The bodies of an Ohio woman, her young son and a family friend have been discovered by police, wrapped in garbage bags and stuffed in a hollow tree, authorities said today. ugg boots Classic
Watch: The Nightmare of Being KidnappedKnox County Sheriff David Barber said they were told where to find the victims by lawyers for Matthew Hoffman, who is in custody for kidnapping 13-year-old Sarah Maynard.
The victims included Sarah's motherTina Herrmann, 32, her younger brother Kody Maynard, 10, and family friend Stephanie Sprang, 41.
"The discovery of these bodies was the result of information provided by Matthew Hoffman," Barber said. "We were optimistic a few days ago that there was a remote chance these persons were still alive. This is is a homicide investigation now."
Authorities said they had been contacted by Hoffman's lawyer, but would not characterize the information as a confession. The county prosecutor would not say whether officials had cut a deal to encourage him to talk.
Barber said there were no other suspects involved and would not speculate on a motive.
The bodies were found near Apple Valley, Ohio, miles away from Hoffman's home where Sarah was found on Sunday by a SWAT team. The girl was bound and gagged in Hoffman's basement in rural Mount Vernon, Ohio.
Barber said he believed the victims were killed in their blood splattered house in Howard, Ohio, about 10 miles where Hoffman lived. The sheriff said Sarah was also at house at the time, but wouldn't say whether she witnessed the killings. The sheriff would not comment on the type of weapon used in the murder. cheap nike shoes
Hoffman is a 31-year-old drifter who had recently been released from a Colorado prison after serving a term for arson and burglary.
Hoffman has been in police custody since Sunday, but previously has not cooperated with investigators.
Barber said police had to cut into the tree to remove the three bodies. He said the victims were all wearing the same clothes they had last been seen in on Nov. 10. Barber suggested that Hoffman had hollowed out the tree himself saying, "Hoffman has worked as tree trimmer."
Knox County Prosecutor John Thatcher said Hoffman would likely be brought up on addtional charges, but could not specify what they would be.
"I can't speculate on what those charges might be without knowing what the evidence is," said Thatcher.
Hoffman is scheduled for to appear in court again Tuesday.
Both Barber and Hoffman appeared emotional at times, calling the case one of the worst they had ever encountered.
"The tragedy today is just devastating," said Thatcher. "The results aren't what we wanted them to be."
Rescued Girl Sarah Maynard Now With Father
Police immediately focused the search for Sarah's family members near Hoffman's home, honing in on a park a short walk from the house where he kept the girl confined.
Hoffman was arrested Sunday and charged with kidnapping. Police say he has been placed on suicide watch and has not been cooperating with their investigation. He appeared in court Tuesday wearing an anti-suicide gown and his bail was set at $1 million.
Police said Sarah was in good health, staying with her father and cooperating with the investigation. cheap nike air max 90
All four people were last seen Nov. 10 at the family home in Howard, Ohio, about 10 miles from Hoffman's house in Mount Vernon. Police were initially called to the family's home when Herrmann did not show up to work at a local Dairy Queen. When police searched the home they found it splattered with blood.
Early on in the investigation, Police temporarily locked down nearby Kenyon College when Hermmann's pickup truck was found parked on the campus one day after cops had observed it in the family's driveway.
Police said they believe Hoffman played a role in the family's disappearance, saying they were not "under their own power" when they were taken from their home.
Since finding Sarah alive Sunday, police have warned the other family members may have been killed.
The only known connection between Hoffman and Maynard and her family is that Hoffman's parents live within walking distance of Maynard's mother's home.
Sarah Maynard and Family Disappeared Last Week
"At this time, whether he's connected to the family or whether he connected himself to the family… a lot of that remains to be seen," Sheriff David Barber said earlier in the week.
Neighbors described Hoffman's behavior as "bizarre," saying they would see him climbing trees, spying on them from the boughs, building fires on his front lawn and killing small animals.
"He was killing the squirrels because he doesn't grocery shop," neighbor Kara Fowler told ABC News. "He would actually kill the squirrels and eat them." nike air max on sale
2010年11月15日星期一
Yahoo Explores Job Cuts in Consumer Group
Yahoo Inc. is evaluating job cuts in its consumer products group, according to people familiar with the matter, as the Internet giant continues to search for ways to turn around its business.ugg tall
Yahoo's chief products officer, Blake Irving, has asked unit heads to prepare operational plans that factor in work force cuts of up to 20%, one person familiar with the matter said. Mr. Irving, who joined Yahoo in April, oversees key properties like the company's home page, finance site and email service.
Experience WSJ professional Editors' Deep Dive: Yahoo and AOL in the CrosshairsDOW JONES INTERNATIONAL NEWS
AOL Selling Off Part of Dulles Campus. Access thousands of business sources not available on the free web. Learn More .It wasn't immediately known how many employees would be affected, nor whether layoffs would extend beyond Mr. Irving's group, the person said. The products group recently had about 7,000 employees, said another person familiar with the matter.
A spokesman for the Sunnyvale, Calif., company said it "is always evaluating expenses to align with the company's financial goals" but denied the company was planning a 20% reduction across the company. Yahoo currently employs about 14,100 people, the spokesman said.
Any job cuts at Yahoo would follow two previous rounds of layoffs in recent years. The company cut around 700 workers during the second-quarter of 2009, or about 5% of its work force at the time. And it cut about 1,400 employees in December 2008.
The TechCrunch blog reported Thursday that Yahoo was preparing to cut 20% of its staff. Yahoo said the blog post was inaccurate.
