Friday, November 8, 2013

Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen: We Never Felt Like Actresses

They’ve been in the public eye since the young age of nine months, but Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen reveal that they never really felt like it was right.


Though the uber-famous twins gained extraordinary wealth and success, the 27-year-old told Women’s Wear Daily that they are finished with Hollywood and ready to focus primarily on fashion.


“We were always hard workers as kids,” Mary-Kate tells WWD. “It’s just the way we are, the way we were raised. Our work ethic was everything, and that never left us. We like to work hard, and we like to try to do everything 100 percent. In fact, it’s actually almost impossible for us not to. Sometimes you succeed and sometimes not so much, but it’s learning.”


Mary-Kate and Ashley run Dualstar Entertainment Group, which manufactures various items including fragrances, in addition to their clothing brands like The Row and Elizabeth and James.


They’ve found what they are comfortable doing now, and admit that they never felt comfortable on set.


“With what we were doing in business when we were younger, I don’t think it ever felt like we were actresses — because we spent so much more of our time not in front of the cameras, building a brand," Mary-Kate continued.


“I always looked at myself, even as a kid, as a businesswoman,” Ashley added.


“We feel so fortunate to have each other, to have a dialogue,” Ashley explained. “Communication is key; it’s the most important thing in life. And Mary-Kate and I get to communicate all day long, on all sorts of subjects. It gets us to a more educated, thoughtful place, because we often come to things from different directions — although we want to get to the same space and have the same goal and vision. But that conversation is what gets us there.”


Source: http://celebrity-gossip.net/mary-kate-olsen/mary-kate-ashley-olsen-we-never-felt-actresses-1095276
Category: CMA Awards 2013   Ray Rice   remembering 9/11   Miley Cyrus Wrecking Ball   powerball winning numbers  

The Ultimate Scandal Live-Tweet Situation Room!

Kerry Washington, Columbus Short and Katie Lowes in Scandal.
Kerry Washington, Columbus Short, and Katie Lowes in Scandal.

Photo courtesy Danny Feld/American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.








On its own, Scandal is a wildly entertaining series, shot through with dramatic absurdities and utterly laughable quotes. (Sample quip from President Fitz, to his chief of staff: “How presidential are my balls now, Cy?”) But you haven’t had the full Scandal experience until you’ve watched it live with a Twitter window open in front of you.










Every Thursday night, a sizable, vocal contingent of “gladiators”—Scandal’s most obsessive fans, so dubbed after Olivia Pope’s tight-knit circle of loyal employees—take to the social media site to live-tweet their reactions to every epic line and explosive reveal. (This week, Slate’s TV critic Willa Paskin is experimenting with just dispensing with the TV show entirely, and “watching” the episode solely on Twitter.)










One problem with following along on Twitter, however, is that it can be hard to know who to follow for the engaging—and amusing—Scandal analysis. So we’ve done the work for you: We’ve constructed the ultimate Scandal live-tweet module. We’ve broken the participants into three categories—fans, critics, and actors from the show itself—all of which will update in real-time and allow you to enjoy the Scandal-Twitter experience without overwhelming your own feed with jokes about the president’s nether regions. (If you have suggestions for people we should add to the feed, leave them in the comments.) Enjoy, gladiators! 















Source: http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/how_we_watch_tv/2013/11/scandal_on_twitter_all_the_best_live_tweets_including_kerry_washington_s.html
Related Topics: Real Madrid   government shutdown   House of Cards   houston texans   Johnny Galecki  

New video emerges of ranting Toronto mayor


TORONTO (AP) — A new video that surfaced Thursday shows Toronto Mayor Rob Ford in a rambling rage, using threatening words including "kill" and "murder," as the saga that has gripped Canadians for months took yet another twist.

The mayor told reporters moments after the video was posted online that he was "extremely, extremely inebriated" in it and "embarrassed" by it. The context of the video is unknown and it's unclear who the target of Ford's wrath is. The video, which appeared at length on the Toronto Star's website and in clips on the Toronto Sun's website, prompted another round of calls for Ford to step down.

It's been a whirlwind of a week for Ford, who on Tuesday admitted to smoking crack in a "drunken stupor" about a year ago. Police said last week they had obtained a different, long-sought video that shows Ford smoking a crack pipe.

Police obtained that video in the course of a massive drug investigation into the mayor's friend and occasional driver.

Despite immense pressure from allies and critics, the mayor of North America's fourth largest city has refused to resign or take a leave of absence.

Ford said Thursday he made mistakes and "all I can do is reassure the people. I don't know what to say."

"When you are in that state ... I hope none of you have ever or will ever be in that state," Ford said.

"It's extremely embarrassing. The whole world is going to see it."

In the new video, a visibly agitated Ford paces around, waves his arms and rolls up his sleeves as he says he'll "make sure" the unknown person is dead.

