The world's first international sex school has opened which claims to teach its students how to be better lovers.
But far from being a cheap thrill, one term at the "hands on" International Sex School in Vienna will cost pupils £1,400.
Swedish-born "headmistress" Ylva-Maria Thompson says anyone over the age of 16 can enrol at what she describes as "the world's first college of applied sexuality".
Students live in a mixed sex dormitory block where they're expected to practise their homework.
"Our core education is not theoretical, but very practical. The emphasis is on how to be a better lover", the new school head added.
"Sexual positions, caressing techniques, anatomical features. And we teach people hands on."
Raunchy adverts showing a couple making love have already been banned by Austrian TV.
"This is wrapped up in a very stylish way but it is just selling sex," one protestor commented.
2011年11月30日星期三
In the Public Interest: Deficit Reduction That Should Be Easy
Amazing. A congressional committee forms to develop a plan to reduce the deficit. The committee fails but, in the meantime, proposals in Congress to undo previously agreed to cuts and to expand tax loopholes - both of which will increase the deficit - gain steam. A Congress supposedly focused on deficit reduction leads us to the brink of greater deficits. Only in Washington.
There are ways to responsibly reduce the deficit. Congress could start by looking at recommendations developed by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG) and the National Taxpayers Union (NTU). These two grassroots organizations, with sizeable citizen memberships, have been on opposite sides of almost every political battle of the last two years, including the stimulus, health care reform, and Wall Street reform. Yet the two groups found common ground on 56 specific deficit reduction measures adding up to more than $1 trillion dollars in savings - that's four out of every five dollars the committee was tasked with cutting.
Many of the U.S. PIRG/NTU proposed cuts go after subsidies to mature and profitable corporations that don't need taxpayer dollars. Taxpayers could save $50 billion in the next decade if we ended government handouts to big agribusinesses. Seventy-four percent of the subsidies went to just ten percent of agribusinesses over the last 15 years.
Likewise, taxpayers shell out more than $27 million every year to pay oil companies to research how to drill and $200 million a year for companies like McDonalds and Fruit of the Loom to market their products overseas.
These should not have been tough budget choices to make.
We could save $1.23 billion in the next decade if we stopped paying to clean up old mines that have already been cleaned up. And it costs taxpayers $1.7 billion ever year just to maintain 55,000 unused or underutilized federal buildings.
Some subsidies do more harm than good. Taxpayers would save $60 billion over the next decade by eliminating subsidies for ethanol, the negative environmental impact of which outweighs the positive.
By failing to point a finger at specific taxpayer rip-offs, the Super Committee left the federal budget open to the indiscriminate hatchet. The across-the-board cuts mandated by law will make no distinction between wasteful handouts like subsidies to big agribusiness and public priorities like critical funding for Pell Grants, which allow millions of students to go to college.
There are ways to responsibly reduce the deficit. Congress could start by looking at recommendations developed by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG) and the National Taxpayers Union (NTU). These two grassroots organizations, with sizeable citizen memberships, have been on opposite sides of almost every political battle of the last two years, including the stimulus, health care reform, and Wall Street reform. Yet the two groups found common ground on 56 specific deficit reduction measures adding up to more than $1 trillion dollars in savings - that's four out of every five dollars the committee was tasked with cutting.
Many of the U.S. PIRG/NTU proposed cuts go after subsidies to mature and profitable corporations that don't need taxpayer dollars. Taxpayers could save $50 billion in the next decade if we ended government handouts to big agribusinesses. Seventy-four percent of the subsidies went to just ten percent of agribusinesses over the last 15 years.
Likewise, taxpayers shell out more than $27 million every year to pay oil companies to research how to drill and $200 million a year for companies like McDonalds and Fruit of the Loom to market their products overseas.
These should not have been tough budget choices to make.
We could save $1.23 billion in the next decade if we stopped paying to clean up old mines that have already been cleaned up. And it costs taxpayers $1.7 billion ever year just to maintain 55,000 unused or underutilized federal buildings.
Some subsidies do more harm than good. Taxpayers would save $60 billion over the next decade by eliminating subsidies for ethanol, the negative environmental impact of which outweighs the positive.
By failing to point a finger at specific taxpayer rip-offs, the Super Committee left the federal budget open to the indiscriminate hatchet. The across-the-board cuts mandated by law will make no distinction between wasteful handouts like subsidies to big agribusiness and public priorities like critical funding for Pell Grants, which allow millions of students to go to college.
Boeing, Union Strike Deal That Could Kill Controversy, GOP Talking Point
WASHINGTON -- The Machinists union announced Wednesday that it had reached a tentative four-year labor agreement with the Boeing Company, a development that might end some controversy surrounding the National Labor Relations Board and take away a major Republican talking point on the economy and regulations.
According to the member-run Machinists News blog, union members will vote on a contract extension next week that would assure that Boeing builds its 737 MAX passenger jet in Washington State. Although details haven’t been released, the deal will probably clear the way for production of Boeing's 787 Dreamliner in the company's South Carolina plant, which had been put on hold when the labor board issued a controversial complaint against the company on behalf of unionized workers in Washington earlier this year.
The complaint filed in April alleged that Boeing broke labor law when it tried to establish the production line in South Carolina. The labor board's general counsel claimed that the move amounted to retaliation against Boeing's unionized workers in Washington for having gone on strike in the past.
The complaint also infuriated Republicans, particularly those in South Carolina who believed it might cost the state jobs. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and others pushed legislation that would have scuttled the complaint and even defunded the labor board. For months GOP members have used the Boeing issue to tar both the labor board and the Obama administration as pro-union job killers meddling in corporate decision-making.
Settling the South Carolina issue was apparently a major part of the negotiations between Boeing and the union. But whatever deal was tentatively struck between the parties Wednesday, it won't immediately resolve the complaint filed by the NLRB.
In a statement, the agency's general counsel, Lafe Solomon, said, "The tentative agreement announced today between Boeing and the Machinists Union is a very significant and hopeful development. The tentative agreement is subject to ratification by the employees, and, if ratified, we will be in discussions with the parties about the next steps in the process."
Despite the dire proclamations coming from Republicans, most observers of the labor board believed Boeing and the union would reach an agreement before the South Carolina production line was spiked, considering how high the economic and political stakes are.
According to the member-run Machinists News blog, union members will vote on a contract extension next week that would assure that Boeing builds its 737 MAX passenger jet in Washington State. Although details haven’t been released, the deal will probably clear the way for production of Boeing's 787 Dreamliner in the company's South Carolina plant, which had been put on hold when the labor board issued a controversial complaint against the company on behalf of unionized workers in Washington earlier this year.
The complaint filed in April alleged that Boeing broke labor law when it tried to establish the production line in South Carolina. The labor board's general counsel claimed that the move amounted to retaliation against Boeing's unionized workers in Washington for having gone on strike in the past.
The complaint also infuriated Republicans, particularly those in South Carolina who believed it might cost the state jobs. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and others pushed legislation that would have scuttled the complaint and even defunded the labor board. For months GOP members have used the Boeing issue to tar both the labor board and the Obama administration as pro-union job killers meddling in corporate decision-making.
Settling the South Carolina issue was apparently a major part of the negotiations between Boeing and the union. But whatever deal was tentatively struck between the parties Wednesday, it won't immediately resolve the complaint filed by the NLRB.
In a statement, the agency's general counsel, Lafe Solomon, said, "The tentative agreement announced today between Boeing and the Machinists Union is a very significant and hopeful development. The tentative agreement is subject to ratification by the employees, and, if ratified, we will be in discussions with the parties about the next steps in the process."
Despite the dire proclamations coming from Republicans, most observers of the labor board believed Boeing and the union would reach an agreement before the South Carolina production line was spiked, considering how high the economic and political stakes are.
2011年11月28日星期一
Angelina Jolie's First Film: 'Lookin' To Get Out' With Dad Jon Voight (VIDEO)
Angelina Jolie can't go anywhere without paparazzi hounding her children, but just this once, how about we take a look at the superstar actress when she herself was a little kid.
Before she was kicking tail as Lara Croft, winning Oscars and directing her own films, Angelina Jolie was a six year old girl with a famous daddy. And while she's clearly made it in Hollywood on the strength of her own talent, she did get her first role in the film industry thanks to that great bloodline.
Jolie stole the show in a brief appearance in dad Jon Voight's 1982 film, "Lookin' To Get Out," playing -- of all things! -- Voight's daughter, named Tosh. But this super cute little clip comes when she's with her on-screen mom, who was played by Ann Margaret, and we can see her natural charm and the beginnings of her trademark features even at that early age.
It took 11 years for her to get another pro film credit (though the term "professional" applies only loosely to 1993's straight-to-VHS "Cyborg 2"), though she spent time honing her craft in her brother's film school projects and music videos.
The rest, of course, is history.
Before she was kicking tail as Lara Croft, winning Oscars and directing her own films, Angelina Jolie was a six year old girl with a famous daddy. And while she's clearly made it in Hollywood on the strength of her own talent, she did get her first role in the film industry thanks to that great bloodline.