Word of possible layoffs at Yahoo comes as other Internet companies, including Google Inc., Facebook Inc., and others are on hiring sprees. Earlier this week Google told its more than 23,000 employees they would get a 10% pay raise in January. ugg short
Yahoo, under the leadership of Chief Executive Carol Bartz, is in the midst of a multiyear turnaround effort that has seen it strike a search pact with Microsoft Corp. so the Internet giant can focus on its core Web properties and its display-advertising business.
But Yahoo has continued to struggle with ad sales, especially in North America, the company's most important region. In October, Yahoo said its total third-quarter revenue rose 1.6%, with revenue from owned and operated display advertising jumping 17%, but search ad sales falling 7%. The company at the time said its third-quarter earnings more than doubled, helped by lower costs and its sale of HotJobs.
Yahoo's chief products officer, Blake Irving, has asked unit heads to prepare operational plans that factor in work force cuts of up to 20%, one person familiar with the matter said. Mr. Irving, who joined Yahoo in April, oversees key properties like the company's home page, finance site and email service.
Experience WSJ professional Editors' Deep Dive: Yahoo and AOL in the CrosshairsDOW JONES INTERNATIONAL NEWS
AOL Selling Off Part of Dulles Campus. Access thousands of business sources not available on the free web. Learn More .It wasn't immediately known how many employees would be affected, nor whether layoffs would extend beyond Mr. Irving's group, the person said. The products group recently had about 7,000 employees, said another person familiar with the matter.
A spokesman for the Sunnyvale, Calif., company said it "is always evaluating expenses to align with the company's financial goals" but denied the company was planning a 20% reduction across the company. Yahoo currently employs about 14,100 people, the spokesman said.
Any job cuts at Yahoo would follow two previous rounds of layoffs in recent years. The company cut around 700 workers during the second-quarter of 2009, or about 5% of its work force at the time. And it cut about 1,400 employees in December 2008.
The TechCrunch blog reported Thursday that Yahoo was preparing to cut 20% of its staff. Yahoo said the blog post was inaccurate.
Word of possible layoffs at Yahoo comes as other Internet companies, including Google Inc., Facebook Inc., and others are on hiring sprees. Earlier this week Google told its more than 23,000 employees they would get a 10% pay raise in January. ugg short
Yahoo, under the leadership of Chief Executive Carol Bartz, is in the midst of a multiyear turnaround effort that has seen it strike a search pact with Microsoft Corp. so the Internet giant can focus on its core Web properties and its display-advertising business.
But Yahoo has continued to struggle with ad sales, especially in North America, the company's most important region. In October, Yahoo said its total third-quarter revenue rose 1.6%, with revenue from owned and operated display advertising jumping 17%, but search ad sales falling 7%. The company at the time said its third-quarter earnings more than doubled, helped by lower costs and its sale of HotJobs.
2010年11月11日星期四
COD Black Ops Reviews: Graphics Criticized – Better on MW2?
We’ve checked out a few of the early reviews for Call of Duty: Black Ops and we’ve noticed quite a few of them reserve a few lines to talk about the not so perfect graphics in the game. newest moncler 2010
This may not concern you in any way though, as Call of Duty has always been about the gameplay, but we were definitely interested when we read claims about the graphics being ‘better on Modern Warfare 2′.
Game-Pad has written a short piece on Black Ops and had this to say about the graphics featured in the game:
”Graphically MW2 is a superior game but the campaign of Black Ops is more intense and well told.”
Furthermore, we picked out a review from Dutch site PS3 Sense, who also had something to say about the graphics quality in Black Ops:
”In graphic terms, Black Ops is not much progress made on Modern Warfare 2, the graphics are generally equivalent in quality.”
Are they being a bit harsh on the game, or should we have expected better quality graphics this time around from Treyarch? Don’t forget that World at War wasnt exactly visually stunning either, and that game focused more on the gameplay aspect too. For those of you who are already playing the game, let us know your thoughts on the graphics.moncler jassen 2010
Do you agree that MW2 has better graphics or not?
Follow us on Twitter and Facebook, or get daily updates via email.
MTV EMA Purple Carpet
There were plenty of drool-worthy dresses on the purple carpet last night at the MTV European Music Awards, so I decided to compile a list of the best, worst, and in-between. Everyone from Miley Cyrus to Taylor Momsen showed up, and their styles couldn't be more different...Let me know if you agree with my choices in the comments!
Maybe I'm just on a Shakira-high, because not only was she my favorite performer, but she was also best-dressed. She wore a low-cut black and gold metallic mini with platform black pumps. It's not too risky, but she's gorgeous enough to turn simple into stunning. Rihanna's my pick for runner-up. Wearing a white Marchesa gown she was probably the most dressed up for the event, yet she honestly didn't look overdressed. Loved it!
