url stringlengths 36 564 | archive stringlengths 80 537 | title stringlengths 0 1.04k | date stringlengths 10 14 | text stringlengths 0 457k | summary stringlengths 1 35.4k | compression float64 0 8.38k | coverage float64 0 1 | density float64 0 444 | compression_bin stringclasses 3 values | coverage_bin stringclasses 3 values | density_bin stringclasses 3 values |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/beauty/hair-nails/best-beauty-salons-around-uk/ | http://web.archive.org/web/20161228112950id_/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/beauty/hair-nails/best-beauty-salons-around-uk/ | The best beauty salons around the UK for all your pre-New Year's Eve treatments | 20161228112950 | Pastille can sort out your nails in 20 minutes with their Dash Mani, or if you're looking for a more prolonged experience you can go for the 50 minute Spa Mani. Not only do they do nails very well, they're also a community-friendly company who link up with local charities to do good in the area. A guilt-free mani or pedi...
Find it: 3, Waterman's Place, Granary Wharf, Leeds LS1 4GL. 0113 246 0700.
This cosy spot in the city centre is the perfect relaxing hideaway before the storm of the party starts. Opt for a gel manicure to last you right the way through to January or a normal one if you're just looking for a quick-party-fix.
Find it: 78 Gloucester Rd, Bristol BS7 8BF. 0117 942 7116.
Perfect 10 Mobile Beauty Service, London | New Year's Eve is around the corner and for many of us, this means celebrations. | 9.388889 | 0.444444 | 0.444444 | low | low | abstractive |
http://www.nytimes.com/1972/11/25/archives/search-for-boggs-is-suspended-as-weather-in-alaska-worsens-search.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20161229173330id_/http://www.nytimes.com/1972/11/25/archives/search-for-boggs-is-suspended-as-weather-in-alaska-worsens-search.html | Search for Boggs Is Suspended As Weather in Alaska Worsens | 20161229173330 | While the search for the Boggs plane has now been called off, neither Representa tive has been declared dead or presumed dead.
The first step toward such an official declaration is expected within the next two weeks with the convening of a special jury in Alaska. Under Alaska law, anyone can file a petition call ing upon the courts to declare a missing person presumed dead. The court then names a special six‐man jury to hear witnesses.
Jury findings of presumed dead must be unanimous. A judge must then approve the findings, and only then could Gov. William A. Egan of Alaska call a special election to fill the Begich vacancy.
While Louisiana has no law dealing with presumption of death, it is believed that such a ruling by the Alaska courts would be viewed as legal grounds for ruling Mr. Boggs presumed dead. At that time, Gov. Edwin Edwards of Loui siana could call a special elec tion.
The wives of the two men have indicated that they will seek their seats in the House if special elections are called.
Mr. Boggs was just 26, the youngest man in Congress, when he first entered the House in 1941. A fiercely deter mined man, an ear‐shattering orator, a masterful politician, a sternly partisan Democrat, he edged his way from one posi tion of power to another, finally emerging as House majority leader and one of the most in fluential men in Congress.
It has not always been easy. Fellow Southerners felt he was too much of a “national Demo crat.” Northerners felt he was too much of a “Southern Democrat.” And there were long months, before his election as majority leader nearly two years ago, when he was so beset with personal problems and ill health that the serious ness of his candidacy was ini tially questioned.
To those who dismissed his candidacy for the leadership post, he would say calmly: “A wise politician once told me that politics is played in the present tense. We don't know what the present tense will be.”
Opposed by Democrats from both the right and the left, he doubled his efforts, reminding fellow members of past favors he had bestowed on them, of campaign speeches he had made on their behalf. He won on the second ballot, outpolling his principal opponent, Rep resentative Morris K. Udall of Arizona, by a margin of nearly 2 to 1.
Musing about the leadership election and some of his earlier trials in winning re‐election to the House, Mr. Boggs remarked a year or so ago: “One reason they have never succeeded in defeating me, no matter how much they have spent, is the fact that we have always helped people.”
Until his disappearance, he was still pursuing that course. hoping some day to become Speaker of the House. Unop posed for re‐election to his House seat in the Nov. 7 elec tion, he had promised to cam paign for many of his fellow Democrats facing tough races.
To keep that pledge, he took a plane for Alaska to campaign for Representative Nick Begich, a fellow Democrat. There were dozens of other such campaign trips on his schedule.
His effectiveness as a crowd pleaser has never been ques tioned, by either the left or the right. He once injected a sense of high drama into a simple mess of turnip greens, as witness the wild cheers of the trainside crowds as the Lady Bird Johnson campaign special rolled through the South in the fall of 1964.
“On this great long train we had grits for breakfast!” he cried. There were loud cheers.
“And we gonna have turnip greens and black‐eyed peas for lunch,” he roared (more cheers).
“And after talkin' to a mil lion Southerners we gonna have crawfish bisque, red beans and rice and Creole gumbo for din ner,” he concluded, bringing more shrieks of joy from the crowd.
That represents the homey side of the big man from Loui siana, a Southerner with a gusty appetite for good food, good, liquor and lavish garden parties that he hashad his wife, Lindy, hold yearly at their suburban Washington mansion.
More often, he has been al moody intellectual, a deeply de vout Roman Catholic, pursuing a lonely course that he knew would alienate his Southern companions in the House and white voters in his New Orleans district.
He voted against early civil rights measures but supported the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the open housing legisla tion a few years later.
There were moments of high drama that day in 1965 when he strode to the well of the House and, his voice booming into the far reaches of the vast chamber, began:
“I wish I could stand here, as a man who loves my state, born and reared in the South, who has spent every year or his life in Louisiana since he was 5 years old, and say there has not been discrimination.
“But, unfortunately, it is not so,” he told the hushed gather ing. “I shall support the bill because I believe the funda mental right to vote must be a part of this great experiment in human progress under free dom which is America.”
The pressures that were to lead to his near breakdown began building during those years of the nineteen‐sixties. As majority whip, he helped steer through Congress much of the Great Society legislation—such as Medicare and school aid— of his old friend, President Johnson.
He served, too, on the House Ways and Means Committee, a demanding assignment. He was a member of the Warren Com mission that investigated the assassination of President Ken nedy, another old friend. And he was a member of the Presi dent's Committee on Violence and numerous other commit tees and commissions.
But it was not until 1968 that he began showing signs of breaking. Once again, he teamed up with civil rights forces by voting for open hous ing, then flew off to Chicago to preside over the drafting of an unusually liberal platform for a Democratic convention that was to end with rioting in the streets.
He left the debris of Chicago, an exhausted man, to face the toughest fight of his career, his own bid for re‐election. He won, but in the months that followed, his often erratic be havior, both on and off the floor of the House, threatened to thwart his ambition to be come majority leader some day.
In winning the majority lead ership, he overcame many obstacles. Liberals felt that his elevation from majority whip to majority leader would mark no break with what they viewed as “the tired leadership of the past.”
There was concern, too, when word spread that a Baltimore contractor had remodeled the white‐columned Bethesda man sion of Mr. and Mrs. Boggs at “substantially below cost” and had later sought Mr. Boggs's aid in pressing a claim for $5‐ million in extra payment for a Capitol garage.
There were those who ques tioned his emotional stability, too, after he had informed the House, in a rambling, often incoherent speech, that his home and office had been “bugged” by the Federal Bu reau of Investigation—a charge that he has never proved but maintained was true.
While the leadership team of Speaker Carl Albert and Major ity Leader Boggs was criticized by younger, liberal, Democrats as “just more of the same tired old leadership,” Mr. Boggs often won applause from fellow Democrats for his partisan at tacks on President Nixon and Congressional Republicans and it was Hale Boggs, the skilled orator, to whom they turned for campaign help in the wan ing weeks before the November election.
Thomas Hale Boggs (he never used his first name) was born on Feb. 15, 1914, in the Gulf Coast town of Long Beach, Miss. His family later moved to Jefferson Parish, La., just west of New Orleans.
With a scholarship and just $35, he entered Tulane Univer sity, where he studied journal ism and law. By the time he graduated with a law degree and a Phi Beta Kappa key in 1937, he was making $400 a month, working on the copy desk of The New Orleans States and selling radios, chewing gum, clothing and candy in his spare moments.
As a young lawyer, he be came leader of a New Orleans reform group that temporarily broke the power of the old Huey Long political machine. Years later, however, he was backed by Huey Long's son, Senator Russell B. Long, in an unsuccessful bid for Governor in 1951.
His national political debut came with election to Congress in 1940, but he was defeated two years later and served in the Navy in World War II be fore making a House comeback in 1946.
He became a protégé of House Speaker Sam Rayburn of Texas and in 1960 played a key role in urging his old friend, Lyndon Johnson, to ac cept the Vice‐Presidential spot on John Kennedy's ticket, de spite the initial misgivings of Speaker Rayburn.
“If you don't want Johnson to run, it means you elect Richard Nixon,” Mr. Boggs in formed the Speaker, who had insisted that Mr. Johnson turn down the Kennedy offer.
Two years later, with the death of Speaker Rayburn, Mr. Boggs began his political climb, becoming majority whip under Speaker John W. McCormack. As ranking Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee, he was a leading oil protection ist but also an articulate spokesman for liberal foreign trade policies.
He was a stanch supporter, too, of President Johnson's Vietnam policies and, while critical of President Nixon's domestic programs, he sup ported Mr. Nixon's handling of the Vietnam war.
In early summer, Mr. Boggs and his wife and the House minority leader, Gerald R. Ford, and his wife visited China, not long after President Nixon's historic visit there.
Witty and urbane, Mr. Boggs was once voted by Congres sional secretaries as “the most charming man on Capitol Hill.” He was also a notable host with a deep appreciation of good food.
Often, he has been host at luncheons in his Capitol office, serving vegetables from his small home garden, which he tended. A special favorite was the sweet corn, a hybrid pro duced by the one‐time Vice President, Henry A. Wallace. On the long table, too, would ap pear mounds of shrimp and crabs, flown in from Louisiana and cooked the night before by Mr. Boggs.
For their annual garden party—usually the largest and gayest Congressional fete of ?? year—Hale and Lindy Boggs also did most of their own cooking.
The Boggses—she is the former Corinne Morrison Cli borne—were married in 1938 and have three children. One daughter is Mrs. Steven V. Roberts, wife of the Los An geles bureau chief of The New York Times. Another, Mrs. Paul Sigmund, is the wife of a pro fessor at Princeton University. A son, Thomas Hale Boggs Jr., ran unsuccessfully for Congress from Maryland in 1970 and is a lawyer and lobbyist in Wash ington.
We are continually improving the quality of our text archives. Please send feedback, error reports, and suggestions to archive_feedback@nytimes.com.
A version of this archives appears in print on November 25, 1972, on Page 1 of the New York edition with the headline: Search for Boggs Is Suspended As Weather in Alaska Worsens. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe | Illus of Mrs Nixon during Oct 24 visit to NYC with family | 184.666667 | 0.583333 | 0.583333 | high | low | abstractive |
http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/college-game-plan/kent-state-opens-country-s-first-entirely-gluten-free-campus-n643881 | http://web.archive.org/web/20161229174105id_/http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/college-game-plan/kent-state-opens-country-s-first-entirely-gluten-free-campus-n643881 | Kent State Opens What It Says Is First Gluten-Free Campus Dining Hall | 20161229174105 | Classic college fare such as pizza, burritos, and grilled cheese are on the menu at Kent State's Prentice Cafe, an entirely gluten-free dining hall that the university says is the first of its kind.
While many colleges offer gluten-free stations within dining halls, Prentice Cafe is the first certified all-gluten-free campus dining facility in America, according to the Ohio university.
That means there's no risk of cross-contamination during food preparation to allow traces of gluten into a meal, which can severely impact sufferers of celiac disease — an autoimmune disorder where the body cannot process the wheat protein.
Special section: Get tips and advice about college at College Game Plan
School officials say a rise in students who can't — or choose not to — eat gluten prompted them to designate a dining hall specifically for them.
"For the last several years, the increase in food intolerances and celiac disease and those who have even minor gluten intolerances kept increasing," Kent State Director of Dining Services Richard Roldan told NBC News. "A lot of parents kept coming in and stressing about the well-being of their students and having options that wouldn't make them sick."
Chefs cook up omelets with bacon and other sides at Kent State University's Prentice Cafe, the only entirely gluten-free campus dining hall in America, according to the school. Courtesy of Kent State University
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. About 3 million Americans suffer celiac, a genetic autoimmune disease which leads to damage to the lining of the small intestine, Symptoms include pain, fatigue and diarrhea when foods with gluten, such as bread or pasta, are consumed. A small number of people have an allergy to wheat, which has similar symptoms.
Millions of others avoid gluten for perceived health reasons, although nutritionists question whether going gluten-free actually has benefits. Many gluten-free foods use rice as a substitute and may lack key nutrients found in whole grains. Also, gluten-free products tend to have have more fat and sugar than foods with gluten, which can lead to weight gain.
Either way, sales of gluten-free products have surged in recent years as the number of people foregoing it in the U.S. tripled between 2009 and 2014, according to a new study out this week.
But despite the spike in popularity, there's been no effect on the prevalence of celiac disease. Diagnoses appear to have remained stable in recent years, according to the article published by JAMA Internal Medicine on Tuesday.
One clear benefit in recent years of the gluten-free movement, according to the Kent State dining officials: gluten-free products taste a lot better — and a lot closer to their gluten counterparts than they used to.
Related: Fearing the Freshman 15? College Wants to Help You Avoid It
"The manager and chef at [Prentice Cafe] have done a lot of sampling of different products out there to find the ones that really taste the best, so students who don't need to eat gluten-free come in and are enjoying it too," dining services dietitian Megan Brzuski told NBC News.
Erin Mazzotta, 19, just started her freshman year at Kent State. She was diagnosed with celiac in third grade and knew Prentice had food options for her when she was applying, but didn't know it was going to be entirely gluten-free as of this year.
The Pittsburgh native was thrilled when she found out, especially after her experiences going out to eat growing up.
"A lot of restaurants do offer gluten-free menus, but it's a little bit of a risk. You have to trust them when they're cooking your food and handling it," she said.
Related: Nation's First Pizza ATM Opens at Xavier University in Cincinnati
Kent State earned certification from the Gluten-Free Food Services Certification Program, a food safety program offered through the Gluten Intolerance Group, for Prentice Cafe. Traditional gluten products are easily subbed out for things like tortillas made from corn for burritos, and gluten-free hamburger buns that have good taste and texture, Roldan said.
The food is "really good," Mazzotta said.
"With gluten-free foods, sometimes you can tell it's a little bit off, but all the different meals there have been spot-on," she said, adding that her friends who aren't gluten-free join her for meals there.
For students who don't require a gluten-free diet, Prentice Cafe can still meet all their nutritional needs, Brzuski said.
"The cafe still has a wide variety of options," she said. "There's still a salad bar with plenty of lean protein, plenty of other options. Eating gluten-free is just a benefit." | Prentice Cafe, which serves pizza, burritos, and grilled cheese, is the first entirely gluten-free campus dining facility in America, Kent State says. | 31.566667 | 0.966667 | 4.233333 | medium | high | mixed |
http://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/bank-stocks-still-have-lots-of-room-to-run-1478271432 | http://web.archive.org/web/20161230114733id_/http://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/bank-stocks-still-have-lots-of-room-to-run-1478271432 | Bank Stocks Still Have Lots of Room to Run | 20161230114733 | Bank stocks have recovered nicely from two panic episodes earlier this year. Now, they could be poised to march higher.
Fears of a global economic slowdown at the start of this year, and of the fallout from the Brexit referendum over the summer, triggered selloffs in U.S. bank shares. Investor anxiety centered around interest rates—that risk aversion would drag down already low bond yields, or that central banks around the world...
Bank stocks have recovered nicely from two panic episodes earlier this year. Now, they could be poised to march higher.
Fears of a global economic slowdown at the start of this year, and of the fallout from the Brexit referendum over the summer, triggered selloffs in U.S. bank shares. Investor anxiety centered around interest rates—that risk aversion would drag down already low bond yields, or that central banks around the world would push short-term rates further below zero.
Both these market freak outs proved to be good buying opportunities. The KBW Nasdaq Bank Index is now in slightly positive territory for the year, though its 0.5% return still trails the 2% rise in the S&P 500.
This is thanks to a rebound in both growth and inflation in the U.S. economy, which lead to higher interest rates. Solid jobs and wage data on Friday reinforce the positive economic picture. Investors also are expecting postelection fiscal stimulus, which would support rates by expanding the supply of government bonds.
The 10-year U.S. Treasury now yields around 1.8%. That is up from post-Brexit lows of around 1.36%, but still well below the 2.27% rate at the end of last year. Of course, a sudden shock such as an unexpected election outcome on Tuesday could send rates tumbling. But, barring that, they are likely to keep going higher.
This will help commercial banks earn more on loans. Among big U.S. lenders, Bank of America ’s balance sheet is most geared to benefit from rising rates, thanks to a large, low-cost deposit base and big holdings of mortgage-backed securities.
Bank of America states in a recent regulatory filing that its pretax interest income would rise by some $5.3 billion, equivalent to around 20% of this year’s total expected pretax earnings, if short and long-term rates were to both go up by 1 percentage point simultaneously.
That is an extreme scenario, but it helps illustrate how sensitive banks can be to changes in rates. J.P. Morgan Chase says its earnings would rise by $2.8 billion, or 8% of this year’s expected pretax earnings.
A rising rate environment also would generate trading revenue for J.P. Morgan and other Wall Street banks, such as Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, by prompting clients to reposition their portfolios for the new environment.
In a world of high asset prices, banks remain cheap. The S&P 500 financials subindex currently trades at 12 times forward earnings, compared with 16.2 times for the overall index, according to FactSet.
Rising growth could send investors fleeing from defensive sectors, which have soared in value, and into banks and other economically sensitive industries, notes Janus Capital analyst Barrington Pitt Miller.
Investors needn’t worry that they have missed the bottom in bank stocks. There is plenty of upside left.
Write to Aaron Back at aaron.back@wsj.com | Bank stocks have recovered nicely from two panic episodes earlier this year. Now, they could be poised to climb. | 28.909091 | 0.954545 | 18.227273 | medium | high | extractive |
http://www.aol.com/article/2015/11/12/tenants-share-disturbing-horror-stories-about-landlords/21264300/ | http://web.archive.org/web/20161231040544id_/http://www.aol.com/article/2015/11/12/tenants-share-disturbing-horror-stories-about-landlords/21264300/ | Tenants share disturbing horror stories about landlords | 20161231040544 | Before you go, we thought you'd like these...
Over 110 million Americans rent instead of buy their homes.
that nearly 40 percent of US residents deal with landlords.
Of course, several people have positive experiences with rentals, good relationships with their
and are sad to leave if and when they move on to a more permanent home. However, landlords often get a
for being greedy, intrusive and sometimes even going beyond legal means to secure as much money as possible for their tenants. Living with an unsatisfactory landlord can really taint not only how you feel about him or her as a person, but also your overall comfort within your living situation.
Several distressed tenants took to
, the popular app that provides an anonymous platform for people to share their most honest thoughts, to expose some particularly disturbing landlord tales. | It is a really unsettling feeling to know someone who makes you feel unsafe has access to your home | 8.578947 | 0.421053 | 0.526316 | low | low | abstractive |
http://www.aol.com/article/2015/12/04/empire-star-jussie-smollett-no-one-is-safe-on-empire/21278472/ | http://web.archive.org/web/20161231044546id_/http://www.aol.com/article/2015/12/04/empire-star-jussie-smollett-no-one-is-safe-on-empire/21278472/ | OnlyOnAOL: 'Empire' star Jussie Smollett: 'No one is safe on 'Empire!'' | 20161231044546 | Speaking at the "Empire" fall finale viewing party at the Gansevoort Hotel in New York City, Jussie Smollett remembered the hilarious moment that the show's creator, Lee Daniels, delivered the news that he was going to be the new face of Pepsi, joining the likes of Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, and Beyoncé.
"[He] sat me down and said, 'I need to talk to you,'" Smollett recounted -- that's when he asked if he was being taken off the show "because no one is safe on 'Empire.' He said, 'Well, you're not being fired, but we want Jamal to take a sabbatical.'"
Smollett, who plays Jamal Lyon on FOX's hit show, then joked if he should start auditioning for NBC's "The Wiz: Live" now that he was going to be off the show. But Daniels was just kidding around, so that wouldn't be necessary.
"He was quiet for a second and then he was like, 'Stupid b***h you ain't being sent on a sabbatical -- you're the new face of Pepsi!'"
Smollett's partnership with Pepsi goes beyond being a spokesman for the brand in real life: The deal involved a multi-episode story arc in which his character, Jamal, also creates a song and commercial. In some ways, as Smollett said, "exists in a parallel universe."
Being chosen to represent such an iconic brand was a humbling experience for Smollett, who noted that such a partnership was crucial in conveying Jamal's rising star in the fictional music industry represented in "Empire."
"In order to really create a space for fans of the show to see that Jamal is going to the next level of his career, Pepsi is that way of getting that across because we all know that from Michael to Madonna to Beyoncé to Britney -- everybody that they sign are superstars."
Sitting on the panel at the intimate viewing party, Smollett was funny, down-to-earth, and sentimental. He recalled the day that he direct-messaged Daniels on Instagram saying, "Can I please play Jamal?," and expressed his wonderment at how quickly his career has escalated over a "year and some change" to a point where he has his own Pepsi commercial.
His ascendence truly is astounding, and we can't help but feel like it's only just begun.
OnlyOnAOL: 'Empire' star Jussie Smollett: 'No one is safe on 'Empire!''
BEVERLY HILLS, CA - DECEMBER 03: Actor Jussie Smollett attends the 25th annual Children's Defense Fund Beat The Odds Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on December 3, 2015 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic)
NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 02: #NextPepsiArtist Jussie Smollett attends the Pepsi Empire viewing party with at Gansevoort Park Avenue NYC on December 2, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for Pepsi)
ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 14: Jussie Smollett, the face of Sean John 2015 Fall/Holiday campaign, visits Macy's at Lenox Square Mall on November 14, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Marcus Ingram/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - NOVEMBER 07: Actor Jussie Smollett arrives at GLAAD Gala at Hilton San Francisco Union Square on November 7, 2015 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Miikka Skaffari/WireImage)
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 24: Jussie Smollett (L) and Taraji P. Henson attend Entertainment Weekly's first ever 'EW Fest' presented by LG OLED TV on October 24, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Entertainment Weekly)
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 12: Jussie Smollett attends the 'Empire' Series Season 2 New York Premiere at Carnegie Hall on September 12, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by D Dipasupil/FilmMagic)
LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 30: Actor Jussie Smollett attends the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on August 30, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 16: Actors Jussie Smollett (L) and Bryshere 'Yazz' Gray accept the Choice TV Award for Breakout Show for Empire onstage at the Teen Choice Awards 2015 at the USC Galen Center on August 16, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Fox/WireImage)
LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 16: Actor/singer Jussie Smollett performs onstage during the Teen Choice Awards 2015 at the USC Galen Center on August 16, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Fox/WireImage)
LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 08: Actor Jussie Smollett attends HollyRod Foundation's 17th Annual DesignCare Gala at The Lot Studios on August 8, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic)
LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 08: Actor Jussie Smollett attends the HollyRod Foundation's 17th annual DesignCare Gala at The Lot Studios on August 8, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Tiffany Rose/Getty Images for HollyRod Foundation)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - JULY 04: Actor Jussie Smollett attends the 2015 Essence Music Festival - Seminars - Day 3 on July 4, 2015 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Bennett Raglin/WireImage)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 28: Actor Jussie Smollett attends the 2015 BET Awards at the Microsoft Theater on June 28, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic) | Jussie Smollett, one of the breakout stars of FOX's 'Empire,' talks about the show, creator Lee Daniels, and his partnership with Pepsi. | 36.9 | 0.9 | 1.833333 | high | medium | mixed |
http://www.aol.com/article/2015/07/22/this-man-built-a-voice-controlled-panoramic-mancave-in-the-sky/21212679/ | http://web.archive.org/web/20161231054246id_/http://www.aol.com/article/2015/07/22/this-man-built-a-voice-controlled-panoramic-mancave-in-the-sky/21212679/ | This man built a voice-controlled, panoramic man cave in the sky | 20161231054246 | Before you go, we thought you'd like these...
This is the ultimate tech man cave: it's voice controlled, it's solar powered, it's panoramic, and it's 33 feet up in the air.
The usual basement with a
, pool table, fridge and recliner was not enough for this guy.
33 year-old plastic engineer and graphic designer Jono Williams built the
, an alien looking tower where he can connect with his inner self.
"The ultimate man cave to me is to have beers served to your hand while you're sitting on the couch. The arm rest has a coaster that goes down then comes back up with a beer on it, a good entertainment system, PlayStation, all being 10 meters up in the air with a cool view."
The cost of the project was about $50,000 dollars.More from AOL.com:Watch 2 huge lions chase their prey through cars on the streetThis is what a breathable cocktail bar looks likeSolving a Rubik's cube is easier than you think: here is how | This is the ultimate tech man cave: it's voice controlled, it's solar powered, it's panoramic, and it's 33 feet up in the air. The usual basement with a home theater, pool | 5.447368 | 0.815789 | 4.447368 | low | medium | mixed |
http://www.aol.com/article/2015/10/20/am-daily-buzz-bindi-and-derek-shine-on-dwts-a-gilmore-girls/21251324/ | http://web.archive.org/web/20161231062557id_/http://www.aol.com/article/2015/10/20/am-daily-buzz-bindi-and-derek-shine-on-dwts-a-gilmore-girls/21251324/ | AM Daily Buzz: Bindi and Derek shine on 'DWTS', a 'Gilmore Girls' revival in the works and more! | 20161231062557 | Before you go, we thought you'd like these...
Happy Tuesday and welcome to your AM Daily Buzz! Check out the hottest stories in pop culture below.
Bindi Irwin and Derek Hough
"Dirty Dancing" routine on "DWTS"
" trailer is here (and it's mind-blowingly good)!
Coco Austin's baby bump at 7 months is
in ''Hotline Bling'' music video—watch now!
Oprah Winfrey pays $43 million (
) to become a partial owner of Weight Watchers.
Ryan Adams interviews Taylor Swift for GQ,
Taylor Swift style transformation through the years
AM Daily Buzz: Bindi and Derek shine on 'DWTS', a 'Gilmore Girls' revival in the works and more!
LAS VEGAS - MAY 13: Musician Taylor Swift performs onstage during the rehearsals for the 42nd Academy of Country Music Awards held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 13, 2007 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS - MAY 15: ***EXCLUSIVE/MINIMUM PRICING*** Singer/songwriter Taylor Swift performs onstage during the 42nd Annual Academy Of Country Music Awards All-Star Jam held at the MGM Grand Conference Center on May 15, 2007 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/ACMA/Getty Images for ACMA)
NASHVILLE, TN - NOVEMBER 07: Singer Taylor Swift poses with the 'Horizon Award' onstage at the 41st Annual CMA Awards at the Sommet Center on November 7, 2007 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Scott Gries/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN - NOVEMBER 07: Singer/songwriter Taylor Swift receives award on stage at the 41st Annual CMA Awards at the Sommet Center on November 7, 2007 in Nashville TN. (Photo by Rick Diamond/WireImage)
NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 28: Singer Taylor Swift attends the 75th annual Rockefeller Center tree lighting ceremony November 28, 2007 in New York City. (Photo by Scott Gries/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 08: Country singer Taylor Swift arrives to the 'Verizon Wireless & People Magazine's Pre-Grammy Party' at Avalon Hollywood on February 8, 2008 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)
NASHVILLE, TN - APRIL 14: Musician Taylor Swift attends the 2008 CMT Music Awards at Curb Event Center at Belmont University on April 14, 2008 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Rick Diamond/WireImage)
Singer Taylor Swift arrives at Hollywood Life MagazineÂs 10th Annual Young Hollywood Awards at the Avalon on April 27, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jeff Vespa/WireImage)
NEW YORK - MAY 05: Musician Taylor Swift departs from the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala, Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS - MAY 18: Singer/songwriter Taylor Swift arrives at the 43rd annual Academy Of Country Music Awards held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 18, 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS - MAY 18: Singer/songwriter Taylor Swift arrives at the 43rd annual Academy Of Country Music Awards held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 18, 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS - MAY 17: Recording Artist Taylor Swift performs during the Academy of Country Music New Artists' Party for a Cause show at the MGM Grand Hotel/Casino on May 17, 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
NEW YORK - JUNE 16: (U.S. TABS OUT) Musician Taylor Swift appears onstage during MTV's Total Request Live on June 16, 2008 at the MTV Times Square Studios in New York City. (Photo by Scott Gries/Getty Images)
NEW YORK - JUNE 16: (U.S. TABS OUT) Musician Taylor Swift performs onstage during MTV's Total Request Live on June 16, 2008 at the MTV Times Square Studios in New York City. (Photo by Scott Gries/Getty Images)
(EXCLUSIVE, Premium Rates Apply) Singer Taylor Swift is photographed behind the scenes at Us Weekly's cover shoot on September 24, 2008 in Los Angeles, California.
NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 10: Country musician Taylor Swift visits 'Late Show with David Letterman' at the Ed Sullivan Theater November 10, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Jeffrey Ufberg/WireImage)
NASHVILLE, TN - NOVEMBER 12: Musician Taylor Swift attends the 42nd Annual CMA Awards at the Sommet Center on November 12, 2008 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jemal Countess/WireImage)
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 23: Singer Taylor Swift arrives at the 2008 American Music Awards held at Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE on November 23, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage)
Taylor Swift . during 51st Annual GRAMMY Awards - Salute To Icons: Clive Davis - Arrivals at Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, CA, United States. (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage)
Singer Taylor Swift arrives at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center on February 8, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 11: Taylor Swift attends the Sydney premiere of '17 Again' at Hoyts Cinema at the Entertainment Quarter on March 11, 2009 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Gaye Gerard/Getty Images)
LONDON - FEBRUARY 18: Taylor Swift arrives at the BRIT Awards 2009 at Earls Court on February 18, 2009 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Marsland/WireImage)
Singer Taylor Swift arrives at the 44th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards Arrivals at the MGM Grand Arena on April 5, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)
HOLLYWOOD - APRIL 02: Singer Taylor Swift arrives at the Los Angeles Premiere 'Hannah Montana: The Movie' at the El Capitan Theatre on April 2, 2009 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Barry King/FilmMagic)
LAS VEGAS - APRIL 05: Music artist Taylor Swift accepts the Crystal Milestone Award during the 44th annual Academy of Country Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena April 5, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS - APRIL 06: ***EXCLUSIVE*** Singer Taylor Swift poses backstage during the 44th annual Academy Of Country Music Awards' Artist of the Decade held at the MGM Grand on April 6, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Rick Diamond/ACM2009/Getty Images for ACM)
NEW YORK - MAY 29: Singer Taylor Swift performs on NBC's 'Today' at Rockefeller Center on May 29, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic)
ENTERPRISE, AL - JUNE 04: Singer/Songwriter Taylor Swift performs at the 2009 BamaJam Music and Arts Festival on June 4, 2009 in Enterprise, Alabama. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN - JUNE 16: Singer/songwriter Taylor Swift attends the 2009 CMT Music Awards at the Sommet Center on June 16, 2009 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - AUGUST 23: Taylor Swift sighting on August 23, 2009 in London, England. (Photo by Sylvia Linares/FilmMagic)
NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 13: Musician Taylor Swift attends the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall on September 13, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage)
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 23: Taylor Swift performs on ABC's 'Good Morning America' at ABC Studios on October 23, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Charles Eshelman/FilmMagic)
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 23: Singer Taylor Swift arrives to 'Late Show with David Letterman' at Ed Sullivan Theater on October 23, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Jeffrey Ufberg/WireImage)
NASHVILLE, TN - NOVEMBER 01: Taylor Swift performs during the 46th annual CMA awards at the Bridgestone Arena on November 1, 2012 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/FilmMagic)
NASHVILLE, TN - NOVEMBER 01: Recording Artist Taylor Swift attends the 46th annual CMA Awards at the Bridgestone Arena on November 1, 2012 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)
FRANKFURT AM MAIN, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 11: (EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE) Singer Taylor Swift attends the MTV EMA's 2012 at Festhalle Frankfurt on November 11, 2012 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. (Photo by Dave Hogan/MTV 2012/Getty Images for MTV)
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - NOVEMBER 07: Taylor Swift seen at her hotel on November 7, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Neil Mockford/FilmMagic)
FRANKFURT AM MAIN, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 11: Taylor Swift performs onstage during the MTV EMA's 2012 at Festhalle Frankfurt on November 11, 2012 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 17: Taylor Swift and her girlfriend Selena Gomez are seen on November 17, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
HOLLYWOOD, CA - NOVEMBER 15: Taylor Swift onstage at FOX's 'The X Factor' Season 2 Top 11 to 10 Live Elimination Show on November 15, 2012 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by FOX via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 12: Taylor Swift is seen on November 12, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by JB Lacroix/WireImage)
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 18: Musician Taylor Swift attends the 40th American Music Awards held at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on November 18, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 18: Singer Taylor Swift performs onstage at the 40th American Music Awards held at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on November 18, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alexandra Wyman/AMA2012/FilmMagic)
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 18: Singer Taylor Swift performs onstage during the 40th American Music Awards held at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on November 18, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/AMA2012/Getty Images for AMA)
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 29: Taylor Swift arrives at the 26th Annual ARIA Awards 2012 at the Sydney Entertainment Centre on November 29, 2012 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Caroline McCredie/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 01: Musician Taylor Swift performs onstage during KIIS FM's 2012 Jingle Ball at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on December 1, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images for Clear Channel)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 09: Actress Taylor Swift attends the 2013 People's Choice Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on January 9, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage)
BEVERLY HILLS, CA - JANUARY 13: Singer Taylor Swift arrives at the 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 13, 2013 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage)
MADRID, SPAIN - JANUARY 24: Taylor Swift arrives to '40 Principales Awards' 2012 at the Palacio de Deportes on January 24, 2013 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Fotonoticias/FilmMagic)
LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 10: Singer Taylor Swift arrives at the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards at Staples Center on February 10, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 10: Taylor Swift performs onstage during the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards at STAPLES Center on February 10, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 20: Taylor Swift attends the Brit Awards at 02 Arena on February 20, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Marsland/WireImage)
NEWARK, NJ - MARCH 27: (Exclusive Coverage) Taylor Swift performs on stage at the Prudential Center on March 27, 2013 in Newark, New Jersey. Seven-time GRAMMY winner Taylor Swift plays 3 sold-out NY area shows at the Prudential Center this week on The RED Tour. Taylor plays electric guitar, banjo, piano and acoustic guitar and changes costumes 10 times over the course of the evening. The North American portion of The RED Tour will play 66 shows (including 13 stadium stops) in 47 cities in 29 states and 3 provinces spanning 6 months in 2013. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/TAS/Getty Images for TAS)
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 27: Taylor Swift sighting on March 27, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Alo Ceballos/FilmMagic)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 25: Recording artist Taylor Swift attends the 56th annual GRAMMY Awards Pre-GRAMMY Gala and Salute to Industry Icons honoring Lucian Grainge at The Beverly Hilton on January 25, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 20: Taylor Swift and Jaime King are seen as they arrive for lunch in Beverly Hills on January 20, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by GONZALO/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 19: Taylor Swift is seen as she goes shopping on January 19, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by GONZALO/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 26: Recording artist Taylor Swift attends the 56th GRAMMY Awards at Staples Center on January 26, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage)
LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 23: Taylor Swift is seen on February 23, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 12: Taylor Swift seen at LAX airport on February 12, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by GVK/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 25: Taylor Swift is seen in the West Village on March 25, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Alo Ceballos/GC Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 26: Taylor Swift is seen on March 26, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Ignat/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - APRIL 06: Singer/songwriter Taylor Swift attends the 49th Annual Academy Of Country Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 6, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 03: Model Karlie Kloss and singer Taylor Swift are seen coming out of Tracy Anderson 'GYM' in tribeca on April 3, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Raymond Hall/GC Images)
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 03: Model Karlie Kloss and Taylor Swift iare seen walking in Soho on April 3, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Raymond Hall/GC Images)
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 09: Taylor Swift is seen in the Meatpacking District on April 9, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Alo Ceballos/GC Images)
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 22: Singer Taylor Swift seen on the streets of Manhattan on April 22, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Stewart/GC Images)
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 16: Singer Taylor Swift is seen in Soho on April 16, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Raymond Hall/GC Images)
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 15: Singer Taylor Swift is seen in Soho on April 15, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Raymond Hall/GC Images)
NARITA, JAPAN - MAY 31: Taylor Swift is seen upon arrival at Narita International Airport on May 31, 2014 in Narita, Japan. (Photo by Jun Sato/GC Images)
SHANGHAI, CHINA - MAY 30: (CHINA OUT) Taylor Swift performs on the stage in concert at Mercedes-Benz Arena on May 30, 2014 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by ChinaFotoPress/ChinaFotoPress via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JULY 14: Taylor Swift and Karlie Kloss are seen in Tribeca on July 14, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Alo Ceballos/GC Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JULY 22: Taylor Swift is seen in the East Village on July 22, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Alo Ceballos/GC Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 10: Recording artist Taylor Swift attends FOX's 2014 Teen Choice Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on August 10, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)
HOLLYWOOD, CA - OCTOBER 27: The wax figure of singer Taylor Swift is unveiled at Madame Tussauds Hollywood on October 27, 2014 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images)
Taylor Swift arrives at the MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on Sunday, Aug. 24, 2014, in Inglewood, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Taylor Swift attends the world premiere of "The Giver" at the Ziegfeld Theatre on Monday, Aug. 11, 2014, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
NEW YORK, NY - JULY 11: Taylor Swift leaving her apartment with her white cat Olivia Benson in New York, New York on July 11, 2014. Photo Credit: mpi67 / MediaPunch/IPX
NEW YORK, NY - JULY 11: Taylor Swift with her mother Andrea Swift and father Scott Swift in New York, New York on July 11, 2014. Photo Credit: mpi67 / MediaPunch/IPX
Taylor Swift attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating "Charles James: Beyond Fashion" on Monday, May 5, 2014, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
Taylor Swift arrives at the 71st annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday, Jan. 12, 2014, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Taylor Swift poses backstage with the awards for favorite album - country for "Red", favorite female artist - pop/rock, favorite female artist - country, and artist of the year at the American Music Awards at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2013, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Singer Taylor Swift performs on the runway during the 2013 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show at the 69th Regiment Armory on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2013 in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
Taylor Swift arrives at the 47th annual CMA Awards at Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013, in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 24: Singer Taylor Swift performs onstage during CBS Radio's We Can Survive at the Hollywood Bowl (presented by 5 Hour Energy) on October 24, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for CBS Radio Inc.)
Recording artist Taylor Swift arrives at the premiere of "Romeo and Juliet" at the ArcLight on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2013 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Paul A. Hebert/Invision/AP)
Taylor Swift poses backstage with the award for Best Female Video for "I Knew You Were Trouble" at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, Aug. 25, 2013, at the Barclays Center in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
Taylor Swift during 42nd Academy of Country Music Awards - Arrivals at MGM Grand Hotel and Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 06: Singer Taylor Swift is seen in Soho on August 6, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Raymond Hall/GC Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JULY 30: Singer Taylor Swift is seen on July 30, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by XPX/Star Max/GC Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 10: Singer Taylor Swift arrives at the 2014 Teen Choice Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on August 10, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)
Taylor Swift arrives at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) | New 'Star Wars' trailer is released, 'Gilmore Girls' revival on Netflix and more from your AM Daily Buzz. | 171.333333 | 0.875 | 2.375 | high | medium | mixed |
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/30/international/europe/30forum.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20060614123848id_/http://www.nytimes.com:80/2005/01/30/international/europe/30forum.html?ex=1264741200&en=e2a5b3f3c9e973aa&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland | At Forum, Leaders Confront Annual Enigma of China | 20060614123848 | AVOS, Switzerland, Jan. 29 - In almost every panel discussion at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum here, there comes a moment when somebody mentions China.
A hush typically ensues, as panelists draw their breath, gather their thoughts and struggle to put the bewildering vastness of the topic into a few words.
"China is going to be the change agent for the next 20 years," said Bill Gates, the chairman of Microsoft, when asked about the country's future by the television interview host Charlie Rose.
China's staggering potential, coupled with the steep language barrier and cultural discomfort of many Chinese who come to this conference, has made it Davos's annual enigma.
After three days of outsiders' dissecting its motives and prospects, China finally took the stage on Saturday, with a speech by its executive vice prime minister, Huang Ju.
"China's development will by no means pose a threat to other countries," Mr. Huang declared cheerfully, as if to soothe people here who spent the week fretting about China's lengthening shadow.
Mr. Huang, however, said little on the two issues of overriding importance to the investors and business people here: whether China would allow its currency to rise against the dollar, and whether the Chinese would crack down on the rampant theft of intellectual property.
"We have to maintain the exchange rate at a reasonable level," said Mr. Huang, who directs China's finance policy and was billed by the organizers as Beijing's chief operating officer.
Some here interpreted that comment as a signal that China would not allow its currency, the yuan, to rise against the dollar this year, as some Europeans and Americans have demanded. But Michael S. Dell, the chairman of Dell Inc., who had breakfast with Mr. Huang, said he did not draw any conclusions.
Mr. Huang also did little to ease investors' concerns about China's regard for intellectual property rights, saying only that through new laws and tougher enforcement, China was trying to achieve in a dozen years what it had taken the Western world a century to do.
At a dinner with the theme of investing in China, several foreign executives said they discerned little progress on the issue. The only way to avoid having their proprietary technology pilfered by Chinese competitors, they said, was to keep most research and development activities at home, and to use China for simple manufacturing.
For the Chinese who trek to this Alpine ski resort, the problem is less one of legal tradition than cultural disconnect. Except for a handful of fluent English speakers with long experience with foreigners, most keep to themselves - shying away from the high-octane networking that is the fuel of Davos.
"Davos's history is as a European and American conference," said Chen Feng, the chairman of Hainan Airlines Company. "People come here to relax and ski. China's culture is not about skiing."
Mr. Chen, an irrepressible entrepreneur who worked the hallways like a Davos regular, is one of only four chief executives of major Chinese companies at this year's conference. He said more of his peers had come to previous meetings, but had found the experience uncomfortable.
Zhao Jianfei, an editor at The Observer, a Shanghai-based magazine, said, "In China, the basic idea is to watch Davos, not take part in it." People have other theories for why the Chinese do not turn out in droves. "China is not exactly soliciting investment," said Stephan F. Newhouse, the president of Morgan Stanley. "They're turning it away."
Mr. Huang dramatized China's potential with forecasts. Its economic output will grow to $4 trillion by 2020, from $1.6 trillion today, he said, and its output per capita - a more accurate measure of wealth - will triple to $3,000 per person.
For its part, the World Economic Forum says the Chinese turnout this year has been noteworthy, mostly because of the attendance of Mr. Huang, a member of the Politburo's powerful standing committee. The deputy governor of the People's Bank of China also came.
The conference organizers have gone to considerable lengths to make this a congenial place for China. There are no sessions on Taiwan - a topic sure to drive away Chinese officials. Mr. Huang did not take questions from the audience.
"It's understood that some things about China don't come up in polite conversation at Davos," said Orville Schell, the dean of the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California, Berkeley.
Politesse did break down occasionally. At a lunch held by Mr. Schell, several non-Chinese participants confronted the handful of Chinese guests about how Beijing could justify not allowing the Taiwanese people to vote on whether they wanted to be an independent nation.
After an awkward silence, a few Chinese spoke about the passionate feelings in China regarding Taiwan's status. Yuan Ming, the director of the Institute of American Studies at Beijing University, alluded to the frustration that outsiders might have in seeking to understand China.
"The world needs China to play some roles," Ms. Yuan said in a polite yet weary tone. "But it's too early to rank ourselves among world nations. We do need some time to develop ourselves." | At the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, there are many questions, but few answers on the subject of China's prospects. | 39.730769 | 0.923077 | 4 | high | medium | mixed |
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/30/nyregion/30quitkin.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20060619012117id_/http://www.nytimes.com:80/2005/10/30/nyregion/30quitkin.html?ex=1288328400&en=d4b87737f31b1d10&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss | Dr. Frederic Quitkin, 68, Depression Expert, Dies | 20060619012117 | Dr. Frederic Quitkin, a psychiatrist whose research helped establish that certain kinds of depression could best be treated with medications and that schizophrenia was related to neurological impairments rather than problems of childhood, died on Oct. 9 in New York. He was 68.
The cause was pancreatic cancer, said his son, Dr. Matt Quitkin of Washington.
Dr. Quitkin, a Manhattan resident, was the founding director of the Depression Evaluation Service at the New York State Psychiatric Institute and a professor of clinical psychiatry at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
"He developed the concept of an atypical depression that is quite chronic, where people tend to overeat and oversleep and respond very specifically to a group of medications that aren't used that much," said Dr. Donald Klein, director of research at the New York State Psychiatric Institute and a colleague at Columbia.
Many people with depression respond to selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, like Prozac and Zoloft, or a class of drugs known as tricyclics. Dr. Quitkin's research helped establish that atypical depression could be more effectively treated with a class of drugs known as MAO inhibitors, Dr. Klein said.
In addition to his work on atypical depression and schizophrenia, Dr. Quitkin conducted research on other psychiatric disorders, including those associated with drug and alcohol dependence, and on patient responses to treatment with a placebo.
Frederic Quitkin was born in New York City. He received his undergraduate degree from Princeton and his medical degree and a doctorate of medical science from the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center.
In addition to his son, he is survived by two daughters, Megan and Rachel, both of New York; and two grandsons. | Dr. Frederic Quitkin's research helped establish that atypical depression could best be treated with a class of drugs known as MAO inhibitors. | 13.541667 | 1 | 6.416667 | low | high | mixed |
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/18/international/middleeast/18URAN.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20060626021919id_/http://www.nytimes.com:80/2004/07/18/international/middleeast/18URAN.html?amp;ei=5090&en=4e094bfef713559a&partner=rssuserland&ex=1247889600&pagewanted=all& | New Reports Again Question Whether Iraq Sought Uranium in Niger | 20060626021919 | ASHINGTON, July 17 Were those infamous 16 words correct after all?
It has been a year and a half since President Bush's 2003 State of the Union address, in which he suggested in a single sentence that Iraq might have been trying to acquire uranium in Africa for its nuclear weapons program. And it has been a year since the White House and the C.I.A. acknowledged that the evidence behind that assertion was flawed, opening Mr. Bush to a torrent of criticism about the credibility and reliability of the intelligence he used to justify toppling Saddam Hussein.
But now two new reports have reopened the question of whether Mr. Bush was indeed correct when, on Jan. 28, 2003, he told the nation and the world, "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa."
One of the reports was released on Wednesday by a British commission reviewing the intelligence used by Prime Minister Tony Blair in making the case for war. The report stood by the British intelligence assessments that were the foundation for Mr. Bush's statement. Though it did not explain in any detail how or why it judged the intelligence to be sound, the report concluded that the assertions by Mr. Bush and Mr. Blair about Iraq's attempts to acquire uranium were "well founded."
The other report came from the Senate Intelligence Committee. It generally found extensive problems with the prewar intelligence assessments about Iraq's weapons programs and in particular documented a long chain of problems in the way the intelligence agencies dealt with suspicions about Iraq's interest in acquiring uranium.
But it also contained some information that tended to bolster the view that Iraq had tried to acquire uranium from Niger and possibly one or two other African nations. It cited a statement by a French official to the State Department in late 2002 that France, which was resisting Mr. Bush's efforts to make an urgent case for war, "believed the reporting was true that Iraq had made a procurement attempt for uranium from Niger." Neither report, however, found evidence that Iraq had actually purchased any uranium from Niger.
The new reports also raised questions about one of the White House's chief critics over the issue, Joseph C. Wilson IV, a former ambassador sent to Niger in 2002 to investigate whether Iraq had tried to purchase uranium there. Among other things, the report pointed out that Mr. Wilson's official account to the C.I.A. noted that a former prime minister of Niger had told him that he had been approached in 1999 about meeting with an Iraqi delegation interested in "expanding commercial relations" between Niger and Iraq. The former prime minister told Mr. Wilson that he interpreted the approach to mean the Iraqis were interested in acquiring a form of uranium.
