interblog53: марта 2012

четверг, 15 марта 2012 г.

Stamping Your Mark

Saltford: The Bristol and Bath Festival of Stamps and Postcardswill take place from 10am to 4pm on Saturday at Saltford Hall.

Admission is 80p …

Music education: learning is forever

Do you dream of accompanying Sarah McLachlan on a worldwide tour? Or perhaps you fancy yourself a future president of a successful independent record label. Or better yet, maybe you simply wish to lend your superior recording skills to Elton John's latest work-in-progress. A&R coordinator, record producer, disc jockey, sound technician, piano tuner, opera singer -- there are literally hundreds of avenues to pursue in the exciting field of music. But regardless of the career path you dream of paving, one thing is for certain: a music education is the key to your success.

Sounds easy enough, right? Well, not exactly, In today's burgeoning world of music, there are just about as …

NYSE Euronext 2Q profit rises 21 percent

NYSE Euronext Inc., the trans-Atlantic stock exchange operator, posted a 21 percent increase in second-quarter profits as transaction volume rose.

The earnings results missed Wall Street expectations, however, and its shares fell almost 13 percent in morning trading.

The New York-based parent of the New York Stock Exchange and Euronext said earnings rose to $195 million, or 73 cents per share, in the three months ended June 30 from $161 million, or 62 cents a share, a year earlier. Excluding merger costs and other items, earnings rose 17 percent to $200 million, or 75 cents a share.

On average, analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial forecast a …

среда, 14 марта 2012 г.

Civic Center to get metal detectors, security wands

The Charleston Civic Center is getting another layer of securityaimed at protecting audiences and performers.

Officials at the Civic Center asked the city to buy five walk-through metal detectors and five handheld security wands that couldbe used when necessary to screen crowds for weapons.

The metal detectors and wands will cost $16,579.

City council voted Monday night to buy the equipment, but thecity will be reimbursed for the cost through a grant from theDepartment of Homeland Security.

The security devices are portable and will be moved throughoutthe facility as they are needed, said John Robertson, generalmanager at the Civic Center. The arena …

1998 BEARS SCHEDULE & PREDICTIONS

The 1998 Bears schedule with predictions from Bears writer MarkPotash, NFL writer Mike Mulligan and columnist Jay Mariotti:Date Opponent Chicago time TV MP MM JMSun., Sept. 6 Jacksonville Noon Ch. 2 L L LSun., Sept. 13 at Pittsburgh Noon Fox-32 L L LSun., Sept. 20 at Tampa Bay 3:05 p.m. Fox-32 L LLSun., Sept. 27 Minnesota 3:15 p.m. Fox-32 W WLSun., Oct. 4 Detroit Noon Fox-32 L LLSun., Oct. 11 at Arizona 3:05 p.m. Fox-32 W WLSun., Oct. 18 Dallas 3:15 p.m. Fox-32 W L LSun., Oct. 25 at Tennessee 3:05 …

Spokesman says Lily Allen loses baby

LONDON (AP) — Lily Allen's spokesman says the singer has suffered a miscarriage six months into her pregnancy.

Publicist Murray Chalmers said Monday that "it is with great sadness that we have to confirm that Lily Allen and Sam Cooper have lost their baby."

He says Allen and Cooper are asking for …

Mobs burn villages, slaughter Uzbeks in Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyz mobs burned Uzbek villages and slaughtered their residents Sunday as ethnic rioting engulfed new areas in southern Kyrgyzstan. The government ordered troops to shoot rioters dead but even that failed to stop the spiraling violence.

More than 100 people have been killed and over 1,000 wounded in the impoverished Central Asian nation since the violence began Thursday night. Doctors and rights activists say that toll is far too low because wounded Uzbeks are too afraid of being attacked again to go to hospitals.

Thousands of Uzbeks have fled in panic to the border with Uzbekistan after their homes were torched by roving mobs of Kyrgyz men. Some Uzbek women …

Marshall knows it's hitting the road: Herd is No. 13 seed in Mid-American Conference

FROM STAFF REPORTS

Marshall University has no idea of its opponent in the first roundof the Mid-American Conference tournament.

It could be Bowling Green or Western Michigan or Toledo or Miami(Ohio) or Akron or Buffalo or Kent State or Ohio.

The Herd also has no clue where it will play.

Except on the road, of course.

Marshall's record (5-20, 2-14 MAC) clinches that. The Herd isstaring down the barrel - the bottom of the barrel, that is - atbeing the No. 13 seed in a 13-team league.

Marshall would have to upset Akron at 7 tonight in the J.A.R. atAkron, Ohio, and, then, surprise Miami of Ohio at 2 p.m. Saturday inHuntington to gain the No. 12 …

Fewer Americans sign up for jobless benefits, good sign labor market remains strong

Fewer Americans signed up for jobless benefits last week, an encouraging sign that most companies are not resorting to large-scale layoffs as the U.S. copes with continuing problems in the housing and credit markets.

The Labor Department reported Wednesday that new applications filed for unemployment insurance dropped by a seasonally adjusted 11,000 to 330,000 for the week ending Nov. 17. It was the lowest level since the beginning of November. The 330,000 level of claims was in line with economists' forecasts.

A year ago, new claims for unemployment insurance stood at 322,000.

The four-week moving average of claims, which smooths out …

To the point: Sharp views on lost jobs, bad schools, Canadian secessionists and exploiting horror

WATCHING JOBS GO

Half of all Americans give the United States a "D" or "F" grade on protecting American jobs from going overseas, according to a survey, but don't really know what the government can do. The best words to sum up public attitudes are frustration and fatalism.

Seventy-eight percent said it's unrealistic to believe U.S. firms will keep jobs at home "when labor is cheaper elsewhere." About half said it's unrealistic to expect American companies to have the same standards abroad as they do at home.

Public Agenda

WELCOME CANADIANS

A poll shows that a growing number of people in Western Canada are unhappy with the high-tax bureaucratic rule …

Russian court says Pride ban illegal

For the first time, after five years of lawsuits by gay activists, a Russian court has declared a governmental ban of a gay Pride parade to have been illegal.

The Lenin District Court in St. Petersburg will issue its full opinion at a later date. Activists had argued that a city ban of this year's St. Petersburg Pride parade violated constitutional guarantees of freedom of assembly along with protections guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights.

"(This is) unprecedented for Russia," said leading gay activist Nikolai …

Mosque torched in Israel; extremists suspected

JERUSALEM (AP) — Vandals torched a mosque in an Arab village in northern Israel early Monday, setting off protests and clashes with police. Graffiti spray-painted on the mosque's walls suggested Jewish radicals were involved.

About 200 residents of the village of Tuba-Zangria, Arab citizens of Israel, marched to a major intersection nearby with the intention of blocking the road in protest, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. Some of the demonstrators set tires on fire and threw stones at police officers, who dispersed the crowd with tear gas, Rosenfeld said. No one was injured.

