vast and nearly uninhabited. Size is deceptive out here. ''City'' looks from the edge of the valley like a low-lying bump, barely visible. When you drive just a mile from it, south across the valley, it basically disappears into the brush. But picture a sculpture the size of the Washington Mall, nearly from the steps of the Capitol to the Washington Monument, swallowing many of the museums on either side. That's how big it is. Only once you're inside do you see all the mounds, pits, passageways, plazas, ramps and terraced dirt, most of the sculpture having been dug below ground level, masked from outside by berms. The shapes echo the mountains. ''I'm not selling the view,'' Heizer contradicts when I mention this. ''You can't even see the landscape unless you're standing at the edge of the sculpture.'' True. Even so, the echoes are plain as day. We are maybe 30 miles from Nellis Air Force Base and the military's supersecret Area 51, and more than 100 miles from Yucca Mountain, where the federal government, if all goes as planned, will begin to collect the nation's nuclear waste in 2010. Trains will transport the waste from across the country, through the middle of Atlanta and Chicago and Salt Lake City and Kansas City, to Caliente, a town just north of here. From there, more than 300 miles of track will have to be laid, at a cost of more than $1 billion, to carry the waste the rest of the way. As it is currently conceived, the route will cut across Garden Valley, within ear- and eyeshot of Heizer's sculpture and the ranch right next to it where he lives, a kind of survivalist compound of cinder block and solar panels, an oasis of cottonwoods and wild plum trees in the middle of a wide, empty plain. Having moved long ago to this virtual end of the earth, and having also moved heaven and earth to build in isolation his immense sculpture, Heizer now finds the federal government is plotting, as he sees things, to ruin it and him. Heizer knows it's highly unlikely that he or anyone else will suddenly stop Yucca cold, but he says he's hoping at least to persuade Department of Energy officials at this 11th hour to redirect the tracks next door through Coal Valley and Murphy Gap. Of course he is deeply pessimistic. ''I've always been a pessimist,'' he tells me, ''but now I think things are going to get really, really bad.'' Squinting into a fresh plume of cigar smoke, which rises like a dark cloud around him, he starts imagining first the rail, then wells, then electric power lines invading the valley, while ''sniveling toady'' politicians, as he calls them, do nothing. His soliloquy crescendos, linking defense contractors like Kellogg Brown & Root and Bechtel to the government as a sinister cabal machinating against him -- ''I wouldn't be surprised if they sent out a hit squad to kill me!'' -- when the silence of Murphy Gap is suddenly shattered by a heart-stopping boom. An F-16 buzzes our truck. It looks as if it can't be more than 100 feet overhead, turned sideways to maneuver low through the snaking pass. Then as quickly as it appears, it's gone. Who knows? I think. Even paranoids may be right sometimes.

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Art's Last, Lonely Cowboy

Michael Heizer was an art-world hero, but now he's learning that you're never far enough away from things — things like mortality and the plans of the U.S. government.

20120526075756

Here’s a riddle: What comes in group of four and is the color of French’s Mustard? After a week of deliberations, the four alternate jurors have become the prime distraction for the assembled press corps and spectators in the courtroom. Today, the judge cleared the court room to discuss what was described as a juror issue. When court resumed, the judge did not indicate what the problem was. But on Thursday the alternates – three women and one man – caused something of a stir when they showed up in matching bright yellow shirts, hardly bothering to suppress their snickering as the judge addressed the main panel of jurors. Today they are all wearing red. For nearly four weeks, 16 jurors heard all the evidence in Edwards’ case. After the closing arguments, Judge Catherine Eagles made the unorthodox decision to extend the service of the four alternate jurors, while the primary panel of 12 deliberated the six felony charges. So for the last five days of deliberations, the gang of four alternates has been required to show up at court each day, sent to a holding room with instructions to avoid talking about the case. Anytime the jurors are in the courtroom, the judge calls the alternates down to keep them apprised of the status of deliberations. And the alternates are also sent to lunch every afternoon with the rest of the jurors. Since the alternates were identified last Thursday, it has been impossible to ignore the dynamic between Edwards and one of the female alternates, an attractive young woman with jet-black hair, who seems to have been flirting with Edwards for days. The juror clearly instigated the exchanges. She smiles at him. He smiles politely back at her. She giggles. He blushes. The jury returns today to resume deliberations for a sixth day. Edwards is accused of using nearly $1 million in campaign donations to hide his affair with his mistress Rielle Hunter. If convicted, he could be sentenced to as much as 30 years in prison and fined as much as $1.5 million.

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Female Juror Flirts With John Edwards

John Edwards Here’s a riddle:   What comes in group of four and is the color of French’s Mustard? After a week of deliberations, the four alternate jurors have become the prime distraction for the assembled press corps and spectators in the courtroom. Today, the judge cleared the court room to discuss what was described as a juror issue.  When court resumed, the judge did not indicate what the problem was. But on Thursday the alternates – three women and one man – caused something of a stir when they showed up in matching bright yellow shirts, hardly bothering to suppress…

20120827221049

Tiger Woods could take a huge financial hit if he comes up short this weekend at the PGA Championship. The Sun of London reports Tiger is in jeopardy of having his main sponsor roll back his endorsement money. Nike reportedly plans to slice Woods $19,400,000 per-year endorsement deal in half if he completes his third straight year without a major victory. Tiger asked his goals for this week said: "A W ... a nice W." Woods deal with Nike is set to be re-negotiated at the end of this year, they want Tiger to prove he can still be a winner. If he fails, the shoe giant will punish Woods to the tune of $9,700,000 less per year in his new deal. Luxury watch maker Tag Heuer recently became the sixth corporate sponsor to end its relationship with Woods. Tiger is also competing against golf's new golden boy Rory McIlroy, who unlike Woods enjoys the extra fan attention. While Tiger often is a sourpuss around his fans, McIlroy seems to be eating it up, even when fans sent photos of his date with tennis player Caroline Wozniacki out on Twitter. "Being part of the Twitter/Facebook generation means I have to accept the celebrity status. You can't escape it," McIlroy said. "I've got half-a-million Twitter followers so how can I complain if I go out to dinner with someone and it's posted two minutes later. "You can't do anything about it. So why let it bother you?" ThePostGame brings you the most interesting sports stories on the web. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to read them first!

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Nike Ready To Slash Tiger Woods' Endorsement Money?

Tiger Woods could take a huge financial hit if he comes up short this weekend at the PGA Championship. The Sun of London reports Tiger is in jeopard...

20121119093357

To brace his players for the challenge ahead, 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman provided a highlight reel featuring the turnovers created by the Bears' defense this season. Roman didn't expose them to every takeaway, however. No sense in making his players sit through a miniseries: "The Art of Stripping and Picking: Charles Tillman, Tim Jennings and the 2012 Chicago Bears." "We didn't have time to show it all to them," Roman said of the extensive turnover reel, "so we showed them some of it." The ball-hawking Bears enter Monday night's game at Candlestick Park with an NFL-high 30 takeaways and are on pace for 53, which would be the most in the NFL since the 1989 Eagles (56). Entering Week 11, Chicago's 30 interceptions or fumble recoveries were at least 11 more than 29 of the league's other 31 teams. Last season, the 49ers tied for the NFL lead with 38 takeaways and their defensive players pointed to "Takeaway Thursdays" as a reason for their success. Last week, Chicago inside linebacker Lance Briggs was asked if the Bears also had a day of the week when they placed particular emphasis in forcing turnovers during practice. "Every day," Briggs said. "Even on our off day. We might even get a text from our coaches asking us if we're stripping today." The torrent of takeaways has been led by Tillman and Jennings, cornerbacks who have accounted for 57 percent of the Bears' forced turnovers. Tillman has a league-best seven forced fumbles (only seven NFL teams had more fumble recoveries in the season's first 11 weeks). Jennings has an NFL-high eight interceptions (only 14 teams had more). The turnovers have led directly to points. The Bears established an NFL record with seven interception returns for touchdowns in their first eight games. Briggs and Tillman each had defensive touchdowns in back-to-back weeks this season, the first duo in NFL history to accomplish the feat. Tillman, whose nickname is "Peanut," is a top-flight cover corner, but he's best known for his unparalleled ability to pop the ball loose from ball carriers. Tillman's 36 forced fumbles since 2003 are 15 more than any defensive back over that span. His skill has inspired "Peanut Punch" T-shirts in Chicago and a legion of inspired admirers. After Northwestern had two forced fumbles among the four turnovers it collected in a 23-20 win over Michigan State on Saturday, Wildcats head coach Pat Fitzgerald gave Tillman partial credit. During the week, Fitzgerald had shown his team video of Tillman forcing four fumbles in a win over the Titans this season. "I believe everybody in the country on defense has kind of been invigorated by Peanut Tillman," Fitzgerald said. Said Roman: "When it comes to stripping the ball and punching it out, he's just so far ahead of everybody, it's not even funny." And Jim Harbaugh: "He's probably the best that anybody has ever seen." Tillman's unique ability has created both loose balls and laughs. In a conference call this past week, Briggs offered the Bay Area media his Peanut-inspired comedy bit, which had Tillman howling in the background: "Tillman is the NFL's greatest stripper I believe. He's been doing it for a long time. He didn't start this thing overnight, you know. He's been making his money off stripping since he was in college." Monday night's game has been billed as a matchup between elite defenses: The 49ers lead the NFL with 14.1 points allowed per game and the Bears (14.8) rank second. It's the head-to-head matchup between a defense known for takeaways and an offense adept at ball security that figures to be most intriguing. Last season, the 49ers tied an NFL record by committing only 10 turnovers. This season, they had nine giveaways entering Week 11, tied for the sixth-fewest in the league. Quarterback Alex Smith has thrown an NFL-low 11 interceptions in his past 806 attempts since 2010. Running back Frank Gore has one fumble in his past 323 carries. The 49ers haven't committed a turnover in 11 of their 25 regular-season games under Harbaugh. Pulling off another error-free game Monday will be a challenge against a defense headlined by Jennings and Tillman, corners whose opposing peers are eager to see them up close. "Tillman is able to punch the ball out and also able to tackle the ball carriers," 49ers cornerback Carlos Rogers said. "It's something unbelievable. So I'll be up on my seat watching those guys play because I like defense." Who: Bears (7-2) vs. 49ers (6-2-1) TV/Radio: ESPN Channel: 5 /680, 107.7 5:30 p.m., ESPN Channel: 5 (680, 107.7) Spotlight on: Defensive tackle Justin Smith. The 49ers' All-Pro will see plenty of former 49ers right guard Chilo Rachal, who lost his starting job in San Francisco last year and is playing a new position in Chicago. Sound like a mismatch? Possibly. The Bears' left guard ranks 55th of 64 guards who have played at least 300 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. Meanwhile, Smith is an integral part of a once-impenetrable run defense that occasionally has been shoved around this season. In their two losses and a tie, the 49ers have allowed an average of 151.3 rushing yards. In their six wins: 67.3. Injury notes: 49ers - Quarterback Alex Smith (concussion) is questionable, but is expected to play after taking the bulk of the practice snaps last week. Ten players are listed as probable, including running back Frank Gore (hand, ribs). Bears - Starting quarterback Jay Cutler (concussion) is out and will be replaced by Jason Campbell, who will be making his first start since Oct. 16, 2011. Rookie wide receiver Alshon Jeffery is expected to play for the first time since breaking his hand in Week 5. -- The 49ers and Bears are the only NFL teams without a 1,000-yard wide receiver since 2003, but Chicago's drought could end Monday. Entering Week 11, Brandon Marshall ranked second in the NFL in catches (67) and third in yards (904). Marshall, 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, also ranks 10th in the NFL in yards after catch (250) and third in tackles broken (10), according to Pro Football Focus. -- Are you ready for some ... sacks? The 49ers have allowed 29 sacks, the fourth most in the NFL, and the Bears have surrendered 28 (fifth). The spotlight could shine on San Francisco outside linebacker Aldon Smith (9 1/2 sacks) and Chicago defensive end Julius Peppers (six). The Bears' Henry Melton ranks second among NFL defensive tackles with five sacks. -- Chicago cornerbacks Charles Tillman and Tim Jennings form perhaps the NFL's best tandem. Quarterbacks have thrown two touchdowns and 10 interceptions when targeting the two this season. Their passer rating: 44.0. Eric Branch is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: ebranch@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Eric_Branch

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49ers prep for Bears on Monday night

To brace his players for the challenge ahead, 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman provided a highlight reel featuring the turnovers created by the Bears' defense this season. Last season, the 49ers tied for the NFL lead with 38 takeaways and their defensive players pointed to &quot;Takeaway Thursdays&quot; as a reason for their success. Last week, Chicago inside linebacker Lance Briggs was asked if the Bears also had a day of the week when they placed particular emphasis in forcing turnovers during practice. Tillman has a league-best seven forced fumbles (only seven NFL teams had more fumble recoveries in the season's first 11 weeks). The Bears established an NFL record with seven interception returns for touchdowns in their first eight games. Briggs and Tillman each had defensive touchdowns in back-to-back weeks this season, the first duo in NFL history to accomplish the feat. Tillman, whose nickname is &quot;Peanut,&quot; is a top-flight cover corner, but he's best known for his unparalleled ability to pop the ball loose from ball carriers. After Northwestern had two forced fumbles among the four turnovers it collected in a 23-20 win over Michigan State on Saturday, Wildcats head coach Pat Fitzgerald gave Tillman partial credit. Injury notes: 49ers - Quarterback Alex Smith (concussion) is questionable, but is expected to play after taking the bulk of the practice snaps last week. Marshall, 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, also ranks 10th in the NFL in yards after catch (250) and third in tackles broken (10), according to Pro Football Focus. The spotlight could shine on San Francisco outside linebacker Aldon Smith (9 1/2 sacks) and Chicago defensive end Julius Peppers (six). The Bears' Henry Melton ranks second among NFL defensive tackles with five sacks.

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Image credit: Maria Toutoudaki/Getty Images Breastfeeding experts are applauding New York City’s “Latch On NYC” initiative, which aims to encourage breastfeeding and curb baby formula use in hospitals, but some mommy bloggers are not happy, and they are taking their grievances online. One of these bloggers is Katherine Stone, a 42-year-old mother who lives in Atlanta. In her Babble blog post on Monday — titled “Back Off of the Mamas, Mayor Bloomberg!” — she criticizes the additional monitoring of formula use in hospitals. “It’s a thin line,” she said. “I think it’s a little bit scary because it begins to infer that it’s a bad, bad thing to feed your child formula.” Meredith Carroll is a 39-year-old mother and Babble blogger who lives in Aspen, Colo., and she, too, takes issue with the impending New York City policy. “This isn’t morphine,” Carroll said. “I’m not a drug addict that needs to be kept away from a drug. I just want to feed my baby.” Both bloggers said they realized that the initiative would not affect them directly, as they do not live in New York. But the plan will see 27 of New York City’s hospitals implementing its policies on Labor Day, which include keeping formula in locked storage rooms and monitoring its use. The initiative will also discontinue the practice of hospitals distributing free infant formula at the time of discharge, prohibit the display of formula promotional materials in hospitals, and encourage greater enforcement of existing regulations prohibiting the use of formula for breastfeeding infants unless medically indicated. It is not the first time the availability of baby formula in hospitals has been put under the spotlight. An August 2011 report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lambasted hospitals for not adhering to steps designed to encourage breastfeeding in hospitals spelled out by the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative. The initiative, sponsored by UNICEF and the World Health Organization, suggests that hospitals “[h]ave a written breastfeeding policy that is routinely communicated to all health care staff” and “[g]ive no pacifiers of artificial nipples to breastfeeding infants.” At the time of its report, the CDC noted that only 4 percent of hospitals had adopted at least nine out of 10 of the steps included in the initiative, and that 9 percent of hospitals had adopted two or fewer of the steps. Breastfeeding experts said that in light of this dismal situation, the New York City plan is sorely needed — and they say such policies will not restrict mothers’ choices in feeding their infants. “Locking the formula up and paying for it does NOT mean it won’t be available for mothers who choose to exclusively formula feed or for mothers who want to supplement or for medically necessary formula supplementation,” wrote Dr. Lori Feldman-Winter, a pediatrician at Children’s Regional Hospital at Cooper in Camden, N.J. “It simply helps keep track of usage and cuts down on indiscriminate use.” Feldman-Winter, who is a published researcher on the topic of infant formula use in hospitals, said closer monitoring of formula has been demonstrated to make a difference. “We have shown that once the formula is kept in a locked cabinet (“locked up”) and used only when medically necessary, then the usage is cut in half, resulting in more infants exclusively breastfeeding, an outcome good for the infant, family and our society as a whole,” she said. Dr. Miriam Labbock, director of the Center for Infant & Young Child Feeding & Care, also agrees with Bloomberg’s move to institute the plan. “It is amazing to me that so many papers have somehow headlined that this deprives folks in some manner,” said Labbock, who was previously in charge of UNICEF’s efforts to encourage breastfeeding, in an email to ABCNews.com. “All other nutraceuticals and drugs have been controlled under lock and key in all hospitals for ages — formula had been the only unfortunate exception.” The point on which everyone seems to agree is that breastfeeding is the ideal approach. Blogger Stone said most of the discussion she has seen online recognizes the fact regardless of position on Bloomberg’s plan. “People who can have a reasoned discussion about this really do understand the importance of breastfeeding,” Stone said. “It’s important we promote breastfeeding… I support the idea of promoting breastfeeding and increasing the percentage of women who do it. It is crucial thing.” And according to the Latch On NYC website, there is no requirement for new mothers to breastfeed while in the hospital. “While breastfeeding is healthier for both mothers and babies, staff must respect a mother’s infant feeding choice,” the website states. But the site does encourage hospital staff to remind mothers of the health benefits of breastfeeding when they request formula. Among the recommendations offered on the website for hospital staff is advice that they can “[a]ssess if breastfeeding is going well and encourage the mother to keep trying” and “[p]rovide education and support to mothers who are experiencing difficulties.” Stone said that for women who can’t breastfeed, the policy would represent another hoop through which these new mothers would have to jump — possibly adding to their guilt at the worst possible time. “I hear from moms who have all sorts of problems related to breastfeeding, whether it is the inability to produce enough milk, or medical conditions they have, or their baby having problems breastfeeding,” Stone said. “There are a lot of things that lead a mother to not being able to breastfeed. “Many of them do go through the experience of having people judge them for that. People saying they are selfish, or that they don’t care about the baby.” Carroll said she knows firsthand the guilt that comes with not being able to breastfeed as a new mother. She writes in her blog that, at the time her older child was a baby, she had tried unsuccessfully to breastfeed her. “It’s not up to me or Mayor Bloomberg to pass judgment on any mother who makes a choice about how to feed her baby,” Carroll told ABCNews.com. “It’s embarrassing for a new mother to go out of her way to ask for something she may need or may want. Maybe someone who hasn’t been in that situation is not aware.”

