Shameless CEO Campaign Sends Debt-Laden Caesar?s CEO to Lecture the 99% on Fixing Debt

Gary Loveman, Chairman, President and CEO, Harrah's Entertainment Inc.

Written by Eileen Appelbaum

If there is one thing the recent presidential election made clear, it is that the 1% have no shame. So it?s no surprise that CEOs are drumming up ?fiscal cliff? hysteria to protect their wealth. Their campaign to ?Fix the Debt? wants to retain the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthy and expand tax breaks for corporations while fixing the debt through a Medicare/Medicaid system that ?spends considerably less.?? But choosing Caesar?s Entertainment CEO Gary Loveman to deliver their message on NPR?s ?All Things Considered? demonstrates once again how shameless the very rich are in their contempt for the 99% who depend on Medicare and Medicaid ? and for the ?elites? who get their news from NPR. As for NPR, let?s give folks there the benefit of the doubt and just say they are clueless.

The CEO campaign sent Loveman to impress upon the rest of us the importance of fixing the debt so CEOs wouldn?t be forced to lay off millions of us and to make sure we understood the necessity of preserving tax breaks for the ?job creators.? You might think they would have chosen a CEO who leads a company that has created value for the U.S. economy and jobs for American workers. But you would be wrong.? Gary Loveman is the CEO of a company loaded up with debt by private equity that has ripped off its creditors, disappointed its shareholders, and laid off workers.

Loveman was CEO and President of Harrah?s Entertainment (now known as Caesar?s Entertainment Corporation), the world?s largest casino company with 30,440 unionized employees when it was acquired by private equity firms, the Apollo Group and the Texas Pacific Group (TPG) in 2006. The PE firms paid $90 a share to take the company private. By June 2007, the casino company?s long-term debt had more than doubled to $23.9 billion, resulting in an interest bill of $2.1 billion. Piling up debt magnifies private equity?s returns in good economic times, but it raises the risks of default and downsizing for the acquired companies when times are tough. Caesar?s Entertainment struggled under its debt burden when the recession hit. The company cut staff, reduced hours, outsourced jobs and scaled back operations.

Caesars? creditors were hurt as badly as its workers. According to Caesar Entertainment?s website, ?Loveman has led Caesars? successful debt reduction and liquidity improvement strategies.? In plain English, Caesars stiffed its creditors. Caesars? high debt burden put the company in grave danger of defaulting, so the company was able to buy back its own debt at pennies on the dollar. In November 2008 its bonds were trading for 20 cents on the dollar. In December 2008, the company exchanged bonds with a face value of $2.2 billion for new ones worth $1.06 billion, meaning that bond holders got a little less than 50 cents on the dollar. Then in April 2009, the company exchanged $5.5 billion of additional bonds for new bonds worth $3.6 billion. So Caesar?s reduced its debt and increased its liquidity under Loveman?s leadership, but at the expense of its creditors who lost a total of $3 billion. The real winners in these deals were Apollo?s investors and its CEO Leon Black, whose returns were boosted by these swaps. As for the casino company, the swaps merely postponed the day of reckoning on its remaining high debt load.

Still in trouble and needing more cash, Caesars? PE owners decided to sell the company back to the public market. A planned IPO announced In November 2010 that offered shares at $15-$17 per share had to be scrapped due to low investor interest in the money losing, debt-burdened company. In February 2012 the company returned to the public markets, selling shares at the ?comical? price of $9 to raise much needed funds. Investors willing to take a chance on Caesars at the bargain basement price of $9 a share have been sorely disappointed ? the stock (CZR) closed yesterday (November 14) at $4.54 a share. Far from creating value for the U.S. economy during his tenure as Caesars? CEO and President, Loveman took a company worth $90 a share down to one worth just $4.54 a share.

Caesars still has $20.8 billion in debt, and some observers think it is quickly approaching a ?fiscal cliff? of its own.

It is hard to fathom why Loveman would step forward as the public face of the CEO campaign to ?fix? the debt or why that campaign would want him as its spokesperson. Perhaps the answer lies in the fact that Apollo Global Management remains Caesars largest shareholder. Apollo?s CEO, Leon Black, has the distinction of being the CEO among CEOs of publicly traded companies who benefited most in 2011 from the Bush tax cuts. He saved $9.9 million dollars that year.

Eileen Appelbaum?is Senior Economist for the Center for Economy and Policy Research. She also writes a regular blog, CEPR Blog,?where this post originally appeared.

Photo by PhoCusWright under Creative Commons license.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/firedoglake/fdl/~3/UFvw6AouGlE/

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Amazing 'Holy Motors' a shapeshifting film - San Francisco Examiner

?Holy Motors? is only the fifth feature film in 28 years by Leos Carax, who is perhaps the most mesmerizing, poetic and baffling filmmaker in France.

His best film, ?Les Amants du Pont-Neuf? ? released here in 1999 as ?The Lovers on the Bridge? ? reached the glorious, grandiose heights of passion that ?Gone with the Wind? and ?Titanic? were praised for.

On the other hand, the amazing ?Holy Motors? is more about the remnants of passion.

• Starring: Denis Lavant, Edith Scob, Eva Mendes, Kylie Minogue
• Written and directed by: Leos Carax
• Rating: Not rated (contains nudity, violence and sexual content)
• Running time: 1 hour, 55 minutes

Denis Lavant, the gravel-faced star of four of Carax's features, stars as Monsieur Oscar, a mysterious figure with a strange job. Over the course of a day, he rides around in the back of a limo, donning different costumes and applications of makeup for various ?appointments.? He becomes an old lady beggar, a gangster and a dying old man. He puts on a motion-capture suit ? a Cirque du Soleil-esque bodysuit with lights ? and performs some sexualized acrobatics with a female co-star.

He also becomes a vile thing known as ?merde? ? last seen in Carax's segment of the 2009 anthology film ?Tokyo!? ? a bizarre, violent sewer dweller with fire-red hair and a milky-white eye. This creature kidnaps a beautiful model (Eva Mendes) during a photo shoot in a cemetery.

Later, Oscar runs into a woman (Kylie Minogue) who may have been a former love, and who seems to be doing the same kind of job. They share a tender song.

Like many of his fellow French filmmakers, Carax was once a film critic, and his films ponder the nature of films and storytelling as much as they tell stories. He pays tribute to King Vidor?s ?The Crowd? and Georges Franju?s ?Eyes Without a Face.? Edith Scob, who plays Monsieur Oscar's compassionate limo driver, was the star of the latter.

The various segments clearly represent different film genres: the musical, the horror film, the weepie, etc. The movie is, by turns, haunting, moving and shocking.

But Carax also asks questions about the nature of performance. Is Monsieur Oscar performing for anyone in particular, or maybe everyone in general? Does he ever get to be ?himself,? even behind the scenes? In the movie?s most human moments, we see Oscar growing weary, perhaps not even remembering why he?s doing this kind of work.

The movie?s final moments are among its most bizarre, raising more questions than they answer. We all have masks we wear, the movie seems to say, and none of us know truly who we are ? not even talking cars.