Police were mobilized in the area to prevent further disturbances and were meeting with village …

`Terminator' teen gets two views of stardom

LOS ANGELES Life is different these days for Eddie Furlong, a13-year-old who was pretty much like any other teenager nine monthsago, hanging out with the guys after school and playing video gamesat the local shopping mall.

Eddie, much to his surprise, is the star of this summer'sblockbuster movie frenzy.

Arnold Schwarzenegger may have started out as the mainattraction for audiences viewing "Terminator 2: Judgment Day"(continuing at Chicago area theaters), but it is Furlong who hascaptured their hearts.

Critics have raved about his performance as John Connor, theyoung boy whom Schwarzenegger, as a cyborg from the future, is sentback in time to save. And all of a sudden he finds himself acelebrity, the newest star in the Hollywood sky.

Television talk show hosts are vying to have him on theirprograms. He is pursued by journalists, and it is hard to walk downthe street in his hometown of Glendale, a suburb of Los Angeles,without people asking for his autograph.

All of which leaves young Furlong a little confused andperplexed.

"I really wasn't expecting any of this. I mean it's, like,`Wow! Is this really happening to me?' " he said in an interview ata Beverly Hills hotel.

But then, he wasn't expecting to be approached by a castingdirector when he was hanging out at a Boys Club in Pasadena, Calif.,with his friends last October, talking about baseball and discussingwhich mall to visit over the weekend.

"I'm just hanging out at the Boys Club and this woman, she was acasting director but I didn't know it then, looks over at me, and shelooks sorta weird. She's like staring at me and smiling and laughing.

"She comes up to me and she goes, `Can I talk to you?' I say,`Am I in trouble, what did I do?' and she says, `No, you're not introuble, would you like to try out for a movie?' I go, `Wow!Sure.' "

Several interviews, auditions, and four-hour sessions with adialogue coach later, Furlong was told he had the part.

"On the final interview, they told me I was going to find outthe next Friday, but then Jim (Cameron, the director) said, `I'd likeyou to do this movie, and I'm like `Oh my God, he (Cameron) just toldme he would like me to do this movie.' "

Although he had worked with Linda Hamilton, who plays his gutsy,shoot-em-up mother in the movie, during the auditions, Furlong saidhe did not meet Schwarzenegger until rehearsal time.

"Yeah, that was kinda scary," he recalls. "I thought he wasgonna be kinda stuffed up, because he was such a big star. But itturned out he was a real nice guy.

"Like, I went over to shake his hand. I'm, like, all nervous,so I give him a weak handshake and he just stands there. Thensuddenly he says, `Give me a harder one, real hard one, this time.'That kinda broke the ice and we're friends now."

Furlong, showing maturity beyond his years, said he had someregrets at being thrust into the limelight. But he was not sorryabout the way his life has been turned upside down.

"My life has totally changed. I really don't have as much timeas I did before for doing a lot of stuff I used to do. I miss goingout with friends and doing all sorts of other regular activities,hang out at the mall and things like that.

"But this is a real special experience. It's not somethingevery kid can have, to work on a film with Arnold Schwarzenegger."

"Terminator 2" has given him a career, he said. "Oh yes, Idefinitely want to be an actor."

He has already started work on his next movie, "American Heart,"with Jeff Bridges, which will be released next year.

But if Furlong's head is in the clouds, his feet are firmlyplanted on the ground.

"I know I have to work hard to be a good actor, and I know it'snot always the acting that makes you look good. It's the editing,the music and everything else. I thought I didn't play some of theparts that good, but the editing and the music made it look a lotbetter than it really was," he said.

вторник, 13 марта 2012 г.

Report: China Telecommunications to buy China United mobile business for US$14.4 billion

China Telecommunications Corp., parent of the country's dominant fixed-line operator, is expected to buy a mobile business from China United Telecommunications Inc. for around US$14.4 billion, it was reported Monday.

The deal was anticipated as part of a long-awaited government restructuring of the country's telecom market unveiled last week.

That plan called for China Telecommunications _ parent of China Telecom, China's main fixed-line carrier _ to buy a mobile network from China United, parent of mobile provider China Unicom.

Details of the acquisition were to be officially announced later Monday. The South China Morning Post cited anonymous sources as saying China Telecommunications will likely pay 100 billion yuan (US$14.4 billion; euro9.3 billion) for China United's code division multiple access business. The technology, known as CDMA, is popular in the U.S. and Asia.

The purchase price could include more than 60 billion yuan (US$8.7 billion; euro5.6 billion) for the network itself and around 40 billion yuan (US$5.8 billion; euro3.7 billion) for the CDMA customer base, the newspaper reported.

Unicom has about 44 million subscribers, the paper said.

Representatives from both companies declined to comment.

Southwest, AirTran put fall travel on sale

DALLAS (AP) — Southwest Airlines Co. and its AirTran subsidiary launched new sales on Tuesday for travel during late summer and the typically slower fall season.

The sales were announced as an attempted fare increase led by United and Continental collapsed.

The Southwest and AirTran deals are being offered through Aug. 1, although seats are limited and not available on all flights.

The AirTran sale covers flights between July 30 and Nov. 16 for most cities, with the lowest prices on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Some short trips, such as Atlanta to Richmond, Va., are $59 at off-hours. Peak-time flights between Milwaukee and Cancun start at $134 each way, the airline said.

Southwest's sale also starts at $59 each way for some short trips, and covers travel from Aug. 23 to Dec. 14 except Fridays and Sundays. There are 18 blackout dates around Labor Day and Thanksgiving.

Airline pricing is complicated and constantly changing, and sales aren't always what they appear.

In Southwest's case, the lowest sale prices are $35 to $50 cheaper each way than some Houston-Denver and Houston-Los Angeles flights the day before the sale takes effect.

But on some Chicago-Boston and Chicago-Denver flights, Southwest's website showed available fares one day and one week before the sale starts that were $24 to $52 less than the advertised special rate that begins Aug. 23.

The sales were announced a day after an effort by United and Continental to raise fares on many U.S. routes by $4 to $10 per round trip collapsed. The price hike seemed to be sticking over the weekend but crumbled after Southwest, which raised some prices, and American Airlines first matched, then rescinded the higher fares.

Rick Seaney, CEO of FareCompare.com, said all the airlines rolled back their increases by late Monday night. He said after Southwest only partially matched the increase and American retreated on Monday, "the hike was doomed."

Airlines want to raise prices to offset high and volatile jet fuel costs, but the strong growth in travel demand earlier this year has slowed as fares rose and the economy remained sluggish. Traffic declined in June at United, Continental and Delta, compared with June 2010.

Seaney said he expects United to continue attempts to raise prices over the next few weeks.

