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Monday, October 31, 2011
Qantas Airways grounds global fleet due to strikes
Stranded passengers line up at the Qantas Airways counter for asking information in Hong Kong International Airport Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011 as their flight to Sydney was cancelled. Qantas Airways grounded its global fleet indefinitely Saturday imposing an employee lockout after weeks of disruptive strikes, and the Australian government sought emergency arbitration. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Stranded passengers line up at the Qantas Airways counter for asking information in Hong Kong International Airport Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011 as their flight to Sydney was cancelled. Qantas Airways grounded its global fleet indefinitely Saturday imposing an employee lockout after weeks of disruptive strikes, and the Australian government sought emergency arbitration. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
A Qantas Airbus A380 sit on the tarmac at Heathrow Airport, London Saturday Oct. 29, 2011 after Qantas Airways grounded its global fleet indefinitely after weeks of disruptive strikes. Flights in the air continued to their destinations, but others were stopped even taxiing on the runway, according to one flier. Booked passengers were being rescheduled at Qantas' expense, chief executive Alan Joyce said. The Australian government was seeking emergency arbitration to end the strikes. Qantas is the world's 10th largest airline and among the most profitable. (AP Photo) UK OUT, NO MAGAZINES, NO SALES
Brothers Kevin and Chris Crulley, sit on the floor at the Qantas check-in counter at Sydney Airport in Sydney, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011, after they were removed from their flight home to England. Qantas Airways grounded its global fleet indefinitely Saturday in a lockout of workers whose strikes have disrupted airline operations for weeks, and the government said it would seek arbitration. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
FILE - In this April 21, 2010 file photo, Qantas Chief Executive Officer Alan Joyce address the media in Sydney, Australia. Qantas Airways grounded its global fleet indefinitely Saturday in a lockout of workers whose strikes have disrupted airline operations for weeks, and the government said it would seek arbitration. Flights in the air were continuing to their destinations. Booked passengers were being rescheduled at Qantas' expense, chief executive Alan Joyce said. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith, File)
FILE - In this June 12, 2011 file photo, Qantas jets sit on the tarmac at the international airport in Sydney, Australia. Qantas Airways grounded its global fleet indefinitely Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011, in a lockout of workers whose strikes have disrupted airline operations for weeks, and the government said it would seek arbitration. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith, File)
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) ? Qantas Airways has grounded its global fleet, suddenly locking out striking workers after weeks of flight disruptions that an executive said could close down the world's 10th-largest airline piece by piece.
Following Saturday's announcement by Qantas, the Australian government called for an emergency arbitration hearing, which was adjourned early Sunday morning after evidence was heard from the unions and airline. The hearing was to resume Sunday afternoon, when the government was expected to argue that the airline be ordered to fly in Australia's economic interests.
Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said the airline could be flying again within hours if the three arbitration judges rule Sunday to permanently terminate the grounding and the unions' strike action.
The unions want the judges to rule for a suspension so that the strikes can be resumed if their negotiations with the airline fail.
"Within six hours, we can get the fleet flying again" after the aviation regulator provides a routine clearance, Joyce told Australian Broadcasting Corp. television Sunday.
"We have to wait and see what that process generates today," he said, referring to the court hearing.
Planes in the air when the grounding was announced continued to their destinations, and at least one taxiing flight stopped on the runway, a passenger said. Among the stranded passengers are 17 world leaders attending a Commonwealth summit in the western Australian city of Perth.
When the grounding was announced, 36 international and 28 domestic Australian flights were in the air, the airline said.
Qantas, which flies 70,000 passengers a day, said 108 airplanes were being grounded at 22 airports, but did not say how many flights were involved. Spokesman Tom Woodward said 13,000 passengers were booked to fly international flights to Australia within 24 hours of the grounding.
The lockout was expected to have little impact in the United States. Only about 1,000 people fly daily between the U.S. and Australia, said aviation consultant Michael Boyd. "It's not a big deal," he said. Qantas is "not a huge player here."
Los Angeles International Airport spokeswoman Diana Sanchez said Saturday that she was not aware of any passengers stranded at the airport because of the strike. Five Los Angeles-bound Qantas flights were already in the air when the lockout began and were expected to arrive as scheduled, she said.
Sanchez said Qantas indicated it planned to cancel the handful of flights scheduled to depart from Los Angeles on Saturday.
Douglas Phillips and his wife, Diane, were among about 400 travelers at Los Angeles International Airport who were scrambling to find another way to Australia after their Qantas flight to Melbourne was halted at the last minute.
Douglas Phillips said they were buckled in and awaiting takeoff early Saturday when the pilot informed passengers that all Qantas flights had been grounded due to a company-wide "industrial action."
"At first everyone thought they were kidding for some reason, but then we realized they were deadly serious," said Phillips, of Dover, Delaware.
After getting a few hours of sleep at a Los Angeles motel, the couple managed to secure a spot on a Saturday night Virgin Australia flight to Sydney. They expected an eight-hour layover there before finally getting to Melbourne, nearly three days late.
The real problems for travelers were more likely to be at far busier Qantas hubs in Singapore and London's Heathrow Airport, said another aviation consultant, Robert Mann.
Booked passengers were being rescheduled on a 24-hour basis, with Qantas handling any costs in transferring bookings to other airlines, said Woodward, the Qantas spokesman.
Bookings already had collapsed after unions warned travelers to fly other airlines through the busy Christmas-New Year period.
Joyce told a news conference in Sydney that the unions' actions had created a crisis for Qantas.
"They are trashing our strategy and our brand," Joyce said. "They are deliberately destabilizing the company, and there is no end in sight."