Source: http://www.sfexaminer.com/entertainment/movies/2012/11/amazing-holy-motors-shapeshifting-film

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Rockport business owner admits to decades of sales tax theft ...

ROCKLAND, Maine ? A 63-year-old businessman admitted Thursday that he had collected but failed to turn over to the state sales taxes paid by customers for decades.

Ronald Pinkham entered guilty pleas in Knox County Superior Court to felony theft and a misdemeanor count of failure to turn over sales tax receipts. The prosecutor and judge, however, both acknowledged that Pinkham had been extremely cooperative since state revenue service officials accidentally discovered his business on the Web.

In exchange for his cooperation, the felony charge could be lowered to a misdemeanor when he is back in court in a year for sentencing. Under terms of the deferred disposition agreed to by the attorney general?s office and defense, Pinkham could serve less than 180 days in jail.

Assistant Attorney General Gregg Bernstein said that a Maine State Revenue agent came upon Pinkham?s business ? Woodsound Studio in Rockport ? by accident online. Bernstein said the agency then found that Woodsound was not on a list of businesses that collect and pay sales taxes to the state.

Pinkham, who lives in Lincolnville, has operated the music instrument making store in the Rockport village of Glen Cove since the 1970s. Bernstein said that since at least the 1980s Pinkham has collected sales taxes from customers but deposited that money in his own accounts for his personal use rather than submitting the funds to the state. The amount of uncollected taxes and interest totaled more than $139,000, the prosecutor said. A statute of limitations restricts criminal prosecution in tax cases that go beyond six years but does not prevent the state from seeking repayment in civil suits.

Bernstein said that about $38,000 is considered money owed under the criminal cases while another nearly $102,000 is considered owed under civil laws from previous years.

If Pinkham repays the $38,000 within 12 months, the state will ask for no more than 180 days in jail, under the deferred disposition agreement. The defense will be able argue for less jail time.

Pinkham paid $19,000 on Thursday, but if the remainder of the $38,000 is not repaid within a year, the agreement calls for a 364 day jail term with all but 270 days suspended.

Defense attorney Eric ?Rick? Morse said Pinkham took immediate and full responsibility when he was first contacted by the revenue service. He has cooperated fully and wants to repay the full amount ? including the civil part of the case.

?He wants to make it right,? Morse said.

Bernstein said Pinkham had told revenue service officials that he had been reluctant to advertise on the Web because he had not been paying the sales taxes.

Justice Jeffrey Hjelm said he was struck by Pinkham?s extraordinary cooperation with the state.

The Pinkham hearing was immediately followed in court by guilty pleas by a 37-year-old commercial fisherman from Rockland for not paying his income taxes for three years.

Steven W. Ward Jr. pleaded guilty to failure to pay state income taxes and failure to file state income tax returns in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

Bernstein, who also prosecuted this case, said Ward also did not file tax returns in 2002, 2003 and 2004. Those cases are not criminal matters because the statute of limitations has passed.

The plea agreement reached with the defense calls for 180 days in jail with all but 30 days suspended. The 30 days is a cap and the defense can argue for less jail time.

The sentencing has been put off until late March. Defense attorney Peter Rodway said the postponement of sentencing will allow Ward to go out scallop fishing when the season begins March 1 so that he can pay off the $11,887 in state income taxes owed for the three years cited in the criminal complaint.

Source: http://bangordailynews.com/2012/11/15/news/midcoast/rockport-business-owner-admits-to-decades-of-sales-tax-theft/

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After Israel kills Hamas chief, ground operation is possibility

Published: 11/15/12 @ 12:00

Associated Press

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip

Israel carried out a blistering offensive of more than 50 airstrikes in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, assassinating Hamas? military commander and targeting the armed group?s training facilities and rocket launchers in Israel?s most intense attack on the territory in nearly four years.

Israel said the airstrikes, launched in response to days of rocket fire out of Hamas-ruled Gaza, were the beginning of a broader operation against the Islamic militants code-named ?Pillar of Defense.? Israeli defense officials said a ground operation was a strong possibility in the coming days though they stressed no decisions had been made and much would depend on Hamas? reaction.

The attack came at a time when Israel seems to be under fire from all directions. Relations have been deteriorating with Egypt?s new Islamist government, Egypt?s lawless Sinai desert has become a staging ground for militant attacks on Israel, and the Syrian civil war has begun to spill over Israel?s northern border.

With at least 10 Palestinians dead, including two young children, Wednesday?s offensive was certain to set off a new round of fighting with Gaza militants, who have built up an arsenal of rockets and missiles.

It also threatened to upset Israel?s relations with neighboring Egypt and shake up the campaign for Israeli elections in January. In a preliminary response, Egypt recalled its ambassador to Israel in protest.

In a nationwide address, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel could no longer stand repeated attacks on its southern towns. Days of rocket fire have heavily disrupted life for some 1 million people in the region, canceling school and forcing residents to remain indoors.

The Israeli military said it was ready, if necessary, to send ground troops into Gaza. The defense officials who said a ground operation was likely in the coming days spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing sensitive military plans.

?We are at the beginning of the event, and not the end,? Defense Minister Ehud Barak said, in a joint appearance with the prime minister. ?In the long run, I believe the operation will help strengthen the power of deterrence and to return quiet to the south.? In a sign that the operation was expected to broaden, the military was cleared to call up reserve units.

Residents in both Israel and Gaza braced for prolonged violence.

Israel declared a state of emergency in its south and canceled school across that area for today. Calling it a ?special situation,? Barak sought permission to call up special reserve units for the operations. Israeli police stepped up patrols around the country, fearing that Hamas could retaliate with bombing attacks far from the reaches of Gaza.

More than 65 rockets landed in southern Israel late Wednesday.

The deadly attack on Hamas mastermind Ahmed Jabari marked the resumption of Israel?s policy of ?targeted killings,? or assassinations of senior Hamas men.

Israel has refrained from such attacks, which have drawn international condemnations, since a fierce three-week offensive in Gaza that ended in January 2009.

Jabari was the most senior Hamas official to be killed since that war. Israeli defense officials warned earlier this week that they were considering resuming the assassination policy.

The Jabari killing, carried out in broad daylight, was shocking. Hamas officials had brushed off the Israeli threats, illustrated by Jabari?s decision to drive in public.

Hamas? prime minister, Ismail Haniyeh, eulogized Jabari and vowed revenge.

On Wednesday night, the U.N. Security Council met behind closed doors to consider an Egyptian request for an emergency meeting on Israel?s military action in Gaza.

Source: http://www.vindy.com/news/2012/nov/15/after-israel-kills-hamas-chief-ground-op/?mobile

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Supercomputer uses Twitter to tell how you're feeling

1 hr.

By Helen A.S. Popkin

Global Twitter Heartbeat isn?t the first project to offer a nifty map illustrating what we're doing in the Twitterverse at a given point in time.

A?Twitter map developed by Vertalab, for example, pinpointed where the??friendliest? and ?rudest? Americans live?by scanning tweets containing the phrases ?"Good morning," and "F--- you." Another color-coded map, noted in an issue of Cartographic Perspectives, analyzed tweets to reveal where in the U.S. Twitter profanity is worst (or best).