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NYC Hospitals’ Baby Formula Plan Rankles Mommy Bloggers

Image credit: Maria Toutoudaki/Getty Images Breastfeeding experts are applauding New York City’s “Latch On NYC” initiative, which aims to encourage breastfeeding and curb baby formula use in hospitals, but some mommy bloggers are not happy, and they are taking their grievances online. One of these bloggers is Katherine Stone, a 42-year-old mother who lives in Atlanta. In her Babble blog post on Monday — titled “Back Off of the Mamas, Mayor Bloomberg!” — she criticizes the additional monitoring of formula use in hospitals. “It’s a thin line,” she said. “I think it’s a little bit scary because it begins…

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The $450 million Fenway Center development over the Massachusetts Turnpike in Boston is in jeopardy because of a stalemate between the developer and state officials over a long-term lease for the property, according to a source with knowledge of the matter. Unless the two sides reach a leasing deal for the massive residential, retail, and office project soon, developer John Rosenthal’s investment partner will pull out, said the source, who was not authorized to speak publicly. That would doom another project involving turnpike air rights to failure, undermining officials’ long-held goal of transforming the real estate into a string of tax- and job-producing office, hotel, and residential buildings. The last successful air rights project in Boston was Copley Place, which was built in the early 1980s using $19 million in federal grants. Rosenthal, who has been planning Fenway Center for over a decade, declined to comment on the negotiations. A spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation said talks are progressing, but had no deal to report. “This notion that we’re at an impasse is untrue,” said the spokeswoman, Cyndi Roy. “We’re enthusiastic about these negotiations. This is a transformative project, and we’re exploring every way possible to move it forward.” But the person with knowledge of the Fenway Center negotiations said Rosenthal and transportation officials are deadlocked over changes Rosenthal’s investment partner wants to make to the proposed 99-year-lease for the property. The project, already approved by Boston regulators, calls for construction of 550 apartments, retail stores, parking garages, and a 27-story office and residential building near Fenway Park. Work is already underway on a new commuter rail station at the edge of the parcel, which is centered on a canyon of parking lots between Beacon Street and Brookline Avenue. The outcome of the current negotiations not only holds major implications for Fenway Center, but for the future of air-rights development along the turnpike corridor in Boston. City and state officials have long sought to develop the property to generate new revenue and knit together neighborhoods divided by the highway. But recent efforts have ended in high-profile failures, such as the $800 million Columbus Center condominium, hotel, and retail project, which fell apart in 2008 after a decadelong struggle to obtain permits and government subsidies. The project’s backers lost tens of millions of dollars in the deal, and one of its executives, Arthur Winn, later pleaded guilty to making illegal campaign contributions as he was trying to gain government support. While Columbus Center suffered from an array of problems — some of its own making — advocates for development say the demise of another major air rights project could scare away future investment in those properties. “This would send a really tough message to developers about doing these kinds of projects in Boston,” said Greg Vasil, chief executive of the Greater Boston Real Estate Board. “To lose [Fenway Center] at this point in the process would be an absolute travesty.” Roy, the transportation department spokeswoman, said in a statement that plenty of developers remain interested in building air rights projects, and that the state remains committed to helping those project move forward. “MassDOT is well aware of and very much appreciates the inherent challenges presented by air rights development, both physically and financially, and is working hard to make such developments happen in the post-financial crisis environment,” said Roy. She said that the agency “expects that there will be continued interest in the air rights parcels under the correct market conditions.” State and city leaders renewed a push to build over the turnpike in the late 1990s, commissioning a study that envisioned a mix of hotels, offices, residences, and public parks spanning the highway between Brookline and Chinatown. Since then, however, none of the projects has been built. Following the Columbus Center failure, Rosenthal’s project was the next in line to become a reality. The project moved to the brink of construction earlier this year following the dismissal of a lawsuit by an abutter, but it soon became bogged down in negotiations over the lease. At the heart of the matter is whether the state should agree to accept less money in lease payments so it can reap the broader benefits of the complex, including construction and permanent jobs, tax revenues, and a development that would improve a scrubby section of property in one of the city’s most visited neighborhoods. The two sides had previously agreed to a rent credit to help fund the extra costs of building a deck over the turnpike to support Fenway Center’s buildings. But Rosenthal’s investment partner has sought to renegotiate some terms of that deal. The person familiar with the matter said Rosenthal’s partner wants the state to subtract the cost of building the deck from the overall value of the property, which includes several acres along the turnpike. The state wants lease payments to be based on full market value for the land parcels — a proposal the developers believe would render Fenway Center financially infeasible. The parties have not reached a deal despite weeks of negotiations, leaving Rosenthal at risk of losing his funding unless the matter is resolved soon. In e-mailed responses to questions about its development policies, Roy wrote that the transportation department recognizes some air rights projects may need state financial support to be feasible. But “in general,” she wrote. “MassDOT will not subsidize projects directly and expects commercial air rights projects to be financially self-supporting.”

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Fenway Center in jeopardy due to impasse with MassDOT

The $450 million Fenway Center development over the Massachusetts Turnpike in Boston is in jeopardy due to a stalemate between the developer and state officials over a long-term lease for the property, according to a source with knowledge of the matter. Unless the two sides reach a leasing deal for the massive residential, retail and office project soon, Rosenthal’s investment partner will pull out, said the source, who was not authorized to speak publicly.

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John McCallum as a convict on the run in Bethanl Green in Robert Hamer’s 1947 film It Always Rains on Sunday. Photograph: www.ronaldgrantarchive.com I've been told that London's reputation for fog is not only due to the fact that it used to be foggy. It was also because cash-strapped postwar film-makers found it convenient to shroud their scenes in mist because they wouldn't have to build so much of the set – just one or two house fronts instead of a street. If this story is an urban myth, no matter, as it tells a truth about London on film. The city's greatest gift to the movie camera is its atmospherics, its fog, rain and darkness. In ordinary daylight it is obstinately factual. If cinema likes to make cities into dream versions of themselves, London doesn't join in. The brick terraces, the railings, pavements, bollards and postboxes remain themselves. They won't soar like Manhattan or perform like Rome, and you can't imagine Marilyn doing her blown-up skirt thing on London's streets. They reject fantasy. But they permit mystery, the sense that there is something hidden around the corner, which is where the atmospherics come in. Next week, the Barbican is starting an intensive mini-season of films about London, opening with Robert Hamer's It Always Rains on Sunday, of 1947, in which a woman tries to hide an escaped convict (who is also her ex-lover) in the tiny terraced house she shares with her husband, stepdaughters and son. Its structure is roughly Shakespearean, with a central tragedy underscored by subplots, while its setting is a prototype EastEnders, a Bethnal Green of crowded markets and beaten-up streets. It's claustrophobic, its tight geographic boundaries only opening up with a concluding night-time chase through docks and railway yards. Other worlds are hoped-for or remembered, but the residents of the movie are imprisoned by poverty and bad weather. The rain of the title is a jailer, but along with the darkness at the end it also brings a kind of transcendence, without which there would be nothing but the ordinary. The screening of It Always Rains on Sunday will be accompanied by a talk by the Londonophile writer Iain Sinclair, who is also the presiding spirit of the Urban Wandering season. Where Flann O'Brien imagined a policeman who rode his bike so much that he exchanged atoms with it, it may be that Sinclair's feet are by now half-pavement, so extensively has he tramped the capital. Many of the films share Sinclair's interest in psychogeography, a concept or approach whereby the physical, the personal, the mythic and the historic are knotted together in unravellable skeins. The knotting is done mostly through walking, with the Munros of suburbia doggedly scaled. Its enemies are commodification, the translation of pieces of city into sales tools for estate agents and tourism, and optimistic Olympo-babble. The greatest of such films is Patrick Keiller's simply titled London, an extended wander nourished with literary references and a narration with the measured tread of a long-distance walk. The Barbican's season also tries hard to recognise the versions of London experienced by immigrants and minorities, as described by the voices of interviewees in Twilight City and The Stuart Hall Project. It's also showing Julien Temple's London: The Modern Babylon, an archival compilation that aims to reveal the city's subcultures but ends up as a too-predicable trawl through the 20th century: cockneys, the Blitz, immigration, punks. John Landis's American Werewolf in London. Reading this on a mobile? Click here For light relief, there is John Landis's An American Werewolf in London (1981), which wields a familiar arsenal of landmarks, such as Trafalgar Square and Tower Bridge, and has a hard-up nurse living in Kensington, which was improbable even before the Thatcher property boom. It redeems itself by making Tottenham Court Road tube station into a nightmare of endless subways, and with a masterful scene in a blue movie theatre near Piccadilly Circus, where the moans of the porn actors blend indistinguishably with the groans of the werewolf's victims. As in It Always Rains on Sunday, the programme shows a persistent fascination with poverty and the East End. Even Werewolf features a group of rough drinkers in what is now a desirable part of Wapping. Mike Leigh, in Naked, savours as always the worn hardness of London spaces. In other films, kebab shops and minicab offices light up the night. Sometimes, poverty becomes a bit like fog – too much so – a way of making complacent house fronts more fascinating. One of the season's more fascinating curios is The Smithsons on Housing of 1970, whose producer, BS Johnson, was also a fine novelist of London's half-buried miseries. In this film the architects Alison and Peter Smithson face the camera, speaking with a methodical glumness quite like Sinclair's and Keiller's, with the difference that, as architects, they are supposed to be proposing a better world. They talk of making "pleasure-leisure places" and "a new Venice" in London's docks, but it doesn't make them smile, and they seem to know already that their Robin Hood Gardens estate, then under construction, would succumb to vandalism and neglect and would be scheduled for early demolition. As it has. "If the culture of cities was a criterion for joining the Common Market," says Alison Smithson miserably, "then any African state would have as good a chance as London's." Urban Wandering, then, represents a powerful theme in films about London: the feeling that, beneath smug architecture, and wrapped in fog, rain or dark, there is something more compelling and complex, if not always nice. It might be a werewolf on the tube, or a secret from a housewife's past, or the fact (revealed by Keiller) that Verlaine and Rimbaud once shared a home on the site where the phallic BT Tower now stands, as an inadvertent monument to their love. Titles in the season restate the theme repeatedly: Underground, Hidden City, Under Night Streets, The London Nobody Knows. Gloss and glamour are frowned on and at times it can get too much. Why can't the sun shine? Why can't these people smile? Is it their blisters from all that walking? Until that is, you chance upon a DVD of a Richard Curtis film, Love Actually or Notting Hill, in which everything looks like a Christmas card even when there's no snow. Then you become immensely grateful for a bit of complexity and gloom.

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Urban Wandering: Film and the London Landscape

A season of films about London reveals how fog, rain and gloom of all kinds add to the mystique of the capital, writes Rowan Moore

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New York’s international graffiti mecca 5 Pointz was erased overnight when the paintings were buffed over on the orders of the property's owners. The five-story warehouse complex in Queens, which has hosted a curated selection of graffiti since 2002, was a popular gathering place for art fans; its murals were a familiar sight to New York subway passengers as they passed through the Long Island City neighborhood. But in August, city officials granted Jerry and David Wolkoff, who own the building, permission to demolish the site. The surprise overnight whitewash brought condemnation from artists, fans and volunteers who had gathered at the spot on Tuesday, many in tears. “What’s super disrespectful is that the whole thing about 5 Pointz is: it’s legal painting," said 5 Pointz volunteer Rebekah Kennedy. "For someone to come in and wash it away … that's the biggest vandal." She said that before the destruction, volunteers had been working on a way to preserve the art or the building as a landmark. “To just take it away is the biggest 'fuck you' that can happen,” Kennedy said. On Tuesday afternoon, volunteers taped large pieces of white to the walls inside the building’s loading dock center, where halal cart workers were still driving in and out of the yard. People had taken markers to the signs in tribute: “We played by the rules,” read one. Another bore a quote from Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg address, which was delivered 150 years ago, today: “We are met on a great battlefield of that war.” Owner Jerry Wolkoff defended the overnight destruction in an interview with NBC 4 New York. "I can imagine going one piece, one piece, and going through hell, torture to everybody," he said. "So I said, 'Let me do it one time and end this torture one time,’” he said. He compared the action to forcing a child to take medicine. "In the new building we're going to let them come back, and it's going to be similar and better," Wolkoff said, explaining that the new building will have a 60-foot wraparound wall for graffiti. "They're upset with me now, but it's the right thing for both of us.” He later expanded his defence in an interview with New York magazine: "I told the police to be there. The last thing I wanted was any confrontation. I didn't want any of them to be arrested. I have so much respect for them. It's my building, I can paint on it. I would feel terrible if someone got arrested." Comedy writer Joe Garden, who passes the spot on his way to work, called the destruction "an abomination" and said it "really seems spiteful and unnecessary, verging on cruel". Confirmed 5 Pointz graffiti Mecca was painted over last night pic.twitter.com/tweDokQR2Y Painting over 5 Pointz before tearing it down is one of the most artistically and culturally disrespectful moves I've seen in a while. Damn. Danny Simmons, a gallery owner and artist who testified in a lawsuit brought by 5 Pointz representatives, said the building has been “a repository of hip-hop history and a place of beauty and wonder”. Simmons is the older brother of hip-hop mogul Russell, and Joseph, or Rev Run, of Run DMC, and all three were closely tied to the rise of hip-hop culture. Danny Simmons said: “It’s been a major tourist attraction for the city – a place where young and old could go for free and let their imaginations run wild. It was an inspiration to art’s free spirit and spoke volumes to artists like myself about color and form. With the painting over and razing of this building, the arts and NYC has been sorely diminished. It will be missed, but the spirit of art for and by the people lives on.” Artists have been painting on the property since the early 1990s, with permission from the Wolkoffs. But the owners decided in 2010 to demolish the building to make room for two luxury residential towers. 5 Pointz representatives, led by curator Jonathan Cohen, also known as Meres One, had been at odds with the Wolkoffs for several years after an artist was seriously injured in 2009 when an outdoor staircase broke. New York’s building department ordered the largest structure in the complex to close following the incident, but in mid-October the building was still standing. Since the city granted the property owners permission to demolish the building, Meres and fellow curator Marie Cecile Flageul have been fighting a losing battle. With a band of other graffiti artists, 5 Pointz launched a lawsuit against the Wolkoffs, but federal district judge Frederic Block ruled last week in the Wolkoffs' favour. On Saturday, the 5 Pointz crew held what would be the final rally to preserve the building. There were also plans to appeal Block’s decision, and petitions from around the world were submitted in support. The decision to paint over the murals comes just after Banksy held a month-long New York residency in October, which ended with him writing a brief comment on his website to "Save 5 Pointz."

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Graffiti mecca 5 Pointz painted white as demolition day nears

Artworks at Queens graffiti site buffed over at the behest of the property owners, who want to pull it down to build luxury condos

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By Kate Coyne and Dahvi Shira 05/21/2014 at 10:00 AM EDT Long before one of the three finalists , another celebrity found himself getting the boot from the ballroom. Season 16 competitor Andy Dick, 48, arrived at the finale with a guest and seemed to be acting erratically, reeking of smoke and exhibiting eyebrow-raising behavior. He was running in and out of the ballroom every five minutes, saying, "I have to pee!" Within the hour, he had lunged at a production staffer's breast. One observer tells PEOPLE that four security guards stepped in quickly and they "told him he had to go, and he said, 'Why? Because I'm drunk?' " Once evicted from the premises, the comedian wasn't seen again for the remainder of the finale. Dick, who has had a very public, longtime alongside partner Sharna Burgess during his seven-week stint on ABC's hit show. A cast mate on Dr. Drew Pinsky's former VH1 docu-series , Dick seemed like a changed man on , dedicating a beautiful Viennese waltz to his daughter, whom he told the audience he reconnected with once he got sober. He added that 2013 was the best year of his life, because he ditched his bad habits. "I'm clenching my jaw because if [the tears] start going, they won't stop," Dick of his then-life-changing experience on the show at the time he was eliminated. "I'll miss that feeling of accomplishment every week. This is just so not what I do. Lasting this long at something that's not me is just so wild." had no comment on Dick's behavior Tuesday night or on his removal from the show, and his agent didn't return a request for comment.

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Former DWTS Contestant Andy Dick Escorted from Ballroom During Finale

Four bodyguards had to remove a former fan favorite off the premises on Tuesday night for inappropriate behavior

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Last week, Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin launched an inquiry into companies that pay 401(k) matches in annual lump sums, a practice that can cost workers tens of thousands of dollars in retirement savings compared with getting matches each pay period. Galvin’s review also underscored another fact of working life: With the vast majority of employees relying on 401(k)s to finance retirement, the chance to boost those savings is more important than ever. Here are some ways suggested by financial planners to get the most out of retirement accounts. Financial planners stress the importance of preparing for retirement even when it is far out on the horizon. Even modest contributions to 401(k)s or individual retirement accounts made in your 20s will pay big dividends in your 60s. For example, saving just 2 percent of a $35,000 salary, or roughly $60 a month, at age 25 with an average rate of return of 8 percent will result in more than $200,000 upon retirement. Contributing the same amount, but starting at age 45, will add up to just under $35,000. “If you’re setting aside 5 percent of your pay, just put it into an IRA or Roth to start saving,” said Lillian Gonzalez, owner of Gonzalez and Associates, a financial planning firm in Stoughton. An increasing number of employers offer both traditional, tax-deferred 401(k) plans and the option for a Roth 401(k). With a Roth, an investor pays tax on the contribution on the front end. The gains from the investment, however, can be withdrawn tax free at retirement. Having some money in a Roth is a way to manage taxes after retirement. Retirees must pay taxes on withdrawals from traditional 401(k)s and IRAs, so being able to tap some savings tax free can reduce the hit. Financial planners call this tax diversification. Roths can be particularly advantageous to younger workers whose earnings tend to place them in lower tax brackets and who have many more years for their investments to grow tax free. “Math would dictate that in your 20s or 30s it’s better to be in a Roth,” Jeffrey West, a certified financial planner with Financial Compass Group in Wellesley. Many employers match employee contributions to 401(k)s up to an amount that generally falls between 2 and 5 percent of earnings. So if your employer provides a maximum match of 2 percent, then contribute at least 2 percent to get it. If it’s 5 percent, contribute at least 5 percent. Getting that maximum match from your employer is the easiest way to increase the return on your retirement savings, financial planners said. Returning to the earlier example, if your employer matches your 2 percent contribution on a $35,000 salary, and you start to save at age 25, you will end up with almost $410,000, more than double the match-less haul. Older workers just beginning to save face bigger challenges in building sufficient assets to finance retirement, so they likely need to pursue aggressive investment strategies to grow their account. The term “aggressive” might scare some older savers, financial planners said, but it essentially means contributing a larger portion of income to retirement accounts, putting a greater share of that money into stocks, or both. “If you’re behind the eight ball and you’re starting out later in life, if you stay conservative you’re not going to see much growth,” West said. “You need to be more aggressive to give yourself even the possibility of catching up.” Most plans allow employees to adjust their contributions periodically. It’s a tool that allows employees to start small, but build their savings. Financial planners say this approach can be more sustainable for many savers. For example, if your goal is 10 percent of earnings, you might start at 1 percent, and increase it by that amount every six months or a year until you hit that mark, said John McAvoy, a certified financial planner with Waterstone Retirement Services in Canton. Mandatory fee disclosure is a recent change to 401(k) plans, providing savers with more knowledge of their options when considering several plans. “High fees will erode returns,” West said. In general, 401(k) plans with mutual funds that have low fees outperform those with higher fees, but savers should also consider the track record of individual funds, their risk profiles, and whether they are passively managed index funds, which track the performance of the broader market, or actively managed funds that try to beat the market. A study by the Vanguard Group, a mutual fund company specializing in low-cost index funds, found that lower fees mean more money at retirement. Assuming an annual return of 6 percent, an investment of $100,000 with an annual fee of 0.9 percent would yield about $440,000 in 30 years. An investor putting that money in a fund with a 0.25 fee and getting the same 6 percent return would end up with nearly $100,000 more, or about $530,000 at retirement.