Hong Kong: Vigorous Apparel Exports

Hong Kong's exports of textile goods increased by 5.4% during January-June 2005 compared to the year before. Exports of textiles decreased by 3% during the six months to HK$53,343 million, but those of apparel grew by 11% to HK$92,189 million.

Apparel exports to the major U.S. market jumped 20% to HK$34,259 million, accounting for 37.2% of total apparel exports.

Textile exports to China rose by 1% to HK$36,648 million for a share of 68.7%.

In new testimony, James Murdoch blames underlings

LONDON (AP) — He didn't see. He wasn't told. He didn't know.

Called back to Britain's Parliament after former News Corp. employees challenged his credibility, senior executive James Murdoch insisted he'd been kept in the dark about widespread phone hacking at his now-defunct News of the World tabloid, blaming two of his senior lieutenants for failing to warn him of the paper's culture of criminality.

"None of these things were mentioned to me," he told an often-skeptical House of Commons' media committee.

Over more than two-and-a-half hours of questioning, Murdoch stuck to that line.

"It was not shown to me," he said of an explosive email which implicated one of his top reporters in phone hacking.

"It didn't occur to me to probe further," he said when quizzed about the legal advice his subordinates had supplied him.

"It didn't seem necessary for me to ask for a copy," he said of a seven-page document warning of overwhelming evidence of illegal behavior at his company.

Speaking quickly and confidently, Murdoch laid the blame at the door of former News of the World Editor Colin Myler and former in-house lawyer Tom Crone, both of whom resigned soon after the scandal broke earlier this year. Over the past few months, the pair have challenged the credibility of their former boss, accusing the 38-year-old News Corp. executive of not telling the truth when he claimed they never told him about the incriminating email back in 2008.

Murdoch made one important concession to their version of events — acknowledging that he'd been briefed on the incriminating email back in 2008 — but insisted that its importance was kept from him.

"What never happened is Mr. Crone and Mr. Myler showing me the relevant evidence, explaining to me the relevant evidence — and its relevance — or talking about wider spread criminality," Murdoch said. "That simply did not happen."

In a statement, Crone attacked Murdoch's testimony, insisting that he hadn't misled lawmakers.

"At best, his evidence on the matter was disingenuous," he said of Murdoch's comments. He did not immediately return calls seeking further comment.

Myler's telephone number is unlisted, and a letter sent to him more than a month ago has gone unanswered.

Murdoch did find support for his story after his testimony finished. Neville Thurlbeck, a former chief reporter at the paper who was arrested on suspicion of phone hacking and later released, told Channel 4 News that he had compiled a dossier of evidence, including audio recordings, that would exonerate himself and support Murdoch's version of events.

"It will back up his claim that he has been seriously misled by senior executives on the News of the World," Thurlbeck said.

Murdoch's solo performance was far less dramatic than the July 19 hearing at which his 80-year-old father Rupert Murdoch repeatedly banged the table to back his points. Although the navy-suited James Murdoch showed flashes of annoyance — occasionally starting his answers with "as I testified earlier" or "as I answered earlier" — he kept his cool, even when Labour lawmaker Tom Watson described him as a bumbling crime lord.

"You must be the first mafia boss in history who doesn't know he's at the head of a criminal enterprise," Watson said in what sounded like a carefully crafted sound bite.

Murdoch, stony-faced, dismissed the comment as inappropriate.

He struck an apologetic tone when questions steered him toward his company's failure to get to grips with the scandal. He said executives at the company had given assurances, and that the company "relied on those assurances for too long."

"I'm sorry for that," he said.

He also apologized for the use of a private investigator to tail the lawyers of phone hacking victims, calling the practice "appalling."

James Murdoch runs News Corp.'s European and Asian holdings and remains tipped to succeed his father at the helm of the global media conglomerate. Thursday's appearance was mandated by lawmakers investigating the industrial-scale espionage at the News of the World, the exposure of which has already forced the paper's closure and scuttled a multibillion pound (dollar) bid for full control of satellite broadcaster BSkyB.

More than a dozen journalists at News International, News Corp.'s British newspaper subsidiary, have been arrested, and several executives, including The Wall Street Journal's publisher, Les Hinton, have resigned.

Although the media committee's investigation isn't as serious as the ongoing police investigation — its recommendations are nonbinding — Murdoch still needed to put on a strong show. Investors have become increasingly restive as the scandal continues to spread, and analysts say Murdoch's position as heir apparent to his father's company is under threat.

Paul Connew, a media consultant and former tabloid editor, said he believed Murdoch had given a mixed performance.

"Polished to a certain extent, but again suffering from the amnesia factor," he said.

The media committee wouldn't be calling Myler or Crone back for more testimony, Chairman John Whittingdale told reporters after the hearing. He said the committee's lawmakers had already heard from the pair and would now be weighing whose version of events to believe.

"It is plain that the two accounts we've heard, one of them cannot be true," he said.

Connew warned that even if Murdoch's reputation isn't damaged by the report, he would not be home free. A judge-led inquiry into Britain's media could call him back to the U.K. for more questioning. And detectives could dredge up more damaging revelations.

Lawmakers suggested as much Thursday, with one asking whether Murdoch was aware of any phone hacking at The Sun, the News of the World's sister paper and currently Britain's biggest selling daily.

Murdoch refused to say, citing an ongoing investigation.

Asked whether he would close The Sun if evidence of phone hacking emerged there, he declined comment.

Separately, Scotland Yard chief Bernard Hogan-Howe announced Thursday that police were working their way through some 300 million emails from News International.

Some 120 officers and staff are investigating the phone hacking scandal. The force said it had contacted less than a third of the News of the World's nearly 6,000 potential victims.

Mavericks Stun Sonics

The visiting Dallas Mavericks took a major step toward avoidingthe worst record in NBA history when Jimmy Jackson and Derek Harpereach made two free throws in the final 11 seconds Tuesday to help theteam hold off the Seattle SuperSonics 109-107.

Jackson scored seven of his 18 points in the final period as theMavericks improved their record to 8-64 with their first victory inSeattle since Nov. 14, 1989.

The Mavericks ended a five-game skid with just their secondvictory in 45 games this season against a Western Conferenceopponent. The Mavericks' only other conference triumph came againstthe Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 16.

The SuperSonics, who have the fourth-best record in the leagueat 49-24, lost for just the seventh time in 36 home games and ledonly once as the Mavericks stayed in control for most of the game.

Ricky Pierce led the SuperSonics with 20 points.

Cavaliers 115, Heat 100: Host Cleveland relied on its big men todefeat Miami as Brad Daugherty scored 20 points in the first half andLarry Nance 18 in the second.

The Cavaliers won for the 15th time in their last 16 home gamesand kept the Heat winless in nine trips to the Richfield (Ohio)Coliseum. The Cavaliers, who ran up 42 assists, are 8-0 when theycollect 40 or more in a game.

