By now you've no doubt read that Windows 8.1 is a must-have upgrade for Windows 8 customers, but barely rates a second glance for entrenched Windows 7 or XP users. Sometime in the next few days -- after the servers go through their obligatory meltdown and Microsoft crows about a million or two downloads of dubious pedigree -- you'll likely install it, if you have a Windows 8 machine or VM. Just use the Windows Store app.
If you're smart, you'll immediately go in and make the changes necessary to defang the new version: use local accounts; turn off SmartSearch; turn off Automatic Update; re-build your libraries if need be; set to boot to desktop; disable the Metro hot corners on the desktop; install apps that will keep you out of Metro Hell (VLC media player, one of the PDF viewers, IrfanView); and install a third-party Start Menu replacement.
That's all pretty much standard. I'll post a wrap-up slideshow shortly, and if you have suggestions for additional primary Windows 8.1 remediation techniques, please add them to the comments below.
With the Band-Aid that is Windows 8.1 out of the way, a follow-on question immediately arises: Now what? Or as Mary Jo Foley over on ZDNet put it, What comes next after Windows 8.1?
Foley quotes unnamed sources as saying there will be an update to Windows 8.1 in about six months, to coincide with the release of the next version of Windows Phone. Paul Thurrott quotes a single source inside Microsoft and claims that "where Windows Phone 8 has 33 percent 'API unity' with Windows RT, Windows Phone 8.1 will hit 77 percent." I think it likely that the Windows 8.2 update will modify the WinRT API specifically so it more closely matches the Windows Phone RT API. If Terry Myerson's truly concerned about the future of Windows (and every indication I have to date says resoundingly that he is), I'd be willing to bet he won't change much at all about Windows 8 that affects users; my guess is that we're looking at a change in plumbing.
If we're lucky, the change in plumbing will be sufficient to allow simple Windows Phone RT apps to run on Windows RT, and thus on the Metro side of Windows 8 -- a quandary I discussed at length 18 months ago: "That may be a long-term goal. Right now, it's nothing but a cruel joke."
The incompatibility problem arose, quite simply, because of Steve Sinofsky's steadfast determination to grow Windows "down" from the desktop, to tablets and then to the phone. With his phone background, Myerson's precisely the right guy to turn it around, to build the API "up" from the phone. If Foley and Thurrot's sources are correct, that's exactly what's going to happen.
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday.
By Erin McClam, Staff Writer, NBC News
Let Washington worry about the details and the political intrigue. If you want to know how the debt ceiling drama is going to end, watch Wall Street — and Wall Street seems to think it’s a done deal.
The stock market staged a robust rally Wednesday, even after a credit rating agency threatened to downgrade the United States for inching too close to a default on its bond payments. The Dow Jones industrial average surged 200 points, and other stock indexes approached record highs.
Investors seemed to be betting that the Senate, where Democrats and Republicans announced a deal to reopen the federal government and extend the country’s ability to borrow money, would carry the day.
Sources told NBC News that John Boehner, the Republican speaker of the House, was prepared to rely on Democratic votes and pass a deal sent over by the other chamber.
“Investors are looking at that and saying: 'We’re not expecting these guys to collectively jump off a cliff. We think this ultimately will be resolved,'” Jack Ablin, chief investment officer of BMO Private Bank, said on CNBC.
Equally optimistic but considerably more colorful language came from the best-known investor in America, Warren Buffett — who said on “Squawk Box” that he did not expect the United States to damage its 237-year reputation for paying the bills. Doing otherwise would be a “pure act of idiocy,” he said.
“Credit-worthiness is like virginity: It can be preserved but not restored very easily, so it is crazy to play around with it,” he said.
The market set aside the apparent chaos among Republicans in the House a day earlier. Conservatives wanted to curtail the health law known as Obamacare, and Boehner failed to rally his members behind any proposal.
The rally in stocks Wednesday was broad — the Standard & Poor’s 500 index, watched more closely than the Dow by market experts, climbed more than 1 percent and was close to an all-time high.
“Investors have generally been of the belief that an agreement would be reached before there was a calamity,” said Dan Greenhaus, chief global strategist for the brokerage BTIG. “If recent reporting is any indication, this subdued concern seems justified as a bill may be signed by Saturday.”
In another sign that investors were drawing optimism from Washington, the market’s so-called fear gauge, the CBOE Volatility Index, fell by 10 percent.
And bond investors — the people most directly affected by the credit of the United States — were hesitant at first, but by afternoon, when the Senate appeared closer to announcing a deal, even they appeared relieved.
Yields on short-term government debt, even Treasury bills coming due a week from now, fell sharply. Yields on bonds fall when investors are more confident that they will get their money back.
If Boehner allows the House to vote on it, and presumably pass it with broad support from Democrats, the Senate plan would avert a potential default on American debt. Economists have warned that such a default would be catastrophic.
The rally in stocks was triggered by a Twitter post by Robert Costa, Washington editor for the National Review and a CNBC contributor, who reported that Boehner would take up the Senate plan and allow it to pass with Democratic votes.
“There’s no way the Senate moves forward unless they have that guarantee from Boehner,” Costa said on CNBC.
A vote could come as early as later Wednesday, he reported.
Related:
Warren Buffett: It would be asinine if US defaults
Senate scrambles to seal risky, last-minute deal
Kelly O’Donnell of NBC News contributed to this report. Alex Crippen and Patti Dom of CNBC also contributed.
Jewel Samad / AFP - Getty Images
The impact of the first government shutdown in 17 years was felt across America as offices were shuttered and workers were sent home after lawmakers failed to come to a deal.