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Make the most of your 401(k)

Last week, Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin launched an inquiry into companies that pay 401(k) matches in annual lump sums, a practice that can cost workers tens of thousands of dollars in retirement savings compared towith getting matches at each pay period. Galvin’s review also underscored another fact of working life: With the vast majority of employees relying on 401(k)s to finance retirement, the chance to boost those savings is more important than ever. Here are some ways suggested by financial planners to get the most out of retirement accounts.

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SAN DIEGO — Richard Lin booked a meeting with Massachusetts officials this week at the BIO International Convention here, bringing a list of questions about expanding his small company, a biotechnology lab operator, into the Boston area. He hoped for a warm welcome. He wanted to be wooed. But he never expected to be welcomed and wooed by the governor of Massachusetts, who sat next to him during the 20-minute discussion, pitching the state and answering his questions. “Frankly, it was a big surprise he was here,” said Lin, chief executive of Explora Biolabs of San Diego. “That means a lot. It helps me to see people in charge’s commitment to our industry.” Governor Deval Patrick made his last sales call this week on the BIO convention, the biotechnology industry’s biggest gathering, and an event that has become entwined with his signature economic development initiative — and legacy. Seven years ago at BIO he unveiled his $1 billion program to grow the state’s life sciences industry, and he has returned almost every year to sell the Commonwealth to companies large and small. As Patrick prepares to leave office at the end of the year, Massachusetts can boast what is widely considered thepremier life sciences cluster in the world, employing tens of thousands of people and attracting billions of dollars of investment from global pharmaceutical companies, venture capitalists, and the federal government. Patricks’ criticssay his policies have had little to do with this success. With the state’s world-class universities and medical institutions, rich veins of scientific talent, and deep pools of capital, companies would locate and expand here anyway, they say. For his part, Patrick steers clear of the word, “legacy.” He says he will leave office knowing his administration made an impact on the life sciences industry — thanks partly to his sales job. “I could fairly be issued my own set of pom poms,” he quipped. Patrick moved through the bustling San Diego Convention Center this week, talking up Massachusetts at every opportunity — speaking on a panel, circulating at social events, and meeting with executives. A handful of governors attend BIO each year — the governors of California, Virginia, and South Dakota also came this year — but not all get involved at the level Patrick does, engaging in the granular details, and for so many consecutive years. Patrick only missed one BIO convention as governor, in 2010, when a catastrophic water main break cut off clean drinking water to about 2 million people in Greater Boston. On Wednesday, Patrick spent two hours at a couple of small tables, alongside other Massachusetts officials, meeting with executives from half a dozen research and development companies considering opening offices in Massachusetts. As he listened to them describe their business models, markets, and concerns, every request was on the table. Fly to Shanghai? Sure. Host company executives visiting Massachusetts? No problem. Come to a ribbon cutting? Absolutely. These conversations are part of a process that can take years. One example is Patrick’s discussions with the drug developer Xenetic Biosciences during an official trip to Britain in 2011. His early interest and involvement helped spur further talks between company and state officials that ultimately led Xenetic to move its global headquarters from London to Lexington, bringing seven jobs and plans to expand. “I can have an impact either as a magnet or as a closer,” Patrick said in an interview. “The ones that are the most fun are the closers.” Like any good salesman, Patrick has a well-honed pitch. He ticks through the state’s assets: the strong schools, educated workforce, many universities and research institutions, and growing tech and biotech industries that helped the state out of recession. Patrick has taken that message not only across the United States, but around the globe. He has led trade missions to more than a dozen countries, returning just three weeks ago from Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Earlier trips took him to China, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Britain, Ireland, Canada, Mexico, Panama, Colombia, Chile, and Brazil. “The reason I travel is we’ve got to look out — that’s where our markets are,” Patrick said. “Everybody talks about the global economy, but if you don’t go out, engage, you’re not going to win. You’ve got to play to win.” The governor’s overseas trips have provided fodder for his critics. Massachusetts Republicans say he should spend more time in the state and less taxpayer money on foreign trips. But Kristen Rupert, executive director of Associated Industries of Massachusetts International Business Council, an arm of the state’s biggest employer group, said his approach has helped Massachusetts businesses. “A governor has the ability to open doors overseas that a company, acting on its own, often cannot open,” Rupert said. “We saw that happen in Mexico and Israel, where [Massachusetts] organizations that had been attempting to make headway in those countries suddenly secured meetings after Governor Patrick met with government officials.” Though Patrick says his travel schedule is demanding, he seems to enjoy himself. He chatted affably with other officials and executives Wednesday, snacking on warm chocolate chip cookies during a break. He obliged when passersby asked to snap photos with him. But when discussions got serious, so did he. Richard Soll of Wuxi AppTec, a contract drug research and development firm in Shanghai, told Patrick his boss is very interested in opening a lab in the Boston area. Soll, senior vice president of Wuxi's international discovery services unit, said there’s great potential for the company to grow in Massachusetts, where it already has customers, such as Vertex Pharmaceuticals. “I think this partnership is important for the whole Massachusetts life sciences sector,” Soll said. “Just so you know,” Patrick told him, “we’re working on direct flights to Shanghai.” Soll mentioned that Wuxi's chief executive may visit Boston this summer.

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At BIO, Patrick acts as salesman-in-chief

Governor Patrick made his last sales call this week on the BIO convention, the biotechnology industry gathering that has become entwined with his signature economic development initiative.

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Even though the forms that have become common musical currency — sonatas, symphonies, concertos — underwent lengthy, complex processes of development, we sometimes talk about them as if their materialization was some discrete, easily pinpointed event. A prime example is the string quartet, which is commonly said to have been “invented” by Franz Joseph Haydn around the middle of the 18th century. In fact, the development of the form unfolded gradually, tentatively and in overlapping phases. An inventive program in the summer series of the Society for Historically Informed Performance (SoHIP) is meant to tell at least part of that story. Titled “Birth of the String Quartet,” it includes pieces for two violins, viola, and cello by Georg Philipp Telemann, Johann Friedrich Fasch, and Franz Xaver Richter, three composers in whose work the quartet grows out of its Baroque origins, and ends with a quartet from Haydn’s Opus 1 set. The three performances come courtesy of the aptly named Emergence Quartet: violinists Emily Dahl and Lisa Goddard, violist Zoe Kemmerling, and cellist Emily Davidson. The period-instrument group formed last fall, and gave its first performance earlier this year. It was the brainchild of Davidson, a Baroque cellist who was looking to form a chamber ensemble, and was surprised that there didn’t seem to be a regularly performing quartet in Boston’s thriving early-music scene. “It seemed like a perfect outlet to bring together general classical music fans — almost everybody loves the string quartet — to the period-performance angle and explore this repertoire,” Davidson said in a recent phone interview. “What kind of music [the string quartet] was coming out of, and the first quartets that were on the scene.” The Telemann sonata that opens the program offers a glimpse of the Baroque rhetoric out of which the quartet emerged. Sonatas of this era usually featured a number of solo instruments and a bass line, with figuration that functioned as the harmonic guide for a continuo player (usually on a keyboard). What’s notable about the Telemann piece, Davidson explained, is that there is no continuo part indicated. The cello line simply functions on its own. “That’s a pretty big defining factor, if we start to see stand-alone bass lines, rather than a line with a figured bass above it that’s intended to be played by a chordal instrument,” she said. A sonata by Fasch (1688-1758), by contrast, was actually written with continuo in mind. Yet, Davidson said, “the writing works quite well in the string quartet style,” without accompaniment. And whereas the Telemann is harmonically conventional, Fasch’s writing is unexpectedly adventurous. “It’s very dramatic, very surprising music — Fasch was always sort of pushing the boundaries and writing these outrageous, almost shocking harmonies that were far beyond his time.” A piece by Richter (1709-89) is the first on the concert to use the title “quartet.” Here, another part of the puzzle drops into place: the equality of all four instrumental parts. “Richter really starts playing with the role of each instrument,” Davidson said. “You see a lot of melodies being passed off — where the viola’s usually just playing harmony, we’ll get a moment where it takes over. The cello will often switch off from a bass line role and jump up into the tenor clef, which is an exciting new move.” Given the adventurous writing by these two rather obscure composers, Haydn’s G-major Quartet may seem surprisingly conventional. Its five-movement lineup resembles that of a divertimento, an older form, more than what we think of as a string quartet. The melodic writing centers almost exclusively on the first violin, with the three other instruments in a secondary, accompanying role. None of Haydn’s later innovations are present. And yet, there is an unmistakably idiomatic feel to the music, as though it offered a distant foreshadowing of what was now on the horizon. Asked what she hoped listeners might take from the performances, Davidson hoped it would broaden the idea of what a string quartet can be — both in terms of the repertoire and of the Emergence’s sound. “I think it’s nice to sort of push the years back and hear where those sounds were coming out of, and understand that a quartet can make a number of different aesthetics and create a number of different sound worlds just by the style of writing and the setup of the piece. There’s a lot more variety than we’re aware of.”

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Emergence explores the roots of the string quartet genre

David Weininger speaks with Emily Davidson of the Emergence Quartet about a new program meant to illustrate the roots of the genre, to be performed July 8 through 10 around Boston.

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Anaïs Mitchell wanted to keep it simple. In four years, she has released a trio of thematically rich albums, which in their pure inventiveness and musical diversity form a stunning creative hot streak. She has done this with help from a growing cast of collaborators culled from the world of Americana and contemporary folk. But for her latest effort, she wanted to strip it right back to the source. “When I was coming of musical age, I was really into the coffeehouse scene and Dar Williams and Ani DiFranco, and all those characters were touring solo at the beginning and I would always be disappointed when they finally started having a budget to have drums and bass and stuff,” Mitchell says. “And of course, as soon as I could afford a band, I had one, too. But I always wanted to just make a record of the songs as they were written.” So this month saw the low-key release of “xoa,” which plays as part autobiography and part love letter to Mitchell’s fans. Featuring the artist on guitar and vocals, unaccompanied, it’s composed of newly recorded versions of songs from throughout her career — notably, including some tunes whose lead vocals were sung by guest artists on the original versions — plus a few that haven’t been heard before. Selections like “Our Lady of the Underground,” “Young Man in America,” and “You Are Forgiven,” heard in these unadorned renditions, should act as catnip to Mitchell’s fans. “It really is more of a homespun effort,” she says, “for people who are already familiar with the music.” The sound isn’t entirely dissimilar from her earliest work, but the record stands alone as a purely solo effort. As the Vermont native speaks, she’s in the cafe at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland. (Spotting Pete Seeger’s banjo was a highlight, she says.) In the background of the phone call, her 1-year-old daughter contributes a few wordless comments to the conversation. Ramona’s birth, her mom says, helped trigger Mitchell’s current exercise in artistic introspection. It’s a long tour, and after her show at Club Passim in Cambridge on Monday, Mitchell will carry on with more than two-dozen dates in Europe. This is her first extended solo excursion after spending much of last year touring with New York-based musician Jefferson Hamer behind their album of reconfigured English and Scottish folk songs. Before that, she had traveled with a band to focus on material from “Young Man in America,” her darkly ruminative concept album inspired by her father and grandfather. And she’s spent much of her time in the past eight years refining “Hadestown,” her folk-operatic retelling of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, having released a staggeringly good all-star studio incarnation in 2010. (Mitchell was in residence at Dartmouth College this past August, further developing the show in tandem with New York Theatre Workshop.) Mitchell’s last two records were produced by Gary Paczosa, an in-demand, Nashville-based engineer and producer who has worked on a dozen albums with Alison Krauss, plus others by Dolly Parton, Chris Thile, and Gillian Welch. Several artists with whom he was working told him he needed to hear “Hadestown,” Paczosa says. He put the CD on in his studio, planning to listen to one song and then rush out the door to another commitment. “We sat and listened to the entire record. We didn’t move,” he recalls. “I’m rarely that captivated.” Mitchell says she has no particular interest in writing concept albums — sometimes things just work out that way. “I think it just happens that songs come in and they bring along a couple friends, or a couple of cousins,” she says. “And they may all seem to be chipping away at the same block, but it just happens to be the stuff that's going through your heart and your head at that time.” With the most recent addition to the family, she and her husband moved back to Vermont from Brooklyn, where they had spent a few years. She has begun a graduate program in creative writing at Goddard College, pursued remotely through independent study. She’s been listening to a lot of operas and musicals, and wants to sharpen her skills to write another staged production. She says the new album and current tour are part of the process before “moving ahead into the new era.” What does the new era have in store? “Right now it’s that I’m rolling around in a van, and trying to do an MFA program, and trying to jog in the parking lot of the hotel with Ramona in a stroller,” she says. “And I’m trying to go to bed immediately after the gig, rather than having a bohemian evening afterwards.”

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Mitchell revisits her catalog in a love note to fans

Taking a breather after a series of ambitious albums, singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell gets back to low-key basics on her latest album, “xoa.”

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Does the world really need yet another data warehouse technology—let alone one that defies convention and flaunts compliance concerns by living outside the “safety” of corporate data centers as part of a public cloud service? Snowflake Computing, a startup in San Mateo, Calif., founded by a team of data experts including two Oracle engineers and helmed by longtime Microsoft MSFT executive Bob Muglia, has raised $26 million to answer that question. Emerging from the shadows this week with backing from investors including Redpoint Ventures, Sutter Hill Ventures, and Wing Ventures, Snowflake’s proposition is simple. It believes its patent-pending SQL relational database technology—built completely from scratch—can accommodate more types of business data than legacy offerings from the likes of Teradata TDC or big data management platforms building on Hadoop. “Customers do have existing solutions, but they’re not satisfied. It’s not like we’re entering a market where people are happy with their current solutions,” Muglia says. Rather than requiring customers to install its technology on site, Snowflake is offering it as a service. Businesses pay for how much data they are storing and by the number of hours it takes to analytics queries against their information. The most direct competitor is Redshift from Amazon Web Services . The company claims its approach costs 90% less than investing in the hardware and software necessary to build on on-site data warehouse. Snowflake was founded two years ago by a team of engineers who between them hold more than 120 patents in databases and data management technologies: Oracle ORCL veterans Benoit Dageville and Thierry Cruanes, and Dutch computer scientist Marcin Zukowski. The whimsical name pays homage to their mutual love of snow sports. Muglia joined as CEO in June, taking over from Sutter Hill director Mike Speiser, who was managing the team while it was in stealth mode. Muglia admits Snowflake won’t appeal to companies that aren’t willing to put their data on cloud servers and storage. Its initial customers hail from the advertising, media, and technology sectors. “Whoever has the biggest dataset can answer the hardest questions,” says James Rooney, senior vice president of media platforms at Accordant Media, one of Snowflake’s beta customers. “Instead of spending an hour waiting for a response, we get it in five minutes with Snowflake. So we can spend more time interpreting the result or whiteboarding harder questions.” Whether Snowflake can melt the hearts of skeptics remains to be seen. Still, if you consider how much data is now being generated in applications and services that live “in the cloud” (as opposed to on-premise corporate data centers) the logic behind its approach could add up quickly. This item first appeared in the Oct. 21 edition of Data Sheet, Fortune’s daily newsletter on the business of technology.Sign up here.

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Can these Oracle and Microsoft veterans reinvent the data warehouse?

Emerging from stealth with $26 million in backing, Snowflake Computing is taking on both legacy players and Amazon Web Services.

