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Futures rise in electronic trade on Europe hopes (Reuters)
NEW YORK (Reuters) ? U.S. stock futures jumped in early electronic trading on Sunday on the latest round of proposals out of Europe designed to corral the growing euro zone debt crisis.
U.S. stocks suffered their worst week in two months last week. The lack of a credible solution to Europe's debt crisis kept investors away from risky assets and downgrades of Belgium and Hungary added to the gloom.
Germany and France are exploring radical ways to integrate euro zone countries in order to impose tighter budget control. In addition, media reports that the International Monetary Fund was preparing a rescue plan for Italy bolstered sentiment.
S&P 500 futures rose 21 points. Dow Jones industrial average futures gained 146 points, and Nasdaq 100 futures were up 26 points.
The U.S. market's seven-day losing streak attracted early short-covering as Asian markets traded higher and the euro rebounded from recent losses. But recent rallies on hopes for a solution have not lasted long.
Last week, the S&P 500 fell 4.7 percent, giving back almost two-thirds of its gains in October, the market's best month in 20 years. The Dow was off 4.8 percent for the week and the Nasdaq fell 5.1 percent.
(Editing by Dale Hudson)
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Pope: sex abuse 'scourge' for all society
FILE - In this Nov. 4, 2011 file photo, Pope Benedict XVI blesses the faithful as he leaves St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican aboard a mobile platform at the end of a Vespers ceremony. Pope Benedict XVI insisted on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011, that all of society's institutions and not just the Catholic church must be held to "exacting" standards in their response to sex abuse of children, and defended the church's efforts to confront the problem. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito, File)
FILE - In this Nov. 4, 2011 file photo, Pope Benedict XVI blesses the faithful as he leaves St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican aboard a mobile platform at the end of a Vespers ceremony. Pope Benedict XVI insisted on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011, that all of society's institutions and not just the Catholic church must be held to "exacting" standards in their response to sex abuse of children, and defended the church's efforts to confront the problem. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito, File)
VATICAN CITY (AP) ? Pope Benedict XVI insisted on Saturday that all of society's institutions and not just the Catholic church must be held to "exacting" standards in their response to sex abuse of children, and defended the church's efforts to confront the problem.
Benedict acknowledged in remarks to visiting U.S. bishops during an audience at the Vatican that pedophilia was a "scourge" for society, and that decades of scandals over clergy abusing children had left Catholics in the United States bewildered.
"It is my hope that the Church's conscientious efforts to confront this reality will help the broader community to recognize the causes, true extent and devastating consequences of sexual abuse, and to respond effectively to this scourge which affects every level of society," he said.
"By the same token, just as the church is rightly held to exacting standards in this regard, all other institutions, without exception, should be held to the same standards," the pope said.
An official of a U.S. group advocating for victims of clergy abuse lamented that Benedict, with his remarks, was setting a "terrible example" for bishops.
"No public figure talks more about child safety but does little to actually make children safer than Pope Benedict," David Clohessy, national director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, told The Associated Press in an emailed statement.
"The pope would have us believe that this crisis is about sex abuse. It isn't. It is about covering up sex abuse," Clohessy said. "And while child sex crimes happen in every institution, in no institution are they ignored or concealed as consistently as in the Catholic church."
The pedophile scandal has exploded in recent decades in the United States, but similar clergy sex abuse revelations have tainted the church in many other countries, including Mexico, Ireland, and several other European nations, including Italy.
But the most high-profile sex abuse case in the United States at the moment doesn't involve the church. Penn State university's former defensive football coordinator Jerry Sandusky has been charged with sexually abusing eight boys, and the fallout has led to the firing of longtime coach Joe Paterno and the departure of university president Graham Spanier.
College football in the U.S. is highly popular. The scandal has shaken the reputation of a college program that long had prided itself on integrity.
Benedict didn't address accusations by many victims and their advocates that church leaders, including at the office in the Vatican that Benedict headed before becoming pontiff, systematically tried to cover up the scandals, and that they have rarely been held accountable for that.
Investigations, often by civil authorities, revealed that church hierarchy frequently transferred pedophile priests from one parish to another.
Benedict told the bishops that his papal pilgrimage to the United States in 2008 "was intended to encourage the Catholics of America in the wake of the scandal and disorientation caused by the sexual abuse crisis of recent decades."
Echoing sentiment he has expressed in occasional meetings with victims of the abuse on trips abroad, Benedict added: "I wish to acknowledge personally the suffering inflicted on the victims and the honest efforts made to ensure both the safety of our children and to deal appropriately and transparently with allegations as they arise."
Benedict seemed to be reflecting some churchmen's contentions that the church has wrongly been singled out as villains for the abuse, a view that angered victims' advocates.
"The pope is again setting a terrible example for the world's bishops, echoing the claim by some of them that the church hierarchy is somehow being picked on by the public, the press and their parishioners," Clohessy said .
Despite criticism over U.S. bishops' handling of the abuse scandals, Benedict exhorted the churchmen to be moral compasses for U.S. society. The bishops, in Rome for consultations with the pope that are scheduled every five years, were urged to speak out "humbly yet insistently in defense of moral truth."
Benedict lamented what he called efforts to stop the church from speaking out publicly.
Earlier this month, U.S. Roman Catholic bishops vowed to defend their religious liberty in the face of growing acceptance of gay marriage and what they called attempts by secularists to marginalize faith.
In Illinois, for example, government officials ceased working with Catholic charities on adoptions and foster-care placement because the religious agencies refuse to recognize a new civil union law. Illinois bishops are suing the state.
Bishops have also pressed federal officials for broader religious exception to U.S. President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, which mandates that private insurers to pay for contraception.
"Despite attempts to still the church's voice in the public square, many people of good will continue to look to her for wisdom, insight and sound guidance in this far-reaching crisis," Benedict said, citing what he called a "growing sense of dislocation and insecurity" in the face of economic woes.
But he acknowledged that some of the bishops' own flock are turning away from the church, which he blamed on effects of a "secularized culture." Many U.S. Catholics shun Sunday Mass attendance or disregard such Vatican positions against contraception and divorce.
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শনিবার, ২৬ নভেম্বর, ২০১১
Opinion: Arsenal's van Persie rivals Messi
By JOHN LEICESTER
AP Sports Columnist
Associated Press Sports
updated 11:27 a.m. ET Nov. 24, 2011
PARIS (AP) -Robin van Persie was a better footballer than Lionel Messi in 2011. Or are statistics which suggest that misleading? Either way, this is official: It is plain absurd that the captain of Arsenal isn't a nominee with Messi for FIFA's Golden Ball award.