This story was originally published on Wed Oct 16, 2013 10:37 AM EDT
Now that the congressional standoff over the government shutdown and the debt ceiling has finally ended, here's a look back at the key events of the crisis:
Jan. 18
At a Republican retreat in Williamsburg, Va., GOP leaders agree not to force a debt ceiling showdown and to address deficit reduction demands later in the year.
Aug. 19
Aug. 21
80 House Republicans sign a letter to Speaker John Boehner urging him to "affirmatively de-fund the implementation and enforcement of ObamaCare in any relevant appropriations bill brought to the House floor in the 113th Congress, including any continuing appropriations bill."
Sept. 20
House Republicans approve legislation that would defund the health care law while keeping the government open through Dec. 15. The White House has already said the president would veto such a measure.
Sept. 24-25
Ted Cruz stages 21-hour speech on the Senate floor to protest the Affordable Care Act.
Reporters surround Sen. Ted Cruz after he finished his marathon speech.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
Reporters surround Sen. Ted Cruz after he finished his marathon speech.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
Sept. 26
Boehner says President Obama needs to negotiate with Republicans on raising the debt limit. The Treasury has warned it will run out of "extraordinary measures" it has been using to keep paying the nation's bills by Oct. 17.
Sept. 27
The Democratic-controlled Senate strips language from the House bill that defunds Obamacare and sends legislation back to the House that keeps the government open through Nov. 15.
Sept. 29
The House passes another spending bill tied to the Affordable Care Act — this time voting to delay implementation of the law for one year and to repeal a medical device tax.
The House also votes to pay active-duty troops and some Defense Department civilian workers and contractors in the case of a shutdown. The Senate approves this bill and the president signs it on Sept. 30.
Sept. 30
Obama makes a statement to the media, saying a government shutdown is "entirely preventable if the House chooses to do what the Senate has already done, and that's the simple act of funding our government without making extraneous and controversial demands in the process."
Senate strips language from the House bill that delays the health law and repeals the medical device tax.
The House puts forth legislation that delays the health law's individual mandate for a year and requires members of Congress and their staffs to buy plans on the exchange without subsidies from the government. The Senate rejects that plan as well.
Oct. 1
Shutdown begins. The House stands by its language from the previous day and requests negotiations with the Senate, which the Senate rejects.
Oct. 2
The House begins passing piecemeal funding bills for programs and entities affected by the shutdown, including the national parks and the National Institutes of Health. The Senate refuses any bill that doesn't reopen the entire government.
Oct. 4
After an unnamed administration official is quoted saying it doesn't matter how long the shutdown lasts because "we are winning," Boehner tells reporters: "This isn't some damn game!"
Oct. 5
The House passes legislation to provide back pay to furloughed federal workers once the shutdown ends.
Boehner says House Republicans won't end the shutdown or raise the debt ceiling without negotiations.
Oct. 10
Boehner proposes a six-week extension of the debt limit if Obama negotiates over spending cuts.
The Senate passes House legislation to provide death benefits to the families of deceased military personnel during the shutdown.
Oct. 12
Boehner informs House Republicans that talks with the White House are stalled.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and his GOP counterpart, Sen. Mitch McConnell, begin meetings to negotiate funding the government and raising the debt ceiling.
Oct. 13
Oct. 14
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada listens to a reporter's question about a meeting with Senate Republicans.
Charles Dharapak/AP
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada listens to a reporter's question about a meeting with Senate Republicans.
Charles Dharapak/AP
Reid and McConnell say they're working toward a deal that would extend the debt limit through Feb. 7 and keep the government open through Jan. 15.
Oct. 15
House Republican leaders cancel a vote on Boehner's proposal to fund the government through Dec. 15, raise the debt ceiling through Feb. 7 and end federal health insurance subsidies for Congress and staff.
The rating agency Fitch warns that the United States' AAA credit rating is being reviewed for a possible downgrade.
Oct. 16
Oct. 17
President Obama signs the bill and the government reopens. Thousands of federal employees head back to work.
Newark Mayor Cory Booker talks to supporters during an election night victory party after winning a special election for the U.S. Senate, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2013, in Newark, N.J. Booker and Republican Steve Lonegan faced off to fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death of Sen. Frank Lautenberg. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Newark Mayor Cory Booker talks to supporters during an election night victory party after winning a special election for the U.S. Senate, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2013, in Newark, N.J. Booker and Republican Steve Lonegan faced off to fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death of Sen. Frank Lautenberg. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Newark Mayor Cory Booker talks to supporters during an election night victory party after winning a special election for the U.S. Senate, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2013, in Newark, N.J. Booker and Republican Steve Lonegan faced off to fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death of Sen. Frank Lautenberg. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Newark Mayor Cory Booker, top left, hugs his mother Carolyn Booker after giving his victory speech during an election night party, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2013, in Newark, N.J. Booker and Republican Steve Lonegan faced off during a special election to fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death of Sen. Frank Lautenberg. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Republican senate candidate Steve Lonegan and wife Lorraine Rossi Lonegan, wave during his concession speech in Bridgewater, N.J., Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2013, after Democrat Cory Booker was declared winner. Lonegan and Booker were vying to fill the Senate seat left vacant after the death of Frank Lautenberg. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — U.S. senator-elect Cory Booker said Thursday he's ready to go to Washington and is not afraid if he "breaks dishes" trying to serve his constituents in New Jersey.
Booker, 44, the Democratic mayor of Newark, made the rounds on the morning talk shows a day after defeating Republican Steve Lonegan. His win came after an aggressive two-month race to finish the term of Sen. Frank Lautenberg, who died in office in June at age 89.
Booker said he wants to channel Americans' frustration with Congress into energy for change.
"I think everybody feels there's fatigue and frustration with how things are, which creates a great climate for change," Booker said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe." ''Often before you have great victory, you have to have great frustration."