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NewVoiceMedia, a UK-based provider of cloud contact center solutions, has raised $35 million in Series C funding. Bessemer Venture Partners led the round, and was joined by return backers Highland Capital Partners Europe, Eden Ventures and Notion Capital. www.newvoicemedia.com Gigya, a Mountain View, Calif.-based provider of social infrastructure for business, has raised $25 million in new VC funding. Greenspring Associates led the round, and was joined by return backers Benchmark Capital, Mayfield Fund, DAG Ventures and Advance Publications. The company now has raised $70 million in total VC funding. www.gigya.com Bright.com, a San Francisco-based online employment website, has raised $14 million in Series B funding. Toba Capital led the round, and was joined by return backers like Passport Capital.www.bright.com Stackdrive, a Boston-based provider of intelligent management solutions for cloud-powered applications, has raised $10 million in Series B funding. Flybridge Capital Partners led the round, and was joined by return backer Bain Capital Ventures. www.stackdrive.com StrongLoop, an open-source mobile API tier, has raised $8 million in Series A funding led by Shasta Ventures and Ignition Partners. The company is based in San Mateo, Calif. www.strongloop.com Cyanogen, a third-party developer of firmware for Android devices, has raised $7 million in first-round funding. Benchmark led the deal, and was joined by Redpoint Ventures. Read more. Kiosked, a Finnish platform for turning online content into interactive storefronts, has raised $6.9 million in new VC funding. Craton Equity Partners led the round, and was joined by Digital Sky Technologies.www.kiosked.com Deliv, a Palo Alto, Calif.-based same-day delivery startup for mall-based retailers, has raised $6.85 million in Series A funding led by Upfront Ventures and RPM Ventures. www.deliv.co Remind101, a San Francisco-based provider of a mobile communication platform for the classroom, has raised $3.5 million in Series A funding. The Social + Capital Partnership led the round, and was joined by seed backers First Round Capital and Yuri Milner. www.remind101.com Glassbeam Inc., a Mountain View, Calif.-based machine data analytics company, has raised $3 million in new VC funding led by VKRM Group. www.glassbeam.com Stich Labs, a San Francisco-based maker of a business and order management suite for product-based businesses, has raised $3.5 million in Series A funding. Costanoa Ventures led the round, and was joined by Greg Waldorf and return backer True Ventures. www.stitchlabs.com Crave, a San Francisco-based maker of luxury sex toys, has raised $2.4 million in Series A funding from over 60 angel investors, including Rob Nail, Diego Canoso, Kate Schox and Andrew McCormack.www.lovecrave.com Home24, a Berlin-based online furniture retailer, has raised an undisclosed amount of new VC funding from REWE Group. www.home24.de Sign up for Dan’s daily email newsletter on deals and deal-makers: GetTermSheet.com

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Venture capital deals

NewVoiceMedia, a UK-based provider of cloud contact center solutions, has raised $35 million in Series C funding. Bessemer Venture Partners led the round, and was joined by return backers Highland Capital Partners Europe, Eden Ventures and Notion Capital. www.newvoicemedia.com Gigya, a Mountain View, Calif.-based provider of social infrastructure for business, has raised $25 million in new VC funding. Greenspring…

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Russia’s Finance Minister said the combined cost of western sanctions and the recent fall in world oil prices to Russia’s economy this year would be a massive $140 billion. “We will lose around $40 billion a year because of sanctions, and around $90-100 billion a year, if we assume a 30% drop in the price of oil,” Anton Siluanov told a conference in Moscow Monday, according to news agency reports. Siluanov’s comments go against the grain of bravado from President Vladimir Putin and foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, both of whom have repeatedly tried to play down the impact of U.S. and E.U. sanctions in the wake of Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its sponsoring of an armed rebellion in the eastern provinces of Ukraine. They are, however, consistent with Siluanov’s own earlier warnings about the need for Russia to tighten its belt and make big cutbacks in the light of the new economic reality. Siluanov has already warned that the big increase in defense spending earmarked for the next three years is unaffordable. “If you’re talking about the consequences of geopolitics, they are, of course, substantial,” Siluanov said. “But it’s not as critical for the exchange rate and even for the budget as the oil price.” Siluanov’s comments come on the eve of a crucial meeting of oil ministers from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries in Vienna, which will focus on the alarming slide in oil prices since the summer. In a weekend interview with ITAR-TASS, Putin insinuated that the U.S. and Saudi Arabia had conspired to drive up global supply well beyond actual levels of demand, in order to weaken the Russian economy. Somewhat confusingly, he later added that “maybe the Saudis want to ‘kill off’ their competitors” in the U.S. shale oil sector.” Russia isn’t a member of OPEC, but depends on taxes from oil and gas companies for some two-thirds of its budget revenue. A draft for next year’s budget, approved in September, assumes an average oil price of $100 a barrel, while banks such as Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan Chase & Co. think it will be nearer $80. Barred from western financial markets, the government will either have to cut spending or raise taxes to keep the deficit down to its projected 0.6% of gross domestic product, or borrow at increasingly expensive rates from domestic savers and institutions. The yield on the government’s 10-year bonds has risen to 10.12% as of Monday from 7.71% at the start of the year, as the ruble has depreciated by 30% against the dollar. Russia’s central bank earlier this month cut its forecast for growth next year to zero, after having to raise interest rates sharply to stop the ruble’s fall. GDP rose by only 0.8% on the year in the third quarter, although that was above economists’ expectations. The ruble has rebounded sharply against the dollar in recent days as the central bank’s actions have started to gain traction and stem a wave of speculation. By mid-day in Moscow, the ruble was at its highest in more than two weeks against the dollar as oil and gas companies converted their export earnings back into rubles ahead of a routine tax payment deadline.

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Finance Minister: oil slump, sanctions cost Russia $140 billion a year

The oil price effect is twice as big as that of sanctions, but Moscow is no longer pretending that sanctions aren't hurting.

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To take on their toughest critics, big banks are playing as visitors on social media’s turf. Can they keep up, much less win? Five days a week, and sometimes weekends, Larry Rubinoff pounds away on his laptop with a mission: Expose what he believes to be the truth about the big banks’ roles in the global financial meltdown. For this semi-retired mortgage professional turned blogger, running Goldmansachs666.com isn’t just a hobby, it’s a full-time job. “To demonstrate how destructive [Goldman Sachs is] to our lives and the hopes and dreams of our children,” is part of the motto/disclaimer splashed across the front of the site. “What’s going on is wrong and we need to correct what’s wrong and get to the truth,” said Rubinoff by telephone from his Florida home. The global financial crisis has spawned dozens of Rubinoffs who have unleashed their frustrations onto the Web. To name a few, there’s Banks are Evil and Bloggers Against Chase Bank. And Huffington Post co-founder Arianna Huffington urged Americans to boldly move their money away from big banks and into community institutions in her Move Your Money campaign (which has drawn 34,842 Facebook fans as of Friday morning). Then there is ZeroHedge, the big daddy of anti-banker sentiment, which often reports information from dissident bankers working inside the system itself. These bloggers might sound like just another batch of disgruntled Wall Street critics. But corporations are paying attention to them. They’re watching their YouTube videos, reading their posts and tracking their Tweets, because they can’t afford not to. It’s not just the content of their messages that matter but their presence on the Internet. By talking about banks negatively online, the bloggers essentially become the online presence of those banks. And that’s something no industry, let alone one that depends on the trust of its customers, can long abide. The question is, can the financial industry tweet or blog its way out of a bad rep? Last month, Citigroup C launched “New Citi,” a blog where CEO Vikram Pandit and other high-level executives try and rebuild trust with a recession-worn public. Citi was one of the largest recipients of government support during the wake of the financial crisis, receiving more than $45 billion. The blog encourages visitors to post comments about reform, recovery, and responsible finance. A quick review of the comments seems largely positive, with a few negative remarks. “When you look at Citi and what we’ve been through in the last two years it’s clear that we made some mistakes,” Pandit says in a video posted on Feb. 1, highlighting how Citi has worked towards more responsible financial practices with a new management team, a revised governance structure, and other similar measures. “Just talking about change is not enough,” said Aneysha Pearce, associate partner at Prophet, a strategic brand and marketing consultancy headquartered in San Francisco. “Consumers have to feel it and see it.” In other words, action counts. Pearce led a 2009 survey of U.S. consumers that ranked the reputation of the financial services industry dead last — lower than the insurance, health care, and oil and gas industries. Which is not surprising, given the extra scrutiny bankers and financiers faced following the mortgage crisis and massive industry bailouts, she said. While blogging or tweeting alone might not change a company’s reputation, “social media has the potential to force conversations that will ultimately be in the public record and that can enforce accountability,” said Giovanni Rodriguez, co-founder of the Conversation Group, a social engagement consultancy. Increasingly, banks and financiers have turned to social media to communicate with investors and customers. In response, the National Futures Association drafted rules to cover the way its 4,000-plus member firms market and promote via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and the plethora of other social media tools — marking the first time the association explicitly addressed the topic. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority has also developed usage guidelines (download podcast) for blogs and social networking sites. David Spark, founder of Spark Media Solutions, a San Francisco-based new media consultancy, said Citi’s blog can only help. “Your best customers can often first be complainers,” Spark said. “If someone makes the effort to go to your site and complain then they care. It’s not like they’re saying, ‘I hate Citi.’ It’s more like ‘Hey, I care about my money.’” But online public engagement can be a dizzying, if worthwhile enterprise. At many corporations, especially in heavily regulated industries like banking, every Facebook posting, every blog reply, every video, and every tweet typically must go through some kind of internal review before going public. Still, saying something is preferable to saying nothing, especially when everyone else is talking about you. Rodriguez points to the Wells Fargo-Wachovia blog as one example of outreach done well. Hosted by real employees, the site addresses customer questions and concerns, mostly about changes happening with the merger of the two banks. At a time when critics of the financial services industry are calling for more transparency, the blog puts a human face — literally showing pictures of the bloggers — on the huge institution. “It invites the public to talk with them about the integration of the two companies, a mission-critical project for the bank after the financial meltdown,” Rodriguez said. Goldman Sachs GS , perhaps because it usually deals with the ultra-wealthy or other institutions, has been less savvy with social media. At the moment, the bank has no plans to launch a blog or create a Twitter account, a spokeswoman said. Instead, the firm responds to issues raised in the media with statements available in its On the Issues site. When Goldmansachs666.com first launched February 2009, the firm responded with a trademark infringement lawsuit. The case was resolved and the blog now has a disclaimer. Rubinoff says managing the blog has been worth all the energy. He notes one of its latest successes for the site, which mixes mainstream media reportage with global conspiracy theories from the fringes of the financial world: It ranked No. 6 in Wall Street Journal columnist David Weidner’s top Ten Wall Street Blogs You Need to Bookmark Now.

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Blogging for bankers

To take on their toughest critics, big banks are playing as visitors on social media's turf. Can they keep up, much less win? By Nin-Hai Tseng, contributor Five days a week, and sometimes weekends, Larry Rubinoff pounds away on his laptop with a mission: Expose what he believes to be the truth about the big…

20141221131808

Eric Branc, San Francisco Chronicle Photo: Scott Strazzante, The Chronicle San Francisco 49ers' Alex Boone (75), Dillon Farrell (56), Jonathan Martin (71) and Joe Looney (78) prepare to play Kansas City Chiefs in NFL game at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. on Sunday, October 5, 2014. San Francisco 49ers' Alex Boone (75), Dillon Farrell (56),... Joe Looney inactive after 'tough game’ at center Niners right guard Joe Looney, the lone remaining member of the 49ers’ disastrous seven-man 2012 draft class, was inactive Saturday for the first time this season. Looney, a fourth-round pick, was sidelined against the Chargers after he earned an unfavorable review from offensive coordinator Greg Roman on Thursday on the heels of the third start of his NFL career. In a 17-7 loss at Seattle last Sunday, Looney started at center for the first time since he was a freshman at Wake Forest in 2008. Looney started in place of injured rookie center Marcus Martin, who returned to the lineup Saturday. “He had a tough game,” Roman said. “There were some things there that fundamentally he could have done better. You know, first start as a center, in that environment, against that crew which is pretty good, that’s tough duty. But, I think he could have played better.” In Looney’s spot, Dillon Farrell, an undrafted rookie from New Mexico, assumed his spot as the backup interior lineman. Right tackle Jonathan Martin returned to his backup role as Anthony Davis started Saturday for the first time since he suffered a concussion against the Giants on Nov. 16. Rookie on IR: Chris Borland’s first season is finished. The 49ers placed their standout rookie inside linebacker on injured reserve before kickoff with an ankle injury he suffered against the Seahawks. The move wasn’t a shock: On Tuesday, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said it would be “a stretch” for Borland to play in the final two regular-season games. Borland, a third-round pick, has 97 tackles since taking over for Patrick Willis as a starter in Week 7, the most in the NFL over that span. Nick Moody, a 2013 sixth-round pick who had his first defensive snaps of the season against Seattle, made his first NFL start Saturday alongside Michael Wilhoite. The backup inside linebacker was Desmond Bishop, 30, an eight-year veteran who was signed Tuesday. The 49ers also promoted outside linebacker Chase Thomas from the practice squad. Thomas was on the 46-man roster with outside linebacker Ahmad Brooks inactive because of a dislocated thumb. Reid injured: Niners safety Eric Reid exited in the first half with a concussion. Reid suffered two concussions in a two-month span as a rookie in 2013, but started all 16 games. Craig Dahl replaced Reid and was beaten on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Philip Rivers to Eddie Royal in the second quarter. Gore’s score: Running back Frank Gore’s 52-yard touchdown run in the first quarter was his longest scoring run since he had a 64-yarder against the Colts on Nov. 1, 2009. It was his longest run since he had a 55-yard scamper against the Lions on Oct. 16, 2011. Gore became the only player this season to have a rushing and receiving touchdown of at least 50 yards. He had a 55-yard scoring catch against the Eagles on Sept. 28. Bruce’s big day: Wide receiver Bruce Ellington became the first 49ers rookie since running back Amp Lee in 1992 to have a rushing and receiving touchdown in the same game. In the second quarter, Ellington caught an 8-yard touchdown pass before adding a 1-yard scoring run on a fly sweep. Eric Branch is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.

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Joe Looney inactive after 'tough game’ at center

Niners right guard Joe Looney, the lone remaining member of the 49ers’ disastrous seven-man 2012 draft class, was inactive Saturday for the first time this season. Looney, a fourth-round pick, was sidelined against the Chargers after he earned an unfavorable review from offensive coordinator Greg Roman on Thursday on the heels of the third start of his NFL career. In Looney’s spot, Dillon Farrell, an undrafted rookie from New Mexico, assumed his spot as the backup interior lineman. Right tackle Jonathan Martin returned to his backup role as Anthony Davis started Saturday for the first time since he suffered a concussion against the Giants on Nov. 16. The 49ers placed their standout rookie inside linebacker on injured reserve before kickoff with an ankle injury he suffered against the Seahawks. On Tuesday, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said it would be “a stretch” for Borland to play in the final two regular-season games. Borland, a third-round pick, has 97 tackles since taking over for Patrick Willis as a starter in Week 7, the most in the NFL over that span. Nick Moody, a 2013 sixth-round pick who had his first defensive snaps of the season against Seattle, made his first NFL start Saturday alongside Michael Wilhoite. Running back Frank Gore’s 52-yard touchdown run in the first quarter was his longest scoring run since he had a 64-yarder against the Colts on Nov. 1, 2009. In the second quarter, Ellington caught an 8-yard touchdown pass before adding a 1-yard scoring run on a fly sweep.

20150103061645

Many former students at Salter training schools, which are alleged by Attorney General Martha Coakley to have used dubious marketing to lure students, said the school offered false job promises about employment prospects that ultimately left them without jobs and mired in debt. Scores of former students contacted the Globe after Salter recently agreed to pay $3.75 million to settle Coakley’s claims that the for-profit school misrepresented job-placement statistics and engaged in deceptive tactics to enroll students. Many were women who attended the schools’ medical health care training program, hoping to land well-paying jobs with regular hours. Keila Rivas, a 26-year-old mother of two, said the school promised results, but the reality was very different. Rivas graduated in 2010 from a medical assistant program at Salter’s West Boylston location without a job. She said she now has about $20,000 in student debt, including mounting interest. “It’s upsetting and frustrating,” said Rivas, of Worcester. “I thought I was going to come out with something, but there’s nothing.” The Salter schools, owned by Premier Education Group LP of East Haven, Conn., did not admit wrongdoing in the settlement, which will provide restitution to hundreds of qualifying students who attended Salter College in West Boylston and the Salter campuses in Fall River and New Bedford. Many of those students — veterans, single mothers, teenagers — end up in debt, often without degrees, jobs, or prospects. Premier has disputed Coakley’s claims, but did not elaborate. A spokeswoman, Nancy Sterling, said the company is prevented by privacy laws from talking about individual student situations, but added that many students have medical, transportation, or other issues that prevented them from taking part in job searches. Salter’s settlement was the largest to date won by Coakley, who has been part of a national effort to change an industry that has left many students deep in debt and jobless, while reaping record profits. Coakley’s office has filed lawsuits against several for-profit schools and won hundreds of thousands of dollars in settlements to reimburse students. Industry officials say for-profit schools provide access to higher education and many students end up with new skills and jobs. They note that many students graduate from nonprofit colleges without jobs and deep in debt. Susan Bottomley, a 62-year-old widow who graduated from the medical billing and coding certificate program at the Fall River campus, said she was swept up by Salter’s promises that her training would one day lead to a job paying $40,000 a year or more. She had been working as a Walmart cashier. She graduated in 2012 from the nine-month program, which she described as “a joke.” Students read a textbook and answered questions about the material from the book, she said. When students complained about a lack of classroom instruction, Bottomley said, a supervisor told the class, “This is the way it’s done and it works.” But it did not work for Bottomley, who said she did not receive a single job offer after graduation. After two months of unemployment, she took a job as a housekeeper at a nursing home that paid a little more than minimum wage. She said she still owes about $12,000 in student loans. “It was such a waste of time and energy,” she said. Stephanie Tavares, 37, said she left a job of 15 years at a merchandizing company in New Bedford to attend the nine-month Salter School medical assistant program. The single mother of two said she was just weeks from graduating from the course when she learned that financial aid would not fully cover her tuition and that she would owe $7,000 in student loans. Upon graduation in 2011, job counselors at the school helped her for a few weeks, she said, but the only job offers she received were for per-diem positions without regular hours. Tavares said she has since returned to her old job. The only difference in her life is that now she must pay a $65-a-month student loan bill. At least, she said, “I had a job to go back to.”

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Unhappy Salter students speak out

Many former students at Salter training schools, alleged by Attorney General Martha to have used dubious tactics to lure students, said the school offered false job promises about employment prospects that ultimately left them without jobs and thousands of dollars in debt.