The White House response to the reports has been muted. "I think those reports speak for themselves on that issue," said Scott McClellan, Mr. Bush's spokesman.
Administration officials said they were not crowing about the reports for a variety of reasons. For one thing, they said, both reports were highly critical of most of the prewar intelligence developed by both Britain and the United States, and to embrace one aspect of the reports would make it more difficult to dispute other findings.
In addition, they said, the internal finger-pointing over who had been to blame for the inclusion of the 16 words in the State of the Union address had left so much bad feeling, especially among the White House, the C.I.A. and the State Department, that there was little appetite for reopening the subject.
Still, White House officials were quietly pleased to be able to claim even limited vindication. And some commentators and allies of the administration used the reports to question whether Mr. Bush's credibility had been unfairly impugned by the entire affair. Referring to Mr. Bush and Mr. Blair, The Wall Street Journal's editorial page on Thursday said, "It now appears that both leaders have been far more scrupulous in discussing this and related issues than much of the media in either of their countries, which would embarrass the journalistic profession, if that were possible."
If there is some measure of vindication for the administration in the new reports something that Mr. Bush's critics do not concede it still left the White House to deal with the many aftershocks that continue to emanate from the episode.
Mr. Bush's re-election prospects rest to some degree on whether he is perceived to have led the nation into the war on the basis of flawed or false intelligence. And the White House remains to some degree at risk from a federal criminal investigation into whether administration officials leaked to a newspaper columnist the fact that Mr. Wilson's wife is a covert C.I.A. officer.
The reports did not affect the criminal inquiry into whether anyone at the White House violated a law that makes it a crime to disclose the name of an undercover officer.
But Mr. Wilson has been left on the defensive by the Senate Intelligence Committee's report, which found that, contrary to what he has said, his wife, Valerie Plame, appeared to have had a role in the decision to send him to Niger.
In a letter this week to the chairman and the vice chairman of the intelligence committee, Mr. Wilson disputed the assertion that the plan to send him to Niger was suggested by his wife. Mr. Wilson said the comments she made about his background in a letter to her boss a week before he visited the C.I.A. to discuss the trip were intended to establish his bona fides and did not constitute a recommendation. Mr. Wilson also cited news accounts last year quoting unidentified intelligence officials as saying that Ms. Plame had not proposed Mr. Wilson for the trip. And he took exception to criticism by the committee's chairman, Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas, and other Republicans, who said he had gone on a media blitz to convince the world that Mr. Bush had lied.
There may be more revelations to come. The British and American reports contained still-classified information about Iraq's dealings with Niger. Beyond that, Patrick Fitzgerald, the federal prosecutor examining the leak of Ms. Plame's identity, is expected to announce in a matter of weeks whether he will prosecute anyone. | President Bush's 2003 statement, "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa" is again in question. | 41.068966 | 0.965517 | 11.931034 | high | high | extractive |
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/02/magazine/02ARAB.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20060813144307id_/http://www.nytimes.com:80/2005/01/02/magazine/02ARAB.html?ex=1262408400&en=dcb356cbe8dead19&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland | The War Inside the Arab Newsroom | 20060813144307 | bdul Rahman Al-Rashed, the general manager of Al Arabiya, a 24-hour satellite-news channel broadcasting from Dubai, has six plasma-screen TV's in his office on the floor of the channel's glowing, ultramodern newsroom set. They are always on. One is tuned to Al Arabiya itself, and depending on where the cameras are placed, Al-Rashed sometimes catches a glimpse of himself, pacing around his desk on his cellphone. Another shows Al Jazeera, the channel's main competition. A third is tuned to a new Saudi government satellite channel, and a fourth displays CNN. Al-Rashed likes to flip around on the other two -- from Al Hurra, the widely ignored news channel that the United States government started last February, to the BBC and then to Al Manar, the Hezbollah-owned station that was banned by the French and American governments last month for broadcasting anti-Semitic slanders and what a State Department spokesman called ''incitement to violence.''
Al-Rashed's job is to find a place for Al Arabiya within this array, preferably at the top of the ratings. For now, though, it is Al Jazeera, which was started in 1996 by the emir of the gulf state of Qatar, that sets the standard, and the tone, for Arab television news. According to a poll conducted last May by Zogby International and the University of Maryland, Al Jazeera is the first choice for 62 percent of satellite-news viewers in Jordan, 66 percent in Egypt and 44 percent in Saudi Arabia. In most countries in the poll, Al Arabiya came in a distant second, although the professor who designed the poll, Shibley Telhami, said it had captured a ''remarkable'' market share for a satellite channel that, at the time, had been on the air for only a year; 39 percent of satellite-news viewers said they watched Al Arabiya almost daily. And in Saudi Arabia, the biggest advertising market in the region, the ratings race is much closer.
Sheik Walid al-Ibrahim, a Saudi, is the owner of both Al Arabiya and its parent network, the Middle East Broadcasting Center, or MBC, the flagship station of which, a ''family entertainment'' channel called MBC 1, has more viewers than any other channel in the Middle East. Sheik Walid started Al Arabiya in February 2003 to provide a more moderate alternative to Al Jazeera. His goal, as he told me last month, was to position Al Arabiya as the CNN to Al Jazeera's Fox News, as a calm, cool, professional media outlet that would be known for objective reporting rather than for shouted opinions. He said he thought the market was ready for an alternative. ''After the events of Sept. 11, Afghanistan and Iraq, people want the truth,'' he said. ''They don't want their news from the Pentagon or from Al Jazeera.''
Sheik Walid's personal political interests may also be a motivating factor. He is the brother-in-law of King Fahd of Saudi Arabia; the Saudi royal family dislikes Al Jazeera because it gives air time to Al Qaeda, and one of Al Qaeda's most cherished goals is the overthrow of the Saudi government. And before Al Jazeera, Saudi businessmen owned almost all of the major pan-Arab media, including MBC, the only channel that broadcast news bulletins to the whole of the Middle East, so the country and its rulers were rarely scrutinized by Arab journalists. Qatar's emir allowed Al Jazeera's reporters to take on the Saudis, as well as other governments in the Middle East.
Al Arabiya's sophisticated production values set it apart from other Arab news channels. Its sets and graphics have a clean, high-tech look, and its news bulletins are fast-paced -- no item lasts longer than two and a half minutes -- and are introduced with a dramatic drumbeat. While Al Jazeera anchors sit at a desk in front of a drab two-dimensional backdrop that looks a little like a local American news set from the 1970's, Al Arabiya's news is broadcast from the floor of its futuristic in-the-round silver-and-glass newsroom. | Can a moderate TV news channel succeed in the Arab world? Remaking Al Arabiya. | 50.9375 | 0.6875 | 1.0625 | high | low | abstractive |
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/19/realestate/19away.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20060924115902id_/http://www.nytimes.com:80/2006/05/19/realestate/19away.html?ex=1305691200&en=69fc811070599894&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss | Where Jane Goes Without 'Tarzan' | 20060924115902 | JENN GAMBATESE'S weekend home in the Catskills is much more than 45 minutes from Broadway, and that's just fine with her.
Ms. Gambatese is swinging through the theatrical jungle these days, starring as Jane in "Tarzan," the new multimillion-dollar Disney musical, which opened last week at the Richard Rodgers Theater on West 46th Street. And her three-bedroom, bright blue and white 19th-century house in Delaware County, about two and a half hours from Midtown Manhattan, served as an occasional respite from the rigors of the rehearsals, preview performances and frequent changes that accompany the birth of most Broadway musicals.
("It's been stressful," Ms. Gambatese acknowledged.)
But the house, which fronts on her town's brief main street and has a small trout stream behind, is a lot more than that. Ms. Gambatese shares it with her boyfriend, Curtis Cregan, who appears on the children's television program "Hi-5," which is on both the Discovery Kids channel and the Learning Channel. And the house, which they moved into together, signifies to them a sense of commitment.
"When we started looking, last June, we weren't living together," the petite Ms. Gambatese, 30, said, sitting in their living room on a cool and damp spring morning near the wood-burning stove she and Mr. Cregan, 29, bought for the house. "We had been together nine months, and we were planning to live together. We rode up on his motorcycle on a day off it was a beautiful ride because Curtis had been thinking for a while of getting a place."
They looked with a broker at a couple of houses they didn't like, and then the broker took them to the 1,500-square-foot house by the stream, which is near a lake and part of the East Branch of the Delaware River. "We walked in, and right away we felt, 'This is perfect,' " Ms. Gambatese said. "We were giving secret glances to each other, so the broker wouldn't know how much we liked it."
She loved that it was right in town, she said, "because having lived in the city so long, I didn't want to be too isolated."
Mr. Cregan said he liked "that it really is a country house."
"It's crooked and quirky," he said. "I don't think there's a straight corner in the house. When we used a level on it, nothing was level. It has character and personality. And it's old. One of the historians in town says that his house was built in 1906 and that this house was old then."
THEY loved that across the stream from the house are the tracks of an old Catskills railroad that carried dairy products from the area's farms to New York City and that is used these days for a summer tourist ride. And they were thrilled that the price was something they could afford $139,000, which they bargained down to $137,000. "You couldn't get a closet in the city for that," Mr. Cregan said.
So they bought it, and they also moved in together in the city, in the theater district, naturally. "Every door was opening," Ms. Gambatese said. "And we decided we were just going to walk through."
Ms. Gambatese grew up in Richmond Heights, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, began performing at church events and in grade school and studied theater at New York University. After performing in touring companies of several shows she made her Broadway debut in 2000 in the musical "Footloose" and has also appeared on Broadway in "All Shook Up," "Hairspray" and "A Year With Frog and Toad."
She and Mr. Cregan met in a workshop production of "In My Life," a musical they had the good fortune not to bring to Broadway it opened and closed last fall, amid critical brickbats. "But we're very grateful about that show," Ms. Gambatese said, "because something good came out of it."
They moved into their new country house in October and immediately, but slowly, started to make it their own. One of the first things they bought was a white sofa she saw at Crate & Barrel.
"It was so soft," she said. "I want the place to be comfortable. But we haven't had time to aesthetically do what we want to do. In our apartments in Manhattan, we had hand-me-down furniture. We want to build something more permanent. For an actor, who is on the road so much, buying furniture is a commitment, a step. It's something other people do."
That summer, at the old Sixth Avenue flea market in Manhattan, Mr. Cregan, who appeared on Broadway in "Rent," bought two old trunks. They now sit opposite the couch. "Because I travel a lot for 'Hi-5,' and live out of suitcases, they seemed appropriate," he said.
The dining room is filled with antique-looking furniture table, chairs, sideboard, corner chest, all in dark wood from Ms. Gambatese's grandmother. "She's 93," Ms. Gambatese said. "We all call her Tootsie. We would have Sunday dinners around that table we're Italian, so Sunday dinner meant 1 p.m. and my dad and Uncle Jimmy would tell us how they used to play under the table and build forts." | For Jenn Gambatese, an actress, home is 45 minutes from Broadway, and that's just fine with her. | 49.863636 | 0.954545 | 8.136364 | high | high | mixed |
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/25/opinion/25EAST.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20060925034212id_/http://www.nytimes.com:80/2004/05/25/opinion/25EAST.html?ex=1400904000&en=300d3049d0d6e62c&ei=5007&partner=USERLAND | The 50¢-a-Gallon Solution | 20060925034212 | ASHINGTON Republican strategists have been making hay of Senator John Kerry's support a decade ago of a 50-cent-per-gallon increase in the federal gasoline tax. History let Mr. Kerry off the hook: the proposal never advanced in Congress, so he never cast a vote for it.
Few politicians, especially those with presidential ambitions, would entertain such a big jump in the federal gasoline tax today. With the price of gasoline reaching more than $2 a gallon at the pumps this month, Senator Kerry has argued for oil to be diverted from the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve, a plan President Bush has rejected in pursuit of his energy bill.
But the country would indeed be better off if gasoline taxes had been raised by 50 cents a gallon when Mr. Kerry favored the idea. And the United States would still be wise today, if it increased gasoline taxes by the same amount now.
The federal gasoline tax is 18.4 cents per gallon, while state gasoline taxes average 24.6 cents per gallon. Had federal gas taxes gone up 50 cents a gallon 10 years ago, several things might not have happened or would have had far less impact.
The S.U.V. and pickup-truck crazes would not have occurred, or at least these vehicles would be much less popular; highway deaths would have been fewer; and gasoline demands would be lower as would oil imports. To continue, the world price of oil would have been lower, since petroleum demand in the United States is the first factor in oil markets; greenhouse-gas emissions in this country would be lower; Persian Gulf oil states would have less influence on the global economy and less significance to American foreign policy; fewer dollars would have flowed to the oil sheiks; and the trade deficit balance for the United States would be smaller.
Don't all those things sound pretty good? And if higher gasoline taxes had moderated the ever-growing national thirst for oil, fuel at the pump still would have become more expensive but Americans would be sending the extra money to Washington rather than Riyadh.
Of course, Americans don't want to send extra money to Washington. But new gasoline taxes could be revenue-neutral intended to discourage oil waste rather than fill government coffers, with other taxes cut as the pump tax rises. Ideally, proceeds from a revenue-neutral gasoline tax could be used to reduce income taxes and payroll taxes of the poor and lower middle class. Gasoline prices affect this group regressively.
Most economists would say that higher pump prices are a better counterforce to rising oil consumption than complex regulatory schemes. (When prices rise, consumers make their decisions on how to respond, usually preferred over government-imposed solutions.) Three decades ago, the United States used about 15 million barrels of oil a day; now it's 20 million barrels and rising. About 10 million barrels a day are imported now, compared with about 4 million barrels 20 years ago.
One downside would be lower profits for the Big Three in Detroit, which are S.U.V.-dependent. Any new gas tax would need to be phased in over a period of years, giving Detroit time to adjust. General Motors, Ford and Daimler Chrysler all sell high-quality cars with a higher mile-per-gallon performance at a profit in Europe. They can do so here, too.
When the Bush campaign broadcast an ad highlighting Mr. Kerry's 1994 gas tax position, the Kerry campaign was quick to point out that one of those who had promoted the idea of a higher gasoline tax, offset by reductions in other taxes, was N. Gregory Mankiw, now chairman of President Bush's Council of Economic Advisers. In 1999, Mr. Mankiw proposed that the federal gasoline tax be increased by 50 cents per gallon, with income taxes reduced an equivalent amount. "Cutting income taxes while increasing gasoline taxes would lead to more rapid economic growth, less traffic congestion, safer roads, and reduced risk of global warming," Mr. Mankiw wrote.
This was a good idea when John Kerry spoke of it a decade ago; it was a good idea when Mr. Mankiw proposed it five years ago; it remains a good idea now.
Gregg Easterbrook is the author, most recently, of "The Progress Paradox." | A tax increase on gasoline was a good idea 10 years ago, and it would be a good idea today. | 37.590909 | 1 | 2.545455 | high | high | mixed |
http://mashable.com/2006/10/11/slister-more-social-bookmarking/ | http://web.archive.org/web/20061020142235id_/http://mashable.com/2006/10/11/slister-more-social-bookmarking/ | Slister - More Social Bookmarking | 20061020142235 | Social bookmarking - storing links on the web and sharing them with others - was the hot thing a year ago (before online video blew up), but the market got saturated pretty quickly with thousands of del.icio.us and Digg wannabes. It’s surprising, then, that these things continue to be released, with New York-based Slister launching today. Founded by a technology exec at LinkShare and a publishing company owner, Slister is all about creating shopping lists and wish lists, and finding savings through online coupons.
Social shopping is still a good market, with Crowdstorm, ThisNext, Kaboodle, Stylehive and ShopWiki among the contenders, but Slister adds very little beyond basic bookmarking from your browser. Yes, you can bookmark special offers and create lists of bookmarks, but it’s nothing we haven’t seen before. They’re highly unlikely to reach their projected figures of 1 million users by early 2007 and 5 million by the fourth quarter of that year. Maybe it’s not too late to build a YouTube clone?
Update: The Slister co-founder is not a former Linkshare exec, and isn’t employed directly by the company. Seems to have been a mistake in their submission. | Social bookmarking - storing links on the web and sharing them with others - was the hot thing a year ... | 10.904762 | 0.952381 | 19.047619 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/27/technology/27fcc.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20061125010919id_/http://www.nytimes.com:80/2006/05/27/technology/27fcc.html?ex=1306382400&en=3dd42c794e612b2b&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss | Senate Approves New F.C.C. Member | 20061125010919 | WASHINGTON, May 26 (Reuters) The Senate on Friday confirmed a telecommunications lawyer, Robert M. McDowell, to fill a Republican seat on the Federal Communications Commission, breaking the 2-to-2 deadlock at the agency.
The five-member agency regulates the telecommunications and media industries. The arrival of Mr. McDowell as the third Republican would enable the agency to move forward with a review that could lead to easing restrictions on media ownership.
Mr. McDowell, 42, has been a lawyer for Comptel, a trade association that represents telephone and Internet companies that compete against bigger carriers like AT&T and Verizon Communications.
Mr. McDowell would fill the seat vacated by Kathleen Q. Abernathy last year. The term runs until June 30, 2009. | The Senate confirmed a telecommunications lawyer, Robert M. McDowell, to fill a Republican seat on the F.C.C. | 7.315789 | 0.947368 | 13.684211 | low | high | extractive |
http://mashable.com/2006/11/23/google-video-sued-by-french-film-producer/ | http://web.archive.org/web/20070108020955id_/http://mashable.com:80/2006/11/23/google-video-sued-by-french-film-producer/ | Google Video Sued By French Film Producer | 20070108020955 | It’s not clear whether this is the same lawsuit that Google mentioned briefly a few weeks back (see Google Video sued), but according to a press release today, French production house Flach Film has filed a suit against Google US and its French division Google France in a commercial court in Paris. Their film, “The World According to Bush”, is a two hour investigation of the Bush family and their connections to Osama bin Laden - it was available for free on Google Video France for streaming and download, according to Flach Film.
They say the film has been “downloaded” 50,000 times (Google doesn’t tally the number of downloads, so they’re actually referring to the number of times it’s been viewed), and they claim that this has cost them 500,000 euros ($648,700). That’s fairly ridiculous reasoning, since it assumes that everyone who viewed the film on Google Video would have bought it had it not been available there: that’s utterly incorrect. And as we saw with the massive boost in the TV audience for CBS, plus moves by Grouper to encourage the sharing of Sony’s movie clips and Seinfeld episodes, these video sites can actually help drive new audiences to your content. However, the fact that it was a full clip means that they could and should have requested a take down. It’s also the case that Google Video is one of the few sites that actually allows you to download the clips: YouTube and the rest only allow you to view them on the site and share them elsewhere, although sites like VideoRonk provide downloading, too. Flach say that Google Video acted not only “as a simple host but as a fully responsible publisher”.
You’ll remember that Universal Music sued MySpace last week over a related issue: unauthorized use of music videos and songs. Meanwhile, Grouper and Bolt.com have also been sued by Universal Music. YouTube has so far avoided such problems by offering a stake in the company to three of the biggest music labels: clearly, these organizations will stay off your back if you pay them enough. | It's not clear whether this is the same lawsuit that Google mentioned briefly a few weeks back (see Google Video ... | 17.565217 | 0.913043 | 17.434783 | medium | medium | extractive |
http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/1996/11/15/1996-11-15_suspected_drug_kingpin_faces.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20081016085805id_/http://www.nydailynews.com:80/archives/news/1996/11/15/1996-11-15_suspected_drug_kingpin_faces.html | SUSPECTED DRUG KINGPIN FACES DEATH | 20081016085805 | Friday, November 15th 1996, 2:01AM
He was known in Harlem as "The Black Hand of Death," a rarely seen drug dealer who prosecutors say ran a multi-million-dollar crack empire and had a remarkable ability to remain untouched by the law.
Now in the first use of the new federal "drug kingpin" law in New York State Clarence (Preacher) Heatley is looking at the death penalty.
Heatley's reputed reign of terror has come to an end with the unsealing of a 47-count indictment charging him and 17 crew members with 11 murders, 11 murder conspiracies and narcotics trafficking on a grand scale, Manhattan U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White said last night.
"They were careful, they were smart and they intimidated all those around them, drug dealers and citizens alike," White said.
"They were very good at what they did and they always made an effort to make sure there were no witnesses."
Since the mid-1980s, prosecutors allege, Heatley has held rigid control of a highly organized crack operation dubbed "The Family," which included his son, his daughter, his long-time girlfriend and even a housing cop he met on the street.
The FBI and New York City police have been trying to bring him down for several years. The job was tough, law enforcement said, because so few people could identify him though nearly everyone in Harlem knew his reputation.
Heatley, 43, grew up on 144th St. and was in reform school by the fourth grade. That was the end of his formal education but he was able to establish almost messianic control over a disciplined crew feared throughout the neighborhood.
"The drug dealers were afraid of him," said one source, noting that many of them paid Heatley fees of $10,000 and up to leave them alone.
His own gang members were kept in line with beatings, ritual lashings with a belt buckle and occasional death, according to the indictment.
Heatley personally supervised the killing of his top hit man, Anthony Boatwright, who had gone out of control and was threatening other crew members, the indictment charges.
On March 21, 1994, Heatley and John Cuff, a one-time housing cop who had helped protect Heatley from arrest before Cuff got kicked off the force, lured Boatwright to the basement of Heatley's Bronx apartment building, authorities said. There, prosecutors say, Cuff shot Boatwright in the head and Heatley ordered his crew to dismember the dead man with a circular saw.
The crew burned Boatwright's head and arms to remove telltale tattoos and the body parts were casually dumped in an abandoned Manhattan building. Later, a furious Heatley ordered one of his minions to retrieve the parts and dispose of them more completely, prosecutors say.
By yesterday, 14 of the 18 suspects indicted, including Cuff, were in custody. Four more were being sought.
Heatley already in jail on related drug charges filed in August is being charged under the "drug kingpin" law, meaning the U.S. Department of Justice has authorized a death penalty prosecution.
This is the first use of the federal death penalty in New York, though there are 81 other cases pending around the nation.
Heatley's attorney, Joel Cohen, declined to comment last night. | He was known in Harlem as "The Black Hand of Death,"a rarely seen drug dealer who prosecutors say ran a multi-million-dollar crack empire and had a remarkable ability to remain untouched by the law. Now in the first use of the new federal "drug kingpin"law in New York State Clarence (Preacher) Heatley is looking at the death penalty. Heatley's reputed reign of terror has come to an end with the unsealing | 7.792683 | 0.97561 | 18.02439 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/1999/11/30/1999-11-30_givens_new_host_for__forgive_.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20090519051816id_/http://www.nydailynews.com:80/archives/entertainment/1999/11/30/1999-11-30_givens_new_host_for__forgive_.html | GIVENS NEW HOST FOR 'FORGIVE' | 20090519051816 | Tuesday, November 30th 1999, 2:11AM
In the wake of stagnant ratings, the producers of the syndicated series "Forgive or Forget" have dumped host Mother Love in favor of actress Robin Givens.
Givens will turn up on the show in early 2000.
"We thoroughly believe in the format of 'Forgive or Forget,' which, with Mother Love as host, had a very strong first year," said Rick Jacobson, president of Twentieth Century Fox Television, in a statement. "Unfortunately, success in television depends on the numbers and, as of late, the show appears to have reached a plateau."
A year ago, "Forgive or Forget" was one of the hottest shows on the air. Though not a major Nielsen draw, the show had increased its ratings during the season and also challenged such incumbent series as "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in key demographic categories.
This season, however, the Nielsen returns haven't grown at the same pace. Jacobson said that in order to remain competitive, Givens was being brought in and the show will be taken in a new direction.
"I am confident her participation will inject new energy into the show and expand its viewership," he said. -Richard Huff
Alex Trebek is not afraid. If the ratings success of prime-time quiz shows "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" and "Greed" spawn more competition for his syndicated institution, "Jeopardy!", he's ready.
"I think the ratings for 'Millionaire' and 'Greed' are a good sign," Trebek told the News recently. "TV is very cyclical and it's obvious that quiz shows are coming back into prominence. And they're coming back because these two new shows are offering people humongous sums of money."
Despite the viewer roar over "Millionaire" and "Greed," Trebek said "Jeopardy!" distributor King World Productions has no intention of raising the ante. The show has been in syndication for 16 years.
"We are true to our original principles and we emphasize the fact that our contestants are bright and can earn pretty good dough on our show, but nowhere near $1 million," said Trebek.
"Our contestants make money the old-fashioned way - they really earn it and it's a tough show," said Trebek. "We're not going to panic and say we've got to make changes to counter the appeal of these other shows."
Bruce Nash, the man partially responsible for the resurgence of video reality specials over the last few years, is launching a new take on the genre with "I Dare You," a stunt series debuting in January on UPN.
Each hour-long episode of "I Dare You" will be filmed in Las Vegas and involve a variety of stunts performed by professional daredevils.
The show will air Tuesdays at 8 p.m., starting Jan. 18. As a result, "Shasta," a renamed "Shasta McNasty," will air at 9 p.m. followed at 9:30 p.m. by "Dilbert."
Based on ratings for the third week of CBS' "The Early Show," the program isn't making a dent in the competition.
According to Nielsen figures for the week ending Nov. 19, "The Early Show," remained a distant third. And compared to the same week a year ago, the show was off 4%.
For the week, NBC's "Today" averaged 6,100,000 viewers, easily winning the race, and was up 1% year-to-year. ABC's "Good Morning America" averaged 4,670,000 viewers, up 46% from the same week a year ago, when the show was at rock bottom.
CBS executives have repeatedly said ratings for the show shouldn't be judged until at least the first quarter of 2000.
Could CBS, about to merge with Viacom, home of MTV and VH1, become the home of prime-time music specials? It could if one of TV's golden rules - if it works, do it again and again - is applied to the ratings for CBS' concerts last week from Celine Dion, Shania Twain and Ricky Martin. The audiences for Dion, Twain and Martin were 12.39 million, 18.29 million and 11.68 million, respectfully. The numbers are a considerable improvement over what CBS has done this season in the same time slots among the key category of adults 18-49.
USA Networks has named Bonnie Hammer as executive vice president and general manager of the Sci-Fi Channel. She had been senior vice president of programming for the channel. It's a new boy for CBS late-night publicity head Rosemary Keenan and her husband, Mark Zulli, an NBC executive. James Anthony weighed in yesterday at 8 pounds, 6 ounces. It's the couple's second child.  Speaking of CBS late-night, tonight at 6:15 visitors to CBS' Web site (www.cbs.com) can see a Webcast performance of the Foo Fighters, which will air live while they tape a performance for the "Late Show With David Letterman," to be seen tonight at 11:35. Tomorrow at 7 p.m., cable's CMT debuts "Faith's Video Bio," a 90-minute special about country hit maker Faith Hill.  Kathy Griffin and Adam Carolla have been inked to host the "1999 Billboard Music Awards," which will air live on Fox on Dec. 8 at 8 p.m. TNN has picked up the rights to "Dead Man's Gun," a series, produced for Showtime by Henry Winkler, that will begin airing in January. | In the wake of stagnant ratings, the producers of the syndicated series "Forgive or Forget"have dumped host Mother Love in favor of actress Robin Givens. Givens will turn up on the show in early 2000. "We thoroughly believe in the format of 'Forgive or Forget,' which, with Mother Love as host, had a very strong first year,"said Rick Jacobson, president of Twentieth Century Fox Television, | 14.194805 | 0.974026 | 17.233766 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/gossip/2004/11/03/2004-11-03_celeb__voters__poll_a_fast_o.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20090626011004id_/http://www.nydailynews.com:80/archives/gossip/2004/11/03/2004-11-03_celeb__voters__poll_a_fast_o.html | CELEB 'VOTERS' POLL A FAST ONE | 20090626011004 | BY LLOYD GROVE WITH HUDSON MORGAN
Wednesday, November 3th 2004, 8:36AM
Or are they gonna die?
The early returns from Sean Combs' mega-hyped Citizen Change campaign suggested that reality television star Paris Hilton and rapper 50 Cent - who appeared in eye-catching posters modeling Combs' "VOTE OR DIE!" T-shirts to encourage voting - didn't make it to the polls yesterday. Another star, rapper Ludacris, did mail in an absentee ballot, according to his publicist.
But Lowdown's spot check of voting records in California, New York and Georgia - where Hilton, Curtis Jackson 3rd (aka 50 Cent) and Christopher Bridges (aka Ludacris), respectively, maintain residences - indicated that the three weren't even registered, let alone exercising their constitutional right.
Citizen Change official Alexis McGill yesterday said that short of bodily hauling celebrities to the polls, the group did everything it could: "Citizen Change contacted every celebrity's representative and was told by each and every one that the celebrities participating in our campaign were registered to vote."
A Citizen Change insider elaborated: "All the celebrities' managers confirmed that they were going to register if they hadn't already. We have to take the managers at their word. We have no business checking up on them - especially because none of the celebs got paid."
Hilton's PR rep, Gina Hoffman, had no comment yesterday, and 50 Cent's flack did not return detailed messages - though as a convicted felon and possibly not eligible, he might be off the hook.
Ludacris' publicist, Bianca Bianconi, said: "I just got off the phone with Ludacris, and he said he absolutely mailed his absentee ballot last week in Fulton County, Ga."
As for P. Diddy, he did a voting photo op yesterday morning at Robert F. Wagner Junior High School on the upper East Side.
AZARIA DREW ON LIFE TO GET INTO 'HUFF'
Hank Azaria is bringing a conspicuous asset to his portrayal of a psychiatrist in the Showtime series "Huff": personal experience on the couch.
"I first saw a shrink 15 years ago in L.A.," the actor confided to Lowdown at Monday's "Huff" premiere at the Hudson Theater. "All of a sudden I was getting so nervous for auditions that I could barely speak. It was really becoming a problem."
Azaria continued: "I went to see a shrink for that, and it helped a lot. But other problems came up. Little things like divorce and friends dying and things like that. It's good to talk to people about the things that make you sad."
Accentuating the obvious, Azaria added: "Hollywood's a very tough place. It messes with your head."
As for his own shrink, "I've seen the guy on and off. You never stop. It's your own choice, but I got to tell you, I believe that there's no shame in it and it's actually a strength, not a weakness, to talk about what's bugging you. I live in a creative community where we're all kind of half nuts. You're a little bit nuts to not admit that."
What if Azaria had to visit a celebrity shrink? Who would it be?
"I wouldn't want Anne Heche. She'd be a bad choice, because she's crazy," he said. "I'd stay away from the music industry. Ellen DeGeneres [Heche's former girlfriend] would be a pretty decent shrink. Gene Hackman would be like a 'tough love' kind of shrink - no nonsense."
But Azaria said he wouldn't cast himself in the real-life role of shrink. "I learned a long time ago not to try to save anybody. Nobody takes advice."
FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD: That was George W. Bush surrogate Rudy Giuliani, along with his bride, Judi Nathan, escaping all the noise surrounding yesterday's balloting with a quiet lunch at a corner table at Nello's. She talked, fork in hand, while he, for once, just listened.
BETWEEN IRAQ AND A HARD PLACE: PublishersMarketplace.com reports that aspiring memoirist L. Paul Bremer 3rd, the former American proconsul in Baghdad, didn't get the big bucks he was hoping for. The book-biz tip sheet says Simon & Schuster's Alice Mayhew picked up the Bremer project "in the low end of the significant deal territory." Rival Public Affairs publisher Peter Osnos - who'd offered in Lowdown to pay Bremer an economy-sized $75,000 - gloated: "Here's a guy who went to Iraq for less than a year, left the place a mess, and now he wants to be treated like a hero."
ACTING SMARTS: Roy Scheider recalls that legendary acting teacher Stella Adler - who'd be 100 if she were alive today - was interested in much more than technique and performance. "Stella and her ex-husband, Harold Clurman, urged the actor to be a fully rounded citizen," said Scheider, who's on the board of the Stella Adler Studio of Acting, which is holding a star-studded fund-raising dinner Monday at the Pierre Hotel. "In order to be really, truly imaginative, the actor has to be an intelligent citizen first. He has to study history, study the arts - all the arts - and an actor can't learn enough. He has to be constantly enlarging himself intellectually. The more he's enlarging himself, the more he's bringing to the roles." | So did they vote? Or are they gonna die? The early returns from Sean Combs' mega-hyped Citizen Change campaign suggested that reality television star Paris Hilton and rapper 50 Cent - who appeared in eye-catching posters modeling Combs' "VOTE OR DIE!"T-shirts to encourage voting - didn't make it to the polls yesterday. Another star, rapper Ludacris, did mail in an absentee ballot, according to his publicist. | 13.011905 | 0.988095 | 30.797619 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/money/1998/03/23/1998-03-23__superman__could_save_film_p.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20090815180952id_/http://www.nydailynews.com:80/archives/money/1998/03/23/1998-03-23__superman__could_save_film_p.html | 'SUPERMAN' COULD SAVE FILM PRODUCER'S CAREER | 20090815180952 | Monday, March 23th 1998, 2:04AM
Jon Peters is working on a hot new film project - a remake of "Superman" that shows the famed superhero dying and then coming back to life.
The script is tailor-made for Peters, who is attempting something of a similar resurrection of his fabled Hollywood career.
Peters who with then-partner Peter Guber almost tanked the Sony movie studio in the early 1990s is back at work as a producer of several star-studded, big-budget movies with huge box office potential.
The free-spending former studio chief, whose widely chronicled antics led Sony to take a devastating $3.2 billion write-off, now has a long-term production deal with Warner Bros.
As part of the deal, Peters, 52, just began rehearsals for "Wild Wild West," a comedy adventure fantasy based on the 1960s TV series. Budgeted at a whopping $90 million, the flick is set to premiere next year.
Peters has managed to rustle up an All-Star posse for "Wild Wild West," including marquee names Will Smith and Kevin Klein. Smith will also star in another film Peters is producing based on the life of Mohammad Ali, to be directed by Ron Howard.
Barry Sonnenfeld, who directed Smith in last year's monster hit "Men In Black" will direct "Wild Wild West."
"This TV show is one of our most important icons," Peters told the Daily News. "We're turning it into a mega-movie."
He wants to do the same for comic book icon Superman.
It was another superhero Batman that turned Peters and Guber into Hollywood's hottest duo after they co-produced the blockbuster "Batman" in 1989.
Now Peters is teaming up again with quirky "Batman" director Tim Burton for a new, still untitled version of Superman starring Nicholas Cage as the shy newsman-turned-superhero.
Fast-talking Peters said the time is right for a new movie about the character made famous again in the 1980s by the film series starring Christopher Reeve. Peters is banking on a script based on the hugely successful 1992 "Death of Superman" comic book from DC Comics.
"When Superman died, the comic book sold 23 million copies," Peters said.
If the flick hits big, Peters would once again be a superhero at Warner Bros., the studio that backed him and Guber when the two produced hits like "Batman" and "Rain Man."
The studio finances Peters' films, and he takes a percentage of the box office receipts.
Warner Bros. could bag a fortune in licensing fees from toy companies and fast food chains, much as it did with "Batman."
Although "Superman" won't open until next year, Peters has already begun pitching it to potential partners.
"He made himself completely available to meet with people," said Chris Pula, who until recently served as marketing chief for Warner Bros. "He's a real showman he's the P.T. Barnum of producers."
Given Peters' tattered track record as a studio chief, it may surprise some people that he still has any boosters in Hollywood.
But entertainment analyst David Davis of Houlihan, Lokey, Howard & Zukin noted that running a studio and producing films are two separate skills and that Peters has proven he knows how to pick and develop hot projects.
In addition to his affiliation with Warner Bros., Peters has a production deal with his old studio, Sony.
"If you look at the success of some of his movies, they are some of the best performers in movie history," Davis said.
Davis added that Peters may eventually play a larger role at Warner Bros., which just finished a dismal year at the box office.
Peters is close to two Warner Bros. powerbrokers, co-studio chief Terry Semel and former Sony chief Mark Canton.
Canton, who has had a production deal with Warner Bros. since being ousted from his position as head of Sony Pictures last year, is rumored to be taking over as production chief at Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. has denied that.
But even with friends like these, Peters' second coming is far from a sure thing. While he swayed audiences back in the '70s and '80s, two of his more recent films, "My Fellow Americans" and the John Singleton-directed film "Rosewood" were hardly blockbusters.
Peters' comeback attempt comes as his former partner, Guber, is already making big strides. Two weeks ago, Guber announced an $800 million joint venture with Paramount Pictures.
The two have been estranged ever since Peters left Sony in 1991. Guber stayed on at the studio through three more stormy years.
"It was a difficult parting," Peters said. "I love him. I wish him well. I'm sure he'll do well."
For his part, Guber declined to comment on his ex-partner.
Reflecting on the turmoil at Sony and the mountain of negative press he received, Peters said, "It was devastating."
Peters, the one-time hairdresser and ex-boyfriend of Barbra Streisand, is also facing changes on the home front. His companion is expecting a baby soon. He already has two children.
Peters owns a sprawling ranch in Colorado and is busy restoring another of his luxurious homes, the former 1920s estate of director King Vidor. Peters reportedly left Sony with a settlement estimated between $30 million and $50 million.
He's banking on making a lot more now.
"Between 'Superman' and 'Wild Wild West,' I'm just beginning," Peters said. | Jon Peters is working on a hot new film project - a remake of "Superman"that shows the famed superhero dying and then coming back to life. The script is tailor-made for Peters, who is attempting something of a similar resurrection of his fabled Hollywood career. Peters who with then-partner Peter Guber almost tanked the Sony movie studio in the early 1990s is back at work as a producer of several star-studded, big-budget movies with huge | 12.715909 | 0.988636 | 25.761364 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.tmz.com/2006/11/20/kramers-racist-tirade-caught-on-tape/449 | http://web.archive.org/web/20090828151915id_/http://www.tmz.com:80/2006/11/20/kramers-racist-tirade-caught-on-tape/449 | "Kramer's" Racist Tirade -- Caught on Tape | 20090828151915 | Posted Nov 20th 2006 8:30AM by TMZ Staff
WARNING: WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO SEE IS PROFANE AND RACIALMichael Richards exploded in anger as he performed at a famous L.A. comedy club last Friday, hurling racial epithets that left the crowd gasping, and TMZ has obtained exclusive video of the ugly incident.Richards, who played the wacky Cosmo Kramer on the hit TV show "Seinfeld," appeared onstage at the Laugh Factory in West Hollywood. Kyle Doss, an African-American, told TMZ he and some friends were in the cheap seats and he was playfully heckling Richards when suddenly, the comedian lost it. The camera started rolling just as Richards began his attack, screaming at one of the men, "Fifty years ago we'd have you upside down with a f***ing fork up your ass."Richards continued, "You can talk, you can talk, you're brave now motherf**ker. Throw his ass out. He's a nigger! He's a nigger! He's a nigger! A nigger, look, there's a nigger!"The crowd is visibly and audibly confused and upset. Richards responds by saying, "They're going to arrest me for calling a black man a nigger."One of the men who was the object of Richard's tirade was outraged, shouting back "That's un-f***ing called for, ain't necessary."After the three-minute tirade, it appears the majority of the audience members got up and left in disgust.Attempts to reach Richards' reps were unsuccessful.See other prejudiced celebsRichards Racial Rant -- Play Video
Tags: kramer, michael richards, MichaelRichards, nigga, nigger, racial, racist, seinfeld, slur
6726. To #7042/Mark B - The most currents news is that Richards felt like a Jew, because he was raised by two mentors who were Jewish and he had not converted to Judaism --- (http://news.aol.com/entertainment/articles/_a/richards-publicist-explains-jewish/20061129070909990001 ). Of course this story broke after Mel Gibson came out and said he felt sorry for the guy. (http://news.aol.com/entertainment/movies/articles/_a/mel-gibson-feels-michael-richards-pain/20061129172609990001)According to the Jewish community, you can not just feel like a Jew, you must be born one? Even if one converts to Judaism, they are still not a real Jew. Thus the Jewish community does not accept Richards as one of them. He is now just another white man, ranting about lynching (Colored/Negro/Afro-American/Black) folks.Of course the white folks knew this, because many of them came out on his side, after all, whatâs hanging another (Colored/Negro/Afro-American/Black), they feel the same about us as they did the Indian when they were stealing their land, the âonly good one is a dead oneâ. Now the reason why Richards got good Media was because he hung with Seinfeld, who is very much Jewish. Seinfeld thought about the sale of his Seinfeld DVD and thought it would hamper his sales. But the truth be told Seinfeld was more popular with the white folks, so he didnât have a problem there.However, since Richards associated so closely with the Jews, and they had taken on Mel Gibson for being Anti-Semitic, they couldnât take the chance on it rolling back on them. After all, the Jews in America see themselves as âwhite Jewsâ and most of the (Colored/Negro/Afro-American/Black) folks sees them the same. So it was a political move on their part, to quiet down the âLYNCHINGâ part and focal on the word âNIGGERâ. Good move on the Media part donât you think. Needless to say, if the truth be told, a lot of us (Colored/Negro/Afro-American/Black) were more pissed off at the âLYNCHINGâ remark. You see, if all the focus is put on the âNIGGERâ word, America will soon forget that white folks hung a black man in Jasper, Texas by roping him with a chain and hooking him up to the back of their truck just a few years ago (http://amath.colorado.edu/carnegie/lit/lynch/byrd.htm) You see my point! Sadly, the Powers that be find it easier to control folks calling themselves white than the ones calling themselves (Colored/Negro/Afro-American/Black). You see, we already know we have no rights in this country, but the poor white folks donât. They are in the same boat we are in and have blinders on. All one has to do is keep us divided like we are now, with skin color, religions, and such --- and just like that we will forget that we are in a war where thousands are being killed for âblack oilâ and no one is benefiting but the rich Power Brokers. Everyone who works pays taxes!I didnât answer all your questions, but I thought I would share this. Believe it or not, the white folks know their own. From the beginning, many defended Richards to the hilt, and that should have told us that he wasnât really Jewish, even though his PR man said he was, because many white folks hate the Jews too! Richards himself said that after his show, white folks came up to him and stated they were behind him and this made him afraid; talking about looking into a mirror. Now in saying this, let us not forget the WHITE FOLKS that got up and walked out on Richards. There is still a lot of hatred in America because no one has been held accountable for the âBlack Holocaustâ, and in this day and age, folks are still being held accountable for the âJewish Holocaustâ and âHiroshimaâ. If we are treated differently, itâs because we have fail to work as a united force as the Jews and the Asians did. It seems that our leaders are too easily bought. I donât have answers, but I know that Message boards like this one is not the answer either. Most of the folks that post on these boards are fewer than you think, using different names to say the same thing over and over again ⦠still, I live with racism in America everyday.
Posted at 3:23AM on Dec 1st 2006 by DareToComment | WARNING: WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO SEE IS PROFANE AND RACIAL Michael Richards exploded in anger as he performed at a famous L.A. comedy club last Friday, ... | 38.533333 | 0.966667 | 11.7 | high | high | extractive |
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/active/6254196/Kitted-Out-the-latest-baby-joggers.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20091008095442id_/http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/active/6254196/Kitted-Out-the-latest-baby-joggers.html | Kitted Out: the latest baby joggers | 20091008095442 | Out 'n’ About Nipper Sport
With an ergonomic aesthetic that lives up to its name, the Nipper Sport has practical 16” wheels that should cope with most terrain without taking up too much space. Light and easy to fold, with reflective strips that are functional as well as decorative. The multi-position reclining seat has recently been redesigned and is now even deeper. | Get behind a buggy and run off those extra pounds | 7.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | low | low | abstractive |
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/ElizabethVargas/altIndex | http://web.archive.org/web/20091027124128id_/http://abcnews.go.com/2020/ElizabethVargas/altIndex | Elizabeth Vargas' Web Page | 20091027124128 | Vatican City recognizes new saints, including a priest who ministered in Hawaii.
Ex-lovers say Philippe Padieu was handsome, strong, intelligent, self-assured.
"He was trying to get as many women infected as he could," ex-lover says.
Victims track down records showing boyfriend with HIV knew he had virus.
"You need to be responsible for your own health," defense argues.
"We all agreed to have sex," says Padieu. "Are they not a willing participant?"
Victims of man who spread HIV say their newfound friendship has eased trauma.
An overseas journey with Edda Mellas, as she tries to prove Knox's innocence.
The American student tells a jury she was shocked at her roommate's death.
The details of a brutal murder: A sex game gone wrong?
An American college student on trial for murder in Italy.
College freshman Jessica Rasdall admits she killed her best friend.
"Me going to prison isn't going to bring Laura back," Rasdall says.
I wish "we never would have gone out that night," says driver.
Part 1: Elizabeth Vargas special "Vanished: Gone in 90 Seconds."
Part 2: Elizabeth Vargas special "Vanished: Gone in 90 Seconds."
Part 3: Elizabeth Vargas special "Vanished: Gone in 90 Seconds."
Part 4: Elizabeth Vargas special "Vanished: Gone in 90 Seconds."
Part 5: Elizabeth Vargas special "Vanished: Gone in 90 Seconds."
Part 6: Elizabeth Vargas special "Vanished: Gone in 90 Seconds."
A mother's relentless search for her missing daughter.
The last, tragic conversation between mother and daughter.
Becky Marzo's mother shares suspicions about her daughter's disappearance.
The other side of the story: Carl Rodgers' family speaks out.
Convinced her daughter was murdered, Karren Kraemer investigates on her own.
Unanswered questions, dead ends and The Broken Wings Network.
Part 1: Elizabeth Vargas anchors "Siegfried and Roy: The Magic Returns."
Part 2: Elizabeth Vargas anchors "Siegfried and Roy: The Magic Returns."
Part 3: Elizabeth Vargas anchors "Siegfried and Roy: The Magic Returns."
Part 4: Elizabeth Vargas anchors "Siegfried and Roy: The Magic Returns."
Part 5: Elizabeth Vargas anchors "Siegfried and Roy: The Magic Returns."
The case of a young American girl on trial for murder in Italy.
How a star athlete became a binge eater and how she's finally "getting a grip."
Hollywood matriarch on selling mansion and relationship with Tori Spelling.
Couple says surviving highs and lows of the recession improved their marriage.
Elizabeth Vargas talks to three Americans held in the jungle for five years.
Elizabeth Vargas talks to three Americans held in the jungle for five years.
Elizabeth Vargas talks to three Americans held in the jungle for five years.
Gov. Sarah Palin on sexism, kids on the trail, and criticism of her candidacy. | Elizabeth Vargas is an anchor of the news magazine "20/20" on ABC News. | 37.9375 | 0.625 | 0.875 | high | low | abstractive |
http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/1996/11/26/1996-11-26__roseanne___stick_a_fork_in_.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20091028045915id_/http://www.nydailynews.com:80/archives/entertainment/1996/11/26/1996-11-26__roseanne___stick_a_fork_in_.html | 'ROSEANNE': STICK A FORK IN THIS TURKEY | 20091028045915 | Tuesday, November 26th 1996, 2:01AM
FOR tonight's Thanksgiving episode of ABC's "Roseanne," the Conners' living room is redecorated, the food is being prepared by caterers, and two family members Roseanne's husband and elder daughter are away for the holidays. When it's over, Roseanne looks around and moans that things just aren't the same.
I couldn't agree more. This is the ninth season for "Roseanne" and the way it's going, it doesn't deserve a tenth.
Tonight's episode (8 p.m.) has generated some advance buzz from the fact that Roseanne Conner's mom, Beverly, played by Estelle Parsons, blurts out during the holiday gathering that she happens to be a lesbian. In reality, though, this is as hollow and contrived a gimmick planned for maximum sweeps-month exposure and exploitation as when Mariel Hemingway guest-starred as a lesbian who planted a big kiss on Roseanne.
The writers of "Roseanne," by acceding to the whims of its titular star, have all but ruined this series this season. Having Roseanne win the lottery not only turned "Roseanne" inside out, but cut its heart out as well.
Instead of being a clever comedy about trying to be married, with children, on a limited budget, "Roseanne" has served up episodes where in either fantasy sequences or alleged, unbelievable real ones Roseanne has dressed as Xena the warrior princess and a centerfold. In one extended sequence, she played a kind of female "Die Hard" action hero, rescuing a trainload of fellow passengers from terrorist hijackers.