Seems Van Persie and injustice are bedfellows. Remember his sending off against Messi's Barcelona in the Champions League in March? Van Persie claimed he did not hear Massimo Busacca blow his whistle. Seemed plausible given the din from the 95,000-plus Nou Camp crowd. The Swiss referee didn't want to know and he ordered Van Persie off. Whether Arsenal might have won that match if Van Persie's hearing had been better and if the Dutchman had stayed on the pitch remains one of football's unanswerables.
In fact, "what if?" follows Van Persie around. That the question is posed in relation to Van Persie shows his importance to Arsenal and the London club's ambitions and future.
If the strong, reliable and intelligent scorer of goals had not hurt his knee volleying home his strike in the League Cup final in February, forcing Arsene Wenger to replace him in the second half with wet blanket Nicklas Bendtner, might Arsenal have won the trophy, instead of losing 2-1 to Birmingham?
Possibly.
If Van Persie hadn't torn right ankle ligaments playing for the Netherlands, forcing Wenger to muddle on without him for five months (he even resorted to the bottom-of-a-barrel measure of playing the ill-suited Andrei Arshavin as a central striker), might Arsenal have won the Premier League title in 2010, instead of Chelsea?
Maybe.
If Van Persie picks up another long-term injury now, will Arsenal finish out of the English league's top four places this season and not qualify for Champions League football and its financial riches next season?
Quite likely.
Will Arsenal be sorry if Wenger cannot get Van Persie to commit to a new contract before his current one expires in 2013?
Definitely.
The departure of Cesc Fabregas this summer for guaranteed trophies with his boyhood club, Barcelona, and Samir Nasri's swoon for the petrobillions of Manchester City left Van Persie, a 2010 World Cup runner-up with the Netherlands, as Arsenal's only remaining, verified world-class player. Jack Wilshere and Theo Walcott are still proving themselves.
Arsenal is without a trophy since 2005. Wenger's Catch-22 is that he needs players of Van Persie's caliber to change that, but he also needs trophies, or at least a realistic hope of winning them, to keep and to attract stars.
The reported US$5.7 million Arsenal paid in 2004 for the Netherlands international looks like a bargain now. Healthy, the 28-year-old has proven as reliable as English rain. As Arsenal fans say: "We don't need Batman, we've got Robin." A basic rule shown to be true in 24 Premier League games is that the club doesn't lose when Van Persie scores the first goal.
So far in 2011, he has scored 31 goals in 29 league games. He is only the fifth Premier League player to score 30 in a calendar year. He is the English league's leading scorer this season, putting away 13 of Arsenal's 25 goals as it has awoken from a lumbering start that included a horrific 8-2 mauling at Manchester United in August.
Van Persie's success rate in the league is outstripping even Messi's in La Liga. The world's best player has scored 29 in 31 Spanish games for Barcelona in 2011.
Van Persie's strength, quick feet and polished technique so prized in the Netherlands are often cited as reasons for his goals. But the intelligent way he spots, creates and sprints into gaps in defenses is exceptional, too.
"He is always in the right place at the right moment and he got two goals again tonight from positions that look easy but they are not. He just understands the game so well," Wenger said Wednesday after Van Persie scored both Arsenal goals in a 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund that qualified his team yet again for the Champions League knockout stage.
"We hope we can keep him fit and with us for a long time."
Messi should be player of the year for 2011, just as he was in 2010 and 2009. The FIFA Ballon d'Or winner will be announced Jan. 9. But there's no real suspense. As good as the 22 other nominees are, Barcelona's star is better.
Still, Van Persie should have been on that list, too.
---
John Leicester is an international sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jleicester(at)ap.org or follow him at twitter.com/johnleicester
? 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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??Roundup: Udinese returned to first place in the Italian league, beating Roma 2-0 on Friday on goals by Antonio Di Natale and Mauricio Isla.
War, then soccer
For the first time in decades, football in Libya is just about, well, football.
Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45429482/ns/sports-soccer/
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Suprised? Three Weeks Later, Groupon?s Stock Plummets Below IPO Price
You don't need to work on Wall Street to have seen this one coming: Today, for the first time since its NASDAQ debut on November 4th, Groupon has fallen below its IPO price, which initially placed the company's stock at $20 per share. The company's stock opened (at first trade) at $28 per share, with a market cap of $17.8 billion. It's currently hovering at about $17.30 per share, down nearly 14 percent on the day. The daily deal behemoth's stock has been on a three-day slide, and this marks the third day in a row of double digit declines. This came after the stock hit its all-time (really, all-month since IPO) high on Friday at $26.19 per share. Welcome to the public markets, Groupon.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/Gmn9v3AR56Y/
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শুক্রবার, ২৫ নভেম্বর, ২০১১
বৃহস্পতিবার, ২৪ নভেম্বর, ২০১১
Review: Knightley a force of nature in `Method' (AP)
Spitting and stammering, clawing and convulsing, her jaw jutting forward and her eyes popping out of her head, Keira Knightley is a frightening force of nature in "A Dangerous Method." And this is only at the film's start.
It's a brazenly over-the-top performance, a huge gamble in depicting her character's mania and self-loathing in such intentionally off-putting fashion. But eventually it pays off as it makes sense in context, and especially as this woman evolves. For this is a David Cronenberg film ? although the pristine, cultured trappings might suggest otherwise ? and this time, Knightley is his monster.
Cronenberg has specialized in a peculiar brand of horror film over the decades, with physical mutations serving as the norm in such 1980s movies as "Videodrome" and "The Fly." Here, the transformation occurs within; it's psychological, invisible, but no less startling. Don't let the genteel, costume-drama niceties fool you.
Set in the early 20th century in Zurich and Vienna, "A Dangerous Method" follows the relationship between two of the leading voices in the development of psychoanalysis: Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) and Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen, a Cronenberg regular of late). Knightley plays Sabina Spielrein, the wealthy Russian who is as beautiful as she is tormented, and who ultimately comes between these two men.