Jolie stole the show in a brief appearance in dad Jon Voight's 1982 film, "Lookin' To Get Out," playing -- of all things! -- Voight's daughter, named Tosh. But this super cute little clip comes when she's with her on-screen mom, who was played by Ann Margaret, and we can see her natural charm and the beginnings of her trademark features even at that early age.
It took 11 years for her to get another pro film credit (though the term "professional" applies only loosely to 1993's straight-to-VHS "Cyborg 2"), though she spent time honing her craft in her brother's film school projects and music videos.
The rest, of course, is history.
Citigroup Settlement Tossed: Judge Tells SEC To Get It Together
In a potentially precedent setting ruling on Monday, a federal judge in New York tossed out a settlement between the Securities and Exchange Commission and Citigroup, effectively telling the SEC -- which is responsible for protecting investors and maintaining fair, orderly markets -- that it isn't going far enough in holding financial institutions accountable for their wrongdoings.
The SEC accused Citigroup of selling investors mortgage-backed bonds that the bank knew would lose value. Citi netted roughly $160 million in profits from the sale of these bonds while investors lost more than $700 million. Under the proposed settlement with the SEC, the bank would have had to pay $285 million in penalties and fees, but would not have had to admit to any wrongdoing, according to the court decision.
The lack of admission was the main reason Jed S. Rakoff, a Clinton-appointed U.S. district judge, said he decided to throw out the settlement. An admission of guilt or innocence is a matter of significant public interest, he said. "The court, and the public, need some knowledge of what the underlying facts are," wrote Rakoff. "For otherwise, the court becomes a mere handmaiden to a settlement privately negotiated on the basis of unknown facts, while the public is prevented from ever knowing the truth in a matter of obvious importance."
In wording that sounds like it was written for those Occupy Wall Street protesters decrying the nation's big banks and their outsized influenced, Rakoff wrote: "In any case like this that touches on the transparency of financial markets whose gyrations have so depressed our economy and debilitated our lives, there is an overriding public interest in knowing the truth. ... The SEC, of all agencies, has a duty, inherent in its statutory mission, to see that the truth emerges; and if it fails to do so, this Court must not."
The ruling "is precedent setting," said a prominent securities lawyer who has represented investors in class-actions suits against financial institutions and is familiar with the decision.
The SEC often settles with large financial institutions without requiring an admission of guilt. And it's extremely rare for a judge to throw out a settlement -- though Judge Rakoff did once previously, in 2009, when he ruled that Bank of America and Merrill Lynch had "effectively lied to their shareholders" when the two firms paid out $3.6 billion in executive bonuses shortly before the bank acquired Merrill and after the bank had accepted billions of dollars in federal bailout funds.
"The way the SEC has always proceeded is a slap on the wrist and a cost of doing business, and all these big banks know it," the securities lawyer said. "If they get in trouble with the SEC, they know they can buy their way out of it without admitting anything. Ninety-nine out of 100 judges go along with it because it is the machine that greases the wheels."
The SEC accused Citigroup of selling investors mortgage-backed bonds that the bank knew would lose value. Citi netted roughly $160 million in profits from the sale of these bonds while investors lost more than $700 million. Under the proposed settlement with the SEC, the bank would have had to pay $285 million in penalties and fees, but would not have had to admit to any wrongdoing, according to the court decision.
The lack of admission was the main reason Jed S. Rakoff, a Clinton-appointed U.S. district judge, said he decided to throw out the settlement. An admission of guilt or innocence is a matter of significant public interest, he said. "The court, and the public, need some knowledge of what the underlying facts are," wrote Rakoff. "For otherwise, the court becomes a mere handmaiden to a settlement privately negotiated on the basis of unknown facts, while the public is prevented from ever knowing the truth in a matter of obvious importance."
In wording that sounds like it was written for those Occupy Wall Street protesters decrying the nation's big banks and their outsized influenced, Rakoff wrote: "In any case like this that touches on the transparency of financial markets whose gyrations have so depressed our economy and debilitated our lives, there is an overriding public interest in knowing the truth. ... The SEC, of all agencies, has a duty, inherent in its statutory mission, to see that the truth emerges; and if it fails to do so, this Court must not."
The ruling "is precedent setting," said a prominent securities lawyer who has represented investors in class-actions suits against financial institutions and is familiar with the decision.
The SEC often settles with large financial institutions without requiring an admission of guilt. And it's extremely rare for a judge to throw out a settlement -- though Judge Rakoff did once previously, in 2009, when he ruled that Bank of America and Merrill Lynch had "effectively lied to their shareholders" when the two firms paid out $3.6 billion in executive bonuses shortly before the bank acquired Merrill and after the bank had accepted billions of dollars in federal bailout funds.
"The way the SEC has always proceeded is a slap on the wrist and a cost of doing business, and all these big banks know it," the securities lawyer said. "If they get in trouble with the SEC, they know they can buy their way out of it without admitting anything. Ninety-nine out of 100 judges go along with it because it is the machine that greases the wheels."
Israel's Worsening Security Dilemma
Jogging along the Mediterranean coast in Tel Aviv or on Horev Street in Haifa one sees the love Israelis have for their children. Observing a father holding his daughter on his shoulders on the way to school or a mother giggling with her baby girl at a falafel stand reminds me of the fragile nature of these idyllic family scenes. At any moment the peace can be shattered. One has only to visit Israel's border with Lebanon to realize that on the other side are Hezbollah fighters armed with rockets, determined to wipe Israel off the map.
The day I arrived in Israel on a recent trip, the 1000-to-one swap of Hamas terrorists for Gilad Shalit was front page news. While celebrations at Meron, the Shalits' home, took center stage, the security and military leaders of Israel continued to look at a worsening security dilemma for Israel. The country is essentially facing two critical -- and opposing -- timelines. In one the Islamic Republic of Iran acquires the nuclear bomb. In the other, freedom and democracy take root in Iran. Which will it be?
Israel is not alone in its security dilemma. For the Arab states of the Persian Gulf a nuclear Iran could signal the beginning of a policy of blackmail by Tehran and a further weakening of stability in the region. However, the threat to Israel is much more profound. A clerical regime armed with a nuclear bomb poses an existential threat.
The Ayatollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic, made his contempt for Jews clear in all his writings: "From the very beginning, the historical movement of Islam has had to contend with the Jews, for it was they who first established anti-Islamic propaganda... they are wretched people who wish to establish Jewish domination throughout the world." It should therefore come as no surprise that the heirs to Khomeini's legacy call for wiping Israel off the map. They invoke a nuclear-armed Iran as the "beginning of the end of the Zionist state."
The day I arrived in Israel on a recent trip, the 1000-to-one swap of Hamas terrorists for Gilad Shalit was front page news. While celebrations at Meron, the Shalits' home, took center stage, the security and military leaders of Israel continued to look at a worsening security dilemma for Israel. The country is essentially facing two critical -- and opposing -- timelines. In one the Islamic Republic of Iran acquires the nuclear bomb. In the other, freedom and democracy take root in Iran. Which will it be?
Israel is not alone in its security dilemma. For the Arab states of the Persian Gulf a nuclear Iran could signal the beginning of a policy of blackmail by Tehran and a further weakening of stability in the region. However, the threat to Israel is much more profound. A clerical regime armed with a nuclear bomb poses an existential threat.
The Ayatollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic, made his contempt for Jews clear in all his writings: "From the very beginning, the historical movement of Islam has had to contend with the Jews, for it was they who first established anti-Islamic propaganda... they are wretched people who wish to establish Jewish domination throughout the world." It should therefore come as no surprise that the heirs to Khomeini's legacy call for wiping Israel off the map. They invoke a nuclear-armed Iran as the "beginning of the end of the Zionist state."
2011年11月21日星期一
Romney picks up important New Hampshire endorsement
LITTLETON, New Hampshire (Reuters) - Republican Mitt Romney, looking to close the deal in the early primary state of New Hampshire, picked up an important endorsement on Sunday from U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte.
Ayotte was elected in 2010 from New Hampshire as part of big Republican gains in Congress, and is the top Republican elected official in the state. Her campaign had support from, among others, former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
Romney has won nearly every major Republican endorsement in New Hampshire so far, and has led in Republican polls in the state by a wide margin for almost two years.
On Friday, though, a survey by Magellan Strategies showed former House Speaker Newt Gingrich drawing within two percentage points of Romney.
New Hampshire holds its 2012 Republican primary election on January 10. The vote is regarded as one that Romney must not just win, but win convincingly.
The former Massachusetts governor has stepped up his campaigning in the state, where he owns a house. On Sunday he and Ayotte appeared at a rally in Nashua, her home town.
Ayotte was one of Palin's "Mama Grizzlies" in 2010, and is a former state attorney general.
In a statement, Ayotte cited Romney's experience as a businessman and governor, and his "excellent presidential debate performances" in her decision to endorse him.
Romney has also been endorsed by major New Hampshire figures like former Republican governor John Sununu and former U.S. Senator Judd Gregg.
Ayotte was elected in 2010 from New Hampshire as part of big Republican gains in Congress, and is the top Republican elected official in the state. Her campaign had support from, among others, former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
Romney has won nearly every major Republican endorsement in New Hampshire so far, and has led in Republican polls in the state by a wide margin for almost two years.