Basically, Roseanne is spending the season playing dress-up, glamorizing her character, upping Roseanne Conner's income and profile, and pushing her closer and closer to center stage. In short, she is forcing the TV character of Roseanne to metamorphose into a close approximation of the real Roseanne. Like the morphing portrait photos at the start of each show, "Roseanne" is changing before our eyes.
These changes, though, have ruined what, for years, was one of television's cleverest and truest domestic sitcoms.
With John Goodman gone from most of the shows, "Roseanne" has lost a lot of its soulful center. With the lottery winnings pushing Roseanne Conner into a different economic bracket, "Roseanne" has lost a lot of its edge.
Roseanne Conner used to get mad at, and even with, snooty people who didn't treat her properly. Now the snootiness she encounters is from the hired help the caterers who won't let her sprinkle marshmallows on the Thanksgiving yams.
All this season, "Roseanne" has been indulgent rather than funny, and only Laurie Metcalf as sister Jackie manages to bring smiles with her effort and energy. These days, that's nowhere near enough.
I do, however, love the new couch. | FOR tonight's Thanksgiving episode of ABC's "Roseanne,"the Conners' living room is redecorated, the food is being prepared by caterers, and two family members Roseanne's husband and elder daughter are away for the holidays. When it's over, Roseanne looks around and moans that things just aren't the same. I couldn't agree more. This is the ninth season for "Roseanne"and the way it's going, it doesn't deserve a tenth. Tonight's episode (8 p.m.) | 6 | 0.978495 | 30.849462 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/gossip/1995/04/10/1995-04-10_pacino_feels_buffaloed__and_.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20091226184642id_/http://www.nydailynews.com:80/archives/gossip/1995/04/10/1995-04-10_pacino_feels_buffaloed__and_.html | PACINO FEELS BUFFALOED, AND RIVAL HOFFMAN'S MYSTIFIED TOO | 20091226184642 | BY GEORGE RUSH AND JOANNA MOLLOY
Monday, April 10th 1995, 2:35AM
Dustin Hoffman and Al Pacino have experienced role reversal, and neither one of them is happy about it.
Pacino is said to be bummed now that Hoffman has snatched the lead in David Mamet's "American Buffalo" the role Pacino perfected onstage.
Meantime, Hoffman is reportedly still so upset that Pacino nabbed his part as New York's mayor in "City Hall," that he's considering legal action against Castle Rock Prods.
Pacino was actually offered the role of "Teach" in "American Buffalo" before Hoffman. Producer Gregory Mosher tells us: "We asked Al if he wanted to play the part within five minutes, literally, of acquiring the rights. We gave him a decent time to think it over several weeks. For whatever reason, he didn't want to be in this production that was shooting this summer."
When Pacino learned the project would take off with rival Hoffman in the lead, Pacino was profoundly "disappointed," said a source.
"Al did it Off-Broadway, on Broadway, in London, he did it over and over," said the source. "It's his baby. He's spent 20 years perfecting it.
"They were negotiating with him to do the movie and then the talks broke off. So they offered it to Dustin."
Hoffman's attorney, Burton Fields, says that once Hoffman heard Pacino wanted the part, he offered it back to him.
"Dustin said, 'I'll tear the contract up,' " Fields said. "Dustin had been told Al passed on the director. But the producers wouldn't let Dustin out of the contract."
Fields said the "Outbreak" star was originally cast for Pacino's part in "City Hall," and had a contract for it. Fields is now duking it out with lawyers at Castle Rock over the matter.
"Dustin is not angry with Al at all," said Fields. "His dispute is with Castle Rock." Field said Hoffman hadn't filed suit yet, adding, "Sometimes these things can be settled."
Members of Florida's snooty Jupiter Island Club reportedly turned apoplectic recently when they heard that mogul Henry Kravis might purchase control of their WASP nest.
Since the Hobe Sound enclave was founded in the 1930s, its membership list has included such old-money names as Doubleday, Payson, Ford, Olin, Duke, Weyerhaeuser, Mellon and Bush. Conspicuously missing have been many Jewish names.
Mind you, the club's president, Nat Reed, tells us that the club has never had a prohibition against any minority "in its by-laws," and that it now has Jewish members. But it's safe to say that more than a few Jupiter Islanders have long looked down their noses on the arrivestes of nearby Palm Beach.
Then came the death of Permelia Reed, the empress dowager who owned the majority of shares in the club. Son Nat and other heirs decided they wanted to sell her legacy. But the blue bloods have reportedly had difficulty fetching their price, said to be as much as $24 million. So they've had to dicker with people who might make Mrs. Reed spin in her grave.
That's why the greens of their golf course virtually turned brown when the hot word spread that Henry Kravis, the corporate raider made infamous in "Barbarians at the Gate," had gotten a private tour of the premises.
"This was worse than the Japanese," says a source who's familiar with the reaction that Kravis provoked.
Might the diminutive tycoon, whose worth Forbes puts at $780 million, actually buy control of the club?
Kravis' spokeswoman didn't call back. Nat Reed told us that Kravis has not made a bid. "We are very much hoping that the island's present residents will acquire the shares," said Reed, adding that the rumored $24 million price was incorrect. "If they don't, there is an outside bidder who is very eager."
Reed wouldn't say who. As for Kravis, he volunteered, "We'd be delighted to have him here as a member."
It was midnight, so the chef at Ivy's Bistro on Greenwich St. in Tribeca had already gone home Thursday night, and the crowd that showed up just then had to settle for liquid sustenance. Bruce Springsteen, Sean Penn, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Matthew Modine, Little Steven and Denis Leary had no complaints and had a blast till four, our source reports. . . . Prince came backstage after the designer Isaac Mizrahi's show to see his pal Veronica Webb. (The purple one had "Slave" written on his face in protest against his record label.) Over at Cynthia Rowley's show, supermodel Tatjana Patitz' full figure got people whispering that she must be preggers. (Her agency says no.) RuPaul may act like one of the girls but, at Todd Oldham's party at Henri Bendel's, the drag diva powdered his nose in the men's room.And Sandra Bernhard did the running commentary at Ghost's fashion show at the Oyster Bar Thursday, literally, as she ran around the restaurant among New York's fashion favorites stuffing their faces with seafood. As model Patricia Velasquez, Bernhard's constant companion, walked by in a tight red number, Bernhard told the crowd, "Ummmm . . . have a piece of calamari. . . . Everything's delicious here." . . .
Spotted at the grand re-opening of Pure Platinum: defrocked-cop Carol Shaya, tipping her sisters in the skin trade for table dances. . . . Random House jefe Harold Evans had to fly off to edit Colin Powell's memoir, so he couldn't oversee this month's Overachievers Literary Breakfast at Barneys' Mad 61. Model Lauren Hutton subbed moderated the entire panel while lying on the floor. . . . If we lived in Burma (Myanmar), we'd be doing time by now. The Burmese author of "Prison of Darkness" has now been thrown into one of her own sentenced to 10 years for "giving one-sided views" about Burma's oppressive regime. Tomorrow night, writers and celebs like Diandra Douglas and Regis Philbin will gather at Tavern on the Green to give the PEN American Center's Freedom-to-Write award to San San Nweh in absentia, obviously. | Dustin Hoffman and Al Pacino have experienced role reversal, and neither one of them is happy about it. Pacino is said to be bummed now that Hoffman has snatched the lead in David Mamet's "American Buffalo"the role Pacino perfected onstage. Meantime, Hoffman is reportedly still so upset that Pacino nabbed his part as New York's mayor in "City Hall,"that he's considering legal action against Castle Rock Prods. Pacino was actually offered | 15.62963 | 0.975309 | 16.580247 | medium | high | extractive |
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/michigan-mom-gave-birth-unaware-pregnant/story | http://web.archive.org/web/20100115105735id_/http://abcnews.go.com:80/2020/michigan-mom-gave-birth-unaware-pregnant/story?id=9531970 | Michigan Mom Gave Birth -- Unaware She Was Pregnant | 20100115105735 | When Carri Emmons woke up in the middle of the night last April, she thought she was coming down with something. Instead, moments later, she was in her bathtub, positioning herself to give birth to a baby that she had no idea she was carrying.
Dispatcher walks shocked husband through surprise birth of baby in bathtub.
"I started getting really bad cramps and then it seemed to get a little bit stronger, more uncomfortable," said Emmons, 27, and already a mother of three. "I just felt a lot of pressure, like I had to go to the bathroom. ...and when I sat down ...it was a lot of fluid."
"I heard her just screaming, like blood curdling scream," said Carri's husband, Ryan Emmons, 32. "And I opened up the door and she was in the tub, holding her, propping herself up and screaming, 'I'm bleeding everywhere.'"
Ryan called 911 and told the dispatcher that his wife was having a baby. "I think she's in labor right now," he said, with Carri's screams audible in the background.
Before the 911 operator could even take down the Emmons' address, Ryan blurted out, "Oh, my god, I'm looking at a baby! ...I didn't know my wife was pregnant."
Watch the full story on "20/20" Friday at 10 p.m. ET
Surprise pregnancies and births have made headlines before. In December 2009, Chilean Olympic weightlifter Elizabeth Poblete gave birth while training, unaware she was pregnant. And TLC has dedicated an entire show, "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant," to the phenomenon.
Carri and Ryan Emmons could only get help over the phone, since the closest paramedics were stationed 20 miles away from their Michigan home. Dispatcher Angi Adams, 36, coached Ryan, telling him to get his wife to lie down and make her as comfortable as possible.
"Sh**, she's in the tub and it's full of blood and it's really gross," he said on the call.
The entire surprise birth was recorded on the 911 call.
"I just remember, you know, I was kneeling. You know, I wasn't laying down or anything. And he just kind of fell into my arms," Carri told "20/20." "I think I was in shock. ...I didn't know what was happening. I mean, the pain was like labor pain."
Click here to listen to the 911 call
Following the dispatcher's lead, Ryan wiped off the baby's mouth and nose with a dry towel. The couple's three older children: Tyler, 10; Dylan, 8; Alexia, 6 -- who all awoke from the screaming and were in tears from the blood -- were quickly put to work, getting towels.
The baby boy was hardly moving. No loud cries -- just a few whimpers.
"The first thing I thought of is, 'We didn't know about this. It's stillborn,'" Ryan told "20/20." "I didn't know if he was alive. I didn't know if he was OK. I didn't know if she was OK." | Completely unaware she was pregnant, Carri Emmons gave birth to a healthy baby boy in their family bathtub on April 16, 2009. Surprise pregnancies are rare but not unheard-of. Once at the hospital, she and her husband Ryan they named the baby William Gerald Emmons. | 11.944444 | 0.685185 | 1.166667 | low | low | abstractive |
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/texas-pastor-matt-baker-trial-wifes-murder-jury/story | http://web.archive.org/web/20100124050627id_/http://abcnews.go.com:80/2020/texas-pastor-matt-baker-trial-wifes-murder-jury/story?id=9616881 | Former Texas Pastor Matt Baker: Trial in Wife's Murder Goes to Jury | 20100124050627 | A Waco, Texas, jury began deliberations Wednesday afternoon in the case of what prosecutors call the "murdering minister."
Former Baptist Minister Matt Baker waits in the 19th District Court during his murder trial Wednesday Jan. 20, 2010 in Waco, Texas. Baker, 38, is on trial for the 2006 murder of his wife, Kari Baker.
(Rod Aydelotte/Waco Tribune Herald/AP Photo)
Former Baptist Pastor Matt Baker is accused of first degree murder in the death of his 32-year-old wife Kari. She was found dead in her bedroom April 7, 2006, in what her husband Matt claimed was a suicide.
"20/20" profiled the case during a broadcast nearly two years ago.
Testimony ended Wednesday in the week-long trial and closing arguments were quick and to the point.
Prosecutor Crawford Long told the jury Baker drugged his wife with sleeping pills and then smothered her with a bedroom pillow.
Baker, 38, did not testify, but in an interview with "20/20" -- portions of which were played in open court -- he claimed he left his house just before midnight on the night in question to put gasoline in the car and get a movie to watch with his wife. He said when he returned, the bedroom door was locked, and after breaking in he found his wife nude and not breathing. Baker said he called 911 and began CPR.
An unsigned, typewritten suicide note was found next to a nearly empty bottle of Ambien, a sleeping pill, on the bedside table. The note thanked Matt Baker for being a good father to the couple's two girls, and lamented the loss of a third daughter, Kassidy, to a brain tumor two years before.
"I did not kill my wife. I did not hurt my wife. I loved her," Baker told ABC News in March 2008. "There was never a doubt that I loved her or that she loved me. She had a wonderful smile, great personality. I don't think my love ever stopped for her and it won't."
Police, paramedics and the county justice of the peace initially suspected nothing out of the ordinary, and an autopsy was not done on Kari Baker's body -- a decision which later made it difficult to prosecute because no definitive cause of death was made, and embalming removed any trace evidence.
But prosecutors finally broke a key witness, divorcee Vanessa Bulls -- and her testimony may be all that is needed for a conviction. Bulls is the other woman in the case, and after initially denying any romantic involvement with Baker, she eventually changed her story and confessed to an affair with the preacher and knowledge of his alleged plans to kill his wife. | Former pastor Matt Baker was charged with murder in the 2006 death of his wife Kari Baker. Her death initially was ruled a suicide. But Vanessa Bulls, a divorcee who said she had an affair with Baker, became the key witness. She testified that Baker drugged his wife with sleeping pills and then suffocated her with a pillow. | 8.296875 | 0.90625 | 2.875 | low | medium | mixed |
http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/gossip/2004/08/03/2004-08-03_black-_-blue_paris_not_blami.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20100305073912id_/http://www.nydailynews.com:80/archives/gossip/2004/08/03/2004-08-03_black-_-blue_paris_not_blami.html | BLACK-&-BLUE PARIS NOT BLAMING NICK | 20100305073912 | BY GEORGE RUSH AND JOANNA MOLLOY With Jo Piazza and Chris Rovzar
Tuesday, August 3th 2004, 6:53AM
Nick Carter can breathe easy.
Despite reports linking the Backstreet Boy with those bruises on his former girlfriend Paris Hilton, we hear the hotel heiress wants the scandal to die.
Carter's reps have steadfastly denied that he inflicted any harm on the star of "The Simple Life." Hilton and her reps have been less zealous about defending his good name - offering no explanation of how she got that fat lip and those black-and-blue marks on her arms.
Yesterday, her camp still had no comment. But Hilton told friends over the weekend in the Hamptons that, after consulting lawyers, she won't make any allegations against Carter.
"She's hoping the whole thing goes away," says one friend of the model, who spent months weathering her porn-video tempest.
Another pal tells us: "The last thing she wants is to be dragged into court, where some lawyer may claim that she was into rough sex or something."
A lawyer for Carter claimed Hilton was scheduled for an "S&M" photo shoot last Tuesday with lensman David LaChapelle. A friend of Hilton's told us that the LaChapelle shoot for Rolling Stone was done on July 19.
"There was nothing 'S&M' about it," says the friend. "What's more, it happend two weeks ago. You can look at paparazzi photos of her taken the week after and see she had no bruises."
However she came by those welts, Paris seemed to be high spirits at Jet East in the Hamptons on Saturday.
"She was dancing on the banquettes past 3 a.m.," says a witness.
To keep star-snappers at bay, she came to the club with no fewer than
six bodyguards. Friends say two
bodyguards - off-duty cops - stayed overnight at her family's Southampton estate.
The question remains whether police will probe Paris' bruises, even if she doesn't press charges.
A spokesman for the LAPD, whose chief, Bill Bratton, has vowed to crack down on domestic violence, had no knowledge of an investigation into
L.A. Sheriff's Office Deputy Carlos Lopez said he knew of no investigation, but noted that "officers can make an arrest if we see visible injuries."
Meanwhile, Carter, who was back in the studio last weekend to record with the reunited Backstreet Boys, may also be nursing a bruise on his arm. He's been spotted with a large red mark on his left elbow, just above the "Paris" tattoo.
His rep didn't return a call for comment on the welt.
As for Paris, she's back in California filming an episode of the new sitcom "Veronica Mars." She is is among the chairs for next Saturday's Southampton Hospital benefit, and she'll also help host the Teen Choice Awards on Sunday.
Penthouse publisher Bob Guccione has been forced by creditors to divest himself of everything he loved at his mansion on the Hudson - including his late wife, Kathy Keeton.
Keeton, who died in 1997, had been buried beneath two stones engraved with the words "Peace" and "Forever" in a plot on the property of his 55-acre estate in Hyde Park, N.Y.
But now that Guccione has forfeited the proprerty to lender Kennedy Funding after defaulting on a $14.5 million loan, Keeton's remains have been exhumed and moved to a cemetery in New Jersey.
Guccione's family had the chance to remove keepsakes from the house, which is on the market for $7 million. What's left will go on the block Sept. 4.
George Cole Auctions in Red Hook will sell furniture from the 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a 12-foot limestone sundial and a 1996 Cadillac limo with 56,000 miles.
Bob is apparently keeping his collection of gold chest jewelry.
Sen. John Kerry mentioned at the Democratic Convention that his prep school garage band, The Electras, may be getting back together. But already there's partisan squabbling.
Jack Radcliffe, Larry Rand, John Prouty, Peter Lang and Andy Gagarin, who all attended St. Paul's with Kerry, recently got together in Hartford, Conn., to talk about re-releasing the Electras album.
At first, everybody got along fine. But Rand says "the reunion disintegrated" when the band couldn't agree on whether to go with an established label or distribute it themselves. They also couldn't agree on how to spend the potential profits.
Democratic Electras "wanted to send the profits" to the Kerry camp, Rand tells the New Bedford Standard-Times. But Republicans Radcliffe and Gagarin would hear none of it.
"If the proceeds from my songs go to the Democratic National Convention, I'll be worked up," said Radcliffe.
The band's two factions have decided to re-release two separate albums.
You can buy the Kerry-friendly version at www.elextrasrockand rollband.com.
SPA SCHEDULERS at Canyon Ranch in Lenox, Mass., had their hands full last weekend, we hear. Sen. Hillary Clinton and daughter Chelsea checked in to de-stress after the Dem convention. (Our spy saw them whispering in a hot tub.) Also there getting exfoliated were First Daughters Barbara and Jenna Bush
IS PAUL McCartney about to become a grandpa again? The ex-Beatle, who has two grandchildren by daughter Mary, just heard daughter Stella is expecting her first, London's Mirror reports. A rep for the 33-year-old fashion designer, who wed publisher Alasdhair Willis last summer, had no comment
THE GRATEFUL Dead's Bob Weir is pleading with Deadheads everywhere not to vote for Ralph Nader. Performing on Saturday in Boston, Weir told the band's followers to be sure to vote, but the exorted, "Don't vote for Nader. I know him. He's an a--hole," our spies tell us. The band then broke into "Johnny B. Goode," a theme song of the Kerry-Edwards campaign
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER is still smarting from the fist of his father, Gustav, a former member of the Nazi Party. The California governor says the discipline he received growing up "would now be called child abuse." He tells Fortune magazine: "My hair was pulled. I was hit with belts. So was the kid next door. Many of the children I've seen were broken by their parents, which was the German-Austrian
JOSEPH GANNASCOLI, whose who played gay wiseguy Vito Spatafora
on "The Sopranos" last season, just proposed to girlfriend Diana Benincasa with a $40,000 ring. "My girl fans will be unhappy that I'm taken, and my gay fans will be disappointed that I'm not really gay," he tells us. They're to marry next June at Tavern on the Green.
U2's BONO and his wife, Alison Hewson, checked out the Siren Sister at P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center in Long Island City over the weekend. Spotting some approaching female fans, the Irish rocker proposed, "Look at all these gorgeous women. Would you let me take a picture with you?" They kindly obliged
THE DISNEY Channel is tightening security for the premiere of "Tiger Cruise" tonight on the Intrepid. Stars Bill Pullman and Hayden Panettiere shouldn't worry, though, if they hear some explosions. There'll be fireworks after the film.
Derek Jeter came stag to Yankee teammate Jorge Posada's fund-raiser Sunday night at Capitale.
But Jeter, lately linked with actress Jessica Alba, didn't need long to fall for another babe - Posada's 1-year-old daughter, Paulina, who sat giggling on Jeter's lap for most of the dinner.
Also there were Bombers Bernie Williams, Mariano Rivera, Joe Torre and Don Mattingly, but the star of the evening was Jorge Posada Jr. Diagnosed with craniosynostosis when he was an infant, he is the foundation's namesake.
Notably absent was Alex Rodriguez. Word is his newly expectant wife threw the third baseman a 29th-birthday party in the Hamptons Sunday night, causing him to miss the fund-raiser. | Nick Carter can breathe easy. Despite reports linking the Backstreet Boy with those bruises on his former girlfriend Paris Hilton, we hear the hotel heiress wants the scandal to die. Carter's reps have steadfastly denied that he inflicted any harm on the star of "The Simple Life."Hilton and her reps have been less zealous about defending his good name - offering no explanation of how she got | 22.194444 | 0.986111 | 20.680556 | medium | high | extractive |
http://www.nytimes.com/1860/06/16/news/china-great-britain-chinese-emperor-s-rejection-british-ultimatum-mr-bruce.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20100402143428id_/http://www.nytimes.com:80/1860/06/16/news/china-great-britain-chinese-emperor-s-rejection-british-ultimatum-mr-bruce.html | CHINA AND GREAT BRITAIN. | 20100402143428 | The undersigned, &c., has the honor to address acommunication to his Excellency PANG WAN-CHANG, a Senior Secretary of State, and their Excellencies the Members of the Great Council of his Majesty the Emperor of China.
The undersigned has the honor to state that, as in duty bound, he has laid before her Britannic Majesty's Government a full narrative of all the circumstances attending his journey to the mouth of the Tien-tsin River last Summer for the purpose of exchanging the ratifications of the Treaty of Tien-tsin, as required by the provisions of that treaty, on or before the 26th of June, 1859. Besides the whole of his correspondence with the Imperial Government, the undersigned has transmitted to the Government of her Britannic Majesty a copy of the Imperial Decree, dated the 9th of August, and handed, by the Emperor's desire, to the United States Minister, Mr. WARD, on the eve of his departure from Peking.
The decree begins as follows:
Last year the ships of the English sailed into the port of Tien-tsin and opened a fire on our troops. We accordingly instructed SANG-KOLIN-SIN, Prince of the Khorchin tribe, to adopt the most stringent measures for the defence of Taku, and (the Envoys of) the different nations coming up to exchange treaties on this occasion were told by KWEILIANG and HWASHANA at Shanghai that Taku was thus strictly guarded, and that they must go round by the port of Peh-tang. The Englishman BRUCE, notwithstanding, when he came to Tein-tsin, in the fifth moon, did not abide by his original understanding with KWEILIANG and his colleague, but actually forced his way into the port of Taku, destroying our defensive apparatus.
The undersigned did not fail at once to apprise the Government of her Britannic Majesty that the Emperor had been singularly misled. Had it, indeed, been signified to him by the Commissioners at Shanghai that his Majesty had decided on closing to foreign Envoys the natural and most convenient highway to his capital, such evidence of an enfriendly disposition on the part of the Imperial Government would certainly have been regarded by the undersigned as fit matter of remonstrance and negotiation.
No intimation of the kind, however, was conveyed to the undersigned in the letters of the Imperial Commissioners. The port of Peh-tang was never named by them, nor did the undersigned enter into any engagement with them other than that contained in his letter of the 16th of May, in which he acquainted His Excellency KWEILIANG of the nature and object of his mission, and of his intention to proceed by ship to Tien-tsin, from which city he requested his Excellency to give the necessary orders for his conveyance to Pekin.
He begs to inclose a copy of this letter, as also of that received from the Imperial Commissioner of the 12th of June. These will prove that the undersigned was allowed to quit Shanghai in total ignorance of the Emperor's objection to his employment of the usual river route.
A like silence on the subject of the Imperial prohibition was observed towards Admiral HOPE, Commander-in-Chief of Her Majesty's naval forces in these seas, when, in furtherance of the objects made known to his Excellency KWEILIANG in the letter above cited, he appeared on the 17th of June at the mouth of the river to announce the approach of the undersigned and his colleague the Minister of France. The Admiral was assured that the passage had been crossed by the so called militia, whom he found in charge of the booms obstructing it, without the orders of their Government, none of whose officers, the militia repeatedly affirmed, were near the spot; also that it was closed, not against foreigners, but against a native enemy. These false representations were supported by false appearances; the batteries of the forts were mashed, no banners were displayed, no soldier discovered himself. Still further to prevent verification of the statements of the militia, no communication was allowed with the shore. After promising to remove the obstacles at the river mouth, the militia repudiated the promise. They conducted themselves with rudeness and violence to the officers who were sent to speak with them, in one instance proceeding so far as to threaten the life of a gentleman dispatched with a message from the Admiral. | The undersigned, , has the honor to address acommunication to his Excellency PANG WAN-CHANG, a Senior Secretary of State, and their Excellencies the Members of the Great Council of his Majesty the Emperor of China. | 20.219512 | 1 | 35.439024 | medium | high | extractive |
http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/2003/06/01/2003-06-01_fugitive_bomber_busted_n_c__.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20100406141700id_/http://www.nydailynews.com:80/archives/news/2003/06/01/2003-06-01_fugitive_bomber_busted_n_c__.html | FUGITIVE BOMBER BUSTED N.C. cop nabs suspect in '96 Olympics blast | 20100406141700 | By GEOFF CANTRELL in Murphy, N.C., and MAKI BECKER and MAGGIE HABERMAN in New York DAILY NEWS WRITERS With News Wire Services
Sunday, June 1th 2003, 1:50AM
Eric Robert Rudolph, the suspect in the 1996 Olympics bombing and one of the FBI's most-wanted men, was captured yesterday after eluding a massive manhunt in North Carolina for five years.
The fugitive survivalist's downfall came at the hands of an eagle-eyed, 21-year-old rookie cop with less than a year on the job in the small town of Murphy - just miles from the center of the dragnet aimed at Rudolph's arrest.
A slimmed-down, stubble-faced Rudolph was recognized by the distinctive scar on his chin and formally identified through two fingerprint matches, authorities said.
He told authorities he was "relieved" and was cooperative throughout his arrest, said Cherokee County Sheriff Keith Lovin.
Rudolph faces the death penalty if convicted. He has been indicted in the Centennial Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta that killed one person and left more than 100 others injured, as well as lethal explosions at an abortion clinic and a gay nightclub.
His initial court appearance is scheduled for tomorrow in Asheville, N.C.
"We always thought he was in the mountains of North Carolina somewhere," said Chris Swecker, the lead FBI agent in the state. "No law enforcement agent ever gave up on finding him."
Officials said Rudolph never left a 5-mile radius of the rugged mountain area in the western part of the state, which is said to be a hideout for many anti-government extremists.
But major questions remain about exactly where Rudolph had been hiding - and whether he had any help from anyone during his time on the lam.
His flight from justice ended at about 4:30 a.m. yesterday, as Officer Jeffrey Postell was on a routine patrol behind a shopping mall.
The baby-faced cop saw a scruffy-looking man standing in the middle of the roadway, near a service entry to the Save-a-Lot grocery. He was wearing an Army camouflage jacket over a blue shirt and blue pants. He had on jogging shoes and was carrying a backpack and large flashlight.
Postell called for backup and then got out of his car, thinking the man was trying to break into one of the strip-mall shops.
Rudolph sprinted away, and hid behind some packing crates, Postell said. The cop drew his gun and ordered the man to come out.
Postell and the other officers brought Rudolph, who was unarmed, to the sheriff's department. He gave his name as Jerry Wilson and provided a phony birthdate, officials said.
Authorities told Rudolph that they knew the name he'd given was false, and he quickly gave himself up as the man for whom the FBI has a $1 million reward.
Postell brushed off questions about his new-found hero status.
"It's a closure to it, I believe, and that's about it," Postell told a news conference. "I'm just glad I was out there doing my job, and glad I was in the right place at the right time."
Rudolph, a 36-year-old Army veteran who grew up in Cherokee County and had experience living in the outdoors, had been on the FBI's "10 Most Wanted list."
The FBI had always thought he managed to survive by living somewhere in the Nantahala National Forest, possibly breaking into empty vacation homes and stealing from other people's gardens.
There was some speculation yesterday that Rudolph, a pothead who loved "Cheech and Chong" movies, might have grown marijuana and sold it to support himself on the lam.
But law enforcement sources said there also was speculation that Rudolph was living much closer to central Murphy than had originally been believed.
Rudolph, a Florida native who moved to western North Carolina in 1981, was thought to follow a white supremacist religion called Christian Identity, which is said to shun homosexuality and be rabidly anti-Jewish.
Some of the explosives that Rudolph is believed to have planted held messages from a group called the Army of God.
Rudolph was last seen in July 1998, when he sought help from an acquaintance, North Carolina health food store owner George Nordmann.
Nordmann turned down Rudolph's requests, but the store owner told authorities that he came home two days after the appeal for help and found 75 pounds of food missing, along with his truck. There were five $100 bills on his table.
Officials believed he disappeared into the mountains, where authorities from several different law enforcement agencies spent months scouring the hillsides for any sight of Rudolph.
The searches turned up a string of campsites believed to be used by the fugitive, but beyond remnants of tuna and cartons of oatmeal, he seemed to have vanished.
But after two years, the search was scaled back. And with no reported sightings of Rudolph in the past few years, some officials speculated that he may have died of exposure in the mountains.
Rudolph was charged with the July 27, 1996, Olympics bombings about two years after the actual attack, which killed one woman and injured 111 others.
Richard Jewell, a security guard who'd stumbled on the backpack in which the explosives were hidden, was described for months as a top suspect. He later sued the feds and several news outlets.
A year after the Olympics incident, a bomb went off at a gay nightclub in Atlanta.
Then, in 1998, a police officer was killed when explosives went off at a building in Birmingham, Ala. The building housed an abortion clinic that was believed to be the target.
Officials started looking for Rudolph right after the Birmingham explosion as a witness to the attacks. A Nissan truck registered in his name had been seen near the abortion clinic right after the bomb blast.
But he was officially linked to the bombing when officials searched a storage locker he had rented in Murphy, and turned up nails just like the ones used at the clinic bombing.
The victims of the spate of bombings said they had always held out hope that Rudolph would be captured.
Jeff Lyons, whose wife Emily lost an eye in the abortion clinic bombing, got a call from a friend yesterday morning about the arrest.
"I turned to Emily, and I said 'What news would be worth being woken up for?' " he said. "This is indeed one of the best days we've had in quite some time."
Eric RudolphÂs path of destruction,deception and detention:
July 27, 1996: A bomb goes off in AtlantaÂs crowded
Centennial Olympic Park during the Olympic Summer
Games. The bomb, hidden in a knapsack, kills
a woman, and injures 111 people.
Jan. 16, 1997: Two bombs explode at an office
building in the Atlanta suburb of Sandy Springs,
injuring six. An abortion clinic in the building is
believed to be the target.
. Feb. 21, 1997: A nail-laden bomb explodes at the
Otherside Lounge, a gay and lesbian nightclub in
Atlanta. Five people are injured.
Jan. 29, 1998: An explosion kills a policeman,
Robert Sanderson, 35, and maims a nurse, Emily
Lyons, at an abortion clinic in Birmingham, Ala.
Jan. 30, 1998. Rudolph reportedly stocks up on supplies in North Carolina and vanishes. The FBI launches a massive manhunt, focusing on the rugged estern North Carolina mountains, just over the Tennessee border. The FBI offers a $1 million reward for his capture.
July 11, 1998. A health food store owner in North Carolina tells authorities Rudolph took six months worth of food and supplies and a pickup truck from his home, leaving five $100 bills as payment.
May 31, 2003: Rudolph is captured after a cop in western North Carolina spots a man digging in a trash bin in the small town of Murphy at about 4:30 a.m. Arrested, the man is taken to the sheriffÂs
office, and a deputy recognize him as Rudolph. | By GEOFF CANTRELL in Murphy, N.C., and MAKI BECKER and MAGGIE HABERMAN in New York DAILY NEWS WRITERS Eric Robert Rudolph, the suspect in the 1996 Olympics bombing and one of the FBI's most-wanted men, was captured yesterday after eluding a massive manhunt in North Carolina for five years. The fugitive survivalist's downfall came at the hands of an eagle-eyed, 21-year-old rookie cop with less than a year on the job in the small town | 17.764045 | 1 | 31.382022 | medium | high | extractive |
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/slideshow/becky-babcock-diane-downs-mom-was-a-killer-10630205%26page%3D8 | http://web.archive.org/web/20100519172051id_/http://abcnews.go.com:80/2020/slideshow/becky-babcock-diane-downs-mom-was-a-killer-10630205&page=8 | Becky Babcock: My Mother Was a Killer | 20100519172051 | In an Oregon courtroom on June 17, 1984, Diane Downs was found guilty of shooting her three children. Days later, she gave birth to a fourth child, a daughter. The baby was secretly driven to a hotel room and turned over to adoptive parents Jackie and Chris Babcock. "Oh, gosh, she was adorable," Jackie Babcock said. "She was the typical little perfect baby." It was the Babcocks' second adoption. They named their new daughter Rebecca. (Courtesy Babcock Family ) | A slide show of the life of Becky Babcock, whose mother, convicted child murderer Diane Downs, was forced to give her up for adoption before she began serving a life sentence for shooting three of her other children, killing one, in Oregon in 1983. | 1.98 | 0.56 | 0.6 | low | low | abstractive |
http://www.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2010/06/two-hospital-roommates-at-birth-in-1986-set-june-wedding-/1 | http://web.archive.org/web/20100602075954id_/http://www.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2010/06/two-hospital-roommates-at-birth-in-1986-set-june-wedding-/1 | Hospital 'roommates' at birth in 1986 set June wedding | 20100602075954 | Quite by chance, Jacqueline Smith and Janis Singley ended up in the same hospital room after giving birth to Jacqueline's twins, Steve and Scott, and Janis' daughter, Amy, on April 17, 1986.
Now, 24 years after being roommates at birth, Steve and Amy are getting married, the Lehigh Valley Express-Times reports at lehighvalleylive.com.
Although both families lived in Easton, Pa., they didn't really know each other, except from a distance through church activities. Steve only thought of Amy as "the girl with the same birthday as me."
But as sophomores, Steve asked Amy to the movies and that was that. On the first anniversary of their first date, Steve wrote a poem for her, the Express-Times says. It's called "Destiny."
It was as if they they'd known each other their whole life.
The wedding is June 12.
To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor
. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to
. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to | Hospital 'roommates' at birth in 1986 set June wedding - | 17.076923 | 0.846154 | 1 | medium | medium | abstractive |
http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/1996/09/15/1996-09-15_fall_preview.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20100608214957id_/http://www.nydailynews.com:80/archives/entertainment/1996/09/15/1996-09-15_fall_preview.html | FALL PREVIEW | 20100608214957 | Sunday, September 15th 1996, 2:00AM
In this romantic comedy, real-life Mr.-and-Mrs. actors Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen are a newly divorced couple Jack and Carrie working as reporters at a New York City newspaper. The sparks begin to fly, though, when she is promoted to the position of editor, and he has to report to her.
DANGEROUS MINDS (premieres Sept. 30)
Picking up where Michelle Pfeiffer's Hollywood role left off, Annie Potts plays Louanne Johnson, a tough ex-Marine-turned-sensitive teacher whose mission in life is to make
a difference in the lives of her street-savvy high school students, including the experience-hardened Gusmaro (Greg Serano) and single mother Callie (Tamala Jones).
The hour-long drama is set in East Palo Alto.
PARTY GIRL (premiered Sept. 9)
In this off-beat comedy, our heroine (Christine Taylor) purposely works in a library to prove she can do something other than party all night and sleep all day. Besides, says she in a typical wisecrack, "There's something to be said for a place filled with things bound in leather." Castmates include John Cameron Mitchell, as a quick-witted assistant fashion stylist searching for true love, and Swoosie Kurtz, as the party girl's godmother.
MR. RHODES (premieres Sept. 23)
Tom Rhodes (played by a stand-up comic named, yep,
Tom Rhodes) is a failed young novelist whose hippy-dippy teaching style is in marked contrast to the repressed youngsters in prep-school uniforms. The real Rhodes has a sweet, leisurely manner, and is supplemented by a good supporting cast, particularly Stephen Tobolowksy as the headmaster and Ron Glass ("Barney Miller"), as the imperious, sharp-tongued history teacher.
The Cos (Bill Cosby) is back in a sitcom as a victim of a corporate downsizing that leaves him unemployed, kicking around the house and the neighborhood, sort of getting in the way yet making trenchant observations about how the world goes 'round. He's reunited with Phylicia Rashad, back again as his wife, and joined by comedienne Madeline Kahn, as a neighbor and friend.
LUSH LIFE (premiered Sept. 9)
"Lush Life" stars the preternaturally peculiar Lori Petty along with Karyn Parsons as a Lucy and Ethel of the swinging set in Venice, Calif. In the storyline, Petty's George Sanders character opens her funky beachside apartment to childhood chum Margot Hines (Parsons) after the latter leaves her cheating husband. Sullivan Walker, John Ortiz, Fab Flippo and Concetta Tomei co-star.
Bill Cosby hopes to strike gold again, this time on CBS (8 p.m.), with "Cosby," a comedy about a 60-ish man laid off from his job and not happy about it. The pilot had a couple of hilarious moments, but Cosby and his team know that's not enough. "Ink," meanwhile (CBS, at 8:30), remains creatively troubled despite the best efforts of stars Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen.
ABC's "Dangerous Minds" gets a surprisingly tough performance out of Annie Potts as a former Marine teaching in the inner city. Lots of style here, but some gritty substance, too.
On the other hand, there's no substance whatsoever visible in Fox's "Party Girl," but a half-hour later, Lori Petty clearly shows star quality in "Lush Life," an irreverent sitcom about two young female friends with, shall we say, a casual attitude toward life and love.
Whether Jeff Foxworthy's redneck schtick plays any better this season on NBC than it did on ABC last season is debatable, but it's hard to argue that "Mr. Rhodes," NBC's 8:30 show about a hippie teacher (comic Tom Rhodes) at an uptight private school, is anything but hopelessly miscast. E.M.
LIFE'S WORK (premieres Sept. 17)
Stand-up comic Lisa Ann Walter portrays a mother of two who finally fulfills her dream after years of attending law school at night: She's working as an assistant state's attorney. However, it doesn't take long for her to figure out it's not easy juggling work and family. Her husband, a college basketball coach, is played by Michael O'Keefe.
SOMETHING SO RIGHT (premieres Sept. 17)
"thirtysomething's" Mel Harris and "Dear John's" Jere Burns play newlyweds who bring multiple divorces and three kids to their freshly minted union, in a sitcom with a domestic setting. While the newlyweds struggle to find time to spend alone, they also must contend with the problems that come with their blended family, including keeping their love-crazed teen son (Billy L. Sullivan) away from his attractive stepsister (Marne Patterson). Emily Ann Lloyd co-stars as 11-year-old Sarah, who thinks a lot about being at her real father's house.
PROMISED LAND (premieres Sept. 17)
In this "Touched by an Angel" spinoff, Gerald McRaney portrays humble factory worker Russell Greene, who takes to the road in a truck with his wife (Wendy Phillips) and kids (Austin O'Brien and Sara Schaub) in search of a job. The search is meant to provide wisdom and strength of character in troubled times for the family and the people whose paths they cross.
SPIN CITY (premieres Sept. 17)
Michael J. Fox returns to the tube as deputy mayor of New York City in a role resembling his turn as White House chief of staff in the film "The American President." When not scrambling to prevent the oft politically incorrect mayor (Barry Bostwick) from sticking his foot in his mouth, Fox's character tries to keep City Hall secrets from own his live-in girlfriend (Carla Gugino), who happens to be a nosy reporter.
NBC is moving to strengthen Tuesday even further, preceding the established "Frasier" with a relocated "Mad About You" and a clever new sitcom, "Something So Right," that makes for a strong 90 minutes of early-evening programming.
ABC, however, is just as established on Tuesdays with "Home Improvement," which airs opposite "Frasier" at 9, and just as aggressive in improving its Tuesday schedule.
The difference is that, while NBC is putting its best ammunition at the start of the evening, ABC is taking its best new sitcom, "Spin City," and putting it after "Home Improvement." With Hollywood star Michael J. Fox in the lead and with a strong supporting cast and good script, this political comedy will be one of the fall's few, and well-deserved, hits.
Other new Tuesday efforts are less impressive. CBS has a "Touched By an Angel" spinoff starring Gerald McRaney leading off the night, while ABC bridges "Roseanne" and "Home Improvement" with a working-mom sitcom called "Life's Work" which probably will lose handily to "Something So Right" on NBC. D.B.
PEARL (previews Sept. 16, premieres Sept. 18)
Rhea Perlman, "Cheers' " saucy waitress, portrays equally saucy Pearl Caraldo, a blue-collar widow who's attending a prestigious university. There, she enrolls in a class taught by pompous Stephen Pynchon (Malcolm McDowell), who in his upper-crust, British accent tells students things like, "You know you're an intellectual when you can listen to `The William Tell Overture' and not think of the Lone Ranger." Pearl doesn't take well to his ivory tower attitude, but needs him to quench her thirst for knowledge.
PUBLIC MORALS (premiere date to be announced)
Steven Bochco and Jay Tarses (co-creators, writers and executive producers of this police comedy) get as bad as they want to be following the goings-on in NYC's Public Morals Division. The ensemble cast includes Bill Brochtrup (formerly of NYPD Blue), Julianne Christie, Jana Marie Hupp, Donal Logue, Larry Romano, Joseph Latimore, Peter Gerety and Justin Louis. The language will test sensitive ears, but Bochco defends the show as funny and reality-based, and says he's surprised that some find it shocking.
Call it "Friends" in a New England harbor town: "Townies" stars Molly Ringwald in her first TV series, playing an all-American girl who acts as peacemaker between her two longtime, often-bickering friends one who's slightly neurotic (Lauren Graham, as the sole married one among the friends) and the other (Jenna Elfman) who's, well, let's call her promiscuous.
EZ STREETS (premiere date to be announced)
This one-hour drama comes from Paul Haggis, whose last creation was the critically acclaimed series "Due South." But don't look for any do-good Canadian Mounties here: "EZ Streets" is bleak, moody and violent. It revolves around a police detective (Ken Olin) bent on proving that his dead partner wasn't corrupt, and an ex-convict (Jason Gedrick) trying to go straight despite the lures of a childhood friend who heads one of the city's most notorious crime syndicates.
MEN BEHAVING BADLY (premieres Sept. 18)
This British-inspired sitcom focuses on the lives of two bachelor roommates played by Rob Schneider ("Saturday Night Live") and Ron Eldard (Shep on "ER"). Schneider's character, Jamie Coleman, is a freeloading, out-of-work photographer who tries to get away with as much as he can. Eldard's character, Kevin Paterson, has a responsible job, but is a little confused when it comes to relationships with women in general and his girlfriend (Justine Bateman of "Family Ties") in particular.
With four new shows, Wednesday is suddenly hot if you're willing to thread your way through the networks and use your VCR.
Nothing's hotter than "Men Behaving Badly" on NBC at 9:30 p.m. It stars Rob Schneider and Ron Eldard as well-meaning men who behave badly because, well, they're men. Justine Bateman plays Eldard's infinitely patient girlfriend. We hear the bell of truth ringing as American women will surely attest.
"Men..." starts the season opposite ABC's terrific "Drew Carey Show" VCR time but if "Men..." does well quickly, look for NBC to move it to 9.
At 10, meanwhile, CBS sends its new, challenging dark cop drama, "EZ Streets," into battle against NBC's superb "Law & Order." You can't ask for a better cast than "EZ's" Ken Olin, Joe Pantoliano, Debrah Farentino, Jason Gedrick and producer Paul Haggis does things with these characters that make you squirm. VCR time again.
New and promising but uncertain: "Pearl," with Rhea Perlman playing a mother who goes back to college and bumps heads with a tough, sarcastic professor, played by Malcolm McDowell. Terrific actors, but the pilot's writing was uneven.
Be advised, by the way, that CBS has moved Fran Drescher's fabulous, playfully naughty "The Nanny" from Mondays to Wednesdays this season. E.M.
SUDDENLY SUSAN (premieres Sept. 19)
If nothing else, former model and film star Brooke Shields has the most enviable time slot in TV for her sitcom: between "Seinfeld" and "ER." She's a writer at a hip San Francisco mag where her unhipness stands out. The show's title gets its name from the character, Susan, and the fact that she is suddenly thrust into an independent life after leaving her fianc at the altar. That will presumably make for a tense atmosphere at the office, where her boss (Judd Nelson) is also her ex-'s brother. Barbara Barrie plays her grandmom.
In this hour-long drama, Peter Strauss plays Los Angeles police psychiatrist Nick Moloney. At work, Moloney contends with serial killers, cops who've crossed the line and would-be suicides. His best friend is an assistant district attorney (Wendell Pierce), whom he goes to for advice. Then there's a police lieutenant (Nestor Serrano) who often butts heads with Moloney on the job, but joins him in weekly card games. Away from work, Moloney must also cope with an ex-wife and an 11-year-old daughter.
For NBC, the only problem in sight is how to keep Must-See TV as Must-See TV. "Friends," "Seinfeld" and "ER" are the glue holding everything together. This year, Brooke Shields and her new sitcom, "Suddenly Susan," adds to the mix by replacing "Caroline in the City" (which moves to Tuesday) at 9:30.
This means that if NBC ever gets around to replacing "The Single Guy," it will really have an entire evening of very watchable programming.
The competition? On a night this dominant, it hardly matters.
Against "Seinfeld," CBS has Peter Strauss in a new series called "Moloney," but anyone who thinks it'll make inroads against NBC is full of Moloney with a "B." And at ABC, the competition against "Seinfeld" is "Murder One," which last year got murdered when moved against "ER."
Don't expect a different fate an hour earlier and the fact that ABC is presenting "High Incident" and "Turning Point" on Thursdays means the network really is throwing in the towel, big-time. D.B.
Frank Black is a 10-year FBI veteran who specialized in sexual homicide, in this eagerly awaited new series by "X-Files" creator Chris Carter. After moving with his wife (Megan Gallagher) and daughter to Seattle, he becomes a consultant for a mysterious outfit called The Millennium Group, which seems to focus on doing good things but in a mighty creepy way. Before you know it, Black is back investigating a string of local serial murders.
Raymond Barone (stand-up comic Ray Romano) is a thirtysomething guy who lives on Long Island with his wife (Patricia Heaton) and their three kids, right across the street from his meddlesome parents (Doris Roberts and Peter Boyle) and resentful brother (Brad Garrett).
You can take the girl out of the city, but you can't take the magic out of the girl if she's a witch. That's the situation with 16-year-old Sabrina, who goes to live with her two eccentric aunts in the small town of Riverdale. There she discovers her teen powers as a witch as she tries to fit in as "normal" at a new high school. Based on the Archie Comics character, Sabrina is played by Melissa Joan Hart (of Nickelodeon's "Clarissa Explains It All"), who also starred in last spring's Showtime cable film that served as the pilot for the series.
MR. & MRS. SMITH (premieres Sept. 20)
Scott Bakula is a top agent for The Factory, a mysterious company specializing in industrial espionage. His path crosses with Maria Bello, a freelance spook who not
only seems to be his rival but may also want to kill him. Needless to say, Bakula falls head-over-heels for her. But if they're going to work together, they can't know anything about each other. That's the Factory's rule. So: Mr. Smith, meet Mrs. Smith.
It was only a year ago that the feature version hit cineplexes, so memories are vivid of that campy yet charming spoof of Beverly Hills youth. And while most of the actors are back for the series, the way-coolest, Alicia Silverstone, isn't. Rachel Blanchard takes up the role of charge-cardand cellphone-toting Cher. Michael Lerner plays Cher's dad; Wallace Shawn and Twink Caplan her teachers; and Stacey Dash, Elisa Donovan and Heather Gottlieb her pals.
Each network is going for a different piece of the audience on Friday, which while sensible is nonetheless odd, because on Fridays there isn't that large an audience to split.
ABC, successful for years with its "T.G.I.F." lineup of family shows, maintains that youth-appeal strategy this fall, but strengthens its appeal to young female viewers by presenting two new sitcoms with women as protagonists.