Sabina goes to Jung as his patient, not only shaking up his dull, structured life but also providing him a bountiful source of research for the new "talking cure" he's crafting. (The film, written by the esteemed Christopher Hampton and based on his play "The Talking Cure," is itself based on the John Kerr book "A Most Dangerous Method.") Seems she's as screwed-up as she is because of spankings her father gave her starting in early childhood, punishment that she didn't just endure but actually began to welcome and find sexually stimulating. The buttoned-down Jung is fascinated from a scholarly standpoint but also secretly aroused as a man; Fassbender, with his proper dress and carriage, quietly conveys Jung's inner conflict, his percolating desire.
But Jung also turns to his mentor, Freud, for advice. Freud, of course, thinks every symptom is a manifestation of some sort of subconscious sexual impulse, so Sabina's case gives these two much to chew on. Mortensen, star of Cronenberg's "Eastern Promises" and "A History of Violence," dials down his smoldering masculinity here for a performance that's dryly humorous, full of snarky vanity and droll little digs.
Eventually another troubled mind turns this three-way into a foursome when Freud sends Otto Gross (Vincent Cassel), a patient of his, to Jung for treatment. Otto is all id, impossible to control ? and Cassel does play casual menace beautifully ? but he also inspires Jung to follow his own impulses, even though they're at odds with the comfortable life he shares with his docile, moneyed wife (Sarah Gadon) and their children. Jung's interludes with Sabina provide sudden, stunning moments of sadomasochistic intensity, which punctuate a prevailing tone that might actually be too restrained. Their afternoons at her sparse apartment are thrilling, though, and they help maintain a wild streak in a film that is crisply and meticulously shot and edited.
As Sabina's behavior settles down ? as she morphs from patient and lover to student and therapist in her own right ? the relationship between Jung and Freud grows more bitter and volatile. The passive-aggressive series of letters they exchange provides some much-needed humor in this frequently serious, intellectual exercise. But they're onto something, though: As anyone who has ever been in therapy can attest, the danger is inside all of us, whether we're willing to face it or not.
"A Dangerous Method," a Sony Pictures Classics release, is rated R for sexual content and brief language. Running time: 99 minutes. Three stars out of four.
___
Motion Picture Association of America rating definitions:
G ? General audiences. All ages admitted.
PG ? Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.
PG-13 ? Special parental guidance strongly suggested for children under 13. Some material may be inappropriate for young children.
R ? Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
NC-17 ? No one under 17 admitted.
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Budget crises make mayors feel like "bad guys": poll (Reuters)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? Mayors of U.S. cities and towns feel they are being cast as the "bad guys" as they attempt to address budget crises, often through tax hikes and service cuts, according to a poll released on Tuesday.
A Reader's Digest survey found that 48 percent of mayors struggle with the bad guy image and 12 percent said they were frustrated by the lack of appreciation for having to make tough decisions.
Almost all of the 52 mayors of cities of 20,000 people or more said they "are anxiously seeking new revenue sources other than taxes" and 65 percent are considering raising fees for services.
More than half, 52 percent, of mayors anticipate cutting spending in their next budgets.
Services such as maintaining city parks have already been cut in the cities administered by 71 percent of the mayors. Parks were the most sacrificed during recent budget crises - 44 percent said they reduced park maintenance and service - followed by libraries.
Meanwhile, 37 percent say they will provide the same level of spending in their next budget as they have in recent ones, showing it may take some time for civic budgets to begin growing again.
The housing bust, financial crisis and recession created a trifecta of pain for state, county and city governments, and the housing downturn's effects linger, hurting the revenues of many U.S. cities, according to the National League of Cities.
Due to a lag in property valuations used to determine tax bills, the bursting of the real estate bubble hit city revenues hard in 2010, when property-tax revenues dropped for the first time in 15 years.
With states currently pulling back aid to local governments, many cities are preparing for the pain to persist for years to come.
Reader's Digest, which last year turned its attention to funding initiatives and projects that could improve local communities, asked the mayors if they had been "surprised by the depth and length of the current economic crisis."
More than half - 54 percent - were surprised while 23 percent said they were "very surprised."
(Reporting by Lisa Lambert; Editing by Jan Paschal)
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Happy Monday!
Celebrities Talk Sex Scenes–Girls Talkin Smack David Beckham Loves Living on the West Coast–Tonic Gossip Bruce Springsteen Announces Tour–Bitten & Bound Paris Hilton’s Brother Crashes [...]
Happy Monday! Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/stupidcelebrities/~3/un19EtC3ZDw/
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বুধবার, ২৩ নভেম্বর, ২০১১
Gaming Social Media Signals For Fun And Profit | SEOmoz
About two weeks ago I gave a talk at Pubcon titled, "Global Social Media Signals For SEO". During the end of the talk I briefly mentioned several techniques used to "game" social signals. Afterwards it was apparent that many were interested to learn more about gaming these signals. So without further ado, I would like to talk more about how to game social media signals.
Oh wait a second! It looks like I got a little ahead of myself, before we go any further I think we should try to answer one question:
Why should anyone try to game social media signals?
If you are a giant dork (like moi), then gaming social media signals can be fun! However, if you have friends in the real world then I would suggest you try and identify actionable goals with the signals you are gaming, otherwise this might turn into a waste of time. Some actionable goals would be to push content with in networks, increase user "authority", or even game outside channels like search results.
Quick note about, gaming search results with social signals: Social media signals for search are still in its infancy. Over the last several years we have seen the engines employ a variety of different techniques to integrate social signals. However, each of these have had fluctuating significance. Therefore, I would advise that you integrate social signals as a part of a much larger marketing plan that also includes all of the fundamentals of SEO. Social media is not replacing SEO, it's making it better.
Your target here is your audience, and it's important that you understand what they are motivated by to get them to act. Most economists will call these "incentives". However, most of the time we aren't using direct calls to action in social media, so these are more likely akin to dangling a worm in-front of a fish. We aren't telling the fish to bite; we are hoping that the worm looks good enough for the fish to bite on its own.
One of the most well known psychologists of the 20th century on the topic of motivation was Abraham Maslow. Maslow is widely known for his "hierarchy of needs" which he first published in a paper in 1943. Here you can see that Maslow has classified needs into 5 sections: Physiological, Safety, Love/belonging, Esteem, and Self-actualization. Despite the fact that each of these sections clearly articulate an individual need within the human experience, I tend to disagree with the concept a hierarchy because it implies that each are separate of the others. For example I might want self-actualization and crave a cheeseburger at the same time. However, understanding Maslow's theory can help you position your content and your sharing strategy in a way that aligns with an individual's basic needs.