The mayor of New Jersey's largest city takes to Washington a national profile — boosted by a strong social media presence, frequent television appearances and his status as a surrogate for Barack Obama during the president's 2012 re-election campaign — just as the federal government begins functioning again after a 16-day shutdown.
He hasn't even started his job as senator, but he is already being asked if he wants to run for president.
"I would rule it out," he said on WNYW's "Good Day New York." ''I'm going into the Senate. If I break dishes on the way to try to serve the people of New Jersey, so be it."
Booker called himself a "scrapper" and said he was able to change Newark despite people claiming its problems were intractable, which is what he said people are now saying about Congress.
"I find it eerily familiar with what people are saying to me now, because it was said 15 years ago in Newark," he said. "The problems are too big."
Booker had 55 percent of the vote to Lonegan's 44 percent. He brushed off criticism that the race was closer than many anticipated. Lonegan was backed by the tea party in a Democratic-leaning state.
"We did not worry. We put our plan in place and we worked our plan," Booker said. "I feel very lifted by the people of the state of New Jersey."
Booker said he will likely be sworn in "the next week, two weeks max." The timing, he said, depends on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Vice President Joe Biden, who will likely swear Booker in.
Booker will be the first black senator from New Jersey and will arrive in Washington with an unusual political resume.
He was raised in suburban Harington Park as the son of two of the first black IBM executives, graduated from Stanford and law school at Yale with a stint in between as a Rhodes Scholar before moving to one of Newark's toughest neighborhoods with the intent of doing good.
He's been an unconventional politician, a vegetarian with a Twitter following of 1.4 million — or five times the population of the city he governs. With state funding dwindling, he has used private fundraising, including a $100 million pledge from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, to run programs in Newark, a strategy that has brought him both fame and criticism.
Former state Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa had been appointed by Christie to temporarily replace Lautenberg. The governor scheduled the special election for just 20 days before Christie himself is on the ballot seeking re-election. Democrats said Christie was afraid of appearing on the same ballot as the popular Booker, but courts upheld the election schedule.
Before Lautenberg died, Booker passed up a chance to run against Christie this year, saying he was eyeing Lautenberg's seat in 2014, in part so he could complete a full term as mayor — something he won't do now.
___
Delli Santi reported from Trenton, N.J. Associated Press reporters Geoff Mulvihill in Trenton and Bruce Shipkowski in Bridgewater, N.J., contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Last week, President Barack Obama gathered some of his top advisers in the Oval Office to discuss the problem-plagued rollout of his health care legislation. He told his team the administration had to own up to the fact that there were no excuses for not having the health care website ready to operate on Day One.
The admonition from a frustrated president came amid the embarrassing start to sign-ups for the health care insurance exchanges. The president is expected to address the cascade of computer problems Monday during an event at the White House.
Administration officials say more than 476,000 health insurance applications have been filed through federal and state exchanges. The figures mark the most detailed measure yet of the problem-plagued rollout of the insurance market place.
However, the officials continue to refuse to say how many people have actually enrolled in the insurance markets. And without enrollment figures, it's unclear whether the program is on track to reach the 7 million people projected by the Congressional Budget Office to gain coverage during the six-month sign-up period.
The first three weeks of sign-ups have been marred by a cascade of computer problems, which the administration says it is working around the clock to correct. The rough rollout has been a black eye for Obama, who invested significant time and political capital in getting the law passed during his first term.
The officials said technology experts from inside and outside the government are being brought in to work on the glitches, though they did not say how many workers were being added.
Officials did say staffing has been increased at call centers by about 50 percent. As problems persist on the federally run website, the administration is encouraging more people to sign up for insurance over the phone.
The officials would not discuss the health insurance rollout by name and were granted anonymity.
Despite the widespread problems, the White House has yet to fully explain what went wrong with the online system consumers were supposed to use to sign up for coverage.
Administration officials initially blamed a high volume of interest from ordinary Americans for the frozen screens that many people encountered. Since then, they have also acknowledged problems with software and some elements of the system's design.
Interest in the insurance markets appears to continue to be high. Officials said about 19 million people have visited HealthCare.gov as of Friday night.
Of the 476,000 applications that have been started, just over half have been from the 36 states where the federal government is taking the lead in running the markets. The rest of the applications have come from the 14 states running their own markets, along with Washington, D.C.
Americans seeking health coverage through the Affordable Care Act must fill out applications before selecting a specific plan. The forms require personal information, including income figures that are used to calculate any subsidies the applicant may qualify for. More than one person can be included on an application.
The White House says it plans to release the first enrollment totals from both the federal and state-run markets in mid-November.
Obama will directly address the technical problems with the health care websites Monday morning during an event in the Rose Garden, according to the White House. Officials said the president finds the glitches unacceptable and will outline for the public steps the administration is taking to address the troubles.
Obama will be joined during the event by people who have already enrolled in insurance programs through the new exchanges. The administration has not said how many people have enrolled during the first three weeks of sign-ups.
An internal memo obtained by The Associated Press showed that the administration projected nearly a half million people would enroll for the insurance markets during the first month.
Officials say they expect enrollments to be heavier toward the end of the six-month sign up window.
Problems with the rollout were largely overshadowed by Republican efforts to force changes to the health care law in exchange for funding the government. That effort failed and the government reopened last week with "Obamacare" intact.
Some Republicans are now calling for the resignation of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. The White House says it has complete confidence in her. House Republicans have scheduled a hearing next week to look into the rollout problems.
White House allies say they're confident the problems are being addressed.
"There's no question the marketplace website needs some improvement," said Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., one of the architects of the law. "The administration needs to fix the computer bugs and I'm confident that they're working around the clock to fix the problems."