Melissa Joan Hart, who has a large following thanks to her starring role in Nickelodeon's "Clarissa Explains It All," stars in "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch," an ABC spinoff of a passably entertaining Showtime telemovie. Then there's a TV version of the movie "Clueless," with lots of familiar faces from the hit teen comedy but without, alas, star Alicia Silverstone.
CBS is returning with Don Johnson in "Nash Bridges," and adding two quirky and very likable new series: "Everybody Loves Raymond," a sitcom all but stolen by Doris Roberts and Peter Boyle as crabby grandparents; and "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," in which Scott Bakula and Maria Bello play friendly rival spies, and work very smoothly together.
NBC is holding its hand pat, which is good news for fans of "Homicide: Life on the Street." Fox, though, will be moving "The X-Files" to Sundays (a risky move), and filling its time slot with "Millennium," a new series by the same executive producer, Chris Carter. "Millennium" is very good, but it's also very, very dark. D.B.
PRETENDER (previews Sept. 19, premieres Sept. 28)
Jarod (Michael T. Weiss) is a genius capable of mastering just about any technical profession. In the series pilot, watch him play doctor. Watch him run as the agents at the Centre, where his skills were developed, chase him down in order to return him to their clutches. Watch him nimbly stay out of their reach while he does good as a one-man
vigilante force for justice. Meanwhile, the malevolent Miss Parker (Andrea Parker) is in hot pursuit.
COMMON LAW (premieres Sept. 28)
John Alvarez (stand-up comic Greg Giraldo) is a bad boy with a working-class Queens background and a good Harvard-trained lawyer, to boot! He's also Hispanic, which makes his irreverence worth putting up with at his stodgy, WASPy Manhattan law firm. Despite the fact that his firm frowns on inter-office romance, Alvarez lives with a cute
co-worker (Megyn Price) from the Upper East Side. Gregory Sierra co-stars as John's old-fashioned father.
EARLY EDITION (premieres Sept. 28)
A young man thinks he has lost everything then gets an unasked-for subscription to a peculiar newspaper. This edition of The Chicago Sun-Times reports the news before it happens. With it, Gary Hobson (Kyle Chandler) sets out to make a difference in people's lives. Teaming with him is Marissa (Shanesia Davis), his blind co-worker at the stock exchange, who tells him, "You don't need eyes to see miracles." Adding a little spice and comedy relief is Gary's pal Chuck (Fisher Stevens), an opportunist who wants to turn the "early edition," and the tips it contains, into cold, hard cash.
DARK SKIES (premieres Sept. 21)
"Invasion of the Body Snatchers" meets "You Are There." It's 1961, and Eric Close plays an idealistic young congressional aide who goes on the lam after discovering the truth about an extraterrestrial invasion and the Top Secret investigation he's sucked into. Megan Ward and J.T. Walsh co-star in this serialized thriller as, respectively, Close's companion-on-the-run and an ominous government operative.
Devotees of "thirtysomething" and "My So-Called Life" have been eagerly awaiting this latest creation from the team of Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz. Isabel (Kimberly Williams) and Leo (David Conrad) meet by chance in Europe, discover they're from the same town, fall in love and deal with the consequences including her fianc (Randall Batinkoff) waiting back at home with the house he bought her.
Samantha "Sam" Waters (Ally Walker) was the best forensic "profiler" the FBI ever had until a serial killer panicked her into retiring, with her young daughter (Caitlin Wachs), to rural Georgia. Now she's back, albeit reluctantly, to solve a baffling series of Atlanta murders. But she consents to help Agent Bailey Malone (Robert Davi) only if the Bureau preserves her anonymity. Ch. 4, 10:00 p.m.
LOVE AND MARRIAGE (premieres Sept. 28)
This sitcom features high school sweethearts (Patricia Healy and Tony Denison) who, 17 years and three kids later, still adore each other. It's April and Jack against the world. That includes an unyielding schedule: She works nights in a posh New York restaurant; he works days managing a parking garage. And their kids, of course, are at the rebellious ages of 11, 16 and 17.
A whopping seven new shows on the four major networks make Sat-urday the most-changed night of the season. Three of those seven are NBC's, and all three seem to be aiming for the quirky, dark tone that has worked so well for Fox's "X-Files."
The worthy entry, though, is "Dark Skies" at 8 p.m., initially set in the '60s and revolving around two young idealistic government workers who discover deep conspiracies involving aliens and a ruthless secret government agency.
At 9, CBS' "Early Edition" is the show of choice, starring the appealing Kyle Chandler as a Chicago man who receives tomorrow's newspaper today, giving him the opportunity to prevent bad things from happening to good people.
Then at 10, switch to ABC for "Relativity," a new show from the creators of "thirtysomething." The show focuses on two young Americans who meet and fall in love in Rome, only to return home to Los Angeles and have to deal with reality, which includes confusion, uncertainty and the young woman's fianc. The "Relativity" pilot is as romantic a network show as I've seen in years, but keeping its core romance percolating under these awkward conditions will be tricky. E.M. | MONDAY INK (premieres Oct. 21) In this romantic comedy, real-life Mr.-and-Mrs. actors Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen are a newly divorced couple Jack and Carrie working as reporters at a New York City newspaper. The sparks begin to fly, though, when she is promoted to the position of editor, and he has to report to her. Ch. 2, 8:30 p.m. DANGEROUS MINDS (premieres Sept. 30) Picking up where Michelle Pfeiffer's Hollywood role left off, Annie Potts plays Louanne Johnson, | 43.316832 | 0.970297 | 44.059406 | high | high | extractive |
http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/1997/11/12/1997-11-12_corner_of_fear__amp__dread_h.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20100620035026id_/http://www.nydailynews.com:80/archives/news/1997/11/12/1997-11-12_corner_of_fear__amp__dread_h.html | CORNER OF FEAR & DREAD HAS KIDS, PARENTS WARY | 20100620035026 | Wednesday, November 12th 1997, 2:03AM
EIGHT-YEAR-OLD Miriam Diaz hunched down into her new winter coat as she and her mother came to the corner that had until yesterday meant only the happy sight of the school she loves.
"Mommy, I'm scared going past here now," Miriam said.
The corner of 38th St. and Fifth Ave. in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, has become the place where her schoolmate was attacked by a madman with a hypodermic needle. "He won't come back to the same place again," the mother, Mauricellys Diaz, said. "Mommy's going to be looking out."
Miriam may have been easier to reassure if a police officer had been in evidence, but amazingly not a cop was in sight as she continued along an avenue where she had every reason to fear the madman could still be lurking. Miriam recited the advice she had been given at Public School 24 the day before.
"To be careful and watching and stay with your parents," she said.
Miriam knew that the madman was no less a threat because school was closed for Veterans Day, and she was indeed watchful from under her schoolgirl bangs. Her mother pondered aloud the best course of action, should they be attacked. "I don't know what I would do," she said. "Just scream for help."
The mother was asked if she thought more police would be in evidence if the attack had occurred in a tonier neighborhood, such as that other Fifth Ave., the one in Manhattan.
"That's a definite," she said.
A passerby suggested a sure way to get the police.
Miriam trudged on, her coat a startling metallic blue, her sneaker laces neon green, seeing not so much as a foot cop. She seemed to forget the danger for a moment when she was asked about her school. She smiled and said she especially likes math, multiplication in particular. "I love times tables," she said.
Miriam passed the home of Milagros Perez, a schoolmate who loves reading, the "Magic School Bus" books in particular. Milagros is the girl who was attacked with the needle. She was up in her apartment, wearing a light green nightgown, the plastic hospital I.D. bracelet still on her wrist.
"She said she felt a little sting," her father was saying.
The father pulled back the nightgown's floral neckline, baring the girl's left shoulder blade, where the needle had been aimed.
The skin bore no visible puncture mark, and the father ran his fingertips over the smooth perfection. He said the doctors had told him her coat and sweatshirt may have deflected the needle before she was actually stuck. "I'm so happy," he said.
Milagros smiled shyly and leaned against her father as he said she was sure the police were doing all they could to catch the man responsible. Milagros then scuffed into the kitchen, one kid who unquestionably deserved to have a Dixie cup of vanilla ice cream for breakfast. She took a few tentative bites with a wooden spoon.
"The medication is getting her sick," her father said. The medicine had been administered after the attack as a precaution in the event the needle had, in fact, pricked her.
"The medication is just in case . . . uh . . . uh," the father said. He could not bring himself to utter the name of the disease that could make a pinprick fatal. The same fear stalked the avenue below, following Miriam and her mother each step of the way home.
A radio car finally did roll by, followed by another 31 minutes later. A third subsequently stopped at the scene of the attack, and the uniformed sergeant who climbed out had been among those at the 72nd Precinct stationhouse who had chipped in to buy Milagros a teddy bear.
The sergeant now escorted two detectives to some witnesses across from the Jackie Gleason Bus Depot. The sergeant and the detectives seemed as vigilant as any citizen could desire, but their duties soon took them elsewhere, and the street again became a place where children and parents walked warily.
Danny Agudelo, age 4 and also of PS 24, came by with his mother. "Yesterday, police everywhere, but not today," the mother, Olga Agudelo said.
Danny intimated that once he grows up, Sunset Park will be able to rest easy.
"I'm going to be a Phantom Ranger," he said. | EIGHT-YEAR-OLD Miriam Diaz hunched down into her new winter coat as she and her mother came to the corner that had until yesterday meant only the happy sight of the school she loves. "Mommy, I'm scared going past here now,"Miriam said. The corner of 38th St. and Fifth Ave. in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, has become the place where her schoolmate was attacked by a madman with a hypodermic needle. "He won't come back | 10.102273 | 0.988636 | 32.988636 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/active/7265234/Biathlon-Ski-shoot-and-suffer.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20100621075709id_/http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/active/7265234/Biathlon-Ski-shoot-and-suffer.html | Biathlon: Ski, shoot and suffer | 20100621075709 | I've come to the Nordic centre at Peisey Vallandry, Paradiski, to learn the demanding sport of biathlon. This was the Olympic training facility for the Albertville Games of 1992 and is the home turf of top French biathlete Judy Carraz-Collin, which is just as well, because I'm going to need all the help I can get.
Biathlon combines the two harsh tests of cross-country skiing and shooting, and is an alien sport to many in Britain, although it is a major discipline at the Winter Olympics. (In Vancouver, the sport has five gold medals for men and women up for grabs.)
Shooting like a sniper while in anaerobic debt is not a sport for fair-weather folk. It requires immunity to freezing cold, perfect Langlauf (cross-country skiing) technique, the eye of a marksman and a Zen-like ability to control your breathing. Also useful are an obsessive training schedule and an unflappable temperament. Add in the pressure of competition on your nerves and you have one of the toughest sports around.
At the last Olympics the medals were dominated by the Germans, and the sport tends to attract winter automata from the likes of Norway, Russia, Austria and France. The British team even has a German coach, Walter Pichler, and Lance Cpl Lee-Steve Jackson is Britain's single entry at Whistler.
Many competitors have a military background that's unsurprising given that the sport is rooted in the stamina needed to fight for survival in the cold and the skills required for mountain combat. The techniques used by the Norwegians and Nazis in the Second World War are the same employed in biathlon today.
As a casual skier, I have a lot to learn. I start with a kilometre of cross-country skiing, finding my balance on the thinner skis and perfecting snowplough stops and turns. My coach, Elizabeth Preda, explains that the skiing must be second nature before you even try to shoot. "It's a very tough event," she adds. "It's mostly taken up by very good cross-country skiers who can hold their nerve."
I try to find a rhythm. Then I speed up a little and attempt to get my heart rate above 160 beats per minute and keep it there. Cardio fitness is essential in this discipline, given that even the so-called "sprint" covers 10km (7.5km for women).
Competitors set out at 30-second intervals to ski three laps of a 3.3km loop (2.5km for the women). After the first and second laps, the shooting starts. Each time, you take five shots – one set prone and the other standing up.
Such is the accuracy of the top athletes that every target missed incurs a 150m penalty loop on your skis. If you find you're having an off day on the shooting range, skiing the circuit can become a Sisyphean challenge.
Recovery rate is crucial for shooting. A heaving chest does absolutely nothing for accuracy, hence the sport's emphasis on rapidly reacquiring the resting pulse of Lance Armstrong or a lackadaisical lizard.
Gliding up to the shooting range, I load the magazine of my .22 rifle with five bullets and take up my position on the ground. The targets are always 50m away. I start with a wooden rest to support the rifle, aiming at an 11.5cm target.
Holding my breath to shoot, and loading at a steady pace, I manage to hit all five. The wooden rest is removed and I still hit all five, supporting the 4.5kg rifle all by myself. I feel like an Olympian.
Then I try race conditions. I ski for 2km and attempt to hit a 3.5cm target when prone. I feel exhilarated, but can't hit a metaphorical barn door, let alone a tiny black dot in the distance.
I ski another 2km and try five rounds standing up, firing at the 11.5cm target. The rifle veers up and down in my unsteady arms. First, I hit a high branch. Then I narrowly miss the Nordic centre. Then I land one. I spray the final two into the snow. That's one out of 10. I've incurred nine penalty loops – nearly another mile of lung-bursting skiing. Pathetic.
I feel dejected for a moment, then I look around me and suddenly understand the fascination of the sport. Being able to control the environment and your inner workings at the same time makes you feel as close to the landscape as an arctic wolf.
As local French heroine Julie Carraz-Collin said to me: "Peisey has been a perfect training ground. The backdrop of the Vanoise National Park and the tranquillity of the Nordic area have been inspirational. Biathlon is my passion and competing in the Olympics is my dream."
I may not be giving her a run for the medals any time soon, but I'm definitely going to carry on until I can hit a barn door. | The Olympic sport of biathlon is a dually daunting challenge. | 88.454545 | 0.818182 | 1.909091 | high | medium | mixed |
http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/2001/08/01/2001-08-01_tom___nicole_divorce_days_aw.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20100621111057id_/http://www.nydailynews.com:80/archives/news/2001/08/01/2001-08-01_tom___nicole_divorce_days_aw.html | Tom & Nicole divorce days away | 20100621111057 | By MITCHELL FINK DAILY NEWS GOSSIP COLUMNIST With Alissa MacMillan
Wednesday, August 1th 2001, 2:22AM
Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman took the fast track to the end of their marriage yesterday, agreeing in Los Angeles Superior Court to divorce quickly and sort out their other issues later.
The 10-year-old union will officially end next Wednesday. The speed with which the one-time superstar couple agreed to terminate the marriage took Hollywood as much by surprise as their abrupt separation did six months ago.
Ironically, Kidman and Cruise are set to see each other Tuesday, when they attend - separately - the Beverly Hills premiere of "The Others," a supernatural thriller in which she stars and he acted as producer.
At yesterday's court hearing, Judge Lee Smalley Edmon granted a bifurcation decree, which means, basically, that both parties refuse to challenge the breakup. Neither actor was in court.
Edmon ruled that the other issues will be argued at a subsequent trial. Those include custody of the couple's two adopted children - Conor, 6, and Isabella, 8 - as well as money matters and other property claims.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 4.
Technically, Cruise, 39, could be in the same room with Kidman, 34, when the divorce becomes a fact at midnight because he is expected to attend the postscreening party at Ian Schrager's Mondrian Hotel in West Hollywood.
Cruise maintained in his February filing that his 1990 marriage came apart in December, after nine years and 11 months of what seemed to be one of Holly-wood's more solid marriages. Legal observers noted the significance of that assertion because of a California law that says any marriage lasting 10 years or longer is considered "long-term."
Under those conditions, a spouse may be able to receive alimony payments for life. Kidman's side has maintained that the marriage did last beyond their 10-year anniversary, Dec. 24.
The actors starred together in the 1999 erotic thriller "Eyes Wide Shut," Stanley Kubrick's last film, which explored the theme of fidelity. They also appeared in 1992's "Far and Away" and 1990's "Days of Thunder."
Cruise is dating actress Penelope Cruz, his co-star in the upcoming film "Vanilla Sky," which was shot late last year in New York. | Tom & Nicole divorce days away By MITCHELL FINK DAILY NEWS GOSSIP COLUMNIST Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman took the fast track to the end of their marriage yesterday, agreeing in Los Angeles Superior Court to divorce quickly and sort out their other issues later. The 10-year-old union will officially end next Wednesday. The speed with which the one-time superstar couple agreed to terminate the marriage took Hollywood as much by surprise as their abrupt separation | 5.493976 | 0.987952 | 30.192771 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/1995/09/08/1995-09-08_a_deadly_gang_of_idiots.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20100630164055id_/http://www.nydailynews.com:80/archives/news/1995/09/08/1995-09-08_a_deadly_gang_of_idiots.html | A DEADLY GANG OF IDIOTS | 20100630164055 | Friday, September 8th 1995, 1:12AM
The pretty young woman looked like easy money.
In a seven-page handwritten statement that is hauntingly stark and brutal, Nicholas Libretti told the story of the Kimberly Antonakos' kidnaping. It was not a grand plan or even a complicated one. The bunglers couldn't even leave a ransom demand.
"We had a scheme to make some money," Libretti explained, beginning his signed statement to the lead murder investigator, Detective Louis Pia. The confession broke the case and gave the Queens detectives the key player, Joshua Torres.
"It was Josh's idea," Libretto claimed.
Investigators said last night that the murder suspect later made a video-taped statement to Julian Wise, an assistant district attorney in the homicide bureau.
Libretti claimed Torres told him that the Antonakos family had money, and Kimberly "had a Lexus stolen a few weeks ago and her father got her a new Honda."
On the night of the kidnaping, Libretti said he accompanied Jose Negron to Kimberly's apartment on E. 85th St. in Canarsie. Negron drove them both in a Maxima. They parked down the block, which borders on the Belt Parkway, and waited for her white car.
"She got out and left her car door open to get in the garage," he claimed.
They struck then, he said. Negron, he explained, grabbed Kimberly, taped her eyes and threw her in the trunk of her own car. They were wearing gloves. One of them left with the young woman in the car. Negron drove his car away. They drove to an ugly, empty home in Woodhaven, Queens, and carried her into the house. Libretti did not quote the victim in his written statement.
"We placed her in the middle of the basement on a chair and left her there," he said.
Libretti then discussed how they drove the car to Malverne, L.I., and got rid of it. They took Kimberly's cell phone, he said, but couldn't get it to work.
"Josh attempted to contact the father, but it didn't work," he explained without saying how the father might have been contacted. They never decided on a price. The word "ransom" does not appear in his statement.
Libretti said the abductors agreed to leave Kimberly Antonakos in the basement. It was cold out, he added, and one of them he didn't say who wanted to give her a blanket. He did not mention food.
On the third day, Libretti said, they returned to the house. The victim, left alone for three days without food in an unheated home in winter, did not look well.
"I said, 'I think she is dead,' " Libretti said. "They drove to the gas station and got gas on Woodhaven Blvd. . . . Josh poured gas in the basement, and on the girl."
In his statement, Libretti never had anyone setting a match to the gas. His narrative ended there. But Kimberly Antonakos was not so lucky. Her life ended there.
Torres didn't sign a statement.
At the close of a lame scheme to make some easy cash, the Antonakos family money made a difference.
The case, investigators said, was solved by people who wanted money. The father, who would have paid any amount to see his daughter again, offered a $10,000 reward. It worked.
The old man's money, police said, solved the mystery. It is the terrible irony and one they haven't shared with him yet.
Over the weekend, police said, two witnesses, a male and female who are friends of the suspected killer, came forward to report a conversation they overheard between Libretti and Torres. They wanted the reward.
Their information solved the mystery. Detectives went out and got Libretti, who gave them the plan and gave them Torres.
The detectives Pia, Thomas Shevlin and Rick Tirelli always liked Torres as a suspect. The convicted rapist and jailbird stayed in Kimberly's apartment with his girlfriend for a couple of weeks last year. They didn't figure out the June murder of Jose Negron until last weekend.
Oddly, Libretti didn't mention the June slaying in his statement, but Negron may have been silenced because he was rumored to have left a palm print on the woman's Honda. There was no print, police said last night.
"We just had to wait for Torres to make a mistake," said a detective who worked on the case.
"In the end, he did. He was overheard talking about the murders. When we grabbed him, he denied everything. But it was too late. Where he wanted a ransom, other people wanted a reward."
Kimberly Antonakos died for money in an idiot's scheme. Her case was solved because of the desire for money. Life is all so much ash and cinder. | The pretty young woman looked like easy money. In a seven-page handwritten statement that is hauntingly stark and brutal, Nicholas Libretti told the story of the Kimberly Antonakos' kidnaping. It was not a grand plan or even a complicated one. The bunglers couldn't even leave a ransom demand. "We had a scheme to make some money,"Libretti explained, beginning his signed statement to the lead murder investigator, Detective Louis Pia. The confession broke | 11.505882 | 0.988235 | 33.058824 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/1997/01/07/1997-01-07_for_sale_sign_on_dodgers__bu.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20100717224450id_/http://www.nydailynews.com:80/archives/news/1997/01/07/1997-01-07_for_sale_sign_on_dodgers__bu.html | FOR SALE SIGN ON DODGERS BUMS COULD FETCH 200M | 20100717224450 | By WENDELL JAMIESON With K.C. Baker
Tuesday, January 7th 1997, 2:01AM
The O'Malley family, who broke Brooklyn's heart when they moved the beloved Dodgers to Los Angeles 40 years ago, yesterday put the team up for sale.
The surprise announcement was made by owner Peter O'Malley, whose father, Walter, yanked "Dem Bums" out of the city and shifted the team to sun-splashed La- La Land.
The sale of one of baseball's most storied franchises could fetch $200 million a record for a ballclub, experts said.
It also would signal the end of an era as the O'Malleys, who have controlled the team since 1950 and personify family ownership of sports teams, bow out of the game.
"My responsibility now is to find the best possible owner for the ballclub," said O'Malley.
Experts said there is little chance the Dodgers will relocate because any sale would include 35-year-old Dodgers Stadium and prime real estate near downtown Los Angeles.
"They will come to Brooklyn when Camelot reappears in England," said Roger Kahn, author of "The Boys of Summer," a memoir of the Brooklyn Dodgers' glory days.
"I would love it," Kahn said. "I would also love to go to a game with my dad. He died in 1953."
Kahn recalled how Walter O'Malley bought into the team when it was having trouble paying the mortgage on its Ebbets Field home. Once O'Malley became a trustee, Kahn said, baseball became his life.
But O'Malley made legions of enemies in 1957 when the Dodgers became the first team to move West, sparking a nationwide expansion of baseball franchises. To many, the name O'Malley is still synonymous with traitor.
He was never forgiven by Brooklyn fans who had rooted for Dodger stars like Jackie Robinson, Pee Wee Reese, Duke Snider, Roy Campanella and Gil Hodges and who had cheered their team against the rival Yankees in seven World Series matchups.
Word of the sale plan reopened old wounds on the Brooklyn streets the Dodgers once called home.
"We were really ticked off when they left," said Pat Murray, 67, of Canarsie, who used to watch Dodger games from her Rogers Ave. roof.
"Fat chance they'll come back to New York," said Robert Dieterich, 32, of Park Slope. "New York is having enough trouble keeping the two teams it's got." | The O'Malley family, who broke Brooklyn's heart when they moved the beloved Dodgers to Los Angeles 40 years ago, yesterday put the team up for sale. The surprise announcement was made by owner Peter O'Malley, whose father, Walter, yanked "Dem Bums"out of the city and shifted the team to sun-splashed La- La Land. The sale of one of baseball's most storied franchises could fetch $200 million a record for a ballclub, experts | 5.534884 | 0.988372 | 22.476744 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.nytimes.com/1860/05/14/news/city-intelligence.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20100815112840id_/http://www.nytimes.com:80/1860/05/14/news/city-intelligence.html | CITY INTELLIGENCE. | 20100815112840 | ORDINATION SERVICES AT DR. BURCHARD'S CHURCH. Religious services of more than usual interest were held last evening at the Thirteenth-street Presbyterian Church, the occasion being the ordination of Rev. ARTHUR T. PIERSON to the work of the Gospel ministry. The house was well filled at the hour appointed, and the services were commenced by an appropriate anthem from the choir. Rev. Dr. HUTTON then read the 4th chapter of 2d Corinthians: "Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not." After the opening prayer by the same, Rev. Dr. OWEN gave out the 517th Hymn, "Go preach my gospel [???]aith the Lord," which was admirably sung by the choir, the congregation joining. Rev. S.D. BURCHARD, D.D., then delivered a sermon from the 11th chapter of Hebrews, 39th and 40th verses: "And these all having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect." The topic of the discourse was the serial and progressive character of Divine Revelation, as shown --[???]. By chronology; 2. In the facts with which the system of Revelation is connected, and which it reports; 3. By the series of events which mark the Biblical dispensation in the Patriarchal, Mosaic and Christian history; and 4. By the advance in the quality and quantity of religious ideas which it contains. In the absence of Rev. R.D. HITCHCOCK, Rev. Dr. CLARK read the constitutional questions to the candidates, offered the prayer of consecration, and each of the ministers then gave the right hand of fellowhip. Dr. CLARK followed with a brief charge, and the interesting services were concluded by singing and the benediction.
THE AMERICAN FEMALE GUARDIAN SOCIETY AND HOME FOR THE FRIENDLESS. -- The twenty-sixth anniversary of the American Female Guardian Society and Home for the Friendless was celebrated at the Broadway Tabernacle last evening. The attendance was the largest that has ever been gathered in that edifice, and the exercises were more than usually interesting. The chair was occupied by Rev. Dr. BADGER, and addresses were delivered by Rev. Dr. TYNG, and Hon. E.D. MAXSON, of Allegbany County, N.Y., earnestly pressing the claims of the Society upon the public. About one hundred and fifty of the children of the Home were present in the gallery, and added to the pleasures of the occasion by singing the hymns commencing, "Now in the pleasant Springtime," and "Stand up! Stand up for Jesus." Abstracts of the annual reports were read by C.C. NORTH. Esq, showing that the receipts in the publishing department were $22,878 60, and the payments $21,050 71, leaving a balance of $1,827 89. The receipts for the Home were $20,105 51, and the payments $19,771 92, leaving a balance of $333 59. There is still an in cumbrance of $20,000 upon the property of the Society, incurred in erecting the Home Chapel, but measures are in progress for its removal. Six hundred and eighty-three adults and children were received into the Home during the year, and employment and situations were found for 674. The Industrial School register showed 640, making a grand total of 1,997 persons during the year.
THE GOVERNORS' ROOM AND THE JAPANESE EMBASSY. -- The City Hall will be fully restored to its pristine dignity and beauty in a brief time, it is said. When the illuminated clock-dial arrives from England, the cupola will have resumed much of the appearance it had before Mr. CYRUS W. FIELD laid that great ocean telegraph which refused to work. And now the Governor's Room is undergoing renovation, and the greatest exertions are being made to get it in a resplendent condition before the advent amongst us of the renowned Japanese Embassy. The walls have been restored and painted a light green. The ceiling has been frescoed, and in the centre the American eagle hovers over four shields, while upon each shield is inscribed the word "Excelsior." We are not informed whether the artist meant to imply that the Columbian Bird is to be four times extinguished by domestic insurrection or foreign foes, but like a four fold Phoenix, to rise as many times from its ashes. Whether that be so or not, it is intended that the Japanese shall gaze on the eagle and the shields and the frescoed designs; and the portraits are to go back to their old places, with the crape-draped eagle (another eagle,) inscribed with the name of " WEBSTER," and the silk portrait of WASHINGTON, and the "counter felt presentment" of Mayor WOOD. Everything is to be in order for the astonishment of the Japanese. | ORDINATION SERVICES AT DR. BURCHARD'S CHURCH. Religious services of more than usual interest were held last evening at the Thirteenth-street Presbyterian Church, the occasion being the ordination of Rev. ARTHUR T. PIERSON to the work of the Gospel ministry. The house was well filled at the hour appointed, and the services were commenced by an appropriate anthem from the choir. | 13.304348 | 1 | 69 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/2006/04/30/2006-04-30_down_the_aisle.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20101107074325id_/http://www.nydailynews.com:80/archives/entertainment/2006/04/30/2006-04-30_down_the_aisle.html | DOWN THE AISLE | 20101107074325 | Sunday, April 30th 2006, 1:32AM
YVONNE BALISTRERI & VINCENT BLACK
CHILD'S PLAY Yvonne Balistreri, an employee of North Fork Bank, and Vincent Black, a police officer, were both 18 when the bride's sister Rosa set them up. "She just gave him my number, and we talked on the phone for a couple of weeks," the bride says. "We decided to take it from there. That was 10 years ago on March 24. We've had our ups and downs, but we always got back together. The paths just kept leading us back to each other."
HANDSOME HAUNTING In 2004, the pair decided to spend their favorite holiday - Halloween - at a bed and breakfast in Salem, Mass. "The first night we were there, we went out to dinner and then he told me to go get some brochures at the front desk," Balistreri recalls. "When I came back to the room, he had sprinkled rose petals all over, there was a fireplace roaring, music playing and he had Champagne and candles.
SUN & FLOWERS The bride wore a white satin strapless gown with a long detachable train by Demetrios and carried sunflowers. Her eight bridesmaids, including the maid
of honor, wore plum-colored satin gowns from David's Bridal and carried calla lilies.
HEARTY RECEPTION NYPD bagpipers performed and a deejay entertained at Westbury Manor, where guests dined on seven different entrees and a three-tiered devil's food cake with white chocolate mousse filling and bananas and strawberries. There were hearts everywhere - on placecards, the caketopper and the ice sculpture. Candy conversation hearts were even sprinkled on tables. The pair danced to "The Power of Love" by Celine Dion - Black's cellphone ringer for Balistreri - before departing for a Caribbean cruise aboard the Norwegian Dawn.
ALAINA MACIVER & STEFANO SIGNORASTRI
SMILING SERVICE Alaina MacIver, 23, a loan processor, was having dinner with girlfriends in January 2005 at Il Cortile in Little Italy but spent more time making eyes at the general manager, Stefano Signorastri, 43. He sent over extra desserts and before the ladies left, Signorastri gave the bride his business card. They had their first date the following Sunday. "It was just so comfortable right away," she says.
NO CANNOLI!?! A month later, the pair was having dinner with MacIver's parents when Signorastri offered to pick up pastries from Ferrara's for dessert. When Signorastri pulled the box from the refrigerator, he handed it to MacIver and said, "I got these for you, but you have to share." "My mom got a knife and cut the box open," the bride recalls. "She closed it right away and handed it to me and said to put them on a dish. Now I was a little suspicious because of the look on my mom's face. My father then opened the box, closed it and handed it to me and said, 'You do it.'" There were no pastries in the box - just a ring. "We didn't have any dessert that night because I told my mom Stefano was bringing it!" MacIver jokes.
SASH & CEREMONY The bride wore a strapless, corset-back beaded dress by Maggie Sottero and carried roses and mango-colored calla lilies. The matron and maid of honor wore sable brown gowns with champagne sashes by Bill Levkoff; the two bridesmaids wore the same dress in champagne with sable brown sashes.
SWEET INSPIRATION The reception was held at Il Cortile, where 99 guests dined at tables decorated with roses and candles. Naturally, Ferrara's created the three-tiered vanilla cake with chocolate and raspberry mousse filling. Friends and family left with Mikasa bud vases. The pair honeymooned in Antigua.
SANDRA GENELIUS & JONATHAN APPLEFIELD
GAME, SET, MATCH Sandra Genelius, 48, a vice president of communications for CBS News, decided that she may never get married before she met Jonathan Applefield, 39, an administrator at a law firm. The pair met when they joined mutual friend Jeremy Handelman for a singles party on Valentine's Day. "I talked to him and thought he was cute and smart, but I wasn't getting too much vibe," the bride recalls. When Handelman set up another group outing that brought the two together, they got each other's E-mail addresses. "One Monday, I had a court at Midtown Tennis and no one could play with me. I called several people, and then I remembered that Jonathan said he played, and I
E-mailed to ask him." It took another date or two to really "kick it all off."
GAME NIGHT On a rainy Wednesday night last June, Applefield challenged Genelius to a game of Scrabble. "We play a couple of words, and he says to me, 'I've got a really good one,'" the bride said. "He starts putting down the tiles - 'W-I-L-L-U' - and when he got there, I knew what was coming. The engagement ring was the tile where the question mark would have been. Then, he took it one step further and said he had people coming over. He had invited six of my very close friends to come over for cake and Champagne. It was the sweetest thing I could imagine."
SIMPLY STUNNING The couple exchanged vows at Banchet Flowers under a green willow chuppah with a talis from the groom's great-grandfather. The bride wore an ivory strapless gown by Lazaro, and the groom wore a tux with an ivory tie. A classical guitarist performed at the ceremony and cocktail hour, after which 86 guests walked around the corner to 91 for the reception.
Colette Foley created the cake, a four-tiered white chocolate confection with vanilla buttercream and dolce de leche and coconut filling. The deejay played "At Last" by Etta James for the couple's first dance - "You just can't beat that song," the bride says - before the duo departed for 10 days in Belize.
ERIN MCKNIGHT & DAN SILVER
SNEAKY CUPID When Erin Mc-Knight, 32, a financial supervisor for an advertising firm, met a friend at a bar in August 2003, she had no idea it was a set-up. Her friend's acquaintance, Dan Silver, 34, a financial analyst, who was also there, didn't know either. "We were introduced and we started chatting and realized we lived near each other," the bride says. "We E-mailed for probably two weeks before we went on our first date."
HOLIDAY TOPPINGS Two days before Christmas in 2004, Silver came home from finishing his holiday shopping and "told me he was going in the bedroom to wrap my gifts," McKnight recalls. "He came out - nothing too exciting - and asked if I would spend the rest of my life with him. He couldn't wait until Christmas. He admitted he had just bought the ring then and was sitting in the bedroom figuring out how he was going to do it. To celebrate, we called everybody we knew, screaming, and then just went to get pizza."
FOUNTAIN OF LOVE McKnight wore an A-line dress by Mori Lee for the ceremony and reception at the Swan Club on Long Island. She carried red roses, while her bridesmaid and maid of honor - in cranberry dresses by Jordan - got yellow, lavender and red roses. The couple took their first dance to "Thank You for Loving Me" by Bon Jovi. The revelers later enjoyed a yellow cake with chocolate mousse filling and dipped fruit into a chocolate fountain. Guests departed with "Lucky in love" envelopes filled with lottery scratch-off cards as the groom whisked the bride off to a honeymoon in Hawaii. | DOWN THE AISLE BY BREANNE L. HELDMAN YVONNE BALISTRERI & VINCENT BLACK April 23, 2006 Queens CHILD'S PLAY Yvonne Balistreri, an employee of North Fork Bank, and Vincent Black, a police officer, were both 18 when the bride's sister Rosa set them up. "She just gave him my number, and we talked on the phone for a couple of weeks,"the bride says. "We decided to take it from there. That was 10 years ago on | 17.340909 | 0.931818 | 34.818182 | medium | medium | extractive |
http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/1999/11/23/1999-11-23_today_in_new_york.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20101129020134id_/http://www.nydailynews.com:80/archives/news/1999/11/23/1999-11-23_today_in_new_york.html | TODAY IN NEW YORK | 20101129020134 | Tuesday, November 23th 1999, 2:11AM
Finalize holiday plans, grocery-shop for all the trimmings, then pass the time until Turkey Day watching tap or ballet dancers, listening to a renowned violinist or master of Brazilian music, or by taking another gander at "Chinatown."
New store windows, the manuscript of "A Christmas Carol," and the "snow globe"
at Grand Central Station can help jump-start the festive season.
Director Roman Polanski's 1974 "Chinatown," a tale of political and moral corruption is released on special edition VHS ($14.95) and DVD ($29.95).
Saxophonist/flutist/composer Ze Luis performs selections from his "Guarani Banana" debut
CD at S.O.B.'s. 8 and 10 p.m., $15. 204 Varick St., via 1,9 to Houston St.; (212) 243-4940.
Two more holiday window unveilings: Hayden Planetarium-inspired "We are all made of stardust" displays at Blooming-dale's and scenes with "Auntie Claus" clad in velvet and fur at Saks Fifth Avenue. Blooming-dale's: 1000 Third Ave., via 4,5,6,N,R to 59th St./Lexington Ave.,(212) 705-2000; Saks:
611 Fifth Ave., via E,F to
Violinist (and founder of KREMERata BALTICA chamber orchestra) Gidon Kremer and other soloists perform a program of lesser-known works
by Vask, Morricone, Kancheli, Schnittke and Piazzolla. 8 p.m., $35. Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, via 1,9 to 66th St.;
What's it like to be inside
Every hour on the hour,
wonderland with a laser light show. Plus, the Holiday Fair
with 72 vendors opens in
Vanderbilt Hall. 11 a.m.-9 p.m.,
free. 42nd St. at Park Ave.,
via 4,5,6,7,S to Grand Central;
Looking for tips for running
a nonprofit theater company? Panelists at a meeting of Theater Resources Unlimited and the Society of Directors and Choreographers Foundation discuss issues involving small stage groups. 7:30 p.m., $7. John Houseman Studio A, 450 W. 42nd St. (downstairs), via A,C,E to 42nd St.; (212) 714-7638.
Put yourself in the holiday spirit with a look at Charles Dickens' original manuscript of
"A Christmas Carol," on display
at the Morgan Library. 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m., $5-$7. 29 E. 36th St., via 6 to 33rd St.; (212) 685-0008.
"Early Days The Best of Led Zeppelin" ($16.98), a new anthology of hits from one of rock's preeminent bands, is in stores.
MAKOR screens "Arguing the World," the story of Jewish Cold War radicals Daniel Bell, Nathan Glazer, Irving Howe and Irving Kristol. 7 and 9:30 p.m., $8. 35 W. 67th St., via 1,9 to 66th St.; (212) 621-1021.
The Brad Mehldau Trio has recorded two of its "Art of the Trio" albums at the Village Vanguard and returns there. 9:30 and 11:30 p.m., $25-$35. 178 Seventh Avenue South,
via 1,9 to Christopher St.;
Jazz musicians and singers are invited to a free and open
jam session sponsored by International Women in Jazz. 7 p.m.
322 W. 48th St., via C,E to 50th St.; (212) 876-3809.
Experience American popular song as the dancing feet of Jazz Tap Ensemble presents "Song
& Dance: A New Take on a Familiar Journey." 8 p.m., $32. Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Ave., via 1,9 to 18th St.; (212) 242-0800.
Anglo punk icon Joe Strummer brings his Mescaleros group
and tunes from their album
"The X-Ray Style" to Roseland. 8 p.m., $25. 239 W. 52nd St., via 1,9 to 50th St.; (212) 245-5671.
Club Black Betty hosts a Cuban party with salsa band Mucho de Cuba leading dance lessons. 9-10 p.m., free.
lyn, via L to Bedford Ave.;
"The Cornelia Street Cafe: Celebrating Song" presents singer Nancy Deering performing "For the Birds." 8 p.m., $5-$10. 29 Cornelia St., via A,B,C,
D,E,F,Q to W. Fourth St.;
Students of the DeSisto School present an encore production of "Inappropriate," gritty, touching stories written by the school's graduates. 8 p.m., $30-$40. Theater Row Theater, 424 W. 42nd St., via A,C,E to 42nd St.; (212) 279-4200.
How do you deal with everyday ethical problems? Humanities professor Arthur Dobrin leads a session on "Practical Ethics." 8 p.m., free. Hofstra University, 38 Old Country Road, Garden City, via LIRR to Mineola; (516) 741-7304.
Dine on the monthly spaghetti dinner while you take in a hodgepodge of new theater, live music, political puppetry and other "Great Small Works." 7:30 p.m., $10 includes vegetarian pasta. Performance Space (P.S.) 122, 150 First Ave., via F to Second Ave.; (212) 477-5288.
Known for performing lesser-known standards, Bill Charlap and his trio play the likes of "Roundabout," "Nobody's Heart" and "The Best Thing for You Would Be Me." 8 and 10 p.m., $15-$20. Jazz Standard,
116 E. 27th St., via 6 to 28th St.;
From the roof we're fiddling greetings to composer Jerry
Bock (71) and actress Susan Anspach (54).
via 1,9 to 66th St.;
A graveyard encounter between a pair of
Police Officer Noel Firth and wife Kerry-Ann, who lost their son Nolan to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome on Thanksgiving two years ago, sponsor a benefit (with music, food and raffles) to raise funds for SIDS services and research. 8 p.m., $10. Gaelic Park, W. 240th St. and Broadway, via 1,9 to 242nd St.; (914) 962-0553.
Australian cabaret star Toni Lamond brings her "Still a Gypsy" show to the FireBird Cafe.
11 p.m.; $20 entrance, plus $15 minimum. 363 W. 46th St.,
via A,C,E to 42nd St.;
A mother and daughter try
to pull their lives together in Sundance award-winning film
"Tumbleweed," starring Broadway's Janet McTeer
and Kimberly J. Brown from "The Guiding Light." Screenings run from 10-12:40 a.m.
$6-$9.50. UA Union Square Theatre, 350 Broadway,
via 4,5,6,L,N,R to 14th St.;
Hope to hear "You and Me and the Bottle Makes Three Tonight (Baby)" when Big Bad Voodoo Daddy plays the Supper Club. 8 p.m., $25. 240 W. 47th St., via 1,9 to 50th St.;
Everything but the Girl, a band featuring husband-and-wife team Ben Watt and lead singer Tracey Thorn, plays cuts from its latest album, "Temperamental" at the Hammerstein Ballroom. 8 p.m., $27.50. 311 W. 34th St., via A,C,E to 34th St.; (212) 307-7171.
Film maker Jorg Fockele curates an evening of gay
who fall in love. 5 p.m., $5.
Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Ave., via F to Second Ave.; (212) 505-5110. | Finalize holiday plans, grocery-shop for all the trimmings, then pass the time until Turkey Day watching tap or ballet dancers, listening to a renowned violinist or master of Brazilian music, or by taking another gander at "Chinatown."New store windows, the manuscript of "A Christmas Carol,"and the "snow globe"at Grand Central Station can help jump-start the festive season. NEO-NOIR CLASSIC Director Roman Polanski's 1974 "Chinatown,"a tale of political and moral corruption is | 16.863636 | 0.920455 | 24.647727 | medium | medium | extractive |
http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/gossip/1996/04/04/1996-04-04_chopra___the_seven_spiritual.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20101209005804id_/http://www.nydailynews.com:80/archives/gossip/1996/04/04/1996-04-04_chopra___the_seven_spiritual.html | CHOPRA & THE SEVEN SPIRITUAL LAWS OF EXCESS | 20101209005804 | BY GEORGE RUSH AND JOANNA MOLLOY
Thursday, April 4th 1996, 2:00AM
Demi Moore, Steven Seagal and Elizabeth Taylor are a few of the celebrities who've come to Deepak Chopra looking for spiritual enlightenment. But deep down, his famous disciples possessed something that eluded the teacher of ancient Vedic wisdom: the ability to land a movie deal.
Having made millions with his mind-body workshops, books, audio and video tapes, assorted PBS series not to mention his herbal food supplements and skin-care products, Chopra is going Hollywood.
The ICM talent agency is pushing Chopra's "The Return of Merlin," a retelling of the Arthurian legend - as a possible TV series or Broadway musical.
And Chopra has cranked out almost a dozen screen treatments ideas for movies.
"He knows what the contemporary public mind is about," said literary agent Muriel Nellis.
Though even some of his admirers find his fiction amateurish, Chopra's projects stand a good chance of getting green-lighted if he can get some of his famous friends to sign on.
He's tight with Oprah Winfrey, George Harrison and producer Peter Guber. He helped Michael Jackson write song lyrics. He has journeyed with Demi to India.
Safe to say he can count on Seagal. The action figure who has sent hundreds of bad guys into their next lives on the screen now claims that he can heal with his hands. Chopra is helping Seagal make a movie about the life of India's mythic King Rama.
The only worrisome side effect of Chopra's foray into film may be the tabloid press.
He has managed to brush off criticism from the American Medical Association and the National Council Against Health Fraud. But the would-be film maker still has detractors who won't forgive him for breaking away from the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, guru to the Beatles. The Maharishi's minions are said to be pushing scurrilous claims about Chopra's personal life. Esquire has passed on printing the claims. But once Chopra really becomes a household name, you may just read them in the supermarket line.
Rush & Molloy get results! David Letterman made it up to kid star Anna Paquin last night after parsimonious producers took her $10,000 prize back after Tuesday night's show.
Letterman handed her the dough originally meant for another guest who lost a basketball shoot after the "Jane Eyre" star swished the basket free and clear.
"It's Paquingate!" joked Letterman's new producer Rob Burnett yesterday from the thin ice on which he was standing. "When Anna hit the shot, as a joke and sort of spontaneously, Dave went over to the desk and got the $10,000 and gave it to her."
Burnett says he didn't order his minions to "get the money from the kid" but when they did, he afterwards thought, "Did we make a mistake?"
That's all behind them now, and everybody wins. Letterman and Paquin agreed last night to give the 10 grand to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Don't tell the Jewish firefighters association that Howard Safir is "a nice Jewish boy from the Bronx."
The fire commissioner-turned-police commissioner failed to attend the annual dinner of Ner Tamid (Hebrew for eternal light) association two years running, members claim.
"It was the first time ever that no high-ranking executives or chiefs attended," said a source, "and for him to be the second Jewish fire commissioner in history was additionally painful."
"He had scheduling conflicts both years," Fire Department spokeswoman Marilyn Mode said.
As for the Bronx part, Safir left the noble borough about age 11, when his family moved to North Massapequa.
And don't tell Brooklyn Law School that Safir is an alumnus, as a statement released by City Hall at his first appointment states. "We have no record indicating that he is a graduate of our law school," said alumni office administrator Marva Skeene.
AND THE HEARST SHALL BE LAST
As new details of the coup d'etat at the Hearst Corp. emerged yesterday, it became clear that Veronica Hearst's unbridled ambition was the cause of her husband Randolph's downfall.
Eighty-year-old Randolph Hearst, the only surviving son of founder William Randolph (Citizen Kane) Hearst, was replaced last Wednesday as chairman of the board by his nephew, George Hearst.
"When Randolph walked into the meeting, George already had the gavel in his hand," said a high-placed company source. "The board voted him out in secret."
Sources say the board dumped Randolph because he couldn't keep Veronica from meddling in company business. Her latest interference: trying to oust company president and CEO Frank Bennack Jr.
"She had a family dinner party on Oscar night just before the ax fell," said a source. "She said, `We must unite as a family and fire Frank Bennack."'
But the fiftyish Veronica grated against the genteel Hearst sensibility. Known to charter a plane just to go shopping in Paris, Randolph's third wife once had their furniture shipped to Italy to be reupholstered because the prices were better, a source claims. Veronica has been known to buy her fur coats four at a time, and invested so much in couture that she finally made her way onto Eleanor Lambert's best-dressed list last year.
"She once said at a cocktail party, `It's not easy being Queen of New York,"' the source said. "I'm so busy, and after all, I didn't ask to be queen."
Veronica's spokeswoman didn't return calls.
Elle Macpherson, who's getting rave reviews for her role in "Jane Eyre," wanted the part so badly she worked for free, said director Franco Zeffirelli at the premiere Monday night ... Eighties debutante Cornelia Guest has turned serious in the nineties. She raised $250,000 for the Olympic's U.S. Equestrian Team. And Soho's Lumina Gallery is showing Olympic paintings by French Impressionists Andre Bourrie and Michel Delacroix. The sale of the lithographs benefits the competition. | Demi Moore, Steven Seagal and Elizabeth Taylor are a few of the celebrities who've come to Deepak Chopra looking for spiritual enlightenment. But deep down, his famous disciples possessed something that eluded the teacher of ancient Vedic wisdom: the ability to land a movie deal. Until now. Having made millions with his mind-body workshops, books, audio and video tapes, assorted PBS series not to mention his herbal food supplements and skin-care products, Chopra is | 13.47191 | 0.988764 | 43.011236 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/2004/09/14/2004-09-14_newsline.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20101220014811id_/http://www.nydailynews.com:80/archives/entertainment/2004/09/14/2004-09-14_newsline.html | NEWSLINE | 20101220014811 | BY DAVID HINCKLEY AND WIRE REPORTS
Tuesday, September 14th 2004, 1:14AM
U2, PISTOlS MAY WIN FAME
U2 heads the list of 15 nominees for the Class of 2005 at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The others are the J. Geils Band, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Buddy Guy, Wanda Jackson, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Randy Newman, the O'Jays, Gram Parsons, the Pretenders, the Sex Pistols, Percy Sledge, Patti Smith, the Stooges and Conway Twitty.