This latest heat map, however, offers a real-time analysis of random data?via supercomputer???the SGI UV 2000 Big Brain supercomputer at the University of Illinois???to process an impressive amount of raw information very quickly. ?(You can see how everybody's feeling on Twitter?right now?by going here.) The result is a?

According to the description on?Global Twitter Heartbeat project?s Facebook page, it works like this:

The Global Twitter Heartbeat project performs real-time stream processing of ten percent of Twitter?s 400M daily tweets as they are posted. The project analyses every tweet to assign location (not just GPS-tagged tweets, but processing the text of the tweet itself), and tone values and then visualizes the conversation in a heat map infographic that combines and displays tweet location, intensity and tone. With SGI UV, the entire process from data analysis to heat map was produced once per second.

As you can see in this video of real-time Twitter tracking during last week?s election (below), the result is a pretty accurate picture of what?s going on in the United States at any point in time. When you hear the technorati go blah blah blah about ?Big Data,? this is pretty much?what they?re talking about.

In the video above, blue represents pro-Barack Obama tweets, and red is for pro-Mitt Romney tweets. Note how blue blows up big at the time President Obama gives his victory speech.

The Global Heartbeat Project, a partnership between supercomputer supplier SGI Kalev H. Leetaru of the University of Illinois and Dr. Shaowen Wang of the CyberInfrastructure and Geospatial Information (CIGI) Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, also analyzed tweets during superstorm Sandy. Using red for negative tweets and blue for positive tweets regarding Sandy, the map reveals the mood in various areas of the U.S. as Sandy progressed up the East Coast. ?

Of course, these maps aren?t telling us anything we didn?t know???Obama won the election, people were very freaked out about Sandy. So what?s the point of using what SGI calls ?the world's largest data-mining machine? which could ?ingest the entire contents of the U.S. Library of Congress print collection in less than three seconds? to make videos to show us a bunch of pretty colors?

"This real-time data analysis approach is like having a new telescope in our hands,? project co-founder?Leetaru said in a press statement. ??We are just seeing the Twittersphere in this way for the first time and we're still not entirely sure how to make sense of it all and what it tells us, but it is allowing us for the first time to peer in the messy chaotic world that is the heartbeat of our society."

Which means it'll eventually be used for advertising.?

Helen A.S. Popkin goes blah blah blah abut the Internet. Tell her to get a real job on?Twitter?and/or?Facebook. Also,?Google+.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/supercomputer-uses-twitter-tell-how-youre-feeling-1C7073314

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Pinterest Launches Business Pages to Get Cozy ... - Advertising Age

Pinterest is sending a signal to the multitude of brands and retailers already active on its platform that it's getting ready to open for business itself by unveiling accounts designated for marketers today.

Pinterest's new-business accounts -- which are free of charge -- aren't brand pages in the tradition of what Facebook, Twitter and Google+ have previously rolled out, since they don't currently look any different from other pages. They also don't possess any enhanced functionality, apart from making the new feature of authenticating a website a streamlined part of the sign-up process and directing account owners to a Pinterest how-to for businesses. Another easy-to-grasp difference is that business pages allow brands and merchants to simply enter the name of their businesses when registering instead of having to work around the first name, last name sign-up format on user pages.

But while Pinterest won't look any different to users, the cues being sent about its intention of becoming a mature business in short order will be apparent to brands. Its readiness to work more closely with them comes as no surprise to those who have tracked the company's high-profile hires over the past year since consumer adoption started going through the roof. It's hired numerous Facebook alumni, including head of operations Don Faul and head of product management and partnerships Tim Kendall, who once directed Facebook's monetization strategy.

Well aware of the connection between Pinterest browsing and purchasing, retailers were among the early-adopter brands on the platform, as well as media brands like Real Simple that started seeing immense referral traffic from it last winter. However, while brands have continued to settle the platform, some may have wondered on what terms their presence was really palatable. Until today, Pinterest's terms of service read that usage of the platform was licensed on the condition of "your personal, non-commercial use."

"There's always been this lingering question in businesses' mind of whether Pinterest is OK with [them]," said Apu Gupta, CEO of Curalate, an analytics platform that mines Pinterest for actionable data for brands.

As part of the unveiling of business accounts, Pinterest also developed a new terms of service for businesses, making explicit that use of the platform for commercial purposes is accepted without mentioning retail or advertising. The material difference from a revised version of the terms of service for users is a section entitled "Tools for Site Owners," which notes that usage of Pinterest features like the "Pin It" and "Follow" buttons on third-party sites must comply with company policy and branding guidelines. It also outlines Pinterest's prerogative to collect data: "By incorporating Site Features into your site or service, you agree that Pinterest may collect and use information from you and your users as described in our Privacy Policy."

Pinterest's goal is to get the thousands of businesses already on the platform to migrate their accounts over to the business type, according to Product Manager Cat Lee, another Facebook alumna. Pinterest also has an incentive for them to make the switch.

"We hope to add more tools and features that are geared toward this audience," she said.

The company also today announced two new widgets to enable account owners -- businesses and individuals alike -- to embed pins and boards on third-party sites. In practice, Ms. Lee thinks they'll mostly be used by businesses to help build up their following. "It helps attract more followers to your board and also to your profile," she said.

While business accounts are now largely symbolic in terms of what they portend for brands, it's possible to imagine them as a precursor for a much more robust back-end where brands could pay to promote a pin, according to Mr. Gupta. Or perhaps, he said, they could facilitate another feature that's high on both brands' and users' wish lists: the ability to rearrange pins and boards.

"It does point in the direction of Pinterest becoming incredibly business-friendly," he said.

Source: http://adage.com/article/digital/pinterest-launches-business-pages-cozy-brands/238295/

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Production Artist and Web Developer ? The Maximus Group

This is a syndicated post from CatholicJobs.com. [Read the original article...]

PRODUCTION ARTIST AND WEB DEVELOPER
Marketing/Advertising, FT Employee
The Maximus Group (Woodstock, GA)

We?re seeking a team-oriented, innovative graphic and web designer to raise our brand presence to the next level. This is an amazing opportunity to contribute to the brand, image, and market dominance of a fast-growing public relations and marketing agency.

Our primary goal is to find a skilled web designer who can consistently develop high-impact new branding parameters as well as design within predetermined formats and guidelines. Candidates must also bring a strong work ethic and efficiency to production art work and possess proficiency in industry standard graphic design software.

The candidate must also be willing to train where software deficiencies are identified. The individual will be required to possess enough technical skills to be comfortable overseeing and maintaining multiple corporate and client websites built on a variety of platforms.