Daugherty finished with 27 points on 11-for-14 shooting and 10rebounds. Nance added 20 points and Mark Price 17 points and eightassists.

Grant Long scored 18 points and Harold Miner 17 for the Heat,although 15 of Miner's came with the outcome no longer in doubt inthe fourth quarter.

Suns 115, Lakers 114: Dan Majerle's 40-foot shot at the buzzer,his second three-pointer in the final 11 seconds, lifted Phoenix pastvisiting Los Angeles.

Majerle, who had not scored since late in the third quarteruntil his first three-pointer tied the score at 112, leaped over thescorer's table and exchanged high-fives with spectators after his40-footer.

Pacers 98, Nets 85: Reggie Miller scored 21 points to become thefranchise's all-time leading NBA scorer as Indiana snapped NewJersey's eight-game home winning streak.

Magic 116, 76ers 90: Shaquille O'Neal's 35 points and 16rebounds helped Orlando wallop visiting Philadelphia and break athree-game losing streak. O'Neal made 17 of 23 shots from the field.

Pistons 91, Bullets 79: Joe Dumars stayed on a hot streak byscoring 38 points to lead host Detroit to a come-from-behind victoryover Washington.

Warriors 125, Spurs 111: Tim Hardaway scored 18 of his 30 pointsin the third quarter and Billy Owens added 29 to power Golden State'supset of host San Antonio.

Rockets 114, Clippers 101: Hakeem Olajuwon tallied a season-high42 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to help Houston jolt visiting LosAngeles.

Trail Blazers 110, Jazz 95: Terry Porter scored 25 points,including a 26-foot bank shot at the halftime buzzer, as hostPortland pounded Utah.

Nuggets 101, Kings 100: Robert Pack scored the final points ofthe game on a dunk with 1:10 left and Walt Williams missed a 20-footshot with two seconds to play as visiting Denver held off Sacramento.

Renal recycling

What has your take on recycling within your unit been?

My colleagues and I are wondering where we stand in our efforts to do our part in keeping the environment clean. There have been a few dedicated staff members who have taken recycling seriously in their homes for several years. They started asking questions like... "Why don't we save our pop and water botdes and return them for money we can use in our 'kitty'?"... and "Why are we throwing all these K bath containers in the garbage?"

One RN gathered the botdes, and she still takes them for recycling after several years. Cardboard was flattened by techs and put in a special bin for housekeeping.

When it came to K bath and bicarb containers, things have been slower in solution-finding. One leader in the community-centred unit, who has to arrange housekeeping and garbage collection, set out to find a service that would pick up plastics. That has been a successful system for years now.

At the hospital level, even within the same region, practices have differed.

It seems to have taken the determined quest of one or two people in our unit to keep bringing up the issues at staff meetings and talking to the manager, as well as getting in on general staff committees that had similar concerns.

Who would separate the materials? A system has to function so well that staff doesn't have to think about it. Where would collections be kept? These questions went round and round, deciding who would have which responsibility to set this up.

About one year ago, the region hired a coordinator for the recycling challenge. This was someone dedicated to the universal problem. He was prompt to answer our call for help. He looked at the current practices, where bins could be made easily available and added his ideas of what we could recycle.

Another turning point was the return of Fran, one of our techs. Last April, she came back to the hospital unit from the community where she saw how recycling could work. And because she cares, she has researched how many plastics we use and the cost of some materials we use. These things make us all more aware. We now know how much each piece of a set-up is costing, and that disposing used plastics and paper in hazardous waste garbage is measured and billed by weight.

As a result, clean used plastics like IV bags and K baths immediately go into a handy plastic bag at the bedside. Blue bins are also used, and Fran discovered the price for each of these is $32.00 cheaper if we purchase them at a local supply store.

Bicarb is now draining through the dialysis machines and through a neutralizer, saving the huge amounts of water we used to use to drain bicarb in the utility sinks.

By the way, did you know gelfoam costs $64.00 per box? And that Tip Stops seem to work just as well for a quarter of the price? Imagine all the times we follow the note in the Kardex and continue using what might have been a one-time solution for months and years. And sometimes a patient may request two gelfoam, believing it is truly necessary, without our trying something else?

Can you imagine the possibilities now? What if manufacturers provided recycling arrangements when contracts are signed, across the world?

Can we encourage each other by incentives like bringing in all our pens that have made it home in our pockets? Or can we all participate in a contest about how to save costs or cut down on disposables?

Please consider writing to me or to the editor, Gillian, to share your ideas and the recycling habits in your unit.

The Kidney Foundation urges us all to recycle our organs. Let's recycle everything we can.

[Sidebar]

[Author Affiliation]

Please share a meaningful moment of learning from your professional life. Send me your idea and I'll help you publish it. Send to Lee Beliveau at e-mail: 54l0603@telus.net

By Lee Beliveau, RN, CNeph(C), staff nurse, hemodialysis unit,

at Surrey Hospital, Surrey, British Columbia

Murdoch buy threatens UPN

NEW YORK Just one month ago, the outlook for UPN seemed a lotbetter. The 5-year-old network, while still struggling to achieveprofitability, had pulled out of a ratings slump, chalked up gains inad sales and announced a new name and logo to highlight itsassociation with the Paramount entertainment brand.

Corporate parent Viacom Inc., which already owns CBS and hadrecently taken full control of UPN, was lobbying federal regulatorsto ease regulations barring one company from owning two networks.

But now that Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. has outbid Viacom inacquiring Chris-Craft Industries Inc., the owner of eight major UPN-affiliated stations, the future of the fledgling network is far morecloudy.

While UPN is affiliated with more than 100 stations, the eightbeing sold to News Corp.-owner of the rival Fox network-cover some ofthe biggest cities in the country. If all eight drop UPN, it wouldcut the network's national reach from an average of 87 percent to 67percent and leave it out of the crucial markets of Los Angeles andNew York.

Viacom, which had been in serious talks to buy Chris-Craft,wouldn't comment on News Corp.'s $5.4 billion acquisition, or how itwould affect the future of UPN, which is changing its name to theParamount Network next year. But Mel Karmazin, the hard-charging newViacom president and former head of CBS, has said he would close thenetwork if it did not become profitable.

Peter Chernin, the president of News Corp., made it clear in aconference call with investors that the company had little interestin the future of UPN or whether the Chris-Craft stations remainedaffiliated with the network.

"I'm not sure I know what will happen to it. . . . I don't thinkwe care enormously," Chernin said. "Whether it's to be a UPNaffiliate, whether it's to run these as independent stations . . . wehave multiple ways to go."

News Corp.'s main motive for buying the stations is to takeadvantage of recently relaxed federal rules allowing one company toown two stations in the same city, which allows for major costsavings in combining sales forces, news and programming operations.News Corp. already has a profitable two-station combo in Dallas.