___
Associated Press writer Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar contributed to this report.
Johnny Depp was a surprise guest Saturday night, appearing on stage to much applause to hand Christopher Lee his award. "It's my great honor to be here," he said, calling Lee "a great man, a very great man indeed."
Lee has been "a wonderful inspiration" for him and many other actors and filmmakers, Depp said.
"It was certainly a childhood dream come true" to work with and learn from Lee, Depp added. He went on to laud Lee as "a true gentleman," "a national treasure" and "a true artist."
After a long standing ovation, Lee said on stage: "Johnny, I don't know what to say. I didn't know you were going to be here. It is a very emotional moment for me as you can probably hear."
Someone had told Lee that Depp was making a film "somewhere else in Europe" right now, the veteran actor explained.
Lee said Depp "means an enormous amount to me." And he lauded Depp for being one of the few younger actors "who is a true star." He also called him an actor's and director's dream to work with.
Describing his emotions at big celebrations like this, Lee said: "Tearful, no. Fearful, on occasion."
And he quoted someone who had once told him people should try everything -- except for incest and folk dancing.
"I can prove I am not guilty of either one," Lee quipped, highlighting that he has been married for 52 years. He added: "Folk dancing, I don't think that's for me."
After the end of hostilities in WWII, France and Germany have become surprisingly close. The two nations are stalwart proponents of expanded European Union integration and are regularly referred to as the EU's "twin engine." But on the issue of unmanned aerial platform, the two simply cannot agree. So while France and its cohorts are developing the nEUROn, Germany is building the stealth Barracuda.
Hilarious and subversive, "Will & Grace" was an instant hit. But back in 1998, a sitcom about a gay man and a straight woman sharing an apartment was also revolutionary, a fact stars Debra Messing and Eric McCormack were initially reluctant to acknowledge.
"We used to be asked about (the lasting social impact) while it was on," McCormack, who reunited with Messing on TODAY Thursday, said. "That's when we didn't want to say anything; we were just a comedy, we were just trying to be funny. But now with time ... what I'm most proud of is that we always treated, the show always treated, Will's desire for the perfect man as equal to Grace's desire for the perfect man. ... That was the real message."
Both actors say they still meet to catch up and share a meal from time to time. ("We go out to dinner and freak people out," said Messing.) But their ongoing friendship shouldn't come as a surprise: When the show's pilot first aired they both had an inkling they made a great team.
"I was too superstitious to say it out loud, but he turned to me after we shot the pilot ... and he said, 'I think we're going to be together for a long time,'" recalled Messing. "And I got chills."
The pair, along with co-stars Megan Mullally and Sean Hayes (who has a new show on NBC, "Sean Saves the World") had terrific chemistry. "The two of them used to say that they were sort of ... like the vaudeville version of us," said Messing. "The four of us, when we were together, it just happened. You can't plan that, it was luck."
"Will & Grace" reruns are now airing in mini-marathons on WEtv.
'llo there, I am new to RoleplayGateway but I am very familiar with roleplaying and using forums. If you wish, you can merely call me SiG for short; I also do strongly prefer it since it would be a pain to write out 'SilenceisGolden' so many times. I am quite amazed that I managed to grab this username but nonetheless, I will somehow live up to it.
I began roleplaying several years ago, starting off with...video game roleplaying with several friends before I discovered several roleplaying forums and eventually stumbled upon Tumblr. Throughout the years, I have gained insight and improved upon my writing and I can see that I will be able to improve upon it even more during my stay here.
I have...lurked...on this place for quite awhile, gathering some insight on what goes on here and whatnot; needless to say, I was quite intrigued and decided to join in on the fun. Being a writer and a Tumblr roleplayer, I do enjoy seeing sites like this every once in a while. I do hope that you will enjoy what I have to offer; I cannot wait to see what amazing work you can all put on here.
I haven't much else to say other than that I hope to friend and join many of you soon.
PUNGESTI, Romania (Reuters) - Thousands of Romanians protested on Saturday against plans by U.S. energy group Chevron to explore for shale gas in a poor eastern region and a Canadian company's project to set up Europe's biggest open cast gold mine in a Carpathian town.
Plans by the leftist government of Prime Minister Victor Ponta to approve the tapping of natural resources in the European Union's second-poorest state have triggered nationwide protests since the start of September, throwing together local communities, environmentalists, civic rights groups and the clergy.
While the two projects are separate and in different stages of development, protesters have criticized a lack of transparency in approving both. They demand stronger safeguards to protect Romania's environment and national heritage.
On Thursday, Chevron suspended work on what was to be its first exploration well in the small town of Pungesti in Vaslui county, 340 km (210 miles) northeast of the capital Bucharest, after locals blocked access to the site.
But the people of Pungesti, most of whom live off subsistence farming in one of Europe's poorest regions, have continued protesting, asking officials to revoke drilling plans.
On Saturday, more than 800 locals, priests and activists gathered in front of the empty lot where Chevron plans to install the well. Hundreds rallied in other cities.
In punishing windy weather, they waved "Stop Chevron" banners and knelt to the ground while a priest led them in prayer. A group of horse riders clad in national costumes then destroyed a cardboard model of an oil well.
FRACKING FEARS
Shale gas faces opposition due to concerns around hydraulic fracturing or fracking, the process of injecting water and chemicals at high pressure into underground rock formations to push out gas.
Critics say it can pollute water supplies and trigger small earthquakes. Advocates say it has a strong safety record and point to countries like the United States, where extensive fracking has driven down prices.
"I am against shale gas exploitation because of the chemicals used in fracking," said Vasile Ciobanu, 25, who has returned to Pungesti after working abroad for three years and now lives a few hundred meters away from the proposed well site.