20150423183213

IN the long line of concentration-camp literature, the stories of Tadeusz Borowski occupy a special, horrifying place. As the author urged himself: ''Tell about the daily life of the camp, about the hierarchy of fear, about the loneliness of every man. But write that ... a portion of the sad fame of Auschwitz belongs to you as well.'' His collection, ''This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen,'' is a heart-stopping study of man attempting to accommodate himself to the Holocaust, of victims abetting executioners, of survivors paying a supreme price in guilt. A non-Jew, imprisoned for political reasons, Borowski lived through Auschwitz and Dachau. Six years after his release, as one of the most acclaimed young Polish poets and authors of his generation, he took his own life. A shared sense of responsibility pervades Borowski's autobiographical work and is the most propulsive force in Steven Reisner's stage version of one of Borowski's stories, ''A Day at Harmenz'' (at the Theater for the New City). Mr. Reisner, himself the son of an Auschwitz survivor, has, as adapter and director, undertaken a most difficult task, first in trying to dramatize Borowski, and second in his choice of story. In contrast to some of the other pieces in the collection, such as the title story, ''A Day at Harmenz'' is one step removed from the carnage. It accents the strange averageness of the experience that some people had in prison camps, the apparent placidity within a savage environment. The author's spokesman, a deputy Kapo named Tadek, playing soccer on a field near a crematorium while victims are calmly led to their slaughter, becomes a silent, contributory ally in the inhumanity. With certain minor embellishments, such as one captive announcing, ''This way for the gas, ladies and gentlemen,'' Mr. Reisner is faithful to the story. His dramatization is a thoughtful attempt at encompassing Borowski, but the result lacks the urgency of the original. We are left with views of a starved man greedily eyeing his neighbor's food, of petty thievery and cowardice. So much of Borowski's narrative power comes between the lines of dialogue, as in his description of the ''permanent fever'' that seems to infect the prisoners. Mr. Reisner's play is a bit like an extended version of the rock removal in Martin Sherman's ''Bent,'' in which prisoners endlessly shift stones from one side of the stage to the other. Even the activity itself, in this case work on railroad tracks within the camp, should rivet our attention, as it did in ''Bent.'' Instead, at times the play becomes undramatic. For the most part, the actors seem self-conscious in their habitat; they are unable to internalize the horror. On the other hand, the stage design is extremely evocative. Lise Engel's set, a railway leading nowhere, is like an arid stretch of Purgatory; as the captives dig, dirt flies, fogging the sky. Lisa Fahrner's costumes have a threadbare seaminess. Mr. Reisner's production has the look if not the mordant immediacy of Borowski's apocalyptical vision. Autobiography A DAY AT HARMENZ, by Tadeusz Borowski; adapted and directed by Steven Reisner; assistant director, Emily Rubin; set design, Lise Engel; lighting, Brian MacDevitt; costumes, Lisa Fahrner; music consultant, Skip LaPlante; stage manager, Karyn Cohen. Presented by the Theater For the New City, 162 Second Avenue. Tadek ......................................Rob Kenter Andrei ...............................Brian Swearingen Ivan ....................................Paul Lawrence Janek ....................................Fred Einhorn Becker .......................................Abe Wald Rubin ...................................Douglas Stone Greek ......................................Jan Geller Mrs. Haneczka ..........................Rosemary Quinn Kapo ......................................Sam Pierson Kapo's Boy ...............................Michael Gnat S.S. Man ...............................Raymond Stough Guard ...................................Mark Teschner Jewish Girl ..............................Gwen Ellison

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STAGE - DEATH-CAMP LIFE IN 'A DAY AT HARMENZ' - NYTimes.com

IN the long line of concentration-camp literature, the stories of Tadeusz Borowski occupy a special, horrifying place. As the author urged himself: ''Tell about the daily life of the camp, about the hierarchy of fear, about the loneliness of every man. But write that ... a portion of the sad fame of Auschwitz belongs to you as well.'' His collection, ''This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen,'' is a heart-stopping study of man attempting to accommodate himself to the Holocaust, of victims abetting executioners, of survivors paying a supreme price in guilt.

20150515010245

Nordstrom and Amazon.com have a lot more in common than their hometown of Seattle. Just like Amazon, Nordstrom has been spending big on technology, warehouses and expanding into new businesses. And like Amazon, sales have grown rapidly — while its profit shrinks. The upscale department store’s overall revenue rose 9.8% to $3.12 billion for the quarter ending May 2. Comparable sales, which excludes newly opened or closed stores, rose 4.4% from the year-ago period, the strongest among the company’s peers. Yet Nordstrom’s profit fell to $128 million from $140 million while its return on invested capital fell just over one percentage point to 12.2%. Nordstrom has been pumping hundreds of millions of dollars into building up its digital sales, expanding into Canada and planning a beachhead in Manhattan. It’s doubling the size of its Rack outlet chain and acquired e-commerce sites like Trunk Club, as it looks to keep up with shoppers’ quickly changing behavior and avoid the doldrums afflicting many brick-and-mortar retailers. “Our customer strategy is squarely focused on serving customers on their terms and delivering the high level of service they expect from us,” Blake Nordstrom, one of three siblings who are presidents at the retailer and scion of the company’s founding family, said on a conference call with investors. It seems to be working with Nordstrom now getting 20% of sales from e-commerce. That’s well ahead of the 12% share of e-commerce at Macy’s M and comparable to Neiman Marcus, which has a natural advantage thanks to its legacy catalog business. Two years ago, Nordstrom only got 13% of sales online. Nordstrom’s goal is to hit $20 billion in overall sales — bricks and mortar plus online — by 2020, 50% more than 2014 levels. To get there, the department store plans to spend $4.3 billion between now and 2019, or about 5% of sales. The biggest chunk of that, $1.5 billion will be dedicated to technology and warehouses to speed up the delivery of online orders to better compete with Amazon, among others. For example, it is opening a new fulfillment center in Pennsylvania so that online orders can reach the East Coast more quickly. Nordstrom is also spending big on things like updating its mobile shopping app and upgrading tools to better target customers with discount offers. It has added location-based features to it app and recently integrated its loyalty rewards program to make it easier for customers to redeem awards from mobile devices. While Nordstrom’s full-service upscale department store will remain the centerpiece of the company’s business (by 2020, it would still represent 58% of sales, the company told Wall Street analysts on Thursday), it is clear growth will have to come from elsewhere. Its traditional department stores had comparable sales growth of a mere 0.5% in the first quarter. In contrast, Nordstrom.com sales rose 20%. On the discount store front, online sales at Nordstrom Rack and Nordstrom’s flash sales site HauteLook.com, rose 51% to $117 million even as comparable sales at physical Rack stores slipped a bit. Nordstromrack.com launched only a year ago and the company has had to spend money to expand the assortment available on the site. As for international expansion, Nordstrom recently opened its second Canadian store, in Ottawa. Long term, the retailer is planning six stores in Canada and thinks that market can eventually be a $1 billion business. It is also working on its first Manhattan department store, set to open in three years. Wall Street has occasionally dinged Nordstrom for its big spending on new initiatives. But Thursday, after the earnings report, the company’s shares JWN rose despite the profit dip because management showed that the investments are paying off. It’s a similar story at Amazon, although it has taken big spending to a new level by tolerating quarterly losses. That company has been building up its cloud computing business, adding perks to its Prime subscription shipping plan, opening warehouses, and testing online grocery delivery. The result has been an industry leader with sales that rose 15% last quarter, and a loss that investors sometimes grumble about but forgive AMZN . There must be something in the water in Seattle. For more about Amazon, watch this Fortune video:

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Nordstrom is taking a page out of Amazon's book

The luxury department store chain laid it out its five-year plan for e-commerce and store expansion, showing how its focus is on sales growth -- even if that sacrifices profits.

20150524075310

THE possibility of a turnaround at the International Banknote Company has caused a major advance in the price of its stock. And that, in turn, has led to rumors of a takeover. The basic interest is in International's American Banknote arm, the venerable printer of stock and bond certificates, foreign currencies and postage stamps and Federal food stamps. The company's shares, which were as low as 2 1/8 early this year, reached 7 5/8 last week on the American Stock Exchange. The shares have since eased on profit-taking, closing yesterday at 6 7/8. International Banknote has made capital expenditures of $50 million, and evidence is accumulating that a turnaround may be under way. The company had two deficit quarters in 1980 as it began New Zealand operations and installed new equipment in a Chicago printing plant. Its earnings for all of last year were 10 cents a share. Now some analysts are predicting International will earn 70 to 75 cents a share this year and 90 cents to $1 a share in 1982. The company earned 38 cents a share in 1979, 28 cents a share in 1978 and 33 cents a share in 1977. Some people are doubtful about a turnaround, though, and at least one brokerage firm that has favored International's shares is not actively recommending them at their current levels. Others regard International as an asset play because of its real estate holdings. The company owns a Manhattan building at Beaver and Broad that is listed on the balance sheet for $60,000. The company has a large printing plant in the South Bronx that turns out food stamps and traveler's checks. Jonas Gerstl, who follows International Banknote for Evans & Company, said the plant might be worth millions of dollars but added that it was ''hard to say'' because of its location in an area where security is extremely important. International's Globe Ticket Company owns real estate in California with a market value that is more than the book value. Near London and the Wimbledon tennis sta-dium, the company owns 23 acres. This land is on the balance sheet for very little, one analyst reported. But the main jewels in the company's crown are its archives, which are insured for $20 million and are carried on the books at $1. Some analysts believe these old engraving plates and samples are worth considerably more than the insured value. There are printing proofs of many currencies of the world that date back two centuries. Among the supporters of International Banknote is the Value Line Investment Survey. In a June 19 report, Value Line wrote: ''The expansion program launched in 1978 is starting to pay off. With most of the company's recent loans tied to the prime rate, interest charges have been steep. But in the last six months total debt has been cut by $12 million (19 percent), and further reductions are planned later in the year.'' In the proxy statement filed by International Banknote on April 14, Arnold Bernhart & Company, publisher of Value Line, was listed as holding 9.8 percent of the company's common stock, the same as last year. Insiders own 12 percent. A spokesman for International Banknote was asked if computers had played a part in the new printing equipment at the company's various plants. The spokesman answered, ''Yes, to a degree.'' For competitive reasons, however, he declined to say to what extent. International's management has denied knowledge of any active corporate suitor, but rumors persist that the American Express Company may be interested. Like many other rumors, this one may be based partly on the fact that such a merger would simply seem logical. International Banknote, a producer of traveler's checks, might blend well with American Express, which sells them to travelers. Will the shares of International Banknote continue to climb? One analyst commented, ''We think there are enough questions about a turnaround that we are put off at current prices.'' Mr. Gerstl, who has been recommending the shares, also offers a word of caution. ''I think the company has its house in order,'' he said. ''But my feeling is that it is too early to take the first-quarter earnings of 20 cents a share and annualize them. The company traditionally has had trouble maintaining earnings momentum.'' One reason earnings growth is hard to maintain is the tremendous care required in producing bank notes and other sophisticated examples of the printer's art. Just one little mistake - and an entire run must be destroyed. Mr. Gerstl said the company's food stamp business, although accounting for a small proportion of sales, was very profitable. ''At this stage we don't know what impact the Reagan cutbacks will have on that phase of the business,'' he said. Here is another possible negative factor: If inflation subsides abroad, nations of the third world will not need as much new currency printed. Their growing demand has helped fuel International Banknote's success.

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Market Place - Printery's Prospects - NYTimes.com

THE possibility of a turnaround at the International Banknote Company has caused a major advance in the price of its stock. And that, in turn, has led to rumors of a takeover. The basic interest is in International's American Banknote arm, the venerable printer of stock and bond certificates, foreign currencies and postage stamps and Federal food stamps. The company's shares, which were as low as 2 1/8 early this year, reached 7 5/8 last week on the American Stock Exchange. The shares have since eased on profit-taking, closing yesterday at 6 7/8.

20150524075856

MOSCOW, March 3— Despite the advanced age of most of them, the leaders of the Soviet Union were confirmed in office today as the 26th Congress of the Communist Party came to a close. Leonid I. Brezhnev, who will be 75 years old in December, was unanimously re-elected as the party's general secretary, giving him, in effect, five more years as the nation's leader. All full, voting members of the Politburo, whose average age is 69; all its candidate, nonvoting members, whose average age is 65, and all members of the party's Secretariat, whose average age is 68, also won re-election. Although changes in the leadership are, on occasion. also made between congresses, it was the first time in at least a half-century that a party congress had ended without the introduction of some fresh blood into the upper echelons. Congress Affirms Status Quo The entire congress represented an affirmation of the status quo. No new personalities came to the fore, and no new policies were proclaimed during the eight days of meetings. Only Mr. Brezhnev's proposal for a meeting with President Reagan occasioned surprise. Vadim V. Zagladin, a spokesman, said the lack of change in the ruling bodies of the party was ''a manifestation of the high appraisal by the congress of the performance by these bodies.'' At a secret meeting yesterday, the congress chose a new Central Committee, slightly larger than the outgoing one to reflect the increase in party membership. The committee chosen at the 25th congress in 1976 had 287 members; the new one has 319. But even here, the turnover was modest, with fewer than 10 percent of the members of the old committee dropped for various reasons. The Central Committee met this morning to name the members of the Politburo and of the Secretariat, although all the choices had in fact been made by the Politburo. In a final speech, Mr. Brezhnev said the leadership would concentrate its energies on the consolidation of peace and on the building of Communism. He urged the 5,002 delegates to exert ''firm, real Communist discipline'' and at the same time to engage in ''a tireless quest for the new.'' After a standing ovation, punctuated by cries of ''Slava! Slava!'' (''Glory! Glory!''), the delegates closed the congress by singing ''The International,'' the Communist anthem.

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SOVIET LEADERS AFFIRMED IN OFFICE AS CONGRESS ENDS

Despite the advanced age of most of them, the leaders of the Soviet Union were confirmed in office today as the 26th Congress of the Communist Party came to a close. Leonid I. Brezhnev, who will be 75 years old in December, was unanimously re-elected as the party's general secretary, giving him, in effect, five more years as the nation's leader. All full, voting members of the Politburo, whose average age is 69; all its candidate, nonvoting members, whose average age is 65, and all members of the party's Secretariat, whose average age is 68, also won re-election.

20150524080124

HOUSTON, April 5— It is supposed to happen this way: Shortly before 1 P.M. next Sunday, 20 years to the day after Russia's Yuri Gagarin became the first human being to fly in space, the most technologically elegant spacecraft ever built will come hurtling down out of earth orbit. Flashing across the North Pacific, it will undergo a gradual metamorphosis. By the time it passes over Big Sur, it will have been transformed from a ballistic spacecraft into an aerodynamic glider. And when its commander, John W. Young, nurses the space shuttle Columbia to a dead-stick landing at Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert in southern California, the era of routine, workaday space travel will have dawned. Ready to greet that dawn is a whole new family of spacefaring Americans and Europeans consisting of about 80 young men and women. Two-thirds of them have been appointed astronauts or astronaut candidates only in the last three years. They represent a far greater range of backgrounds, talents and specialties than their predecessors. All are training for the earthorbital shuttle missions that they expect to take place in rapid-fire order during the next five years. They are new in another way, too. For, just as the DC-3 and other early airliners ushered in three distinct classes of air traveler, the space shuttle ushers in three distinct classes of space traveler - pilot, crew member and passenger. Nearly an entire generation of astronauts has passed from the scene since the last of the Apollo moon landings almost a decade ago. Only three veterans of the lunar-exploration years and earlier remain on active status, Mr. Young among them. At the age of 50, he is about to make his fifth space flight, more than any other American so far. Though his sly, good-ol'-boy Georgia wit would doubtless not let him admit it, and his boyish, slightly graying forelock helps disguise the fact, he is not only a link to the old order but also a kind of guru to astronauts of the new. In Mr. Young's early years as a space traveler, there were only all-purpose, all-competent astronauts, reputed exemplars of a particular brand of test pilot's courage that Tom Wolfe, the author, has called ''the right stuff.'' They are to the shuttle what the barnstorming biplane daredevils of the 1920's were to the streamlined airliners of the late 1930's. For in terms of sheer technology, Columbia makes the Apollo command module seem almost primitive. And as incredible as it might have seemed 10 years ago, the shuttle has made anachronistic relics of the gigantic, thundering rockets that hurled the Apollo mooncraft aloft. When Americans next travel to other worlds, the ships will be assembled, piece by piece, in earth orbit and launched from there. That is one possible part of the shuttle's future mission. By the very nature of that mission, and because a fully operating shuttlecraft is too complex and various an operation for the allpurpose crewman of the past to handle, the shuttle demands a more varied crew and a more specialized array of astronauts. First will be the commanders and pilots, one each on a given flight, whose job is to fly the ship, with the help of its five computers, and deal with any trouble that might develop. Mr. Young and his co-pilot, Capt. Robert L. Crippen of the Navy, are of this group. They are to be the only people aboard the shuttle's maiden flight when it lifts off at 6:50 A.M. Friday. Tasks of Second Group The second group, called mission specialists, might be considered the shuttle's crew. Untrained as shuttle pilots, their job will be to prepare for and oversee payload operations once the ship is in earth orbit. These operations constitute the shuttle's main purpose and might include everything from the production of pure metals, to emplacing and tending satellites, to observing the stars, to assembling a permanent manned space station or a solar power plant or an interplanetary expedition. Much of the day-to-day work of a mission is to be done by the third group. These are the passengers, called payload specialists. They are not professional astronauts, but scientists, technicians and others, many of whom are to be employed by private companies. Once the shuttle is operational, they will receive minimal training of perhaps four or five weeks. They will not have to pass the stringent physicals of the past, endure the stress of the centrifuge, or go through most of the other training ordeals of earlier astronauts. ''Basically,'' says Jim Bilodeau, the director of crew training at the Johnson Space Center here, ''we'll be able to take everybody but the walking wounded.'' Import of Success If Columbia's first flight is a success -even if it just gets into orbit, gets out again and lands safely, without completing the scheduled 54 1/2-hour mission -it will open the way for the shuttle astronauts to succeed each other into space, as many as seven at a time, over the next decade. Missions are planned for a week's duration, after which the shuttle will land on earth and be prepared for another launching as soon as 14 days later. When the program is running at maximum, as many as 60 missions a year are planned, though it is considered unlikely that such a goal will be achieved. The first payload specialists, or passengers, could fly as early as two to three years from now.

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NEW GENERATION OF ASTRONAUTS POISED FOR SHUTTLE ERA

It is supposed to happen this way: Shortly before 1 P.M. next Sunday, 20 years to the day after Russia's Yuri Gagarin became the first human being to fly in space, the most technologically elegant spacecraft ever built will come hurtling down out of earth orbit. Flashing across the North Pacific, it will undergo a gradual metamorphosis. By the time it passes over Big Sur, it will have been transformed from a ballistic spacecraft into an aerodynamic glider. And when its commander, John W. Young, nurses the space shuttle Columbia to a dead-stick landing at Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert in southern California, the era of routine, workaday space travel will have dawned. Ready to greet that dawn is a whole new family of spacefaring Americans and Europeans consisting of about 80 young men and women. Two-thirds of them have been appointed astronauts or astronaut candidates only in the last three years.