In adding the 10 Chris-Craft stations to the 23 it already ownsacross the United States, News Corp. would have two stations in eachof four key cities: New York, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Salt LakeCity.

News Corp. will have to dispose of several stations in order tocomply with a cap on total station ownership, but Chief FinancialOfficer David DeVoe told investors on the conference call that thecompany hoped to use station swaps with other companies to achieve atleast five other two-station arrangements.

News Corp. is paying a total of about $5.35 billion for Chris-Craft, but after accounting for cash held by a Chris-Craft subsidiaryand planned sales of television stations to comply with federalownership limits, the final value of the transaction will be about$3.6 billion.

Chris-Craft's shares have been on a wild roller coaster ride sinceFriday. At first they plunged 11 percent to $62 following Viacom'sannouncement that it had ended talks to acquire the former boatbuilder.

Associated Press

Top-Ranked Gators Open With Easy Victory

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Top-ranked Florida opened this season much like it finished the last one - running the floor, creating easy baskets and dominating another opponent. Once again, Joakim Noah was at the center.

Noah scored 11 points, tied a career high with 15 rebounds and added six assists and four blocks as the defending national champions began their bid to repeat with a 79-54 victory over Samford on Friday night.

"I enjoyed watching them play tonight," coach Billy Donovan said. "There's obviously a lot of talk about a target on our back and defending this and defending that. We're going to get everybody's best shot. Everybody wants a shot at us.

"People are talking about playing the national champions. That's going on in the other locker room. It's like a heavyweight fight every game. Here comes a new challenge. Let's go play."

This one was a knockout.

The Gators shot 59 percent from the field, had 38 rebounds, 16 assists, 12 blocks and just six turnovers. They won their 16th consecutive opener and improved to 11-0 on opening night under Donovan.

Trying to become the first team since Duke in 1992 to repeat as national champions, Florida looked hungry from the start. The Gators made their first seven baskets and opened up an 18-5 lead.

Taurean Green made three 3-pointers, Al Horford hit two short turnaround jumpers in the lane and Corey Brewer drained one from behind the arc and one from the baseline.

Florida mostly went inside the rest of the way, finishing with 49 points in the point against an undersized opponent.

"That's our identity," said Brewer, who had 19 points and six rebounds. "We play hard, create easy baskets, get all the loose balls and play tough defense."

Horford and Green had 15 points apiece and combined to shoot 11-of-13 from the field. Lee Humphrey, the sharp-shooting guard who had several key baskets in the NCAA tournament, missed all three shots from 3-point range and finished with four points.

"The edge was there," Green said. "I like the way we came out and played. You could see the fire in our eyes, the intensity. We took it to the next level."

Joe Ross Merritt had 17 points to lead Samford, a team that runs the Princeton offenses, shoots a steady flow of 3-pointers and was the preseason pick to win the Ohio Valley Conference. Randall Gulina added 16.

But the Bulldogs were outmatched at every position.

The Gators led 39-23 at the break, opened the second half with a 23-13 run and extended the lead to 73-40 at one point.

Brewer put the exclamation point on the victory with about five minutes to play. He blocked a long-range shot, then stole the ball, drove to the lane and delivered a reverse jam. Noah instantly started pounding his chest and celebrating in front of the student section - reminiscent of the title game against UCLA.

The game could have been another national championship celebration - especially since Florida played on the same floor it beat the Bruins 73-57 on in April - but Donovan made sure the night had nothing to do with last season.

The 2006 NCAA championship banner went up the previous night with no fanfare and no one watching. The Final Four floor that Florida bought from the NCAA for $60,000 was resurfaced and repainted orange and blue. And there wasn't even a single mention of Florida's title during pregame introductions.

Donovan wanted his players to know this was a new season with a new team and new goals.

"What happened last year is going to go down in history and be remembered forever," Donovan said. "The school has done a great job of honoring our team. But I think there's a point where you have to say this is great and fun, but you have to more forward.

"The only thing people remember is last game we played. The last game we played was against UCLA. Although our guys are trying to move forward, it's hard for the people out there, because it's the last year we game. At least now we've got a game under our belts that wasn't the UCLA game."

понедельник, 12 марта 2012 г.

UK sailor guilty of nuclear submarine killing

LONDON (AP) — A Royal Navy sailor who murdered an officer and injured three other crewmen in a drunken shooting spree aboard a British nuclear-powered submarine was sentenced Monday to at least 25 years in jail.

Able Seaman Ryan Donovan admitted in Winchester Crown Court that he killed Lt. Cmdr. Ian Molyneux, the weapons engineer on the HMS Astute, while the submarine was docked in Southampton, southern England, on an April goodwill visit to the port city.

The 23-year-old carried out the attack after being reprimanded for not completing his cleaning duties, telling a colleague as he reported for duty April 8 that he was going to kill someone, the prosecution said. He was not mentally ill, but had been unhappy in his job and did not handle stress well, his defense said.

Donovan had been drinking before his shift and was still drunk when he volunteered for sentry duty, prosecutor Nigel Lickley said, though he managed to pass a sobriety test and was given a SA80 rifle.

Donovan also admitted the attempted murders of Petty Officer Christopher Brown, Chief Petty Officer David McCoy and Lt. Cmdr. Christopher Hodge.

Lickley said Donovan fired four shots at two officers, but missed them. He said Molyneux heard the shots and tried to tackle Donovan, who shot him in the head, killing him instantly. Donovan then walked into the submarine's control room and fired one more shot at Hodge, seriously wounding him, he said.

Donovan was eventually overpowered by two local officials who were visiting the submarine.

Justice Richard Field described Donovan's attack as a "murderous onslaught" and said he should serve a minimum of 25 years in jail.

The 1-billion-pound ($1.6-billion) Astute is one of Britain's fleet of 11 nuclear-powered submarines. Its short career has been dogged by problems. Originally due to enter service in 2005, it began active duty in 2010, years behind schedule and millions of dollars over budget.

In October, it hit rocks and ran aground near the Isle of Skye off the west coast of Scotland. It was stuck for several hours until it was towed to safety.

El entusiasmo

El entusiasmo. Dir. Ricardo Larra�n. Chile, 1998. Dur.: 120 min.