On Friday, though, a survey by Magellan Strategies showed former House Speaker Newt Gingrich drawing within two percentage points of Romney.
New Hampshire holds its 2012 Republican primary election on January 10. The vote is regarded as one that Romney must not just win, but win convincingly.
The former Massachusetts governor has stepped up his campaigning in the state, where he owns a house. On Sunday he and Ayotte appeared at a rally in Nashua, her home town.
Ayotte was one of Palin's "Mama Grizzlies" in 2010, and is a former state attorney general.
In a statement, Ayotte cited Romney's experience as a businessman and governor, and his "excellent presidential debate performances" in her decision to endorse him.
Romney has also been endorsed by major New Hampshire figures like former Republican governor John Sununu and former U.S. Senator Judd Gregg.
Help Wanted USA: Hiring hotspots emerge, but mobility an issue
NEW YORK (Reuters) - It's not like the people in Fort Wayne, Indiana aren't sympathetic with America's unemployed. It's just that they're not seeing as many of them as the rest of us.
While most of the country is saddled with stubbornly high unemployment, numerous new construction projects and thousands of new jobs have made this Midwestern city of nearly 250,000 a pocket of relative prosperity.
"We've gotten not only a lot of jobs, but a lot of good-paying jobs," says Andi Udris, president of the Fort Wayne-Allen County Economic Development Alliance, "Sometimes you get lucky."
Fort Wayne added 8,000 jobs in the past year, almost half of the 18,000 it lost during the recession, including many in manufacturing. Its jobless rate has dropped by 1.3 percentage points to 8.1 percent.
That all helped to propel it to the top of the Fiscal Times' 10 Best Places to Find a Job list.
And it's not alone. There are other places with help wanted signs offering jobs with high wages. They're places like Wichita, Kansas; Worcester, Massachusetts and Twin Falls, Idaho.
That's particularly good news for the 5.9 million long-term unemployed Americans (those out of work for at least 27 weeks and still actively looking for a job), many of whom may soon lose their unemployment benefits.
Almost a third of the nation's 13.9 million unemployed haven't worked in at least a year, and nearly half are no longer receiving unemployment checks. That number could increase if Congress doesn't extend before year-end the emergency unemployment benefits of up to 99 weeks in the hardest-hit states.
Fortunately for them, hiring has been creeping up. Private-sector employment increased nationally by 104,000 in October and the U.S. jobless rate crept down to 9 percent from 9.1 percent in September.
"I think we're getting a little bit of hiring. The firing has stopped and the net is giving us a small amount of job creation," says Alan Levenson, chief economist at T. Rowe Price.
Much of the hiring has been in places like North Dakota and Iowa and in industries that support energy and agriculture, said Bob Lerman, an economist at the Urban Institute and a professor at American University.
"What we're missing from other business cycles is residential and other construction," he says. "That normally picks up when interest rates go down."
This time the extent of the housing bust has prevented that.
The new jobs are coming to Worcester, Massachusetts, where unemployment has slipped to 7.7 percent, thanks to additional employment at local colleges, hospitals, financial firms and manufacturers.
"We don't necessarily hit home runs," says David Forsberg, president of Worcester Business Development Corp. (WBDC) referring to getting a big company to relocate to the city. "But we have done very well at expanding the base."
In Fort Wayne, homegrown ventures like Vera Bradley hired more than 800 employees this year. Known for its colorful handbags and preppy accessories, the company, which was founded in 1982, has been growing sales at a strong pace.
While most of the country is saddled with stubbornly high unemployment, numerous new construction projects and thousands of new jobs have made this Midwestern city of nearly 250,000 a pocket of relative prosperity.
"We've gotten not only a lot of jobs, but a lot of good-paying jobs," says Andi Udris, president of the Fort Wayne-Allen County Economic Development Alliance, "Sometimes you get lucky."
Fort Wayne added 8,000 jobs in the past year, almost half of the 18,000 it lost during the recession, including many in manufacturing. Its jobless rate has dropped by 1.3 percentage points to 8.1 percent.
That all helped to propel it to the top of the Fiscal Times' 10 Best Places to Find a Job list.
And it's not alone. There are other places with help wanted signs offering jobs with high wages. They're places like Wichita, Kansas; Worcester, Massachusetts and Twin Falls, Idaho.
That's particularly good news for the 5.9 million long-term unemployed Americans (those out of work for at least 27 weeks and still actively looking for a job), many of whom may soon lose their unemployment benefits.
Almost a third of the nation's 13.9 million unemployed haven't worked in at least a year, and nearly half are no longer receiving unemployment checks. That number could increase if Congress doesn't extend before year-end the emergency unemployment benefits of up to 99 weeks in the hardest-hit states.
Fortunately for them, hiring has been creeping up. Private-sector employment increased nationally by 104,000 in October and the U.S. jobless rate crept down to 9 percent from 9.1 percent in September.
"I think we're getting a little bit of hiring. The firing has stopped and the net is giving us a small amount of job creation," says Alan Levenson, chief economist at T. Rowe Price.
Much of the hiring has been in places like North Dakota and Iowa and in industries that support energy and agriculture, said Bob Lerman, an economist at the Urban Institute and a professor at American University.
"What we're missing from other business cycles is residential and other construction," he says. "That normally picks up when interest rates go down."
This time the extent of the housing bust has prevented that.
The new jobs are coming to Worcester, Massachusetts, where unemployment has slipped to 7.7 percent, thanks to additional employment at local colleges, hospitals, financial firms and manufacturers.
"We don't necessarily hit home runs," says David Forsberg, president of Worcester Business Development Corp. (WBDC) referring to getting a big company to relocate to the city. "But we have done very well at expanding the base."
In Fort Wayne, homegrown ventures like Vera Bradley hired more than 800 employees this year. Known for its colorful handbags and preppy accessories, the company, which was founded in 1982, has been growing sales at a strong pace.
Accused White House shooter to have mental exam
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An accused White House shooter, who allegedly called President Barack Obama the "devil" and "anti-Christ," was ordered on Monday to undergo a mental exam to determine his competency to face charges of attempting to kill the president.
Obama and his wife, Michelle, were in California at the time of the alleged shooting the night of November 11, and no one was hurt. The Secret Service said one bullet broke a White House window but was stopped by protective ballistic glass, and another one struck the building's exterior.
At a hearing, federal magistrate judge Alan Kay granted a request by prosecutors for a mental screening for the defendant, Oscar Ortega-Hernandez, 21, of Idaho Falls, Idaho.
Kay said he wanted to make sure the defendant, who attended the brief hearing, understood the charges against him and could assist his lawyers in his defense. The brief screening will be done by a psychologist or other appropriate expert, he said.
The defendant, who was arrested on Wednesday at a hotel near Indiana, Pennsylvania, was moved to Washington after a court hearing last week in Pittsburgh.
Ortega-Hernandez only spoke once to the judge. "No, I do not," he said when Kay asked if he any money to hire his own lawyers. Representing him now are assistant public defenders.
The judge ordered that Ortega-Hernandez, who faces up to life in prison if convicted of attempting to assassinate Obama, remain in jail and set the next hearing for November 28.
Kay said prosecutors made a sufficient showing that the case should go forward and he rejected a defense request to dismiss the charges because of a lack of evidence.
According to an FBI affidavit, an unidentified witness in Idaho who knows Ortega-Hernandez told authorities the defendant wanted to hurt Obama and referred to him as "the anti-Christ."
Another witness in Idaho told authorities Ortega-Hernandez "was very specific that Obama was the problem with the government" and called him "the devil," the affidavit said.
Obama and his wife, Michelle, were in California at the time of the alleged shooting the night of November 11, and no one was hurt. The Secret Service said one bullet broke a White House window but was stopped by protective ballistic glass, and another one struck the building's exterior.
At a hearing, federal magistrate judge Alan Kay granted a request by prosecutors for a mental screening for the defendant, Oscar Ortega-Hernandez, 21, of Idaho Falls, Idaho.
Kay said he wanted to make sure the defendant, who attended the brief hearing, understood the charges against him and could assist his lawyers in his defense. The brief screening will be done by a psychologist or other appropriate expert, he said.
The defendant, who was arrested on Wednesday at a hotel near Indiana, Pennsylvania, was moved to Washington after a court hearing last week in Pittsburgh.
Ortega-Hernandez only spoke once to the judge. "No, I do not," he said when Kay asked if he any money to hire his own lawyers. Representing him now are assistant public defenders.
The judge ordered that Ortega-Hernandez, who faces up to life in prison if convicted of attempting to assassinate Obama, remain in jail and set the next hearing for November 28.
Kay said prosecutors made a sufficient showing that the case should go forward and he rejected a defense request to dismiss the charges because of a lack of evidence.
According to an FBI affidavit, an unidentified witness in Idaho who knows Ortega-Hernandez told authorities the defendant wanted to hurt Obama and referred to him as "the anti-Christ."
Another witness in Idaho told authorities Ortega-Hernandez "was very specific that Obama was the problem with the government" and called him "the devil," the affidavit said.