Responsibilities:

? Demonstrate a strong ability to execute designs, prepare files for output, and see projects through to completion.
? Knowledge of best-practices for web as well as across a variety of print collateral
? Design and maintain corporate websites and other creative projects that effectively support the positioning of Agency and clients in the marketplace.
? Create print and web advertisements that demand users take action. Familiar with A/B and some multivariate testing, working with your marketing counterparts to constantly refine and optimize landing pages to move the needle in the right direction
? Formal design skills and knowledge of design-related software, particularly Adobe Creative Suite products
? Demonstrated knowledge of web technologies, particularly HTML, CSS and Content Management systems
? Solid understanding of critical UX concerns and how to effectively incorporate them into page designs
? Must be able to handle multiple projects simultaneously
? Act as ?webmaster? for Agency and clients; contribute to building a content-rich destination portal for prospects and customers alike to have optimum user-experiences.
? Create landing pages, demos and other online marketing assets
? Prior experience designing and evolving WordPress sites

Experience Required:

? An expert visual/graphic designer with hands-on experience building web sites-preferably familiar with B2B high-tech as well as experience translating technical concepts into visually appealing, user-friendly pages
? The Ideal candidate should have their own style but be willing to work within (and help define and evolve) an existing corporate identity ? striving for designs that are both simple and engaging
? The ideal candidate should be creative enough to bring big ideas to the table, but possess the ability to see projects through to completion
? Comfortable with a fast-moving, high-pressure startup environment
? Minimum 3 years related experience
? Bachelor?s degree (9)

Source: http://www.dfwcatholic.org/production-artist-and-web-developer-the-maximus-group-woodstock-ga-82308/.html

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Go&Do: Corporate partner appreciation night at The Music Hall ...

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November 14, 2012 2:00 AM

Corporate partner

appreciation at Music Hall

The Music Hall, New Hampshire's premier center for the arts, will host its annual Corporate Partners Appreciation Night on Wednesday, Nov. 14. Beginning at 5:30, all corporate partners and their employees are invited to gather in the theater's Founders Lobby for a cocktail reception with light appetizers from The Blue Mermaid. Following the reception, guests are invited to stay for a free screening of the film "Samsara."

Corporate partners are vital to The Music Hall's ability to bring world-class arts and entertainment programming to the Seacoast. More than 300 businesses support The Music Hall through sponsorships and playbill advertising and this event is one of the many benefits corporate partners experience through their support of the theater. Christine Penney, associate director of development for The Music Hall, said in a press release, "Ticket prices cover only 60 percent of our operating costs; sponsorships allow us to focus on our core mission of strengthening communities as we bring today's most visionary artists and intellectuals to the stage."

As part of the evening, guests are invited to a free screening of Ron Fricke's ground-breaking new film "Samsara." Shot over the course of five years in 25 countries, "Samsara" explores the full range of human experience, from the mundane to the mystical, through its powerful and evocative images.

There is no charge to corporate partners or their employees to attend this special event. Cash bar will be available. If you plan to attend Corporate Partner Appreciation Night, please RSVP to Penney at cpenney@themusichall.org or 433-3100 ext. 3015. For information, visit http://www.themusichall.org/.

Mask Carving Demonstration by Mexican artists at Margaritas

Margaritas Mexican Restaurant at 775 Lafayette Road in Portsmouth will play host to visiting artists Manuel Abeiro Horta and Modesto Horta, a team of mask making brothers from T?cuaro, Mexico, on Wednesday, Nov. 14 from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

With nothing more than some hand-made tools forged by a local blacksmith, the brothers will transform a hunk of wood into an expressive work of art based on the traditions of their ancestors. Wooden masks, such as the style of the Horta family, are still used in many regions of Mexico during fiestas. The Horta brothers started learning their craft at a young age and by the time they were 12, the duo helped their famous father Juan Horta carve wooden masks.

The presentation in Portsmouth is one of several scheduled during the next two months throughout New England. As part of Margaritas Education Outreach Program, artists visit not only the restaurants to demonstrate their craft to the public, but also are scheduled to visit local schools to share Mexican culture, traditions and trade secrets

. Margaritas created the program in 1999 to bring artists, carvers and sculptors, to the northeast every year to share their talents with students and Margaritas diners. The series provides a glimpse into the colorful culture and traditions of techniques that date back centuries.

Manuel Abeiro and Modesto come from a family of artisans famous for their traditional masks that are sought after by collectors from around the world. The region where they live, in the state of Michoac?n, is known for producing high-quality wood products such as hand-carved tables, chairs, frames and folk art - many of which are used as furnishings in the 23 Margaritas restaurants. The world famous Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary is located in this central Mexican state in the Sierra Madre Mountains.

"The Horta brothers are back by popular demand," said Founder John Pelletier. "Last year, our guests loved having the opportunity to enjoy authentic Mexican fare and watch these award-winning folk artists demonstrate their craft. We are excited to share that experience once again with the rest of the New England area."

The Margaritas Education Outreach Program was developed to integrate Margaritas' unique cultural events with local community organizations such as schools and cultural institutions. In addition to the yearly artist visits, Margaritas also works closely with local schools to host student field trips to their restaurants. The presentation is a hands-on, interactive experience for students that reinforce Margaritas commitment to multicultural experiences in the local community. These field trips include a video of contemporary Mexican life and craft building and a tour of a living gallery filled with hand-crafted furnishings and folk art. Students are engaged through multisensory interactions with presenters who provide historical information and cooks who prepare authentic Mexican foods.

We reserve the right to remove any content at any time from this Community, including without limitation if it violates the Community Rules. We ask that you report content that you in good faith believe violates the above rules by clicking the Flag link next to the offending comment or fill out this form. New comments are only accepted for two weeks from the date of publication.

Source: http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20121114-LIFE-211140301

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Greece wins more time but no immediate aid

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Greece's international lenders agreed on Monday to give the country two more years to make the cuts demanded of it but the euro zone and IMF clashed over a longer-term target date to shrink the country's debt pile.

Euro zone finance ministers gathered in Brussels did not disburse more aid to the debt-ridden country and by granting a request from Athens for more time, face an extra funding bill of around 33 billion euros, according to a document prepared for the meeting.

"The Eurogroup concludes that the revised fiscal targets as requested by the Greek government and reported by the troika would be an appropriate adjustment," Jean-Claude Juncker, the chairman of euro zone finance ministers, told a news conference after nearly six hours of talks.

Juncker said a further Eurogroup meeting would take place on November 20 while officials said more negotiations could be required the week after that to nail down a new deal.

Despite Greece approving a tough 2013 budget last week, which it hoped would meet conditions for the release of a tranche of 31.5 billion euros of emergency loans under its second bailout program, its lenders still need to agree on how to make its debts sustainable into the next decade.

International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde said more work was needed to cement the budget measures.

"That ... (budget law) clearly needs to be reviewed a little bit, to make sure that all prior actions contained in that budget law are actually taken," she told the same news conference. "There will be a few, only a few additional prior actions to be verified in the coming days."

A compliance report by the European Commission, the IMF and the European Central Bank, together known as troika, calculated that giving Greece two more years to meet its immediate debt-cutting targets would leave a funding hole of 32.6 billion euros to be filled up to 2016.

Discussion on how to close that gap will be high on the ministers' agenda when they next meet.

A target was set in March for Greece to achieve a primary surplus of 4.5 percent of GDP in 2014. That will now be moved to 2016.