About 1,000 artists, music industry people and writers have received ballots and will select five to seven of the nominees for induction in March.
'Guess Who' WAS in N.J.
A remake of the movie Âclassic "Guess Who's ÂComing to Dinner" brought Ashton Kutcher and Bernie Mac to Madison, N.J. over the Âweekend. The movie, tentatively titled "The Dinner Party," flips the racial roles, with Kutcher taking the Sidney Poitier role of the boyfriend and Mac playing the father, Spencer Tracy's old role. In scenes filmed at Madison's train station, Kutcher's Âcharacter leaves New Jersey for New York while Mac's character tries to persuade him to stay.
The Deauville Film Festival awarded its top prize to "Maria Full of Grace," a documentary-like tale set in Queens about a teenage drug runner from ColomÂbia. The debut from writer-director Joshua Marston tells the story of a pregnant
17-year-old who agrees to smuggle heroin pellets by plane to New York.
A Milwaukee-area couple with a 22-year-old son in the U.S. Army near Tikrit, Iraq, is collecting DVDs, microwave popcorn, soft-drink mixes and candy for what they're calling "Operation: Take a Soldier to the Movies." Each popcorn-box package would include a photograph and letters from the person or family contributing the contents, say Bernie and Kathy Hintzke, who want to give as many soldiers as possible a taste of back home by Thanksgiving Day. For more information, go to www.soldiertomovies.org.
PUBLIC GETS TO PLAY 'DIRTY'
A one-woman show about Watergate figure Martha ÂMitchell, will get a pre-Election Day production at The Public Theater. John Jeter's "Dirty Tricks" - first seen during the recent Howl! Festival - stars two-time Tony winner Judith Ivey. It begins previews Oct. 5. | NEWSLINE U2, PISTOlS MAY WIN FAME U2 heads the list of 15 nominees for the Class of 2005 at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The others are the J. Geils Band, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Buddy Guy, Wanda Jackson, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Randy Newman, the O'Jays, Gram Parsons, the Pretenders, the Sex Pistols, Percy Sledge, Patti Smith, the Stooges and Conway Twitty. About 1,000 artists, music industry people and writers have | 5.066667 | 0.988889 | 60.722222 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/1998/03/15/1998-03-15_vh1_eyes__solid_gold____james.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20110102013953id_/http://www.nydailynews.com:80/archives/entertainment/1998/03/15/1998-03-15_vh1_eyes__solid_gold____james.html | VH1 EYES 'SOLID GOLD' & JAMES | 20110102013953 | Sunday, March 15th 1998, 2:04AM
Bad taste seldom grows stale. That's good news for VH1, which keeps regurgitating some of the tackiest pop shows in TV history.
First, it brought back "American Bandstand," then "The Mid-night Special." Now it's giving us a fix of "Solid Gold," in a mara-thon that runs tomorrow night from 9 to midnight, and switches next week to its regular time slot of 1 p.m. weekdays.
"Solid Gold" was a prime pop outlet on TV during the '80s the era of high hair and rolled-up jacket sleeves. Segments here feature performances by Madonna, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Janet Jackson, plus artists wholly-bound to that era, including REO Speedwagon, Huey Lewis and the News and Billy Idol.
Hosts on the show include the likes of Rex Smith, Arsenio Hall and Andy Gibb.
On the scale of endearing badness, however, they're easily up-staged by the Solid Gold Dancers spandex-clad performers who always look like they should be on their way to a calisthenics class.
In equally gruesome news, VH1 this week also features a look at the compellingly sordid history of Rick James (premiering to-night at 9).
James has become as well-known for his use of drugs and violence as for his music. And he has never shied away from the ugly details when interviewed.
James struck a vein on the charts in the '80s with such funky hits as "Mary Jane," "Give It to Me Baby" and the classic "Super-freak" the title of which, in retrospect, perfectly summed up his personal life.
The performer talks at length about his cocaine habit and his subsequent abusive behavior. In the early '90s he was arrested and served hard time in a maximum-security prison.
In the hour-long special (part of the channel's strong "Behind the Music" series), James reflects on his reckless habits, the death of his mother and his hellish experiences in prison.
The show also features interviews with old girlfriend Linda Blair, his wife, Tanya, and Suzanne DePasse, the executive who oversaw his career at Motown Records.
It's a sad story, but one worth telling. | Bad taste seldom grows stale. That's good news for VH1, which keeps regurgitating some of the tackiest pop shows in TV history. First, it brought back "American Bandstand,"then "The Mid-night Special."Now it's giving us a fix of "Solid Gold,"in a mara-thon that runs tomorrow night from 9 to midnight, and switches next week to its regular time slot of 1 p.m. weekdays. "Solid Gold"was a prime pop outlet on TV during | 5.206897 | 0.954023 | 18.54023 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/2003/06/24/2003-06-24_dan_ingram_is_down_under_but.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20110212064630id_/http://www.nydailynews.com:80/archives/entertainment/2003/06/24/2003-06-24_dan_ingram_is_down_under_but.html | DAN INGRAM IS DOWN UNDER BUT NOT OUT | 20110212064630 | By DAVID HINCKLEY DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Tuesday, June 24th 2003, 7:35AM
One of Dan Ingram's first moves after leaving WCBS-FM will be to find Nemo.
Ingram said yesterday he and his wife leave soon for a diving trip to the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Australia.
"It's beautiful there," he says. "I'll also be thinking things over, figuring what I want to do next."
The 18-hour plane ride alone provides plenty of time for that. The word of the day when flying to Australia is "patience."
For the last 12 years, Ingram has done Saturday and Sunday afternoons on WCBS-FM (101.1), providing one of the living links between the country's most successful oldies station and the top-40 giants such as WABC, from which it draws much of its music and style.
Ingram's departure comes after the station proposed that he cut back to only the Sunday show, giving up the Saturday hours to make room for fellow golden-age veteran Dan Daniel.
"The Mafia makes you an offer you can't refuse," Ingram said yesterday. "WCBS-FM made me an offer I couldn't accept. However, we did come to an agreement. It's signed, and I will not be returning to WCBS."
Ingram indicated the proposed cutback was a factor.
"Being tied up to do only one day a week is just not something I wanted," he said. "Two days a week is another story."
Asked if this finishes his radio career, which launched in the '50s and started in New York on July 3, 1961, Ingram said, "Good Lord, I hope not. I'm not ready to throw in the towel yet."
There are "several things I'm looking at," he said. "Or I could end up going in an entirely different direction. As Fats Waller said, 'One never knows, do one?' "
He could even find Nemo.
At WCBS-FM, meanwhile, Daniel is now on the 10 a.m.-1 p.m. shift Saturdays, with Mike Fitzgerald 1-4 p.m. On Sundays, Fitzgerald's shift has been extended to 10 a.m.-3 p.m. and Mike McCann's has been stretched to 3-8 p.m.
FORMATS BY GENDER: Arbitron has issued a new market study on how the listenership of different radio formats breaks down by gender, and most of it is consistent with what you'd expect.
Some categories aren't broken down into all their component formats. News/talk, for instance, includes news stations, talk stations, business stations and sports stations, which can have different constituencies.
But it's an interesting picture nonetheless:
Adult contemporary: 63.6% women, 36.4% men.
Adult standards: 54.7% women, 45.3% men.
Alternative: 63.3% men, 36.7% women.
Top 40 (all forms): 57.4% women, 42.6% men.
Classical: 52.6% women, 47.4% men.
Country: 52.4% women, 47.6% men.
Smooth jazz: 50.2% men, 49.8% women.
News/talk: 59.7% men, 40.3% women.
Oldies: 50.6% men, 49.4% women.
Religious: 63.2% women, 36.8% men.
Rock: 72% men, 28% women.
Spanish (all formats): 50.1% men, 49.9% women.
Urban: 56.6% women, 43.4% men.
'COAST TO COAST' ON THE ISLAND: "Coast to Coast" with George Noory comes to WLIE (540 AM) starting next Monday. The same day, WLIE adds Glenn Beck daily, 10 a.m.-noon, replacing John Gomez.
AROUND THE DIAL: Rosanne Cash plays live tonight over WFUV (90.7 FM), 8-10, from Fordham's Flom Auditorium. The host is Rita Houston. Tony Paige is coming back to WFAN (660 AM), first with guest spots this Saturday (10 p.m.-2 a.m.), July 3 and 4. He starts a regular Saturday slot, 10 p.m.-2 a.m., on July 12. WPLR (99.1 FM) in New Haven has been named small market "station of the year" by Radio & Records. And speaking of the R&R Awards, yesterday we somehow separated music director Rob Miller from WALK (97.5 FM). He's still there. Sirius satellite radio yesterday announced it has passed the 100,000-subscriber mark. Rival XM, which got a head start, is past 600,000. | One of Dan Ingram's first moves after leaving WCBS-FM will be to find Nemo. Ingram said yesterday he and his wife leave soon for a diving trip to the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Australia. "It's beautiful there,"he says. "I'll also be thinking things over, figuring what I want to do next."The 18-hour plane ride alone provides plenty of time for that. The word | 11.623377 | 0.974026 | 17.233766 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/2004/05/23/2004-05-23_the__baadasssss___guys___mar.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20110323044403id_/http://www.nydailynews.com:80/archives/entertainment/2004/05/23/2004-05-23_the__baadasssss___guys___mar.html | THE 'BAADASSSSS!' GUYS Mario Van Peebles salutes his dad's '71 indie classic | 20110323044403 | Sunday, May 23th 2004, 1:25AM
'Baadasssss!" - a semi-documentary by Mario Van Peebles that opens Friday - is based on his filmmaker father Melvin's memoir about the making of "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song," 33 years ago. That cult movie served as a prototype for blaxploitation cinema and showed the way for the independent black directors who followed.
"My dad's life was colorful and sexy and all of that, but I wanted to capture a guy who was p--ed off at isms: sexism, racism and so on," says Mario, 47, who, like his father, wrote, produced, directed and stars in his own film. (He cast himself as Melvin.)
Melvin's subversive, experimental and sexually graphic 1971 movie told the tale of a black sex-show performer (whom he played himself). He's on the run for beating up two white cops who brutalized a black revolutionary. No Hollywood studio would touch the film - not even
Columbia, where Melvin was under contract.
Costing about half a million dollars and completed under grueling conditions at breakneck speed, the film grossed nearly $15 million, despite an X rating and limited distribution. Melvin insisted on employing a cast and crew of minority men and women, creating a bond between marginalized filmmakers and black audiences beyond Hollywood's reach.
History repeated itself when Mario shopped his film to the studios.
"They wanted to make squishy Wonder Bread out of it," he says. "The notes were, 'It's too political. Put some rap guys in it. Can you make it more like 'Barbershop'?"
"The main note was, 'Can you make your dad more likable?' All of that would have totally marginalized his character."
Mario was forced to take the indie route, too. He cut costs by having Ossie Davis stay with him instead of in a hotel, and other such measures.
Melvin, 71, took no part in the production of Mario's film, and first saw it at last year's Toronto Film Festival.
"After I saw it, I said, 'It's "Seabiscuit" on two legs!'" says Melvin. "To see it all put together like that, it became clear to me what I had done [when I made 'Sweet Sweetback']. This was the battle of the workers who were making this thing. A lot of films [are] made with all-white, all- male crews. I wanted to see minorities as the technicians, not the black guy pushing the broom, or the Asian person making the lunches. That's what comes out in 'Baadasssss!' That's what this film allows."
As well as depicting the difficulties of independent filmmaking (including the arrests of crew members, threats from creditors and Melvin's temporary loss of vision from overwork), "Baadasssss!" explores the father and son's complicated relationship.
Obsessed with completing "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song," Melvin is portrayed as someone who sacrifices family for work, even forcing the then 13-year-old Mario (played by Khleo Thomas) to take part in a sex scene.
"I don't regret anything," says Melvin, who before filmmaking was a reporter, novelist and portrait painter. "Somehow it has gotten twisted around where a
parent is supposed to be a buddy. Uh, that's nice, too, but when the crunch comes, a parent has to do a parent's job. Mario has grown to understand what the battle is; he couldn't understand it at that age."
Mario says he went over a list of "grievances" with his father a few years ago and has made peace with aspects of his childhood that he couldn't understand while he was growing up.
"When the death threats started and my dad began losing sight in one eye, I realized that those things were bigger than me being in that scene or having to get my hair cut [for the film]," says Mario, whose own son, Mandela, appears in "Baadasssss!"
"Our differences were eclipsed by some bigger event," he adds. "One of my beefs was getting involved in a battle but not understanding the war. I'm still in that process, but I know that we were putting ourselves out there for something other than self." | THE 'BAADASSSSS!' GUYS Mario Van Peebles salutes his dad's '71 indie classic BY REBECCA LOUIE 'Baadasssss!"- a semi-documentary by Mario Van Peebles that opens Friday - is based on his filmmaker father Melvin's memoir about the making of "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song,"33 years ago. That cult movie served as a prototype for blaxploitation cinema and showed the way for the independent black directors who followed. "My dad's life was colorful and sexy and all of | 9.677778 | 0.933333 | 18.955556 | low | medium | extractive |
http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/2001/08/26/2001-08-26_spellbinders___expect__harry.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20110407165935id_/http://www.nydailynews.com:80/archives/entertainment/2001/08/26/2001-08-26_spellbinders___expect__harry.html | SPELLBINDERS Expect 'Harry Potter' and action fare to dominate Hollywood's 'serious' season | 20110407165935 | Sunday, August 26th 2001, 2:22AM
Whatever else may be said about the prospects of the fall movie season, there's this: "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." The first film from J.K. Rowling's mesmerizing books about a magical world of witches and wizards is the surest box-office bonanza since George Lucas revived his "Star Wars" series. And with a subject proven to be as compelling to adults as kids, it has the potential to challenge "Titanic" as the all-time champ.
"Harry Potter" opens Nov. 16, the week before Thanksgiving. Between now and then, the major studios will release more than three dozen movies nationally, and another three dozen or so are scheduled for release by independent distributors.
If past is prologue, some of the year's best movies will arrive in that time. The studios, in particular, like to schedule their "serious" movies in the fall, after kids are back in school, when critics are starved for protein and many dedicated moviegoers come out of their summer hibernation to reclaim the megaplex.
But it's hard to see exactly which films are heading for awards. Mostly, the major studios' fall schedules look like a continuation of their summer schedules. The lineup is thick with action-adventures movies, thrillers and comedies. And there aren't many movies with Academy pedigrees - directors and stars who have won before.
If you like Billy Bob Thornton, Leelee Sobieski and Ethan Hawke, you're in good shape. Each actor is in three fall films. And Robert Redford, who appeared in only four movies during the last decade, is suddenly starring in two - "The Last Castle" and "Spy Game" - that will open within a month of each other.
If you like period films, you're in good shape, too. Peter Hyams' "The Musketeer" is about the fourth musketeer, D'Artagnan, from Alexandre Dumas' classic 19th-century novel "The Three Musketeers." "Brotherhood of the Wolf" is an 18th-century thriller about an amateur detective and his Iroquois sidekick who, on behalf of Louis XV, set off to investigate killings that may be the work of a monster. And in a real fish-out-of-water film, Martin Lawrence plays an amusement park employee who gets a knock on the head and wakes up in medieval England.
The entries that sound most like Oscar material are: director Iain Softley's "K-PAX," adapted from Gene Brewer's best seller about a man (Kevin Spacey) who claims to be from outer space and the psychiatrist (Jeff Bridges) who's not sure he isn't, and Irwin Winkler's "Life as a House," starring Kevin Kline as a dying man racing the clock to rebuild his family while building his dream house.
On the following pages, Jami Bernard takes a look at "Harry Potter," Elizabeth Weitzman scouts the independent films, and I assess 18 films for which I hold out unreasonably high hopes.
HEARTS IN ATLANTIS Stars Anthony Hopkins, Hope Davis, Anton Yelchin, David Morse. Directed by Scott Hicks. Scheduled opening: Sept. 28.
William Goldman adapted this Stephen King novella - actually, just one of five stories in a massive anthology - and Hicks ("Shine") directed it, so it has a chance. It stars Hopkins as a mysterious man who moves in with a widower and her young son in 1960s Virginia and gradually reveals mind-reading powers that not even he fully understands. Both he and the child are being stalked, the boy by local bullies, the lodger by "low men in yellow jackets." The stories in the anthology all pertain in some way to King's view of Vietnam and in this particular story, it's the notion that there are predators in every village, even at home.
JOY RIDE Stars Paul Walker, Leelee Sobieski, Steve Zahn. Directed by John Dahl. Scheduled opening: Oct. 5.
Walker, who was the good-looking hero in "The Fast & the Furious," is on the road again in Dahl's free-range thriller about two college buddies who, while driving through the Southwestern desert, pull a prank on a truck driver that lets loose the hounds of hell. Or something just as bad - a psycho killer with no sense of humor.
The trailer suggests the strong influence of Steven Spielberg's classic TV movie, "Duel," but with more hands-on terror. Walker's college chum is played by Zahn and Sobieski is the girlfriend Walker picks up just in time for the fun. Matthew Kimbrough is the voice of the truck driver who goes by the CB handle of Rusty Nail. Now, why would you want to mess with him?
SERENDIPITY Stars John Cusack, Kate Beckinsale. Directed by Peter Chelsom. Scheduled opening: Oct. 5.
Before he walked into the star-powered, big-budget buzzsaw that was "Town & Country," English director Chelsom made two of the most marvelously eccentric comedies of the 1990s - "Hear My Song" and "Funny Bones." After working with Warren Beatty and the rest of the all-star ensemble for the hilariously unfunny "Town & Country," we'll be anxious to see if he has a sense of humor left.
Here, he's working with the superb light comedian Cusack and "Pearl Harbor's" love-struck nurse Beckinsale, in a story about love and luck. They play a couple who meet at Bloomingdale's, have a wonderful time flirting with each other, then separate and don't meet again for 10 years. So, is it serendipity when they meet the first time or the second?
BANDITS Stars Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Cate Blanchett. Directed by Barry Levinson. Scheduled opening: Oct. 12.
Still smarting over the lame marketing and critical drubbing of his low-budget goof "An Everlasting Piece," Levinson returns to the broad canvas - and we do mean broad - with this contemporary knockoff of "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." It stars Willis and Thornton as a pair of escaped convicts who both fall in love with the victim of a kidnapping. And the victim, a rich man's ignored wife (Blanchett), falls for them right back. Soon, the trio is cutting a swath of empty vaults through California, as they follow the perennial outlaw's dream - to own a bar on a beach in Mexico. But will they get there, or will Bruce and Billy Bob, like Butch and Sundance, fall in a hail of bullets?
THE LAST CASTLE Stars Robert Redford, James Gandolfini, Mark Ruffalo, Robin Wright Penn. Directed by Rod Lurie. Scheduled opening: Oct. 12.
Former film critic Lurie ("The Contender") directs Redford and Gandolfini in this military drama about the battle of wills between a court-martialed three-star Army general and a sadistic military-prison warden. Redford's been in prison before, as an undercover warden checking out the living conditions in "Brubaker," and Gandolfini is sure to get there eventually, as Tony Soprano. Meanwhile, the always-heroic Redford, playing a legendary military strategist, will rally 1,200 suddenly reformed inmates in a revolt against the corrupted system, and we figure he's got a pretty good chance to win.
MULHOLLAND DRIVE Stars Naomi Watts, Laura Elena Haring, Justin Theroux, Dan Hedaya, Ann Miller. Directed by David Lynch. Scheduled opening: Oct. 12.
A few years ago, long after "Twin Peaks" escalated into anti-commercial surrealism, Lynch was visited (perhaps from the planet K-PAX) by television executives who invited him to make a pilot for another series.
Whatever you like, they said. He made it, and the network hated it. Now, it's a cause celebre among cineastes, many of whom saw it at its world premiere in Cannes earlier this year. Its new producers ponied up extra cash for the post-production work necessary for Lynch to reshape it as a stand-alone feature, and he took away the festival's Best Director prize for it. Critics there described this strange tale of an amnesiac actress befriended by a wanna-be starlet as vintage Lynch - the maker of "Blue Velvet," not "The Straight Story" - with overlapping storylines, dangerous characters and a rush of inscrutable symbolism. It has no major stars, but neither did "Twin Peaks."
FROM HELL Stars Johnny Depp, Heather Graham, Ian Holm, Robbie Coltrane, Paul Rhys. Directed by Albert and Allen Hughes. Scheduled opening: Oct. 19.
Jack the Ripper is one of the most popular serial killers in movies, a virtual hero in some of the more perverse tales spun from the notorious prostitute killings in fogbound Victorian London. And now he's in the unlikely hands of the Hughes brothers, who warmed up for this English menace with their own "Menace II Society" and "American Pimp." In a role once assigned to Brad Pitt, Depp plays Inspector Fred Abberline, a troubled cop with possibly psychic abilities, and Graham is Polly, one of the streetwalkers in harm's way. The project is adapted from Alan Moore's graphic comics.
HEIST Stars Gene Hackman, Danny DeVito, Rebecca Pidgeon, Delroy Lindo. Directed by David Mamet. Scheduled opening: Oct. 26.
With a plot that sounds very much like the recent Brando-De Niro-Norton film "The Score," Mamet's latest thriller stars Hackman as a jewel thief pulling one last job before retiring to the Caribbean, and having to outsmart not only the protectors of the gems but rival thieves. As a filmmaker, Mamet remains something of a rough stone himself. That's mostly because he likes to experiment with different genres. But the thriller is the one he has attempted most often, and which makes the best use of his famously muscular dialogue. The film co-stars Lindo as Hackman's accomplice and Mamet's wife, Pidgeon, as his major distraction (ours, too, if reports of her nude scenes are accurate).
K-PAX Stars Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges, Alfre Woodard, Mary McCormack. Directed by Iain Softley. Scheduled opening: Oct 26.
What's a psychiatrist to do? There's a new patient in his ward who claims he's a tourist from the planet K-PAX, and he's got everybody else in the place - staff and patients alike - believing him. In fact, the more the psychiatrist talks to this disarming fellow with an otherworldly command of the galaxy, the more he begins to doubt his own diagnosis. That's the premise of Gene Brewer's 1995 best seller, which comes to the screen after a long time in development. Spacey plays the would-be alien and Bridges, who played a similarly good-natured visitor in "Star Man," is his shrink. Softley ("The Wings of the Dove") directs what promises to play like a combination of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "Forrest Gump."
LIFE AS A HOUSE Stars Kevin Kline, Kristin Scott Thomas, Hayden Christensen, Mary Steenburgen, Jenna Malone. Directed by Irwin Winkler. Scheduled opening: Oct 26.
If you're looking for that sleeper that might arrive in the fall, like "American Beauty," and hop an early ride on the Oscar train, this could be it. Kline stars as a man who reacts to the news that he has terminal cancer by deciding to build his dream house and recruiting his estranged son and ex-wife to help him. Major metaphor alert: Strong foundations make strong families. But Kline is a first-rate actor who hasn't had many strong dramatic roles since "Sophie's Choice," and Winkler, a producer ("Rocky") turned director ("Guilty By Suspicion"), has shown real talent.
BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF With Samuel Le Bihan, Mark Dacascos, Monica Bellucci, Emilie Dequenne. Directed by Christophe Gans. Scheduled opening: Nov. 2.
Back in the 1760s, a bunch of French peasants were killed by some kind of animal so terrifying that King Louis XV faked the capture of a large wolf and paraded its body in Paris. The real culprit was never caught, and a legend was born. Gans and his writers come up with the rest of the story in this expensive fable - essentially a metaphor for the brewing French Revolution - about a king's gardener who travels with his American-Iroquois sidekick to the scene of the maulings and works the mystery like an 18th-century Sherlock Holmes.
THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE Stars Billy Bob Thornton, Frances McDormand, James Gandolfini, Tony Shalhoub, Jon Polito, Scarlett Johansson. Directed by Joel Coen. Scheduled opening: Nov. 2.
Normally, you know a film is in trouble when the advance word is about how ravishing it looks. But this is a Joel and Ethan Coen movie, and if it looks especially good, it must be sensational. Although it was photographed in color by longtime Coen collaborator Roger Deakins, it's printed in black and white, which is said to enrich the film noir-look of the late '40s setting. This is "Blood Simple" territory for the Coens, a story about a stoic small-town barber (Thornton) whose uncharacteristically ambitious scheme to blackmail his wife's lover goes awry in weird and scary ways. McDormand plays the treacherous wife and Gandolfini her lover.
MONSTERS, INC. Animated. Directed by Pete Docter. Scheduled opening: Nov. 2.
Pixar's latest computer-animated film for Disney turns the tables on time-honored childhood fears. It's about a world where monsters are afraid of kids! "Don't touch a child; they're toxic," one mutant advises another. With Billy Crystal voicing a one-eyed something-or-other, and John Goodman, Jennifer Tilly, Steve Buscemi and others filling out the voice cast, "Monsters, Inc." makes it payback time for all those bogeyman scares. And, as Crystal would say, it looks ... simply marvelous.
THE CAT'S MEOW Stars Kirsten Dunst, Cary Elwes, Jennifer Tilly, Eddie Izzard, Edward Herrmann. Directed by Peter Bogdanovich. Scheduled opening: Nov. 9.
Bogdanovich's directing history is a mixed bag of inspired movies and dreck, and he's 16 years removed from his last good movie ("Mask"). But the subject matter of "The Cat's Meow" is irresistible to anyone with an interest in Hollywood lore. What happened to pioneering Hollywood filmmaker Thomas H. Ince aboard William Randolph Hearst's yacht, Oneida, on Nov. 19, 1924? Ince (played by Elwes) died that day, but how and why? From acute indigestion, the recorded cause? Or, as urban legend has it, from a bullet fired by Hearst (Herrmann), who was thought to have been aiming at Charlie Chaplin (Izzard), whom he suspected of dallying with his mistress (Dunst)? Ince was cremated without an autopsy, so we'll never know. But the legend persists, largely because one of the only witnesses to Ince's death, gossip columnist Louella Parsons (Tilly), soon after got a lifetime contract with the Hearst organization and never mentioned Ince again.
SHALLOW HAL Stars Jack Black, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jason Alexander, Susan Ward, Tony Robbins. Directed by Peter and Bobby Farrelly. Scheduled opening: Nov. 9.
You might want to prepare yourself for some disgusting fat (note: no r) jokes, as the Farrelly brothers - the gross-out artists behind "Dumb & Dumber" and "There's Something About Mary" - advance the art form with a story about a guy (Black) so shallow he only dates gorgeous women. That is, until he meets a 600-pound version of Paltrow and falls for her inner beauty.
WINDTALKERS Stars Nicolas Cage, Adam Beach, Christian Slater, Frances O'Connor, Mark Ruffalo. Directed by John Woo. Scheduled opening: Nov. 9.
The idea of Hong Kong action-master Woo directing a World War II movie is more frightening than anything short of going to war yourself. His forte is heightening reality; World War II, as Steven Spielberg demonstrated with "Saving Private Ryan," came pre-heightened. Maybe Woo will pull back on the throttle with a story based on the wartime practice of coding messages in the Navajo language, for which the Japanese had no translators. Cage stars as one of the G.I.s assigned to protecting Navajo soldiers from being taken alive and forced to become translators. After the critical drubbing he just took for his role as an Italian officer in "Captain Corelli's Mandolin," Cage could use a successful mission.
SPY GAME Stars Robert Redford, Brad Pitt, Catherine McCormack, Stephen Dillane, Kimberly Paige. Directed by Tony Scott. Scheduled opening: Nov. 21.
Here's a mother-daughter's night-out action film if there ever was one - Redford and Pitt as mentor-pupil spies: "You take the old blond, mom, I'll take the young one." Father-son teams should like it, too. It's got that old bull, young bull appeal. Redford plays a CIA agent who, on the eve of retirement, discovers that his protege (Pitt) has been arrested in China for espionage. As he heads to the Far East, he recalls tutoring the young agent and their years as smooth-as-silk partners and the woman (McCormack) who had to choose between them. | Whatever else may be said about the prospects of the fall movie season, there's this: "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone."The first film from J.K. Rowling's mesmerizing books about a magical world of witches and wizards is the surest box-office bonanza since George Lucas revived his "Star Wars"series. And with a subject proven to be as compelling to adults as kids, it has the potential to challenge "Titanic"as the all-time champ. " | 39.494253 | 0.965517 | 23.517241 | high | high | extractive |
http://www.tmz.com/2007/02/23/hey-busta-youre-busted-again/ | http://web.archive.org/web/20110507053224id_/http://www.tmz.com:80/2007/02/23/hey-busta-youre-busted-again/ | Cops to Busta: We Got You All in Check! | 20110507053224 | 2/23/2007 1:28 PM PST by TMZ Staff
Busta Rhymes is in yet more legal hot water today, after police stopped him early Thursday morning for running a red light in lower Manhattan.Rhymes was charged with driving on a suspended license after being taken into custody by NYPD around 5:30 AM Thursday. He was due to appear in court Thursday night, and could be jailed for up to 15 days if convicted.Rhymes -- real name Trevor Smith -- is already facing assault charges in two criminal cases from last year. His record label, Violator Management, didn't comment.
Tags: Celebrity Justice, Busta Rhymes | Busta Rhymes is in yet more legal hot water today, after police stopped him early Thursday morning for running a red light in lower Manhattan. Rhymes was… | 3.9 | 0.966667 | 28.033333 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/1999/06/06/1999-06-06_f_for_cuny__critics_rip_rudy.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20110522101735id_/http://www.nydailynews.com:80/archives/news/1999/06/06/1999-06-06_f_for_cuny__critics_rip_rudy.html | F FOR CUNY CRITICS RIP RUDY'S REPORT | 20110522101735 | Sunday, June 6th 1999, 2:10AM
The scathing draft report of Mayor Giuliani's task force on the City University of New York came under fire yesterday from critics who charged that the report is part of a Giuliani plan to take control of CUNY.
"At the graduate level, this report would get a failing grade," said Hunter College political science Prof. Kenneth Sherrill. "The task force was structured to deliver a report that conformed to the mayor's agenda."
"With this mayor, a mayoral task force is the mayor, and the word 'task force' is cover," said state Assemblyman Edward Sullivan (D-Manhattan), chairman of the Assembly's Higher Education Committee.
A spokesman for the mayor dismissed such criticism as "complete fiction."
Guiliani praised the task force's efforts and declared, "It is going to require a very different attitude and outlook if we're going to save CUNY." He added, "We have to have a high standard" for both well-prepared students and those who need remedial work.
Yesterday's Daily News carried an account of the task force report, based on a draft version obtained by the paper. The full report will be formally released tomorrow.
The draft said CUNY is locked in a "spiral of decline" and documented its failures in devastating detail. It noted that 50% of CUNY's entering freshmen are deficient in reading and nearly 92% of the freshmen in CUNY's community colleges failed one or more remediation placement tests.
"CUNY is truly adrift," said task force member Jacqueline Brady. "CUNY has not one senior college that's in the top tier of public institutions which is unique among public institutions in this country."
The draft obtained by The News also listed more than two dozen specific recommendations for turning CUNY around.
Creating a powerful new role for the chancellor is one of the most striking elements of the top-to-bottom reorganization outlined in the draft report. According to CUNY Chairman Herman Badillo, it is the key to implementing the rest of the ambitious plan for CUNY.
"It all depends on who the chancellor is," Badillo said.
The draft version traces many of CUNY's problems to a weak and disorganized central administration and calls for a restructuring of the university's top leadership.
"CUNY has no planning process designed to integrate the activities of its various campuses or create an overall system architecture; no strategic focus . . . and no accountability mechanisms to assure the quality or productivity of its institutions or programs," the draft says.
The draft attributes CUNY's "strategic muddle" to "the fact that its key institutions and leaders have no agreed-upon understanding about their most important roles and responsibilities."
"There is utter confusion about the responsibilities of the chancellor, both in relation to the Board of Trustees and in relation to the various campuses and programs," the draft says. "The traditional powers of a university chancellor are, at CUNY, infringed from both above and below."
The draft recommends that the chancellor make policy and "select, oversee and hold accountable campus leadership," while the trustees' "most important function is to select, empower and advise a strong, effective chancellor."
The college presidents, who report directly to the Board of Trustees, would report to the chancellor under the draft plan.
Task force head Benno Schmidt, former president of Yale, was the first choice of Badillo, Giuliani and Gov. Pataki as the new chancellor. But it appears unlikely that Schmidt will take the job.
Besides Schmidt, the list of candidates includes Peter Salins, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at the State University of New York; Matthew Goldstein, president of Adelphi University and former president of Baruch College, and CUNY Interim Chancellor Christopher Kimmich, among others.
Whoever is finally selected for the position will have to implement the task force report, which Badillo has called the blueprint for CUNY's future.
Another critical change recommended in the draft is creating a three-tiered system of colleges with progressively tougher admissions standards. The idea is to provide CUNY with top-ranked "flagship" schools filled with the city's best students.
With racial and ethnic minorities making up 71% of CUNY's enrollment of 200,000 students, "CUNY is utterly critical to the future of New York," said task force Executive Director Roger Benjamin of the Rand Corp.
"The city's minority population is 55% of the workforce right now, and it's going to go to 70% or 80% in the next decade or so," Benjamin said.
"In big urban systems like New York or LA or Chicago we have got to do a better job of improving the pipeline to get a much bigger percentage of these kids some kind of post-secondary education or training.
"We've got to make a few of these colleges appropriate for the best and brightest" as well as "do a much better job for those students who just aren't prepared."
The draft calls for CUNY to become a model for public universities in the U.S. It also calls on New York's public school system to provide earlier remedial education and alternative methods of financing such programs. In addition, CUNY would offer remedial courses at the community colleges and use standard tests to determine whether students achieve competency.
In the view of Sullivan and other critics, giving new powers to the CUNY chancellor to recast CUNY is in sync with Giuliani's agenda. "If the mayor picks the chancellor, which he is on track to do, then he would want that, wouldn't he?" Sullivan asked.
"He's already handpicked Herman Badillo, and now through Badillo he'll be handpicking the chancellor. And then the mayor has all the power." | The scathing draft report of Mayor Giuliani's task force on the City University of New York came under fire yesterday from critics who charged that the report is part of a Giuliani plan to take control of CUNY. "At the graduate level, this report would get a failing grade,"said Hunter College political science Prof. Kenneth Sherrill. "The task force was structured to deliver a report that conformed to the mayor's agenda.""With this mayor, | 13.926829 | 0.97561 | 29 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/money/2000/08/02/2000-08-02_ipublish_com_sets_e-books_sl.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20110606054559id_/http://www.nydailynews.com:80/archives/money/2000/08/02/2000-08-02_ipublish_com_sets_e-books_sl.html | IPUBLISH.COM SETS E-BOOKS SLATE | 20110606054559 | Wednesday, August 2th 2000, 2:13AM
Time Warner unveiled its first batch of electronic books, as competition heats up between the world's biggest media company and rival publisher Random House.
Time Warner said its electronic publishing unit, iPublish.com, would begin to release the 23 titles in September.
Authors on the list include Evelyn Waugh, best-selling writers Nicholas Sparks and Sandra Brown and investor Mark Mobius.
Time Warner's list came a day after Random House, the biggest English-language publisher, joined other publishing houses exploring the new digital medium.
Random House, part of German media powerhouse Bertelsmann, launched a unit for books that can be read electronically, such as by downloading onto a "reader," or book-shaped hand-held screen.
Random House set up a 20-title list of original electronic fiction and nonfiction to be released early in 2001.
Toys "R" Us is coming to Times Square with what it calls the world's biggest toy store.
The New Jersey-based retailer is scheduled to open a store on Broadway between 44th and 45th streets in Summer 2001.
The new store will include more than 100,000 square feet of retail space, a 60-foot high ferris wheel and a cafe.
Toys "R" operates 707 toy stores in the U.S., and 469 others worldwide.
Shares of barnesandnoble.com tumbled nearly 20% to a low for the year as investors showed concern about the online bookseller's outlook after it failed to meet second-quarter estimates.
Its quarterly loss was equal to 27 cents a share, a far cry from the 18 cent loss analysts expected. But sales for the quarter rose 77% to $67.4 million, but didn't meet Wall Street's forecast.
Its stock fell 31/32 to $4.15, dropping below its 52-week intra-day low of $5. It's 52-week high is $23.50.
Several analysts yesterday lowered their ratings of the New York-based company's stock, as well as cut earnings and revenue estimates for fiscal 2000 and 2001.
24/7 Media chief exec David Moore said third-quarter revenues will be lower than anticipated at the Internet advertising company because Web-related companies are buying fewer ads with the decline in Internet-related stocks.
He expects sales to pick up in the fourth quarter.
The company's rivals include industry leader DoubleClick.
Shares of 24/7, which have fallen 82% this year, were down 2 25/32 yesterday at $9.48. DoubleClick was off 2 3/16 to $33.75. | Â Time Warner unveiled its first batch of electronic books, as competition heats up between the world's biggest media company and rival publisher Random House. Time Warner said its electronic publishing unit, iPublish.com, would begin to release the 23 titles in September. Authors on the list include Evelyn Waugh, best-selling writers Nicholas Sparks and Sandra Brown and investor Mark Mobius. Time Warner's list came a day after Random | 6.202532 | 0.987342 | 21.443038 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/2001/08/05/2001-08-05_slick-less__jefferson_starsh.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20110709222104id_/http://www.nydailynews.com:80/archives/entertainment/2001/08/05/2001-08-05_slick-less__jefferson_starsh.html | SLICK-LESS, JEFFERSON STARSHIP FLIES AGAIN | 20110709222104 | Sunday, August 5th 2001, 2:22AM
The legendary Jefferson Starship - minus original lead singer Grace Slick - headlines a mini-Woodstock on Saturday night in the Grand Cayman Room at Atlantic City's Trump Marina. Also on the bill are fellow San Francisco outfits Big Brother and the Holding Company and Quicksilver Messenger Service. The evening's host is ex-Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek, who'll be "noodling some Doors tunes on the piano between sets," according to Michael Gailman, producer of this "Spirit of '67" tour.
Guitarist Paul Kantner and singer Marty Balin - co-founders of Starship's first incarnation as Jefferson Airplane - will perform with Diane Mangano, who will do Slick's vocals. Slick last performed in public in 1995.
"She enjoys being out of the public eye," says Gailman of Slick. "But she has written some pithy and witty liner notes for the new Starship record." "Across the Sea of Suns," as the disc is called, will be released on Zebra/Warner Bros. next month.
"I was a little reticent to go off on something like this at first," Kanter said from his California home. "But it has worked out well for all of us. We'll be doing both traditional stuff like 'White Rabbit' and 'Somebody to Love' as well as some new material we haven't even recorded yet. We can draw from a whole catalogue of material, from day one to tomorrow.
"And we'll have any number of surprises to spring on the audiences, which I won't talk about yet." He did reveal that his college-student son, Alexander, 19, will be playing bass with the band. "I call it taking-the-kids-to-work day," he said.
The "Spirit of '67" show is at 8 p.m. Saturday; tickets are $22.50 and $30 at the box office or through Ticketmaster at 1-800-777-8477. | The legendary Jefferson Starship - minus original lead singer Grace Slick - headlines a mini-Woodstock on Saturday night in the Grand Cayman Room at Atlantic City's Trump Marina. Also on the bill are fellow San Francisco outfits Big Brother and the Holding Company and Quicksilver Messenger Service. The evening's host is ex-Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek, who'll be "noodling some Doors tunes on the piano between sets,"according to Michael | 4.974684 | 0.987342 | 73.164557 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/gossip/2001/03/21/2001-03-21_slim_s_latest_tune__d-i-v-o-.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20111019073809id_/http://www.nydailynews.com:80/archives/gossip/2001/03/21/2001-03-21_slim_s_latest_tune__d-i-v-o-.html | SLIM'S LATEST TUNE: D-I-V-O-R-C-E | 20111019073809 | BY GEORGE RUSH AND JOANNA MOLLOY WITH LOLA OGUNNAIKE
Wednesday, March 21th 2001, 2:20AM
It's curtains for Eminem and estranged wife Kim. The volatile couple worked out a temporary divorce agreement last week, effectively ending their train wreck of a relationship  for now. The agreement gives the infamous duo joint custody of their 5-year-old daughter, Hailie Jade. In addition, Eminem walks away from the rocky union with the couple's $450,000 home in Detroit. Kim, according to the agreement, will get $475,000 to find her own digs.
Eminem's attorney, Harvey Hauer, claims provisions of the settlement were hammered out without much difficulty. "It was easily arrived at because each person was concerned with the family and concerned with the well-being of their daughter," Hauer said. Court proceedings, Hauer told the Detroit News, were "not contentious at all."
That's more than Em and Kim, who met when when he was 15 and she was 13, can say about their relationship. Though he rapped about killing his high-school sweetheart, Slim Shady was charged with pistol-whipping a man after catching the guy in a liplock with her. A month later, Kim slit her wrists in an apparent suicide attempt. The couple reconciled, split, reconciled and, in December, split again.
"It's an on-again, off-again relationship. When it goes off, it goes off big-time. That alone is a signal it should be off," a friend tells us.
Peter Bogdanovich, who plays shrink to Lorraine Bracco's psychiatrist character on "The Sopranos," may be in need of some couch time around now. His wife, Louise Hoogstraten-Bogdanovich, just filed for divorce in L.A. Superior Court.
Her petition blames the breakup of their 12-year marriage on those old irreconcilable differences. It also states that the couple have been separated since last month and that Louise is seeking support, attorney fees and the restoration of her former name, Louise Beatrice Stratten.
Bogdanovich, the director of "The Last Picture Show" and "Mask," was formerly married to production designer Polly Platt. He used to date Louise's sister, Playboy Playmate Dorothy Stratten, who was killed in 1980 by her estranged husband, who committed suicide. Bogdanovich wrote about the tragedy in "The Killing of the Unicorn." The murder-suicide was also the subject of the film "Star 80."
Get this: Steven Tyler, Aerosmith rocker and former heroin user, disapproves of Paul McCartney's fondness for cannabis.
Asked in Gear magazine if McCartney is now composing his best music, as the former Beatle has claimed, Tyler says, "No.... I can tell you why. He smokes too much pot."
"How would he know?" McCartney's rep tells us.
Tyler admits in the interview that he always preferred heroin. "It makes you feel great," he says idiotically. "[To] someone in an AA program who says, 'No, it was killing me,' [I say] bleep you."
Tyler may not have realized Gear is a men's mag. "He apparently thought he was talking to a photography magazine," says Gear deputy editor Aaron Hicklin. "He kept trying to change the subject to digital cameras."
'SEX' AND THE SINGLE GIRL
Meg Ryan may have had dinner with ex-beau Russell Crowe last week, but she arrived alone at the party that producer Darren Star and ICM co-president Nancy Josephson threw Saturday to celebrate the third season of Star's HBO comedy, "Sex and the City."
Also decorating the Central Park West home of Elaine and Daniel Thomas were "Sex" stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrell, Cynthia Nixon and Kristen Davis. Howard Stern came with his brainy book editor Judith Regan rather than one of his blond accessories.
There, too, were 'N Sync's Lance Bass and actor Gabriel Byrne (both stag), Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon, Peter Gallagher and screenwriter Richard LaGravanese. Oh, and magician David Blaine, who entertained everybody with card tricks, having been told not to try to crawl into the refrigerator.
Renée Zellweger's transformation from Texas hayseed to style princess continues. The actress, who packed on 20 pounds for her role in "Bridget Jones' Diary," shed the porkage in time to model couture in April's Vogue. Done up in
designer finery for 19 pages, the cover girl is seen cozying up to Karl Lagerfeld, John Galliano and Tom Ford.
Stripped of her organza, she's still apt to go unrecognized as a movie star. She was sporting black pants and a white blouse at the bar of the Beverly Hills Hotel recently when two gents asked her for a couple of drinks. Good sport that she is, Zellweger is said to have fixed the cocktails and passed her tip on to the real waitress.
MIA FARROW, in a fur-trimmed parka, stopped in this week to see Dr. Norman Orentreich, the famed dermatologist who specializes in silicone injections. Her skin glowed when she left, says a spy....
JESSE JACKSON, recently accused by a conservative pundit of having "a reputation for not tipping," plunked down 20% extra at the Palm restaurant in Washington, D.C., last week. Washington Post columnist Lloyd Grove, who noted Jackson's generosity yesterday in his "Celebrity Tip Challenge," says he believes "in redemption." Let's hope so. The tip-tracker left slightly less than 15% on a $41.75 meal at D.C.'s Timberlakes restaurant the other night. Grove tells us: "I'm trying to tip the best I can while watching my stock portfolio circle the drain."
TINA LOUISE, aka Ginger, the resident bombshell of "Gilligan's Island," says she would have voted Mrs. Howell off their tropical paradise in an instant if their sitcom turned into an episode of "Survivor." "I could have grabbed her millionaire husband, Thurston Howell 3rd," Louise said the other night at Alfredo's of Rome. The actress, who had just played host with PR guru Richard Torrenzano at the Gallery Stendahl opening of new works by Ekathaerina Saytchenko, also maintained that she would have never descended to "Survivor"-style swimwear. "A sarong and halter top," she said, "but no bikini."Â
BID ON a Jennifer Lopez CD signed by the diva herself tonight at Brooklyn's David A. Boody School at 22nd Ave. S. The disc is among the celeb goodies on the block at an Epilepsy Foundation benefit organized by teacher Marcdaline Olmann, who lost her sister to the disease last year. Admission is $10. | It's curtains for Eminem and estranged wife Kim. The volatile couple worked out a temporary divorce agreement last week, effectively ending their train wreck of a relationship Â
for now. The agreement gives the infamous duo joint custody of their 5-year-old daughter, Hailie Jade. In addition, Eminem walks away from the rocky union with the couple's $450,000 home in Detroit. Kim, according to the agreement, will | 16.246914 | 0.987654 | 41.506173 | medium | high | extractive |
http://www.aol.com/2011/10/21/doug-luiten-alaska-dentist_n_1023975.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20111024014521id_/http://www.aol.com:80/2011/10/21/doug-luiten-alaska-dentist_n_1023975.html | Doug Luiten, Alaska Dentist, Performs Root Canal On Tiger | 20111024014521 | By MARK THIESSEN, Associated Press
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- An Anchorage endodontist performed a root canal on a big tooth in a very big patient - a full-grown Siberian tiger.
Dr. Doug Luiten worked on 300-pound Kunali - measuring nearly 7 feet from backside to nose - Thursday at the Alaska Zoo.
"It's the longest tooth I've ever worked on," Luiten said of more than three-inch (8 centimeter) canine.
The zoo had to order some special instruments to accommodate the longer tooth, and even had to modify those during the root canal.
Kunali was not restrained, and didn't wake up during the hour-long procedure thanks to anesthesia administered by Dr. David Brunson, a visiting veterinarian from Madison, Wis.
"He was a good boy, he handled things well," Brunson said.
Hours after the procedure, Alaska Zoo Executive Director Pat Lampi said 7-year-old Kunali was doing fine.
"It couldn't have gone any better today, it was perfect," said Dr. Riley Wilson, the zoo's veterinarian.
The root canal was necessary after Kunali fractured the tooth 4 or 5 years ago, likely when he hit a metal post.
"They're not chewing on things that break their teeth easily, but they're wrestling around," Wilson said. "It takes some trauma to chip that big of a tooth."
The fractured tooth didn't seem to distress Kunali, Luiten said, but the root canal will give him long-term protection from infection.
Root canals for animals are somewhat common, with previous procedures performed at the zoo on a polar bear, the zoo's other tiger, a wolverine, a wolf and two on a snow leopard.
But this was the first procedure in a recently opened operating room and the first for the zoo's new veterinary table, complete with hydraulic lift and fold-out leafs to accommodate limbs and tails.
Before the new operating room opened, procedures were conducted inside the animal's exhibits. "We were on our knees in dens," Lampi said.
Going to the animal's habitat was more of a challenge, Wilson said, because there was poor lighting, not enough room for everyone who needed to be involved and it was much colder.