News flashesmoncler 2011
ANC names new communications chief
THE ANC has appointed Keith Khoza as manager of party communications, ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe said yesterday. "Khoza's main task will be that of improving management systems, strategies and ANC communications co-ordination across provinces and with alliance partners - the SACP, Cosatu and the South African National Civic Organisation," Mantashe said. Khoza, a communications strategist, replaces Steyn Speed who left the post last year, he said. - Sapa
BRT shootings case on hold
THE CASE of two men accused of several Rea Vaya bus rapid transit (BRT) shootings in Soweto was postponed in the Protea Magistrate's Court yesterday. Makhehla Sikhakhane and Msizani Mbatha were denied bail last month after the court ruled that the pair were a flight risk after it took police a year to arrest them. Sikhakhane and Mbatha were arrested in September at the Merafe hostel. They are charged with 50 counts of attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstance, two counts of arson, possession of firearm and ammunition, and four counts of malicious damage to property. They are scheduled to appear in the court again in December. - Bongekile Macupe moncler coats
Cosatu welcomes UK probe
COSATU has welcomed the decision by the UK auditing body, the Accountancy and Actuarial Discipline Board, to launch a new investigation into SA's arms deal. "They are to investigate KPMG, which advised BAE Systems on offshore companies that were used to pay 'commissions' to influence the awarding of contracts in South Africa's R47.4 billion defence procurement package," Cosatu spokesman Patrick Craven said yesterday. - Sapa
Soldiers who protested 'cannot be fired'
THE MILITARY could not fire soldiers who took part in an illegal protest in Pretoria last year before giving them a fair hearing, the city's High Court heard yesterday. This was argued by lawyers for the SA National Defence Union in an application to have the soldiers' dismissal notices declared unconstitutional. About 1 200 soldiers in August last year were issued with notices, giving them 10 days to provide reasons why their services should not be terminated. The application continues. - Sapa
DA call for probe into 'homes for pals'
THE DA called yesterday for an investigation into an Infrastructure and Development Department report that 780 state-owned houses were being occupied by friends and families of government officials. DA spokeswoman Patricia Mokgohlwa, who is in possession of the report, said these houses were being leased at below market ratesmoncler coats
This may not concern you in any way though, as Call of Duty has always been about the gameplay, but we were definitely interested when we read claims about the graphics being ‘better on Modern Warfare 2′.
Game-Pad has written a short piece on Black Ops and had this to say about the graphics featured in the game:
”Graphically MW2 is a superior game but the campaign of Black Ops is more intense and well told.”
Furthermore, we picked out a review from Dutch site PS3 Sense, who also had something to say about the graphics quality in Black Ops:
”In graphic terms, Black Ops is not much progress made on Modern Warfare 2, the graphics are generally equivalent in quality.”
Are they being a bit harsh on the game, or should we have expected better quality graphics this time around from Treyarch? Don’t forget that World at War wasnt exactly visually stunning either, and that game focused more on the gameplay aspect too. For those of you who are already playing the game, let us know your thoughts on the graphics.moncler jassen 2010
Do you agree that MW2 has better graphics or not?
Follow us on Twitter and Facebook, or get daily updates via email.
MTV EMA Purple Carpet
There were plenty of drool-worthy dresses on the purple carpet last night at the MTV European Music Awards, so I decided to compile a list of the best, worst, and in-between. Everyone from Miley Cyrus to Taylor Momsen showed up, and their styles couldn't be more different...Let me know if you agree with my choices in the comments!
Maybe I'm just on a Shakira-high, because not only was she my favorite performer, but she was also best-dressed. She wore a low-cut black and gold metallic mini with platform black pumps. It's not too risky, but she's gorgeous enough to turn simple into stunning. Rihanna's my pick for runner-up. Wearing a white Marchesa gown she was probably the most dressed up for the event, yet she honestly didn't look overdressed. Loved it!
News flashesmoncler 2011
ANC names new communications chief
THE ANC has appointed Keith Khoza as manager of party communications, ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe said yesterday. "Khoza's main task will be that of improving management systems, strategies and ANC communications co-ordination across provinces and with alliance partners - the SACP, Cosatu and the South African National Civic Organisation," Mantashe said. Khoza, a communications strategist, replaces Steyn Speed who left the post last year, he said. - Sapa
BRT shootings case on hold
THE CASE of two men accused of several Rea Vaya bus rapid transit (BRT) shootings in Soweto was postponed in the Protea Magistrate's Court yesterday. Makhehla Sikhakhane and Msizani Mbatha were denied bail last month after the court ruled that the pair were a flight risk after it took police a year to arrest them. Sikhakhane and Mbatha were arrested in September at the Merafe hostel. They are charged with 50 counts of attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstance, two counts of arson, possession of firearm and ammunition, and four counts of malicious damage to property. They are scheduled to appear in the court again in December. - Bongekile Macupe moncler coats
Cosatu welcomes UK probe
COSATU has welcomed the decision by the UK auditing body, the Accountancy and Actuarial Discipline Board, to launch a new investigation into SA's arms deal. "They are to investigate KPMG, which advised BAE Systems on offshore companies that were used to pay 'commissions' to influence the awarding of contracts in South Africa's R47.4 billion defence procurement package," Cosatu spokesman Patrick Craven said yesterday. - Sapa
Soldiers who protested 'cannot be fired'
THE MILITARY could not fire soldiers who took part in an illegal protest in Pretoria last year before giving them a fair hearing, the city's High Court heard yesterday. This was argued by lawyers for the SA National Defence Union in an application to have the soldiers' dismissal notices declared unconstitutional. About 1 200 soldiers in August last year were issued with notices, giving them 10 days to provide reasons why their services should not be terminated. The application continues. - Sapa
DA call for probe into 'homes for pals'
THE DA called yesterday for an investigation into an Infrastructure and Development Department report that 780 state-owned houses were being occupied by friends and families of government officials. DA spokeswoman Patricia Mokgohlwa, who is in possession of the report, said these houses were being leased at below market ratesmoncler coats
2010年11月8日星期一
Microsoft's Kinect Is Under Pressure to Connect
Microsoft Corp. is betting a new product called Kinect will deliver a bigger audience for its Xbox 360 videogame console by letting people play games without a traditional controller. ugg boots for cheap
Eleven-year-old Michael McKoy, right, and Cameron White, 10, race while playing the Kinect for Xbox at a Gamestop store in Charlotte on Sunday.
.But Kinect, when it goes on sale Thursday, will also be the most visible test in years of whether Microsoft can churn out breakout consumer products from its huge investment in research and development.