Lagarde also said the IMF did not agree with Juncker, who said a target to reduce Greece's debts to 120 percent of GDP by 2020, from around 190 percent next year, should similarly be shifted back by two years.

"In our view the appropriate timetable is 120 percent by 2020," Lagarde said. "We clearly have different views. What matters at the end of the day is the sustainability of Greek debt so that country can be back on its feet."

The IMF has set 120 percent as the target, saying that anything much above that will not be sustainable given Greece's low growth prospects and high external borrowing requirements.

Greece's lenders will not release more money until a "debt sustainability analysis" from the troika, has spelled out how to reach that goal. That analysis is expected to be discussed in more detail at the meeting on November 20.

Loans have been held up since Athens, which has received two bailout packages from the euro zone and IMF, went off-track with promised reforms and budget cuts, partly as a result of holding two elections in the space of three months earlier this year.

The IMF has been pushing for governments to write off some of their official loans to Greece, but Germany, the European Commission and others have said it is not legally possible.

"All avenues in order to reduce debt on Greece are being explored and will continue to be explored in the coming days," Lagarde said.

NUMBERS GAME

Three officials told Reuters that the troika had concluded that Greece's debt burden will fall only to 144 percent of gross domestic product in 2020 and roughly 10 percentage points lower two years later if current policies do not change.

Once there is an agreement on Greece's debt path and how to bring it down, it will be sent to national parliaments to get approval for the disbursement of the next aid tranche -- money Athens needs urgently to pay off loans and shore up its banks.

In the meantime, Greece will be allowed to issue more short-term paper to keep itself afloat.

Among the new instruments under consideration to reduce Greek debt are the removal of the 150-basis-point interest above financing costs on 53 billion euros of bilateral government loans to Greece, and lengthening the maturity of the loans.

Greece may also borrow from the euro zone bailout fund to buy back its privately held debt, of which there is 50-60 billion euros, taking advantage of the deep discount it trades at to save money on redemptions and interest payments.

Athens has to redeem 5 billion euros worth of treasury bills on November 16 and has been counting on cash from the next euro zone aid tranche to help cover that. Since the money will not come in time, Greece wants to roll over the bills.

"I won't tell you how, but there won't be any problem on November 16," Juncker said.

(Additional reporting by Lefteris Papadimas, Deepa Babington and Harry Papachristou in Athens, Matthias Sobolewski in Berlin, Luke Baker, Daniel Flynn, John O'Donnell and Robin Emmott in Brussels. Writing by Mike Peacock)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/no-aid-greece-monday-despite-austerity-vote-122119053--business.html

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Video: Matthews on Hillary Clinton?s next steps: ?Let us wait?

Fungal victim to Congress: 'It's torturous'

Margaret Snopkowski, 51, of Michigan, missed the birth of her first grandchild Oct. 24. Instead, she was hospitalized 300 miles away as fungal meningitis from tainted back pain drugs ravaged her system. Congressional committees this week are probing the outbreak that has killed 32.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/49812327#49812327

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Pentagon's message to Lockheed: Stay focused on F-35 (reuters)

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Getting Your Ex Back In 4 Steps - How It's Done

If you're undergone a breakup recently, you probably feel completely out of control of your emotions - and your future. It's normal to invest a large majority of your own hopes and dreams within a relationship with another person. When that relationship ends, it seems like the loss of much, much more than just a romantic involvement. It marks the loss of hopes, dreams, security, comfort and even friendship. You do have control of one thing - yourself. You can turn the tide and get your ex back again, but only if you're willing to make a genuine effort and avoid costly mistakes in the process.

Step 1: Come to Terms With Reality:

Nothing gives you a reality check quite like a breakup that you were completely unprepared for. There are a thousand thoughts clashing in your brain, and you desperately want to get your side of the story out in the open. You have counter-arguments to every excuse your ex put on the table, and you don't feel like you were adequately heard.

As harsh as it may seem, now is not the time to force your ex into a long debate. Their mind is already set, and you're just not going to change it. The last thing you want is for your ex to view you as unstable, clingy or attention-starved. If they do, changing that perception down the road is going to be a much more difficult prospect. As counter-intuitive as it may seem, your best option at this moment is to give your ex ground and accept their decision. You're going to change their minds later on - but now is simply not the time.

Step 2: Temporarily Walk Away:

You do not have to be completely be over your ex in order to take some time for yourself. In fact, taking some moments to yourself in order to assess the situation and handle some of your negative emotions can be largely beneficial to you personally - as well as the likelihood of getting your ex back. Although your ex may insist that they're ready to move full speed ahead alone or with someone new, they're still vulnerable. There are counting on you as a safety net so they've been keeping a watchful eye on you to see how you're reacting to the aftermath of the breakup overall.

By taking a break and limiting the contact that your ex has with you, you're shaking the very ground of what they believed to be a firm foundation. When trouble strikes, they'll have nowhere to turn and they will start to doubt the breakup - and your true feelings for them as well. If they can't see you hurting, they will automatically assume that you're doing okay, even when nothing could be further from the truth. The need for validation and reassurance will ultimately win out over their need to distance themselves from your relationship and they'll be anxious to reach out by any available means.

Step 3: Become the Best Possible You:

If you take an honest look at yourself right now in this moment, what would you change if you could? Why would you change those things? Would you do it because you think that's what your ex ultimately wants, or are they areas that genuinely need some work?

If your answer was the later, then you have a golden opportunity ahead of you. You get the unique perspective of viewing yourself in a crucial moment in time - and you have every opportunity and ability to make necessary changes. No one is perfect and human nature is flawed. We grow over time and while growth can be productive, it is not always easily noticeable. Sometimes you have to take the opportunities you're given, and you're not likely to get an opportunity more profound or potentially valuable than this one.

Remembering the beginning stages of your relationship can give you some valuable clues. It can point out things that have taken a turn throughout the course of your relationship and give you important clues towards possible contributing factors. By addressing those issues and striving for improvement you can focus on yourself and give yourself the perfect opportunity to evolve into someone who is overall more confident, self-assured and pleasant to be around.

Step 4: Allow Your Ex to Pursue You:

Now you will finally start to see the results of all of your efforts and hard work. You've undergone an enormous transformation and if you think it's gone unnoticed you're in for a big surprise. Your ex is starting to realize that you're keeping your distance on purpose. When they realize they can't reach out to you at will, the panic is going to start sinking in.

That panic is going to start causing a reaction that will be unavoidable. They will start testing the boundaries. They mistakenly thought that they could maintain control indefinitely - and they were wrong. Their risk is seeming less profitable and more risky by the moment and when they realize that reconnecting is not as simple as sending a simple text message, they're going to have to come up with another plan - one that will put you in the best possible position to win your ex back.

Why leave something this important to random fate? When reconnecting is this important you want to put all your ducks in a row to make your dream a reality.

What To Do Next

Now that you understand the basics, it is time to takes things up a notch. First you have to understand the no contact rule and how that works to make your ex start chasing you and seeing you in a more mysterious and positive light.

You should also be aware of signs ex still likes you. Knowing where you stand is a necessary part of getting your ex back. The last thing that you want is to make a fool of yourself in front of them.