"I don't think the company and Romanian officials are thinking about what could happen to people who live here."
Chevron declined to comment. Earlier this year, the company won all necessary approvals to drill exploratory wells in Vaslui, while it also has rights to explore three blocks near the Black Sea. The exploration phase would last for about five years.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that Romania could potentially recover 51 trillion cubic feet of shale gas, which would cover domestic demand for more than a century and help push prices lower.
In the central Romanian town of Campeni, around 2,000 people protested against Canada's Gabriel Resources plans to use cyanide to mine 314 metric tons of gold and 1,500 metric tons of silver in the small town of Rosia Montana.
The state also holds a minority stake in the mine. The government approved a bill to speed up the project, which has been waiting for approval for 14 years. In Rosia Montana, many argue the mine is the only solution to create jobs.
But one of the bill's provisions grants the mine "national interest" status, which would make it easier for the company to force the few locals who oppose the plan to quit their land, in return for compensation. Critics say this is unconstitutional. The bill is now following a tortuous path through parliament, and it is unclear when a vote will take place.
We had to move Moby's Morning Becomes Eclectic live set to the Village Studios in order to fit all of his singers, band members and special guests like Damien Jurado and Skylar Grey. Moby is now a proud LA resident and his recent album "Innocents" is a reflection of that, with an almost playful approach of incorporating new musical elements. Watch Moby perform "The Perfect Life" live on KCRW.
Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from past weeks, and new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, filmmakers, actors, and musicians, and often includes excerpts from live in-studio concerts. This week:
Billy Crystal has hosted the Academy Awards more times than anyone except Bob Hope. "I love doing it because I love the danger of it," Crystal says. "You have to come through and think on your feet."
Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images
Billy Crystal has hosted the Academy Awards more times than anyone except Bob Hope. "I love doing it because I love the danger of it," Crystal says. "You have to come through and think on your feet."
Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images
Billy Crystal Finds Fun In Growing Old (But Still Can't Find His Keys): Crystal isn't happy about turning 65, but at least he's finding a way to laugh about it. The actor and comedian's new memoir — Still Foolin' 'Em: Where I've Been, Where I'm Going, and Where the Hell Are My Keys? — is on the bestseller list and he'll be back on Broadway in November.
Graham Nash Has 'Wild Tales' To Spare: As part of Crosby, Stills & Nash, the British singer-songwriter helped define a West Coast sound. Here, he discusses the influence of Buddy Holly, The Everly Brothers and marijuana on his career, as well as his new memoir, Wild Tales: A Rock & Roll Life.
Hoping to help inspire youth, Avril Lavigne and Chad Kroeger performed at We Day Vancouver at Rogers Arena on Friday (October 18).
Dressed in a lacy black outfit, the "Sk8er Boi" singer was accompanied by her hubby who happens to be the lead singer of Nickelback.
According to the organization's website, "We Day is an educational event and the movement of our time—a movement of young people leading local and global change. We Day is tied to the yearlong We Act program, which offers curricular resources, campaigns and materials to help turn the day’s inspiration into sustained activation."
Excited for the opportunity, Avril tweeted, "Honored to be apart of @weday in Vancouver today!! Had a great time!!" Check out the duo singing, "Let Me Go" at the event in the player below.
Prospects are grim for Bill Condon's The Fifth Estate, which is doing dismal business at the Friday box office and may not cross $4 million in its North American debut.
From DreamWorks and Participant Media, the movie stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Julian Assange, the controversial founder of WikiLeaks. Insiders close to the project concede that Americans may have little interest in WikiLeaks or its founder.
In a recent interview conducted via Skype last weekend with members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Assange predicted the movie's failure, saying it doesn't provide the sort of underdog story moviegoers want.
Fifth Estate, drawing a mixed response from critics, cost $26 million to make.
Elsewhere at the box office, it now appears KimberlyPierce's Carrie remake, starring Chloe Grace Moretz in the title role opposite Julianne Moore, won't be able to topple AlfonsoCuaron's box office blockbusterGravity from the top spot.
From Warner Bros., Gravity could gross as much as $30 million in its third weekend, a notable feat.
Carrie, co-financed for under $30 million by MGM and Sony's Screen Gems, is pacing to gross in the $20 million range, as projected by Sony. Other box office observers believed the remake could gross between $20 million and $30 million.
The remake of Carrie opens nearly four decades after Brian De Palma's big-screen adaptation of Stephen King's novel Carrie turned into a sensation, helping to launch the careers of Sissy Spacek and John Travolta.
Fifth Estate isn't the only new offering wilting in its debut. Escape Plan, which teams Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, may not get to $10 million, despite costing upward of $70 million to produce.
Summit Entertainment and Emmett/Furla films partnered on Escape Plan, which marks another critical test for Schwarzenegger as he tries to resurrect his acting career after his film The Last Stand bombed.
Ancient Syrians favored buying local to outsourcing production
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
16-Oct-2013
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Contact: Amy Stone a.f.stone@shef.ac.uk 01-142-221-046 University of Sheffield
An archaeologist at the University of Sheffield has found evidence that, contrary to a widely held theory, ancient Syrians made their stone tools locally instead of importing finished tools from Turkey.
The discovery, newly published online in Journal of Archaeological Science, has implications for our understanding of how early cities developed in these regions and how the geographic origins of raw materials affect developing states.
During the Early Bronze Age, around 5300 to 3100 years ago, blades made of chert and obsidian remained important despite the advent of metal tools. Much sharper than bronze tools, the stone blades were used for various cutting and scraping purposes, including agricultural activities, food processing, and crafts such as pottery and textile production.