20150524080917

WASHINGTON, May 8— William J. Casey, the Director of Central Intelligence, has asked Congress to pass legislation that would permit the Federal Bureau of Investigation to conduct surprise searches of newspaper and broadcasting newsrooms in cases involving the publication of the names of covert agents of the Central Intelligence Agency. The measure would amend legislation enacted into law last year that requires law-enforcement agencies to obtain subpoenas for notes, film, tapes or other documentary materials used by those engaged in publishing or broadcasting. Unlike the procedure for search warrants, the subpoena procedure eliminates the element of surprise, narrows the focus of the search and permits news organizations to contest the request in court. However, the search law contains an exception that permits surprise searches in espionage cases, and, in a recent letter to the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Mr. Casey suggested that the exception be extended to cover cases that arise under a bill to make it a crime to publish the names of intelligence agents, even if the information was derived from analysis of publicly available information. Bills Are in Both Houses The legislation, sometimes called agent identities legislation, is being considered in both houses of Congress in different forms. Journalists and civil libertarians have protested that it might be unconstitutional and would discourage the legitimate reporting of illegal or dubious practices by intelligence agencies. Although Mr. Casey's letter was addressed to the House committee chairman, Representative Edward P. Boland, Democrat of Massachusetts, several Senators and private organizations have copies of it. Spokesmen for the American Civil Liberties Union expressed a belief that Mr. Casey's suggestion would add to what they saw as the chilling effect of the agent identities bill. In the view of these spokesmen, Morton H. Halperin and Jerry J. Berman, it would permit the F.B.I. to search newsrooms for such items as private memorandums from reporters to editors. This might be true, the A.C.L.U. spokesmen said, because the Government, under the pending agent identities bill, would be seeking to prove that the publication of agents' names was done with ''reason to believe'' or with ''intent'' to cause an impairment of United States intelligence activities. Under the pending bills, covert agents include not only salaried, professional American officers of intelligence agencies but also ''sources of operational assistance.'' This, critics contend, is broad enough to include foreign political figures and some domestic businessmen. Senate Panel Has Hearings Agent identities legislation was the subject of hearings today in the Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Security and Terrorism. When the witnesses called the A.C.L.U. nonpartisan, the subcommittee chairman, Jeremiah Denton, Republican of Alabama, said he ''couldn't hear any titter'' in the hearing room but would have heard laughter ''out in the hinterland'' of the nation. Senator Denton and Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware, the ranking Democrat on the subcommittee, nearly clashed over Senator Denton's answering questions that Senator Biden was directing to witnesses. At one point Senator Biden suggested that time could be saved if he asked his questions of Senator Denton. In an opening statement, Senator Denton said he was ''disappointed, to say the least,'' with some news coverage of his subcommittee's hearings April 24 on terrorism. He said the articles ''tended to focus on an apparent lack of evidence of Soviet masterminding of international terrorism, a point of view to which no one connected with this hearing has ever subscribed.'' He said that to suggest that he was disappointed by a lack of evidence of ''Soviet masterminding of this pernicious activity is to misrepresent my views.'' Illustrations: photo of William J. Casey

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C.I.A. SEEKS LAW FOR SURPRISE SEARCHES OF NEWSROOMS

William J. Casey, the Director of Central Intelligence, has asked Congress to pass legislation that would permit the Federal Bureau of Investigation to conduct surprise searches of newspaper and broadcasting newsrooms in cases involving the publication of the names of covert agents of the Central Intelligence Agency. The measure would amend legislation enacted into law last year that requires law-enforcement agencies to obtain subpoenas for notes, film, tapes or other documentary materials used by those engaged in publishing or broadcasting. Unlike the procedure for search warrants, the subpoena procedure eliminates the element of surprise, narrows the focus of the search and permits news organizations to contest the request in court.

20150524082623

I appreciate and endorse the direction of the conclusions of Thomas Whitehead in ''A Way to Cut Taxes'' (March 8); however, when he invited us ''to reason together,'' he almost lost me. He states that we give a person a $500-a-year tax cut and ''Maybe he saves the whole $500 and uses it to buy a Sony television set, in which case most of the $500 goes winging to Japan.'' To give credence to that statement, we must ignore the fact that the Sony workers in San Diego (working in a capital-intensive plant) would take their cut, as would the United States retailer, the United States trucker, the Sony United States salesperson, warehouse worker, order clerk, credit manager, personnel manager, accountant, service technician and executives. Then, let us reason together that United States Customs wants its piece of the action, as does the United States landlord, the local and Federal taxing authorities, the advertising media and, oh yes, the advertising agency. Every significant Japanese (and Dutch) company in the television business in this country has a substantial manufacturing facility in the United States, employing many thousands of American workers. My company, for example, has invested over $100 million in a number of manufacturing facilities (without tax reduction incentive) in the United States producing Panasonic and Quasar products for the American market. We compete with Sony, as we do with RCA, Zenith, General Electric and others in a hotly contested market. We, like they, woo the consumer's favor. We compete fairly in the market and, therefore, feel that unfair inferences, well meaning though they may be, should not go unanswered. NAT GILBERT, Vice President, Matsushita Electric Corporation of America, Secaucus, N.J., March 11, 1981

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Reasoning - NYTimes.com

To the Business Editor: I appreciate and endorse the direction of the conclusions of Thomas Whitehead in ''A Way to Cut Taxes'' (March 8); however, when he invited us ''to reason together,'' he almost lost me. He states that we give a person a $500-a-year tax cut and ''Maybe he saves the whole $500 and uses it to buy a Sony television set, in which case most of the $500 goes winging to Japan.''

20150524084236

THE American public's right to enjoy and guard wildlife was clarified in 1863, when the United States Supreme Court established that wildlife belongs to all the people. Unfortunately, the rights of the people - and of wildlife, too - are constantly undermined in the legislative process by an everincreasing sacrifice of public lands (and the nonhumans that share our environment) to a self-interest group: hunters. Operating on behalf of this minority (about 6 percent of the population) is the National Rifle Association, which contributes generously to political campaign funds, and its affiliate, the National Wildlife Federation, whose spokesmen are vociferous in swaying Congress and state legislatures. The tactics used by the legislators to benefit the hunting world are twofold: - They slip past the public's notice any bill that would give more animals and more public land to the hunters and trappers. - They make sure that any bill that would protect wildlife and keep public lands free of the ''recreation'' of hunting is either killed in committee or held there with no action. A case in point is this month's behavior by our own State Legislature. A bill to add the mourning dove to the list of ''game'' animals subject to hunters' bullets was acted on in an Assembly committee and released for a floor vote, even before the bill was in print. However, news of a companion bill in the Senate leaked out, and we (Friends of Animals Inc.) activated our members to protest the measure. Under this pressure, the Legislature's leaders agreed to hold the bill for a vote until we could inform the public of its contents. An illustration of the power of the Rifle Association and its affiliate in killing bills is as follows: A proposed measure in the last session of Congress would have banned the interstate shipment of furs by any state or nation that failed to make the steel-jawed leg-hold trap illegal. Congress may deal with such an issue only in terms of interstate commerce, inasmuch as states have retained the rights to control hunting and trapping. Enactment of the Federal bill would have forced all states to ban this nefarious trap, as has been done by 55 nations in the world. The legislation was referred to a House committee chaired by Representative James J. Florio, Democrat of Runnemede. Mr. Florio received more than 250,000 personal appeals to move this measure out of committee for a vote by the full House. He set a date for hearings, canceled the date, responded to more public appeals by setting a new date, canceled - and then let the bill die in committee. An explanation for his off-again, on-again actions soon became apparent: In his run for Governor, Mr. Florio accepted the endorsement and financial help of the Rifle Association. To insure that members of Congress and the legislatures represent the will of their constituents, two reforms in the legislative process must take place. First, all bills on which the legislators plan to act must be announced to the press and interested groups well in advance of any action. Second, any measure for which 1,000 members of the public have requested action must be released from committee for a vote by all members of the legislature or Congress. The mourning dove sacrifice can be stopped if the public will write their representatives to this lame-duck session of the State Legislature. Your delight in viewing this songbird should be enough to sway your State Senator and/or Assemblyman to protect the bird, but here are a few additional reasons: - The mourning dove is a beloved songbird and ecologically important in that it seeks out noxious weeds. - The eggs and infants face a 70 percent annual mortality rate, and the adults a 55 percent mortality. Thus, of 100 birds born this year, only 17 will remain two years from now and eight three years from now. - The national population of this migratory bird has decreased 2 percent annually for the last 20 years. - The dove is subject to a disease called canker, which, combined with hunting, is believed to have been the cause of the rapid decimation and extinction of the passenger pigeon. The hunters' argument that the dove is a fine bird for the table is a ridiculous ploy. It weighs but two ounces, and less than one ounce when stripped of its feathers, beak and bones. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Alice Herrington is president of Friends of Animals Inc., whose administrative offices are on Neptune.

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IS HUNTING MOURNING DOVES JUSTIFIED?

THE American public's right to enjoy and guard wildlife was clarified in 1863, when the United States Supreme Court established that wildlife belongs to all the people. Unfortunately, the rights of the people - and of wildlife, too - are constantly undermined in the legislative process by an everincreasing sacrifice of public lands (and the nonhumans that share our environment) to a self-interest group: hunters. Operating on behalf of this minority (about 6 percent of the population) is the National Rifle Association, which contributes generously to political campaign funds, and its affiliate, the National Wildlife Federation, whose spokesmen are vociferous in swaying Congress and state legislatures. The tactics used by the legislators to benefit the hunting world are twofold: - They slip past the public's notice any bill that would give more animals and more public land to the hunters and trappers.

20150524123049

LONDON, May 29— Argentina must turn to its air force, to date its most effective service but one that, if British assertions are correct, could now be seriously depleted, if it is to turn the tide of the war in the South Atlantic. A renewal of Argentina's air offensive, however, will entail a greater variety of missions and higher risk than the successful attacks on British shipping off the Port San Carlos beachhead earlier this week, British military sources said. Two columns of British troops, reportedly well equipped with antia@ircraft missiles, are now said to be pushing eastward toward Stanley, the capital of the Falkland Islands, and its airfield, the most important prizes of the campaign. Troops in the open field are not easy targets for enemy fighter-bombers, especially when they are also protected by Harrier fighters. The Argentine air command, however, must retain some of its resources to meet any new British landing. The British Defense Ministry would not confirm reports circulating among non-British military sources that the Fifth Brigade of three infantry battalions has been transferred from the Queen Elizabeth 2 to the assault ships Intrepid and Fearless and can now be considered part of the task force's available resources. A Landing by Night A landing operation by the brigade would probably be carried out at night. But supplies would have to be unloaded in daylight, and the supply ships would be a tempting target for air attack. To further complicate the Argentines' problem there is the probability, analysts said, that the reported British capture of the Goose Green airstrip eliminated radar guidance systems that had helped Argentine bombers find the ships off the beachhead this week. The evident British weakness is that they acknowledge having lost 6 of 40 Harriers deployed in the war so far, and both pilots of the navy and air force have been almost constantly engaged since the first landings on May 21. The effectiveness of the Sea Harrier, the navy's version of the aircraft, in air combat has been one of the surprises of the campaign. It was designed as a ground attack aircraft, but in its encounters with the Mirage III, a much faster aircraft, the Harriers, according to Defense Ministry figures, have shot down 20 Mirages. Naval sources give the credit to the British plane's greater maneuverability and to a higher standard of pilot training. Keeping the Argentines Guessing The Argentine ground forces remaining on East Falkland Island, believed to number about 5,000 men in the Stanley area, like the air force, must decide which British operation, actual or potential, represents the major threat. It is obviously in Britain's interest to keep the Argentines guessing, and there is no information here as to which of the two infantry operations now under way is the more powerful. There are reports that the northern column, which apparently left the Port San Carlos beachhead Thursday night, has moved through Douglas and reached Teal Inlet, 33 miles from its starting point at the beachhead and about 16 miles in a direct line from Stanley. The non-British military analysts view these progress reports with reservations. They have not been denied by the Defense Ministry, one of whose objectives is to keep the Argentines off balance, but the northern column could be a scouting party carried by helicopter and reconnoitering the terrain for an advance in strength. The reported capture of Goose Green and Darwin and the establishment of a secondary air and supply base there argue powerfully for deploying the greater weight of the attack on the southern route to Stanley. The Goose Green airstrip, which is 500 yards long, can accommodate both Harriers and helicopters, and supplies could move forward by helicopter. Difficulties of Southern Route Like all routes on the island, the southern route presents difficulties. The last 13 miles in Stanley have the advantage of a single-track paved road flanked by ditches. Before the road is reached an attacking force would have to cross a bridge over the inlet north of the settlement of Fitzroy, about 14 miles west of the capital. The British assume that the Argentines would destroy the bridge on their approach and that the air portable bridges brought in to the beachhead would be used to replace it. As the force advanced eastward along the road it would come under artillery and mortar fire from Argentine positions in Mount Smoke and Mount Challenger if the Argentine commander risks leaving his strong defensive position around Stanley and its airfield and venturing into open country. If he did, some analysts believe, he would take the high ground overlooking the road and establish a blocking position from Mount Vernet south to Bluff Cove. Two Attacking Columns Some analysts argue that there are good reasons why the Argentines should sit tight. Troops who are partly trained - British sources say this description fits most of the Stanley garrison - are likely to fight better from well-prepared positions than in the open field. The main reason, these analysts said, is that the Argentine commander must be in doubt about the relative weight of the two attacking columns. To make his stand on the southern line of approach could be to expose a diminished garrison to attack from the northern column. Beyond that consideration is the uncertainty about the role of the Fifth Brigade in the final operations. If the brigade lands close to the capital, the Argentines will have their hands full with 3,000 guardsmen and Gurkhas. If the brigade lands near either the southern or northern columns the British force involved will probably be equal in numbers to the Argentines. These are circumstances, military analysts said, that cry for early and effective intervention by the Argentine Air Force. Whether that force, after its recently formidable operations, has the stamina and pilots for more blows at the British remains to be seen.

http://web.archive.org/web/20150524123049id_/http://www.nytimes.com/1982/05/30/world/for-a-battle-at-stanley-argentine-jets-are-key-military-analysis.html

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FOR A BATTLE AT STANLEY, ARGENTINE JETS ARE KEY

Argentina must turn to its air force, to date its most effective service but one that, if British assertions are correct, could now be seriously depleted, if it is to turn the tide of the war in the South Atlantic. A renewal of Argentina's air offensive, however, will entail a greater variety of missions and higher risk than the successful attacks on British shipping off the Port San Carlos beachhead earlier this week, British military sources said. Two columns of British troops, reportedly well equipped with antia@ircraft missiles, are now said to be pushing eastward toward Stanley, the capital of the Falkland Islands, and its airfield, the most important prizes of the campaign. Troops in the open field are not easy targets for enemy fighter-bombers, especially when they are also protected by Harrier fighters.

20150525041728

By Russell L. Parr and George Hovanec , guest contributors A January decision by the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit had a sweeping effect: it dropped the value of US patents. Just how much the value has been reduced, overall, is not yet known. Part of the reason we don’t know is because the reduction in value is not going to be equally distributed across every patent. Rather, we know that patents owned by individual inventors, universities and research institutes will be hardest hit. Here, we’ll explain what happened, and why it matters. First, here’s what happened last month. A frequently used method in determining damages for patent infringement, “the 25% Rule of Thumb,” was rejected by the Court in Uniloc USA, Inc. et al. v. Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft was found to infringe Uniloc’s patent for a piece of technology. Expert testimony at trial concerning patent damages had, like many cases through history, relied on the 25% Rule of Thumb to determine damages owed to Uniloc. Microsoft MSFT appealed the decision reached by the jury and the Court rejected the use of the 25% Rule of Thumb. Not just for this particular case — but for forever — even though it has been used in and out of court to determine royalty rates for decades. The 25% rule isn’t just for court cases, however. Patent owners often license the rights to use a patented invention in exchange for royalties. The royalty is usually a percentage rate (royalty rate) applied to the sales earned by using the patent. The “25% Rule” is a typical starting rate that suggests that 25% of the profits earned from using the invention goes to the patent owner while the remaining 75% stays with the licensee. The thinking here is that the licensee has brought other assets to the commercialization of the patented invention. These can include manufacturing expertise, well established brand names and a distribution network. By retaining 75% of the profits, the licensee is allowed to earn a return on its significant contribution. This isn’t all bad though: blind application of the 25% Rule can and does lead to errors. Many other factors must be considered — and usually are thoroughly considered — by most experts. But the rule can be a shortcut in both the good and bad sense of the word. When the licensed invention is central to the success of a product then the rule is a good starting point, such as when the patented invention is the active ingredient in a cancer therapy. But for example, if a design alternative can be inexpensively substituted without infringing the patent, an entirely different analysis is needed. When 25% Rule has been improperly applied, extraordinary damage awards for seemingly minor improvements to a product have been made. It seems the Court has become frustrated by these abuses of the 25% Rule and used the Microsoft/Uniloc case to react. Here’s where things get complicated, and patent values can potentially go down: Companies whose patents are infringed can often find other ways to calculate damages especially against competitors who unfairly used their patents. But individual inventors, universities and research institutes typically cannot commercialize their inventions, and need to recover damages after the infringement has occurred. Without being able to rely on the 25% Rule, inventors, universities and research institutes have lost an important arrow in their quiver. By making the determination of a royalty rate more difficult, it also becomes more difficult and expensive to protect patents from being infringed upon. And that could encourage more infringement to happen. All in all, it just became a lot harder for researchers and inventors to protect themselves in patent fights, especially if big corporations are the ones on the other side of the battle. — Russell L. Parr is President of Intellectual Property Research Associates. George Hovanec is a shareholder in the Intellectual Property Section of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, PC.

http://web.archive.org/web/20150525041728id_/http://fortune.com:80/2011/03/23/why-u-s-patents-are-now-less-valuable/

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Why U.S. patents are now less valuable

A stunning decision in a Microsoft patent infringement case may have made patent royalties more fair, but also made them much more unpredictable.

20150602095706

If you were offered the chance to participate in one offensive play in the Super Bowl, knowing full well you’d be utterly outplayed and certainly beat up, would you take it? When it comes to endurance sports-car racing, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is the Super Bowl, World Cup and Carnival, all wrapped into one. As the name implies, it takes place over a 24-hour period, and the 8.5-mile course is known for its high speeds and tricky corners. For the hundreds of thousands of fans who attend each year, it’s also a massive party, complete with a carousel within the race track’s grounds. I’m a (very) amateur race-car driver. So when I was offered the chance to participate in this year’s Le Mans festival, which occurs June 13-14, the idea was absurd, terrifying—and tempting. Every year there is a 45-minute exhibition race that takes place just before the start of the official competition. Dozens of cars from a single carmaker race against one another, a warm-up to the real event. This year those cars will be a fleet of Aston Martins, and I’ll be in one of them. My teammate is Andy Palmer, the CEO of Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd. So, no pressure there, either. The Aston Martin race is open to a variety of prototype and GT cars that have previously raced at Le Mans. Sixty cars, piloted by “gentlemen drivers” — basically amateur drivers with varying degrees of real-world experience — will go wheel to wheel. Palmer and I will share a new Aston Martin Vantage GT12, which looks similar to the road-going Vantage sports car, but gains a big rear wing and a full roll cage. It has a 6-liter V-12 engine with almost 600 horsepower. The car is unbelievably sexy looking, and it’s the real deal. I expect to reach speeds of up to 200 miles per hour. The course itself, called Circuit de la Sarthe, includes miles and miles of two-lane public roads that are closed off once a year for the event. Speeds are incredibly high, and there is little run-off when things go wrong. There will be crashes. A Brit with an easy smile who was previously an executive at the Nissan Motor Company, Palmer is also an amateur. He recently got some endurance-racing practice at the Britcar Dunlop 24-hour race in Silverstone, U.K., along with three teammates. Palmer and I first met at the this year’s New York Auto Show in April, where we talked about Aston Martin’s long racing history and how it continues to evolve with cars like the Vantage GT12 and the Vulcan, shown in the accompanying video. Palmer and I will share racing duties, but the car has only one seat. So, importantly, we had to decide who would start. We did it as gentlemen drivers should: Using rocks, scissors, paper. I won.