2011年11月7日星期一
Jackson doctor convicted in star's drug death
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Michael Jackson's doctor was convicted Monday of involuntary manslaughter in the pop star's death for supplying an insomnia-plagued Jackson with a powerful operating-room anesthetic to help him sleep as he rehearsed for his big comeback.
Dr. Conrad Murray sat stone-faced, his chin held high, as he heard the verdict that could send him to prison for up to four years and cost him his license to practice medicine. He was handcuffed and immediately led off to jail without bail to await sentencing Nov. 29.
The verdict marked the latest chapter in one of pop culture's most shocking tragedies — the 2009 drug-overdose death of the King of Pop at age 50 as he was about to mount a series of heavily promoted concerts in London that he hoped would turn his career around after a slide prompted by child-molestation allegations and years of bizarre behavior.
A shriek broke the silence in the packed courtroom when the jury's decision was read, and the crowd outside the courthouse erupted in cheers. Jubilant Jackson fans sang "Beat It" and held signs that read "Guilty" and "Killer." Drivers honked their horns.
Members of Jackson's family wept, and his mother, Katherine Jackson, said, "I feel better now." His sister La Toya said she was overjoyed and added: "Michael was looking over us."
Members of the jury were escorted from the building and not available for comment.
Defense attorney Ed Chernoff said later in the day the verdict was a disappointment and would be appealed. Asked how Murray took the verdict, Chernoff said, "he's a pretty strong guy."
Regarding Murray's future, he said, "the keys to his handcuffs belong to the judge. We certainly would like to do anything we can to keep him from going to prison."
The jury deliberated less than nine hours after a six-week trial that depicted Jackson as a tormented genius on the brink of what might have been his greatest triumph but for one impediment — extreme insomnia.
Jackson's death marked the end of an incredible rise to fame from his humble beginnings in Gary, Ind. The tiny powerhouse singer and dancer with the magnetic smile enchanted audiences and elevated the Jackson Five to the top of the pop music world.
As a solo adult act, the self-anointed King of Pop sold out concerts and topped the recording charts with albums such as 1982's "Thriller," which remains the biggest-selling album of all time, with more than 100 million copies sold worldwide.
His public life, however, eventually became a surreal depiction of the toll of celebrity. He went on wild spending sprees, married and divorced Lisa Marie Presley and Debbie Rowe, and had three children who were kept disguised in masks because he feared their kidnapping.
When he was tried and acquitted of child molestation in 2005, Jackson appeared to fall apart, moving to the Middle East and other countries in search of a new life.
The comeback concerts in London were his chance for redemption. Mindful of the physical requirements, he hired Murray as his private doctor.
Dr. Conrad Murray sat stone-faced, his chin held high, as he heard the verdict that could send him to prison for up to four years and cost him his license to practice medicine. He was handcuffed and immediately led off to jail without bail to await sentencing Nov. 29.
The verdict marked the latest chapter in one of pop culture's most shocking tragedies — the 2009 drug-overdose death of the King of Pop at age 50 as he was about to mount a series of heavily promoted concerts in London that he hoped would turn his career around after a slide prompted by child-molestation allegations and years of bizarre behavior.
A shriek broke the silence in the packed courtroom when the jury's decision was read, and the crowd outside the courthouse erupted in cheers. Jubilant Jackson fans sang "Beat It" and held signs that read "Guilty" and "Killer." Drivers honked their horns.
Members of Jackson's family wept, and his mother, Katherine Jackson, said, "I feel better now." His sister La Toya said she was overjoyed and added: "Michael was looking over us."
Members of the jury were escorted from the building and not available for comment.
Defense attorney Ed Chernoff said later in the day the verdict was a disappointment and would be appealed. Asked how Murray took the verdict, Chernoff said, "he's a pretty strong guy."
Regarding Murray's future, he said, "the keys to his handcuffs belong to the judge. We certainly would like to do anything we can to keep him from going to prison."
The jury deliberated less than nine hours after a six-week trial that depicted Jackson as a tormented genius on the brink of what might have been his greatest triumph but for one impediment — extreme insomnia.
Jackson's death marked the end of an incredible rise to fame from his humble beginnings in Gary, Ind. The tiny powerhouse singer and dancer with the magnetic smile enchanted audiences and elevated the Jackson Five to the top of the pop music world.
As a solo adult act, the self-anointed King of Pop sold out concerts and topped the recording charts with albums such as 1982's "Thriller," which remains the biggest-selling album of all time, with more than 100 million copies sold worldwide.
His public life, however, eventually became a surreal depiction of the toll of celebrity. He went on wild spending sprees, married and divorced Lisa Marie Presley and Debbie Rowe, and had three children who were kept disguised in masks because he feared their kidnapping.
When he was tried and acquitted of child molestation in 2005, Jackson appeared to fall apart, moving to the Middle East and other countries in search of a new life.
The comeback concerts in London were his chance for redemption. Mindful of the physical requirements, he hired Murray as his private doctor.
Voters to choose 2 governors, decide ballot issues
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Votes on immigration, union rights and President Obama's health care law could hold hints of the American public's mindset, four years into an economic downturn and one year from the presidential election.
Tuesday's elections also include governors' races in Mississippi and Kentucky that will point to political prospects for 2012, when an additional 10 governorships will be contested. In both states, the governors' offices are expected to stay in the hands of incumbent parties, perhaps indicating that voters aren't ready to abandon their loyalties.
But regardless of the ballot questions and key political races, most experts agree the most important factor in 2012 remains the stubbornly weak economy.
"If the economy were to turn around in the next year, that's going to matter a lot more than what happens in ballot issues," said political analyst Justin Buchler.
Lawmakers have tried to tie other issues, such as public employees' union rights, to their states' economic struggles.
In battleground Ohio, voters will decide whether to repeal a law severely limiting the collective bargaining rights of more than 350,000 teachers, firefighters, police officers and other public employees, and whether to prohibit people from being required to buy health insurance as part of the national health care overhaul.
A vote against the health care law would be mostly symbolic, but Republican opponents of the measure hope to use the vote as part of a legal challenge.
Recent polls suggest voters are leaning toward rejection of the collective bargaining law, but the final tally could be close. If approved, it would permit workers to negotiate on wages but not on pensions or health care benefits. It also bans public-worker strikes, scraps binding arbitration and eliminates annual pay raises for teachers.
The vote will be a referendum on both Republican backers and GOP Gov. John Kasich, who pushed strongly for the legislation. The outcome will also be closely watched by presidential candidates as a gauge of the Ohio electorate, which is seen as a bellwether.
No Republican has won the White House without Ohio, and only two Democrats did so in more than a century.
The governors' races will be closely watched by both parties, since governors can marshal resources and get-out-the-vote efforts crucial to any White House candidate.
In Mississippi, Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant appears poised to keep the governor's mansion in GOP hands, succeeding Haley Barbour, who toyed briefly with a run for president. Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny Dupree is the first black major-party nominee for governor in Mississippi, but an upset win for him isn't in the cards.
In Kentucky, Democratic incumbent Gov. Steve Beshear is waltzing to re-election despite high unemployment, budget shortfalls and an onslaught of third-party attack ads.
Tuesday's election comes just weeks after two other governors' races. Republican Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal won 66 percent of the vote last month in the state's open primary, more than enough to avoid a recount. And in West Virginia, Democrat Earl Ray Tomblin narrowly beat Republican Bill Maloney in a special election.
Political analyst Alan Rosenthal says voters are so polarized today — with fewer crossing party lines — that choosing a candidate is a better indication of the public's mood than deciding a ballot question.
Picking sides on a referendum may reinforce party loyalty, but "it's not going to be as clear as when you're voting for a candidate," said Rosenthal, a Rutgers University professor.
Social issues are also on the ballot. In Mississippi, one referendum asks whether the state should define life as beginning at conception. The measure stands a decent chance of becoming the first victory in the country for the so-called personhood movement, which aims to make abortion all but illegal.
Similar attempts have failed in Colorado and are under way elsewhere.
Also in Mississippi, a proposed constitutional amendment would prohibit the government from taking private property by eminent domain and transferring it to other people.
In Arizona, Republican state Sen. Russell Pearce, architect of the immigration law that thrust the issue into the national political debate, faces a recall that could throw him out of office. The Republican attempting to defeat him has made immigration a constant theme, but Pearce has a 3-to-1 fundraising advantage.
Other votes of note:
— In Kentucky, comic-turned-politician Robert Farmer upset local residents with some hillbilly jokes, but he could ride name recognition to a new job as agricultural commissioner. In Ohio, politically incorrect comedian Drew Hastings, a "Comedy Central" fixture, is running for mayor of tiny Hillsboro.
— In Maine, voters will decide whether to repeal a new state law that requires voters to register at least two days before an election. A repeal would effectively restore Election Day voter registration, which had been available for nearly four decades. Maine has two other ballot questions asking residents whether they want to allow casinos in specific communities.
— New Jersey voters are being asked whether to legalize sports betting in a measure polls indicate will likely pass. But it won't change much since New Jersey is among the vast majority of states subject to a federal ban on sports betting.