Microsoft faces increasing pressure from investors to show a payoff from those investments, which amounted to $8.7 billion for the fiscal year ended June 30—bigger than the R&D budget for any other tech company. Microsoft has poured a chunk of that money into improving existing products and services like its Bing search engine, as well as more traditional franchises like Windows and Office.
Big Blue's R&D Machine Benefits Shareholders. Access thousands of business sources not available on the free web. Learn More .Kinect will be especially visible: an entirely new $150 device sold at retail outlets and aimed squarely at the consumer market, a field in which Microsoft has been more sluggish to respond to trends than Apple Inc. and other competitors. ugg australia boots
Craig Mundie, the chief research and strategy officer at Microsoft, said he believes the company's R&D investments have paid off well for Microsoft. "We kind of view ourselves as almost a pure intellectual property business, and as such one that requires a sustained investment to stay ahead and remain competitive," he said.
Although Kinect builds off an earlier motion-sensing game product—Nintendo Co.'s hugely successful Wii—some game industry executives believe Microsoft has taken the concept in an innovative new direction by completely eliminating the need to hold any hardware while playing. The device, which plugs into Xbox 360 consoles, includes a camera, microphone and an infrared depth sensor that can detect the movements of a players' entire body, rather than just the hand movements Wii responds to.
"There are high stakes for them to get this right," says Sandeep Aggarwal, an analyst at Caris & Co.
One Kinect game published by Microsoft aimed at youngsters, "Kinectimals," lets people play with a menagerie of baby tigers and other animals, scratching their chins by making a tickling motion with their hands or playing fetch by miming a throw. A game from MTV Networks' Harmonix called "Dance Central" scores players on their dance moves, including everything from fist pumps to side steps.ugg australia boots
"Kinect is what the future of gaming looks like," says Tony Key, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Ubisoft Entertainment, a games publisher that has announced five games that use Kinect, including a fitness title and a fighting game that go on sale this week. "This motion-sensing controller technology that they've created is absolutely a breakthrough."
Kinect includes sophisticated software and hardware that came out of Microsoft's research operations in China, the U.K. and company headquarters in Redmond, Wash. The different groups contributed "machine vision" technologies designed to map the skeletons of players as they stepped in front of a camera so that foot, hand and head movements quickly trigger like motions on screen. They also devised "beam forming" microphone technology that could focus on verbal commands coming from a player, ignoring the ambient noise likely to be occurring in a living room during game-playing sessions.
Mr. Mundie said the researchers also had to create software to solve what the Kinect development team called the "annoying little brother problem"—the phenomenon of a sibling sneaking up behind a player and trying to disrupt their game-playing by waving their arms in the air. The group created software that lets Kinect ignore such distracting motions, he said. uggs outlet
Mr. Mundie calls Kinect a "spectacular collaboration" between product and research groups that "took this thing that people thought was largely impossible, and it's shipping in the total elapsed time of about three years."
Microsoft, often criticized for copying the innovations of others, nearly took a different path in the games business several years ago by considering a plan for a Wii-like motion-sensing controller. The company's games group decided it needed to do something more original, though. "We said we're not going to have a Wii-derivative," says Matt Barlow, a general manager in the interactive-entertainment group.
Kinect could bomb if players decide the system isn't responsive enough to their body movements. Sony Corp. executives have said they considered controller-free systems for the PlayStation 3, but decided that approach didn't work broadly enough across game categories. Instead Sony recently began selling PlayStation Move, a motion-sensing, hand-held controller the company says offers more precision than the Wii controller. ugg boots on sale
To be successful, Microsoft needs Kinect to help it sell additional game systems as well as reach existing Xbox 360 users. Some 44.6 million of the consoles have been shipped so far. Sony says it has shipped 41.6 million PlayStation 3s, while Nintendo has shipped 75.9 million Wiis. Microsoft executives said they expect to sell about three million Kinect systems over the holiday season.
If Kinect is a hit, it could help Microsoft change the perception about the spotty track record of its investments in the consumer market. During its last fiscal year, Microsoft's $8.7 billion R&D budget amounted to about 14% of its revenue, much higher than Apple, whose $1.8 billion R&D budget was less than 3% of its $65 billion in revenue last year. ugg boots outlet
Eleven-year-old Michael McKoy, right, and Cameron White, 10, race while playing the Kinect for Xbox at a Gamestop store in Charlotte on Sunday.
.But Kinect, when it goes on sale Thursday, will also be the most visible test in years of whether Microsoft can churn out breakout consumer products from its huge investment in research and development.
Microsoft faces increasing pressure from investors to show a payoff from those investments, which amounted to $8.7 billion for the fiscal year ended June 30—bigger than the R&D budget for any other tech company. Microsoft has poured a chunk of that money into improving existing products and services like its Bing search engine, as well as more traditional franchises like Windows and Office.
Big Blue's R&D Machine Benefits Shareholders. Access thousands of business sources not available on the free web. Learn More .Kinect will be especially visible: an entirely new $150 device sold at retail outlets and aimed squarely at the consumer market, a field in which Microsoft has been more sluggish to respond to trends than Apple Inc. and other competitors. ugg australia boots
Craig Mundie, the chief research and strategy officer at Microsoft, said he believes the company's R&D investments have paid off well for Microsoft. "We kind of view ourselves as almost a pure intellectual property business, and as such one that requires a sustained investment to stay ahead and remain competitive," he said.