Union leaders criticized the action as extreme. Qantas is among the most profitable airlines in the world, but Joyce estimated that the grounding would cost Qantas $20 million a day.
Qantas already had reduced and rescheduled flights for weeks after union workers struck and refused to work overtime out of worries a restructuring plan would move some of Qantas' 35,000 jobs overseas.
The grounding of the largest of Australia's four national domestic airlines will take a major economic toll and could disrupt the national Parliament, due to resume in Canberra on Tuesday after a two-week recess. Qantas' budget subsidiary Jetstar continues to fly.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard said her government would help the Commonwealth leaders fly home after 17 were due to fly out of Perth on Qantas planes over the next couple of days.
"They took it in good spirits when I briefed them about it," Gillard told reporters.
British tourist Chris Crulley, 25, said the pilot on his Qantas flight informed passengers while taxiing down a Sydney runway that he had to return to the terminal "to take an important phone call." The flight was then grounded.
"We're all set for the flight and settled in and the next thing ? I'm stunned. We're getting back off the plane," the firefighter told The Associated Press from Sydney Airport by phone.
Crulley was happy to be heading home to Newcastle after a five-week vacation when his flight was interrupted. "I've got to get back to the other side of the world by Wednesday for work. It's a nightmare," he said.
Qantas offered him up to 350 Australian dollars ($375) a day for food and accommodation, but Crulley expected to struggle to find a hotel at short notice in Sydney on a Saturday night.
Australians Len and Christie Dunlop were stranded at London's Heathrow Airport when their flight to Sydney was grounded.
The couple, who have lived in Leeds for four years, said they would have to catch up with fewer friends when they return to Perth for three weeks for a friend's wedding.
"We've got dinners and lunch booked every day, so now we've missed two or three days worth of catching up with friends," Len Dunlop told ABC television. "It just a lot of frustration."
Gillard said her center-left government, which is affiliated with the trade union movement, had "taken a rare decision" to seek an end to the strike action out of necessity.
"I believe it is warranted in the circumstances we now face with Qantas ... circumstances with this industrial dispute that could have implications for our national economy," Gillard said.
Transport Minister Anthony Albanese described the grounding as "disappointing" and "extraordinary." Albanese was angry that Qantas gave him only three hours' notice.
All 108 aircraft will be grounded until unions representing pilots, mechanics, baggage handlers and caterers reach agreements with Qantas over pay and conditions, Joyce said.
"We are locking out until the unions withdraw their extreme claim and reach agreement with us," the chief executive said, referring to shutting staff out of their work stations. Staff will not be paid starting Monday.
"This is a crisis for Qantas. If the action continues as the unions have promised, we will have no choice but to close down Qantas part by part," Joyce said.
Richard Woodward, vice president of the pilots' union, accused Qantas of "holding a knife to the nation's throat" and said Joyce had "gone mad."
Steve Purvinas, federal secretary of the mechanics' union, described the grounding as "an extreme measure."
Long-haul budget airline AirAsia tried stepping into the void with what it called "rescue fares" for Qantas passengers. The offer was valid for ticket-holders flying within 48 hours to AirAsia destinations, the airline said.
Malaysia-based AirAsia flies to three Australian destinations, as well as New Zealand.
The recent strike action, in which two unions have had rolling four-hour strikes on differing days, has most severely affected Qantas domestic flights.
In mid-October, Qantas grounded five jets and reduced domestic service by almost 100 flights a week because aircraft mechanics had reduced the hours they were prepared to work.
Qantas infuriated unions in August when it said it would improve its loss-making overseas business by creating an Asia-based airline with its own name and brand. The five-year restructure plan will cost 1,000 jobs.
Qantas also announced in August that it had more than doubled annual profit to AU$250 million, but warned that the business environment was too challenging to forecast earnings for the current fiscal year.
___
Associated Press writers Christopher Weber in Los Angeles, Katie Oyan in Phoenix and Associated Press Economics Writer Paul Wiseman in Washington contributed to this report.
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Sunday, October 30, 2011
Records shows Boy Scout officials failed to report leader who molested children in California
LOS ANGELES - Boy Scout officials in the U.S. and Canada not only failed to stop an admitted child molester in their ranks, but sometimes helped cover his tracks, according to confidential records, court files and interviews with victims and their families.
A Los Angeles Times and Canadian Broadcasting Corp. investigation ( http://lat.ms/tYtWBX) published Saturday finds scout leader Rick Turley molested at least 15 children over nearly two decades, most of whom he met through American and Canadian Scouting beginning in the 1970s.
Boy Scouts of America officials didn't call police in 1979 after Turley acknowledged molesting three Orange County boys, records show.
"You do not want to broadcast to the entire population that these things happen," A. Buford Hill Jr., a former Orange County Scouting executive, said of officials' decision not to contact authorities. "You take care of it quietly and make sure it never happens again."
It happened again. Turley returned to his native Canada, where he signed on with Scouts Canada, and continued his abuses for at least a decade.
Now 58 and working at an Alberta truck-stop motel, Turley says he is surprised by how often he got away with it.
"It was easy," he said in an interview with the CBC, adding that he has learned to control his impulses.
Turley was sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted in 1996 of five counts of molesting children. Paroled in 2000, he was later caught trying to draw two pre-teen boys into a relationship and sent back to prison. He was released two years later.
Turley is one of more than 5,000 suspected child molesters named in confidential documents kept by the Boy Scouts of America. The records ? called the "perversion files" by the Scouts ? include admissions of guilt as well as unproven allegations.
Those files have come to light in recent years in lawsuits by former Scouts, accusing the group of failing to detect abuses, exclude known pedophiles, or turn in offenders to authorities.