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Le Mans, an Aston Martin Vantage GT12 and me: What's not to love?

When one of the world's most exclusive sports-car makers offers you a seat in its latest racing machine—and at the world's preeminent endurance event, the 24 Hours of Le Mans—you just say yes.

20150703183344

In the wake of Uber’s rapid growth and swelling market cap, other companies have rushed to rethink aspects of urban transportation. One of them is Chariot, a startup that’s offering a new way to survive the daily commute by running 14-passenger vans across San Francisco on five set routes during the morning and afternoon rush. Rides cost between $3 and $5 apiece, and passengers can book from their smartphones and use mobile apps to monitor the location of the vans in real time. And, of course, coming in May, the buses will include onboard Wi-Fi. Over the past few months, the idea has caught on in the traffic-clogged tech hub, and Chariot now says it provides about 5,000 rides per week. Today, Chariot is announcing it has raised $3 million from a group of early-stage investors that include SoftTech VC, Maven Ventures, and Haystack. The startup anticipates using that money to continue expanding its reach. “We can start a new route within 48 hours,” says Ali Vahabzadeh, Chariot’s chief executive officer, who adds that the company will begin growing beyond San Francisco by the end of the year. “We fill in the gaps of a transportation system in any city.” Not everyone is enthralled. Private shuttle services such as Chariot and a local rival, Leap Transit, as well as the private buses of tech giants like Google and Apple, have been criticized for adding to congested streets, undermining the use of publicly supported buses and trains, and catering exclusively to white-collar techies while shutting out the elderly and disabled. But that hasn’t stopped investment dollars from flooding in. Bridj offers similar services in the Boston area. The company is also introducing a tool to determine new routes, called “Roll your Route.” The service, which it had previously been testing, allows visitors to the Chariot website to submit their optimum bus route and commute times. They can then recruit other friends and neighbors to vote for that route. If the proposed route meets a certain demand threshold, the company will acquire more drivers and vans and start service within a week. And Chariot says it already makes constant alterations to stop times and service frequency, and adjusts the price of a ticket based on route length and popularity. As for the criticism of new, private modes of transportation, Vahabzadeh says that all Chariot drivers are full-time or part-time W-2 workers, not contractors (which services like Uber and Lyft use). His vans also stop only in white curb passenger-loading zones and not bus stops, where they might hold up a city bus. He also says he’s working to make the service more accessible to a broader demographic. Customers can print tickets if they don’t have a smartphone and the company plans to accept payment methods other than credit cards in the near future. Vahabzadeh claims that the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, or MUNI, has privately praised Chariot as a worthy alternative that reduces overcrowding on the most popular public bus routes. “In a way we are improving the quality of service on mass transit by making it more accessible for the person who last year was getting passed three or four times because the bus was so overcrowded,” he says. It remains to be seen whether MUNI will be as enthusiastic when services like Chariot become a larger part of the daily commute.

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Silicon Valley Private Bus Service Gets More VC Funding

In the wake of Uber’s rapid growth and swelling market cap, other companies have rushed to rethink aspects of urban transportation. One of them is Chariot, a startup that’s offering a new way to survive the daily commute by running 14-passenger vans across San Francisco on five set routes during the morning and afternoon rush. Rides cost between $3 and $5 apiece, and passengers can book from their smartphones and use mobile apps to monitor the location of the vans in real time. And, of course, coming in May, the buses will include onboard Wi-Fi.

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(Read more: Marc Faber: 'In a massive, speculative bubble') The other is that investors are so confident that they're willing to take risk to levels seen just before reckless behavior helped take down the market after it peaked in October 2007. That would be a bad thing. "When the tablecloth gets pulled out from under the place settings, you're going to have a lot of them crash and smash on the floor," said Uri Landesman, president of Platinum Partners hedge fund. "That margin's going to get pulled and everyone's going to have to cover. That's when you get really serious corrections." The correction call, however popular it has been, was the worst call of the year. The market has continued to ride modest gains in earnings and the economy and a 33 percent expansion in the Federal Reserve's money-pumping operation to a 27 percent rise in the Standard & Poor's 500 and similar gains in the other major indexes. (Read more: Take cover! Bond market 'hell' could be on the way) While stocks have seen a few mild and brief pullbacks, buyers have come in at every interval to keep things moving. "So far the market has been buoyed by liquidity, has been buoyed by an economy that continues to gain traction, and obviously by a market that at least in the fourth quarter has been underpinned by very positive seasonality," said Quincy Krosby, chief market strategist at Prudential Annuities. "If there's some event that requires the proverbial margin call, that will see a domino effect begin." It was, after all, essentially either margin calls or the threat of them against Wall Street's largest financial institutions that triggered the financial crisis in 2008 and 2009. Both came amid what seemed like indestructible bull markets that also were pushed higher by leveraged buying. Margin debt hit a pre-crisis peak of $378.2 billion in June 2007, just a few months before the highs in October, and reached a cycle low of $173.3 billion in February 2009, a month before the market bottom prior to the current bull run. (Read more: Stocks are risky but no bubble yet, says Howard Marks) Investors have utilized not only the nearly $4 trillion in quantitative easing from the Fed to pave the record to record debt but also near-zero interest rates. Leveraged lending—involving little or no collateral and often to lower-quality borrowers—has hit $969 billion in 2013, second only to 2007 all-time and up 29 percent from a year ago, according to Dealogic. "I think it's a sign of a bubble. It's sort of reminiscent of the cliche 'how soon they forget,'" Landesman said. "It's kind of what you would expect to happen in a nearly five-year bull market. People go in and want to get more chips on the table. That's how you end up with more margin debt. Brokerage firms are only too happy to lend it." Indeed, Bank of America Merrill Lynch has by far the largest market share in leveraged lending, with a 14.2 percent market share that would translate to about $68 billion. JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo are second and third respectively. Landesman said he thinks a market-moving event—perhaps another Washington budget crisis—will be the trigger for a selloff of at least 10 percent. Krosby, though, said credit market behavior in the form of tightening swap spreads indicates signs of stability that likely will not come undone until a central bank move shakes the market. (Read more: Stocks 'very overpriced,' and so what if they are?) Most experts see the Fed beginning to decrease the amount of its $85 billion monthly bond-buying program in March, an event that could send negative market signals if rates start to rise. "At least in terms of the credit market, there's a stability," she said. "But when you have a market that has been distorted by central banks, all it takes is a comment from one of of the central banks providing liquidity of a change in the landscape and then you'll see a barrage of selling." —By CNBC's Jeff Cox. Follow him on Twitter @JeffCoxCNBCcom.

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Playing with fire? Margin debt most since crisis

As investors feel emboldened by the seemingly unstoppable stock market rally, they're borrowing money at record levels to keep things going.

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Editor’s note: Each week we publish a great story from Fortune’s archives. This week, the all-male Augusta National golf club finally invited some high power ladies to join — former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and businesswoman Darla Moore, although Moore has never been a particularly avid golfer. She has, however, been a major player in the business world. Back in 1997, Fortune featured Moore as the “toughest babe in business.” In the story, she discussed her career in finance, her marriage to Richard Rainwater, “the capitalist equivalent of royalty,” and how she made the tough management choices her husband tried to avoid. Darla Moore fell hard for Richard Rainwater the moment he told her, “I view you like an equity investment.” “It was the ultimate compliment,” says Moore, a woman who believes that business and love are similar games. She was then the highest-paid woman in banking. He was renowned as one of America’s most ingenious investors. Since they merged matrimonially, Moore has taken charge of Rainwater’s stock portfolio as well as his life. In 3 1/2 years as CEO of Rainwater Inc., she has nearly tripled her husband’s net worth, to $1.5 billion. What’s more, she has eagerly adopted a crucial role that Richard has always loathed–that of the tough-guy, dissident shareholder. When the couple bought into Mesa last year, it was Darla who booted the oil and gas company’s founder, the once notorious corporate raider T. Boone Pickens. And, in this year’s biggest business drama, it was she who forced out Columbia/HCA CEO Richard Scott after the health-care giant got slammed with a massive criminal investigation.”I’ve harassed guys all my life,” Moore says, surveying the view from the back patio of the Rainwaters’ hillside villa in Montecito, Cal., a few miles south of Santa Barbara. It was here, overlooking their vast gardens, that Darla dished it to old Boone, and where she strategized with Columbia board members to run off Scott. Darla isn’t currently on the board, but she and Rainwater together own about $260 million of Columbia stock–an investment that certainly isn’t out of the woods yet just because of Scott’s departure. They agreed to talk exclusively with FORTUNE about the mess at the world’s largest health-care company, which Scott and Rainwater started a decade ago by each pitching in $125,000 to buy two Texas hospitals. Among their revelations, Moore and Rainwater say they clashed over whether Scott should stay or go as CEO. She won. As federal agents canvassed Columbia, Scott defiantly refused to acknowledge the trouble, and Moore campaigned for his departure. “Darla was a responsible shareholder who did what had to be done,”says Columbia’s new CEO, Dr. Thomas Frist Jr., who was Moore’s anxious ally. To get a picture of Darla Moore, imagine, say, a cross between the Terminator and Kim Basinger, with a wicked South Carolina drawl. Upon first meeting, she can come across as a prima donna, tough and aloof. As she warms up she can turn fun and flirty, even girlish, though the shift is deceptive. “She’s a cutthroat killer underneath,” says her friend Martha Stewart, with admiration. Like most women who reach the heights of corporate America–a rare breed–Moore is paradoxical. She collects 18th-century French furniture and rare books (her favorites: tomes by Adam Smith and de Tocqueville). She also hangs out at hot-rod events with Rainwater, who owns the world’s fastest street car. Riding shotgun in his modified red ’57 Chevy, Moore has gone from zero to 60 in 1.2 seconds. “The thrill of my life,” she says. Darla isn’t usually one to sit back and let others drive. Last year at a New York Knicks game, she caught an errant ball. When the ref asked for it, she took aim at the basket instead. It was an air ball. “If I didn’t have blonde hair and blue eyes and hadn’t been dressed the way I was, I would have been hopped out of Madison Square Garden in a second,” she says. Rainwater agrees, telling his wife, “You pull off everything you try to do.”A charming and free-spirited opportunist, Rainwater, 53, seems able to handle Moore, 43, just fine. He has astutely turned over the heavy lifting to his cunning and stunning queen of capitalism–“Little Precious,” he calls her–so that he can focus on the big picture, relaxation (he has reduced his golf handicap from 30 to 12), and, of course, Darla. When he meets her friends, he introduces himself this way: “Hi, I’m Richard, the househusband.” In this unique partnership he remains the investment visionary, choosing industries into which the Rainwater money flows. (See “Rainwater’s Investing Strategies” for his tips.) Darla and Richard together, with the help of only two associates, select the companies. Then Darla, whose ambition seems limitless, executes the deals.”My wife wants to rule the world,” says Rainwater, only half facetiously. Her test of true grit came with Columbia/HCA, a business Rainwater started with Rick Scott in 1987, a few years before Darla (or “B.D.,” as Rainwater says). At the time, Rainwater was a Fort Worth investor, having just struck out on his own after 16 years with Texas’ Uber-rich Bass family. He had made the Basses billions by acquiring big stakes in distressed companies like Disney and Texaco when their stocks were really cheap. Having helped recruit Michael Eisner to Disney in 1984, Rainwater had made some $100 million for himself and was on the hunt for new ways to invest it. He met Scott, a scrappy 34-year-old lawyer who specialized in hospital mergers and acquisitions, and found they shared a vision–to build a national multiservice health-care chain. To attract the best practitioners, they came up with the idea of selling doctors equity in the business. Moore got involved in early 1994, when she became CEO of Rainwater Inc. and replaced her husband on Columbia’s board of directors. This was Rick Scott’s heyday. In two years he nearly tripled Columbia’s revenues by merging with four other companies, including Hospital Corp. of America (HCA), a big Nashville chain that Rainwater was a major investor in. Darla and Richard, in fact, convinced Tommy Frist, the courtly surgeon who was then HCA’s chief executive, to let Boy Wonder, Scott, be CEO of the combined companies. From Darla’s perspective, she spotted trouble early on at Columbia. When she resigned from the board in early 1996–because the Rainwaters’ investment in Magellan Health Services posed a conflict of interest–she felt uneasy about Rick Scott’s management style. The Columbia board meetings were typically limited to two hours; Scott would present a litany of issues–scripted–and leave little time for debate. Darla kept up with the industry scuttlebutt, which was that Columbia was horribly difficult to deal with. And the press started hammering the health-care provider, charging that its cost cutting compromised quality medical care. Yet whenever Moore and Scott talked, which was every few weeks, he always told her not to worry, that “everything’s great.” Moore did worry, though. Late last year she started voicing her concerns to Rainwater and Frist, Columbia’s vice chairman and largest individual shareholder. Neither of them was losing faith in Scott yet, however. After all, profits were going up some 20% a year. The stock was rising steadily. And Columbia, with $20 billion in revenues, was America’s most admired health-care company, according to FORTUNE’s annual survey. But Moore trusted her instincts, which proved to be right. She says, “My single greatest strength is seeing through the smoke into chaos, and operating where everything is exploding.” In March federal agents, suspecting that Columbia was overcharging Medicaid and Medicare, raided company offices in El Paso. The day the news hit the papers, Moore talked to Scott on the phone. He assured her the company had done nothing wrong. “Rick was disdainful” of the investigation, Moore says, even though the federal government supplies about a third of Columbia’s revenues. She adds, “You don’t spit on Uncle Sam.” Her wisest strategy, she decided, was to strengthen her ties with Frist, who by this time was feeling completely shut out by Scott. A few weeks after El Paso, Frist gave Scott a nine-page letter outlining Columbia’s problems and possible solutions. Scott never acknowledged the letter. “I didn’t know what to do,” Frist recalls. “It was the most perplexing thing in my career.” He thought about quitting. Darla urged him to hang on. Rick Scott didn’t know it, but the noose around his neck tightened just before the July 4 weekend. In Montecito, Moore got a surprise visit from Frist, who said he was too angst-ridden to enjoy his holiday in Aspen. They spent all afternoon on the patio devising a plan. Rainwater sat in for a half-hour, mostly to challenge the practicality of their ideas. Really, Rainwater just wanted to stay out of the way. He dreaded turning on Scott, his friend and partner. “Great executives make mistakes, and usually they recover,” he says. “My hope was that Rick would alter his stance of righteous indignation. I felt he could carry on in the job.” And if he couldn’t, well, as any good capitalist knows, Wall Street would take care of the Rick Scott problem by forcing a shakeup. Moore wasn’t willing to wait. She wanted to merge Columbia with the industry’s No. 2, Tenet Healthcare, and install Tenet’s CEO, Jeffrey Barbakow, as chief executive of the combined company. Not only did the deal make sense financially, but it would also allow Scott to depart Columbia with relative dignity–Rainwater’s biggest concern. Frist designated Moore as the intermediary for a Columbia-Tenet merger. Her role was unusual and remarkable, says Columbia board member Michael Long, a partner at Brown Brothers Harriman: “Even though she wasn’t a company officer or a director or a big fund manager, she was so insistent. She got us to listen to her.” It seemed only a matter of time before Scott would be gone. But the moment came sooner than anyone expected. On July 16, the feds seized documents from Columbia locations in seven states. Early the next morning (Darla and Richard were still in bed), Scott called her in Montecito. “How ya doin’?” she asked. “Great,” Scott said, true to form. “I’m doing great.” Darla begged to differ. “Rick,” she said, “it’s over.” A merger between Columbia and Tenet never came together. Pending the government findings, the two companies couldn’t agree on the value of Columbia’s stock. So Scott resigned, and the board elected Frist as Columbia’s new CEO. Rick Scott wasn’t the first guy Darla messed with. Before Scott, there was Boone Pickens. The cantankerous oilman who terrified CEOs during the Eighties was by last year facing what some might call divine retribution: The stock of Mesa, the company he had founded at age 28, had sunk from $48 to less than $3, and Pickens was threatened by proxy fights and possible takeover. Smelling opportunity, Moore and Rainwater offered to help by buying some stock, selling new equity, and refinancing Mesa’s out-of-control debt. To Pickens, this was a friendly partnership. He figured he’d stay at the helm for a while. Before the deal was done, Pickens and his attorney flew to Montecito. On the Rainwaters’ Power Patio, Darla told Pickens that he had to step down, that his reputation was a problem. “I tried to be as tactful as I could, but tact doesn’t come easily to me,” she says. Pickens says he holds no grudge. Mesa is back on firm ground, and following a merger with another oil company to create Pioneer Natural Resources, Pickens’ total holdings have doubled in value. The Rainwaters, meanwhile, have gained a $161 million profit on their $66 million investment. Rainwater treasures his wife’s sang-froid: “The difference between Darla and me is that I’ll take a lot of time and effort to solve a problem without hurting people’s feelings and reputation. By the time I’m ready to act, Darla will already have the job done.” Either he’s naive or he’s coy, but Rainwater says the source of his wife’s rabid ambition is “a mystery.” (Hence her allure.) Really, it isn’t so difficult to fathom if you study Moore’s past. Darla Dee, as she was known back then, grew up in the tiny tobacco hamlet of Lake City, S.C. (pop. 8,398). The first of two daughters born to Eugene Moore, a schoolteacher and coach, and his wife, Lorraine, who worked at the Methodist Church, Darla Dee spent weekends and summers at her grandparents’ 125-acre farm just a few miles away; five black families were tenants there and worked the fields. “The environment embodied bigotry and control,” Darla says, “but at the same time, it was warm and loving.” Eugene Moore, an all-star athlete in college, wanted his eldest daughter to excel at every sport. He had no sons nor sisters, and so, he says, “I treated Darla like a boy.” He set up a track in front of the house and clocked her 50- and 100-yard sprints. He timed her laps in the swimming pool and coached her on the basketball court. He took her fishing and hunting; Darla shot rabbits and birds. Eugene Moore even made sure that, by age 8, his daughter knew how to map a football team’s field formations. Her mother pushed her too, but in other areas like music (piano) and academics. If Darla Dee brought home straight A’s–and she did–Lorraine Moore figured she could be a nurse or a teacher, both good professions that allow a woman to follow her husband wherever he moves. “She kept telling me, ‘I’ll never do that. I’ll do anything but that!’ “her mother recalls. “We argued a lot, and I always lost.” Darla’s sister, Lisa, was better at fulfilling mom’s expectations: Lisa is a nurse, with a husband and two sons, in Boston. In high school (all white, since Lake City was one of the last American towns to be integrated), Darla wasn’t hugely popular. “I was on the fringe. I rejected what you do to be popular–the beauty queen/cheerleader/sorority thing,” she says. “I must have had an air of superiority about me, but I felt destined for bigger things.” Her first big thing was a summer internship with Senator Strom Thurmond during college at the University of South Carolina. “It was so heady to be around power,” she says. “It was my first access to people who had control of their lives.” After college, Thurmond got her a job as a researcher for the Republican National Committee. It was 1976, post-Watergate, and an awful year for the GOP. (Carter beat Ford.) Moore realized that politics wasn’t her game. “It dawned on me that this is all borrowed power. The guy who’s powerful one day is nobody the next. I found nothing gratifying about it.” She opted for business school, at George Washington University in D.C., though she hadn’t a clue what she wanted to do with her life. Soon after graduating in 1981, Moore entered the training program at Chemical Bank in New York City with 31 other MBAs. She went into a hardball area of banking where few others wanted to go: the bankruptcy business. “A mentor had advised me, ‘Find a niche and become the very best at it,’ ” she explains. “I saw the bankruptcy area as a career opportunity because it had no cachet, no protocols, and no women.” Her boss, Bob Conway, believed Chemical could make a lot of money by actually soliciting business from bankrupt companies–imagine that–and offering them loans at really high interest rates. He sent his 30-year-old protegee knocking on the doors of lawyers, accountants, and investment bankers who specialized in bankruptcies. “Being a woman gave me a competitive edge,” Moore says. “They would much rather have lunch with me than with other men.” It was part ingenuity and part luck, but Moore’s timing was impeccable. This was the dawn of the LBO era, and when debt-ridden giants like Texaco, Macy’s, Federated Department Stores, and Eastern Air Lines went bankrupt, they turned to Chemical, and to Moore, for help. Chase Manhattan vice chairman James Lee, her former colleague at Chemical, remembers FORTUNE 500 CEOs strong-arming Moore to get lower rates on loans. “Darla would turn to the CEO and say, deadpan, ‘You are bankrupt,’ ” Lee recalls. “She’s totally fearless.” She was hell to work for too–intolerant of anyone who couldn’t deal with problems as decisively as she. When Moore was 33, some of her subordinates quit on her. “You are a management problem,” her boss told her. She eventually learned to hang on to good employees–business was booming, after all–but she always made sure everyone knew: You don’t mess with Darla. She walked into one meeting with the senior management of a major retailer and announced, “Put on your rubber underwear, boys. It’s going to be a long evening.” When Richard Rainwater bounded into Darla Moore’s life, she was known in the banking industry as the Queen of DIP (debtor-in-possession financing), she was generating huge profits for Chemical (at least $100 million during her last years there), and she was earning more than $1 million annually. They met in Fort Worth on a deal to finance Farley Industries, an underwear company, of all things (Farley owns Fruit of the Loom). Their first two encounters were platonic, but sparks flew. “I thought I was going to hyperventilate and collapse,” Moore says. “This was the most intense, complex guy I’d ever met. I thought, ‘This cannot be.’ ” Trouble was, she was in a serious, long-term relationship with a man in New York. Rainwater, little did she know, had just separated from his high school sweetheart and wife of 25 years, Karen.(They have three children.) Shortly after that second meeting, Rainwater called Moore at her Chemical office. When she picked up the phone, she blurted, “Well, do you miss me?” “I think we have a problem,” she said. “I think we do too.” He flew up to New York to see her. Sitting down to dinner that first night at the Regency Hotel, Rainwater told Moore, “I’m not interested in having an affair. I’ll go forward with this only if you’re interested in marriage.” She shot back, “You’re too big. You have too much money. And you’re going to ruin everything I’ve worked for.” Moore knew exactly what she was doing. As she says, “When I was 15, I announced to my peer group of girls that when I married, it would be royalty. What I did was marry the capitalist equivalent of royalty.” Like any smart executive, she wasn’t about to be acquired easily. She told Richard and her close friends that she dreaded becoming “Mrs. Rainwater” and losing her identity. “It was the only time in my life I was certifiably unstable,” Moore says. But Richard did “his wooing thing.” He told her, “When I see a unique and remarkable opportunity, I commit quickly and I invest heavily, because if I don’t, someone else will.” “I thought, ‘This is my kind of guy. Where have you been all my life? You think just like I do.’ ” They canceled a big wedding planned for January and married on the spur of the moment on a rainy Friday the 13th in December 1991 at Manhattan’s Brick Presbyterian Church. From that day on, Richard Rainwater got everything he bargained for and more. Back in Montecito, it’s a gorgeous Sunday afternoon. Moore is in black spandex and Nikes. Rainwater, always Mr. Casual, is wearing an Indiana Pacers T-shirt (though he co-owns the Dallas Mavericks) and gym shorts. “We’re just regular folks,” Moore says. As if. It sounds too California, but Darla and Richard share a particular passion: They’re looking for the meaning of success and happiness. Around the time he married Darla, Richard had what you might call a midlife crisis, or maybe an epiphany. He quit working for a year. “Quit working? He quit functioning!” Moore says. He wrote reams of poetry to Darla. (A sample: “All we’ve imagined, shared. All we’ve hidden, bared. Out of ourselves at last, and into each other.”) He became quite introspective–he and Darla are fans of The Road Less Travelled, the spiritual-growth book by M. Scott Peck. Through Crescent Real Estate Equities, a company that he started, he bought Canyon Ranch, America’s No. 1 campground for the health-crazed rich. And thanks to weight-training and aerobics, he lost 40 pounds and pared his body fat from 27% to 19%. “Darla’s body fat is in the middle range of female Olympians,” Rainwater boasts. No trophy wife, Moore kept her job at Chemical. “I didn’t want to be viewed like all the rest of them,” she says. “You know, here comes Megabucks, and now she’s by the pool.” At the end of a long day, she’d come home to Richard, who would hand her a drink, put on some music, light candles, set out a basket of crudites, and rub her weary feet. Really. Richard’s friends say he simply loves being in love. Richard and Darla are not only one of capitalism’s most powerful couples; they’re also the most outrageously affectionate. He’s like a puppy dog around his Little Precious, nuzzling his face into her neck. “She’s a babe,” he says, “and everybody else says so too.” She calls him “Sweet Pea,” but more often he’s “Buckwheat,” a reference to one of the boys in Our Gang. The little girl on the show, you may recall, was Darla. The lovebirds’ business partnership began in earnest three years ago when Rainwater envisioned a boom in Southwestern real estate and started Crescent. He asked Moore to take charge at Rainwater Inc., which had net assets of about $600 million. She quit Chemical and plunged in, streamlining the business. “It was embarrassing,” she says. “The way we used to calculate net worth was to sit down every month or so, estimate our holdings, and look up the stock prices in the paper. We’d get close, plus or minus $10 million.” She sold a bunch of small investments and partnership interests and redirected the money into publicly held companies where she could make a big impact–which, as we now know, she did. Darla Moore is eight pounds thinner today; those frenzied final days at Columbia took their toll. She’s also famous now as the woman who detonated one of the most meteoric entrepreneurial careers of the decade. Some people are saying, “Richard Rainwater began Rick Scott’s career. Darla Moore ended it.” “It’s a good headline,” she says, “but Rick’s career probably isn’t over. I’d think he’d go build another company, and he’d have tremendous support in the investment community. Remember, Rick has been accused of nothing illegal.” She adds, “He’s a great performer under the right circumstances. Unfortunately, Rick’s greatest assets–his drive and his optimism–turned into his greatest liabilities when he was faced with the government onslaught.” She hasn’t spoken to Scott since he left Columbia in July. Rainwater has called him three times. Scott hasn’t called back. (He also declined to return FORTUNE’s calls.) At Columbia, meanwhile, Frist is making radical changes and undoing Scott’s vision. He’s prohibited equity stakes for affiliated doctors. He’s eliminated short-term cash bonuses for executives. He’s put the brakes on acquisitions, he says, “until we have a strong value system in place.” He’s also cooperating with the government. The new strategies will curb Columbia’s revenue growth, at least short term. The stock, at $32a, is down 28% from its February high–and for the Rainwaters, that’s a $100 million loss on paper. Asked whether Columbia shares are a good buy today, Rainwater simply says, “It depends on what the government does.” The outlook on Darla Moore is much clearer. “She’s the best investment I’ve ever made,” Rainwater says. “She wants to do not just a little more, but a lot more.” Yes, her plan is to hunt bigger prey and do tougher deals and stage more audacious power plays. Asked what she’d like etched on her tombstone, she replies: “Darla Moore never let a problem overwhelm her–not even Richard Rainwater.”