Dr Ellery Frahm from the University's Department of Archaeology explained: "There is a prevalent idea that these blades were not made locally in Northern Mesopotamia, what is now Syria. It has been widely claimed that the blades were made in specialised workshops in southeast Turkey and then exported to villages and early cities throughout what is now Turkey, Syria, and Iraq."
However, Dr Frahm studied the origins of obsidian tools from various archaeological sites, including Tell Mozan where he has excavated, and showed that their raw materials originated from a variety of geological sources across Turkey, not merely those nearest the proposed workshop sites.
Dr Frahm continued: "This diversity of raw-material sources is inconsistent with export from highly specialised workshops in just one area of Turkey. Some of the artefacts' geological sources were hundreds of kilometres from the supposed blade workshops.
"The diverse obsidian origins, when combined with stone tool debris from the sites, suggests local production. Rather than arriving at the cities as finished blades, obsidian instead arrived as chunks, what are known as cores or preforms, and were brought by visitors either from diverse regions or with diverse itineraries. Instead of distant 'industrial' manufacturing, the materials for the blades reached the hands of the cities' specialists involved in household production principally for the local market."
Dr Frahm likens the situation to modern-day Syria: "Domestic manufacturing has been protected from competition by imports. Unlike its neighbour Jordan, there are no McDonalds or Starbucks, and until recently, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, and other international companies were banned from Syria.
"When our team headed into town for supplies, the shops had locally produced goods. The chemist had locally made pharmaceuticals and personal care products, while the market had local food and drink, paper products, even batteries. The beer was local too, brewed in Damascus and Aleppo."
This study of millennia-old stone tools also relates to contemporary issues of manufacturing and the uneven geographic distribution of raw-material resources around the world.
"The choice of which raw-material sources to use in manufacturing can have broad societal effects," explained Frahm. "Consider the rare earth elements, or REEs, crucial for electronics manufacturing. Your mobile phone and its battery, for example, depend on REEs to function. Until the 1980s, mines in California were the leading producers of REEs.
"Today, however, China supplies 90 percent of the REEs used in manufacturing despite only controlling one quarter of the world's supply. This is due, in part, to Chinese mines using extraction methods banned in the US. China has repeatedly reduced REE exports by as much as 30 percent per year. As a result, manufacturers dependent on these supplies have had to relocate their factories to China, and it is more profitable for China to export finished products instead of raw materials. This, in turn, has led to a range of geo-political consequences, such as recent American surveys for REEs in Afghanistan."
Dr Frahm sees parallels between REEs for electronics and obsidian for stone blades. The residents of ancient Syrian cities, he notes, imported raw materials like obsidian and locally produced the tools, rather than importing finished objects from distant workshops. He explained: "Knowing where these stone blades were produced allows us to start answering questions regarding the social relations linked to their production and distribution.
"Was there large-scale production under government control, or were the blades made by entrepreneurs working out of their homes? Who had the skills to made the blades, and where did they live and work? There were also effects on activities linked to these blades. Was agricultural output dependent on shipments of tools made by distant labourers, or were the tools made by the farmers themselves during the off season?"
Dr Frahm concluded: "Archaeological research can demonstrate that there are broad societal effects due to our choices regarding which raw-material sources to use and where our goods are produced."
With nearly 25,000 of the brightest students from 117 countries coming to learn alongside 1,209 of the world's best academics, it is clear why the University of Sheffield is one of the UK's leading universities. Staff and students at Sheffield are committed to helping discover and understand the causes of things - and propose solutions that have the power to transform the world we live in.
A member of the Russell Group, the University of Sheffield has a reputation for world-class teaching and research excellence across a wide range of disciplines. The University of Sheffield has been named University of the Year in the Times Higher Education Awards 2011 for its exceptional performance in research, teaching, access and business performance. In addition, the University has won four Queen's Anniversary Prizes (1998, 2000, 2002, 2007), recognising the outstanding contribution by universities and colleges to the United Kingdom's intellectual, economic, cultural and social life.
One of the markers of a leading university is the quality of its alumni and Sheffield boasts five Nobel Prize winners among former staff and students. Its alumni have gone on to hold positions of great responsibility and influence all over the world, making significant contributions in their chosen fields.
Research partners and clients include Boeing, Rolls-Royce, Unilever, Boots, AstraZeneca, GSK, Siemens, Yorkshire Water, and many more household names, as well as UK and overseas government agencies and charitable foundations.
The University has well-established partnerships with a number of universities and major corporations, both in the UK and abroad. The White Rose University Consortium (White Rose) is a strategic partnership between 3 of the UK's leading research universities of Leeds, Sheffield and York. Since its creation in 1997 White Rose has secured more than 100M into the Universities.
For further information, please visit http://www.sheffield.ac.uk
Contact
For further information please contact:
Amy Stone
Media Relations Officer
The University of Sheffield
0114 222 1046
a.f.stone@sheffield.ac.uk
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Ancient Syrians favored buying local to outsourcing production
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
16-Oct-2013
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Contact: Amy Stone a.f.stone@shef.ac.uk 01-142-221-046 University of Sheffield
An archaeologist at the University of Sheffield has found evidence that, contrary to a widely held theory, ancient Syrians made their stone tools locally instead of importing finished tools from Turkey.
The discovery, newly published online in Journal of Archaeological Science, has implications for our understanding of how early cities developed in these regions and how the geographic origins of raw materials affect developing states.
During the Early Bronze Age, around 5300 to 3100 years ago, blades made of chert and obsidian remained important despite the advent of metal tools. Much sharper than bronze tools, the stone blades were used for various cutting and scraping purposes, including agricultural activities, food processing, and crafts such as pottery and textile production.