The Oregon Supreme Court is now weighing a request by newspapers, a wire service and broadcasters to open about 1,200 more files in the wake of a nearly $20-million judgment in a Portland sex abuse case last year.
The Scouts' handling of sex-abuse allegations is similar to that of the Catholic Church in the face of accusations against its priests, some attorneys told the Times and the CBC.
"It's the same institutional reaction: scandal prevention," said Seattle attorney Timothy Kosnoff, who has filed seven suits in the last year by former Scouts.
Current Boy Scouts of America officials declined to be interviewed and would not say how many files exist or what is in them. Their lawyers have said the records are confidential, to protect victims and because some of the files are based on unsubstantiated tips.
"The BSA has continued to enhance its youth protection efforts as society has increased its understanding of the dangers children face," the Scouts said in a statement.
___
Information from: Los Angeles Times, http://www.latimes.com
Is Obama's OMB Planning to Cancel NASA's Planetary Exploration Program? (ContributorNetwork)
Recently Robert Zubrin, the head of the Mars Society, published an op-ed in the Washington Times in which he accused the Obama administration's Office of Management and Budget of plotting to terminate planetary science at NASA.
Jim Green, the director of NASA's Planetary Science Division, denied that this was so.
What exactly did Zubrin claim in his article?
Zubrin maintains OMB is developing a plan that would that after the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity is launched this year and the smaller Maven orbiter is launched in 2013, there will be no more planetary probes launched anywhere. Furthermore, the Kepler space telescope would be turned off in mid mission. Zubrin also mentions the James Webb Space Telescope, which has been targeted for destruction by the House and is undergoing funding problems.
Does Zubrin cite any sources for his allegations?
He does not, which has left him open to criticism and even ridicule. Keith Cowing at NASA Watch demanded that Zubrin show the specific budget documents that show planetary exploration being zeroed out. Cowing notes that the Mars Society is conducting an event with the Planetary Society, "NASA at a Turning Point: Vibrant Future or Close Up Shop?" The event will take place at the Rayburn Building on Capitol Hill on November 3. Cowing implies that Zubrin's statement is a stunt to publicize the event.
Is there a precedent for an entire NASA program suddenly being suddenly terminated?
The most recent example was the cancellation of the Constellation space exploration program, which was revealed to the public, the press, and even most of NASA at the publication of Obama's budget proposal in February, 2010. It is therefore not outside the boundaries of possibility that there is a proposal floating around OMB to zero out future planetary missions, even if it does not make it into the final budget documents for the next fiscal year.
If there is a proposal to cancel future NASA planetary missions, how serious is it?
Given the current budget situation, there are likely a lot of things that are seriously being considered that would ordinarily not be. Space is not a particularly important priority of the Obama administration. NASA's budget has remained largely static as domestic, discretionary spending as exploded in the nearly three years of the Obama administration. While commercial space initiatives are favored by the White House and human space exploration by the Congress, one could see planetary exploration taken a big hit in any budget proposal.
What will the outcome be?
Part of that depends on what Zubrin and the other speakers have to say at the Capitol Hill event next week. If more evidence is presented of a plan to cancel planetary exploration, expect political fireworks.
Mark R. Whittington is the author of Children of Apollo and The Last Moonwalker. He has written on space subjects for a variety of periodicals, including The Houston Chronicle, The Washington Post, USA Today, the L.A. Times and The Weekly Standard.
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Saturday, October 29, 2011
Letter from Iraq: As the US Military Withdraws, Sectarian Tensions Continue to Smolder (The Nation)
The Nation -- Diyala Province?Situated between Baghdad and the Iranian border, Diyala is a microcosm of Iraq in all its volatility. A mix of Sunni and Shiite Arabs as well as Kurds, Diyala was claimed as the capital of Al Qaeda in Iraq?s proposed caliphate, and it remains a locus of AQI operations. There is oil wealth in the northern part of the province, and as one moves south, the landscape gives way to date palms and lush orange groves along the Diyala River.
Baquba, the provincial seat, is only thirty-five miles northeast of Baghdad, but the last time I was there was in 2005, on an embed with the US military. It was a dangerous place then, and it still is. On the eve of the US military withdrawal, now apparently a foregone conclusion, Diyala remains under lockdown. The main street, where the provincial council and police station sit, is closed to civilian automobiles. The situation is better than it was at the height of the civil war, between 2006 and 2008, but attacks and explosions are still commonplace here, as they are in Baghdad and other parts of the country, and checkpoints control exit and entry from most neighborhoods.
The US military withdrew from all but one base around Baquba in early October, but it has been a long time since the American military was the most serious danger to average Iraqis. However, few Iraqis I spoke to wanted US forces to remain; they are still seen as a primary reason for the beginning of the violence, and are still blamed by all sides for fanning sectarian flames. The country, as it has since the beginning of the US invasion, overwhelmingly rejects the idea of foreign occupation, even as civil conflict still smolders.
?There have been six bombs here in the past three weeks,? Rashid Hussein Ali told me as he stood next to a Shiite shrine on the road between downtown Baquba and Buhriz, a predominantly Sunni neighborhood. The shrine has been the target of multiple bombings since the civil war began.
As Ali spoke, an explosion rumbled nearby. He pointed to the graveyard behind the shrine, where some families were picnicking. ?We need someone to protect this open area,? he said. Clearly, he didn?t have much faith in the police checkpoint that we could see within shouting distance.