Although Kinect builds off an earlier motion-sensing game product—Nintendo Co.'s hugely successful Wii—some game industry executives believe Microsoft has taken the concept in an innovative new direction by completely eliminating the need to hold any hardware while playing. The device, which plugs into Xbox 360 consoles, includes a camera, microphone and an infrared depth sensor that can detect the movements of a players' entire body, rather than just the hand movements Wii responds to.
"There are high stakes for them to get this right," says Sandeep Aggarwal, an analyst at Caris & Co.
One Kinect game published by Microsoft aimed at youngsters, "Kinectimals," lets people play with a menagerie of baby tigers and other animals, scratching their chins by making a tickling motion with their hands or playing fetch by miming a throw. A game from MTV Networks' Harmonix called "Dance Central" scores players on their dance moves, including everything from fist pumps to side steps.ugg australia boots
"Kinect is what the future of gaming looks like," says Tony Key, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Ubisoft Entertainment, a games publisher that has announced five games that use Kinect, including a fitness title and a fighting game that go on sale this week. "This motion-sensing controller technology that they've created is absolutely a breakthrough."
Kinect includes sophisticated software and hardware that came out of Microsoft's research operations in China, the U.K. and company headquarters in Redmond, Wash. The different groups contributed "machine vision" technologies designed to map the skeletons of players as they stepped in front of a camera so that foot, hand and head movements quickly trigger like motions on screen. They also devised "beam forming" microphone technology that could focus on verbal commands coming from a player, ignoring the ambient noise likely to be occurring in a living room during game-playing sessions.
Mr. Mundie said the researchers also had to create software to solve what the Kinect development team called the "annoying little brother problem"—the phenomenon of a sibling sneaking up behind a player and trying to disrupt their game-playing by waving their arms in the air. The group created software that lets Kinect ignore such distracting motions, he said. uggs outlet
Mr. Mundie calls Kinect a "spectacular collaboration" between product and research groups that "took this thing that people thought was largely impossible, and it's shipping in the total elapsed time of about three years."
Microsoft, often criticized for copying the innovations of others, nearly took a different path in the games business several years ago by considering a plan for a Wii-like motion-sensing controller. The company's games group decided it needed to do something more original, though. "We said we're not going to have a Wii-derivative," says Matt Barlow, a general manager in the interactive-entertainment group.
Kinect could bomb if players decide the system isn't responsive enough to their body movements. Sony Corp. executives have said they considered controller-free systems for the PlayStation 3, but decided that approach didn't work broadly enough across game categories. Instead Sony recently began selling PlayStation Move, a motion-sensing, hand-held controller the company says offers more precision than the Wii controller. ugg boots on sale
To be successful, Microsoft needs Kinect to help it sell additional game systems as well as reach existing Xbox 360 users. Some 44.6 million of the consoles have been shipped so far. Sony says it has shipped 41.6 million PlayStation 3s, while Nintendo has shipped 75.9 million Wiis. Microsoft executives said they expect to sell about three million Kinect systems over the holiday season.
If Kinect is a hit, it could help Microsoft change the perception about the spotty track record of its investments in the consumer market. During its last fiscal year, Microsoft's $8.7 billion R&D budget amounted to about 14% of its revenue, much higher than Apple, whose $1.8 billion R&D budget was less than 3% of its $65 billion in revenue last year. ugg boots outlet
2010年11月3日星期三
Gauteng ANC backs governance review
Spokesman Dumisa Ntuli said the provincial executive committee met in Vanderbijlpark over the weekend where the report was tabled and endorsed. ugg 1873
Gauteng premier Nomvula Mokonyane was present at the meeting, he said.
"The PEC has identified measures to strengthen the capacity of the provincial government to implement the priorities contained in the ANC 2009 elections manifesto," Ntuli said.
He said the PEC, as a political structure, did not have a mandate to reshuffle the provincial cabinet. moncler
The Star on Monday reported that Mokonyane opposed the idea of a cabinet reshuffle at the weekend meeting, her resistance was not anticipated and this plunged the PEC "into a crisis".
Ntuli condemned the report saying there was no crisis in the province and the relationship between the party leadership and Mokonyane remained "strong, harmonious, and undisputed".
"There is no 'crisis' in Gauteng. The ANC is the centre of power and works well with government in Gauteng," he said. moncler jackets
He said the ANC's provincial leadership would meet Mokonyane to discuss the report during the week.
"The report will be tabled to the premier... based on the report the premier will decide on the question of reshuffling," he said.
"Its not the prerogative of the ANC to discuss names or agree or disagree on reshuffling." moncler outlet
The PEC also decided on the dissolution of the ANC Ekurhuleni regional executive committee. It appointed a team to oversee party work in the troubled region. The PEC described the committee as "dysfunctional".
The 32-member team would be led by Zeni Tshongweni, a long standing ANC leader, and co-ordinated by Gauteng legislature member Eric Xayiya. moncler store
Gauteng premier Nomvula Mokonyane was present at the meeting, he said.
"The PEC has identified measures to strengthen the capacity of the provincial government to implement the priorities contained in the ANC 2009 elections manifesto," Ntuli said.
He said the PEC, as a political structure, did not have a mandate to reshuffle the provincial cabinet. moncler
The Star on Monday reported that Mokonyane opposed the idea of a cabinet reshuffle at the weekend meeting, her resistance was not anticipated and this plunged the PEC "into a crisis".
Ntuli condemned the report saying there was no crisis in the province and the relationship between the party leadership and Mokonyane remained "strong, harmonious, and undisputed".
"There is no 'crisis' in Gauteng. The ANC is the centre of power and works well with government in Gauteng," he said. moncler jackets
He said the ANC's provincial leadership would meet Mokonyane to discuss the report during the week.