— In Philadelphia, Democratic incumbent Michael Nutter is expected to win easy re-election.
— In Washington state, voters decide whether to end the state-run liquor system and allow large stores to sell liquor. The effort has been bankrolled by giant retailer Costco, which spent more than $22 million to make it the costliest initiative in Washington history.
— Oregon, the first state to let residents vote by mail, is pioneering another voting option: casting ballots by iPad. Election workers are taking iPads and printers to the homes of voters with certain disabilities — poor vision, for example — ahead of Tuesday to let them vote and print out ballots that are ready to be mailed.
Oregon also holds a special primary to replace Democratic Rep. David Wu, who resigned his seat in August after a newspaper published allegations that he had an unwanted sexual encounter with an 18-year-old woman. Wu was the fourth member of Congress to quit this year in the wake of a sex scandal.
— In Seattle, even voters in this liberal bastion appear unlikely to support an increase in license plate fees to plug budget gaps.
— In San Francisco, voters are deciding pension-reform measures designed to save the city money billions of dollars.
Tuesday's elections also include governors' races in Mississippi and Kentucky that will point to political prospects for 2012, when an additional 10 governorships will be contested. In both states, the governors' offices are expected to stay in the hands of incumbent parties, perhaps indicating that voters aren't ready to abandon their loyalties.
But regardless of the ballot questions and key political races, most experts agree the most important factor in 2012 remains the stubbornly weak economy.
"If the economy were to turn around in the next year, that's going to matter a lot more than what happens in ballot issues," said political analyst Justin Buchler.
Lawmakers have tried to tie other issues, such as public employees' union rights, to their states' economic struggles.
In battleground Ohio, voters will decide whether to repeal a law severely limiting the collective bargaining rights of more than 350,000 teachers, firefighters, police officers and other public employees, and whether to prohibit people from being required to buy health insurance as part of the national health care overhaul.
A vote against the health care law would be mostly symbolic, but Republican opponents of the measure hope to use the vote as part of a legal challenge.
Recent polls suggest voters are leaning toward rejection of the collective bargaining law, but the final tally could be close. If approved, it would permit workers to negotiate on wages but not on pensions or health care benefits. It also bans public-worker strikes, scraps binding arbitration and eliminates annual pay raises for teachers.
The vote will be a referendum on both Republican backers and GOP Gov. John Kasich, who pushed strongly for the legislation. The outcome will also be closely watched by presidential candidates as a gauge of the Ohio electorate, which is seen as a bellwether.
No Republican has won the White House without Ohio, and only two Democrats did so in more than a century.
The governors' races will be closely watched by both parties, since governors can marshal resources and get-out-the-vote efforts crucial to any White House candidate.
In Mississippi, Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant appears poised to keep the governor's mansion in GOP hands, succeeding Haley Barbour, who toyed briefly with a run for president. Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny Dupree is the first black major-party nominee for governor in Mississippi, but an upset win for him isn't in the cards.
In Kentucky, Democratic incumbent Gov. Steve Beshear is waltzing to re-election despite high unemployment, budget shortfalls and an onslaught of third-party attack ads.
Tuesday's election comes just weeks after two other governors' races. Republican Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal won 66 percent of the vote last month in the state's open primary, more than enough to avoid a recount. And in West Virginia, Democrat Earl Ray Tomblin narrowly beat Republican Bill Maloney in a special election.
Political analyst Alan Rosenthal says voters are so polarized today — with fewer crossing party lines — that choosing a candidate is a better indication of the public's mood than deciding a ballot question.
Picking sides on a referendum may reinforce party loyalty, but "it's not going to be as clear as when you're voting for a candidate," said Rosenthal, a Rutgers University professor.
Social issues are also on the ballot. In Mississippi, one referendum asks whether the state should define life as beginning at conception. The measure stands a decent chance of becoming the first victory in the country for the so-called personhood movement, which aims to make abortion all but illegal.
Similar attempts have failed in Colorado and are under way elsewhere.
Also in Mississippi, a proposed constitutional amendment would prohibit the government from taking private property by eminent domain and transferring it to other people.
In Arizona, Republican state Sen. Russell Pearce, architect of the immigration law that thrust the issue into the national political debate, faces a recall that could throw him out of office. The Republican attempting to defeat him has made immigration a constant theme, but Pearce has a 3-to-1 fundraising advantage.
Other votes of note:
— In Kentucky, comic-turned-politician Robert Farmer upset local residents with some hillbilly jokes, but he could ride name recognition to a new job as agricultural commissioner. In Ohio, politically incorrect comedian Drew Hastings, a "Comedy Central" fixture, is running for mayor of tiny Hillsboro.
— In Maine, voters will decide whether to repeal a new state law that requires voters to register at least two days before an election. A repeal would effectively restore Election Day voter registration, which had been available for nearly four decades. Maine has two other ballot questions asking residents whether they want to allow casinos in specific communities.
— New Jersey voters are being asked whether to legalize sports betting in a measure polls indicate will likely pass. But it won't change much since New Jersey is among the vast majority of states subject to a federal ban on sports betting.
— In Philadelphia, Democratic incumbent Michael Nutter is expected to win easy re-election.
— In Washington state, voters decide whether to end the state-run liquor system and allow large stores to sell liquor. The effort has been bankrolled by giant retailer Costco, which spent more than $22 million to make it the costliest initiative in Washington history.
— Oregon, the first state to let residents vote by mail, is pioneering another voting option: casting ballots by iPad. Election workers are taking iPads and printers to the homes of voters with certain disabilities — poor vision, for example — ahead of Tuesday to let them vote and print out ballots that are ready to be mailed.
Oregon also holds a special primary to replace Democratic Rep. David Wu, who resigned his seat in August after a newspaper published allegations that he had an unwanted sexual encounter with an 18-year-old woman. Wu was the fourth member of Congress to quit this year in the wake of a sex scandal.
— In Seattle, even voters in this liberal bastion appear unlikely to support an increase in license plate fees to plug budget gaps.
— In San Francisco, voters are deciding pension-reform measures designed to save the city money billions of dollars.
Defiant Carlos the Jackal on trial in France
PARIS (AP) — A defiant and smiling Carlos the Jackal, one of the most dreaded terror masterminds of the Cold War, has gone on trial again — this time over four deadly attacks in France nearly three decades ago.
The 62-year-old Venezuelan, whose real name is Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, went before a special Paris court on terrorism-linked charges Monday. He is already serving a life sentence handed down for a triple murder in 1975.Ramirez, who sowed fear across Western European and Middle Eastern capitals during the Cold War, is charged with instigating four attacks in 1982 and 1983 that killed 11 people and injured more than 140 others in France.
He has denied any role in the attacks. The trial is expected to last six weeks, and if convicted, Ramirez could face a second life sentence — the top penalty in France, which does not have the death penalty.
Wearing a blue jacket, graying beard and wavy hair brushed back, Ramirez smiled as he entered and then identified himself to the court as "a professional revolutionary" — striking a combative pose from the outset.
With three gendarmes at his side and dark sunglasses in his hands, Ramirez variously raised a fist in defiance, weaved in anti-Zionist rhetoric into his diatribes and smiled to the gallery that included controversial French comic Dieudonne.
"He's in a fighting mood as always," Isabelle Coutant-Peyre, Ramirez's lawyer and amorous partner, told reporters outside the courtroom before the trial began. She said there was "no reason" for the trial nearly 30 years after the events, and accused French prosecutors of putting him on trial for "propaganda or some other interests rather than the ones of justice."
But Francis Szpiner, the lawyer for some civil parties to the case, countered that the trial was important to show that terrorists will always be pursued and to mark "the end of the culture of impunity" for them.
The trial centers on four bombings: Two against French trains, another at a Paris office of an Arabic-language newspaper and yet another at a French cultural center in then-West Berlin.Those bombings came at least seven years after what French investigators consider was Ramirez's first heyday — eight attacks over two years starting in December 1973.
Ramirez is serving a life sentence for the 1975 murders of two French secret agents and an alleged informer. He was also the chief suspect in the 1975 hostage-taking of OPEC oil ministers that left three people dead.
French prosecutors claim two attacks in 1982 were carried out to pressure the government to free his girlfriend Magdalena Kopp — with whom he later married and had a daughter — and comrade Bruno Breguet.
Five people were killed in the March 1982 bombing of a Toulouse-Paris train — four five days after a deadline for the release of Kopp and Breguet sent in a letter to France's Embassy in the Netherlands. The letter allegedly contained two fingerprints of Ramirez.Scores were injured and a young girl was killed the next month in a bombing outside the newspaper office — the day Kopp and Breguet went on trial in another case. Both were convicted.
In Venezuela, President Hugo Chavez said Monday that his government will insist that Ramirez's rights be respected during his trial in France.
Chavez has previously praised Ramirez as a "revolutionary fighter" and has said he doesn't view him as a terrorist.
"We cannot allow any Venezuelan, accused of anything, to be abused in any part of the world," Chavez told reporters at the presidential palace. "We have a responsibility and we are obliged to uphold it."
Chavez said he has instructed Venezuela's foreign minister, Nicolas Maduro, to contact Ramirez and his lawyers to discuss the case.