A much more recent study [PDF] published by the Journal of Marketing Research looked at what types of content are more likely to go "viral". They concluded that content that invoked high physiological arousal was more likely to be shared or engaged.
Recently Matt McGee showed us data that reveals that images draw more Facebook interactions than any other posting type. Remember that interactions aren't the same as content consumption. For example Its clear that video consumption on the web is constantly rising. But the nature of social media relies on metrics that tend to have quick shelf life. In other words, users might watch a video or read a blog post, but when done they are ready to move on to the next piece of content, not click "like" or +1. Images are quick and can be consumed without a click through, which keeps the user close to the "share", "retweet", "like" buttons.
While images are ruling Facebook, animated images are killing it on Google+. Some of you might find them annoying, but it has become increasingly apparent that these zany GIFs are very popular with "shares" and "+1"'s. Just a few days ago I got over 200 shares in less than 12 hours with an animated GIF. Check out GIFBin and browse the top rated or top tagged for animated GIFs that will work well with in Google+.
If blog posts are your cup of tea, you should learn to embed viral factors to increase on page sharing. Things like uniform image sizes and emphasizing white space can motivate more social clicks.
Images (both animated and not) can get a lot of traction, but other content types can be just as successful. The trick is finding (or creating) what works. What I typically do is troll other networks like reddit or digg looking for content that is already trending. Then I re-post on other networks. I used to call this "Retweet Bait", but it can be applied anywhere that inner-network sharing is available.
Share/Spread Signals:
| Authority Signals:
|
Simple Quantitative Signals:
| Discussion Signals:
|
Share/Spread Signals - Gaming these signals can help not only distribute content to the widest audience, but will also put your name in-front of other users, increasing relationship metrics and improving authority. If you are a "breaking" news publisher you are going to want to focus on these metrics to influence Google's recent freshness update and trip the query deserves freshness signal. For best results you are going to want to use clear straightforward calls to action like, please retweet, "please share", or any other appropriate variant.
Simple Quantitative Signals - These have got to be the simplest social signals available. They are great for measuring content quality and act as a baseline for other metrics. You can easily game these by including clear straight forward calls to action. "Please support us by liking this post!" If you are using WordPress, you are going to want to check out the WP Greet Box it allows you to include a custom call to action above or below the post based on the referring URL. So if a user comes to your blog from Google+ you can include a call to action similar to: "Hey there! If you enjoy this post please +1 it!"
Authority Signals - Search engines and social networks are constantly trying to judge authority. These signals are vital to having strength in social media. The most obvious authority metric is relationship ratios on asymmetrical networks like Twitter. With asymmetrical networks we can judge authority [PDF via] by looking at the ratio to following and followers. Facebook recently added the subscribe feature which will give the ability to use this same type of analysis. Authority can also be weighted by inter-network mentions and even inbound activity.
Discussion Signals - When users comment on your content they are effectively sending a signal that your content holds value. Content that starts dialog generally also gets shared. To game this signal you are going to want to ask open-ended questions that inspire debate or dialog.
Getting a handful of Facebook likes or +1's can be a good start. But to see real traction you have to make the signals "pop". It's hard to tell exactly what is needed to get each signal to register on the various networks, but one starting place is taking a second look at Facebook's EdgeRank. EdgeRank is responsible for pushing the most popular content with in each Facebook social stream. From what we know, Facebook is using three main factors to influence EdgeRank:
- Affinity Score - This is a relationship metric that measures how close you are to others. If a user visits another's page often, or sends them multiple messages the score is higher. If a user has a high affinity score with another they are more likely to show up in their social stream. You can game this score by getting users to regularly visit your Facebook page.
- Edge weight - Every time a user engages content with in the social stream, the content is given an "edge" over other less popular content. Comments, likes, and shares all count towards "edge". You can game this metric [PDF] by asking open ended questions with an inherent bias. Here's an example: "How badly do you think the republicans will do in this election?" Democrats will "like" (or +1) this question because of the inherent bias. Republicans will comment on it, because of the inherent bias. As a result we are gaming two of the needed metrics to influence Edge weight.
- Time decay - Fresher content is more likely to be included in the social stream. The best way to game this metric is to develop evergreen content that you can re-share periodically.
While EdgeRank is exclusive to Facebook, other networks have similar systems of ranking internal content. It is clear that Google+ is using something analogous to EdgeRank, but with two main differences: Google+ doesn't filter content in the social stream, it just reorders it. Also, it appears that Google+ doesn't put as much weight on affinity as Facebook does.
In marketing (and life) I often execute what I call the kitchen sink strategy. Basically this entails throwing "everything but the kitchen sink" at a problem and seeing what works. Gaming social signals are no different. Which is why when I promote content I try to include as many of the tactics described above as possible.
For example, not long ago we launched a small site to test various marketing strategies. When it came time to test Google+ I wanted to attack the signals from all corners. Therefore, I embedded the OpenGraph image meta tag to pull a large version of our logo into the social stream. Then I designed a question with direct calls to action embedded into multiple choice answers. Coaxing the user to engage with multiple choice questions is an example of manipulating inherent cognitive biases. The result? We get basic feedback about a design and gamed Google+'s social stream with all the elements needed to make the signals "pop".
Social media signals are gaining significance every day. However, as information sharing changes and the various social channels rise and fall in popularity, there is no set methodology you should follow now or in the future. Instead, it is important to constantly test new strategies and ideas. Good luck gaming!
Source: http://www.seomoz.org/blog/gaming-social-media-signals-for-fun-and-profit-14368
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Lady Gaga's Holiday Workshop Is 'Super Cool,' DJ Says
'It's Santa's Workshop, but all Gaga stuff,' DJ White Shadow tells MTV News of over-the-top Barneys display in New York.
By Jocelyn Vena
Lady Gaga premieres the Lady Gaga Workshop at Barney's New York
Photo: Getty Images
On Monday night, Lady Gaga launched the holiday-themed Gaga's Workshop at Barneys in New York. It was an event that brought out some of the city's biggest fashionistas, many members of the Haus of Gaga (including the event's curator and Gaga's stylist Nicola Formichetti) and the Mother Monster herself.
DJ White Shadow, who produced several tracks on Gaga's Born This Way, was on hand providing tunes for the big shindig.
