user: Q:
James P. Rubin, Recently of Bloomberg Views, Is New Cuomo Appointee
James P. Rubin, who was forced out as co-editor of the opinion section of Bloomberg News, a service owned by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, appears to have found another powerful patron: Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.

Mr. Cuomo appointed Mr. Rubin as a board member of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which oversees large swaths of the transportation system in both states, and as a senior adviser at the Empire State Development Corporation.

Mr. Rubin, who was assistant secretary of state for public affairs under President Bill Clinton, was appointed a co-editor of the new Bloomberg View with much fanfare in December 2010 — a personal choice of Mr. Bloomberg, who decided to dip his toes into opinion journalism.

But Mr. Rubin, who had no formal journalism training, quickly clashed with some co-workers and seemed ill at ease with editing, according to those who worked with him.

In his new post, Mr. Rubin said in a statement, he will try to use his experience to make the Port Authority an “engine of international trade for the New York region.”
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After a brief and turbulent stint working for Mr. Bloomberg's company, James Rubin finds a new patron in the governor, and a new position on the Port Authority board.
Q:
James Franco on his 'intimate' selfies: 'It's not like I'm exposing myself'
Director and actor James Franco poses during a photocall for the film "As I Lay Dying" at the 66th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes May 20, 2013.Reuters

Actor James Franco smiles during ceremonies unveiling his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, in Hollywood March 7, 2013. REUTERS/Fred Prouser (UNITED STATES - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT) - RTR3EPJH

James Franco says his recent Instagram postings of him in bed — alone or not — is his way of sharing a "very kind of intimate portrait" of himself and to get people talking.

"It's not like I'm exposing myself or anything," he said in an interview Thursday.

Franco calls selfies and Instagram phenomena "that I am just playing around with like everybody else" to see what kind of reaction it evokes. He says when he takes pictures of himself, "It's almost like it's connected to you" and that by putting "that intimate space out there it's kind of this new thing that we're all getting used to."

He also says that it "obviously causes a lot of stir," noting that he was being asked about the photos by reporters.

The actor, author and director wrote in a New York Times essay last December titled "The Meanings Of The Selfie" that he has "become increasingly addicted to Instagram" and acknowledged that he has "been accused of posting too many of them."

Franco was recently caught trying to pick up a Scottish teenage girl on the photo-sharing app. He later apologized on the morning talk show "Live With Kelly and Michael," saying he used "bad judgment" and "learned my lesson."

Lately the actor, who currently stars in Broadway's "Of Mine and Men," has been posting shirtless photos of himself in bed. He even posted one this week showing him in bed with one of the stars of "Pretty Little Liars" with the caption, "BED SELFIE WITH KEEGAN ALLEN!!!!! TIME TO GO NUTS!!!!" Another selfie Keegan posted showed Franco smiling and that Keegan was wearing pants under their blanket.

Keegan has worked with Franco on three recent films: "The Sound and the Fury," ''Bukowski" and "Palo Alto," which Franco was promoting in the interview and will be released on May 9.

"Palo Alto" is a coming of age tale that focuses on the complications, emotions and romantic highs and lows of teens in high school. It is based on several linked stories Franco authored, also stars Emma Roberts and was directed by Francis Ford Coppola's granddaughter Gia.

Franco, who went to high school in Palo Alto in the 1990s, describes adolescence as a "the major moment of transition" that is filled with "built-in drama."
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A:


assistant: James Franco says his recent Instagram postings of him in bed — alone or not — is his way of sharing a very kind of intimate portrait of himself and to get people talking.