Dr Ellery Frahm from the University's Department of Archaeology explained: "There is a prevalent idea that these blades were not made locally in Northern Mesopotamia, what is now Syria. It has been widely claimed that the blades were made in specialised workshops in southeast Turkey and then exported to villages and early cities throughout what is now Turkey, Syria, and Iraq."
However, Dr Frahm studied the origins of obsidian tools from various archaeological sites, including Tell Mozan where he has excavated, and showed that their raw materials originated from a variety of geological sources across Turkey, not merely those nearest the proposed workshop sites.
Dr Frahm continued: "This diversity of raw-material sources is inconsistent with export from highly specialised workshops in just one area of Turkey. Some of the artefacts' geological sources were hundreds of kilometres from the supposed blade workshops.
"The diverse obsidian origins, when combined with stone tool debris from the sites, suggests local production. Rather than arriving at the cities as finished blades, obsidian instead arrived as chunks, what are known as cores or preforms, and were brought by visitors either from diverse regions or with diverse itineraries. Instead of distant 'industrial' manufacturing, the materials for the blades reached the hands of the cities' specialists involved in household production principally for the local market."
Dr Frahm likens the situation to modern-day Syria: "Domestic manufacturing has been protected from competition by imports. Unlike its neighbour Jordan, there are no McDonalds or Starbucks, and until recently, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, and other international companies were banned from Syria.
"When our team headed into town for supplies, the shops had locally produced goods. The chemist had locally made pharmaceuticals and personal care products, while the market had local food and drink, paper products, even batteries. The beer was local too, brewed in Damascus and Aleppo."
This study of millennia-old stone tools also relates to contemporary issues of manufacturing and the uneven geographic distribution of raw-material resources around the world.
"The choice of which raw-material sources to use in manufacturing can have broad societal effects," explained Frahm. "Consider the rare earth elements, or REEs, crucial for electronics manufacturing. Your mobile phone and its battery, for example, depend on REEs to function. Until the 1980s, mines in California were the leading producers of REEs.
"Today, however, China supplies 90 percent of the REEs used in manufacturing despite only controlling one quarter of the world's supply. This is due, in part, to Chinese mines using extraction methods banned in the US. China has repeatedly reduced REE exports by as much as 30 percent per year. As a result, manufacturers dependent on these supplies have had to relocate their factories to China, and it is more profitable for China to export finished products instead of raw materials. This, in turn, has led to a range of geo-political consequences, such as recent American surveys for REEs in Afghanistan."
Dr Frahm sees parallels between REEs for electronics and obsidian for stone blades. The residents of ancient Syrian cities, he notes, imported raw materials like obsidian and locally produced the tools, rather than importing finished objects from distant workshops. He explained: "Knowing where these stone blades were produced allows us to start answering questions regarding the social relations linked to their production and distribution.
"Was there large-scale production under government control, or were the blades made by entrepreneurs working out of their homes? Who had the skills to made the blades, and where did they live and work? There were also effects on activities linked to these blades. Was agricultural output dependent on shipments of tools made by distant labourers, or were the tools made by the farmers themselves during the off season?"
Dr Frahm concluded: "Archaeological research can demonstrate that there are broad societal effects due to our choices regarding which raw-material sources to use and where our goods are produced."
With nearly 25,000 of the brightest students from 117 countries coming to learn alongside 1,209 of the world's best academics, it is clear why the University of Sheffield is one of the UK's leading universities. Staff and students at Sheffield are committed to helping discover and understand the causes of things - and propose solutions that have the power to transform the world we live in.
A member of the Russell Group, the University of Sheffield has a reputation for world-class teaching and research excellence across a wide range of disciplines. The University of Sheffield has been named University of the Year in the Times Higher Education Awards 2011 for its exceptional performance in research, teaching, access and business performance. In addition, the University has won four Queen's Anniversary Prizes (1998, 2000, 2002, 2007), recognising the outstanding contribution by universities and colleges to the United Kingdom's intellectual, economic, cultural and social life.
One of the markers of a leading university is the quality of its alumni and Sheffield boasts five Nobel Prize winners among former staff and students. Its alumni have gone on to hold positions of great responsibility and influence all over the world, making significant contributions in their chosen fields.
Research partners and clients include Boeing, Rolls-Royce, Unilever, Boots, AstraZeneca, GSK, Siemens, Yorkshire Water, and many more household names, as well as UK and overseas government agencies and charitable foundations.
The University has well-established partnerships with a number of universities and major corporations, both in the UK and abroad. The White Rose University Consortium (White Rose) is a strategic partnership between 3 of the UK's leading research universities of Leeds, Sheffield and York. Since its creation in 1997 White Rose has secured more than 100M into the Universities.
For further information, please visit http://www.sheffield.ac.uk
Contact
For further information please contact:
Amy Stone
Media Relations Officer
The University of Sheffield
0114 222 1046
a.f.stone@sheffield.ac.uk
[
| E-mail
| Share
]
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
After word got out this week that Vanity Fairplans to run a devastating article about Gwyneth Paltrow, one couldn’t help but wonder what the magazine is working on that could upset the actress this much. And now, theories are starting to emerge!
Getty
Page Six reports that Vanity Fair is digging into Gwyneth’s relationship with Miami billionaire Jeff Soffer, who married model Elle MacPherson just two months ago. The mag is chatting with other wealthy Miami folks about a possible romantic rendezvous between Gwyneth and Jeff back in 2008, when he flew her out for the opening of his hotel, the Fountainebleau.
Gwyneth’s publicist already responded to this new development, telling E! Online: “Jeff is a longtime friend of Gwyneth’s and there was never a romantic relationship between them.” Well, we shall see when the Vanity Fair piece finally comes out.