"They spent a lot of time on the installations," he told MTV News on Tuesday afternoon (November 22). "I didn't understand what it was until I walked up to it. It's Santa's Workshop, but all Gaga stuff. But the windows are super cool. They had a video installation, they had a mockup of the motorcycle on the [Born This Way] cover that's spinning all the time and a Gaga crystal kingdom."
While the party and Gaga's presence made for a hectic night, White Shadow kept partygoers dancing without any chaos. "I totally skirted around all the insanity," he said. "[Gaga] went one way and I went the other way. I saw her parents and some friends I haven't seen in a while.
"There was some very fashionable people there," he added. "There was a guy that had a mop on his head — like, legit, it looked like a mop — and then there was people like 17 feet tall with a nipple hanging out, and then there's me, someone who hasn't shaved in five days," he joked.
At Gaga's Workshop, there are many products to pick from, ranging from chocolates to leather jackets, but there was one item that really caught White Shadow's eye.
"I just was perusing the goods ... and there were some books that were her favorite books, and they have a special Barneys cover. I was trying to grab small things," he recalled. "But there's these hulking giant candles [in the shape of Gaga's head] that you light from the top. It's like you light the candles in the back and then the wax drips down through the eyes of the candle. So I was pretty impressed with it. I definitely procured one."
If that's not enough Gaga-fied gifts in your life, next week, she's dropping a holiday EP. A Very Gaga Holiday will include four songs that will also be featured on ABC's "A Very Gaga Thanksgiving," airing Thursday. What tracks made the final cut? "White Christmas" and "Orange Colored Sky," as well as the BTW tracks "Yoü and I" and "The Edge of Glory," the latter of which White Shadow produced.
Will you check out Gaga's Workshop at Barneys? Let us know in the comments!
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Bad economy means another scaled-back Thanksgiving
Dennis Sheehan, meat manager, pushes a shopping cart full of turkeys for stocking at Pixley's Shurfine grocery store in Akron, N.Y., Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2011. (AP Photo/David Duprey)
Dennis Sheehan, meat manager, pushes a shopping cart full of turkeys for stocking at Pixley's Shurfine grocery store in Akron, N.Y., Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2011. (AP Photo/David Duprey)
Dennis Sheehan, meat manager, stocks turkeys at Pixley's Shurfine grocery store in Akron, N.Y., Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2011. (AP Photo/David Duprey)
Turkeys are shown on sale at Pixley's Shurfine grocery store in Akron, N.Y., Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2011. (AP Photo/David Duprey)
A clerk bags a turkey for a customer at Pixley's Shurfine grocery store in Akron, N.Y., Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2011. (AP Photo/David Duprey)
Volunteers Dorothy Albertie, center, and Marta Gutierrez, right, sort donated food before packing it into boxes for those in need, at the Pass It On Ministries, Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2011, in Miami. Pass It On is a non-profit social service agency staffed solely by volunteers, and provides basic nutritional food supplies to people facing emergencies. On this the fourth Thanksgiving since the economy sank, prices for everything from airline flights to groceries are going up, and some Americans are scaling back. (AP Photo/ Lynne Sladky)
Some are holding potluck dinners instead of springing for the entire feast. Others are staying home rather than flying. And a few are skipping the turkey altogether.
On this the fourth Thanksgiving since the economy sank, prices for everything from airline flights to groceries are going up, and some Americans are scaling back. Yet in many households, the occasion is too important to skimp on. Said one mother: "I don't have much to give, but I'll be cooking, and the door will be open."
Thanksgiving airfares are up 20 percent this year, and the average price of a gallon of gas has risen almost 20 percent, according to travel tracker AAA. Still, about 42.5 million people are expected to travel, the highest number since the start of the recession.
But even those who choose to stay home and cook for themselves will probably spend more. A 16-pound turkey and all the trimmings will cost an average of $49.20, a 13 percent jump from last year, or about $5.73 more, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation, which says grocers have raised prices to keep pace with higher-priced commodities.
In Pawtucket, R.I., Jackie Galinis was among those looking for help to put a proper meal on the table. She stopped at a community center this week seeking a donated food basket. But by the time she arrived, all 300 turkeys had been claimed.
So Galinis, an unemployed retail worker, will make do with what's in her apartment. "We'll have to eat whatever I've got, so I'm thinking chicken," she said.
Then her eyes lit up. "Actually, I think I've got red meat in the freezer, some corned beef. We could do a boiled dinner."
Galinis has another reason to clear out her apartment's freezer: Her landlord is in the process of evicting her and her 3-year-old son. The unemployment rate in Pawtucket, a city struggling with the loss of manufacturing jobs, is 12.1 percent, well above the national average.
Carole Goldsmith of Fresno, Calif., decided she didn't need to have a feast, even if she could still afford it.
Goldsmith, an administrator at a community college in Coalinga, Calif., said she typically hosts an "over-the-top meal" for friends and family. This year, she canceled the meal and donated a dozen turkeys to two homeless shelters. She plans to spend Thursday volunteering before holding a small celebration Friday with soup, bread "and lots of gratitude."
"I think everybody is OK with it," she said. "They understand. Everybody is in a different place than they were a year ago."
In suburban Chicago, the Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry got rid of turkey altogether. Last year, the pantry had a lottery in October to distribute 600 turkeys between almost 1,500 families.
The pantry's management has decided to give all of its families a choice between other kinds of meat ? ground turkey, sliced chicken, fish sticks and hamburger patties ? along with the other trappings of a Thanksgiving feast. The decision will save $16,000, money that can go to feeding the hungry for the rest of the year.
"Do we give turkeys and hams to half of the people or do we give them to none of them and put that money back in the general food budget?" said the pantry's executive director, Kathy Russell.
Andrew Thomas, a mailroom worker for a Washington, D.C., law firm, had hoped to take his two children to see his grandmother in North Carolina. But with Christmas around the corner, Thomas concluded he needed to save money.
"We're just going to eat real good and stay home for this year," he said.
But George Gorham and his fianc?, Patricia Horner weren't deterred. They flew to Washington, D.C., from the West Coast and planned to rent a car to drive to Fort Bragg, N.C., to visit Gorham's son, an Army sergeant. They used frequent-flier miles and planned to use their trip to see the tourist attractions in the nation's capital.
Gorham said he still would have made the trip without his frequent-flier miles, but "it would have been more painful."
In Juneau, Alaska, the Rev. George Silides and his wife will bring turkey to a church potluck, but not much more. Like millions of others, Silides said, the couple was "feeling the economic pinch."