The new table, worth about $9,000, was made locally and donated to the zoo.
SEE MORE ANIMALS IN THE NEWS:
Tiger Goes To The Dentist
Dr. Doug Luiten drills the tooth of Kunali, a 300-pound, 7-year-old Siberian tiger, during root canal surgery at the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage, Alaska on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2011. This was the first procedure in a recently opened operating room and the first for the zoo's new veterinary table, complete with hydraulic lift and fold-out leafs to accommodate limbs and tails. (AP Photo/Alaska Zoo, John Gomes)
MORE SLIDESHOWS NEXT > | < PREV
Tiger Goes To The Dentist
Dr. Doug Luiten drills the tooth of Kunali, a 300-pound, 7-year-old Siberian tiger, during root canal surgery at the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage, Alaska on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2011. This was the first procedure in a recently opened operating room and the first for the zoo's new veterinary table, complete with hydraulic lift and fold-out leafs to accommodate limbs and tails. (AP Photo/Alaska Zoo, John Gomes) | By MARK THIESSEN, Associated Press ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- An Anchorage endodontist performed a root canal on a big tooth in a very big patient - a full-grown Siberian tiger. | 19.588235 | 1 | 24.117647 | medium | high | extractive |
http://bostonglobe.com/business/2011/11/10/genzyme-appoints-executives-lead-and-rare-diseases-units/JKaq8QeGghn5sN8sOuDu5J/story.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20111113193443id_/http://bostonglobe.com:80/business/2011/11/10/genzyme-appoints-executives-lead-and-rare-diseases-units/JKaq8QeGghn5sN8sOuDu5J/story.html | Genzyme appoints executives to lead MS and rare diseases units | 20111113193443 | Genzyme, a Cambridge biotechnology company, announced today the appointment of William Sibold as head of multiple sclerosis and Rogério Vivaldi as head of rare diseases.
Rare diseases and multiple sclerosis are top priorities for Genzyme.
Earlier this year, Genzyme was purchased by French drug maker Sanofi SA for $20.1 billion, and last month, Sanofi promoted David Meeker to be the chief executive of the Genzyme division. He worked closely with retired company chief executive Henri A. Termeer.
Sibold and Vivaldi will report to Meeker, Genzyme said in a press release.
Sibold joins Genzyme from Avanir Pharmaceuticals, where he was chief commercial officer. He also spent eight years at Weston-based Biogen Idec Inc., which is known for the MS drugs Avonex and Tysabri.
Vivaldi joined Genzyme in 1997. Before his appointment to his current job, he was president of Genzyme’s renal and endocrinology business. | Genzyme, a Cambridge biotechnology company, announced today the appointment of William Sibold as head of multiple sclerosis and Rogério Vivaldi as head of rare diseases. Rare diseases and multiple sclerosis are top priorities for Genzyme. Earlier this year, Genzyme was purchased by French drug maker Sanofi SA for $20.1 billion, and last month, Sanofi promoted David Meeker to be the chief executive of Genzyme. Sibold and Vivaldi will report to Meeker. | 2.098765 | 1 | 24.481481 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57326259/police-mcqueary-didnt-report-abuse-to-us/ | http://web.archive.org/web/20111119062950id_/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57326259/police-mcqueary-didnt-report-abuse-to-us/ | Police: McQueary didn't report abuse to us | 20111119062950 | STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Both Penn State's campus police and the State College police department say they never received reports from a then-Penn State graduate assistant related to an allegation of child sexual abuse against former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.
Mike McQueary wrote in an email to a friend that was made available to The Associated Press that he had discussions with police after he said he witnessed a 10- or 11-year-old boy being raped in the Penn State locker room in 2002. McQueary testified in a grand jury investigation that led to authorities charging Sandusky with abusing eight boys over 15 years.
Complete Coverage: The Penn State ScandalMcQueary email: I did go to the police
In the email, McQueary did not specify which police department he spoke to.
But a spokesperson for Penn State's campus police told CBS News that they never received a sex abuse report from McQueary. Separately, State College Police Chief Thomas R. King told CBS News that his department has no record of ever being contacted by McQueary regarding allged sex abuse.
The university also has its own police force. Penn State administrators said they were looking into whether McQueary contacted campus police. A university official also told CBS News Tuesday that, to her knowledge, no police report was filed.
The Nov. 8 email from McQueary to a friend said: "I did stop it, not physically ... but made sure it was stopped when I left that locker room ... I did have discussions with police and with the official at the university in charge of police .... no one can imagine my thoughts or wants to be in my shoes for those 30-45 seconds ... trust me."
McQueary is a former player and current assistant coach who was placed on indefinite paid leave last week after school officials said he had received threats. Emails sent to him seeking comment were not immediately returned.
He told the friend that he felt he was "getting hammered for handling this the right way ... or what I thought at the time was right ... I had to make tough impacting quick decisions."
Speaking publicly for the first time Tuesday, McQueary told CBS News chief investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian that his emotions were "all over the place" and he was "just kind of shaken." But he wouldn't comment further on the scandal, saying "the whole process has to play out. I just don't have anything else to say."
The grand jury report issued Nov. 5, the day Sandusky was charged with 40 criminal counts for alleged sexual abuse against eight boys over 15 years, goes into considerable detail about the March 2002 incident. McQueary was putting sneakers into his locker late on a Friday night when, the jury said, he saw Sandusky having sex with a young boy.
He left, "distraught," and contacted his father and then head coach Joe Paterno, jurors said. McQueary later met with athletic director Tim Curley and vice president Gary Schultz to describe what he had seen, the grand jury said. Curley and Schultz are charged with not alerting authorities to the report and lying to the grand jury. Paterno lost his job last week, but has not been charged and is not considered a target of investigators, state prosecutors have said.
As a result of the scandal, Curley and Schultz have left their posts, and university president Graham Spanier was also forced out of his job. U.S. Steel said Tuesday Spanier has resigned from its board, where he had been a director since 2008.
On Monday night, Sandusky said in an NBC television interview that he showered with and "horsed around" with boys but was innocent of criminal charges, a statement that has stunned legal observers. Sandusky's comments, they said, could be used by prosecutors trying to convict him of child sex-abuse charges.
The state grand jury investigation that led to Sandusky's arrest followed a trail that goes back at least 13 years, leading to questions from some quarters about whether law enforcement moved too slowly.
The grand jury report detailed a 1998 investigation by Penn State police, begun after an 11-year-old boy's mother complained that Sandusky had showered with her son in the football facilities. Then-District Attorney Ray Gricar declined to file charges.
Another apparent missed opportunity came in the 2002 incident that McQueary reported to Paterno. | Penn State coach said in email that he reported child sex abuse to police, but campus and local departments refute the claim | 36.304348 | 0.826087 | 1.26087 | high | medium | abstractive |
http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2011/11/23/angelina-jolie-says-shouldnt-be-here-talks-about-heavy-darker-times/ | http://web.archive.org/web/20111123233953id_/http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2011/11/23/angelina-jolie-says-shouldnt-be-here-talks-about-heavy-darker-times/ | Angelina Jolie Says 'I Shouldn't Be Here,' Talks About 'Heavy, Darker Times' | 20111123233953 | Angelina Jolie has told how she feels lucky she did not die young after going through "heavy, darker times."
In an upcoming interview with "60 Minutes," Jolie says the wild child part of her persona -- the one that wore a vial of then-husband Billy Bob Thornton's blood when they were married and who shared a strangely intimate kiss with her brother at the 2000 Academy Awards -- is not completely gone.
"I'm still a bad girl," Jolie says. "I still have that side of me. It's just in its place now. It belongs to [current partner] Brad [Pitt]."
Jolie's words conjured up images of heated bedroom play, but she quickly clarified, "To our adventures."
The 36-year-old may be a mother of six and a film director now (her movie "In the Land of Blood and Honey" opens Dec. 23), but the actress still feels deeply connected to her troubled past.
"I went through heavy, darker times and I survived them. I didn't die young," Jolie says. "So I am very lucky. There are other artists and people that didn't survive certain things."
When prodded by interviewer Bob Simon on what she meant, Jolie says, "I was hoping you missed that. Nothing I want to go into a lot detail about, but I think people can imagine that I did the most dangerous and I did the worst and admit, for many reasons, I shouldn't be here.
"You just think there were too many times where you came too close to too many dangerous things, too many chances taken too, too far."
Jolie's interview on "60 Minutes" airs Sunday, Nov. 27 at 7:00pm ET on CBS. | Angelina Jolie Says 'I Shouldn't Be Here,' Talks About 'Heavy, Darker Times' | 18.684211 | 0.736842 | 2.526316 | medium | low | mixed |
https://www.economist.com/blogs/americasview/2011/11/brazil-and-landmines | http://web.archive.org/web/20111208203917id_/https://www.economist.com/blogs/americasview/2011/11/brazil-and-landmines?sort=3 | Brazil and landmines | 20111208203917 | Nov 23rd 2011, 11:01 by J.P.P.
APOLOGY: The author misread the table in the relevant report. Brazil in fact has the third highest stockpile of landmines, behind Turkey and Bangladesh. Sorry. In addition to this, Brazil does not manufacture landmines any more. It does, though, still produce cluster munitions, which other Latin Americans and Western Europeans have ceased to do.
BRAZILIANS tend to think of themselves as a peaceable bunch, with good reason. How strange, then, that the Brazilian army has more landmines in its arsenal than any other so many landmines in its arsenal, according to a report published today by the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (the relevant table is on page 6). It notes that Brazil still manufactures landmines, which every other country in Latin America has ceased to do. Western Europeans have stopped as well.
This love of buried explosive devices, designed to remove the legs of unsuspecting passers-by, can probably be ascribed to that old paranoid fantasy that Brazil is vulnerable to invasion through the Amazon. The report suggests that the official justification for hanging on to so many is for training purposes. But there is always a risk that some could fall into the wrong hands. In 2004 some were found at the house of a drug dealer in Rio de Janeiro. Hopefully the report will prompt Dilma Rousseff, the president, to get rid of them—paz e amor. | APOLOGY: The author misread the table in the relevant report. Brazil in fact has the third highest stockpile of landmines, behind Turkey and Bangladesh. Sorry. | 9.1 | 1 | 30 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.aljazeera.com/archive/2004/04/2008410133553110230.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20111216092203id_/http://www.aljazeera.com/archive/2004/04/2008410133553110230.html | Ford's new 'barrier against bullets' | 20111216092203 | This month, as it moves to capitalize on surging demand for armoured protection since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in New York and Washington, Ford will begin offering a "Ballistic Protection Series" version of its Lincoln Town Car.
From the outside it looks deceptively like other Town Cars, the ubiquitous vehicle of choice in the US livery business.
But with a price tag starting at $144,995, it's about $100,000 more expensive and features a reinforced body that can withstand rounds from high-powered or high-velocity assault rifles and submachine guns.
It's "an elegant answer to a hostile world," according to a brochure from Ford's luxury Lincoln division. "A barrier against bigger, faster bullets," adds the brochure.
Richard Bondy, a former Secret Service agent who works for Ford, described the rolling fortress to reporters as "a car that has a substantially higher ballistic level" than any other automaker has offered commercially in the United States.
Initially, Ford says it only plans to sell about 300 a year. But Bondy said worldwide sales of armoured cars have grown about 20 percent annually over the past few years, to about 20,000 vehicles. And he and others at Ford clearly see potential beyond 300 sales a year.
At first the car will only be offered in the United States, according to its marketing manager, John Anderson. But he said it would soon be introduced in parts of the Middle East, followed by Mexico, Europe, Asia and elsewhere in Latin America.
Any country facing threats from guerrilla groups, kidnapping, and rampant crime would seem to be fertile ground for the car, and corporate and government clients are likely to give it close consideration alongside armored models from the likes BMW and the Mercedes division of DaimlerChrysler.
"Security consultants can have a major impact on the sale of this vehicle," Anderson said.
The Lincoln has higher levels of protection than an armored version of the Cadillac Deville that rival General Motors Corp. plans to roll out later this year, and that alone could attract potentially unsavory customers like mobsters and drug lords.
But Bondy, who sees buyers including everyone from soccer moms to "someone that feels that they have risk because of the kind of business or country that they run," said Ford had no intention of screening people who shop for the vehicle.
"It's just like buying a ballistic vest," he said. "People don't buy armored product to commit crimes. This is a defensive device."
He also rejected stereotypes about individuals interested in such protection..
"The only thing that's consistent is that the people that buy the product want to feel secure and serene traveling through life," Bondy said.
The car has run-flat inserts to ensure it can keep moving even when the tires have been shot out. "If somebody's trying to kill you, all you want your car to do is keep trucking," said Bondy.
"They obviously are trying to prey on people's insecurities, which are rampant these days because of the terrorism. and that's their game," said marketing analyst Jack Trout of Connecticut-based Trout & Partners,about Ford's move.
He noted that one can buy "some pretty impressive cars" for the armored Lincoln's price tag. "So they're not bullet-proof, but you know what? I'll be going so fast they won't be able to hit me," he joked.
But Michael Robinet, an auto industry analyst at CSM Worldwide in Northville, Mich., said armored cars made good sense as a niche product for Detroit's embattled automakers.
"Companies like Ford and GM are looking at all facets of the market. They're looking at opportunities ... They may be able to put some heads of state into these types of vehicles." | <P>Ford Motor Co. calls it the right vehicle for the wrong place. </P> | 39.684211 | 0.368421 | 0.473684 | high | low | abstractive |
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505245_162-57356161/cargill-2q-net-income-down-88-percent/ | http://web.archive.org/web/20120111142347id_/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505245_162-57356161/cargill-2q-net-income-down-88-percent/ | Cargill 2Q net income down 88 percent | 20120111142347 | (AP) MINNEAPOLIS — Agribusiness conglomerate Cargill Inc. said its fiscal second-quarter net income fell 88 percent from last year after the company sold off its stake in the fertilizer maker Mosaic Co.Privately held Cargill, which does everything from processing food ingredients to shipping grain overseas, said it earned $100 million from continuing during the three months that ended Nov. 30. That's down from $832 million in the same period a year ago.The company said revenue during the quarter was $33.3 billion, up 17 percent from $28.5 billion a year ago.Because Cargill is privately owned, the company does not report financial results with the same level of detail as publicly traded corporations.CEO Greg Page said the second quarter results were "significantly below expectations." He said volatile commodity markets hurt profits in the company's trading division, even as the food ingredients and farm services business delivered "solid earnings."Page said he was optimistic that the company could deliver stronger earnings during the second half of its fiscal year. The company is trimming costs and streamlining operations."Cargill has been through difficult cycles before, made changes and emerged stronger for it," Page said in a statement.Cargill's steep decline in net income was partly due to its sale of a majority stake in Mosaic Co., which has been booking steady profits in the last few years on rising fertilizer prices.Cargill owned a 64 percent stake in Mosaic until earlier this year when the companies agreed to split. Cargill turned over its share in the company in a deal worth $24.3 billion. | Cargill 2Q net income down 88 percent | 42.285714 | 0.857143 | 1.428571 | high | medium | abstractive |
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57359439-503544/perry-wh-handling-of-marine-video-is-over-the-top/ | http://web.archive.org/web/20120117025255id_/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57359439-503544/perry-wh-handling-of-marine-video-is-over-the-top/ | Perry: WH handling of Marine video is "over-the-top" | 20120117025255 | Texas Gov. Rick Perry waits to be introduced at a campaign stop at the Hilton Head Diner, Friday, Jan. 13, 2012, in Hilton Head, S.C.
Texas Gov. and presidential aspirant Rick Perry believes the Obama administration is using "over-the-top rhetoric" and shows "disdain for the military" in its handling of the Marines videotaped urinating on dead fighters in Afghanistan.
Speaking to CNN Chief Political Correspondent Candy Crowley Sunday, Perry said, "What's really disturbing to me is the over-the-top rhetoric from this administration and their disdain for the military."
"When you're 18 or 19, you do dumb things. These kids made a mistake, there's not any doubt about it," Perry continued.
He added that those involved in the incident should be "appropriately punished," but that charging the Marines with a criminal act is "over the top." He maintained that the soldiers were following in the tradition of Gen. George Patton, who he said acted similarly in war times.
Republican Sen. John McCain told "CBS This Morning" earlier this week that the video would do "great damage" and called for a complete investigation. He said that U.S. service members found guilty should be punished.
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton condemned the incident. "I have seen the footage, and I find the behavior depicted in it utterly deplorable. I condemn it in the strongest possible terms. Those found to have engaged in such conduct will be held accountable to the fullest extent," Panetta said in a statement.
"I don't see them as Marines. I see them as people who have set back the war effort, put their fellow Marines in danger, and who stand in contradiction to pretty much everything the Marine Corps stands for and America stands for," said Tim Kudo, a representative of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and a former Marine captain whose unit served in the same part of Afghanistan as the troops in the video "So, it's very hard to look at them and see them as Marines in that way."
"Allegations of Marines not doing the right thing in regard to dead Taliban insurgents are very serious and, if proven, represent a failure to adhere to the high standards expected of American military personnel," Marine Corps spokesman, Lt. Col. Stewart Upton said.
In a message to troops in Afghanistan Friday, Army Lt. Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti said that "defiling, desecrating, mocking, photographing or filming for personal use insurgent dead constitutes a grave breach" of laws governing armed conflict. In addition such actions go against "basic standards of human decency, and can cause serious damage to relations with the Afghan government." He ordered mandatory training on handling war casualties for NATO troops in Afghanistan.
Lt. Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, the commanding general of Marine Corps Forces Central Command, is leading the investigation of the incident. So far, the four Marines involved in the video have been interviewed by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) but no charges have been filed. | GOP presidential candidate says the Obama administration showed "disdain for the military" in its handling of controversial video Read more by Dan Farber on CBS News' Political Hotsheet. | 18.90625 | 0.625 | 3.625 | medium | low | mixed |
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/29/national/29afford.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20120121124127id_/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/29/national/29afford.html | Cut-Rate Homes For Middle Class Are Catching On | 20120121124127 | NOVATO, Calif. - Janice Quinci likes nice things: fashionable clothes, dinner out with her husband, a private school for her daughter. With a household income in the six figures, Ms. Quinci can pretty much enjoy it all.
Jim Wilson/The New York Times
Janice Quinci with her children, Frankie, 1, and Sophia, 3, outside their new home in Novato, Calif.
Jim Wilson/The New York Times
Their neighborhood would have once been unaffordable.
With the notable exception, until now, of a home of her own.
"We figured we would rent our whole lives," Ms. Quinci said. "We didn't really think that we could afford to have a place to ourselves."
Ms. Quinci, 29, was speaking from the front porch of her three-bedroom townhouse here in suburban Marin County, north of San Francisco. She and her husband, Vito, a salesman for a wine distributor, bought it new from a developer last November with no money down and at a steep discount. Inside, the refrigerator was pushed aside as workers laid a new kitchen floor - at no cost to the Quincis - because the original one was not up to snuff.
The Quincis might not look the part, but they are the beneficiaries of an unusual form of public housing that is gaining popularity in real-estate-obsessed America.
Some middle-class families are buying homes at budget prices made possible by government agencies, private developers, not-for-profit groups and employers.
Affordable housing, once shorthand for low rents for the poor, is being stretched like never before to include homeownership for people who are more likely to have Starbucks cash cards than food stamps in their wallets. These middle-income earners, priced out of homes from Burlington, Vt., to Santa Fe, N.M., are being offered financial breaks to live in hot real-estate markets and near their jobs.
"Our thinking is that a healthy middle class is important to the city," said Geoffrey Lewis, assistant director of policy at the Boston Redevelopment Authority, which has overseen the building of hundreds of units reserved for middle-income earners. "We want to keep these people in Boston; they are the glue in the neighborhoods and the glue in the economy as well."
Sometimes called low-cost, work force or inclusionary housing, the cut-price units are most popular in places "suffering from success," as one study described the cities where real estate costs outpaced incomes and where government officials, businesses and housing advocates were struggling to increase homeownership for all but the rich.
Unlike traditional government programs intended for the most disadvantaged, the emphasis is on people with full-time jobs who earn too much to qualify for federal assistance but too little to obtain a conventional mortgage, at least not in the cities or neighborhoods where they want to live.
Typically, those household incomes are 80 percent to 120 percent of the median income, which, in expensive metropolitan areas like San Francisco, Boston and New York, can extend into six figures for a family of four.
Nicolas P. Retsinas, director of the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard, said, "In many places where housing costs have escalated, that historical social contract appears to have been voided, the contract that if you work you can find a decent place to live."
The price breaks are usually not achieved through direct subsidies but a range of cost-cutting programs, including cities making zoning changes for developers, providing land at reduced cost, expediting approvals of building plans and allowing the construction of bigger and more expensive homes elsewhere.
In some programs, like that of Burlington Community Land Trust in Vermont, the units are subsidized with state property transfer taxes. Elsewhere, employers and lenders offer financing packages direct to buyers.
Even in New York City, where efforts to reach out to the squeezed middle class began decades ago with construction of Mitchell-Lama buildings, the ever-growing affordability problem has led to a flurry of new programs, city officials said.
About 200 blocks in the Greenpoint and Williamsburg neighborhoods of Brooklyn were rezoned in May to include incentives for developers to build housing for a range of incomes, including households earning as much 125 percent of the median, something that had previously been reserved for high-priced Manhattan.
"By creating ownership, you are giving moderate income residents a financial stake in their neighborhoods, so they benefit from the improvement rather than be hurt by it," said Shaun Donovan, the housing commissioner in New York.
The spread of the phenomenon is too new and dispersed to be quantified, government officials and housing advocates say, and so far it occupies only a small piece of the nation's affordable housing pie. Still, it is catching the attention of home builders, city planners, educators and business people across the nation, leading to workshops and seminars on the subject as well as a spate of local laws that make it simpler for developers to offer the units. | Public housing is being stretched to include people who are more likely to have Starbucks cash cards than food stamps. | 46.857143 | 1 | 8.904762 | high | high | extractive |
http://mashable.com/2010/03/15/twitter-at-anywhere/ | http://web.archive.org/web/20120125061443id_/http://mashable.com/2010/03/15/twitter-at-anywhere/ | Twitter's New @Anywhere Platform | 20120125061443 | Twitter CEO Evan Williams just announced at SXSW that his company is taking another step to integrate with the rest of the web with a new platform called @anywhere. Operators of third-party websites will be able to plug in @anywhere to integrate some basic Twitter functionality without requiring their users to navigate away from a page.
When you visit a website that supports @anywhere, you’ll be able to follow any Twitter account associated with that site without navigating away to the profile at Twitter.com. The Twitter blog suggests that the platform will let you follow a participating journalist from his or her byline. It also suggests that you’ll be able to tweet about a YouTube video without interrupting it.
More @anywhere features are planned; Twitter says the above-mentioned items are are “just the beginning.” Integrating with the rest of the web is a wise move. Facebook’s Facebook Connect platform is dominating right now, and while Twitter has a similar login platform, it’s lost its head start when it comes to openness and integration.
The person or organization behind a website can drop some JavaScript in the website to integrate with @anywhere, so there won’t be any arcane Application Programming Interface (API) to learn and implement. Initial partners will include Amazon, AdAge, Bing, Citysearch, Digg, eBay, The Huffington Post, Meebo, MSNBC.com, The New York Times, Salesforce.com, Yahoo, and — as mentioned above — YouTube. Twitter hasn’t said when those sites will begin using @anywhere.
Future announcements regarding the platform will come from the @anywhere Twitter account — you get one guess as to what the username is. Platform/API guru Ryan Sarver promised “lots more details” at the Chirp Twitter developer conference this April 14 and 15. | Twitter CEO Evan Williams announced at SXSW that his company is taking another step to integrate with the rest of the web with a new platform called @anywhere. | 11.62069 | 1 | 22.103448 | low | high | extractive |
http://mashable.com/2008/03/19/swaggle/ | http://web.archive.org/web/20120126122755id_/http://mashable.com/2008/03/19/swaggle/ | Swaggle: Mobile Group Messaging [The Startup Review] | 20120126122755 | 20 word description: Swaggle is a simple, free, group text messaging (SMS) service for cellphones. Send one text message to Swaggle, and we’ll send it to everyone in your group. Responses go to everyone in the group, as well.
CEO’s 100 word description: Swaggle changes the way people socialize and coordinate their lives. Once they start using Swaggle, people find themselves deciding what to do on-the-go instead of “making plans”. Swaggle is being used by sports teams to coordinate practices and travel, groups of friends to coordinate their weekends and professional groups to notify each other of events “in the field”.
Swaggle can be used entirely via SMS, via the http://swaggle.mobi/ web site, or, if you visit the site on your iPhone, via an iPhone-optimized web experience. Create groups, set privacy, appoint “reporters”, create widgets, it’s all quick and easy, so you can focus on communicating with your friends rather than learning to use tools…or trudge through advertisements.
Mashable’s Take: Swaggle is a new group text messaging service that is presenting its service as a way to make plans with friends. There are a number of services out there that already provide group text messaging, some of which are swathed amongst other social networking features.
Many of the other options out there do involve some method of interaction between mobile messaging and social networking messages, and this is where Swaggle is hoping to stand out from the crowd. For the actual communication options between Swaggle members, the messages are returned to other users’ phones, and not their social networks, keeping the SMS messaging tied to one method of communication.
That’s because Swaggle is oriented around your cell phone number, and nothing else. In order to create a group for messaging, you simply enter in the phone numbers of the people you’d like to send out messages to. This makes it easier than similar services for creating and maintaining groups, as there’s no forms for contact information to fill out. If your group members are Swaggle users, then it’s even easier to add contacts to a particular group.
So as a tool for making plans with friends (similar to Renkoo), Swaggle can be an interesting way to get in touch with everyone at once, while enabling the members of your group to likewise send messages to everyone as well. But looking at some of Swaggle’s other features, such as its widget that collects phone numbers for anyone that would like to be part of a particular Swaggle group, it’s clear that Swaggle could be used for marketing purposes as well.
Editor’s Note: If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here. | STARTUP DETAILS:
Company Name: Swaggle
Company Website: http://www.swaggle.mobi/
20 word description: Swaggle is a simple, free, group text messaging (SMS) service for cellphones. Send | 14.459459 | 0.756757 | 9.405405 | low | low | extractive |
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-502927_162-57375467/bcbg-offers-soothing-start-to-ny-fashion-week/ | http://web.archive.org/web/20120211082429id_/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-502927_162-57375467/bcbg-offers-soothing-start-to-ny-fashion-week/ | BCBG offers soothing start to NY Fashion Week | 20120211082429 | February 11, 2012 2:13 AM
The BCBGMAXAZRIA Fall 2012 collection is modeled during Fashion Week in New York, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) (Richard Drew)
(AP) NEW YORK — The bright sunny morning that started New York Fashion Week on Thursday didn't keep an evening shade from falling on the runway at BCBG Max Azria, the first major collection to give a glimpse of how fall style is shaping up.There was a continuation of the colorblocking trend that's already making its way to red carpets and magazine covers for the spring season, but neon pink became a muted coral here, and purple a mellow merlot.Embellishment was sparse in the collection designed by Max Azria and his wife Lubov, with the emphasis on geometric shapes, intricate pleats and unexpected mixes of fabrics, including several pieces with patchwork-style pieces of recycled-but-real fur.In the notes prepared for the retailers, editors and stylists who descended upon Lincoln Center's Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week tents for the first of eight days of previews, the Azrias said they were using the palette and textures "to add character."It seems a continuation of the effort the designers have made in the last few seasons to elevate the brand to a more sophisticated, restrained — and more expensive? — level.Aiming for "an artful proposition," they used an elongated silhouette in the spirit of the Bauhaus, an influential German school in the 1920s that taught a design style integrating crafts and fine arts.This worked well for the everyday pieces, including colorblocked trenchcoats and a simple T-shirt style shift. Adding airy sheer panels to an otherwise slim-cut and shorter dress was a nice twist. BCBG often puts jumpsuits on the runway, too, and they look great in photographs, making the models look even longer and leaner, but it's still not an item you see much of on real people — not even in these fashion-forward front rows.Model Erin Wasson sat on the other side of the catwalk at BCBG, saying she had "come full circle" sitting there. Still, she was working — with a 5:45 a.m. wake-up so she could have hair and makeup done before slews of backstage interviews. | BCBG offers soothing start to NY Fashion Week | 54.25 | 0.5 | 0.75 | high | low | abstractive |
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501843_162-57375605/ga-county-buys-late-folk-artists-paradise-garden/ | http://web.archive.org/web/20120211133530id_/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501843_162-57375605/ga-county-buys-late-folk-artists-paradise-garden/ | Ga. county buys late folk artist's Paradise Garden | 20120211133530 | February 11, 2012 7:22 AM
In this Thursday, Sept. 27, 2007 file photo, folk artist Howard Finster's World's Folk Art Church is shown at Paradise Gardens in Pennville, Ga. A northwest Georgia county has bought the garden where the folk artist held court for tourists and art lovers from around the world. (AP Photo/Gene Blythe, File) (Gene Blythe)
(AP) ATLANTA — A northwest Georgia county has bought the garden where the late folk artist Howard Finster held court for tourists and art lovers from around the world.Chattooga County, where Paradise Garden has been based since Finster began building it in 1961, used donations and grant money to buy the small plot for $125,000, said Jordan Poole, executive director with the Paradise Garden Foundation. The foundation will continue to work on restoring the quirky garden, which was featured in a 1983 R.E.M. video.Finster, a bicycle repairman and preacher who turned to art to spread God's word, has long been considered the grandfather of the American folk art movement. He filled the garden, located about 100 miles northwest of Atlanta, with primitive mosaics, sculptures and buildings. It was the setting for numerous weddings that Finster presided over.The garden fell into disrepair after his death in 2001. The county's ownership will protect it from ever being closed down, Poole said Wednesday."It means Paradise Garden is still owned by an entity — it can't be snatched up by a private investor who goes in there and starts removing everything," Poole said.The county bought the four-acre plot in late December after receiving news it had won an Appalachian Regional Commission grant, said the county's sole commissioner, Jason Winters. The county is in a much better position to apply for grants to help restore the crumbling structures in the garden than the nonprofit that bought the property from Finster's family, he said.Winters said he hopes to create a tourism economy around the garden, which drew more than 2,000 visitors last year with no marketing. The county will lease the garden to Poole's foundation, which will be in charge of maintaining and restoring the property, Winters said."Finster was a citizen of Chattooga County first, and he was proud of his home and we need to be proud of him," Winters said.So far, volunteers have helped shore up the tier wedding cake-like World's Folk Art Church and put on a new roof with money raised by auctioning off art from the garden. Volunteers also help guide tours of the garden for visitors who show up on its doorstep.The foundation has also revived FinsterFest, a folk art festival that Finster held every year in the garden to help promote hundreds of unknown artists."It's exactly what my father would have wanted," Beverly Finster said Wednesday night.Her father began creating what he called "sacred art" in 1976 after a vision appeared to him in a dollop of paint on one of his fingertips. His art, which featured everything from ants to Elvis, gained national fame after members of R.E.M. befriended him.The artist painted the covers of albums for R.E.M., Talking Heads and other bands in the 1980s, and soon his primitive paintings and sculptures became famous, drawing thousands every year to his home near the Alabama-Georgia border.His art spilled from the basement of his home into his backyard, where he carefully placed mosaic Bible verses into the sidewalk and turned objects like bicycles, car motor parts and dolls into sculptures. Some of the objects in the garden look like the contents of a child's toy box or a recycling bin were dumped into piles of wet concrete, drying into a misshapen heap.A shack is made out of bottles embedded in concrete. Trash cans are painted with messages about transforming trash into treasure. One wall is a scrapbook of family photos and clippings from newspapers, all preserved behind glass.Everything about the garden is folksy, right down to the name, which is Paradise Garden or Paradise Gardens, depending who you ask. Howard Finster — who sometimes wrote his name as "Finister," which is the way residents in Chattooga pronounce it — used both in legal documents, Poole said.The artist eventually produced 48,000 pieces, including quirky wooden statues and sculptures made from other people's trash. He awed architects with his complex folk art church, which seemed impossible for a man lacking formal engineering training. | Ga. county buys late folk artist's Paradise Garden | 93.555556 | 0.888889 | 1.777778 | high | medium | mixed |
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505245_162-57377672/fidelity-national-gains-on-strong-4th-qtr-results/ | http://web.archive.org/web/20120215020405id_/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505245_162-57377672/fidelity-national-gains-on-strong-4th-qtr-results/ | Fidelity National gains on strong 4th-qtr results | 20120215020405 | February 14, 2012 2:55 PM
(AP) PORTLAND, Ore. — Shares of Fidelity National Information Services Inc. rose in Tuesday trading after the company reported fourth-quarter results that beat market expectations. The Jacksonville, Fla.-based company also boosted its dividend and increased its share buyback plans.THE SPARK: FIS, which provides software and services for banks and other financial companies and operates the NYCE debit payments network, reported late Monday that its quarterly net income rose 6 percent, while revenue was up 7 percent, on strong growth in its international business. Both items topped analyst projections.The company reported adjusted net income of 66 cents per share, beating analyst estimates by a penny, according to FactSet. Fidelity's revenue increased to $1.5 billion, beating expectations of $1.49 billion.FIS also announced that it was quadrupling its annual dividend, to 80 cents per share from 20 cents per share and put a new $1 billion stock buyback plan in place, reflecting its confidence in its future.THE ANALYSIS: Sterne Agee & Leach Equity Research analyst Greg Smith said that it was a solid fourth-quarter and the big dividend boost came as a surprise. He kept a "Buy" rating on the stock with a $31 price target.Citi Analyst Ashwin Shirvaikar said the company is now beginning to return cash to shareholders at a healthy rate and called the stock attractive at its price. He also kept a "Buy" rating, with a $32 price target.SHARE ACTION: Shares of FIS added $1.93, or 6.6 percent, to $30.93 in afternoon trading, after earlier hitting a high of $31.30. That's the highest point the stock has reached since it began trading in 2001. | Fidelity National gains on strong 4th-qtr results | 36.777778 | 0.666667 | 1.111111 | high | low | abstractive |
http://bostonglobe.com/business/2012/02/16/cisco-challenges-microsoft-takeover-skype/RDqRHqg1MRxOMQiHM0hyoL/discuss.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20120220002704id_/http://bostonglobe.com:80/business/2012/02/16/cisco-challenges-microsoft-takeover-skype/RDqRHqg1MRxOMQiHM0hyoL/discuss.html | Cisco disputes Microsoft’s Skype buy | 20120220002704 | BRUSSELS - Networking company Cisco said yesterday that it is challenging Microsoft’s $8.5 billion takeover of Skype at the European Union’s top court to ensure Microsoft will not block other video conferencing services.
Microsoft completed the deal in October shortly after the European Commission, the EU’s competition regulator, cleared the takeover. Microsoft Corp. hopes that owning Skype will allow it to better compete with other tech giants including Apple Inc. or Google Inc. | Networking company Cisco said Wednesday that it is challenging Microsoft’s $8.5 billion takeover of Skype at the European Union’s top court to ensure Microsoft won’t block other video conferencing services. Microsoft completed the deal in October shortly after the European Commission, the EU’s competition regulator, cleared the takeover. Microsoft Corp. hopes that owning Skype will allow it to better compete with other tech giants including Apple Inc. or Google Inc. | 1.037975 | 0.962025 | 31.291139 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505125_162-57380582/5-ways-to-handle-an-idiot-boss/ | http://web.archive.org/web/20120221215720id_/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505125_162-57380582/5-ways-to-handle-an-idiot-boss/ | 5 ways to handle an idiot boss | 20120221215720 | COMMENTARY You hear it all the time: "He's completely clueless." "What in the world were they thinking?" "That's the dumbest idea I've ever heard." And when you hear it coming out of your own mouth, that means you're having an "idiot boss" moment and are probably heading for the margaritas, the LinkedIn (LNKD) jobs page, or both.
It's rough when your boss is an idiot. Even worse is when the CEO is an idiot. And sometimes the idiocy propagates throughout the entire management team like a contagious superbug.
A friend of mine is jumping ship from a once-great company that's now run by morons. The company used to have a market cap of $50 billion. Now it's worth about one tenth of 1 percent of that. When my friend actually pondered if he should quit the Popsicle stand for a better position at an awesome, growing company, I thought, "OMG, the idiocy's gotten to him too!"
I have those idiot boss moments all the time. No, I don't really have a boss these days, but now it's even worse because I'm always hearing and writing about executives and boards of companies that make the same dumb mistakes over and over. And some of them are pretty hard to believe.
10 reasons why smart people do dumb things3 types of bosses that should be fired7 tips to manage your boss -- and yourself
Over the past year alone, executives of tech giant HP (HPQ) and BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIMM) couldn't have done a better job of driving their companies off a cliff if they'd cut the break lines and floored the accelerator pedals themselves.
RIM's co-CEOs recently stepped down, replacing themselves with a guy who plans to keep things more or less status quo. Investors, who lost about $70 billion over the past three years or so, weren't too happy about that. Isn't the definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result? Yeah, it's not too bright, either.
) corporate color is purple. Company founders Jerry Yang and David Filo thought that was the color of creativity and innovation. After five years of mega screw-ups and gross mismanagement, I'm beginning to wonder if somebody dropped a batch of magic mushrooms into the purple paint at company headquarters. I don't think shareholders would be one bit surprised to learn that Smiley here, from Yahoo's corporate values page, is actually running the show.
Enough with the fun and games; let's get serious about what you should do when you have those idiot boss moments. Here's a hint: it's not necessarily all bad; you have more choices than you think.
Are you sure it's not you? In the case of my friend's company, as well as Yahoo, RIM and HP, there is definitely something screwy going on with the leaders of those companies. But that's not always the case. Sometimes we lash out at our bosses because we're frustrated with ourselves, jealous that someone else got the promotion, or angry that we're not doing better than we are. Sometimes we're looking for a fall guy or someone to demonize because it's too painful to look in the mirror. Not that I'm a shrink or anything, but it's often the case, nevertheless.
Cut them some slack. To be fair, most employees aren't aware of everything that goes on behind closed doors and exactly why decisions they may think are stupid are actually made. And even if they are dumb, bosses are human too, which means they're allowed to make mistakes. Nevertheless, it's frustrating when those mistakes give you a massive headache or a shrinking bank account. In that case, you still have three more choices.
Say something to someone. Not that I'm saying you should, but before you drink yourself into oblivion, drive yourself nuts, or throw in the towel and move to a deserted island, you might consider actually saying something to your boss or someone in the chain of command. Who knows? They might actually appreciate the feedback. Maybe you know something they haven't thought of. Or maybe they'll label you a troublemaker and fire you on the spot. I'd think long and hard about it, but in any case, it's an option.
Head for the bar. Or better still, the gym. When you're stressed out, burned out, or just plain mad at the world for sticking you with a bunch of idiots for managers, it always helps to remind yourself that life is more than your job. So, whatever works for you to push the reset button and get some perspective, do that -- you'll feel better. And keep doing it over and over until you can't take it anymore. Then you're down to the last option.
Head for the hills. The reason why you should never let any of this stuff really get to you, ruin your day, or ruin your life, is because you live in a free country. And while it's a really tough job market, you can always quit and do your own thing or, in time, find another job. Sometimes even committing in your head to get the heck out as soon as you can and beginning the search process is enough to make you feel better. Really.
Those are my five ideas for what to do about an idiot boss. If you've got a better idea, I'm sure we'd love to hear it.
Image courtesy of Flickr user JD Hancock. | Even if management is clueless, you have options for coping that are all better than driving yourself crazy | 58.421053 | 0.842105 | 1.157895 | high | medium | abstractive |
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/02/dnc-hits-santorum-whats-next-cube-shaped-planets/ | http://web.archive.org/web/20120222152324id_/http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/02/dnc-hits-santorum-whats-next-cube-shaped-planets/ | DNC Hits Santorum: What’s Next, Cube-Shaped Planets? | 20120222152324 | Are frogs falling from the sky?
After months of fixing its line of fire squarely on Mitt Romney, the Democratic Party has made a marked – if temporary — shift to Rick Santorum.
If that seems unnatural, it’s probably because Romney is still seen by many political observers as the likely Republican nominee, despite Santorum’s surge in recent primary contests. Democrats have enjoyed the bitter primary run that has dragged down the front-runner, savoring such moments as when Newt Gingrich savaged Romney over his time at the private-equity firm Bain Capital, and when Romney wagered a seemingly out-of-touch $10,000 bet with Rick Perry.
Now things have changed. Santorum won a string of primary votes this month and is leading Romney in Michigan — the state where the former Massachusetts governor grew up and his father served as governor. In other words, Romney’s backyard.
On Sunday, the Democratic National Committee blasted out its first-ever email about Santorum, compiling some of the statements he made on CBS’ ”Face the Nation” about President Obama’s faith, and more, calling Santorum the “latest GOP front-runner.”
And on Monday, the DNC put out a researched list of Santorum’s proposals, some from as far back as June.
What is the goal here? Obama would surely rather trade a general election against Romney for a matchup against Santorum, a social conservative who is viewed as far to the right of the mainstream.
“He’s leading in the polls,” said a Democrat who insisted on anonymity when discussing party strategy. “It would be crazy to ignore him.”
It’s not clear whether the Democrats’ attacks against Santorum will take him down a peg with Republican primary voters. But that’s probably not the idea anyway. More likely, the idea is to take attention away from Romney and brighten the spotlight on Santorum.
Even still, it could be risky. The Democratic campaign veteran Bill Galston told ABC News that even mentioning Santorum is a bad move because it takes some of the heat off Romney.
“I’d preserve radio silence and let a party bent on committing suicide go about its business,” Galston said.
Radio silence it is not. In its press release Monday, the DNC says that Santorum’s tax plan would help the rich, and that he “has attacked the very idea of public education.”
Sounds like things the Romney campaign would like to see circulated! In fact, the Romney campaign has recently sent similar emails to the media, although they’re more about Santorum’s time in Congress.
But consider the similar rhetoric in these statements:
“Rick Santorum is part of the problem, so he can’t be part of the solution.” — Andrea Saul, a Romney spokeswoman; “Rick Santorum has embraced the same philosophy that created the economic crisis.” – DNC email on Monday
We’ll see how long this new twist in the primary campaign lasts. | Are frogs falling from the sky? After months of fixing its line of fire squarely on Mitt Romney, the Democratic Party has made a marked – if temporary — shift to Rick Santorum. If that seems unnatural, it’s probably because Romney is still seen by many political observers as the likely Republican nominee, despite Santorum’s surge in recent primary contests. Democrats have enjoyed the bitter primary run that has dragged down the front-runner, savoring such moments as when Newt Gingrich savaged Romney over his time at the private-equity firm Bain Capital, and when Romney wagered a seemingly out-of-touch $10,000 bet with Rick Perry…. | 4.469231 | 0.946154 | 23.823077 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/12/books/12NOBE.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20120223025420id_/http://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/12/books/12NOBE.html | Nobel in Literature Goes to Naipaul, an Explorer of Exile | 20120223025420 | LONDON, Oct. 11 — V. S. Naipaul, the eloquent Trinidad-born English writer who uses fiction, nonfiction and sometimes a fusion of the two to explore themes of exile, dislocation, and the agonizing dilemmas of postcolonial societies, was awarded the 2001 Nobel Prize in Literature today by the Swedish Academy in Stockholm.
In its citation for the award, worth $943,000 this year, the academy praised Mr. Naipaul, the author of more than 25 books, for "having united perceptive narrative and incorruptible scrutiny in works that compel us to see the presence of suppressed histories."
Mr. Naipaul, 69, likes to be left in peace, and was reluctant to take today's telephone call that turned out to be from the Swedish Academy president informing him that he had won the prize, he said in an interview. It was not until his wife, Nadia, told him that "a desperate Swedish man wants to speak to you" that Mr. Naipaul agreed to get up from his desk and come to the phone.
Speaking by telephone from his house in Salisbury, Wiltshire, Mr. Naipaul said the news had caught him unawares. "I had a gloomy night, and when I got up this morning, I was trying to get energized," he said. "All I wanted was a piece of luck in my life." He asked the Swedish caller whether the call was a hoax, and was told it was not.
"I said it was unexpected, completely unexpected," Mr. Naipaul said. "I don't stand for any country. He acknowledged that and said they were honored that I would get the award in the 100th year of the Nobel prizes. That moved me. It is a very gracious gift."
Mr. Naipaul's works are set in many places and explore many themes, but he is best known for his knowing depictions of Trinidad, where he was born and reared; for his explorations of modern-day India, his ancestral land; and for his bleak, unsparing portraits of postcolonial countries in Africa, Asia and South America. His fiction is often highly autobiographical, returning again and again to the themes of alienation, the burdens of the past, and the confusions of the present.
On several occasions he has announced that the novel is dead, but last month he published in Britain a new novel, "Half a Life," his first in seven years. (It is to be published later this month in the United States.)
Many critics have lavished praise on Mr. Naipaul's elegant prose style and his ability to address big issues through the accretion of telling detail. "Though he is a marvelous technician, there is something finally modest, personal, openly committed about his fiction, a frankness of personal reference that removes him from the godlike impersonality of the novelist," Alfred Kazin wrote in a review of "In a Free State" (1971) in The New York Review of Books.
Known for his surliness toward journalists and his penchant for sweeping, bad-tempered statements about topics from the welfare state (he is against it) to the works of contemporary novelists (he is against them, too), Mr. Naipaul found himself the subject of a bitter attack by the writer Paul Theroux, once one of his closest friends, in 1998. In "Sir Vidia's Shadow," a book about the breakdown of their friendship, Mr. Theroux portrayed Mr. Naipaul as cheap, vain, misogynistic and misanthropic.
Mr. Naipaul's detractors accuse him most frequently of being an unreconstructed pessimist who writes with contempt and scorn about the third world and its problems. The poet Derek Walcott, another West Indian and Nobel laureate, has criticized him for what Mr. Walcott calls his "abhorrence of Negroes."
" `Half a Life' confirms Naipaul's stature as the greatest living analyst of the colonial and postcolonial dilemma," the critic James Wood wrote recently in The New Statesman. "Those who have never approved of that analysis, and have objected over the years to what they see as Naipaul's fatalism, snobbery or even racism, may find in this book the surprise of a submerged radicalism, a willingness to see things from the eyes of the disadvantaged."
In several books, most recently "Beyond Belief: Islamic Excursions Among the Converted Peoples ," Mr. Naipaul has written unflatteringly about the rise of Islamic fundamentalism, basing his views on travels in non-Arabic places like Indonesia, Iran, Pakistan and Malaysia. In a recent reading in London, he condemned Islam's "calamitous effect" and compared it to Western colonialism. Some critics have said that his view of Islam is simplistic and wrong. | V. S. Naipaul, the eloquent Trinidad-born English writer who explores themes of exile, dislocation, and the dilemmas of postcolonial societies, won the Nobel Prize in Literature. | 27.454545 | 0.969697 | 7.69697 | medium | high | mixed |
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/12/magazine/12wwln_consumed.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20120322072752id_/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/12/magazine/12wwln_consumed.html | Pelt Appeal - New York Times | 20120322072752 | It is easy these days to find evidence that consumers are more concerned than ever about ethics: there are constituencies for environmentally friendly products, Fair Trade products, products that support anything from cancer research to Vermont dairy farming. Yet even as the profile of the concerned consumer has risen, so has something else: fur sales. This seems surprising, given that for some years the wearing of fur was arguably the consumer ethics issue. Anti-fur activism had a very high profile, and was presumably one reason that the production of mink skins, for instance, plummeted by more than 50 percent between 1988 and 1993, according to Oslo Fur Auctions Ltd. Last year, mink production was close to 1980's peak levels again. In 2004, a Gallup poll found that 63 percent of respondents pronounced the buying and wearing of clothing made with animal fur "morally acceptable." And it has become routine to see newspaper and television stories asserting that fur is back.
Sussing out exactly where ethics fit into this turn of events is trickier than it might appear; each side of the debate rejects the assertions made by the other. Keith Kaplan, executive director of the Fur Information Council of America (which represents the fur industry), speaks with great enthusiasm about fur's recent strength, citing fur sales of $1.81 billion in 2004. But he claims that animal rights activists had minimal impact on the business: the problem in the early 1990's was a recession-driven luxury backlash. Nowadays, "sales of everything luxury are up," he says. Thus, he concludes, fur has found its way back to the main floor of department stores all over the country.