Chavez spoke shortly after dozens of Ramirez's supporters protested in a Caracas plaza, chanting: "He's not a terrorist! He's a communist!"
The demonstrators, including Venezuelan Communist Party activists, held signs reading "Freedom for Carlos" and "Repatriation for Carlos."
Ramirez's younger brother Vladimir Ramirez led the protest, saying he doesn't expect a fair trial. He urged Chavez's government to intervene and demand that Ramirez's rights be respected.
"A trial isn't beginning today," he told the crowd. "It's simply an official ceremony to finally slap Ilich with 30 more years of prison ... and condemn him to die imprisoned."
Ramirez allegedly took hijackings, bombings and killings in mercenary style, with links for years to causes like the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and in far-left European terror groups during the latter post-World War II years of political, military and economic tensions between the communist and Western worlds.
Safe havens grew scarce and allies turned dubious for Ramirez once the world was upended by the fall of communism in 1989. French secret agents snatched him from his refuge in Khartoum, Sudan, on Aug. 14, 1994, and spirited him to Paris in a sack.
He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison three years later.
Ramirez's detention has been anything but ordinary. While in prison in 2001, he married Coutant-Peyre in an Islamic ceremony. He was also placed in solitary confinement last month after conducting an unauthorized interview with two French news outlets.
His lawyers claim he was denied access to materials needed to prepare for the trial, including two DVDS containing 100,000 pages.
To make its case, the prosecution dug deep into the secret service archives of former communist countries where Carlos enjoyed safe havens during the Cold War, notably East Germany and Hungary.
Along with Ramirez, three alleged accomplices were being tried in absentia: Palestinian Kamal Al-Issawi and Germans Christa-Margot Frohlich and Johannes Weinrich, said to head the European operations of Ramirez and a former member of Germany's violent far-left Red Army Faction.
Weinrich is behind bars in Germany, Frohlich remains at large, and Al-Issawi's whereabouts are unknown to French authorities, who say he dropped off their radar in 2001.
Ramirez, who suffers from Type 2 diabetes, told Europe-1 radio that he misses the family life he said he sacrificed during his years globe-hopping as a freelance terrorist in Middle Eastern and European capitals.
Some allies and ideological brothers met their demise this year. Years ago, Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi funded militant movements like that of Carlos The Jackal — in an interview published last month in France's Liberation newspaper, Ramirez praised Osama Bin Laden as a martyr who served as an "example ... for authentic resisters against imperialism."
2011年11月2日星期三
Yahoo eyes minority stake sale, recap: sources
"SAN FRANCISCO/NEW YORK (Reuters) — Yahoo Inc is contemplating the sale of a minority stake to a private equity firm followed by a large share repurchase, in a bid to buy time to turn around the Internet company, people familiar with the matter said.
The once-dominant Internet pioneer has seen its share of the U.S. Internet search market fall while Google Inc maintains its lead and Microsoft Corp continues to expand there. Yahoo's U.S. display ad impressions have also been on the decline.
Under such a plan — one of many options being considered by the board — a private equity firm would take a stake in Yahoo of around 20 percent, and ally itself with Yahoo co-founders Jerry Yang and David Filo, who together own another 9.5 percent of the company, these people said.
Keeping the private equity firm's initial investment below 20 percent would allow Yahoo to avoid putting the proposal up for a shareholder vote, two of the sources said.
The private equity firm and the two co-founders would then increase their combined stake to around 40 percent to 45 percent through a large share buyback that would reduce the number of Yahoo shares outstanding. Yahoo would finance the buyback through borrowing.
Such a deal would effectively give the two co-founders and the new investor control of Yahoo, providing them more time to fix the business without having to sell parts or all of the company, these sources said.
Under the plan, Yahoo would also get more time to seek out partnerships with social media companies like Facebook, Twitter and Yelp or move into mobile, the second source said.
Other sources told Reuters previously that Yang is interested in a deal with private equity firms that would take the company off public markets.
Representatives for Yahoo declined to comment."
The once-dominant Internet pioneer has seen its share of the U.S. Internet search market fall while Google Inc maintains its lead and Microsoft Corp continues to expand there. Yahoo's U.S. display ad impressions have also been on the decline.
Under such a plan — one of many options being considered by the board — a private equity firm would take a stake in Yahoo of around 20 percent, and ally itself with Yahoo co-founders Jerry Yang and David Filo, who together own another 9.5 percent of the company, these people said.
Keeping the private equity firm's initial investment below 20 percent would allow Yahoo to avoid putting the proposal up for a shareholder vote, two of the sources said.
The private equity firm and the two co-founders would then increase their combined stake to around 40 percent to 45 percent through a large share buyback that would reduce the number of Yahoo shares outstanding. Yahoo would finance the buyback through borrowing.
Such a deal would effectively give the two co-founders and the new investor control of Yahoo, providing them more time to fix the business without having to sell parts or all of the company, these sources said.
Under the plan, Yahoo would also get more time to seek out partnerships with social media companies like Facebook, Twitter and Yelp or move into mobile, the second source said.
Other sources told Reuters previously that Yang is interested in a deal with private equity firms that would take the company off public markets.
Representatives for Yahoo declined to comment."
Private sector adds jobs, slow growth seen
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Private employers added more jobs than expected last month, though the lack of robust labor market growth reinforced the Federal Reserve's view that economic progress will likely be "frustratingly slow."
While the central bank nodded to stronger economic growth in the third quarter, the Fed also cut its forecast for growth and raised its predictions for unemployment.
The gloomier unemployment view came ahead of Friday's key nonfarm payrolls report and after data on Wednesday showed the private sector added 110,000 jobs in October.
The ADP National Employment Report topped economists' expectations for a gain of 101,000 jobs. ADP also increased September's job additions to a gain of 116,000 from the previously reported 91,000.
"You're more or less treading water here, just enough to keep the unemployment rate steady," Scott Brown, chief economist at Raymond James in St. Petersburg, Florida, said of recent jobs data.
"We would really like to see stronger growth to get the unemployment rate down substantially, but the Fed is not expecting that to happen any time soon."
In its updated quarterly projections, the Fed said it expects the economy will expand by a tepid 2.5 percent to 2.9 percent next year, down from the 3.3 percent to 3.7 percent it had expected in June.
Officials saw the unemployment rate going no lower than 8.5 percent to 8.7 percent by the end of 2012, up from the 7.8 percent to 8.2 percent range seen in June.
Fears the U.S. economy could be heading for another recession have ebbed in recent months as growth accelerated in the third quarter after a weak first-half performance.
While the central bank nodded to stronger economic growth in the third quarter, the Fed also cut its forecast for growth and raised its predictions for unemployment.
The gloomier unemployment view came ahead of Friday's key nonfarm payrolls report and after data on Wednesday showed the private sector added 110,000 jobs in October.
The ADP National Employment Report topped economists' expectations for a gain of 101,000 jobs. ADP also increased September's job additions to a gain of 116,000 from the previously reported 91,000.
"You're more or less treading water here, just enough to keep the unemployment rate steady," Scott Brown, chief economist at Raymond James in St. Petersburg, Florida, said of recent jobs data.
"We would really like to see stronger growth to get the unemployment rate down substantially, but the Fed is not expecting that to happen any time soon."
In its updated quarterly projections, the Fed said it expects the economy will expand by a tepid 2.5 percent to 2.9 percent next year, down from the 3.3 percent to 3.7 percent it had expected in June.
Officials saw the unemployment rate going no lower than 8.5 percent to 8.7 percent by the end of 2012, up from the 7.8 percent to 8.2 percent range seen in June.
Fears the U.S. economy could be heading for another recession have ebbed in recent months as growth accelerated in the third quarter after a weak first-half performance.
Protests shut Oakland port, tensions flare in streets
OAKLAND, Calif (Reuters) - Protesters shut down operations at Oakland's port and blocked traffic on Wednesday in demonstrations against economic inequality and police brutality that turned tense as the night wore on.
The protest by some 5,000 people fell short of paralyzing the northern California city that was catapulted to the forefront of national anti-Wall Street protests after a former Marine was badly wounded during a march and rally last week.
But as evening fell, an official said maritime operations at the Oakland port, which handles about $39 billion a year in imports and exports, had been "effectively shut down".
"Maritime operations are effectively shut down at the Port of Oakland. Maritime area operations will resume when it is safe and secure to do so," the port said in a statement.
A port spokesman said officials hoped to reopen the facility on Thursday morning.
Protesters, who streamed across a freeway overpass to gather in front of the port gates, stood atop tractor-trailers stopped in the middle of the street.
Others climbed onto scaffolding over railroad tracks as a band played a version of the Led Zeppelin song "Whole Lotta Love," using amplifiers powered by stationary bike generators.
"The reason I'm here is, I'm sick and tired of trying to figure out where I should put my vote between the lesser of two evils," student Sarah Daniel, 28, said at the port.
The atmosphere turned tense after a protester was apparently struck by a car in downtown Oakland, and incorrect reports spread that the person had died. Acting Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan later said the pedestrian was taken to a local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
As the night wore on, small groups were seen in local TV images running through the streets, trying to start small fires or climbing on top of moving television news vans.