Juneau, Alaska's capital, is an expensive place to live. The only way in or out is by air or boat. Silides' wife now works as an English teacher to support their family of six.
In previous years, Stacy Hansen would either host a large Thanksgiving meal or fly from her Florida home to be with family in Minnesota. Not this year.
Hansen and her teenage son are staying home in Tarpon Springs, Fla., near Tampa. They picked out a 10-pound turkey and two frozen, buy-one-get-one-free pies at the supermarket. She can't afford to fly herself and her son north, and her two grown children can't afford to fly back to Florida.
"It's going to be a quiet Thanksgiving," she said. "We're going to be thankful for what we do have."
Galinis plans a similar holiday using whatever she can find.
"Even if I only had two nickels to rub together, I'd do something," she said. "I don't have much to give, but I'll be cooking and the door will be open."
___
Associated Press writers Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska; Jeff Karoub in Brandon Township, Mich.; Tamara Lush in St. Petersburg, Fla.; Carolyn Thompson in Lackawanna, N.Y.; Eric Tucker in Washington; and Gosia Wozniacka in Fresno, Calif., contributed to this report.
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Andre the Giant's family liked 'SNL' skit
NBC
Actor Jason Segel channeled Andre the Giant on "Saturday Night Live."
By Ree Hines
One of the highlights from Jason Segel?s recent stint as??Saturday Night Live? host came when the actor channeled the late wrestling-great-turned-actor Andre the Giant.
In ?Andre the Giant Chooses an Ice Cream Flavor,? Segel delivered a spot-on impression ? much like the one fans first saw in ?I Love You, Man? ? and according to TMZ, Andre?s family tuned in to see it for themselves.
"Jason Segel nails this impression and demonstrates, with good humor, that Andre's legacy continues to be relevant and has a big impact on the entertainment industry,? a rep for the estate told TMZ.
For those who don't recall the voice and manner that made Andre so memorable, see just how great Segel's impression is by comparing it to the real deal in this clip from the movie "The Princess Bride":
What did you think of Segel's "SNL" performance? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.
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Stafford-led Lions rally to beat Panthers 49-35 (AP)
DETROIT ? The Comeback Cats have done it again. Matthew Stafford threw five touchdown passes, the final one a 7-yarder to Brandon Pettigrew with 2:32 left, and the Detroit Lions rallied for a 49-35 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
The Lions (7-3) became the first NFL team since at least 1950 to win three games in a season after trailing by at least 17 points, according to STATS, LLC. The Panthers (2-8) led 24-7 in the second quarter before Stafford got the Lions going
After Detroit went ahead 35-27 with 8:02 left in the fourth quarter, Carolina tied it 35-all with 4:59 left on quarterback Cam Newton's 6-yard run and 2-point conversion pass to Steve Smith.
Stafford started the game-winning drive with a 30-yard completion to Calvin Johnson and capped it with his scoring pass to Pettigrew in the end zone.
The Lions sealed the win when Newton threw an interception on the Panthers' first play after the kickoff. The No. 1 pick in the NFL draft this year threw a season-high four interceptions.
Newton was 22 of 38 for 280 yards with a TD pass and also ran for two scores.
Stafford, selected No. 1 overall in the 2009 draft, bounced back from throwing two interceptions in the first quarter and finished 28 of 36 for 335 yards. His five TD passes matched his career best.
Kevin Smith gave a surprising boost on the ground, running for a career-high 140 yards and scoring a career-best three touchdowns two weeks after he was sitting on a couch without a job.
When Detroit looked like it was trying to set up a field goal to take a 10-point lead, Smith took a handoff and scored on a 19-yard run with two minutes left to finish off the Lions' 35-point second half.
The Panthers were determined to make someone other than Johnson ? with 11 TD catches coming in ? beat them. Once Stafford figured that out, he flourished. He connected with five different targets ? none named Johnson ? for scores and settled for short passes instead of long ones.
The Lions turned the ball over on their first three drives, then pulled within three points when Smith ran for 43 yards and turned a screen pass into a 28-yard TD on back-to-back plays in the second quarter.
Detroit quickly lost the momentum when Panthers rookie Kealoha Pilares returned the ensuing kickoff 101 yards for a score to put Carolina ahead 17-7 early in the second quarter.
The Lions overcame eight penalties and their early turnover to produce their third big comeback of the year. They trailed Minnesota and Dallas by 20-plus points on the road early in the season and won each time during their 5-0 start.
Detroit had lost two straight at home and three of four overall and appeared to be headed toward another setback until Stafford started clicking and its defense began slowing down the Panthers.
Carolina is winless on the road this season.
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UK 'complacent' on nuclear future
21 November 2011
Last updated at 20:37 ET
The UK government's lack of strategy on nuclear research threatens long-term electricity plans, says the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee.
The "complacent" UK invests far less in research than other nations, creating a skills gap and making the country a "niche player", its report concludes.
The committee says the current reactor programme is unlikely to be affected.
The government said nuclear energy would continue to be vital to UK energy security and reducing emissions.
On extending nuclear plans to meet 2050 climate targets, chairman of the committee, Lord Krebs, said "there isn't a credible Plan A".
Continue reading the main story?Start Quote
End Quote Lord Krebs Committee chairIt's not the case that you can buy something off the shelf without having the capacity to understand what it is you're buying?
"It is though we're setting off on a long journey without a map, without a driver, and without anyone to fix the car if things go wrong," he told reporters at a briefing in London.
"We are in danger of placing ourselves in a position where we will be unable to ensure a safe and secure supply of nuclear energy up to 2050.
"Without action now, in our view, the government's nuclear energy policy simply lacks credibility."
As a matter of urgency, the committee urges the development of a research and development strategy looking beyond 2025, and the establishment of a board drawn from academia, industry and government agencies to implement that strategy.
Part of the strategy should be to re-activate membership of the Generation Four International Forum, the body that is co-ordinating research on the next generation of reactors intended to be safer and more efficient than current designs.
Training gapCompanies such as EDF and E.on are working on plans to build about 10 new reactors with a collective capacity of 16GW by 2025.
But projections by the government and some independent agencies suggest that in order to meet longer-term climate targets cost-effectively, this will need to be doubled or tripled by 2050.
The UK is committed to cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 80% from 1990 levels by mid-century.