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Don’t mess with Darla (Fortune, 1997)

Editor's note: Each week we publish a great story from Fortune's archives. This week, the all-male Augusta National golf club finally invited some high power ladies to join -- former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and businesswoman Darla Moore, although Moore has never been a particularly avid golfer. She has, however, been a major player in…

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The "Mad Money" host has no reason to doubt Apple or its CEO, Tim Cook. Perhaps sales have slowed since the quarter it just reported last week, but Cramer hasn't gotten that read. He could also suggest that the cellphone business has become a zero-sum industry, and Apple has totally crushed its competitor Samsung to take share faster than he's ever seen. But there is one thing that Cramer knows for sure—the companies that have most benefitted from the strength in Apple's phones are hurting right now. Both Qorvo and NXP Semiconductors represent the hottest portion of the semiconductor business, and have chips that go into everything from autos, to the Internet of things and cellphones. And while NXP was loved on Thursday, rising 6 percent, Qorvo took a total nosedive, dropping 14 percent. Cramer could sense the total confusion emanating from Qorvo's conference call on Wednesday, which was widely viewed as a disaster. It portrayed the shortfall as a function of the big infrastructure transition in China, not Apple. Yet, with all of the evidence, Cramer could argue that it wasn't just the infrastructure transition. It's an actual slowdown, which was aggravated by the crash in the Chinese stock market. No one can escape the slowdown, including Apple. So, what is the truth here? "My view is that the hot money made a bet that cellphone sales in China would be going strong. Now the hot money wants out of that bet, including Apple," Cramer said. ---------------------------------------------------------- Read more from Mad Money with Jim Cramer Cramer Remix: This is hurting Whole Foods Cramer: Twitter & Yelp blew it! It's their fault Cramer: What's really behind explosive earnings ---------------------------------------------------------- Instead, money is rotating out of cellphones and Apple and into health care, soft goods, oils and possibly industrial stocks. Cramer summed it up in just three letters: ABC—anything but cellphones. By the time investors find out what really when wrong, Cramer suspects the market will have already bottomed and started to go up again. That is exactly why he reiterated to own, not trade Apple, for a bumpy ride ahead.

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Cramer: Hot money's bad bite on Apple & China

Jim Cramer gives his take on China's impact on Apple, and where the big money is really flowing.

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Are millennials earning less than Gen Xers were at their age? If you compare inflation-adjusted median weekly earnings for Gen Xers in the mid-1990s to earnings for the same age group today, millennials (usually defined as those between 18 and 34 years old) actually come out a little ahead, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But income is only part of the equation. Take into account the financial challenges millennials face and it's easy to understand why so many feel like they aren't making enough, say experts. "Millennials have an uphill climb," said Anthony P. Carnevale, a professor and director of the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. "The economy has increased the demand for skills and millennials are the first generation that has had to deal with that." The cost of getting a job is leaving millennials in the red. Educational requirements for many jobs have increased, and so has college tuition. The average cost of attending undergraduate classes at a four-year private university is now nearly $42,500 per year—triple the price tag in 1990. Even state schools now cost students nearly $19,000 per year on average, a more than 100 percent increase over the last 25 years. Read MoreIs a college degree overvalued? "There's no doubt that more [millennials] are likely to graduate with student debt and the amounts that they owe are greater" than other generations, said senior researcher Richard Fry of the Pew Research Center. On average, student borrowers who graduated this year will owe $35,051, according to Mark Kantrowitz, a student financial aid policy expert and publisher of Edvisors.com—a record high. A lot of millennials also graduated into or after the Great Recession, which was deeper and longer than the recession Gen Xers faced in the 1990s. The 1990-91 recession in America lasted eight months and saw unemployment rise to 7.8 percent. But unemployment reached as high as 10 percent in 2009, just after the Great Recession officially ended. (That downturn officially lasted from December 2007 to June 2009.) While earnings of full-time workers are up slightly compared to the 1990s, "On every other indicator–unemployment rate, landing full-time jobs, average hours worked, etc.–there's no doubt that millennials four years into the recovery were worse off than any other generation," said Fry. Based on his studies, Carnevale estimates about 23 percent of millennials are underemployed but projects that will drop down to about 17 percent in the next few years as the economy continues to improve. Still, he adds: "The Great Recession will mark the millennials for the rest of their lives. It affects your earnings trajectory for the rest of your life." There is one silver lining for millennials though: baby boomers. Over the next decade, economists estimate about 30 million job openings will arise from baby boomers retiring. That's good news not just for the underemployed or out-of-work millennials, but for the millions of younger millennials who will soon be entering the workforce.

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Do millennials earn less than Gen Xers did

Millennials are struggling with the dual burdens of record-high student debt and the lingering effects of the Great Recession.

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BRUSSELS, Aug 3 (Reuters) - The battle for Europe will be won or lost in Germany. On some days recently, it has looked like it might be lost. But that is to underestimate the deep German commitment to the success of European integration based on the rule of law. If the European Union falls apart, it will likely be due to a return of nationalism and a refusal by the French, British and Dutch to share more sovereignty, rather than to German insistence on fiscal discipline and respect for the rules. "If the euro fails, then Europe fails," Chancellor Angela Merkel has repeatedly warned parliament. The aftermath of the euro zone's ugly all-night summit on the Greek debt crisis that ended on July 13 with a deal on stringent, intrusive terms for negotiating a third bailout has sent shockwaves across Europe, especially in Germany. It was the second time in weeks that EU leaders had clashed over fundamental problems they seem unable to solve, after an acrimonious June summit on how to cope with a wave of migrants - many of them refugees from conflict - desperate to enter Europe. And it has prompted intensive head-scratching in Berlin about how to strengthen European institutions and underpin the euro more durably - an intellectual ferment unmatched in most other EU capitals. "When you tour European countries, there aren't many that are thinking as hard as Germany about how to make an integrated Europe work better," says a senior German official. Perhaps due to its World War Two history, Berlin is more open than most EU nations to offering shelter to war victims and accepted the largest quota of asylum seekers. Nor was Merkel as tough as creditors such as Finland, the Netherlands, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia in insisting on humiliating conditions for any further assistance to Greece. Yet like all leaders, Germany cops most of the blame. And due to its past, that is often laced with references to the Nazi tyranny that make present-day Germans cringe. That outcry was compounded when German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble breached a taboo by suggesting that Greece should leave the euro zone, at least temporarily, if it could not meet the conditions. After decades of trying to be an unobtrusive team player in Europe or co-steering integration through the Franco-German tandem, Berlin was catapulted into an unwelcome solo leadership role by the euro zone debt crisis that began in 2010. That extra burden of responsibility, due more to French weakness and British indifference than Teutonic ambition, has weighed heavily on Germans who fear it means others trying to pick their pockets without doing their own fair share. Keynsian economists excoriate Germany's export prowess and domestic frugality; southern Europeans resent its prescription of harsh austerity policies; the Americans, British and French deplore its refusal to become more of a military power; and the French lament its reluctance to pay for "more Europe". The firestorm of criticism that has rained down on Berlin since the Greek debt deal has triggered a mixture of self-righteous defiance, soul-searching and a quest for new solutions among the German establishment. Unsurprisingly, the debate is mostly focused on how to ensure better respect for agreed fiscal rules and economic policies rather than how to rebalance current accounts or share wealth or risk between richer and poorer areas of the euro area. Germans may consider the EU, in the words of ex-chancellor Helmut Kohl, a community of destiny ("Schicksalsgemeinschaft"), but most don't want it to become a community of liability ("Haftungsgemeinschaft"). The government's council of independent economic advisers, in a weighty 58-page special report last week, proposed an orderly insolvency mechanism for states in the euro zone leading to an exit from the currency area "as a last resort". The panel also called for adding new padlocks to the EU treaty's "no bailout" clause to exclude any transfer of liability from one member state to another, and ruled out any joint euro zone budget or common unemployment insurance benefit. "In a currency union, the basic rules must be adhered to and for this reason the exit of a member state should not be taboo, for otherwise partners are susceptible to blackmail," council member Lars Feld told reporters. There is, however, more creative thinking afoot, even in such bastions of orthodoxy as the German Finance Ministry. Schaeuble, a lifelong European integrationist uneasy at being fingered as the man who tried to force Greece out, let it be known via the magazine Der Spiegel that he could imagine a finance minister for the euro zone under European parliamentary supervision and with his own budget. Those ideas are olive branches to France which wants a stronger economic government for the 19-nation currency area, a euro zone parliament and a fiscal shock-absorber to support countries that hit on hard times. Schaeuble's ministry denied a report in the conservative Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that he had proposed stripping the European Commission of key powers to regulate competition and the EU single market. His concern is to put a body less susceptible to political influence than the Commission in charge of applying the bloc's budget rules - a swipe at Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and his Economics Commissioner Pierre Moscovici, seen as too soft on Greece and on France. German officials are open to the idea of a specific parliament for the euro zone to make decisions more democratic - either a sub-set of the existing European Parliament or a hybrid of the EU legislature and members of national parliaments. Typically for her cautious leadership style, Merkel is observing and possibly encouraging this debate to ease pressure from the Greece crisis, without showing her own preferences yet. That may come in October when EU leaders discuss a report by Juncker and the heads of other EU institutions for strengthening the governance of the euro zone. (Writing by Paul Taylor; editing by Ralph Boulton)

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ANALYSIS-Germans fret over Europe's future but still believe

BRUSSELS, Aug 3- The battle for Europe will be won or lost in Germany. The aftermath of the euro zone's ugly all-night summit on the Greek debt crisis that ended on July 13 with a deal on stringent, intrusive terms for negotiating a third bailout has sent shockwaves across Europe, especially in Germany. "When you tour European countries, there aren't many that are...