At one point, several people appeared to force open the driver's-side door of a news van, but after a few tense moments the door closed again and the van drove away safely.
The anti-Wall Street activists, who complain bitterly about a financial system they believe benefits mainly corporations and the wealthy, had aimed to disrupt commerce with a special focus on banks and other symbols of corporate America.
The demonstrations centered at Frank Ogawa Plaza adjacent to city hall, scene of a tug-of-war last week between police who cleared an Occupy Oakland encampment there and protesters who sought to return, and ultimately succeeded in doing so.
Protesters, prior to marching on the port, had also blocked the downtown intersection of 14th street and Broadway, where ex-Marine Scott Olsen was wounded during a clash with police on the night of October 25.
BANK WINDOWS SMASHED
Windows were smashed at several Oakland banks and a Whole Foods market, with pictures of the damage posted on Twitter.
Few uniformed police officers were spotted at the rallies, but Jordan said demonstrators would not be allowed to march beyond the gates of the port. He blamed the vandalism and unruliness on a small group he identified as anarchists.
Local labor leaders, while generally sympathetic to the protesters, said their contracts prohibited them from proclaiming an official strike.
Oakland Unified School District spokesman Troy Flint said more than 300 teachers had stayed home, most of those having made formal requests the night before.
"We did have to scramble a little bit to cover the extra absences," Flint said, adding that some classes were combined but no students were left unsupervised.
Other residents like Rebecca Leung, 33, who works at an architectural lighting sales company, went about their ordinary activities. Leung said she generally supported the protests.
"I don't really feel striking is necessary. I work for a small company, I don't work for Bank of America," she said.
The owner of a flower shop near the plaza protest site, meanwhile, said weeks of noisy rallies and ongoing encampment had only served to hurt his small business.
"Business has not been the same. Everything has gone downhill around here, the noise, the ambience and the customers," the man, who identified himself as Usoro, told Reuters. "I can't afford to close down."
It was the wounding of Olsen, a former Marine turned peace activist who suffered a serious head injury during protests last week, that seemed to galvanize protesters and broadened their complaints to include police brutality.
He remains in an Oakland hospital in fair condition.
Protest organizers say Olsen, 24, was struck by a tear gas canister fired by police. Jordan opened an investigation into the incident but has not said how he believes Olsen was hurt.
Elsewhere, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg told Wall Street protesters he would take action if circumstances warranted, saying that the encampments and demonstrations were "really hurting small businesses and families."
In downtown Seattle, about 300 rain-soaked protesters blocked the street outside the Sheraton hotel where Jamie Dimon, chief executive of the biggest U.S. bank, JPMorgan Chase & Co, was speaking at an event.
Earlier in the day, five protesters were arrested for trespassing after chaining themselves to fixtures inside a Chase bank branch, Seattle police said.
The protest by some 5,000 people fell short of paralyzing the northern California city that was catapulted to the forefront of national anti-Wall Street protests after a former Marine was badly wounded during a march and rally last week.
But as evening fell, an official said maritime operations at the Oakland port, which handles about $39 billion a year in imports and exports, had been "effectively shut down".
"Maritime operations are effectively shut down at the Port of Oakland. Maritime area operations will resume when it is safe and secure to do so," the port said in a statement.
A port spokesman said officials hoped to reopen the facility on Thursday morning.
Protesters, who streamed across a freeway overpass to gather in front of the port gates, stood atop tractor-trailers stopped in the middle of the street.
Others climbed onto scaffolding over railroad tracks as a band played a version of the Led Zeppelin song "Whole Lotta Love," using amplifiers powered by stationary bike generators.
"The reason I'm here is, I'm sick and tired of trying to figure out where I should put my vote between the lesser of two evils," student Sarah Daniel, 28, said at the port.
The atmosphere turned tense after a protester was apparently struck by a car in downtown Oakland, and incorrect reports spread that the person had died. Acting Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan later said the pedestrian was taken to a local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
As the night wore on, small groups were seen in local TV images running through the streets, trying to start small fires or climbing on top of moving television news vans.
At one point, several people appeared to force open the driver's-side door of a news van, but after a few tense moments the door closed again and the van drove away safely.
The anti-Wall Street activists, who complain bitterly about a financial system they believe benefits mainly corporations and the wealthy, had aimed to disrupt commerce with a special focus on banks and other symbols of corporate America.
The demonstrations centered at Frank Ogawa Plaza adjacent to city hall, scene of a tug-of-war last week between police who cleared an Occupy Oakland encampment there and protesters who sought to return, and ultimately succeeded in doing so.
Protesters, prior to marching on the port, had also blocked the downtown intersection of 14th street and Broadway, where ex-Marine Scott Olsen was wounded during a clash with police on the night of October 25.
BANK WINDOWS SMASHED
Windows were smashed at several Oakland banks and a Whole Foods market, with pictures of the damage posted on Twitter.
Few uniformed police officers were spotted at the rallies, but Jordan said demonstrators would not be allowed to march beyond the gates of the port. He blamed the vandalism and unruliness on a small group he identified as anarchists.
Local labor leaders, while generally sympathetic to the protesters, said their contracts prohibited them from proclaiming an official strike.
Oakland Unified School District spokesman Troy Flint said more than 300 teachers had stayed home, most of those having made formal requests the night before.
"We did have to scramble a little bit to cover the extra absences," Flint said, adding that some classes were combined but no students were left unsupervised.
Other residents like Rebecca Leung, 33, who works at an architectural lighting sales company, went about their ordinary activities. Leung said she generally supported the protests.
"I don't really feel striking is necessary. I work for a small company, I don't work for Bank of America," she said.
The owner of a flower shop near the plaza protest site, meanwhile, said weeks of noisy rallies and ongoing encampment had only served to hurt his small business.
"Business has not been the same. Everything has gone downhill around here, the noise, the ambience and the customers," the man, who identified himself as Usoro, told Reuters. "I can't afford to close down."
It was the wounding of Olsen, a former Marine turned peace activist who suffered a serious head injury during protests last week, that seemed to galvanize protesters and broadened their complaints to include police brutality.
He remains in an Oakland hospital in fair condition.
Protest organizers say Olsen, 24, was struck by a tear gas canister fired by police. Jordan opened an investigation into the incident but has not said how he believes Olsen was hurt.
Elsewhere, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg told Wall Street protesters he would take action if circumstances warranted, saying that the encampments and demonstrations were "really hurting small businesses and families."
In downtown Seattle, about 300 rain-soaked protesters blocked the street outside the Sheraton hotel where Jamie Dimon, chief executive of the biggest U.S. bank, JPMorgan Chase & Co, was speaking at an event.
Earlier in the day, five protesters were arrested for trespassing after chaining themselves to fixtures inside a Chase bank branch, Seattle police said.
2011年11月1日星期二
Microsoft axed Courier tablet in favor of 'Windows Everywhere' strategy - report
Software giant Microsoft scrapped the Courier tablet project last year because the device diverged from its strategy of bringing Windows everywhere without compromise, a new report claims.
Don't shoot the Courier
With the Redmond, Wash. Windows maker, hard at work on both a slate computer in partnership with HP and a dual-screen Courier concept, Apple threw down the gauntlet by announcing the iPad in January of last year.
But, for Steve Ballmer, the company's CEO, it was competition between Microsoft's own executives, who disagreed on the future of tablet computing, that troubled him, rather than external competition from Apple, CNET's Jay Greene reported after interviewing 18 former and current Microsoft executives. The Courier team's lofty goals clashed with those of Steven Sinofsky, the company's Windows chief.
In light of the conflict, Ballmer reportedly had trouble deciding whether to allow the Courier team to continue and turned to Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates for help.
Gates set up a meeting with J Allard, the mastermind behind the project, and then Entertainment and Devices division President Robbie Bach, as well as two other Courier team members. According to Greene, Gates asked Allard how users would access email on the tablet. Allard reportedly told the Microsoft chairman that the team wasn't interested in building "another email experience," and that they viewed the device as focused on content creation.
"This is where Bill had an allergic reaction," a source told Greene. Gates then grilled Allard on the lack of Exchange and Outlook support, two of the company's most profitable products.
Shortly after the meeting, Courier was cancelled because it strayed too far from Microsoft's Windows and Office franchise, sources told CNET.
Don't shoot the Courier
With the Redmond, Wash. Windows maker, hard at work on both a slate computer in partnership with HP and a dual-screen Courier concept, Apple threw down the gauntlet by announcing the iPad in January of last year.
But, for Steve Ballmer, the company's CEO, it was competition between Microsoft's own executives, who disagreed on the future of tablet computing, that troubled him, rather than external competition from Apple, CNET's Jay Greene reported after interviewing 18 former and current Microsoft executives. The Courier team's lofty goals clashed with those of Steven Sinofsky, the company's Windows chief.
In light of the conflict, Ballmer reportedly had trouble deciding whether to allow the Courier team to continue and turned to Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates for help.
Gates set up a meeting with J Allard, the mastermind behind the project, and then Entertainment and Devices division President Robbie Bach, as well as two other Courier team members. According to Greene, Gates asked Allard how users would access email on the tablet. Allard reportedly told the Microsoft chairman that the team wasn't interested in building "another email experience," and that they viewed the device as focused on content creation.