The committee says there is a serious danger of UK expertise being lost by this period, with the skilled workforce ageing and a lack of investment in training new people.
Lord Krebs suggested that the government, regulatory agencies and industry would find it hard to recruit trained and skilled Britons.
And relying on other countries to provide a talent pool was not a sensible strategy, he said, when there was likely to be international competition to secure skilled personnel.
"Even if government policy is what I refer to as the 'Argos catalogue' policy of buying it off the the shelf from EDF or German suppliers, it's not the case that you can buy something off the shelf without having the capacity to understand what it is you're buying and what the safety and legacy issues are," he said.
"Because of the ageing profile of the workforce in nuclear research and development, that capacity will decline unless there is a step change in investment and will."
Figures obtained by the committee suggest that UK spending on fission research is dwarfed not only by established nuclear powers such as Japan, South Korea and France, but also by countries such as Australia and Italy that do not have active nuclear power programmes.
In the financial year 2010-11, the UK research councils spent ?149m on energy research, with just 4% of that - ?6.5m - going on fission.
That is far less than the spend on nuclear fusion research, and a tiny fraction of the annual ?2.8bn pricetag for cleaning up Sellafield and other sites with a hefty nuclear legacy.
'Vital' technologyA government spokesman said that nuclear energy "is, and will continue to be, vital to UK energy security and reducing emissions, as well as supporting thousands of jobs".??
"That's why we're investing ?540m in energy research through the research councils, which includes money for research and training related to nuclear fission," he said.
The ?540m figure covers financial years 2011-12 to 2014-15, the current spending review period.
Professor Robin Grimes, director of the Imperial Centre for Nuclear Engineering at Imperial College London and a special adviser to the committee, said that investing in research could provide returns later on.
"Building reactors is an international process now - the days when one company built the station and handed over the keys have ended," he said.
"There is a British company manufacturing pumps for pressurised water reactors, Rolls-Royce is investing in heat exchangers; so we do have companies with intellectual property rights appropriate for this sector, and in the long term [investment] will generate jobs for the UK."
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Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/science-environment-15816823
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Ethiopian troops move into Somalia - witnesses
MOGADISHU |
MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Scores of Ethiopian military vehicles pushed at least 80 km into neighbouring Somalia on Saturday, residents said, five weeks after Kenya entered Somalia to fight Islamist militants it blames for a wave of kidnappings on its soil.
"The Ethiopian troops, which are in convoys of armoured vehicles, come to us today, crossing from Balanbale district on the border," Gabobe Adan, an elder in the town of Guriel told Reuters.
"They were in about 28 trucks and armed battle wagons - the armed vehicles are very big."
Other residents told Reuters that the Ethiopians had set up a base in Guriel and moved troops to other towns nearby.
A spokesman for the Ethiopian government, Shimeles Kemal, would neither confirm nor deny the reports. Another Ethiopian official told Reuters that an Ethiopian move to support the Kenyan assault on the al Shabaab group was likely.
Senior Kenyan government ministers have shuttled around the east Africa region this week and travelled to the Gulf to drum up political and financial support for a coordinated campaign to rout the al Qaeda-linked rebels.
Although Ethiopian troops regularly cross the border with Somalia, and it has admitted opening "humanitarian corridors" into the country that it says are for food relief, residents said the numbers and locations of the troops was unusual.
Ethiopia entered Somalia in 2006, with tacit U.S. backing, to oust another Islamist movement that had taken control of the capital Mogadishu and large swathes of the country.
Its army set up a base in Guriel during that operation.
The presence of the Ethiopian troops was hugely unpopular with Somalis, and with some analysts saying it was fanning support for new militant groups, they withdrew in early 2009.
(Writing by Barry Malone; Additional reporting by Aaron Maasho in Addis Ababa and Sahra Abdi in Nairobi)
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Fab Sale Round-Up: Gilt Groupe, Rue La La and More!
Check out our round-up of this week's best mommy and baby deals.
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Blasts in Syrian capital as Assad vows crackdown (AP)
BEIRUT ? Loud explosions rocked the Syrian capital Sunday, and activists said it was a rare attack on a government building, as the country's defiant president vowed to pursue his bloody crackdown on dissent.
Beyond reports of loud blasts at daybreak, details of the explosions could not be confirmed. The Free Syrian Army, a group of military defectors, claimed they hit the Damascus headquarters of the ruling Baath party with several rocket-propelled grenades.
The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said unknown gunmen on motorcycles threw first a stun grenade and then fired RPGs at the Baath party headquarters, hitting the outside wall of the building. Two other grenades missed the target, it said.
Syria has placed severe restrictions on the work of journalists in the country, making independent confirmation difficult. Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said the reports of an attack were "absolutely baseless." But at a news conference, he thanked a Syrian journalist for clarifying that the explosions heard in the area were the result of a stun grenade, indirectly acknowledging that some kind of attack had taken place.
Witnesses said the party headquarters appeared intact and reported no significant security deployment around it.
If true, the Damascus attack on the Baath Party's main building would signal a significant shift in the eight-month revolution against President Bashar Assad, bringing the violence that has hit much of the rest of the country to the heart of the Syrian capital, which has so far been relatively untouched.
In Cairo, the Arab League rejected Syrian amendments to a peace plan to end the crisis, saying the changes would alter the plan's essence. Last week the body reaffirmed its suspension of Syria and gave it three days to comply with the plan, which calls for the withdrawal of the regime's tanks from the streets, the release of political prisoners and a halt to attacks on civilians.
The 22-member organization did not give details of Syria's proposed amendments. It said in a statement Sunday that Damascus' proposals were unacceptable because they introduce "drastic changes" to the mandate of an observers' mission the league wants to dispatch to Syria to ensure the implementation of the peace plan.
Al-Moallem told reporters the proposed Arab League observers mission placed "impossible conditions" and gave excessive authority to the observers in a way that violated Syria's sovereignty. He denied Damascus sought to restrict the observers' movement within the country but said Syria wanted to be informed of the groups' travels in order to offer security protection.
"The observers, if they come, will have freedom of movement," he said. "We have nothing to hide. They should see the killings, the massacres and the crimes being carried out against our people and security forces."
An Arab League official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief reporters, said the Syrian government was required to implement the peace plan in its entirety.
Arab League deputy secretary-general Ahmed bin Heli said Arab foreign ministers will discuss developments in Syria at their regular meeting on Thursday.