Meanwhile, Dan Mathews, of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, contends that the fur comeback is an illusion. He says that the real growth is in Russia and China, and that in the United States the trend is limited to two groups. One, he maintains, is made up of "fashion folks who are always into the latest thing which is sort of mainstream in New York, but outside of a few major cities it's not something that most people follow." (Mathews's claim, of course, dismisses the dominant theory of how the fashion business works.) The other group includes those influenced by what he calls "the 'pimp and ho' look by rappers," adding that this style has passed its peak. He also points to the continuing influence of animal rights groups, evident in the recent decision by J. Crew to withdraw fur-trimmed items from its clothing line. Brandweek magazine named PETA to its list of Guerrilla Marketers of the Year for 2005, and Mathews says that the group is now focusing on designers like Donna Karan and Ralph Lauren.
Kathy Deane, president of Tobe, a global fashion and retail consultancy, frames things a little differently. Deane says that people may wear more fur now in part because they no longer fear being splashed with red paint by activists, but that the more important factors have to do with changes in the way designers use fur. Often, for instance, fur is in the trim or detail on outerwear that's made mostly of something else so it doesn't look like an old-fashioned, over-the-top luxury item. The technology of fur processing has also changed, with new techniques like micro-shearing, tip-dying and laser cutting allowing for different kinds of looks and fits. This, Deane says, has attracted consumers who have been "looking for novelty."
Interestingly, Deane also notes the popularity, particularly among young people, of fake fur (for example, a fake-fur-lined sweatshirt from Abercrombie & Fitch). From a consumer ethics perspective, the message of fake fur has always been slightly confusing: I don't want to wear an animal skin, but I want to look as if I am. Conversely, some of the fur products created by new techniques are not immediately recognizable as fur offering the possibility of wearing animal skin that looks like something else. "People are more aware now about ethics, and that it is part of their buying decision," Deane says. But when it comes to fashion, they are quick to remind themselves that they own leather shoes and leather bags and they eat meat, so why not a bit of fur? "When you want something," she says, "there's always a way to tell yourself that it's O.K." | How a little bit of fur went a long way toward reviving a taboo fashion item. | 51.117647 | 0.705882 | 1.294118 | high | low | abstractive |
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/09/international/middleeast/09mideast.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20120322073347id_/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/09/international/middleeast/09mideast.html?fta=y | Israeli Report Condemns Support for Settlement Outposts | 20120322073347 | ERUSALEM, March 8 - A long-awaited report on the Israeli government's support for illegal settlement outposts in the West Bank describes widespread state complicity, fraud and cynicism, illegal diversion of government funds and illegal seizure of private Palestinian land. The report was formally delivered to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Tuesday.
Withheld until now, the report was written under American pressure and finished in early January. It accuses the government of Mr. Sharon and previous Israeli governments of "blatant violations of the law" and complicity in helping settlers construct illegal outposts in violation of stated Israeli government policy.
The report describes almost a state within a state devoted to promoting illegal settlement activity in the occupied West Bank.
"No one seriously intends to enforce the law," says the report, written by Talia Sasson, a former chief state prosecutor. "It seems as if the violation of the law has become institutional and institutionalized."
"There is blatant violation of the law by certain state authorities, public authorities, regional councils" in the West Bank "and the settlers," Ms. Sasson wrote, according to excerpts published Tuesday by the Israeli daily Maariv. "Everything is done for appearance' sake, as if a regulated institutional establishment were acting within the confines of the law."
The conclusions of the report, which will be released in full on Wednesday, are no surprise, confirming accusations made for years by Peace Now, the dovish Israeli citizen's lobby, and less publicly by the United States Embassy.
Mr. Sharon commissioned the report last June after accusations that his government was not keeping its promises to Washington to freeze settlement activity and dismantle illegal settler outposts in the West Bank set up after March 2001.
At the time, the report was considered a delaying tactic, but its conclusions, however harsh, will give Mr. Sharon a solid pretext within Israel for dismantling at least some of the illegal outposts. He has argued to the Bush administration that his plan to dismantle all Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip is so painful that he cannot get into a fight with settlers on the West Bank at the same time.
He has also insisted that the Palestinians complete their obligations to dismantle terrorist organizations under the international peace plan called the road map before Israel could even begin to complete its parallel obligations to freeze settlement activity and dismantle the illegal outposts, of which there are around 100, with at least 2,000 inhabitants.
At least 50 of those outposts date from after March 2001, when Mr. Sharon came to power, and should be dismantled under the peace plan, according to Peace Now. The government has said there are only 28 such outposts. The United Nations considers all Israeli settlements built beyond the 1949 armistice lines illegal.
Aides to Mr. Sharon said he would not comment on the report until he had read it. Raanan Gissin, a Sharon aide, said, "It will be studied carefully with the intention of implementing it, and it will be translated and given to the U.S. Embassy." The report was done "in coordination with the U.S. government to see how we could get to the bottom of this issue," Mr. Gissin said. "Corrections and adjustments have to be made."
Asked if there would be indictments, Mr. Gissin said: "If laws were broken, subject to the decision of the attorney general, indictments may be made. Israel is a country of the rule of law, and laws will be upheld."
According to Ms. Sasson's report, the laws have not been upheld for some time, including the entire period of Mr. Sharon's government.
The report outlines how the Housing and Construction Ministry, the settlement division of the semi-governmental World Zionist Organization, the Education Ministry and the Defense Ministry worked together to "systematically establish illegal settlement points," handing over millions of dollars to create the infrastructure for scores of settlements, according to the report.
Ms. Sasson is to hold a news conference on Wednesday to discuss the report. Requests to interview her over the last three months have been refused by Mr. Sharon's office.
Yariv Oppenheimer, the secretary general of Peace Now, said the Sasson report was misleading only because most of the roughly 100 outposts established without authorization were now "real settlements."
"What is even more ridiculous," he said, "is that during the period in which the report was being written, the outposts continued to strengthen, continued to grow and develop and become real settlements. The situation is very bleak."
Uri Ariel, a right-wing legislator, called on the attorney general "to investigate the extent to which the prime minister knew of, encouraged and participated." The right is angry with Mr. Sharon for his Gaza plan, Mr. Ariel said, adding, "There is no doubt that the office work relating to the outposts was carried out with the prime minister's knowledge and, in most cases, with his blessing."
Palestinian officials repeated their contention that Mr. Sharon's focus on Gaza is a pretext for continuing settlement activity in the West Bank. On Tuesday the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, called for an end to Israeli expansion in the West Bank and accused Israel of dragging its feet in fulfilling promises to hand over control of Palestinian cities.
Mr. Abbas met Tuesday evening with the Israeli defense minister, Shaul Mofaz, to discuss the transfer to Palestinians of responsibility for security in two West Bank cities, Jericho and Tulkarm, but no date was specified. The Israelis have complained that Mr. Abbas is not moving fast enough to crack down on terrorism and groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The latter group carried out a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv on Feb. 25 that killed five Israelis.
Mr. Abbas and Mr. Sharon have agreed on the transfer of security in five West Bank towns - Ramallah, Bethlehem, Qalqilya, Tulkarm and Jericho - but Israel delayed the transfer after the bombing, holding out for more Palestinian action to stop attacks against Israelis. | The report accuses the government of Ariel Sharon and previous Israeli governments of complicity in helping settlers construct illegal outposts. | 55.190476 | 1 | 4.714286 | high | high | mixed |
http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2012/03/29/boston-area-restaurants-owe-back-wages/Aded24LbTSpFHEqLHnQmOK/discuss.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20120331232623id_/http://www.bostonglobe.com:80/business/2012/03/29/boston-area-restaurants-owe-back-wages/Aded24LbTSpFHEqLHnQmOK/discuss.html | Boston-area restaurants owe $1.3m in back wages | 20120331232623 | More than $1.3 million in back wages are owed to nearly 500 restaurant employees at 34 popular local restaurants, including 15 Not Your Average Joe’s locations, six Science Partners restaurants in Cambridge and Boston, four Fresh City eateries, and three Metropolitan Club restaurants, according to an ongoing enforcement initiative conducted by the US Department of Labor.
The federal agency said its investigations, conducted over the past year and a half, uncovered significant violations of the minimum wage, overtime, and record-keeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. | More than $1.3 million in back wages are owed to nearly 500 restaurant employees at 34 popular local restaurants, including 15 Not Your Average Joe’s locations, six Science Partners restaurants in Cambridge and Boston, four Fresh City eateries, and three Metropolitan Club restaurants, according to an ongoing enforcement initiative conducted by the US Department of Labor. The federal agency said its investigations uncovered significant violations of the minimum wage, overtime, and record-keeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. | 1.119565 | 1 | 50.173913 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57407128/preview-is-sugar-toxic/ | http://web.archive.org/web/20120403003411id_/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57407128/preview-is-sugar-toxic/ | Preview: Is sugar toxic? | 20120403003411 | (CBS News) Dr. Robert Lustig, a pediatric endocrinologist at the University of California, believes the high amount of sugar in the American diet, much of it in processed foods, is killing us. And as Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports, new scientific research seems to support his theory that sugar is toxic, including some linking the excess ingestion of sugars to heart disease.
Gupta's report aired on 60 Minutes Sunday, April 1. Click here to see the full report.
Americans are now consuming nearly 130 pounds of added sugars per person, per year. Those include both sugar and high fructose corn syrup. And while many vilify high fructose corn syrup and believe it is worse than sugar, Dr. Lustig says metabolically there is no difference. "They are basically equivalent. The problem is they're both bad. They're both equally toxic," he says.
Dr. Lustig treats sick, obese children, who he believes are primarily sick because of the amount of sugar they ingest. He says this sugar not only leads to obesity, but to "Type 2 diabetes, hypertension and heart disease itself." Something needs to be done says Dr. Lustig. "Ultimately, this is a public health crisis...you have to do big things and you have to do them across the board," he tells Gupta. "Tobacco and alcohol are perfect examples," he says, referring to the regulations imposed on their consumption and the warnings on their labels. "I think sugar belongs in this exact same wastebasket."
A recent study supports the idea that excess consumption of high fructose corn syrup is linked to an increase in risk factors for heart disease by increasing a type of cholesterol that can clog arteries. The University of California, Davis, study also indicated that calories from added sugars are different than those from other foods. Subjects had 25 percent of their caloric intake replaced with sweetened drinks. Nutritional biologist Kimber Stanhope was surprised to see that after only two weeks, "We found that the subjects who consumed high fructose corn syrup had increased levels of LDL cholesterol and other risk factors for cardiovascular disease," she tells Gupta. "I started eating and drinking a whole lot less sugar."
What happens says Stanhope, is the liver gets overloaded with fructose and converts come of it into fat, which gets into the bloodstream to create "small dense LDL," the kind of LDL that forms plaque in arteries. The irony here is that for precisely that reason - avoiding heart disease - a government commission in the 1970s mandated that we lower our fat consumption. "When you take the fat out of food, it tastes like cardboard," says Dr. Lustig. "And the food industry knew that, so they replaced it with sugar...and guess what? Heart disease, metabolic syndrome, diabetes and death are skyrocketing," he tells Gupta.
And other scientific work shows that sugar could also be helping some cancer tumors to grow because sugar stimulates the production of the hormone insulin. Nearly a third of common cancers such as some breast and colon cancers, contain insulin receptors that eventually signal the tumor to consume glucose. Lewis Cantley, a Harvard professor and head of the Beth Israel Deaconess Cancer Center, says some of those cancers have learned to adapt to an insulin-rich environment. "They have evolved the ability to hijack that flow of glucose that's going by in the bloodstream into the tumor itself."
What does the sugar industry have to say about this? Gupta spoke with Jim Simon, a member of the board of the Sugar Association. "To say that the American consuming public is going to omit, eliminate sweeteners out of their diet, I don't think gets us there," he says. Simon points out that the science is "not completely clear" and it's wrong to single out one food because the real emphasis should be on long-term reduction of calories, balanced diet and exercise. | 60 Minutes on CBS News: Preview: Is sugar toxic? - Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports on new scientific research that suggests sugar could be a contributing factor to cancer and heart disease. Watch Gupta's report on Sunday, April 1 at 7 p.m. ET/PT. | 14.980392 | 0.764706 | 1.705882 | low | low | mixed |
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/01/national/01schiavo.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20120414060141id_/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/01/national/01schiavo.html | Schiavo Dies, Ending Bitter Case Over Feeding Tube | 20120414060141 | INELLAS PARK, Fla., March 31 - The long, sorrowful struggle over Terri Schiavo's life ended Thursday morning when she died in her hospice bed almost two weeks after the removal of her feeding tube, her parents and siblings absent, the husband they reviled at her side.
The enmity that defined the case over seven years persisted even in the final minutes before Ms. Schiavo's death, as her brother, Bobby Schindler, sought to stay at her bedside but her husband, Michael, told him to leave.
Her death, just after 9 a.m., brought a swell of emotion from the encampment outside the hospice, the state capital, the White House and even the Vatican.
In brief statements, Bobby Schindler and his sister, Suzanne Vitadamo, hinted at their anger toward Mr. Schiavo but mostly thanked supporters who had rallied around them for years.
"After these recent years of neglect at the hands of those who were supposed to protect and care for her," Ms. Vitadamo said of her sister, who was 41, "she is finally at peace with God for eternity."
Mr. Schiavo stayed out of sight, but his lawyer, George Felos, said he had cradled his wife as her breathing ceased and her limbs grew cold, while his older brother, his lawyers and some of the hospice workers who tended to Ms. Schiavo for years looked on.
"Mr. Schiavo's overriding concern here was to provide for Terri a peaceful death with dignity," Mr. Felos said in an afternoon news conference. "This death was not for the siblings, and not for the spouse and not for the parents. This was for Terri."
In recent weeks, the polarizing fight over Ms. Schiavo produced a wrenching national debate about the rights of incapacitated people and when their lives should end if they left no specific instructions.
It drew religious conservatives and abortion opponents who took up the Schindlers' cause, saying no life should end prematurely. And just as the case of Karen Ann Quinlan prompted a debate nearly 30 years ago over the "right to die," the Schiavo case seemed to focus as much on the "right to live." [Page A18.]
In Washington, where the case prompted an extraordinary effort by Congress to intervene, President Bush expressed sympathy "to Terri Schiavo's families" and called on the nation to "build a culture of life, where all Americans are welcomed and valued and protected."
The Vatican issued a statement calling Ms. Schiavo's death a "violation of the sacred nature of life" that had "shocked consciences."
Pope John Paul II, whose own health is failing, said last year that providing food and water, even by artificial means, was "moral and obligatory."
Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida, who had tried to intervene in the matter as recently as last week, said after learning of Ms. Schiavo's death that "this issue transcends politics and policies." He also called her case "the toughest issue" in his tenure.
"Her experience will heighten awareness of the importance of families dealing with end-of-life issues, and that is an incredible legacy," the governor said.
Within hours of her death, Ms. Schiavo's body was transported to the Pinellas County medical examiner's office, where an autopsy is to be performed to determine her cause of death. A spokesman from that office said that the autopsy would be completed within 24 hours and the body released to Mr. Schiavo, but that a report on its conclusions might not be finished for several weeks.
Earlier this week, Mr. Felos said Mr. Schiavo wanted the autopsy so he could lay to rest longstanding rumors that he had abused his wife, perhaps even on the night of her collapse.
Mr. Felos also said that his client believed it would be "important to have the public know the full and massive extent of the damage to Ms. Schiavo's brain" to counteract accusations that she was cognizant, communicative and involuntarily starved to death.
Dr. Barbara Crain, director of the autopsy service at Johns Hopkins University's school of medicine, said in an interview that an autopsy alone would probably not determine a patient's mental condition with absolute certainty. But by examining sections of nerve cells and connective tissue, Dr. Crain said, pathologists could confirm a vegetative state. | The struggle over Terri Schiavo's life ended when she died in her hospice bed almost two weeks after the removal of her feeding tube. | 32.423077 | 1 | 13.076923 | medium | high | extractive |
http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2012/04/12/inspector-general-cites-flaws-treasury-foreclosure-aid-program/TnRSzS99CLR5WZxntJDZZL/story.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20120417210824id_/http://www.bostonglobe.com:80/business/2012/04/12/inspector-general-cites-flaws-treasury-foreclosure-aid-program/TnRSzS99CLR5WZxntJDZZL/story.html | Inspector general cites flaws in Treasury foreclosure aid program | 20120417210824 | WASHINGTON - The Treasury Department rushed out a major revamp of its foreclosure prevention program in 2010, limiting the plan’s ability to help people who are unemployed or owe more than their homes are worth, a government watchdog says.
Treasury’s Hardest Hit Fund, which distributes money to state housing agencies for a range of programs, has been plagued by delays and disagreements with mortgage companies that must participate for the program to succeed, according to a report released Thursday by the special inspector general for the financial bailouts.
“Treasury’s failure to set meaningful goals for the program leaves the agency vulnerable to criticism that it’s trying to avoid accountability,’’ said Christy Romero, special inspector general for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, in a statement.
The Hardest Hit Fund is part of the broader financial bailout known as the Troubled Asset Relief Program, a $700 billion bailout package approved at the peak of the 2008 financial crisis.
The fund was created to fix weaknesses in Treasury’s earlier effort to prevent foreclosures. Critics had said the original program did not help unemployed people or people who owed more than their homes were worth.
Money from the Hardest Hit Fund is distributed to state housing agencies, which run a variety of aid programs for homeowners. The special inspector general’s report says it has distributed only $217.4 million - about 3 percent of the money set aside for the fund.
Of the money that was distributed, nearly all went to assist people who were unemployed and late on their mortgages. Almost none went to people who are “underwater’’ because their homes lost value after they took out big loans.
Unless it is overhauled, the program is likely to have limited impact on those homeowners, the report says.
The program was hindered from the start by Treasury’s failure to gain support from the government-controlled mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the report says. Many big, private mortgage companies initially refused to participate because they wanted guidance from Fannie and Freddie, it says. The companies, called mortgage servicers, collect people’s monthly payments and foreclose when they fall behind. | The Treasury Department rushed out a major revamp of its foreclosure-prevention program in 2010, limiting the plan’s ability to help people who are unemployed or owe more than their homes are worth, a government watchdog says. | 9.738095 | 1 | 24.333333 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/dish/201204/lebron-heat-not-failure-without-ring | http://web.archive.org/web/20120427223757id_/http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/dish/201204/lebron-heat-not-failure-without-ring | LeBron Won't Call Season A Failure If Heat Falls Short Of Title | 20120427223757 | Should the Miami Heat fail to win an NBA championship this season, it will not actually be a failure.
By the way, that's not how I, or most NBA fans, feel, but those are the thoughts of the man himself, LeBron James.
As the Heat get ready to open the playoffs against the New York Knicks, LeBron has a more comfortable word to describe what would be a Heat washout.
"The season won't be a failure," James told Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "You put too much work into a season to automatically call it a failure, but it would be a disappointment. This is our goal. This is what we've come together for. A failure is a strong word. We commit ourselves and we dedicate our season, we work hard every day and to automatically say it's a failure, I think that's a big word. But I think it'd be a disappointment, because that's what you work hard for every day."
Dwyane Wade, though, disagrees with James when asked if this Heat season would a failure without the title.
"I say yes," Wade said. "There's only one champion. It's a failure for every other team. If you don't win a championship, you had a failed year."
Regardless of whether this postseason run turns into a misadventure, like the NBA Finals loss to the Mavericks last year, has yet to be determined, it's a safe bet LeBron will hear a lot more of the "F" word until he gets a ring.
-- Follow Ben Maller on Twitter @BenMaller.
ThePostGame brings you the most interesting sports stories on the web.
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to read them first!
Popular Stories On ThePostGame: -- This 2-Year-Old Really Knows To Dance The Jive -- The Top 7 From '07: Revisiting NFL Draft Chatter On JaMarcus Russell, Calvin Johnson And More -- Memory Of Charlie Batch's Slain Sister Lives Through His Youth Foundation -- 5 Awesome Arm Curls You've Never Tried | Should the Miami Heat fail to win an NBA championship this season, it will not actually be a failure.
By the way, that's not how I, or most NBA fans,... | 10.789474 | 0.947368 | 17.526316 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/27/dining/reviews/27unde.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20120502163222id_/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/27/dining/reviews/27unde.html | The New York Times > Breeze Restaurant Review > New York City Restaurant Reviews | 20120502163222 | "WHAT'S with Madonna?" the man yelled across the table and above the D.J.'s din to his date, whose lips were submerged in a blue saketini. The woman turned her focus from the turntable a few feet away to the nearest video screen, where the material girl, in her late 90's Eastern mysticism phase, whirled like a pretentious dervish.
Friday night at Breeze, an electric Thai-French fusion place in Clinton, and this is what the food has to compete with. Surprisingly, what's on the plate wins.
The couple downed mushroom dumplings ($6 at dinner), leaving just a smudge of woodsy truffle froth behind. Duck confit ($9) is another thankful distraction, topped with a poached duck egg and roasted red pearl onions, and just warm enough to melt away the bitterness in its bed of frisée.
The neighborhood has Thai for all types, from watered-down noodle joints to mom-and-pop places that infuse their food with plenty of pungency. But until Breeze opened a few months ago, it was short on trendy hybrids like Peep and Highline, which purvey cheap fusion, mod design and sensory overload.
Breeze looks the part, with a dizzying orange wall full of askew mirrors, froufrou cocktails and menus printed on CD covers. But the omission of pad Thai (in fact, the only noodles on the menu are hidden in sausages and spring rolls) suggests that the kitchen is reaching for something more.
The menu, which uses words like glacé and gastrique, is a quilt of influences patched together by Jeff Hardinger, who has cooked at fusion funhouses, like Ruby Foo's, and gastro-temples, like March. He is best known for his cooking at Long Tan, a favorite in Park Slope, Brooklyn, where he introduced a spring roll similar to Breeze's burstably sweet mango-blue-crab rolls ($8), which taste of the tropics splashed by the sea.
Mr. Hardinger didn't grow up eating Thai food, but his wife, Varalux, did. She cooks at Bann Thai, a restaurant in Forest Hills, Queens, that is owned by one of Breeze's owners. She is from the Esan region, from which her husband adapts a regional beef recipe, marinating tenderloin in funky nam prik, searing and slicing it rare ($9). Its stinging pepper heat, sanguine meat and sticky rice cubes are beautifully balanced, even if the toasted crushed rice is bland and hard.
Many recipes riff on classics, elevating rather than reinventing the original dish. Breezy soup is inspired by tom ka gai; its components - wild mushrooms and chicken breast coiled around galangal and lemon grass - showered with a teapot pour of coconut-lime leaf broth ($6).
Its version of Thailand's beef noodle soup, listed on the menu as kwiteow neah ($6), is even better, with a dark consommé hinting at star anise, black pepper and cinnamon. After the server pours it over snappy bean sprouts, ginger and a fresh rice pasta crepe stuffed with short ribs, wait a minute for the flavors to meld before diving in.
The chef grounds his own chuck for the burger ($9) and brines his own pork belly before stuffing it into a baguette with homemade pickles and fresh carrots ($8). Both sandwiches come with chubby, greaseless taro fries and a sizeable baby green salad, making them one of the better lunch deals around.
At night, the prices and the sophistication increases - on the plate, at least. There are scallops crusted with citrus zest and dappled with a nutty galangal brown butter ($16), and duck breast, so rich it reminded me of liver, in a sweet-sour tamarind glaze ($18).
There are unusual ingredients, like sautéed water spinach tucked under seared sea bass ($18) and savory green papaya, soaking up chili and smoke beneath char-grilled shrimp ($8). But squid, fried in chickpea flour, tasted like every other battered calamari ($8) and lotus chips were too stale to enliven a hapless octopus salad ($6). Curry sauces were sometimes sweet and vinaigrettes too strongly seasoned.
But the glass noodle sausage, stuffed with celery leaves that bloom with flavor on the grill, were spot on. You can wrap them with jalapeño slices, red onion and ginger in bibb lettuce ($7), or find them next to a summery long-bean salad and grilled pork loin ($16).
For dessert, kaffir lime crème brûlée or runny Époisses cheese, its stink made marvelous with hot-pepper jam (both $6).
To drink, stick with beer; like Madonna and the D.J., the cocktails ($9 to $10) don't do anything for the food.
661 Ninth Avenue (46th Street), Clinton; (212) 262-7777 or 7770.
PRICE RANGE Appetizers $4 to 9; entrees $11 to 21; desserts $6; sandwich platters $7 to $10.
BEST DISHES All soups; pork belly sandwich; duck confit salad; pork loin with glass noodle sausages.
HOURS 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday; 10:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday, until 11:30 p.m. on Sunday.
CREDIT CARDS All major cards.
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS Everything on one floor. | At Breeze, an electric Thai-French fusion place in Manhattan, the food has plenty to compete with, but what's on the plate wins. | 36.482759 | 0.965517 | 6.62069 | high | high | mixed |
http://www.cbsnews.com/2003-505124_162-0-8.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20120510002225id_/http://www.cbsnews.com:80/2003-505124_162-0-8.html | Latest Tech Headlines | 20120510002225 | December 2, 2011 | 1:27 PM PST
Facebook will open an engineering center in New York City early next year, its first such office outside the West Coast.
December 1, 2011 | 10:33 AM PST
Recent reports suggest that millions of Android phones pass on keystrokes, URLs and text messages
January 31, 2012 | 11:42 AM PST
American Airlines' parent company is filing for bankruptcy, Fitch ratings warns U.S. Of possible downgrade, and Facebook is looking at the second quarter of 2012 for an initial public offering of stock. Ashley Morrison reports.
November 28, 2011 | 4:25 PM PST
The social network is considering launching a $10 billion public offering as early as April 2012, the Wall Street Journal reports
November 28, 2011 | 12:04 PM PST
The 2011 holiday shopping season is off to a strong start, the government is opening an investigation into the Chevy Volt's battery, and Toyota unveils it's latest concept car ahead of the Tokyo Auto Show. Ashley Morrison reports.
November 28, 2011 | 8:56 AM PST
Toyota's high-tech concept vehicle called the Fun-Vii functions like a personal computer
November 27, 2011 | 1:40 PM PST
Here are the tools you need to shop smarter on Cyber Monday
November 23, 2011 | 1:41 PM PST
Someone in management should put a stake through the heart of the social network's upcoming Buffy phone
November 23, 2011 | 10:23 AM PST
Incomes increased to the highest level in 7 months but Americans are still cautious about spending the extra cash, the U.S. Postal Service is raising its rates, and shoppers are getting a head start on Cyber Monday. Ashley Morrison reports.
November 23, 2011 | 8:12 AM PST
You may be worried that federal taxes will eat your estate, but the overwhelming odds are that it's exempt
November 22, 2011 | 8:49 AM PST
Netflix's announcement on how they plan to raise $400 million in 2012 has left many people with questions
November 22, 2011 | 8:51 AM PST
Online scammers hacked into thousands of Xbox accounts in 35 countries stealing millions of dollars, the U.S. Economy grew at a slower pace in the third quarter than government predictions, and Spirit Airlines was fined $50,000 for deceptive advertising. Ashley Morrison reports.
November 21, 2011 | 12:11 PM PST
Congressional supercommittee expected to announce their failure, Black Friday to be the biggest ever, and Android phones are the sole target of a new mobile malware attack. Ashley Morrison reports.
November 21, 2011 | 12:07 PM PST
Those braving malls and stores starting on Black Friday can use smartphone apps to save money and aggravation
November 18, 2011 | 8:45 AM PST
SiriusXM Radio emailed subscribers about rate hikes but did it in a smart way, unlike Netflix
November 18, 2011 | 6:21 AM PST
All laptops -- but especially older ones -- are more prone to crashes, freezes, and other mysterious problems due to overheating
November 18, 2011 | 5:08 AM PST
Kaplan Publishing decided to move from test prep books into general publishing, but failed the exam
November 17, 2011 | 2:00 PM PST
IT departments expect higher budgets next year, but will spend on technology that reduces the need for workers
November 17, 2011 | 10:44 AM PST
Amazon could launch a smartphone in the fourth quarter of 2012, according to supply channel checks performed by Citigroup analyst Kevin Chang
November 17, 2011 | 7:01 AM PST
Be the first person on your flight to hear about delays and cancellations via your iPhone
November 16, 2011 | 11:24 AM PST
Apple gets some changes to a patent it received from Xerox that should send shivers down much of high tech
November 14, 2011 | 12:43 PM PST
Amazon Kindle Fire versus Apple iPad: A battle of business models to avoid a tech market doughnut hole
November 11, 2011 | 5:30 AM PST
Zynga reportedly forced some employees to give up part of their stock grants; if true, it's mismanagement at its worst
November 10, 2011 | 6:42 AM PST
Here's how to prepare for a job search on LinkedIn without showing your hand to your current employer
November 9, 2011 | 8:19 AM PST
An advance look at what you can learn from "Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview," coming to movie theatres next week | Read the latest Tech headlines on CBS News, covering news stories, videos and pictures of world and US news, as well as news in politics, health, sports and business. | 24.171429 | 0.514286 | 0.514286 | medium | low | abstractive |
http://www.tmz.com/2006/12/05/andy-dick-the-new-kramer/18/ | http://web.archive.org/web/20120530104004id_/http://www.tmz.com/2006/12/05/andy-dick-the-new-kramer/18/ | Andy Dick -- The New "Kramer"? | 20120530104004 | Andy Dick -- The New "Kramer"?
Andy Dick hasn't learned anything from the
According to sources, the hopped-up comedian hopped onstage Saturday at L.A.'s Improv comedy club and dropped the n-bomb on a room full of stunned clubgoers.
Andy was heckling comedian Ian Bagg during his routine, when Dick allegedly got out of his seat, jumped onstage and began joking with Bagg. The subject of Michael Richards came up, but the two comics quickly moved past it. As Dick exited the stage, he suddenly grabbed the mic and shouted at the crowd, "You're all a bunch of niggers!"
The stunned crowd gasped and stared at each other. Bagg tried to play it cool and move on with his set, but the laughs weren't there.
Calls to Dick's rep were not immediately returned. | Andy Dick hasn't learned anything from the Michael Richards incident.According to sources, the hopped-up comedian hopped onstage Saturday at L.A.'s Improv… | 5.689655 | 0.931034 | 11.206897 | low | medium | extractive |
http://www.people.com/people/article/0%2C%2C20266061%2C00.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20120531001656id_/http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20266061,00.html | Natasha Richardson Suffers Serious Head Injury in Ski Accident | 20120531001656 | Actress Natasha Richardson was hospitalized on Monday afternoon in Montréal after suffering a serious head injury, PEOPLE has confirmed.
The Tony-winning star, 45, was first brought to Centre Hospitalier Laurentien near the Mont Tremblant winter resort following a skiing accident. At 5 p.m. she was transferred to Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal.
Her husband, actor Liam Neeson, 56, left the set of a movie he was filming in Toronto and rushed to his wife's side, reports
"Liam Neeson left the Toronto set immediately to fly to Montreal upon news of his wifeâs accident," a rep for his film
said in a statement to Canadian TV. "We do not have any details at this time but we hope for the best and our thoughts and prayers are with Natasha and Liam and their family."
Richardson – daughter of famed British actress Vanessa Redgrave, 72, and producer Tony Richardson, who died in 1991 – has been married to Neeson since 1994. The couple have two sons: Micheal, 13, and Daniel, 12. | Husband Liam Neeson has reportedly rushed to be at her side in a Canadian hospital | 13.666667 | 0.8 | 1.2 | low | medium | abstractive |
http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2012/10/13/boston-scientific-seeks-reposition-itself-changing-cardiac-rhythm-management-market/LhlFZnH4LqCGu6Lw6g2LfL/story.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20121017003320id_/http://www.bostonglobe.com:80/business/2012/10/13/boston-scientific-seeks-reposition-itself-changing-cardiac-rhythm-management-market/LhlFZnH4LqCGu6Lw6g2LfL/story.html | Boston Scientific seeks to reposition itself in a changing cardiac rhythm management market | 20121017003320 | NATICK — When the Food and Drug Administration last month approved the first defibrillator that can be implanted under the skin instead of connecting directly into the heart, it made available an advanced and less invasive treatment for US patients at risk of sudden cardiac death.
The decision also gave a boost to Boston Scientific Corp. in its quest to build a more competitive product line. The company has been jockeying with rivals such as Medronic Inc. and St. Jude Medical Inc. in a cardiac rhythm management market weakened by commodity products and discounted pricing.
“We haven’t had a really differentiated portfolio compared to our competitors,” Boston Scientific chief executive Hank Kucheman said in an interview at the company’s headquarters here. “This is a conscious part of our strategy to strengthen the franchise.”
Boston Scientific has struggled for years with myriad challenges stemming from its ill-fated $28.5 billion purchase of Indiana medical device maker Guidant Corp. in 2006. Now the Natick company is mounting a new effort — with new top management — to increase market share in its core businesses, expand globally, and restore the luster of its early decades as a medical device pioneer. Its stock, which traded above $44 a share in 2004, has since declined dramatically; it was $5.57 at the close of trading Friday.
The push comes as Boston Scientific and its rivals seek to reposition themselves for an industry in transition. Hospitals and doctors are focused increasingly on keeping costs down, while commercial health insurers and government payers are reimbursing generously only for devices that can save the health care system money by keeping patients out of the hospital.
“Companies that are developing products now, and are preparing to launch products, are going to have to make a direct connection between their new device and how they can save money by reducing hospital stays or cutting labor costs by collecting and analyzing data,” said Thomas J. Sommer, president of the Massachusetts Medical Device Industry Council.
For device makers, that will mean a new approach to doing business. While device makers have long marketed to medical specialists,purchasing decisions are shifting to “value analysis committees” at larger hospital systems and integrated health care groups known as accountable care organizations. At the AdvaMed 2012 annual convention in Boston earlier this month, Boston Consulting Group released a report contending that the device industry’s old business model is unsustainable.
“In the past,” Kucheman said, “the recipe for success with devices was safety, effectiveness, and acute performance. Now you have to add cost effectiveness and comparative performance. You have to prove that you can lower the overall cost of health care and the cost to society.”
Boston Scientific’s product line expansion is attempting to do just that.
In addition to the newly approved subcutaneous heart defibrillator, called the S-ICD, which seeks to simplify implantation by leaving the heart and blood vessels untouched, the company is developing, testing, and rolling out a half dozen other products it calls “key growth drivers.”
They range from a drug-eluting stent to unblock coronary arteries to an aortic valve system that prevents the need for surgery in patients with leaky heart valves. Last week, the company began enrolling patients in a clinical trial to test its new valve technology, called the Lotus Valve System, at sites in Australia, England, France, and Germany.
While some of these products are moving through Boston Scientific’s in-house pipeline — it invested $895 million in research and development last year — the company is also in a buying mood once again, looking for companies less pricey than Guidant that can bring new products and technologies to its portfolio. In a March deal worth up to $1.3 billion, it picked up the S-ICD defibrillator, which targets a worldwide market estimated at $7 billion annually, through a buyout of Cameron Health Inc., a privately held company in San Clemente, Calif.
“We’re funding innovations that offer very clear and tangible benefits to the patients,” said Ken Stein, chief medical officer for Boston Scientific’s cardiac rhythm management business.
Over the past two weeks, the company — with about 24,000 employees worldwide, including 2,000 in Massachusetts — notched two more acquisitions. It agreed to pay $90 million upfront and make additional milestone payments of up to $175 million for Rhythmia Medical Inc., a Burlington developer of mapping and navigation software used in cardiac procedures. It also agreed to buy BridgePoint Medical Inc., a Minneapolis company that’s developed a catheter-based system to treat a coronary disease, for an undisclosed price.
Analysts say Boston Scientific has made progress in its turnaround efforts, including the moves to broaden its business base and settlements of multiple patent lawsuits and government investigations, many focused on products that came with Guidant. But they say revenue continues to be hurt by tightening reimbursements, something that will probably intensify in Boston Scientific’s core markets of cardiac and endoscopy devices.
“With Boston Scientific not likely to return to top-line sales growth until the 2014 timeframe . . . shares could trade in a tight range until management delivers several consecutive quarters of consistent top-line growth,” Danielle Antalffy, a medical supplies and devices analyst for Boston health care investment firm Leerink Swann, wrote in an Oct. 1 note to investors.
Kucheman and Boston Scientific’s president, Mike Mahoney, are aiming for substantial earnings increases over the next five years. The company issues its next quarterly earnings report Thursday.
Mahoney, a former Johnson & Johnson executive who joined Boston Scientific last October, will take over as chief executive on Nov. 1, part of a transition plan outlined a year ago. A noncompete clause in his Johnson & Johnson contract prevented him from heading a rival company for a year after he departed. Kucheman is talking to the Boston Scientific board about his future role with the company, which has yet to be announced.
“We agree 98 percent of the time,” Kucheman said of himself and Mahoney. “The 2 percent we disagree, I get to win right now. But starting Nov. 1, he gets to win.” | When the FDA last month approved the first defibrillator that can be implanted under the skin instead of connecting directly into the heart, the agency made available an advanced and less invasive treatment for US patients at risk of sudden cardiac death. The decision also gave a boost to Boston Scientific Corp. in its quest to build a more competitive product line as it tussles with rivals such as Medronic Inc. and St. Jude Medical Inc. in a cardiac rhythm management market weakened by commodity products and discounted pricing. | 12.804348 | 0.967391 | 19.532609 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/theater-art/2012/04/15/speakeasy-huntington-lead-norton-awards-nominees-speakeasy-huntington-lead-norton-awards-nominees/PTkiQY1572tOiduRsfknPM/story.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20121023005223id_/http://www.bostonglobe.com:80/arts/theater-art/2012/04/15/speakeasy-huntington-lead-norton-awards-nominees-speakeasy-huntington-lead-norton-awards-nominees/PTkiQY1572tOiduRsfknPM/story.html | SpeakEasy, Huntington lead Norton Awards nominees | 20121023005223 | If it’s an honor just to be nominated, SpeakEasy Stage Company and the Huntington Theatre Company are the most honored organizations on the 2012 Elliot Norton Awards’ roll of nominees. SpeakEasy tops the Boston Theater Critics Association list with 13 nods, and the Huntington is a close second with an even dozen.
SpeakEasy’s “Red,” the John Logan play about painter Mark Rothko, garnered five nominations, more than any other production. Coming away with four apiece were the American Repertory Theater’s “The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess,” currently on Broadway; SpeakEasy’s “Next to Normal,” the musical about mental illness that won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for drama; and two Huntington shows: Mary Zimmerman’s production of “Candide” and Stephen Karam’s play “Sons of the Prophet,” which had its world premiere at the Huntington before moving to New York.
ArtsEmerson snagged seven nominations, including one for outstanding visiting production, “Mabou Mines DollHouse.” The ART got four on its own, while its second stage, Oberon, shares two nominations with the Gold Dust Orphans for copresenting “The Rocky Horror Show.” The Gold Dust Orphans landed a total of four nominations, as did Company One and Lyric Stage Company.
Three theaters swept one category apiece. Any award for outstanding actor at a large theater will be a win for the Huntington: Richard Clothier (“Richard III”), Yusef Bulos (“Sons of the Prophet”), and Jason Bowen (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”) are the nominees. All possible winners for solo performance played at ArtsEmerson: Laurie Anderson (“Delusion”), Yves Jacques (“The Andersen Project”), and Robbie McCauley (“Sugar”). And the contenders for the midsize-theater directing prize are all from SpeakEasy: Larry Coen (“The Divine Sister”), David Connolly (“The Drowsy Chaperone”), and David R. Gammons (“Red”).
Competing for outstanding director at a large theater are Steven Maler for “All’s Well That Ends Well” at Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Zimmerman for “Candide” at the Huntington, and last year’s winner in the category, ART artistic director Diane Paulus, for “The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess.”
Her “Porgy and Bess,” which grabbed acting nominations for its stars, Audra McDonald and Norm Lewis, is also up for outstanding musical production at a large theater, vying against the Huntington’s “Candide” and North Shore Music Theatre’s “Legally Blonde.”
Nominees for oustanding production at a large theater are Commonwealth Shakespeare Company’s “All’s Well That Ends Well” and a pair of Huntington shows: “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “Sons of the Prophet.”
Receiving the Elliot Norton Lifetime Achievement Award at the May 21 ceremony at the Paramount Center will be actor-director-choreographer Tommy Tune, who is scheduled to perform. Kate Snodgrass, artistic director of Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, will get the prize for sustained excellence, and a special citation will go to Charlestown Working Theater. | If it’s an honor just to be nominated, SpeakEasy Stage Company and the Huntington Theatre Company are the most honored organizations on the 2012 Elliot Norton Awards’ roll of nominees. SpeakEasy tops the Boston Theater Critics Association list with 13 nods, and the Huntington is a close second with an even dozen. SpeakEasy’s “Red” garnered five nominations, more than any other production. | 8.319444 | 1 | 46.75 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2012/06/11/center-gravity/AudQYb1dqZZhIvGwq5pFyL/story.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20121028032435id_/http://www.bostonglobe.com:80/business/2012/06/11/center-gravity/AudQYb1dqZZhIvGwq5pFyL/story.html?camp=pm | center of gravity - Business - The Boston Globe | 20121028032435 | Aglass skyscraper at the former Filene’s department store site in Boston would rise to 606 feet under a plan released Monday that calls for a dramatic new peak on the city’s downtown skyline.
The new design by Millennium Partners of New York calls for a taller and more slender building than one proposed by the site’s previous developers, Vornado Realty Trust and Boston developer John B. Hynes III. That building failed to move forward due to financial problems, leading Millennium to buy into the project earlier this year and revise its design.
The new plan proposes a dramatic increase in the number of residences, to 500 from a prior plan for 163 units. The design by Handel Architects will renovate the property’s original 1912 building — conceived by noted architect Daniel Burnham — and set it against a striking glass tower that will cost $615 million.
“The project intends to present the simultaneous and harmonious pairing of new and old, and will consist of uses that will ensure a vital 24/7 city sector,” Millennium Partners said in a statement.
The design comports with a rough outline the firm gave when it purchased the building last winter. On Monday, it unveiled an image of the tower for the first time and provided more detail on its mix of components.
The building, about 55 stories, would become a new center of gravity in the city’s downtown, where few new skyscrapers have been built in recent decades. In addition to its residences, which will be a combination of apartments and condominiums, the complex will include 230,000 square feet of retail stores — enough to fill two Home Depots — and 200,000 square feet of offices and 525 underground parking spaces.
In a statement Monday, Mayor Thomas M. Menino of Boston offered support for the new design. “Millennium Partners has always been a real partner of the City of Boston,” he said. “They continue to do excellent work leading the way in the building of an exciting new day for the area of Downtown Crossing.”
The shopping district, once a proud heart of commerce, has become an afterthought due to the loss of marquee retailers that used to lure huge daily crowds. Although several new businesses have opened in recent years, the area has struggled to regain momentum since the original Filene’s project stalled in 2008, leaving a massive construction crater at its most prominent corner.
Millennium is pushing to start construction by the end of the year, but still must secure approvals from the Boston Redevelopment Authority. The firm said Monday it will submit final environmental documents for public review within 60 days.
Millennium is teaming up to redevelop the property with its existing owner, Vornado Realty Trust, which will be a passive investor. The company is also building another large residential complex in the district called Millennium Place, which will bring 256 residences to the corner of Washington and Avery streets. That building is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2013.
Millennium has built large projects in major cities across the country, including the four-building Lincoln Square complex in New York, the Millennium Tower in San Francisco, and the Ritz-Carlton Hotel & Towers down the street from the Filene’s site in Boston.
Anthony Pangaro, who leads the firm’s Boston operations, has deep roots in the city and previously worked for the state’s transportation department, where he helped to build the Orange Line through Roxbury, Jamaica Plain, and the South End. | A glass skyscraper at the former Filene’s department store in Boston would rise to 606 feet under a plan released Monday that calls for a dramatic new peak on the city’s downtown skyline with new offices, stores, and 500 homes. The new design by Millennium Partners of New York calls for a taller and more slender version of the building previously proposed by Vornado Realty Trust and Boston Developer John B. Hynes III. | 8.379747 | 0.974684 | 13.43038 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/television/2012/09/17/how-civil-war-redefined-death-for-americans/T4B2ZFNv4z3nlRYWgDcGPO/story.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20121101221921id_/http://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/television/2012/09/17/how-civil-war-redefined-death-for-americans/T4B2ZFNv4z3nlRYWgDcGPO/story.html | How the Civil War redefined death for Americans | 20121101221921 | With all due respect to Wallace Stevens, death may or may not be the mother of beauty. It is, however, most certainly the offspring of war. There has never been military conflict without corpses. Yet as writer-director Ric Burns’s “Death and the Civil War” shows, America’s bloodiest conflict stands apart from other wars. The documentary, which is based on Harvard president Drew Gilpin Faust’s 2008 book, “This Republic of Suffering,” airs Tuesday night on WGBH as part PBS’s “American Experience” series.
To see the full article, please sign up or log in. | With all due respect to Wallace Stevenscq, death may or may not be the mother of beauty. It is, however, most certainly the offspring of war. There has never been military conflict without corpses. Yet as writer-director Ric Burns’scq“Death and the Civil War”cqshows, America’s bloodiest conflict stands apart from other wars. The documentary, which is based on Harvard president Drew Gilpin Faust’scq2008 book, “This Republic of Suffering,cq” airs Tuesday night on WGBH as part PBS’s “American Experience” series. | 1.20202 | 0.949495 | 23.939394 | low | high | extractive |
http://bostonglobe.com/arts/movies/2012/11/03/idiosyncratic-gadget-meister-back-with-bond/WW2y570IBYSn87yA3aoyeP/story.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20121105000757id_/http://bostonglobe.com:80/arts/movies/2012/11/03/idiosyncratic-gadget-meister-back-with-bond/WW2y570IBYSn87yA3aoyeP/story.html | Idiosyncratic gadget-meister Q back with Bond | 20121105000757 | He’s been called armorer, quartermaster, the equipment officer, and Major Boothroyd. But fans of the James Bond movies will always know him simply as Q — OK, Mr. Q, if you take your cues from “Diamonds Are Forever.” He’s the dapper gent in charge of the British Secret Service’s Q Branch, which supplies Double O agents with all kinds of gadgets and weapons to protect themselves and kill others.
Astute Bond fans know that Q hasn’t been seen, or even mentioned, since the film series was rebooted in 2006, when Daniel Craig took over as the new, improved, leaner, meaner Bond. This guy had no need for Q and his gadgets. All he needed was a gun, a fast car, and brute force. But Q is returning to the Bond fold in the new film, “Skyfall.”
There was no character named Q in Ian Fleming’s Bond novels or short stories, though Fleming’s fictional weapons man, Major Boothroyd, was based on gun expert Geoffrey Boothroyd, with whom Fleming shared a longtime correspondence over what Bond carried in his shoulder holster. But Q became a lovable mainstay of the movies, partly because he was smart, witty, droll, cranky, and a bit randy, partly because he was the only character who refused to take any badgering from Bond. Their relationship was verbally adversarial, but it also gave the films some good laughs.
He was called Boothroyd in “Dr. No” and “From Russia With Love,” but Q from “Goldfinger” on. He was featured in every Bond film except “Live and Let Die,” and was played once each by Peter Burton, Geoffrey Bayldon, Alec McCowan, and John Cleese, and 17 times by Welsh actor Desmond Llewelyn. Llewelyn died in a car crash in 1999, after his character retired in “The World Is Not Enough”; Cleese succeeded him, initially as R.
The new Q is played by fast-rising British actor Ben Whishaw (“Cloud Atlas,” “I’m Not There”), and he’s presented as a Q for today, a computer whiz who’s more concerned with foiling terrorist threats than supplying our hero with glitzy gadgets.
“I think the writers were looking around at the culture, and the ‘Bourne’ films had sort of challenged Bond, in a way, hadn’t they,” said Whishaw, 32. “So I believe what they were thinking was to bring it completely up to date, really plant the story in the contemporary world, so they asked themselves who this character would be now. That’s why he’s a young man and sort of a computer genius.”
The question is, are loyal fans going to accept that kind of break from formula, especially when dealing with such a beloved character?