From the very beginning of the US occupation, the ?Baghdad Belt? was an area of concern to the US military. The demographically mixed cities and villages surrounding the nation?s capital saw some of the worst violence of the past eight years, and they continue to pose problems for the Iraqi government. In Anbar province, to the west of Baghdad, it was possible for me on this trip to travel and operate safely in Falluja?site of the most sustained guerrilla resistance to the United States. But in Abu Ghraib, just fifteen minutes west of the capital, it was too dangerous for me to get out of the car. There, Sunni sheiks accuse Iraqi army units answering directly to the prime minister?s office of continuing the cycle of displacement that had begun under Saddam Hussein, only in reverse: they say the Shiite-dominated government of Nouri Kamal al-Maliki has been driving Sunni families out of Abu Ghraib in recent months in an effort to permanently change the area?s demographics.
* * *
But Sunni versus Shiite is not the only fissure in Iraq.
Back in Diyala, only sixty miles separate Baquba and Khanaqin, to the northeast, but the drive takes more than two hours. There are dozens of checkpoints, some of them less than 500 yards apart. A few miles outside Khanaqin, Iraqi flags disappear, and the checkpoints are manned by pesh merga (Kurdish militiamen).
At the last checkpoint before Khanaqin, Kanan Aziz, a uniformed member of the Asaish, Kurdistan?s formal security service, listed in rapid fire the reasons Khanaqin is and, he contends, will remain a Kurdish city, despite Saddam Hussein?s campaigns of forced displacement and repopulation with Arab families in the 1980s.
?There is the cemetery,? Aziz said. ?There are more than 5,000 Kurdish graves, some of them are more than 1,000 years old. There are other graves, but most of them are Kurdish. The second reason is that all the names of the surrounding villages are Kurdish, and the names of the tribes are Kurdish. Finally, there is a census from 1957, which is in Baghdad, that proves the area was mostly Kurdish.?
Before the Iraqi army was deployed along the road between Baquba and Khanaqin in 2008, the pesh merga were in charge, and they drove many Arabs from their homes. In mid-October Prime Minister Maliki ordered all the Kurdish flags to be taken down in Khanaqin. Instead, they proliferated. A few days later, Kurds from other parts of northern Iraq?s autonomous Kurdish provinces came to Khanaqin to show their support.
?I am paid by the Iraqi government, but I work for Kurdistan,? said a police officer who gave us a short tour of this city of about 45,000, which is not too far from the Iranian border.
The US military still maintains a joint base with the Iraqi army along the road near the village of Nawdoman, just south of Khanaqin. Presumably this is one of the last places from which they will withdraw.
Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution, which sets out the steps for resolving the status of disputed areas, expired on Dec. 31, 2007. Meanwhile, facts on the ground are telling.
?In Saddam?s time, they tried to ?Arabize,? ? Salam Khalil Alwan told me over lunch at a restaurant in Baquba. ?Now it is mostly the Kurds kicking the Arabs out.? Alwan was displaced in 2003 from Jalula, a disputed town south of Khanaqin.
Alwan wrote off the entire government as corrupt. ?Even if my father were running in an election, I wouldn?t vote for him,? he said. He railed against the police, accusing them of targeting Sunnis and forcing families to pay ransoms for the release of prisoners even after there is judicial approval of their release.
On the issue of the US withdrawal, Alwan was sanguine. The American occupation has already been supplanted by an Iranian one, he claimed, referring to Iran?s support for the Shiite parties that now control the Iraqi government. ?Just wait until the US withdraws; you will see what we will do to Iran,? he vowed. I didn?t have to ask Alwan if he was Sunni or Shiite. His talking points gave that away.
A few minutes later, in a different part of town, I sat with Bashar, a Shiite medical student, who answered my questions about the situation in Baquba quite differently. The victors, it seems, are less bitter. Bashar said, ?I think Nouri al-Maliki has made some changes and taken some good decisions. The police and the army here deal well with the people.? Asked if he would be safe traveling to the still-restive Sunni neighborhood of Buhriz, Bashar answered with a question. ?Why would I go to Buhriz??
Bashar lives in the neighborhood of Hay al Mustafa, where a large picture of Imam Ali, a Shiite saint, marks the entrance, leaving no question about who lives there. Both Sunni and Shia agree that many who fled the violence have returned to Diyala, but I also found families in Baghdad who were still too afraid to come back. According to the Ministry of Displacement and Migration, slightly less than half of the roughly 2.5 million people displaced inside Iraq have returned to their former homes. But the new order in Baquba is clear: the Shiites are in charge now.
Before leaving Baquba, I stopped in Kharnabat, a largely Shiite village on the city?s periphery. When I was there with the US military, back in 2005, the Americans had gone house to house in a massive cordon-and-search operation in response to an attack on an Iraqi police station. Apparently not realizing Kharnabat?s demographics and that the police station?s attackers were likely Sunni extremists sending a message to the Shiite-dominated government, the operation quickly fell apart.
Like the other neighborhoods in Baquba, a single checkpoint now controls all exit and entry to Kharnabat, and the road between Baquba and the village was still marked with the evidence of war; it had once been controlled by Al Qaeda in Iraq, which had cut the village?s residents off from downtown. One of the walls in the main square was still pockmarked from the shrapnel of a suicide bombing in 2008 that had killed twenty-five people, mostly children.
As I sat drinking tea at dusk with the village?s mukhtar (a sort of informal mayor), the men there offered their thoughts, without prompting, on how the US occupation would be remembered.