"The report will be tabled to the premier... based on the report the premier will decide on the question of reshuffling," he said.
"Its not the prerogative of the ANC to discuss names or agree or disagree on reshuffling." moncler outlet
The PEC also decided on the dissolution of the ANC Ekurhuleni regional executive committee. It appointed a team to oversee party work in the troubled region. The PEC described the committee as "dysfunctional".
The 32-member team would be led by Zeni Tshongweni, a long standing ANC leader, and co-ordinated by Gauteng legislature member Eric Xayiya. moncler store
2010年11月1日星期一
French Parliament to Vote on Sarkozy’s Pension Bill
France’s Parliament is set today for the final vote on President Nicolas Sarkozy’s pension bill to raise the minimum retirement age to 62 from 60, while labor unions prepare for a new day of strikes and protests tomorrow.sale moncler
“I am convinced that this reform will unite us eventually,” Labor Minister Eric Woerth told lawmakers at the National Assembly yesterday. “Most of our opponents will eventually consider that the law is a big step forward to preserve our social model.”
The bill, which also increases the age for a full pension by two years from 65, would bring France closer to Germany and the U.S., which are moving toward setting 67 as the full- retirement age, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The Senate passed the bill by 177 votes to 151 yesterday. While Sarkozy wants to enact the law on Nov. 15, France’s Constitutional Court may need more time to review it.
Labor unions said the protests and strikes over the bill, which have left the country crippled with fuel shortages and public transport disruptions, are far from over. They have called for strikes and marches tomorrow and more demonstrations on Nov. 6. Unions at French airlines and air traffic controllers have called for separate strike on Nov. 4 to protest the bill.moncler online
Airline, Rail Disruptions
“Voted or not, this problem isn’t over,” said Bernard Thibault, head of the CGT union. “Most of the unions that have suspended the strike are calling for a new rendezvous tomorrow,” he told Liberation newspaper today.
Workers held their first strike on Sept. 7 when the National Assembly started debating the bill. Since then strikes and demonstrations have disrupted airlines and trains and brought about a million protesters to the streets during demonstrations. Blockades at oil depots left almost half the country’s service stations with shortages of some fuel products.
Protests eased yesterday as a quarter of France’s oil refinery workers agreed to go back to work and garbage collectors ended a 14-day walkout in Marseille. About 300 students demonstrated in front of the Senate yesterday. Students have been concerned that an extension of the retirement age will mean fewer jobs for them.moncler shop
Crude Oil Shortages
France’s eight remaining active refineries are either on strike or shut because of a lack of crude oil. Workers at the six Total SA refineries on strike will vote Oct. 29 whether to continue striking.
“We’ve always said we don’t want to blockade the country, and once the bill has passed parliament our opposition will take other forms,” Francois Pelegrina, a representative at Total SA for the CFDT union, said in a telephone interview yesterday.
The risk premium on French bonds decreased. Investors demanded 37 basis points more to buy 10-year French bonds than comparable German securities, against about 41 basis points on Oct. 12. The spreads were at 30 basis points on Sept. 6.
The protests and strikes cost the country between 200 million euros and 400 million euros ($280 million to $560 million) a day, Finance Minister Christine Lagarde said Oct. 25.
“The economy needs to function and to do that we need an end to these blockages,” she said on Radio Classique yesterday. She said the strikes won’t result in the government changing its growth forecast for this year.
Sarkozy’s two-month battle with unions and workers has hurt his popularity, which fell to a record low this month, with less than a third of those questioned approving his performance, an Ifop survey for the Journal du Dimanche showed Oct. 24. His approval rating fell to 29 percent, against 32 percent in September, the lowest since his May 2007 election.moncler jackets
System Bust
The government says the pension changes are needed to help France cope with an aging population and balance the pension system’s budget by 2018.
The overhaul is part of the broader government struggle to cut the budget deficit. This year the gap will stand at 7.7 percent of gross domestic product, and Sarkozy’s ministers plan to narrow it to 6 percent, or 92 billion euros, next year.
Francois Chereque, secretary general of the CFDT union, and Laurence Parisot, head of the business lobby Medef, agreed that once the pension bill has become law, unions and businesses should gather to discuss employment. Prime Minister Francois Fillon said yesterday the government will do the same.
Meanwhile, protests against the bill still have widespread support, polls show. An Ifop institute poll for Ouest-France Dimanche newspaper showed that 63 percent of respondents supported the call for strikes on Oct. 28. That compares with 71 percent support before the previous strike on Oct. 12.
The same poll also found that 59 percent of the French say it’s unacceptable for strikers to block fuel depots or roads. The poll was conducted Oct. 21 and 22, with 956 respondents. Paris-based Ifop didn’t publish margins of error.moncler outlet
“I am convinced that this reform will unite us eventually,” Labor Minister Eric Woerth told lawmakers at the National Assembly yesterday. “Most of our opponents will eventually consider that the law is a big step forward to preserve our social model.”
The bill, which also increases the age for a full pension by two years from 65, would bring France closer to Germany and the U.S., which are moving toward setting 67 as the full- retirement age, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The Senate passed the bill by 177 votes to 151 yesterday. While Sarkozy wants to enact the law on Nov. 15, France’s Constitutional Court may need more time to review it.
Labor unions said the protests and strikes over the bill, which have left the country crippled with fuel shortages and public transport disruptions, are far from over. They have called for strikes and marches tomorrow and more demonstrations on Nov. 6. Unions at French airlines and air traffic controllers have called for separate strike on Nov. 4 to protest the bill.moncler online
Airline, Rail Disruptions
“Voted or not, this problem isn’t over,” said Bernard Thibault, head of the CGT union. “Most of the unions that have suspended the strike are calling for a new rendezvous tomorrow,” he told Liberation newspaper today.