Truth be told, the Bond series has been all about change since “Dr. No” blazed across screens 50 years ago. MI6 head M was seamlessly switched from a man (Bernard Lee) to a woman (Judi Dench); eight different actors have played CIA agent Felix Leiter; and six have been James Bond (seven if you count David Niven in the 1967 spoof “Casino Royale”).
But the difference in “Skyfall” isn’t just one of a new actor. It concerns a man and his gadgets, or a lack of them.
“There aren’t that many gadgets in the new film,” said Whishaw.
In fact, the film has a great joke about that. When Bond first meets this new young whippersnapper of a Q, he’s handed a simple homing device and a gun that’s coded to his palm print. Bond looks at Q and says, “Really? That’s it?” Q looks right back and says, “What were you expecting, an exploding pen?”
Well, yeah. Bond aficionados still revel in the crazy items Bond got from Q’s lab: the attaché case containing a folding rifle, extra ammo, a throwing knife, gold sovereigns, and exploding talcum powder in “From Russia With Love”; the camera-rocket launcher in “The Man With the Golden Gun”; the hydrochloric acid-filled fountain pen (no, it didn’t explode) in “Octopussy.”
There was always extra, usually comic, activity going on around other items in the lab, even if Bond didn’t get to use them: an Egyptian smoking pipe-machine gun from “The Spy Who Loved Me”; a boom box-rocket launcher that Q refers to as a “ghetto blaster” in “The Living Daylights”; the flamethrower bagpipes in “The World Is Not Enough.”
Q’s inventions often led to the enjoyably antagonistic repartee between him and Bond. Next to the scene in “Goldfinger” where Bond, a laser pointed at his crotch, says to Goldfinger, “Do you expect me to talk?” and Goldfinger says, “No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die,” there’s probably no more famous dialogue than the Bond-Q exchange earlier in that film, when Q tells Bond not to touch the “little red button” in his new Aston Martin DB5.
Q: “Because you’ll release this section of the roof, and engage and then fire the passenger ejector seat.”
Bond: “Ejector seat? You’re joking!”
Q (dramatic pause): “I never joke about my work, Double O Seven.”
There’s a nice nod to that scene in “Die Another Day,” in which Cleese has replaced Llewelyn as Q, and is giving Bond an “invisible” Aston Martin V12 Vanquish.
Q: “As I learned from my predecessor, Bond, I never joke about my work.”
A goofy scene in “Octopussy” has Q and Bond together in a hot air balloon.
Bond: “I trust you can handle this contraption, Q?”
Q: “It goes by hot air.”
Bond: “Oh, then you can.”
Whishaw’s performance as Q retains the often dry and witty humor between the two men, but there’s also an added friction.
“I am replacing an older Q, so Bond is meeting me for the first time,” said Whishaw. “It starts fairly adversarially because obviously Bond is not expecting Q to be this young guy. The film plays with a tension between us because of my being younger, and the relationship between us being sort of reversed. It’s the experienced one versus the young turk, the relatively inexperienced one, who has the latest knowledge and information.”
In playing the iconic part, Whishaw tried his best to give Q his own stamp.
“I’d seen the other Bond films,” he said. “But I didn’t watch them again. I thought I needed to come to this fresh. The writers had done a brilliant job of capturing the quality that Q traditionally has, whilst reimagining him as this very contemporary young man. So I felt like it was all there on the page, and I suppose I wanted it to be mine and to have the opportunity to reinvent it to some extent.”
But don’t worry. The old relationship between the characters lives on. When Bond and Q first meet in “Skyfall,” the conversation goes like this.
Q: “I’m your new quartermaster.”
Bond: “You must be joking.” | He’s been called armorer, quartermaster, the equipment officer, and Major Boothroyd. But fans of the James Bond movies know him simply as Q, the dapper gent in charge of supplying Double O agents with all kinds of gadgets and weapons to protect themselves and kill others. Astute Bond fans know that Q hasn’t been seen, or even mentioned, since the film series was rebooted in 2006. But Q is returning to the Bond fold in the new film “Skyfall.” | 15.817204 | 1 | 17.064516 | medium | high | extractive |
http://www.nytimes.com/1990/11/26/books/books-of-the-times-retracing-the-tire-prints-on-a-philosophical-journey.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20121111144958id_/http://www.nytimes.com/1990/11/26/books/books-of-the-times-retracing-the-tire-prints-on-a-philosophical-journey.html | Books of The Times | 20121111144958 | Guidebook to 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance' By Ronald L. DiSanto and Thomas J. Steele 407 pages. William Morrow & Company. Cloth, $22.95; paper, $12.95.
Robert M. Pirsig's strange and wonderful novel, "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values," was first published in the spring of 1974 to wildly enthusiastic reviews (including one in this column), along with a few demurrals. Since then it has sold two million copies, been taught in countless classrooms, accumulated a weighty bibliography and bid fair to become a modern American classic, if only because, as several reviewers observed when the book first appeared, it meditates on those grand philosophical problems that were first addressed in this country by the likes of Thoreau and Melville.
Now Ronald L. DiSanto and Thomas J. Steele, two academicians who teach at Regis College in Denver, have put together "Guidebook to 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance,' " a collection of essays, maps, reviews, letters, passages that were cut from the original manuscript and footnotes to the Bantam paperback edition that first appeared in 1979.
In the bibliography of the "Guidebook" we get brief summaries of articles like "The Trinity and the Motorcycle," by William C. Placher, which first appeared in Theology Today, and Conrad Prisher's "Some Comparisons Between Gestalt Educators and Pirsig's View of Pre-Socratic Philosophers," from Philosophical Studies in Education.
In a section called "Topics for Further Research," we read: " 'Zen and the Art of Faulkner.' In the second chapter of Faulkner's late novel 'The Reivers,' Boon Hogganbeck and Mr. Buffaloe get hold of an automobile. What novelistic use does Faulkner make, in the context of the whole novel, of what 'Z.M.M.' would call 'classical' and 'romantic' approaches? Does Boon turn out to be a 'romantic' character most if not all the time? Does he have a 'classical' correlative?"
To which a reader asks in turn: Does "Z.M.M.," as Robert M. Pirsig himself has pronounced that it should be called for short, really demand such complex academic treatment? The answer is yes and no. The surface story of "Z.M.M." is fairly straightforward. The narrator and his 11-year-old son, Chris, take a 17-day motorcycle trip from Minnesota to San Francisco. On the way they are pursued by the "ghost" of the narrator's past, a figure the narrator calls Phaedrus, who threatens to "capture" Chris by driving him insane.
But the depths of the novel can be dizzying. As the journey progresses, the narrator gives a series of talks, or "Chautauquas," as he calls them, describing the philosophical quest that ostensibly drove Phaedrus mad. That quest was to resolve the dualities of consciousness -- mind and matter, subject and object, self and other -- and discover beyond them the process Phaedrus named "Quality." The project involved Phaedrus in nothing less than a grand tour of Western and Eastern philosophy.
Unfortunately for the reader not intimately familiar with "Z.M.M.," the "Guidebook" is haphazardly organized. The authors, who have taught and written about "Z.M.M." extensively, begin with the heavy stuff, two "Philosophical Backpacks" on Eastern and Western philosophy, which, while useful in clarifying Phaedrus's intellectual quest, scarcely conveys the flavor and excitement of "Z.M.M."
It is not until the second half of the "Guidebook," where there appear such items as the "Selections From the Original Manuscript," a letter from Mr. Pirsig to the actor Robert Redford offering advice on how to make a film of "Z.M.M.," and a sampling of reviews and articles, that one begins to get a sense of the original book.
To make matters worse, the "Guidebook" has an irritating habit of making blind allusions. It cites passages that "would have" appeared in the Bantam paperback edition without explaining why they were left out or when they were written. It refers to the "casual murder" in San Francisco of the author's real son Chris without ever satisfactorily explaining what happened. It never tells what became of the plans for the movie.
But the more important issue is: does "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" have sufficient value to justify a guidebook, the production of which is an act of homage normally conferred on classics of surpassing complexity or allusiveness? (Annotated editions of Carroll's "Alice" books, Joyce's "Finnegans Wake," and Nabokov's "Lolita" are a few that come to mind.) Or is it just that Mr. Pirsig's book provides such an ideal framework in which to ask questions like whether Faulkner's characters in "The Reivers" are classic or romantic?
The best of the essays in the "Guidebook" suggest that there really are fathomless depths to "Z.M.M." In particular, two essays by Richard H. Rodino, a professor at the College of the Holy Cross, go far beyond what even the most astute of the early reviewers saw in "Z.M.M." In the first of these pieces, Mr. Rodino argues that the book's true meaning lies in the way it pulls the rug out from under what the narrator has to say. In the second essay, he shows how there are journeys far more complex than the motorcycle trip going on.
He concludes: "The three separate 'journeys' that Pirsig undertakes, simultaneous epistemological metaphors for different facets of one man's life, enact the sheer contradictoriness of a single life, its cross-purposes and counter-impulses. At the end of the book, Pirsig, perhaps paradoxically, has to compromise his ideals of Quality to achieve any semblance of Quality in his 'everyday life.' 'Peace of mind' grows best, peculiarly, when it is not systematically cultivated. Metaphysics must make continual accommodations to 'everyday life,' especially its social responsibilities. Life is not 'like a journey' so much as it is like several journeys, all different, all necessary, undertaken all at the same time."
But what persuades one most effectively of the enduring worth of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" is the contrast between the philosophical speculations of the "Guidebook" and the sound of Mr. Pirsig's own voice. Halfway through the "Guidebook," one has been scaling dizzying heights of philosophical abstraction when one comes upon those scraps prepared for, and then left out of, the Bantam paperback edition.
In one passage Mr. Pirsig analyzes the philosophical underpinnings of the game "20 Questions." Typically, too much analysis is being lavished on too little substance, but instantly one is reminded of the spell-binding quality of the narrator's voice. That voice may be awkward and homely, and its message may be compromised by the novel's larger structure, as Mr. Rodino's essays suggest. But it remains a voice of remarkable originality, one whose very unfashionableness seems to have preserved it from the erosion of time.
And sure enough, when you turn to the text of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance," it seems as fresh and compelling as it did a decade and a half ago.
So, in its awkward, ponderous way, the "Guidebook" illuminates "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" and heightens one's appreciation of Mr. Pirsig's remarkable book. | Guidebook to 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance' By Ronald L. DiSanto and Thomas J. Steele 407 pages. William Morrow & Company. Cloth, $22.95; paper, $12.95. Robert M. Pirsig's strange and wonderful novel, "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values," was first published in the spring of 1974 to wildly enthusiastic reviews (including one in this column), along with a few demurrals. Since then it has sold two million copies, been taught in countless classrooms, accumulated a weighty bibliography and bid fair to become a modern American classic, if only because, as several reviewers observed when the book first appeared, it meditates on those grand philosophical problems that were first addressed in this country by the likes of Thoreau and Melville. | 9.348387 | 0.980645 | 88.4 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57551428/texas-community-stunned-after-veterans-parade-train-crash-leaves-four-dead/ | http://web.archive.org/web/20121118024609id_/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57551428/texas-community-stunned-after-veterans-parade-train-crash-leaves-four-dead/ | Texas community stunned after veterans parade train crash leaves four dead | 20121118024609 | (CBS News) MIDLAND, Texas. - Federal accident investigators are at the scene of a tragic accident in western Texas.
Parade attendees look in horror after a train crashed into a float carrying injured veterans and their spouses on Nov. 15 in Midland, Texas.
It happened on Thursday evening at a parade honoring war heroes. A train rammed into a float, carrying injured veterans and their spouses.
At least four veterans were killed. Sixteen other people were hurt, some critically.
4 dead, 17 hurt when train hits Texas vets parade Police ID 4 killed in Texas veterans parade Many jumped from float before train rammed it
The annual parade for wounded veterans was on its way to a dinner banquet when it was struck by the train.
"Something I've never seen, something I never heard, and I wish I never hear that again," Joe Cobarobia, who witnessed the accident, said.
Cobarobia was filming at the moment of impact. Investigators are now reviewing his footage.
"One of the veterans was actually under the train," he said. "I didn't know whether to run to him and grab him, because the train was moving fairly quickly."
The flatbed carrying the 26 people was the last float in the parade. The truck was traveling behind another group of veterans and was trailed by a police car. As the truck went across the tracks, witnesses said that the train signal sounded and the guard rails started to come down on top of the flat bed.
Some witnesses say the driver started to cross the tracks before the truck in front had moved away. If true, the driver may have violated federal safety regulations.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is interviewing eyewitnesses, including the driver of the semi truck.
"We'll be looking at the driver's qualifications, his training, his medical status and do a 72-hour review of his sleep/work history," Mark Rosenkind, a board member with the NTSB, said at a press conference.
From left: Sgt. Maj. Gary Stouffer, 37; Sgt. Maj. Lawrence Boivin, 47; Army Sgt. Joshua Michael, 34, and Sgt. Maj. William Lubbers, 43.
On Friday morning, the tight knit community held a vigil to remember the four who died.
Forty seven-year-old Army Sgt. Major Lawrence Boivin was awarded a Silver Star and a Purple Heart for injuries during a 2004 tour in Iraq.
Gary Stouffer, a 37-year-old Marine, was deployed multiple times to Afghanistan, where he sustained a traumatic brain injury. He was three years shy of retirement.
Sgt. Major William Lubbers, 43, died at the hospital. In 2003, he sustained a gunshot wound when his team was ambushed in Afghanistan.
Sgt. Joshua Michael was the youngest at age 34. He pushed his wife off the truck, saving her life.
"Streets were lined with families. I was there waving flags, and just the incredible change of emotion is devastating," Midland mayor Wes Perry said.
Investigators have a lot to look at, but there's one thing investigators know. On the 70 mile per hour track, the train was going 62 miles per hour, and there was emergency braking. Investigators have yet to determine at what point those brakes were applied. | Some witnesses say driver crossed tracks before vehicle in front had moved, violating safety regulations | 41.125 | 0.8125 | 2.1875 | high | medium | mixed |
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/King-Thompson-sports-reporter-editor-2689623.php | http://web.archive.org/web/20121121141931id_/http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/King-Thompson-sports-reporter-editor-2689623.php | King Thompson -- sports reporter, editor | 20121121141931 | King Thompson, a sports reporter and copy editor at the San Francisco Chronicle and Examiner whose exhaustive sports knowledge saved numerous colleagues from countless errors over a 33-year career, has died.
Mr. Thompson, 50, died Monday in a San Francisco hospital after a brief illness.
"King loved the Giants, 49ers and golf in particular, but he was a walking encyclopedia about Bay Area teams and local lore," said Chronicle sports editor Glenn Schwarz. "He was a reporter's security blanket, catching their factual errors. When he called reporters about their stories, they knew he was saving them from mistakes."
Mr. Thompson was a native of San Francisco, a graduate of Lowell High School and a defensive end on its football team. He attended UC Berkeley and, while a student, became a copyboy at the Examiner, where his father, George Thompson, was a copy editor.
He was a sports reporter for many years, covering high schools, Stanford football and Oakland A's baseball, before becoming a sports copy editor 17 years ago.
"He loved covering baseball and football," his father said. "He enjoyed all sports. Once he covered an A's game in Baltimore and the Preakness on the same day."
His colleagues said Mr. Thompson was a large, friendly man with a gruff exterior that was easy to pierce.
"He was a gentle soul and a gentleman," said deputy arts and entertainment editor Leba Hertz. "He was one of the smartest people I ever worked with. He knew everything. People would ask him if he'd ever heard of so- and-so, and he would always have heard of so-and-so."
He enjoyed reading novels and traveling around the world. With his father he visited South America, Antarctica, China and Singapore. Last month he traveled by ship from England to Italy.
He is survived by his father and his sister, Katherine Thompson, both of San Francisco.
A memorial service will be held Friday at 1 p.m. at Covenant Presbyterian Church, 321 Taraval St., San Francisco. | King Thompson, a sports reporter and copy editor at the San Francisco Chronicle and Examiner whose exhaustive sports knowledge saved numerous colleagues from countless errors over a 33-year career, has died. "King loved the Giants, 49ers and golf in particular, but he was a walking encyclopedia about Bay Area teams and local lore," said Chronicle sports editor Glenn Schwarz. When he called reporters about their stories, they knew he was saving them from mistakes. Mr. Thompson was a native of San Francisco, a graduate of Lowell High School and a defensive end on its football team. | 3.693694 | 0.936937 | 23.009009 | low | medium | extractive |
http://www.aljazeera.com/archive/2006/01/20084916412407882.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20121122100526id_/http://www.aljazeera.com:80/archive/2006/01/20084916412407882.html | Eight dead in Iranian bomb blasts | 20121122100526 | The bombs ripped through a bank and a government building on Tuesday, in a region that has seen intermittent bombings and rioting since April.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president had been due to visit the city on Tuesday, but his office said he cancelled the trip on Monday night because of poor weather conditions.
Mansour Soltanzadeh, head of the Ahvaz medical school, told the official IRNA news agency that eight people had been killed and 46 wounded in the two blasts that went off between 9.30am and 10am (0600-0630 GMT).
He said: "Two of the wounded had to have their legs amputated ... The legs of two teenage girls will most probably also need to be amputated in the Razi hospital because of deep burns."
Mohammad Jafar Samari, governor of Ahvaz, dismissed the idea that the explosions could have targeted Ahmadinejad's visit.
"The place where the bombs exploded was a long way from where the president had planned to make a speech," he said, adding there was no word yet on who planted the bombs.
Lebanon's al-Manar television, run by the pro-Iranian Hizb Allah group, reported earlier that the bombs had been intended to kill Ahmadinejad. Its Tehran correspondent said the president had called off his trip after a security tip-off.
State television said the first bomb in Ahvaz, dominated by ethnic Arabs and capital of the oil-rich Khuzestan province, exploded in front of a privately run bank, killing six people and injuring 15.
The second blast, in front of a government office for natural resources, injured nine people.Home-made bombs
A police official told state television that "they are home-made bombs."
President Ahmadinejad was scheduled to visit the area
Another news report said: "Emergency workers are looking for the injured and the dead inside the bank."In October, another double bombing in Ahvaz killed six people and wounded more than 100. Iran has blamed Britain in the past for the unrest, accusing British forces based across the border in Iraq for backing ethnic Arab separatists. Britian blamed
In October, Manouchehr Mottaki, the Iranian foreign minister, said the clerical regime had proof of British meddling.
"The information shows that Britain is seeking to create insecurity in our country by interfering in our internal affairs," Mottaki said at the time, also adding that the consequences "could be worrying for the British".
Britain has firmly rejected the allegations, part of a wider deterioration of relations between Tehran and London over suspected Iranian meddling in Iraq and the Islamic republic's disputed nuclear programme. | <P>A double bomb attack in the southwestern Iranian oil city of Ahvaz has left eight people dead.</P> | 24.095238 | 0.619048 | 0.904762 | medium | low | abstractive |
http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2012/11/14/gary-nabel-new-chief-scientific-officer-for-sanofi-will-based-cambridge/mWJ4DTiv3la44lOZ3dNIhL/story.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20121123024822id_/http://www.bostonglobe.com:80/business/2012/11/14/gary-nabel-new-chief-scientific-officer-for-sanofi-will-based-cambridge/mWJ4DTiv3la44lOZ3dNIhL/story.html | Gary J. Nabel, new chief scientific officer for Sanofi, will be based in Cambridge | 20121123024822 | French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi SA, which bought Genzyme Corp. in 2011, said Wednesday that its new chief scientific officer is Gary J. Nabel, a medical doctor with ties to Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Nabel’s appointment takes effect Dec. 3, and he will be based in Cambridge, Sanofi said. Nabel will report to Dr. Elias Zerhouni, Sanofi’s president for global research and development.
Since buying Genzyme for $20.1 billion, Sanofi has looked to make the Boston area its top US research hub.
Nabel joins Sanofi from the National Institutes of Health, where he served as director of the Vaccine Research Center. Nabel has degrees from Harvard, including a Ph.D. and a medical degree. He served as a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of David Baltimore at MIT’s Whitehead Institute, according to Sanofi’s press release.
“In his new position, Dr. Nabel will be responsible for assessing and coordinating Sanofi’s scientific direction for biopharmaceuticals, vaccines, and animal health with a focus on improving translational approaches across Sanofi,” the Sanofi release said.
In March, Sanofi chief executive Christopher A. Viehbacher addressed the Boston College Chief Executives’ Club.
Sanofi is using its newly expanded presence in the Boston area to pioneer a research model that relies more on partnerships with outside innovators and less on its in-house efforts, Viebacher said then. Greater Boston’s focus on innovation makes it a perfect location to collaborate on drug development with academic researchers and biotech start-ups, he added. | French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi SA, which bought Genzyme Corp. in 2011, said Wednesday that its new chief scientific officer is Gary J. Nabel, a medical doctor with ties to Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Nabel’s appointment takes effect Dec. 3, and he will be based in Cambridge. Since buying Genzyme for $20.1 billion, Sanofi has looked to make the Boston area its top US research hub. | 3.670886 | 1 | 30.265823 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/theater-art/2012/11/15/curating-decade/oHL9f9vNL8Crq1S5yhWQ0N/story.html | http://web.archive.org/web/20121126231538id_/http://www.bostonglobe.com:80/arts/theater-art/2012/11/15/curating-decade/oHL9f9vNL8Crq1S5yhWQ0N/story.html | Curating a decade | 20121126231538 | Helen Molesworth is a product of the 1980s, attending high school and college during the decade and, along the way, developing a love for art galleries and a dislike for the policies of Ronald Reagan. Flash forward to “This Will Have Been: Art, Love & Politics in the 1980s,” a sprawling exhibition Molesworth curated at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago and which has now gone on display at the ICA. It’s a show that Molesworth insists is not the final word on the decade, just her take. Molesworth spoke this week while in the ICA galleries. Q. How did you feel about …
This is an article preview. The full story is available to BostonGlobe.com subscribers. | Helen Molesworth is a product of the 1980s, having attended high school and college during the decade and, along the way, developing a love for art galleries and a dislike for the policies of Ronald Reagan. Flash forward to “This Will Have Been: Art, Love & Politics in the 1980s,” a sprawling exhibition Molesworth curated at The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago and which has now gone on display at the ICA. It’s a show that Molesworth insists is not the final word on the decade, just her take. Molesworth spoke this week while in the ICA galleries. | 1.196429 | 0.982143 | 91.803571 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Cozying-Up-to-Cook-Welcoming-St-Helena-2300973.php | http://web.archive.org/web/20121127180154id_/http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Cozying-Up-to-Cook-Welcoming-St-Helena-2300973.php | Cozying Up to Cook / Welcoming St. Helena restaurant finds following | 20121127180154 | The enticing aroma of caramelized beef gently wafts out the door. A child's head pops out from under the table like a jack-in-the-box, as his preoccupied father tries to crack the shell of a lemon-scented crab. Diners without reservations jockey for one of the 10 seats at the old-fashioned counter. And isn't that cookbook author Patricia Wells eating at a table in the corner?
This is part of the Napa Valley culture as seen through the lens of Cook, which in November replaced Green Valley Cafe in the heart of downtown St. Helena. Because it opened less than six months ago, Cook missed the summer crush of seasonal tourists, but it's become a hit with locals. They crowd into the 31-seat dining room for the familiar Italian-inspired specialties crafted by Jude Wilmoth, a local guy who has cooked at Tra Vigne, Piatti, Napa Valley Grill and Pere Jeanty. He owns the restaurant with his brother, Michael Wilmoth; this is their first venture together.
The gently updated interior has a warm, comforting feel, awash in neutral colors and a simple decor. A rustic tin mirror and a translucent sculpture of an animal's head add whimsical notes. The bar resembles an early 20th century soda fountain. The kitchen, with a shoulder-high counter, is carved out of one corner of the storefront space, leaving only enough room for a banquette and a single row of tables. The close quarters almost force you to get to know your neighbor.
"Are you from around here?" our waiter asked us and the other table of people she didn't recognize. From her chipper demeanor, it was clear she was trying to make everyone feel welcome. When Donna Scala, who owns Bistro Don Giovanni in Napa, arrives, it's as if she's hosting a party, what with all the handshakes and cheek-kissing. Cook is the kind of place where people know one another and the waiters try to bring everyone into the fold.
It's a very comfortable feeling, one that's supported by the nature of the food. Wilmoth's savory menu is divided into four sections -- appetizers, salads, pastas and main courses -- with a few choices in each.
Clams and mussels ($11) transports diners to the Mediterranean coast. They're heaped in the bowl and covered with a chunky tomato sauce with loose chunks of housemade sausage and a thick hunk of grilled bread that's perfect for sopping up the spicy, brick-red juices.
Eggplant parmigiana ($10) is just as transporting, mimicking the flavors of Campagnia. Wilmoth layers eggplant with a sprightly marinara sauce and creamy bechamel. The vegetable is baked into the custard and capped with a chewy glaze of cheese that makes a pleasing textural counterpoint. Another favorite of regulars -- at least three people told me I had to order it -- is the calamari ($9), which is fried to a golden crunch and served with a grilled lemon for spritzing and thick aioli for dunking.
Salads include organic greens with Cinzano Rosso vinaigrette ($7); housemade mozzarella with grey salt ($9), which wasn't available on our visits; and a Caesar ($7) tossed with a creamy dressing, accompanied by croutons that serve as rafts for anchovy fillets.
The selection also includes arugula salad ($8), which tastes like something you'd find in a New York restaurant. The combination of pears, pistachio and pancetta vinaigrette is nice, but the greens, which may pass as fresh in other parts of the world, are not nearly as pristine as we have come to expect here.
Most restaurants catering to locals have at least one dish that stands far above the rest; at Cook, it's braised short ribs ($21). The magnificent browned hunk of meat is served on the bone, with natural juices and scallion- flecked mashed potatoes. I usually don't like my mashers embellished, but in this case the onions complement the blend, raising the potatoes to an equal partner.
Roasted poussin ($18) is another pleasing option; the small pieces of chicken are stacked on top of each other and balanced on a lumpy bed of artichokes, olives and tomato confit.
Other main courses don't measure up, often because of one element where the kitchen falters. Grilled salmon ($18) had an exceptional crusty exterior that allowed the fish to stand up to the onslaught of mushrooms and veal jus, but the butter beans that completed the dish were starchy and undercooked. Wolfe Farms quail ($17) started with an over-salted bird splayed like road kill on the polenta and mushroom jus. Braised lamb shank ($19) was served barely warm, and the accompanying risotto was as brightly colored as a Yellow Cab, and too much saffron gave it a weedy taste.
We ordered a medium-rare grilled rib eye ($22), but it was cooked to medium-well. Since it was only about a half-inch thick, it had loads of the chewy caramelized bits I find so addictive. The steak was served with a Yukon potato hash that in the muted light couldn't be distinguished from the big hunk of fat on the tail of the meat, so I was surprised on more than one bite.
Pastas, at least the ones I tried, were weak. I ordered the orecchiette ($13) as an appetizer on one visit, and it came out so quickly that the pasta must have been cooked in advance. Broccoli rabe, dotted with bread crumbs and chile flakes, dominated the melange, making the pasta a minor player. That was a good thing, because the orecchiette were so mushy that it was hard to distinguish them from the blanket of cheese.
One night's special of black pepper pappardelle ($20) with cipollini onions and rabbit loin didn't come together because of too many competing flavors. However, the gnocchi ($13) more than redeemed the kitchen. They're slightly chewy, coated with a Gorgonzola cream with a pleasantly sharp tang. Wilmoth also does a good job on the risotto ($16), which is rich with Teleme cheese and crowned with crispy slow-roasted pork and thin slices of toasted garlic.
Yet even with the kitchen's stumbles, customers can be pretty forgiving because Cook has a secret weapon -- panna cotta ($7). Memories of any preceding mushy pasta and starchy beans are quickly replaced by the sweet experience of pastry chef Karen Homick's silken, barely set custard that slips down the throat as effortlessly as cool glass of water in the Mojave. It's tossed with fresh berries and accompanied by a crisp, buttery cookie.
Diners should also hope that the Meyer lemon cream tart ($7) is offered as a special; it's so much more engaging than the caramelized banana version offered on two other visits. Our waiter appropriately compared the chocolate applesauce cake ($7) to a fruitcake; it had a dense texture and a rich flavor, but it was hard to detect much chocolate.
The waiters will rarely lead you astray. They know the menu and their profession. At times they can get overwhelmed, especially when every seat is taken and there are only two servers and a bus boy covering the entire room. It feels like the restaurant is generally understaffed.
On my first visit, where we were seated next to a large party with a couple of rambunctious children, we really didn't mind, but the waiter apologized several times and tried to assure us that things weren't usually that crazy. On another occasion, she was able to keep her cool while being criticized for her bottle-opening skills by a crusty foreigner who I presume was in the wine business. Food was waiting to be brought to customers, another table was asking for a glass of wine, and still she was efficient and unflappable.
And in the end, it's this accommodating spirit, unpretentious surroundings and basic good food that makes Cook so darn cool.
Savvy Wine List Has Something for Everyone
Cook is an unpretentious restaurant, and the wine list follows suit. Yet being in Wine Country, it also needs to have a little pizzazz and be well priced.
Diners can find well-priced bottles such as the 2002 Flora Springs Soliloquy Sauvignon Blanc ($25) and some "talker" wines such as the 2001 Marco DiGiulio Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon ($90). With fewer than 40 bottles and six half-bottles, the list covers lots of bases.
To go with the menu, the list features a pleasing concentration of Italian varietals -- 2003 Pighin Pinot Grigio ($33), 2002 Spadina Nero d'Avola ($27) and 2002 Monticelli Brothers Sangiovese ($35), for examples. Other interesting varietals includeViognier and Albarino. While there are only two Chardonnays, each represents a distinct style, from the ripe, butterscotch nuances of the 2002 Mer Soleil ($62) to the much more delicate 2003 Hess Collection ($33).
Compared to the bottle list, the by-the-glass selections are weak, with five whites and six reds. Wines such as the 2003 Bollini Pinot Grigio at $7 just don't cut it when you can get a much better deal and a better wine by ordering a half bottle such as the 2004 SoloRosa rosé for $14, perfect for the approaching warmer weather.
If you bring your own wine, corkage is $10. | A child's head pops out from under the table like a jack-in-the-box, as his preoccupied father tries to crack the shell of a lemon-scented crab. Because it opened less than six months ago, Cook missed the summer crush of seasonal tourists, but it's become a hit with locals. The gently updated interior has a warm, comforting feel, awash in neutral colors and a simple decor. A rustic tin mirror and a translucent sculpture of an animal's head add whimsical notes. The kitchen, with a shoulder-high counter, is carved out of one corner of the storefront space, leaving only enough room for a banquette and a single row of tables. Wilmoth layers eggplant with a sprightly marinara sauce and creamy bechamel. The vegetable is baked into the custard and capped with a chewy glaze of cheese that makes a pleasing textural counterpoint. Another favorite of regulars -- at least three people told me I had to order it -- is the calamari ($9), which is fried to a golden crunch and served with a grilled lemon for spritzing and thick aioli for dunking. Salads include organic greens with Cinzano Rosso vinaigrette ($7); housemade mozzarella with grey salt ($9), which wasn't available on our visits; and a Caesar ($7) tossed with a creamy dressing, accompanied by croutons that serve as rafts for anchovy fillets. The combination of pears, pistachio and pancetta vinaigrette is nice, but the greens, which may pass as fresh in other parts of the world, are not nearly as pristine as we have come to expect here. The magnificent browned hunk of meat is served on the bone, with natural juices and scallion- flecked mashed potatoes. Roasted poussin ($18) is another pleasing option; the small pieces of chicken are stacked on top of each other and balanced on a lumpy bed of artichokes, olives and tomato confit. Grilled salmon ($18) had an exceptional crusty exterior that allowed the fish to stand up to the onslaught of mushrooms and veal jus, but the butter beans that completed the dish were starchy and undercooked. Wolfe Farms quail ($17) started with an over-salted bird splayed like road kill on the polenta and mushroom jus. Since it was only about a half-inch thick, it had loads of the chewy caramelized bits I find so addictive. The steak was served with a Yukon potato hash that in the muted light couldn't be distinguished from the big hunk of fat on the tail of the meat, so I was surprised on more than one bite. Broccoli rabe, dotted with bread crumbs and chile flakes, dominated the melange, making the pasta a minor player. Wilmoth also does a good job on the risotto ($16), which is rich with Teleme cheese and crowned with crispy slow-roasted pork and thin slices of toasted garlic. Yet even with the kitchen's stumbles, customers can be pretty forgiving because Cook has a secret weapon -- panna cotta ($7). Memories of any preceding mushy pasta and starchy beans are quickly replaced by the sweet experience of pastry chef Karen Homick's silken, barely set custard that slips down the throat as effortlessly as cool glass of water in the Mojave. Diners should also hope that the Meyer lemon cream tart ($7) is offered as a special; it's so much more engaging than the caramelized banana version offered on two other visits. On my first visit, where we were seated next to a large party with a couple of rambunctious children, we really didn't mind, but the waiter apologized several times and tried to assure us that things weren't usually that crazy. Diners can find well-priced bottles such as the 2002 Flora Springs Soliloquy Sauvignon Blanc ($25) and some "talker" wines such as the 2001 Marco DiGiulio Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon ($90). While there are only two Chardonnays, each represents a distinct style, from the ripe, butterscotch nuances of the 2002 Mer Soleil ($62) to the much more delicate 2003 Hess Collection ($33). | 2.269042 | 0.969287 | 34.244472 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.tmz.com/2010/06/28/megan-fox-brian-austin-green-married-four-seasons-hotel-hawaii/ | http://web.archive.org/web/20121203075345id_/http://www.tmz.com/2010/06/28/megan-fox-brian-austin-green-married-four-seasons-hotel-hawaii/ | Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green Marry in Hawaii | 20121203075345 | Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green Marry in Hawaii
were married at a small, intimate ceremony at the Four Seasons Resort on the Big Island of Hawaii, TMZ has learned.
The couple tied the knot late last week. We're told only a half-dozen people attended.
The pair met on the set of "Hope & Faith" back in 2004 and have been dating on and off ever since.
It's the first marriage for both, though Green has an eight-year-old son with actress | Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green were married at a small, intimate ceremony at the Four Seasons Resort on the Big Island of Hawaii, TMZ has learned. … | 3.1875 | 0.9375 | 19.125 | low | medium | extractive |
http://www.sfgate.com/athletics/article/Losing-Drew-could-mean-gaining-Peralta-4095076.php | http://web.archive.org/web/20121206224854id_/http://www.sfgate.com/athletics/article/Losing-Drew-could-mean-gaining-Peralta-4095076.php | Losing Drew could mean gaining Peralta | 20121206224854 | By Day 3 of the winter meetings, the A's were down one shortstop possibility after backing off from an all-but-agreed-upon deal for Yunel Escobar a day earlier. Oakland quickly settled upon a new potential shortstop option Wednesday, if the chips were to fall right.
If the A's cannot re-sign Stephen Drew, and were the Tigers to succeed in their pursuit of a new shortstop (potentially Drew), then Oakland would move to acquire Detroit shortstop Jhonny Peralta, The Chronicle has learned.
Drew might be out of Oakland's price range. Peralta is signed for one year at $6 million.
Scott Boras, the agent for Drew, said Wednesday that interest in his client is "ever-growing. He is looked at as the shortstop in this market."
The A's and Tigers don't look like an automatic match when it comes to a trade. Detroit is looking for a right-handed-hitting outfielder, but the A's have none to spare from the major-league roster and the Tigers have little interest in Triple-A Sacramento's Michael Taylor.
According to one major-league source, however, Detroit likes second baseman Jemile Weeks, and might contemplate moving the switch hitter to the outfield. It's not clear if the A's would consider dealing Weeks, who was demoted to Sacramento in August.
Also remaining on Oakland's radar: Japanese free-agent Hiroyuki Nakajima. One industry source said that with the A's shortstop options dwindling and a less-than-robust market for Nakajima, the two might be a good match. One club that spoke to Nakajima's agent, Greg Genske, said that he is looking for a three-year deal at about $5 million per season, but few believe Nakajima will get more than one year and perhaps an option.
On Tuesday evening, the A's were close to landing Escobar from Miami in a trade that would have sent Triple-A players to the Marlins, although not, as reported by a national media outlet, infielder Grant Green and right-hander Brad Peacock.
Oakland decided not to pursue the deal, however, over concerns about Escobar's reputation for immature behavior. Escobar, who has expressed a wish not to go to a West Coast team, was traded to Tampa Bay later Tuesday night.
The winter meetings end Thursday with the Rule 5 draft. The A's are unlikely to select a player in the major-league portion, but they might lose right-hander James Simmons. The A's top pick in the 2007 draft, Simmons was left unprotected last month after a solid Arizona Fall League season in which he had a 1.59 ERA and opponents hit .059 against him.
Susan Slusser is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: sslusser@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @susanslusser | Detroit is looking for a right-handed-hitting outfielder, but the A's have none to spare from the major-league roster and the Tigers have little interest in Triple-A Sacramento's Michael Taylor. According to one major-league source, however, Detroit likes second baseman Jemile Weeks, and might contemplate moving the switch hitter to the outfield. On Tuesday evening, the A's were close to landing Escobar from Miami in a trade that would have sent Triple-A players to the Marlins, although not, as reported by a national media outlet, infielder Grant Green and right-hander Brad Peacock. The A's top pick in the 2007 draft, Simmons was left unprotected last month after a solid Arizona Fall League season in which he had a 1.59 ERA and opponents hit .059 against him. | 3.471698 | 0.981132 | 39.836478 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/daily-take/201212/sports-figures-can-be-powerful-forces-campaign-vs-excessive-availability-auto | http://web.archive.org/web/20121219071640id_/http://www.thepostgame.com:80/blog/daily-take/201212/sports-figures-can-be-powerful-forces-campaign-vs-excessive-availability-auto | Sports Figures Can Lead Campaign Against Excessive Availability Of Automatic Weapons | 20121219071640 | Professional football was shocked by the news that Kansas City linebacker Javon Belcher had shot his fiancée nine times, before driving to the Chiefs' training facility and killing himself. He left his infant daughter an orphan. Media outlets were filled with talking heads conjecturing what the cause had been and the consequences on the Chiefs season. Life went on without anyone stating a basic truth -- guns kill people. The ease of simply pulling a trigger finalizes conflict, which might otherwise be resolved. It transforms rage, which might manifest itself verbally or in fist fighting into the most extreme form of violence. This was not the first incident of gun violence associated with anger and it will not be the last.
Sports figures have the ability to serve as role models and trigger imitative behavior. They could serve as powerful figures campaigning against the excessive availability of automatic weapons. Instead, large numbers of athletes own firearms in the belief that it will help them protect themselves. History shows that more people are killed misfiring or spurring a violent response from intruders in a home invasion than lives are saved by guns' "protection."
Instead of the Belcher tragedy being a spur to a review of the availability of guns, life went on. Not long ago a disturbed individual terrorized a Portland shopping center with his gun. Friday, an almost unthinkable tragedy involving young children occurred in a Connecticut elementary school -- 26 deaths (20 of them are children) -- all from gun violence.
When is enough enough? What kind of atmosphere do we want prevailing in this country? If someone wants a rifle to hunt, they should have it. If someone wants a gun for self-protection, they should have it. But where in the Constitution or in public policy does it state that an unrestricted flow of automatic weapons is a protected right?
The Second Amendment states clearly that state militias have the right to bear arms. This is because our Founders feared the re-emergence of a potential Federal tyranny. They did not want a future King George to leave citizens helpless and enslaved. Nowhere in the thought process of our Founding Fathers was the individual right to bear arms contemplated. This is an invented right that the National Rifle Association has propounded. They were able to convince an extreme Supreme Court to validate that right. They have a stranglehold on Congress and legislatures across the country. Even President Obama and otherwise enlightened leaders go along with the charade of constitutionality out of fear of the NRA wrath.
Our most sacred duty is to protect our children from harm. The parents in Connecticut were powerless to do this because of the availability of automatic weapons to psychologically imbalanced individuals. This has nothing to do with depriving hunters or fearful citizens of their weapons.
I am just in the process of re-launching my practice and representing athletes again. If I did have clients in critical positions, I would be urging them to speak out. My father used to say that there is no "they that will cure problems or fight for what is right -- the they is you and me.”
-- Leigh Steinberg has represented many of the most successful athletes and coaches in football, basketball, baseball, hockey, boxing and golf, including the first overall pick in the NFL draft an unprecedented eight times, among more than 60 first-round selections. His clients have included Hall of Fame quarterbacks Steve Young, Troy Aikman and Warren Moon, and he served as the inspiration for the movie "Jerry Maguire." Follow him on Twitter @SteinbergSports.
ThePostGame brings you the most interesting sports stories on the web.
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to read them first! | How many deaths will it take till he knows,that too many people have died?Bob Dylan,Blowin' In The Wind
Professional football was shocked by the news ... | 21.96875 | 0.65625 | 2.03125 | medium | low | mixed |
http://www.bbc.com/autos/story/20130305-aston-martin-via-italy | http://web.archive.org/web/20130309111905id_/http://www.bbc.com:80/autos/story/20130305-aston-martin-via-italy | Aston Martin by way of Italy | 20130309111905 | Though Aston Martin is showing the 2013 Rapide S on its main stand at the Geneva motor show, Stile Bertone is showing something older, but far fresher.
A vehicle based on the 2012 Rapide is the centrepiece of the Italian coachbuilder’s presence here. Revolution or evolution? You decide.
Actually, no bother. The Bertone Rapide Jet 2+2, as it is called, is strictly a one-off creation built by the independent Italian design shop for a customer who wanted something truly bespoke. Inspired by the 2004 Aston Martin Jet2 concept, it is a shooting brake – a regular sports sedan up front with a wagon extension at the rear.
The one-off has won many fans in Geneva, where it made its global debut. Europeans are partial to the shooting-brake body style, and the Mercedes-Benz CLS has helped revive the sector. Indeed, at the British launch of the CLS wagon, Mercedes actually showed a coachbuilt Aston DB6 shooting brake to the press. This Bertone creation is its modern analogue.
The story here is not the drivetrain. It lacks the refreshed 558-horsepower AM11 engine of Aston’s own Rapide S, as well as the latest-generation suspension. And it is difficult to shake the sense that the owner, who has not been identified by Bertone, would care much about either shortcoming.
So convincing is the execution that the stock, otherwise stunning Rapide S seems a little staid in comparison.
Asked whether Aston could produce something similar, Aston engineering boss Ian Minards demurred, noting that a one-off is, by definition, not a production car. But Aston could put a shooting brake model into low-volume series manufacture, he said, if there was sufficient demand. The One-77 hypercar was its first attempt at this, and the V12 Vantage-based V12 Zagato has proven Aston can make successful small-series models. If customers are clamoring for a shooting brake, then Aston could do it. | The Jet 2+2 marks a return to a shape long favoured by Astonâs customers â only Aston did not build it. | 15.875 | 0.583333 | 1.166667 | medium | low | abstractive |
http://www.sfgate.com/49ers/article/49ers-sign-safety-Craig-Dahl-from-Rams-4360792.php | http://web.archive.org/web/20130317125235id_/http://www.sfgate.com/49ers/article/49ers-sign-safety-Craig-Dahl-from-Rams-4360792.php | 49ers sign safety Craig Dahl from Rams | 20130317125235 | After officially parting ways with Dashon Goldson last week, the 49ers hosted safeties who ranged from All-Pro (Charles Woodson) to above average (Louis Delmas) to anonymous (Craig Dahl).
On Saturday, they signed Dahl, 27, a former undrafted free agent from North Dakota State who quietly started 40 games for the Rams the past four seasons. Dahl signed a three-year contract with undisclosed financial terms.
A 16-game starter in 2012, Dahl hopes to fill the same role in San Francisco. The 49ers are seeking a replacement for Goldson, a two-time Pro Bowler who signed a five-year, $41.25 million deal with Tampa Bay on Wednesday.
"They told me that there was an opportunity to play in the void at the safety position in the secondary," Dahl said. "I'm hoping to come in here and mesh well with the secondary and fill that void."
With 14 draft picks, including at least five in the first three rounds, the 49ers will no doubt provide competition for Dahl. A source told The Chronicle that San Francisco has "spent plenty of time doing background" on LSU safety Eric Reid, who is projected as a second-round pick.
In 2012, Dahl had 78 tackles, one interception and missed just 41 defensive snaps. His 16 missed tackles were tied for the fifth-most among safeties, according to Pro Football Focus. He could provide value on special teams, where he's had 38 tackles the past four seasons.
An unrestricted free agent, Dahl indicated the 49ers made a stronger push for his services than his former team.
"(The Rams) had open doors," he said. "Obviously they felt they needed improvement. ... We were in negotiations, but ultimately I came down here, and I felt the love."
Besides starter Donte Whitner, the other safeties on the 49ers' roster are C.J. Spillman; Trenton Robinson, a sixth-round pick in 2012; and Michael Thomas, who spent last year on the practice squad. Dahl won't be surprised if more competition is added.
"Whether I'm lined up out there from day one, it's always going to be a competition to keep your job once you're the starter," Dahl said. "I'm grateful for the opportunity I was given, and I hope to be that guy."
Asomugha's travels: After visiting the 49ers on Thursday, free-agent cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha will visit the Saints on Sunday, California Sports Net Bay Area reported.
Eric Branch is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: ebranch@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Eric_Branch | On Saturday, they signed Dahl, 27, a former undrafted free agent from North Dakota State who quietly started 40 games for the Rams the past four seasons. A source told The Chronicle that San Francisco has "spent plenty of time doing background" on LSU safety Eric Reid, who is projected as a second-round pick. Besides starter Donte Whitner, the other safeties on the 49ers' roster are C.J. Spillman; Trenton Robinson, a sixth-round pick in 2012; and Michael Thomas, who spent last year on the practice squad. After visiting the 49ers on Thursday, free-agent cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha will visit the Saints on Sunday, California Sports Net Bay Area reported. | 3.837037 | 0.955556 | 27.592593 | low | high | extractive |
http://www.bbc.com/autos/story/20130320-rare-f1-benz-for-sale | http://web.archive.org/web/20130323002005id_/http://www.bbc.com:80/autos/story/20130320-rare-f1-benz-for-sale | Fangioâs F1 Mercedes-Benz for sale | 20130323002005 | Looking for a new car? Want something that's fast, boasts proper racing pedigree and was formerly campaigned by one of the finest Formula 1 drivers in history, âEl Maestroâ?
Well, we have the perfect car for you: an ex-Fangio 1954 German and Swiss GP-winning Mercedes-Benz W196.
This could well be one of the rarest, most expensive and important historic Grand Prix racing cars to go under the hammer when it hits the block at the Goodwood Festival of Speed later this year.
Why's it so special? Because it is the 1954 2½-litre straight-8 Mercedes-Benz W196 einsitzer-chassis number “00006/54” in which five-time world champion Juan Manuel Fangio won both the German and Swiss Grand Prix races in 1954.
It's a car that brought Mercedes its first back-to-back wins after the war, largely through its ground-breaking technology. Wrapped up in the W196 is tech like fuel injection, all-independent suspension, a multi-tubular “spaceframe” lightweight chassis, all-round inboard-mounted brakes and an engine that was designed to sit as low in the car as possible. Nowadays this sounds normal, but in 1954 technology like this was borderline witchcraft.
As soon as the bandy-legged Argentinian – who competed in 51 Formula 1 races, of which he won 24, set 28 pole positions and 23 fastest laps – plopped his bottom into chassis ”00006” it felt good. So good that when he took the open-wheeled W196 around the 14.2-mile Nurburgring (yeah, that one) he won. And then later, at the next race at the scary Bremgarten forest circuit at Berne, he was in the groove so much that he beat the second-placed rival Ferrari by 58.7 seconds. Which is lightyears in F1.
The car has only seen the light of day once in the last 30 years and when we asked Bonhams how much they're expecting it to go for, we were told that £5 million was “a conservative number”.
It goes under the hammer on 12 July at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Plenty of time then to start saving/buy lots and lots of lottery tickets. Who's bidding? | The five-time world championâs racecar is expected to fetch over £5 million when it hits the auction block in July. | 18.782609 | 0.695652 | 1.73913 | medium | low | mixed |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.