?We were actually discussing this last night,? the mukhtar said. ?Thank god we are getting rid of the Americans. Everybody wants them out. Iraq has hosted many occupiers, and all of them have left. We have cemeteries for the Englishmen and the Turks. The Americans left no cemeteries. They will be easy to forget.? Like this article? Try 4 issues of The Nation at home (and online) FREE.tony stewart mixology sarah shourd sensa sister wives season 2 kerry collins kerry collins
Friday, October 28, 2011
Jim Carrey's daughter files for divorce
When we last checked in on them a year ago, Jim Carrey's daughter Jane had separated from her husband of 11 months.
Now, the other shoe has dropped, and Jane has officially filed for divorce from Alex Santana.
-
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With Halloween just around the corner, ?The Biggest Loser? gang celebrated with sweet temptations, romantic relations and one scary weigh-in Tuesday night.
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One 'Loser' gains pounds, others gain love
But are the two going to fight over custody of their kid?
MORE: See the divorce docs here
Jane, the frontwoman of The Jane Carrey Band, blames her split from Santana, lead singer of the metal band Blood Money, on the catch-all "irreconcilable differences," according to her petition, filed on Oct. 20 in Los Angeles Superior Court.
But things seem fairly amicable, with her requesting joint legal and physical custody of the couple's lone child, 1-year-old Jackson Riley.
PICS: Big Hollywood Splits
The two were married for less than a year before splitting last October. At the time, a rep for Alex told E! News that the couple "will remain friends and devoted parents," while Jim Carrey was there for Jane as a shoulder to cry on, inviting her and his grandson to the New York set of "Mr. Popper's Penguins."
? 2011 E! Entertainment Television, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45047704/ns/today-entertainment/
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Haitian lawmaker released from jail amid protests (AP)
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti ? A Haitian lawmaker who was jailed on charges that he escaped prison on the day of last year's massive earthquake was let go Friday.
Following his release, Dep. Arnel Belizaire went to parliament as several dozen supporters gathered outside the building to greet him with hugs and cheers.
The overnight detention of Belizaire was a rare instance in which police have locked up a government official. Investigators must formally request that immunity be lifted before they can question an official.
Police jailed Belizaire Friday shortly after he had returned from a trip to France. Police say Belizaire was an escaped prisoner who fled the national penitentiary in the chaotic aftermath of the Jan. 12, 2010 earthquake. He had been locked up since 2004 on an illegal weapons charge.
Despite his criminal record, Belizaire somehow proved eligible to run for office in a drawn-out election that began last year and ended early this year; candidates are required to show they have a clean record. Belizaire was elected to parliament in a March 20 runoff.
Since he took office, Belizaire has been an open critic of Haitian President Michel Martelly, who was sworn in in May, and the two have been heard lashing out at each other at the National Palace.
Belizaire is a member of Veye Yo, a political party headquartered in Miami, Florida, that has strong ties to former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
The detention of Belizaire threatens to aggravate already uneasy relations between Martelly and parliament, whose members rejected the leader's first two picks for prime minister before approving the third.
The head of the United Nations mission in Haiti and the French Embassy on Friday responded to Belizaire's detention by issuing statements. France urged the government and legislature to bear in mind "procedures" involving the separation of powers and parliamentary immunity.
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UK's St Paul's to reopen despite "Wall St" protest (Reuters)
LONDON (Reuters) ? London's St Paul's Cathedral is expected to reopen to the public on Friday, a week after church leaders closed its doors for the first time since World War Two, blaming safety risks posed by anti-capitalism protesters camped outside.
The cathedral attracts around 820,000 visitors each year and closure meant losing a significant chunk of revenue. Last year, it earned about 22,000 pounds ($35,000) a day from entrance ticket sales, events and its shop, according to its website.
The Dean of St Paul's, the Right Reverend Graeme Knowles, said he hoped the church would reopen with a service on Friday, subject to a final decision on Thursday.
However, he said he still wanted the protesters to pack up their campsite and that court action was still being considered.
"We reiterate our basic belief in the right to protest as well as requesting that those people living in the tents now leave the site peacefully," he said in a statement.
The cathedral had initially offered the protesters safe haven almost two weeks ago when they asked riot police to step back from clearing the front of the building in the City of London's financial district.
Church leaders said their advisers had warned that the campsite posed a fire risk and was blocking access to the main entrance.
The dispute had become a public relations challenge for St Paul's, with fears growing that any attempt to clear the activists could produce damaging images of police dragging away peaceful protesters from the front of the iconic church.
It had also risked creating divisions within both the cathedral itself and the wider Church of England, with more conservative forces pitted against those who wanted to see it allied with the protesters to demand reform in the financial services sector.
The demonstrators, the London branch of the U.S.-based Occupy Wall Street movement, said the closure had always been unjustified and that they had been working for days to address concerns over hygiene, safety and fire access.
Protester Ronan McNern, 36, one of the activists responsible for liaison with the church, described the news as "tremendous."
"We have always wanted them to reopen," he said. "We've always been keen to resume dialogue. It's really good news."
He said he hoped the cathedral authorities would now be willing to talk to the several hundred protesters about the wider issues of tackling the banking crisis and would attend an inter-faith ceremony due to be held at the camp on Saturday.
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Spotted: Rebecca Romijn and Twins Meet Minnie!
Rebecca Romijn and her twin daughters Dolly Rebecca Rose and Charlie Tamara Tulip, 2?, hung out with Minnie Mouse on Friday outside of the Disney Junior Live on Stage! show at Disney California Adventure park in Anaheim, Calif.
Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/dJ13I_mN9rQ/
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Thursday, October 27, 2011
'Joe the Plumber' launches congressional bid
Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, aka Joe the Plumber, talks to the media about running for Congress at Tony Packo's in Toledo, Ohio, Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011. Wurzelbacher, a man whose moniker became a household name during the 2008 presidential race, says he's running in Ohio's 9th U.S. House district because he's angry about the economy and the way politicians try to patch problems with duct tape. (AP Photo/Madalyn Ruggiero)
Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, aka Joe the Plumber, talks to the media about running for Congress at Tony Packo's in Toledo, Ohio, Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011. Wurzelbacher, a man whose moniker became a household name during the 2008 presidential race, says he's running in Ohio's 9th U.S. House district because he's angry about the economy and the way politicians try to patch problems with duct tape. (AP Photo/Madalyn Ruggiero)
Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, aka Joe the Plumber, pauses for a moment before making his announcement about his run for Congress at Tony Packo's in Toledo, Ohio in Toledo, Ohio, Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011. Wurzelbacher, a man whose moniker became a household name during the 2008 presidential race, says he's running in Ohio's 9th U.S. House district because he's angry about the economy and the way politicians try to patch problems with duct tape. (AP Photo/Madalyn Ruggiero)
Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, aka Joe the Plumber, talks to the media about running for Congress at Tony Packo's in Toledo, Ohio, Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011. Wurzelbacher, a man whose moniker became a household name during the 2008 presidential race, says he's running in Ohio's 9th U.S. House district because he's angry about the economy and the way politicians try to patch problems with duct tape. (AP Photo/Madalyn Ruggiero)
Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, aka Joe the Plumber, talks to the media about running for Congress at Tony Packo's in Toledo, Ohio, Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011. Wurzelbacher, a man whose moniker became a household name during the 2008 presidential race, says he's running in Ohio's 9th U.S. House district because he's angry about the economy and the way politicians try to patch problems with duct tape. (AP Photo/Madalyn Ruggiero)
FILE - In an Oct. 16, 2008 file photo, Joe Wurzelbacher, also known as "Joe The Plumber," laughs while talking outside of his home in Holland, Ohio. Wurzelbacher, who became a household name after questioning Barack Obama about his economic policies during the 2008 campaign, has filed paperwork to run for Congress. (AP Photo/Madalyn Ruggiero, File)
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) ? Joe the Plumber is plunging into politics because he thinks it's about time America had a few mechanics, bricklayers and, yes, plumbers in Congress.
Samuel "Joe" Wurzelbacher was thrust into the political spotlight after questioning Barack Obama about his economic policies during the 2008 presidential campaign. He officially launched his campaign for Congress in Ohio on Tuesday night.
Wurzelbacher said he's running as a Republican in Ohio's 9th U.S. House district, a seat now held by Marcy Kaptur, the longest-serving Democratic woman in the House. She's expected to face a primary challenge from Rep. Dennis Kucinich after Ohio's redrawn congressional map combined their two districts into one that appears heavily tilted toward Democrats.
Wurzelbacher has become an icon for many anti-establishment conservatives and has traveled the country speaking at tea party rallies and conservative gatherings since becoming a household name.
"Americans deserve all kinds of people representing them," he said. "Not just an elite, ruling class."
He said he's seeking office because he's seen too many people forced out of their homes and leave Ohio because of the poor economy.
"All I'm asking for is a fair shake," he said.
Wurzelbacher insisted that he's not trying to capitalize on his fame. "I've been Joe the Plumber for three years now," Wurzelbacher said. "I haven't made millions of dollars off it."
Republicans who recruited him to run in what is a blue-collar district stretching from Toledo to Cleveland think his fame will help bring in enough money to mount a serious challenge. He set up a website to raise money within the last week.
Cuyahoga County Republican Chairman Rob Frost, who had announced he would seek the GOP nomination, dropped out last week, clearing the way for Wurzelbacher.
"People have said this is a guy who took his 15 minutes of fame and turned it into a half hour," said Lucas County GOP Chairman Jon Stainbrook. "But you've got a guy who's out there and people are relating with him."
He'll appeal to people who are tired of politics as usual, Stainbrook said. "He's tapped into this sentiment that things in Washington are screwed up," Stainbrook said
Politicians, Wurzelbacher said, too often try to patch problems instead of fixing them. "I'm not the kind of plumber who uses duct tape," he said
Wurzelbacher, 37, went from toiling as a plumber in suburban Toledo three years ago to media sensation in a matter of days after questioning Obama about his tax policies and being repeatedly cited by Republican U.S. Sen. John McCain in a presidential debate.
He campaigned with McCain and his running mate, Sarah Palin, but he later criticized McCain and said he did not want him as the GOP presidential nominee.
Since then, he's written a book, worked with a veterans' organization that provides outdoor programs for wounded soldiers and traveled the country speaking at tea party rallies and conservative gatherings.
He said he's also been building houses and working as a plumber.
Wurzelbacher has shown a disdain for politicians ? both Democrat and Republican.
"Being a politician is as good as being a weatherman," Wurzelbacher said at a tea party rally last year in Nevada. "You don't have to be right, you don't have to do your job well, but you'll still have a job."
He said on Tuesday that he decided to enter politics as a Republican because he figured he'd have no chance to win as an independent.
"Is it the lesser of two evils?" he said. "I don't know."
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Brave New Thermostat: How the iPod?s Creator Is Making Home Heating Sexy
What if you could apply all the skills and brilliance of Silicon Valley to produce a thermostat that was smart, thrifty and so delightful that saving energy was as much fun as shuffling an iTunes playlist? The new Nest thermostat aims to do all that and more.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/NkM1D3vZxsw/
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Ford profit down, focus now on dividend (Reuters)
DETROIT (Reuters) ? Ford Motor Co posted a lower third-quarter profit after misjudging the threat of higher commodity prices and sustaining losses in its European and Asian operations.