Workers held their first strike on Sept. 7 when the National Assembly started debating the bill. Since then strikes and demonstrations have disrupted airlines and trains and brought about a million protesters to the streets during demonstrations. Blockades at oil depots left almost half the country’s service stations with shortages of some fuel products.
Protests eased yesterday as a quarter of France’s oil refinery workers agreed to go back to work and garbage collectors ended a 14-day walkout in Marseille. About 300 students demonstrated in front of the Senate yesterday. Students have been concerned that an extension of the retirement age will mean fewer jobs for them.moncler shop
Crude Oil Shortages
France’s eight remaining active refineries are either on strike or shut because of a lack of crude oil. Workers at the six Total SA refineries on strike will vote Oct. 29 whether to continue striking.
“We’ve always said we don’t want to blockade the country, and once the bill has passed parliament our opposition will take other forms,” Francois Pelegrina, a representative at Total SA for the CFDT union, said in a telephone interview yesterday.
The risk premium on French bonds decreased. Investors demanded 37 basis points more to buy 10-year French bonds than comparable German securities, against about 41 basis points on Oct. 12. The spreads were at 30 basis points on Sept. 6.
The protests and strikes cost the country between 200 million euros and 400 million euros ($280 million to $560 million) a day, Finance Minister Christine Lagarde said Oct. 25.
“The economy needs to function and to do that we need an end to these blockages,” she said on Radio Classique yesterday. She said the strikes won’t result in the government changing its growth forecast for this year.
Sarkozy’s two-month battle with unions and workers has hurt his popularity, which fell to a record low this month, with less than a third of those questioned approving his performance, an Ifop survey for the Journal du Dimanche showed Oct. 24. His approval rating fell to 29 percent, against 32 percent in September, the lowest since his May 2007 election.moncler jackets
System Bust
The government says the pension changes are needed to help France cope with an aging population and balance the pension system’s budget by 2018.
The overhaul is part of the broader government struggle to cut the budget deficit. This year the gap will stand at 7.7 percent of gross domestic product, and Sarkozy’s ministers plan to narrow it to 6 percent, or 92 billion euros, next year.
Francois Chereque, secretary general of the CFDT union, and Laurence Parisot, head of the business lobby Medef, agreed that once the pension bill has become law, unions and businesses should gather to discuss employment. Prime Minister Francois Fillon said yesterday the government will do the same.
Meanwhile, protests against the bill still have widespread support, polls show. An Ifop institute poll for Ouest-France Dimanche newspaper showed that 63 percent of respondents supported the call for strikes on Oct. 28. That compares with 71 percent support before the previous strike on Oct. 12.
The same poll also found that 59 percent of the French say it’s unacceptable for strikers to block fuel depots or roads. The poll was conducted Oct. 21 and 22, with 956 respondents. Paris-based Ifop didn’t publish margins of error.moncler outlet
2010年10月29日星期五
Crowded House's intrigue
"It's nearly 20 bloody years ago?" laughs a surprised Nick Seymour when I remind him that Crowded House last visited South Africa in 1993. ugg 1873
"I haven't been there since, so I'm expecting some changes," reasons the affable bass player on the line from his home in Ireland. "Last time I was in Cape Town I did hook up with some of the locals and went surfing, so when I get back there I'm definitely going to want to get a wave or two. One of the things is being able to say you've surfed in South Africa when talking to South Africans here in Ireland or Australia. And one of the benefits of touring is being able to surf internationally."
But expect to see Seymour out of the water too.
"I have these little routines that I do while touring that takes in things like cycling and visiting galleries," says the man who painted each of Crowded House's album covers.
'Good sign of dynamic culture'
"I always want to look in the national galleries to see what they have in their collections and see how much money the public purse is able to throw at art. That's always a good sign of a dynamic culture.
"And the quality of their bread," he deadpans in his still-thick Australian accent. "As long as there's no sugar in the bread I think they're alright. South Africa probably has some really good bread.
"Actually, the last time I was there I copped onto Rooibos tea - I'd never had it before and it's been in my kitchen ever since."
Bread and tea? Shouldn't we be talking sex and drugs?ugg boots for cheap
"Tea and toast are a very big part of Crowded House," laughs the man who co-founded the band with singer Neil Finn and drummer Paul Hester in 1985.
"In Johannesburg we'll be playing in what I'm led to believe is a fairly impersonal theatre attached to a casino. So perhaps we might actually fill the arena with the smell of toast before we play to make people feel a little more comfortable," he grins.
"As a band we'd always make the time for tea breaks and have a little ritual surrounding our tea drinking. And drinking tea is another find of a good culture. It's my only criticism of the United States - I think all their problems would be washed away with a nice cup of tea," he laughs.
Tea, no doubt, played a part in Crowded House's reunion three years ago - a move that seemed unlikely when Finn binned the band in 1995.
'I was pretty pissed off'
"I thought breaking up the band was a mistake," says Seymour. "I thought at the time we were poised to be one of the biggest bands in the world and that was something I'd always wanted to be in. It was a huge motivation for me, growing up in regional Australia, wanting to be in a band that could take on the world and I felt at the time that we hadn't reached our nadir or had in fact realised my childhood ambition. So I was pretty pissed off, as it turns out," he admits.
Still, he was pleasantly surprised when Finn invited him to work on his solo album - which ultimately morphed into the Crowded House reunion album, Time On Earth.