Source: http://www.streetarticles.com/reconnecting/getting-your-ex-back-in-4-steps-how-its-done

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MMObility: Windows 8 and gaming in the Metro browser | Massively

So, you've heard about the recent Windows 8 release but aren't sure whether or not you should upgrade? How will the operating system affect your gaming, and are you going to go with any of the Microsoft Surface products? All of these questions can be answered in numerous ways, but I wanted to answer it from the standpoint of a mobile gaming fan. After all, it is my belief that mobile gaming will soon dominate gaming in the world... might as well be prepared!

But how does Windows 8 affect a mobile MMO fan like yours truly? Well, Windows 8 does a heckuva lot. It offers a ton of flexibility and fun new ways to interact with your PC. But it can also be a very confusing new addition. I sat down to figure out some of these issues with the help of Ben Adams, CTO of Illyriad Games. He knows more about mobile tech than I do and was able to sort out the differences between the Windows 8 browsers for me. Let's get to it.

Windows 8 really shines on a touch-enabled device. I myself own a Dell Inspiron Duo, a netbook that transforms into a tablet. You might have seen other laptops or netbooks attempt this, especially recently. Well, the Duo is a great device but is sort of underpowered for hosting a full copy of Windows 7 as it did when it shipped. I didn't have as much fun with it simply because the full Windows 7 experience was clunky and slow, even though it was handy when I needed a full PC that weighed a few pounds.

I started by adding the Windows 8 preview and later upgraded to the full Pro version as soon as I could. It's only around $40 US, so it's a great deal; a household could easily afford copies for all machines. Immediately the new OS made life with the formerly sluggish device much better. Performance went up, and the emphasis on touch meant that I actually used the little netbook in the way it was intended. If I need access to a full browser to play, say, Glitch, I can have it. If I prefer to use the new "Metro" version of Internet Explorer 10 (which is much faster and better for touchscreens), then I can do that as well.

Unfortunately, this means that I have to use a few different browsers on any one day. Allow me to explain.

Windows 8 comes with essentially two browsers, both versions of the same Internet Explorer, but one is the full, normal Internet Explorer experience that you might (or might not) be used to, while the other is the Metro version. The Metro version is a lighter, faster, and generally safer browser that is suited perfectly for touch. It features large buttons when they are needed, but when in general use, the browser stays in glorious fullscreen mode. Right-clicking brings up any menu I need. I actually prefer it over other browsers -- that is, until I need a full browser experience.

See, Metro does away with a lot of the browser addons you might use. It includes Flash, but only from sites that have been "whitelisted" by Microsoft. That means a game like Glitch cannot run in the Metro browser. In fact, Metro does away with a lot of standard plugins that can actually make our normal browsing slower and in a lot of cases less secure. Many security issues stem from common plugins like Flash and Java, but Windows often gets the blame for those issues. With Metro, Microsoft has now avoided being listed on Kasperky's list of top 10 vulnerabilities. The article even recommends uninstalling Java completely! (It's not allowed in the Metro browser.)

So, without all of these common plugins, what is a mobile gamer to do with a Metro browser? Your best bet is to go for HTML5 games. I have a list of these games bookmarked on all of my machines. The list includes Illyriad (already in the Windows 8 store), Grepolis, Command and Conquer: Tiberium Alliances, Lagoonia, and others. The great thing about HTML5, and the reason Google, Microsoft, Adobe and others are paying such attention to it, is that it will work in almost anything. Build it in HTML5 and you can do away with many incompatibilities. You can run whitelisted Flash-based MMOs on the desktop version of IE on the Surface RT.

Of course, you can also wait until the other Surface is released, the Pro version. It comes with a 3rd-gen Intel Core i5 processor and four gigs of RAM. It's powerful enough to handle many browser-based MMOs, even some of the heavy hitters that utilize fancy graphics or engines like Unity. There are a lot of choices with games like Glitch, Forge of Empires, Nadirim, Ministry of War, RuneScape and many, many others. The Surface Pro is basically a laptop or a very powerful tablet. Will it be worth the cost?

All of those Flash-based MMOs like Evony or those hosted on Facebook should be able to run with no issues on the Surface Pro desktop browsers. Be aware that some games, like Dungeon Blitz on Facebook, will still require a keyboard. Luckily you can nab one of the nifty keyboard covers with your Surface, or you can use an add-on.

It might seem odd that Windows 8 ships with the two different browsers. But let's remember what Microsoft is attempting to do. The company is moving into the modern era with an OS that actually works well with touch. Touch-enabled devices, like smartphones and tablets, will likely take over the market as primary personal computers for most people. If we want to use a faster, safer browser for surfing the web and performing basic tasks as well as play HTML5 and other "whitelisted" games, then we can use the Metro browser. If we need to use a standard browser, however, we will still have the choice.

Remember what Apple has done with the iPad. To date, Apple has sold millions and millions of the nifty devices and has literally changed the way the market expects to compute. Apple essentially told consumers, "Buy our way or don't use the iPad," and now many of us are comfortable using the app store. Microsoft is moving things forward by emphasizing HTML5, a more flexible medium, but still allowing consumers to find the same browser experience as before. Having choices is always better than having none.

I am loving Windows 8 on all of my devices and actually prefer the Metro browser so much that it is my default browser. If I open a link or bookmarked site that demands Flash, like Glitch, then it opens the appropriate desktop browser. In exchange I have a more solid and much faster operating system that has breathed new life into my older, touch-enabled netbook and even into my brand-new desktop.

Each week in MMObility, Beau Hindman dives into the murky waters of the most accessible and travel-friendly games around, including browser-based and smartphone MMOs. Join him as he investigates the best, worst, and most daring games to hit the smallest devices! Email him suggestions, or follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

Source: http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/11/09/mmobility-windows-8-and-gaming-in-the-metro-browser/

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Statue of Liberty relit for first time after storm

5 hrs.

A. Pawlowski, NBC News contributor , NBC News

You still can?t visit the Statue of Liberty in the aftermath of Superstorm?Sandy, but you will once again be able to see the beloved American icon shining bright after sunset in New York Harbor.

The storm knocked out power on Liberty Island, so Lady Liberty has been enveloped in darkness at night for almost two weeks now. But starting Friday, the statue will be re-lit by a temporary, generator-powered system donated to the National Park Foundation, the official charity of America?s national parks.

Musco Lighting, a company that specializes in lighting sports stadiums and arenas, is providing the equipment and services that will illuminate the statue, while the National Park Service evaluates the damage to the attraction?s permanent lighting system.

?While we work to do everything necessary to reopen the statue and every other national park damaged by the hurricane, we are grateful to Musco and the National Park Foundation for turning the lights on Lady Liberty, another step forward in the recovery of this region,? said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis, in a statement.

The temporary fix consists of LED light fixtures, powered by small generators and mounted on portable structures that can be moved as needed during the restoration work.

Liberty Island was closed on Oct. 29 as the hurricane approached, and it never reopened after the storm caused considerable wind and water damage to the grounds.