La historia de El entusiasmo est� contada desde la perspectiva de los personajes esenciales de la historia: la pareja Fernando e Isabel; su hijo Miguel; y el amigo de la pareja desde la adolescencia, Guillermo, a quien lo llaman con el apodo de El Peruano. Por ello, es conveniente comentar el filme tomando como eje a cada uno de los personajes. Fernando Romcro es, ante todo, un entusiasta dispuesto a aprovechar al m�ximo las oportunidades que el nuevo modelo econ�mico instaurado por los militares le ofrece. Este personaje tiene una falla tr�gica: dejarse arrastrar por el vendaval neoliberal que lo llevar� primero a realizar un negocio para turistas extranjeros en el coraz�n del desierto del norte de Chile; se le ocurre hacer un montaje hist�rico sobre la epopeya popular de las salitreras. La historia de Chile es, en el campo neoliberal, material comercializable, un simulacro o 'performance' a lo Hollywood, un discurso de la forma y el artificio. Despu�s de su �xito con el proyecto turistico del desierto, Fernando se embarcar� en proyectos delirantes con la finalidad de enriquecerse lo m�s pronto posible. Pierde todo el sentido de las proporciones cuando se asocia con una inmobiliaria transnacional la cual aparentemente lo contrata para desarrollar un complejo turistico pero que, en realidad, se dedica a negocies turbios e ilegales nunca revelados en el transcurso de la historia. Es presumible la posibilidad del tr�fico de drogas y lavado de dinero internationales como los verdaderos asuntos de Fernando, a los que se entregar� con frenes� y ceguera y por los cuales terminar� tr�gicamente su vida.

Guillermo, El Peruano, quien tiene una secreta rivalidad con su amigo Fernando porque est� enamorado de Isabel desde que eran adolescentes, representa la otra cara de la moneda por cuanto que es un anti-entusiasta; este personaje dibuja la figura del 'retraimiento'. Desprovisto de su gran proyecto con el regreso de la democracia en 1990, la lucha contra la dictadura militar de Pinochet documentando con su c�mara los actos de represion, Guillermo se sume en un estado de melanco-l�a depresiva. Frente a la normalizaci�n del orden neoliberal, Guillermo experimenta una suerte de petrificaci�n nost�lgica del ayer. La condici�n postdictatorial lo deja sin la �pica de la disidencia; es una suerte de hu�rfano de la utop�a que se paraliza frente a la hegemonia del Mercado. En lugar de hacer una interpelaci�n directa a la narrativa vigente del neoliberalismo chileno, se dedica a hacer documentales falsos para consumo europeo. Durante los largos periodos de ausencia de Fernando fungir� como padre putativo de Miguel y, finalmente, como amante de Isabel; pero cuando los pierde se encerrar� a cuatro paredes. Al vaciamiento utopico se a�adir� el estoicismo de la soledad y la derrota. No en balde este personaje lleva el apodo del Peruano, en una clara alusi�n a la guerra del Pac�fico en la que el Per� perdi� el territorio que hoy es el norte de Chile y donde se desarrolla la acci�n de El entusiasmo.

Mientras que Fernando y Guillermo manificstan una gran incapacidad para manejarse en el nuevo orden del Chile de la postdictadura, Isabel por el contrario se mantendr� con los pies en la tierra y ser� lo suficientemente fuerte para rechazar tanto al entusiasta Fernando como al melanc�lico Guillermo. Aqu� hay una significativa lectura del filme: el personaje femenino decide no ser una abnegada pen�lope que espera el regreso de Fernando ni tampoco permite que el exceso de autocompasi�n la obligue a permanecer al lado de Guillermo. Para Isabel s�lo hay una meta clara: salvar a su hijo Miguel. Al entregarse Fernando a las fuerzas ciegas del neoliberalismo que lo har�n perder los v�nculos con su mujer e hijo se desdibuja el territorio familiar. Si bien durante la dictadura militar, la familia se vio afectada por los efectos de la violencia y represi�n pol�ticas, en la etapa actual es el deseo del �xito y dinero a toda costa lo que provoca la desarticulaci�n del sintagma de la familia. Es a Isabel a quien corresponder� reconstruir el tejido familiar en el Chile del fin de siglo.

El ni�o Miguel es, en realidad, la v�ctima de la historia. La orfandad es el tema gravitante de El entusiasmo. Es �l quien recibe con mayor crudeza los estragos del remolino neoliberal que arrastra a su padre. No por nada, en una de las secuencias claves en el desierto, aparece lsabel como una especie de Virgen que sostiene a su hijo en sus brazos en una clara referenda a La Piedad de Miguel �ngel. Miguel es el sacrificado. En el filme se articula asimismo el sintagma de la b�squeda del padre. Si bien en dos filmes chilenos de la d�cada de los 80 tenemos el tema de la b�squeda de los desaparecidos por motives pol�ticos, Imagen Latente de Pablo Perelman y La estaci�n del regreso de Leonardo Kocking, en El Entusiasmo Miguel se convierte en un Tel�maco que viaja de Arica a Santiago de Chile para buscar a su padre perdido en la vor�gine de las turbias aguas del capitalisme multinacional. No lo encuentra. La secuencia final del filme muestra a Miguel mirando su dibujo de la Rep�blica Independiente simbolizada como una peque�a isla ubicada en el sur de Chile. En la isla aparece �l tornado de la mano de sus padres y un poco m�s all� se vislumbra la silueta de Guillermo con su c�mara en la mano. Es el espacio de la utop�a que ya solo forma parte de la mirada inocente de Miguel.

As�, El entusiasmo ofrece un testimonio de la ca�da de la utopia que en los a�os 60 gener� dentro del cine latinoamericano la concepci�n de los filmes como instrumentes de arma pol�tica para la enmancipaci�n del continente. �ste era un cine �pico que die nacimiento a una serie de propuestas taies como la est�tica del hambre de Glauber Rocha, el cine-liberaci�n de Solanas y Getino, el cin� junte al pueblo de Sanjin�s, el cine imperfecto de Garc�a Espinosa; estas propuestas ten�an como denominador com�n la generaci�n de una cultura de resistencia y la b�squeda de la utop�a revolucionaria que transformar�a a las naciones de Am�rica Latina. Sin embargo, frente a la pulverizaci�n de la utop�a, nuestro cine finisecular intenta dar nuevas respuestas a la hegemon�a del Mercado. Si bien El entusiasmo decide, sobre todo, narrai los tr�gicos efectos que el ethos neoliberal puede ocasionar en las nuevas generaciones, otros filmes buscan articular diversos discursos para cuestionar la avasallante ideolog�a del Mercado y la complicidad de los Estados latinoamericanos. Pienso en filmes de Fernando Solanas de la d�cada de los 90 como son El viaje , La nube; o en su documentai de este ano de 2004, "Memoria del saqueo", en el que el mismo Solanas denuncia los dram�ticos efectos que se han producido en Argentina a ra�z de la derrota del Estado nacional moderno frente al Mercado transnacional. Pienso tambi�n en la pel�cula uruguaya El �ltimo tren de Diego Arsuaga del 2003 que usa una hist�rica locomotora para simbolizar el patrimonio nacional que no debe ser vendido a los Estados Unidos.

[Author Affiliation]

Salvador Velazco, Claremont McKerma College

Funding not always key to races

Superior fundraising did not necessarily lead to electoralvictory for West Virginia's U.S. House candidates, the latestFederal Election Commission filings show.