"We had maintained a friendship based around the enduring legacy of having toured so much together and lived so closely together," explains Seymour. "I think we rediscovered our friendship and then when he rang me and asked me to come down to New Zealand and he'd pay me to play on his new record, I said: 'Fine, how much?'. And it was great negotiating with him actually because I kept saying: 'No, no, don't be silly, ooh that's too much Neil, you cant afford that' and he kept suggesting these amounts of money that I'd never received as a session musician, which was fantastic.
"So I got a lovely cheque from him to play on his record and next thing you know he asks me to start the band again and I've stopped being paid," he laughs."That's possibly the only downside to getting the band back together," he keeps laughing.
'Enigma of Paul'
And unfortunately the reunion came too late to incorporate Hester, who committed suicide in 2005. ugg boots on sale
"We really do miss Paul as a friend," says Seymour. "It's the enigma of Paul that we either loved or loathed while he was around, but we certainly miss him."
His absence is not the only change in the reunited Crowded House.
"We're probably a lot more gastronomic than we ever were," Seymour offers. "That's not to say Neil has learned to cook particularly but he really does enjoy the repartee and fine wine. He really does enjoy it. He's a different guy in the sense that he will actually sit comfortably in a restaurant and patiently wait for the main course and eat it, and drink the wine with you, and imbibe good storytelling. Back in the day he never had time for that - the band was an agenda that sadly was keeping him from his own family and he was always really impatient to get things forward moving, constantly.
"The band has a little more time now to enjoy our privilege and good fortune. That's not to say we're all about to get gout and struggle to get in the tour bus," he laughs again, "but we do enjoy the incredible privilege that we have and allowed us a global audience.
"We're all natural show offs so we enjoy it."
"I haven't been there since, so I'm expecting some changes," reasons the affable bass player on the line from his home in Ireland. "Last time I was in Cape Town I did hook up with some of the locals and went surfing, so when I get back there I'm definitely going to want to get a wave or two. One of the things is being able to say you've surfed in South Africa when talking to South Africans here in Ireland or Australia. And one of the benefits of touring is being able to surf internationally."
But expect to see Seymour out of the water too.
"I have these little routines that I do while touring that takes in things like cycling and visiting galleries," says the man who painted each of Crowded House's album covers.
'Good sign of dynamic culture'
"I always want to look in the national galleries to see what they have in their collections and see how much money the public purse is able to throw at art. That's always a good sign of a dynamic culture.
"And the quality of their bread," he deadpans in his still-thick Australian accent. "As long as there's no sugar in the bread I think they're alright. South Africa probably has some really good bread.
"Actually, the last time I was there I copped onto Rooibos tea - I'd never had it before and it's been in my kitchen ever since."
Bread and tea? Shouldn't we be talking sex and drugs?ugg boots for cheap
"Tea and toast are a very big part of Crowded House," laughs the man who co-founded the band with singer Neil Finn and drummer Paul Hester in 1985.
"In Johannesburg we'll be playing in what I'm led to believe is a fairly impersonal theatre attached to a casino. So perhaps we might actually fill the arena with the smell of toast before we play to make people feel a little more comfortable," he grins.
"As a band we'd always make the time for tea breaks and have a little ritual surrounding our tea drinking. And drinking tea is another find of a good culture. It's my only criticism of the United States - I think all their problems would be washed away with a nice cup of tea," he laughs.
Tea, no doubt, played a part in Crowded House's reunion three years ago - a move that seemed unlikely when Finn binned the band in 1995.
'I was pretty pissed off'
"I thought breaking up the band was a mistake," says Seymour. "I thought at the time we were poised to be one of the biggest bands in the world and that was something I'd always wanted to be in. It was a huge motivation for me, growing up in regional Australia, wanting to be in a band that could take on the world and I felt at the time that we hadn't reached our nadir or had in fact realised my childhood ambition. So I was pretty pissed off, as it turns out," he admits.
Still, he was pleasantly surprised when Finn invited him to work on his solo album - which ultimately morphed into the Crowded House reunion album, Time On Earth.
"We had maintained a friendship based around the enduring legacy of having toured so much together and lived so closely together," explains Seymour. "I think we rediscovered our friendship and then when he rang me and asked me to come down to New Zealand and he'd pay me to play on his new record, I said: 'Fine, how much?'. And it was great negotiating with him actually because I kept saying: 'No, no, don't be silly, ooh that's too much Neil, you cant afford that' and he kept suggesting these amounts of money that I'd never received as a session musician, which was fantastic.
"So I got a lovely cheque from him to play on his record and next thing you know he asks me to start the band again and I've stopped being paid," he laughs."That's possibly the only downside to getting the band back together," he keeps laughing.
'Enigma of Paul'
And unfortunately the reunion came too late to incorporate Hester, who committed suicide in 2005. ugg boots on sale
"We really do miss Paul as a friend," says Seymour. "It's the enigma of Paul that we either loved or loathed while he was around, but we certainly miss him."
His absence is not the only change in the reunited Crowded House.
"We're probably a lot more gastronomic than we ever were," Seymour offers. "That's not to say Neil has learned to cook particularly but he really does enjoy the repartee and fine wine. He really does enjoy it. He's a different guy in the sense that he will actually sit comfortably in a restaurant and patiently wait for the main course and eat it, and drink the wine with you, and imbibe good storytelling. Back in the day he never had time for that - the band was an agenda that sadly was keeping him from his own family and he was always really impatient to get things forward moving, constantly.
"The band has a little more time now to enjoy our privilege and good fortune. That's not to say we're all about to get gout and struggle to get in the tour bus," he laughs again, "but we do enjoy the incredible privilege that we have and allowed us a global audience.
"We're all natural show offs so we enjoy it."
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