There is now minimal power on the island and crews are on site cleaning up the debris, but it?s still unknown how much it will cost to return the attraction back to normal or when it will reopen to the public, said Linda Friar, a spokeswoman for the National Park Service Incident Management Team.

The group ? charged to help New York Harbor-area national parks after the storm???now includes 320 NPS employees from 38 states,?the District of Columbia and?Puerto Rico.

?The statue, as far as we know, (is OK, but) the full assessment has not been done,? Friar said.

?Most of the damage we?ve identified is more about the base and the infrastructure ? the sidewalks and the mechanical systems, the docks.??

The repair list released by National Park Service is extensive:

• Water flooded the basement of the Visitor Contact Building.
  
• Concession facilities and security screening facilities were significantly damaged.
  
• More than half of the brick pavers in the promenade around the island have been dislodged.
  
• Railings and other protective barriers have been damaged or are missing.
  
• The vast majority of Liberty Island has debris and/or ?trip and fall? hazards.
  

The National Park Service this week released photos showing some of the damage, including torn-up walkways, debris littering the grounds and submerged docks.

But there is some progress: The fire alarms are back up and working, Friar said, and crews are on the site daily, weather permitting.

It?s been a distressing turn of events for the National Park Service, which had just reopened the Statue of Liberty crown to the public on Oct. 28 after a year of renovations, only to have to shut down the entire attraction a day later because of the storm.

But visitors yearning for a photo?op with the statue still have some options.

Statue Cruises, the official ferry provider for Liberty Island, is now offering a ?Statue of Liberty Harbor Cruise,? which gives visitors close-up views of Lady Liberty from the water. People who booked tickets to visit the statue can exchange them to board the cruise. If you prefer to reschedule your trip or receive a refund, email the company at info@statuecruises.com.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/travel/statue-liberty-re-lit-first-time-after-storm-1C6980995

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Which Business Structure is Right For You?

Recently I discussed the serious matter of liability in business and how even freelancers and small businesses should consider incorporating in order to separate their personal finances from their business.

For most new entrepreneurs, the process of incorporating (or forming an LLC) is an unfamiliar road to navigate. And let?s face it, when you?re burning the candle at both ends to meet your clients? crazy deadlines or launch a website, legal paperwork isn?t necessarily high on your priority list.

Here?s a quick primer on incorporating in the U.S. to help you decide what?s best for your business:

Pick a business structure

Choosing your business? legal structure is a critical decision as it can impact the taxes you pay, your ability to raise capital, as well as the amount of paperwork you?ll have to contend with. The three most popular business structures in the U.S. are the LLC (Limited Liability Company), S Corporation and C Corporation. Here are some basic definitions:

• LLC: Form an LLC if you want legal protection, but minimal formality ? i.e. no exhaustive meeting minutes or addendum filings. It?s also the perfect structure for a start-up who will have foreign owners. An LLC?s main benefit, as the name suggests, is to limit the liability of the owners (separating your personal property from company property). An LLC does not file separate taxes; all company profits are passed through to the owners and reported on their personal tax returns.
• C Corporation: In the majority of cases, a C Corporation is overkill for the small business or freelancer. Operating as a C Corp requires a good deal of legal paperwork and formalities. In addition, a Corp is taxed separately and the company must file its own tax returns. This can lead to the problem of ?double taxation? where both the company and the company owners must file and pay taxes. However, a C Corporation should be used for those businesses that plan to reinvest their profits back into the company, seek venture capital funding, or go public.
  
• S Corporation: An S Corporation actually starts off as a C-Corp and then soon after incorporation, the owners submit paperwork to the IRS to be treated as a pass-through entity. This means that like the LLC, an S Corporation does not file its own taxes. An S Corporation is great for a small business owner who can qualify: The IRS places limits both on the number of owners and on who can be an owner in an S Corporation.

Pick your state of incorporation

Delaware and Nevada are both popular states for incorporation in the U.S. Delaware offers some of the most flexible, pro-business statutes in the country and Nevada offers low filing fees, as well as the lack of state corporate income, franchise, and personal income taxes. However, as a general rule of thumb, if your business will have fewer than 5 shareholders, it?s best to just incorporate in the state where you actually live or have a physical presence. Otherwise, all the added fees and paperwork created by ?operating out of state? just aren?t worth it.

How to incorporate or form an LLC

The process to incorporate or form an LLC is relatively easy these days. There are three common methods and each has its own set of pros and cons depending on your specific situation.

• Do-it-yourself: With this method, you?ll need to get the forms from your secretary of state?s office and submit them on your own. DIY is obviously the lowest cost method (you?ll still have to pay the state filing fee; exact fee amounts vary by state; for example, in California it?s $115 for a Corporation and $85 for an LLC). If you?re more concerned about saving money than time, and have a high tolerance for following the tiniest of details, this is a good option for you.

• Online legal filing service: An online legal filing service will file the documentation for you. This option is slightly more expensive than filing yourself. Yet for some, the time savings and peace of mind are invaluable. Legal documents are tedious and full of details (right down to what paper size a particular state requires!). A professional online service will know exactly what is needed to make sure the application is filed right the first time.

• Attorney: If you have particularly complex business needs ? for example you have strict requirements for shareholder structure or stock allocation, or you?re dealing with millions of dollars up front ? you should retain your own expert counsel to help get you started. Hiring an attorney is the most expensive option, but in some situations, the expert advice is called for.

When to incorporate

As for timing, since the main benefit of incorporation is liability protection, the sooner you incorporate or form an LLC, the better. There?s simply no reason to wait and potentially expose yourself to any more liability.

The act of incorporation or LLC formation won?t break the bank, particularly if you use an online legal filing service or file the forms yourself. Whatever method you choose, know that you?re taking an important step for your business and your finances.

About the author: Nellie Akalp is the CEO of?CorpNet.com,?an online incorporation filing service, where she helps entrepreneurs?Incorporate,?Form an LLC? or set up?Sole Proprietorships(DBAs)?for their new businesses.

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Source: http://prsync.com/freshbooks/which-business-structure-is-right-for-you-502421/

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The Intouchables: Heartwarming Story about Human Relationship ...

Movie: The Intouchables

Director: Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano

Cast: Francois Cluzet, Omar Sy and Audrey Fleurot

Rating: ****

We, human beings, are so full of assumptions, aren?t we? We like to jump to conclusions without even give something good deliberation. For instance, if we happen to meet someone who?s done some prison/jail time, we suddenly consider him/her dangerous. We wouldn?t even want to know why did this person did time at the first place. Or even when you meet someone with some condition, you tend to shower empathy upon him/her than accepting the way he/she is. French-comedy ?The Intouchables?, which is based on a true story, treads the path of human relationships with wit, humor and sentiment.

The lives of Phillip, a multi-billionaire and Driss, a na?ve jail-returned black meet, when the former gets permanently crippled in a paragliding accident, and is on the lookout for full-time nurse. Driss applies, hoping to get rejected and get unemployment benefits, but is found suitable and hired. But, Driss should make it till the end of the month in order to be made permanent. Meanwhile, Driss and Phillip embark on a journey of self-discovery, happiness, friendship and of course, most important of all, power of human relationship.