The No. 2 U.S. automaker also offered a full-year forecast that suggested its operating margins would fall in the current quarter.
Ford shares were down 3.2 percent at $12.03 in morning trading on the New York Stock Exchange. The broad S&P 500 Index was up 0.9 percent.
Investors and analysts had been looking to the earnings report as a turning point where the automaker could detail plans to pay its first dividend since it slid into crisis in 2006. Ford has posted profits for 10 straight quarters.
But Chief Financial Officer Lewis Booth told reporters Ford would not address the timing of a dividend on Wednesday. He said growth in North America remained on a slow upward trend.
"We've been saying for the last several quarters, we never expected to see a classic V-shaped recovery," Booth said.
Revenue rose 14 percent to $33.1 billion. But net income slipped to $1.65 billion, or 41 cents per share, down from $1.69 billion or 43 cents per share a year earlier.
Excluding one-time items, Ford earned 46 cents per share. On average, analysts had forecast 44 cents, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
J.P. Morgan analyst Himanshu Patel called the third-quarter result "so-so" in a note for clients and said that the automaker's forecast for a lower fourth-quarter margin amounted to a "weak" forecast.
Ford said it expected to see a full-year automotive operating margin of 5.7 percent, down from 6.5 percent through the first three quarters. Last year, Ford's margin was 6.1 percent and it had previously forecast that it would match or beat that level.
Jefferies analyst Peter Nesvold said the lack of any new detail on Ford's plans to return to paying dividends could weigh on its stock. "No incremental news on the dividend front, which we think will disappoint the market," he said in a note for clients.
LOSSES IN EUROPE, ASIA
For the third quarter, Ford benefited from stronger output in North America after U.S. auto sales steadied over the summer and avoided the renewed slump some analysts had feared.
That contributed to a pre-tax profit of $1.55 billion in North America.
But Ford took an operating loss of $306 million in Europe, compared with a loss of $196 million a year ago. In Asia and Africa, Ford reported a pretax operating loss of $43 million compared with a profit of $30 million a year ago.
"In Europe, it's more problematic," Ford's Booth said. "We could be in a period of very slow growth as the sovereign debt crisis gets resolved and we see the fiscal austerity programs working their way through the economies.
Ford lowered its automotive debt by $1.3 billion in the quarter, to $12.7 billion. That will save about $1 billion in interest payments in 2011 compared with 2010 because of its debt-reduction efforts.
The third quarter included a noncash charge of about $350 million to write down the value of hedges the company had taken out to offset the risk of rising raw material costs. However, those costs fell sharply in late September as concerns about weaker global growth mounted.
After last week's labor agreement between Ford and the United Auto Workers union on a new four-year contract, Fitch Ratings and Standard and Poor's both raised the company's credit rating to within one notch of investment grade.
Moody's Investors Service has not changed its rating on Ford, which is currently two notches below investment grade. But earlier this month Moody's said it was considering an upgrade.
Ford was last at investment grade in 2005.
Costs related to the contract ratification by Ford's 41,000 unionized U.S. factory workers were not reflected in the third-quarter results. Those costs will be reflected in fourth-quarter results, Booth said.
Last week, Booth said Ford could restart a dividend before it regains an investment-grade credit rating, but he did not discuss the timing of such a move.
"We want to return to paying a dividend as soon as we think our balance sheet will stand it, and when we're ready to talk about it we will," he said on Wednesday.
(Reporting by Bernie Woodall and Ben Klayman, writing by Kevin Krolicki; editing by John Wallace and Matthew Lewis)
Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111026/bs_nm/us_ford
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Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Summary Box: UPS 3Q profit rises, backs year view (AP)
HOLDING STEADY: United Parcel Service Inc., the world's largest package delivery company, said Tuesday that improvement in its supply chain and freight business in the U.S. is offsetting a slowdown in the once red-hot business of shipping gadgets and other expensive goods from Asia. It stuck with its earnings expectations for the full year
SUMMER REPORT: In the three months ended Sept. 30, the Atlanta company earned $1.04 billion, or $1.06 per share, compared with $991 million, or 99 cents per share, a year earlier. Revenue rose 8 percent to $13.17 billion.
UNIT BY UNIT: Freight segment revenue rose 5 percent and U.S. domestic package revenue was up 7 percent. Despite slowing growth, international package revenue still rose 14 percent. That was mostly due to higher prices and fuel surcharges.
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Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Dr. Oz, Lisa Oz: Sex Tips And Marriage Advice In 'Shape' Magazine
In the November issue of Shape magazine, talk show host Dr. Oz and his wife, relationship expert Lisa Oz, open up about their relationship of 26 years, sharing their tips for a successful marriage.
The couple says that more than two decades together hasn't been easy -- especially with four kids and two busy careers: "For years I wanted Mehmet to work less and play with me more," Lisa says in Shape. "[But] I've come to realize you can't sit around and wait for the other person to do the things you want to do."
Besides taking charge of your own happiness, the couple recommends a positive attitude, a healthy lifestyle, and a lot of sex: "Have it as often as possible!" says Lisa Oz. "You have to make intimacy a regular part of your life."
Lisa Oz hosts her own radio show on Oprah's Radio Network, where she focuses on personal growth and relationships. Her husband hosts the Daytime Emmy-winning "Dr. Oz Show."
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Hurricane Rina ramping up quickly in the Caribbean
Hurricane Rina is projected to become a major hurricane, with maximum sustained winds in excess of 110 miles an hour, within the next 48 hours. It reached hurricane status on Monday.
A late-season hurricane ? Rina ? burst onto the scene Monday afternoon, several days before forecasters had anticipated.