Democrat Mike Oliverio attracted $525,110 more from individualsthan the GOP's David McKinley in the 1st Congressional Districtrace. A state senator from Monongalia County, Oliverio also out-raised McKinley during the final 20 days of their campaigns by$56,425.

In the 3rd District's contest, Republican Elliott "Spike" Maynardbested incumbent Rep. Nick Rahall, a Democrat, among individualdonors by $432,150. Their post-general reports show that trendcontinued between Oct. 14 and the election. Maynard, a formerDemocrat and state Supreme Court justice, received $52,830 more thanRahall in these contributions during that time.

But McKinley and Rahall both won on Nov. 2. Securing an 18thterm, Rahall beat Maynard by 12.1 percentage points, 56 percent to44 percent, in a 17-county district that includes the state'ssouthern coalfields, according to official results from thesecretary of state's office.

The race for the open seat in the northern, 20-county 1stDistrict was much closer. McKinley, a former legislator and stateGOP chair, edged out Oliverio by less than a percentage point, or1,440 votes. McKinley will succeed Rep. Alan Mollohan, defeated byOliverio in their party's May primary.

McKinley, who runs his own architecture and design firm, hadpumped $770,000 of his own money into his effort. All but $100,000of that were loans to his campaign.

Rahall, meanwhile, started his race with a $1.3 million campaignbalance. He also attracted $625,218 more than Maynard from politicalaction committees. PACs had given slightly more to Oliverio thanMcKinley in their race, $260,325 to $235,600.

The exception to the fundraising trend was in the 2ndCongressional District. There, Rep. Shelley Moore Capito dominatedpolitical newcomer Virginia Lynch Graf in both campaign cash andvotes.

A Democrat, Graf raised just $25,646 to Capito's $1.5 million intheir race. The Republican incumbent secured a sixth term with morethan 68 percent of the Nov. 2 vote. Phil Hudok of the ConstitutionParty also appeared on the ballot, but did not raise or spend enoughto trigger FEC filings.

The funds raised by West Virginia's congressional candidates intheir races' final weeks largely reflected the array of interestgroups that had contributed campaign cash throughout the electioncycle.

Oliverio, a life insurance agent, amassed funds from his area andothers within the financial services sector, including banks.Physicians and other health professionals were among his majorcontributors, as were coal and natural gas interests and Democraticleadership PACs.

Act Blue, a Democratic group, served as a conduit for at least$110,000 contributed to Oliverio including $76,652 during the latestfiling period. Donors during that period included former two-termGov. Gaston Caperton.

McKinley benefited from Republican-aligned PACS as well as healthprofessionals and the construction industry. The son, grandson andother family members of H. Ross Perot, the Texas-based billionaireand 1990s presidential candidate, gave his campaign around $7,500.Entertainer Hank Williams Jr. contributed $1,000.

Massey Energy Co. contributed $2,000 each to both McKinley andfellow Republican Maynard through its PAC during the electioncampaign's final days. Massey chief executive Don Blankenship, whorecently announced his plans to leave the Virginia-based coalproducer, gave McKinley $2,400 during that time.

Blankenship contributed the maximum amount for an individual,$4,800, to both McKinley and Maynard during the election cycle.Executive and family members from Massey, its subsidiaries andvendors proved a key source of funding for Maynard's campaign. SarahPalin's PAC contributed $1,500 during the filing period, for a totalof $5,000 during the cycle.

With coal a leading industry in the district and a major topic ofthe campaign, Rahall lagged behind Maynard for contributions fromthat area during the race. Exceptions included coal executive ChrisCline, who gave Rahall $500 during the filing period.

Democratic leaders and labor unions were a significant source ofRahall's PAC funds. So was the transportation sector. Rahall isexpected to become the ranking member of the House committee focusedon that subject. Several native American tribes also contributed atotal of $5,000 to Rahall during the filing period.

After each prevailed in a contested primary, Rahall reportedspending $1.6 million and Maynard, $907,300, on their race. Outsidegroups devoted around $1.6 million to their contest, with all but$400,000 of that spent supporting Maynard or attacking Rahall.

After outspending Maynard, Rahall sported a $488,150 campaignbalance as of Nov. 22. Maynard reported a negative balance.

While Oliverio had upset Mollohan, McKinley prevailed over fiveother Republicans to win their party's nomination. Oliverio andMcKinley each spent around $950,000 on the general election portionof their 1st District race.

But outside groups and the national parties had spent more than$3.1 million on their battle. Around 60 percent of that spendingbenefited McKinley.

His campaign had $86,500 left as of Nov. 22 to Oliverio's $3,368.

Lanvin's Elbaz brings a touch of Paris to H&M

NEW YORK (AP) — Alber Elbaz's beads, bows and very French poufs played well in New York as he previewed a glitzy version of the much-anticipated Lanvin collection for H&M that will be in stores this weekend.

He didn't hold back on glamour or attitude even though for many mainstream consumers this will be the first time they see a Lanvin label, a favorite of fashion insiders since Elbaz took over the house in 2001.

The small fashion show Thursday night at the Pierre Hotel drew actress Emma Roberts, director Sofia Coppola and designers Anna Sui, Tory Burch, Alexander Wang, and Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, among others.

There was a cabaret singer, an elaborately painted runway and archway of white flowers, rare theatrical touches for a Manhattan runway, which is typically known as the no-nonsense sister of the dramatic Parisian catwalk.

The collection opened with a gray tulle dress with a bow at the bustline, and it ended with a model in a Lanvin (hearts) H&M dress, carrying — you guessed it — Lanvin (hearts) H&M — shopping bags. Between those looks were skinny-leg tuxedos, a lipstick red cocktail dress, a faux fur coatdress topped by a similar coat and a French maid get-up.

All were customized couture versions of what will be on sale at H&M; the runway pieces will be auctioned for Unicef.

One model accessorized her one-shoulder hot pink frock with a French poodle wearing a complementary bow.

"It's fantastic, of course. He (Elbaz) is such a great designer — so influential," said Margareta van den Bosch, creative adviser for H&M. "What he wanted to do with this collection is make it more playful, less serious and less classic."

She already has in her closet one of the menswear tuxedos and a woman's overcoat. "I have some of the accessories, too, but not the shoes. I can't walk in those high heels."

The prices are on the high side for H&M — up to $250 for a dress — but that's a bargain for Elbaz's work, she said.

Collaborations aren't new for mass retailer H&M: Previous partners include Stella McCartney, Sonia Rykiel and Karl Lagerfeld.

Bell anticipates chances to stack up RBI for Sox

SARASOTA, Fla. George Bell brought Andre Dawson's words into theWhite Sox clubhouse Thursday when he reported from the Cubs.

"He said I was the lucky one, that there'd be a lot of men onbase for me to drive in," Bell said.