Generally, stories about inoperable ailments either pave way to boredom or give lot of work to your tear glands. But, ?Intouchables?, which deals with a quadriplegic character, shows us light at the end of the tunnel. The film, which relies strongly on friendship between the principal characters, is not exactly about friendship. One aspect of the film may be friendship, but the other being the thin line of divide between two individuals from extremely different backgrounds.

In one particular scene, Phillip?s friend warns him about Driss, and the time he spent in prison for robbing a jewelry store. To which, Phillip says, it doesn?t matter to him what Driss did in the past. Ideally, anybody would?ve been petrified upon hearing about Driss, and would?ve instantaneously rejected him. But, Phillip only cared to know if Driss was up for the job.

The film explores loneliness from two different perspectives and it?s brilliant. For instance, Driss stays with a family half the size of a soccer team, but hardly talks to them. His mother is most of the time upset with him because he acts irresponsible, while his younger never talks to him as he?s busy peddling drugs. On the contrary, Phillip, doesn?t have a family of his own, but is surrounded every minute by his workers, who seldom speak to him.

Filled with ratty one-liners that will surprise and entertain, jokes in the film are not carefully planted to evoke laughs, but they fit the sardonic circumstances perfectly. In one particular scene, Phillip asks Driss to pass a cookie, to which he says ?no feat, no sweets,? before laughingly passing one.

Francois and Omar were perfect in their respective roles. Although, Phillip may have played a character that barely moved, but he definitely moved with his brilliant performance full of life. Driss, played by Omar, won a Cesar award, a French equivalent to Oscar for his performance.

?The Intouchables? celebrates moments of happiness of the most unlikely couple who are so different from each other and yet have so much in common

Source: http://movieroundup.in/the-intouchables-heartwarming-story-about-human-relationship/

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Whale injures three boatmen off S.Africa's coast

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Why you can?t vote with your iPhone

As thousands of people on the U.S. East Coast struggle to reset their lives after a devastating storm, now comes the hassle of getting to the local polling station. So with personal technology in our hands that can help us find a parking spot, make a doctor's appointment or pay the mortgage, why can't we just pull out our smart phones or sit down at the computer and vote?

After all, voting by Internet is already happening. Some non-profit organizations use it to elect officers. Corporate boards use it in a similar way. People have been able to register to vote over the Internet for more than a decade. In this election, tens of thousands of ballots from military personnel and people living abroad will be taken in electronically, more or less via e-mail, in more than half of U.S. states.

The biggest challenge in moving away from polling stations to mobile voting may be psychological. (AP Photo/Jae??

"The issue is not, 'Is there an app for that?' There is an app for that," said Thad Hall, associate professor of political science at the University of Utah and a researcher at voting technology's forefront. "It's technically feasible to do."

Hall and other experts who have studied the science of voting and the habits of voters say psychology and sociology are as much an obstacle as technology itself, which can often seem to users like a black box. The controversy over Diebold electronic voting machines from 2004 illustrates those concerns, such as how easily they can be hacked. So does the now-debunked conspiracy theory that Gov. Mitt Romney's son, Tagg, owns a stake in the company supplying voting machines to people in Ohio who will use them today to cast ballots in the state expected to decide the presidential election.

"The problems of Internet voting are like the problems of mail balloting on steroids," Hall said. In other words: Voters lose control of a ballot's destiny the moment they drop it in a mailbox. A mail ballot could be intercepted and dumped in a landfill. In the same way, Internet votes could be commandeered by a Botnet herder, altered, sold or destroyed.

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In New Jersey this week, ballots sent to the Board of Elections by e-mail theoretically are subject to similar risks, as secure domain addresses from which they could be sent, and received, are not yet widespread. "There are concerns about network security in general, and computer science experts are wary specifically of security issues in the United States when it comes to elections," said Charles Stewart, professor of political science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and co-director of the Caltech/MIT Voting Technology Project.

It's hardly a secret Internet elections have been subject to hacks. One of Stewart's colleagues, engineering and computer science professor Alex Halderman at the University of Michigan, hacked the testbed at the debut of a Washington, D.C., Internet voting system in 2010 and later published the results. He and his students rigged the system to play the Michigan fight song after a vote was cast. In this case, though, the system's developers, interested in testing the mettle of their code, invited those attacks. Though the Michigan team's shenanigans turned out to be above-board, Stewart recalls, "they discovered that the Chinese and the Iranians had beat them to it."

Fear of a catastrophic hack that could destroy the integrity of an election and expose voter identities on a mass scale are difficult to overcome in a similar way that fears of terrorism are difficult to overcome. "One of the most likely situations is that a political person or somebody who wanted to cause problems would hack into the system just to establish the uncertainty," Hall said.

The small European country of Estonia has figured out voting by Internet. (AFP Relax News)

Despite the potential for democracy hijacking, one country has managed to make Internet elections work?Estonia, the tiny Baltic Sea nation that gave birth to, among other things, Skype. A major difference between that country and the U.S., however, is the political system: Estonia has four major parties, six in all. A vote for an Estonian candidate may not go to the winning party, but probably would end up with at least partial representation in a coalition government. "Allegations of fraud are much higher in places where there are two parties," Hall said, "because it's easier to say, 'My candidate lost because of fraud,' rather than because I have a crappy candidate."

The U.S. population, more practically, is about 300 times Estonia's. Voting is decentralized, and each state of the union has its own set of election laws. Paper ballots are published according to regulations that can go deep into the weeds, requiring specific fonts, spacing and multiple languages, making them nearly impossible to render on a mobile phone or similar device. "Sticking a meaningful ballot on a smart phone or a cell phone is a usability issue," Stewart said.

Hall said he sees the electronic process growing organically, though, from communities where it's most needed. The first likely step forward would be kiosks that resemble today's electronic voting machines, but with input transmitted via the Internet, and with some type of established paper trail. The Pentagon has already experimented with and used variations on the kiosk setup as part of its Federal Voting Assistance Program, though a report Sunday in the News & Observer of North Carolina prompts some questions as to whether the military pushed the program too fast.

Further in the future, Internet voting could transpire in the same the way we might buy concert tickets online today: A secure transaction followed by a printable receipt?like a ticket, but with an extra precaution: Some sort of code that could be used to verify results and identity.

There are, of course, benefits beyond convenience. Tanya Clay House, public policy director at The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, an advocacy organization for minorities, sees the potential for putting the vote in more hands. "If there's a way to protect security and privacy, we would absolutely like something like [voting by smartphone] to occur," she said. "Lower-income and minority communities...tend to have more access to smartphone technology than [the] Internet, because it's cheaper."

Finally, though, the most significant factor holding up smartphone voting may be the public, which is not yet clamoring for personal technology applications to cast important votes. A 2008 report by the Caltech/MIT project ranked absentee voting by Internet second to last in a list of improvements voters would like to see. Higher priorities on the list? Making Election Day a holiday and being able to vote on weekends.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/why-t-vote-iphone-may-app-isn-t-122835647.html

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