"This is where Bill had an allergic reaction," a source told Greene. Gates then grilled Allard on the lack of Exchange and Outlook support, two of the company's most profitable products.
Shortly after the meeting, Courier was cancelled because it strayed too far from Microsoft's Windows and Office franchise, sources told CNET.
'Dancing with the Stars' eliminated contestant: 'People got to know me'
No, the hot-headed Ukrainian American wasn’t booted off Dancing with the Stars after generating headlines for his row with Judge Len Goodman and his behavior toward his partner. But he was royally teased on national TV Tuesday by the latest contestant to leave the show – and boy did the moment generate a lot of laughs.
When Tom Bergeron announced that David Arquette would have to leave the DWTS floor for good, the actor quoted Chmerkovskiy’s now-infamous line “this is my show” when accepting his fate. The pro first uttered the line on Oct. 24 after he and Goodman argued about the judge’s harsh remarks.
“I thought about it right before I came out,” Arquette told reporters after the show. Added partner Kym Johnson, ”We were saying to each other right before, ‘oh what if we go? What are we going to say?’ We were kind of preparing ourselves for leaving so it wasn’t such a shock.”
Well, it worked. Arquette kept a smile on his face while Nancy Grace appeared doubly shocked that she remained under the mirror ball, despite earning the lowest score on Monday. (She received a 21 for her so-so jive while Arquette nabbed a 24 for his more than decent cha cha). But Arquette seemed at peace with the vote. For one, Chmerkovskiy wasn’t annoyed by his joke! “Maks was very cool. He was like, you did a great job, you should be very proud … I’ve learned a lot, I’ve had a great experience and it’s brought a lot of joy into my life. I got to entertain a lot of people and people got to know me. That’s what I came here to do.”
Along the way, Arquette also learned a few things about himself. “A lot about grace and flow and standing upright, and having personal pride. There was a moment this week, actually, where everything went wrong in camera blocking and I was beating myself up so bad, tearing myself up. It was terrible. I had to confront myself and say, ‘what are you doing? Why do you do this to yourself?’ That’s a behavior that you have to recognize. For all I know that’s why I did this whole experience, to come to terms with that. That’s the self abusive part of my personality. The negative aspects. So to come to terms with that has been a gift.”
So is he ready to share that gift with others? He can’t see ex Courteney Cox doing the show because he thinks it would “be too much” for the already busy actress. (Hi? She stars in ABC’s critical fave Cougar Town). As for rumors that his buddy Paul Reubens may be open to a spot on the dance floor next season, Arquette wasn’t aware of any attempt by the show to get him ”but if anybody ever asks me I would totally encourage them to do it. It’s a lot, a really hard challenging thing, but you learn a lot and it’s been a really positive experience.”
Next for Arquette? He’d love to do Broadway. “When you have time to actually rehearse something for more than four
days, you can really nail things and you can have more confidence.” Until then, he’s content to take his daughter Coco to school — something she’s apparently missed since Arquette’s been tied up in the rehearsal hall.
There is one other thing Arquette wouldn’t mind trying now that’s leaving the show: “Now what I really have to time to do is to go occupy Wall Street.”
When Tom Bergeron announced that David Arquette would have to leave the DWTS floor for good, the actor quoted Chmerkovskiy’s now-infamous line “this is my show” when accepting his fate. The pro first uttered the line on Oct. 24 after he and Goodman argued about the judge’s harsh remarks.
“I thought about it right before I came out,” Arquette told reporters after the show. Added partner Kym Johnson, ”We were saying to each other right before, ‘oh what if we go? What are we going to say?’ We were kind of preparing ourselves for leaving so it wasn’t such a shock.”
Well, it worked. Arquette kept a smile on his face while Nancy Grace appeared doubly shocked that she remained under the mirror ball, despite earning the lowest score on Monday. (She received a 21 for her so-so jive while Arquette nabbed a 24 for his more than decent cha cha). But Arquette seemed at peace with the vote. For one, Chmerkovskiy wasn’t annoyed by his joke! “Maks was very cool. He was like, you did a great job, you should be very proud … I’ve learned a lot, I’ve had a great experience and it’s brought a lot of joy into my life. I got to entertain a lot of people and people got to know me. That’s what I came here to do.”
Along the way, Arquette also learned a few things about himself. “A lot about grace and flow and standing upright, and having personal pride. There was a moment this week, actually, where everything went wrong in camera blocking and I was beating myself up so bad, tearing myself up. It was terrible. I had to confront myself and say, ‘what are you doing? Why do you do this to yourself?’ That’s a behavior that you have to recognize. For all I know that’s why I did this whole experience, to come to terms with that. That’s the self abusive part of my personality. The negative aspects. So to come to terms with that has been a gift.”
So is he ready to share that gift with others? He can’t see ex Courteney Cox doing the show because he thinks it would “be too much” for the already busy actress. (Hi? She stars in ABC’s critical fave Cougar Town). As for rumors that his buddy Paul Reubens may be open to a spot on the dance floor next season, Arquette wasn’t aware of any attempt by the show to get him ”but if anybody ever asks me I would totally encourage them to do it. It’s a lot, a really hard challenging thing, but you learn a lot and it’s been a really positive experience.”
Next for Arquette? He’d love to do Broadway. “When you have time to actually rehearse something for more than four
days, you can really nail things and you can have more confidence.” Until then, he’s content to take his daughter Coco to school — something she’s apparently missed since Arquette’s been tied up in the rehearsal hall.
There is one other thing Arquette wouldn’t mind trying now that’s leaving the show: “Now what I really have to time to do is to go occupy Wall Street.”
Israel 'punishes' Palestinians over UNESCO
JERUSALEM — Palestinian leaders reacted angrily after Israel said it would build 2,000 settler homes and freeze the transfer of Palestinian tax funds to punish them for joining UNESCO.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's inner cabinet decided on Tuesday to speed up construction in east Jerusalem and in nearby settlements, a day after UNESCO's general assembly voted Palestine in as a full member.
"These measures were agreed... as punishment after the vote at UNESCO," a senior government official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
"We will build 2,000 housing units, including 1,650 homes in east Jerusalem and the rest in the settlements of Maaleh Adumim and Efrat," he added, referring to a sprawling settlement east of Jerusalem and another between Bethlehem and the southern city of Hebron.
"It was also decided to temporarily freeze the transfer of funds to the Palestinian Authority," he added.
Every month, Israel transfers to the Palestinian Authority tens of millions of dollars in customs duties levied on goods destined for Palestinian markets that transit through Israeli ports. The money constitutes a large percentage of the Palestinian budget.
Israel often freezes the transfer of funds as a punitive measure in response to diplomatic or political developments viewed as harmful.
A statement from Netanyahu's office said the decisions were taken during a "first discussion" of the UNESCO issue. Further steps would be considered at the next meeting of the so-called Forum of Eight senior ministers.
The Palestinians' presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina reacted angrily.
He called on the Middle East Quartet and the US administration to "put an end to this recklessness" which he warned would have "negative consequences" for the whole region.
"The Israeli decision to speed up settlement construction with the construction of 2,000 new housing units is an Israeli decision to accelerate the destruction of the peace process," he told AFP.
"And the freezing of funds is stealing money from the Palestinian people."
The Palestinian request for UNESCO membership was approved by the UN cultural organisation's general assembly at a vote in Paris on Monday, despite strong opposition from the United States and Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's inner cabinet decided on Tuesday to speed up construction in east Jerusalem and in nearby settlements, a day after UNESCO's general assembly voted Palestine in as a full member.
"These measures were agreed... as punishment after the vote at UNESCO," a senior government official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
"We will build 2,000 housing units, including 1,650 homes in east Jerusalem and the rest in the settlements of Maaleh Adumim and Efrat," he added, referring to a sprawling settlement east of Jerusalem and another between Bethlehem and the southern city of Hebron.
"It was also decided to temporarily freeze the transfer of funds to the Palestinian Authority," he added.
Every month, Israel transfers to the Palestinian Authority tens of millions of dollars in customs duties levied on goods destined for Palestinian markets that transit through Israeli ports. The money constitutes a large percentage of the Palestinian budget.
Israel often freezes the transfer of funds as a punitive measure in response to diplomatic or political developments viewed as harmful.
A statement from Netanyahu's office said the decisions were taken during a "first discussion" of the UNESCO issue. Further steps would be considered at the next meeting of the so-called Forum of Eight senior ministers.
The Palestinians' presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina reacted angrily.
He called on the Middle East Quartet and the US administration to "put an end to this recklessness" which he warned would have "negative consequences" for the whole region.
"The Israeli decision to speed up settlement construction with the construction of 2,000 new housing units is an Israeli decision to accelerate the destruction of the peace process," he told AFP.
"And the freezing of funds is stealing money from the Palestinian people."
The Palestinian request for UNESCO membership was approved by the UN cultural organisation's general assembly at a vote in Paris on Monday, despite strong opposition from the United States and Israel.
订阅：
博文 (Atom)