Most of Bell's RBI will come as the designated hitter. TheWhite Sox made that clear as soon as he arrived, but quickly addedhe'd occasionally play left field.

Contrast this to the spring of 1988, when the Blue Jays didn'texplain DH-ing to Bell - they ordered it.

Bell was coming off a Most Valuable Player season of .308, 47home runs and 134 RBI as a left fielder, so sitting between inningsdidn't sit well with him. He objected so strongly to DH-ing he wentto the bullpen in the first exhibition game and lay down.

"It was something painful to have done to your life when youfeel you already have control of it," he said.

"I couldn't take designated hitter. I was only 28. I was goingto be the youngest DH in the league.

"Four years later I'm the same person and I'm not really readyto be a full-time designated hitter, but I know I'm going to have todo some of it. Outfield, too. And, who knows, maybe some first baseto help Frank (Thomas) out. I like first base.

"I'm glad they talked to me today. The Blue Jays, they nevertalked to me."

Bell thinks he knows why Cubs general manager Larry Himes tradedhim Monday for Sammy Sosa and Ken Patterson.

"Defense," he said. "Larry told me he really likes Sammy Sosa'sdefense and said they can work with his hitting there.

"That tells me they didn't like my defense. How would I rate mydefense? On a scale of one to 10? Seven.

"I go out and play.

"I'm not afraid to make errors. When I make errors, it'ssometimes because I'm aggressive."

Bell didn't like the way he was told of the trade.

"I thought they were joking. They treat players like they werenothing."

Bell knew some things about his new teammates. He knew CarltonFisk has a foot problem. He knew Tim Raines from being DominicanRepublic winter league teammates. He knew Thomas by sight.

"I know Ozzie (Guillen) is kind of crazy," Bell said. "Is thattrue?"

It is.

Bell spotted bongo drums by Guillen's locker. "I'll send formine and we'll play some heavy metal," he said, laughing.

One thing bothered Bell, though. His new number.

"Ten is no good," he said. "I'd like 11, but Luis Aparicio hadit and they don't use that number anymore. That's good because hewas such a good player.

"What I'd really like is 7 for Damaso Garcia. He's not well."

Seven is manager Gene Lamont's number.

"Oh, then how 'bout No. 21, my birthday?" Bell said. "Or 14,my kid's birthday?"

No good on those, either. Joey Cora has 21, Craig Grebeck 14.

"Then we've got to hold a team meeting," Bell said beforeexcusing himself to work out for the first time in a White Soxuniform.

Looking for a quickie?

Gay Match Speed Dating offers fast, stress-free opportunities to find that special someone

Feel like a wuss when it comes to chatting it up with that cute girl or guy at the bar? Worried that you're passing up a chance to meet Mr. or Ms. Right? Sick of the gay dating scene?

Gary Barris wants you to know that you're not alone-and that he just might have a solution.

"My friend and I were talking and we were discussing that their must be a better way to meet people than the bar scene," said Barris, a Waterford resident. "Not that there's anything wrong with the bars, but a lot of times people go to the bars and don't have the courage to go up to someone else and start talking."

And so, Gay Match Speed Dating was born - with plans for the first lesbian event on May 13.

Barris, with his friend and business partner Martin Ancona, founded the business just this year, and held a trial event in February at Como's Restaurant in Ferndale, both to test their ideas and to drum up interest in the service.

The response, said Barris, was even better than they expected. "It went really well. We had feedback sheets and everybody gave us really good feedback," he said. "They liked the setting, the atmosphere. They liked the service where they were able to interview people within, like, eight minutes. They liked that because it's stressfree and there's really no pressure."

Barris said that although there have been other gay speed dating events in the area, Gay Match Speed Dating is different in several ways, including the location, the way people are matched and the fact that the entire service is only for the LGBT community.

Gay Match Speed Dating matches people based on characteristics such as age, interests and personality type through a questionnaire filled out online before the event on their Web site, www.gaymatchspeeddating.com. Then, the men or women are given 10 nine-minute dates and notified of their responses and positive matches within two days of the event.

All events so far have been held at Como's, including their first full event for gay men on April 29. Barris said the ambiance created by the upstairs area at the restaurants is one of the best parts of the service - including candlelit tables and a secluded spot free of outside chatter. "The atmosphere itself makes it very special, as opposed to a bar setting or some of the other settings that might not be as intimate," Barris said.

More intimate than, say, your e-mail inbox.

Though online dating has become a haven for many in the LGBT community, and bars a longtime staple, Barris maintains that speed dating offers the best of both worlds: An easy, face-to-face meeting with none of the pressure of bars, but none of the ambiguity of the Internet.

"It's a good way for people who maybe don't have good social skills or maybe are kind of shy to be able to meet someone that maybe they wouldn't want to approach on the Internet," Barris said. "Same thing goes for the bar... the nice thing about this is that everybody has an opportunity that they wouldn't have online dating or at the bar."

"There's no pressure," he added. "It's stress free."

And for a good cause. Barris promises that Gay Match Speed Dating will give a portion of all of their proceeds to Higher Ground, a local nonprofit that provides support to metro Detroiters with HIV/AIDS.

For anyone still skeptical, Barris offers this: While he and many of his friends have tried speed dating before, Gay Match Speed Dating is different because it's run by gay men, for gays and lesbians, offering an experience that's specificly geared toward the LGBT community. "Since my friend and I happen to be gay, we're catering to the gay community," Barris explained. "Whether it's men or women, we think we can do a better job as far as that. There are other services out there that, every so often, do events for gays and lesbians, but we're more consistent. That's our niche and we can do a better job."

[Sidebar]

Lesbian Speed Dating

7 p.m. May 13

Como's Restaurant and Pizzeria

22812 Woodward Ave., Ferndale

$20

www.gaymatchspeeddating.com

среда, 7 марта 2012 г.

Patent No. 7,588,274 Issued on Sept. 15 for Building Block Lifting Tool (California Inventor)

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 19 -- Landon Worthington, Thousand Oaks, Calif., has developed a tool for lifting building block with body. The inventor was issued U.S. Patent No. 7,588,274 on Sept. 15.

According to the abstract released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A tool for lifting and carrying a building block includes a body having a first end adapted to engage an inner building block wall. A nose extends from an upper portion of the first end and is adapted to engage an upper surface of the building block. First and second elongated legs extend away from the first end in angular relation to one another. A foot is pivotally connected to a free end of the second leg, and has a generally parallel pad portion configured to engage an opposite inner wall of the building block. Upon exerting a lifting force on a handle portion of the first leg, the first end of the body and the foot pad engage and exert opposing forces to opposite inner walls of the building block cell, enabling the building block to be lifted by the tool."

The original application was filed on July 6, 2006. For more information about US Fed News contract awards please contact: Sarabjit Jagirdar, US Fed News, Email:- htsyndication@hindustantimes.com.