What do you think Gwyneth is trying to hide in this article? Do you think you would read the magazine to find out? Tell us in the comments below or tweet us @OKMagazine.
President Barack Obama shakes hands with Jeh Johnson, his choice for the next Homeland Security Secretary, in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, Friday, Oct. 18, 2013. Johnson was general counsel at the Defense Department during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
President Barack Obama shakes hands with Jeh Johnson, his choice for the next Homeland Security Secretary, in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, Friday, Oct. 18, 2013. Johnson was general counsel at the Defense Department during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
President Barack Obama stands with Jeh Johnson, his choice for the next Homeland Security Secretary, and Vice President Joe Biden, in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, Friday, Oct. 18, 2013. Johnson was general counsel at the Defense Department during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Friday nominated the Pentagon's former top lawyer to help craft the nation's counterterrorism policy as secretary of the Homeland Security Department, suggesting a shift from the department's emphasis on immigration and border security.
Jeh C. Johnson, whose first name is pronounced "Jay," would replace Janet Napolitano, who left the post last month to become president of the University of California system.
Obama said he was nominating Johnson because of his "deep understanding of the threats and challenges facing the United States." He credited Johnson with helping design and implement policies to dismantle the core of the al-Qaida terror organization overseas and to repeal the ban on openly gay service members in the U.S. military.
"He's been there in the Situation Room, at the table in moments of decision," Obama said as he announced the nomination from the Rose Garden on a crisp and sunny fall afternoon.
The Homeland Security Department was created in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, which Johnson noted fell on his birthday. He noted that he was in Manhattan on that fateful day when the World Trade Center was struck, and he said he was motivated to do something to help the country in response. But he left government service in 2012 and said he was settling back into private life and work at a law firm.
"I was not looking for this opportunity," Johnson said. "But when I received the call, I could not refuse it."
Obama's selection of Johnson suggests the agency will be stepping back from its emphasis on immigration to focus more on protecting the nation from attack.
Unlike Napolitano, Johnson has spent most of his career dealing with national security issues as a top military lawyer. Issues he handled included changing military commissions to try terrorism suspects rather than using civilian courts and overseeing the escalation of the use of unmanned drone strikes during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Napolitano, who came to the department after serving as governor of Arizona, made clear that her top priority was immigration reform, and she routinely championed the issue in congressional testimony.
Johnson, a multimillionaire lawyer outside of his government posts, has defended the administration's targeted killings of U.S. citizens overseas as well as the role of the U.S. spy court and crackdowns to keep government secrets.
If confirmed by the Senate, he would manage a department with more than 20 different agencies, a budget of more than $45 billion and a staff of hundreds of thousands of civilian, law enforcement and military personnel. On any given day, the job includes making decisions about disaster relief, distribution of a shrinking grants budget, which immigrants living in the United States illegally to deport and how to protect passenger jets from would-be terrorists.
Johnson, a one-time assistant U.S. attorney in New York, would inherit a department whose public face in recent years has been associated with immigration. But that's an area he has little experience with, so his nomination could suggest the agency will move more to a focus on protecting the homeland from attack.
Matt Fishbein, who worked with Johnson in a private law firm in the early 1980s and served on a New York City bar panel while the nominee was chairman in the late '90s, says Johnson is a good choice.
"Ultimately, he's responsible for security in this age of terrorism," said Fishbein, a Debevoise & Plimpton law firm partner in New York. "I imagine that means every single day coming across his desk is going to be very scary information that he's going to have to sort out and see if there's a basis for it. You need to secure and protect the country while not overstepping the bounds, violating civil liberties. It's a tough job."
Johnson has made clear his support for using done strikes to kill enemy combatants, including U.S. citizens overseas. He has also said that he considers "lone wolf" terrorists to be a law enforcement problem, not enemy combatants who should be targeted in military strikes.
Homeland Security is almost never the lead law enforcement agency in domestic terror cases. It includes Customs and Border Protection, whose primary mission is preventing terrorists from coming into the country. DHS also has a presence on the FBI-led joint terrorism task forces around the country, with agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Secret Service.
Johnson's experience in dealing with overseas actions and counterterror decisions may also be helpful for a department still trying to define its role in the fight against terrorism. Homeland Security has a growing footprint around the world.
If confirmed, Johnson would take over an agency with numerous high-level vacancies, including the deputy secretary. When Janet Napolitano left to take over as president of the University of California in September, one-third of the heads of key agencies and divisions were filled with acting officials or had been vacant for months. Obama has nominated several people to key positions, including general counsel. His pick to be the department's No. 2, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Alejandro Mayorkas, is the subject of an internal investigation, and his nomination has been stalled.
Johnson is a 1979 graduate of Morehouse College and a 1982 graduate of Columbia Law School. After leaving the administration in 2012, he returned to private practice. According to the website of his law firm, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, his civil and criminal clients have included Citigroup, Salomon Smith Barney, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. and Gillette.
Johnson earned more than $2.6 million from his partnership at that law firm, according to 2009 government financial disclosure documents. During the 2008 presidential campaign, Johnson donated more than $33,000 to Obama's campaign, federal records show. He was also a supporter of Hillary Rodham Clinton, having contributed $2,300 to her presidential primary campaign in July 2008. He's also given $5,000 to the New Jersey Democratic Party and $1,000 to Democrats nationwide, as well as to several congressional candidates.
Obama's campaign website listed Johnson as a member of the then-candidate's national finance committee and an adviser to Obama's foreign policy team during the 2008 election.
___
Associated Press writers Nedra Pickler, Lolita C. Baldor and Jack Gillum in Washington and Larry Neumeister in New York contributed to this report.
___
Follow Alicia A. Caldwell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/acaldwellap
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