Skip to next paragraphThe quick intensification highlights a key challenge that hurricane forecasters face as they try to improve their forecasting efforts: predicting sudden changes in storm intensity. It's a top priority on the national hurricane-research agenda.
Rina's initial move into the meteorological limelight came on Sunday at 5 p.m., Eastern time, when it was "tropical depression 18." By 11 p.m., the storm system strengthened sufficiently to earn a name.
Early Monday morning, forecasters said they anticipated slow strengthening, with Rina becoming a hurricane by Friday. But by 2 p.m. Monday, Rina had spun up with maximum sustained winds of 75 miles an hour ? enough to reach hurricane status. Rina now is projected to become a major hurricane, with maximum sustained winds in excess of 110 miles an hour, within the next 48 hours.
The center of Rina currently is located some 207 miles east northeast of Trujillo, Honduras. Current track projections ? with large uncertainties at the end of the five-day forecast period ? have the center of the storm skirting the northern Yucat?n Peninsula on Thursday and Friday before hooking eastward toward the western tip of Cuba.
Two key factors in Rina's spin-up: very warm sea-surface temperatures and a general wind environment that changes little in speed or direction with rising altitude. Such changes, dubbed wind shear, appear to have weakened since early Monday morning, according to forecast discussions. Strong shear tends to stifle hurricane development.
"Rita is in a very good environment" for strengthening, says Dennis Feltgen, a spokesman for the National Hurricane Center in Miami.
Rita is the sixth hurricane of the Atlantic hurricane season, which ends Nov. 30.
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Shanghai owners protest as developers slash prices (AP)
SHANGHAI ? Property owners in Shanghai and other big Chinese cities are protesting as measures to cool the once-overheated real estate market prompt developers to slash prices.
The trend suggests authorities are making progress with a yearslong effort to cool prices that had surged beyond affordable levels for many families. But some worry the market could collapse ? angering many middle class owners who put their savings into property, expecting prices only to rise.
Upset home buyers gathered outside a developers' sales office in downtown Shanghai over the weekend demanding refunds after learning of the discounts now being offered, said Tang Minzhi, a spokeswoman for China Overseas Property (Group).
Protesters also besieged offices of at least two other property developers in the city's eastern suburbs, some holding up signs demanding refunds.
State media on Tuesday reported similar gatherings in other cities as property companies have begun trying to trim inventories of unsold homes by offering discounts of up to 40 percent from recent prices.
Seeing later buyers get steep discounts has galled many who bought earlier but have not yet moved in, since many apartments are sold before they are built.
The government has been seeking for several years to cool prices, especially in Shanghai and other big cities, raising interest rates and bank reserve requirements repeatedly to discourage excess lending by banks to property developers.
Some cities have also hiked the amount of money needed for down payments and restricted families' purchases of second and third properties.
Until recently, prices had continued to rise, though the increases leveled off in recent months, while sales weakened. Tight curbs on bank lending are also beginning to make it more difficult for buyers to obtain mortgages.
The protests over falling prices highlight the dilemma the authorities face in balancing the need to deliver rising living standards to average families while also protecting the interests of affluent and middle class families ? and many local governments and state-owned corporations that also are heavily invested in the property sector.
As property sales fell 15 percent in the third quarter, many developers that in the past hoarded property in hopes of seeing prices rise further are now under financial pressure and slashing prices to help reduce building inventories.
Given the huge demand for improved and new housing, analysts say that in the long-term, housing prices are unlikely to drop precipitously. Investors have tended to favor property given the low deposit rates paid by the banks, the weak stock market and the absence of a property tax.
But short-term corrections are inevitable, and a serious one could eventually deal a severe blow to the economy, Wang Tao, an economist for UBS, said in a research note Tuesday.
"Such a property-led hard landing scenario is quite likely in the next few years, even though we do not think the property market is about to collapse now," she said.
To help meet demand for more affordable housing, Beijing is pushing local governments to build more low-cost apartments. A recent push to meet targets for such housing has supported construction and investment despite weakening demand for more expensive commercial property.
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Greek banks battered by EU debt talks (AP)
ATHENS, Greece ? Shares in Greek banks are plunging on the Athens Stock Exchange amid expectations they will have to accept higher than agreed losses on the country's government bonds as part of a new eurozone debt deal.
Greek banks hold billions in the country's government debt.
Bank stocks were down on average by about 15 percent midday Monday, pulling the exchange's general index down 4.8 percent to 744.56. Other European stock indexes were buoyed by the prospect of a debt agreement.
Leaders of the 17-nation eurozone, fearing the crisis could spread from debt-shackled countries like Greece to larger economies, failed to clinch a comprehensive debt deal at a weekend summit. They expect to finalize an agreement by Wednesday.
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Monday, October 24, 2011
1B umpire Kulpa misses call, Cards take advantage (AP)
ARLINGTON, Texas ? A missed call by first base umpire Ron Kulpa has helped the St. Louis Cardinals score four runs in the fourth inning during Game 3 of the World Series.
After Albert Pujols led off with a single Saturday night, Matt Holliday hit a perfect double-play ball. The Texas Rangers seemed to turn it, too, with first baseman Mike Napoli catching a high toss and slapping a tag on Holliday's left shoulder before he reached the bag.
Replays clearly showed Holliday was out. But Kulpa called Holliday safe, drawing an argument from Napoli and Texas manager Ron Washington. The Cardinals took advantage and took a 5-0 lead.
The Series is tied at one game each. In the opener, Kulpa missed a call at third base, ruling a ball was caught in the air when it actually bounced. That mistake did not lead to any runs.
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