In an interview with Britain's Sunday Times newspaper, Assad vowed to crush "militants" who he says are massacring Syrians.
"The role of the government is to fight those militants in order to restore stability and to protect civilians," he said, repeating warnings that foreign military intervention in Syria would "shake the entire Middle East."
On Sunday, activist groups said at least three people were killed by security forces ? two in the flashpoint central city of Homs and one in northern Syria.
Syria's uprising against Assad, although largely peaceful, has grown more violent and militarized in recent weeks, as frustrated protesters see the limits of peaceful action. Army dissidents who sided with the protests have also grown bolder, fighting back against regime forces and even attacking military bases, raising fears of a civil war in Syria.
The U.N. says more than 3,500 people in Syria have been killed in the crackdown since the start of the uprising in mid-March. Assad, in the interview, said more than 800 Syrian officers and security forces were killed.
Assad told the newspaper he feels "pain and sorrow" for the bloodshed but insisted the solution was to eliminate the militants he blamed for much of the violence. The Assad regime maintains the protesters are following a foreign agenda to isolate and weaken Syria.
Assad, who took over from his late father, Hafez, in 2000, said there would be parliamentary elections in February or March, after which there would be a new government and new constitution.
"That constitution will set the basis of how to elect a president ... the ballot box should decide who should be president."
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Syrian Troops Attack, Despite Arab Peace Plan
Syrian troops stormed a central town and a northwestern region in search of regime opponents on Saturday, activists said, a day after the government agreed in principle to allow the Arab League to send observers to oversee a peace plan proposed by the 22-member bloc.
The attacks on the town of Shezar in the central province of Hama and on the restive Jabal al-Zawiya region near the Turkish border came as pressure mounted on Damascus to end its eight-month crackdown on anti-government protesters. The unrest has killed more than 3,500 people since mid-March, according to U.N. estimates.
The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and another activist group called the Local Coordination Committees said land and cellular telephone lines as well as electricity were cut in the Jabal al-Zawiya region, where army defectors have been active for months.
Elsewhere, two army defectors were killed in a clash with troops in Qusair near the border with Lebanon, while a civilian was killed by security forces in Hama, said the observatory. The Local Coordination Committees had a different toll, saying one person was killed in Qusair and one in the central city of Homs.
Syria agreed in principle Friday to allow dozens of Arab observers into the country to oversee an Arab League peace plan that calls on the government to stop attacking demonstrators, pull tanks out of cities and begin negotiations with the opposition.
It was a significant concession from a hard-line regime that loathes any sort of outside interference. But critics say the government is only stalling, trying to defuse international pressure while continuing its bloody crackdown.
The Arab League has already suspended Syria's membership in the bloc for failing to abide by the peace plan. On Wednesday, the league gave Damascus three days to accept the observer mission or face economic sanctions.
Violence has escalated in Syria over the past week, as army dissidents who sided with the protests have grown more bold, fighting back against regime forces and even assaulting military bases. Activist groups said security forces on Friday killed at least 16 anti-government protesters.
Pressure from European capitals and the U.S. is also building on President Bashar Assad to end the bloodshed.
An official at Britain's Foreign Office said Foreign Secretary William Hague intends to meet opposition representatives in London on Monday.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe called on the U.N. Security Council to strengthen sanctions against Assad's regime. However, Russia, which holds veto power in the council, urged caution in moving against Damascus.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the U.S. has seen no signs that Syria's government will honor the Arab League proposal.
Syria's neighbor to the north, Turkey, has become one its most vocal critics, a notable shift because the two countries once had close political and economic ties.
On Saturday, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, commenting on the deteriorating relations between his country and its southern neighbor, accused Syria of not fulfilling promises for reform or to stop the bloodshed.
"In the past nine years, it was Syria and the Syrian people ? rather than Turkey ? that had benefited from the Turkish-Syrian friendship," Erdogan said.
"... Syria has not kept its promises to Turkey, to the Arab League or to the world. It made promises but did not fulfill them. It has not acted in a sincere trustworthy manner," he said.
The attacks on Jabal al-Zawiya came two days after an army force in the nearby area of Wadi al-Deif came under attack by army defectors, a clash that lasted four hours and left an unknown number of casualties among troops loyal to Assad, an activist said.
The activist, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said troops fired heavy machine guns mounted on armored personnel carriers.
The Arab League observer mission aims to prevent violence and monitor a cease-fire that Damascus agreed to last week but has been unwilling ? or unable ? to implement.
Nabil Elaraby, the head of the Arab League, said in a statement Friday that he received "amendments" to the monitoring mission from Damascus, which the league is studying. He gave no details on the changes Syria seeks.
The original league proposal had been for a 500-member observer mission but the number has dropped to 40, said Ibrahim el-Zaafarani, an Egyptian member of the Arab Medical Union who is expected to be part of the team for Syria. He said it was not clear why or on whose behest the number was reduced.
___
Associated Press writers Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, and Meera Selva in London contributed to this report.
___
Bassem Mroue can be reached on http://twitter.com/bmroue
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Paterno has lung cancer, son says ? This Just In - CNN.com Blogs
Joe Paterno, the former Penn State football coach who lost his job amid a child sex abuse scandal allegedly involving his former defensive coordinator, has lung cancer, his son Scott Paterno said Friday.
"Last weekend my father was diagnosed with a treatable form of lung cancer during a follow-up visit for a bronchial illness," Scott Paterno said in a statement released Friday afternoon. "He is currently undergoing treatment and his doctors are optimistic that he will make a full recovery.
"As everyone can appreciate, this is a deeply personal matter for my parents, and we simply ask that his privacy be respected as he proceeds with treatment."
The 84-year-old Joe Paterno, who had the most wins (409) of any NCAA Division I football coach, was fired last week after former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was charged with 40 counts in what authorities allege was the sexual abuse of eight boys. Two Penn State officials were also charged with perjury and failing to inform police of the allegations; Paterno is not facing charges.
Paterno coached at Penn State for 61 years, including 45 years as head coach.
Friday's announcement coincides with news that the NCAA is investigating Penn State in connection with the Sandusky charges and the university's handling of the allegations.
"This unprecedented situation demands the NCAA evaluate the university's accountability" and application of NCAA bylaws," NCAA President Mark Emmert said in a letter to the school dated Thursday. The NCAA and Penn State made the letter public on Friday.
FULL STORYSource: http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/18/source-paterno-has-lung-cancer/
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