Ford tells another person in the room, possibly the man filming the video, that he wants to "kill" someone in an expletive-laced rant. "Cause I'm going to kill that (expletive) guy," Ford says. "No holds barred brother. He dies or I die."

At one point he says "My brothers are, don't tell me we're liars, thieves, birds?" and then later refers to "80-year-old birds."

The Toronto Star that it purchased the video from "a source who filmed it from someone else's computer" and that "the person with the computer was there in the room."

City Councilor James Pasternak urged Ford to make a "dignified exit."

"The video is very disturbing," he said. "It's very upsetting, it's very sad."

City Councilor Giorgio Mammoliti, a Ford ally, urged the mayor to enter rehab and said in a statement he fears "that if the mayor does not get help now he will succumb to health issues related to addiction."

Ford lawyer Dennis Morris told The Associated Press the context of the video "is skeletal."

"What we have to do is find out when it was taken," he said. "Was it taken eight, 10 months ago or a short time ago? I'm going to try to find that out too. Maybe the Toronto Star knows better."

Asked if Ford told him about the tape, Morris said: "I can't comment, but I don't think we really know."

Earlier Thursday, Morris said he was in talks with the police for Ford to view the video that shows the mayor smoking crack, as city councilors stepped up their efforts to force him from office.

The mayor's travails were taking their toll on his supporters. Canada's finance minister became emotional when asked about Ford, a longtime friend.

Police are seeking to question Ford. Morris previously said Ford would be willing to go view the tape but would not answer questions.

Police have not charged Ford, saying the video didn't provide enough evidence against him. A police spokesman declined to comment.

Municipal law makes no provision for the mayor's forced removal from office unless he's convicted and jailed for a criminal offence.

City Councilor Denzil Minnan-Wong, a member of Ford's executive committee, said Thursday he plans to amend a motion he has filed that would ask Ford to take a leave of absence. The amendment takes the unprecedented step of asking the province of Ontario to pass legislation to remove the mayor if he does not agree to take a leave of absence. The measure could be voted on next Wednesday.

The province, however, has no plans to step in and amend the law to allow Ford to be forced from office, Ontario Municipal Affairs Minister Linda Jeffrey reaffirmed Thursday.

Premier Kathleen Wynne has said she's concerned that Ford's personal issues were making it difficult for the city to carry on normally. But she said it was up to police, the courts or the mayor to take action.

Ford acknowledged a drinking problem for the first time Sunday, saying on his radio show that he was "hammered" in public at a street festival in August and "out of control" drunk, carrying a half empty bottle of brandy around city hall after St. Patrick's Day last year. He then made his stunning confession to reporters Tuesday that he had smoked crack while drunk.

The mayor has called on police to release the tape, but police said they are prohibited from doing so because it is evidence before the courts. Police said the video will come out when Ford associate Alexander Lisi goes to trial on drug and extortion charges.

Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair has also said police have a second tape, but he has declined to discuss what's on it. Police spokesman Mark Pugash told the AP the video released Thursday is not the tape Blair talked about.

The allegations about Ford smoking crack first emerged earlier this year when reporters from the Toronto Star and the U.S. website Gawker separately said they saw that video, but they did not obtain a copy.

___

Follow Rob Gillies on Twitter at —http://twitter.com/rgilliescanada

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/video-emerges-ranting-toronto-mayor-190951127.html
Related Topics: Hunter Hayes   world series game 4   Avril Lavigne   broncos   Tom Harmon  

Samsung and Intel's budding Android competitor won't come to Smart TVs anytime soon



Looking forward to a unified ecosystem of Tizen-based devices? Hold your breath: the fledgling Android-competitor's roll out isn't picking up any steam. Speaking at the Smart TV Global Summit this week, Samsung's Kim Hyun-seok played down the OS' television rollout. "We've seen much progress in the Tizen TV, but the phone will come first." In other words, it could be awhile. A flagship device to carry Intel and Samsung's mobile experiment was originally slated to launch earlier this year, but these days a 2014 launch is looking more likely. Of course, if you're chomping at the bit to play with the OS, there are options.


Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/11/07/no-tizen-tv-until-after-smartphone-launch/?ncid=rss_truncated
Similar Articles: ABC Family   Angela Ahrendts   Maria de Villota   mlb   mark sanchez  

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Senate OKs gay rights bill banning discrimination


WASHINGTON (AP) — Reflecting Americans' increasing acceptance of gays, the Senate on Thursday approved legislation that would bar workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Gay rights advocates hailed the bipartisan, 64-32 vote as a historic step although it could prove short-lived. A foe of the bill, Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, has signaled that the Republican-led House is unlikely to even vote. Senate proponents were looking for a way around that obstacle.

Seventeen years after a similar anti-discrimination measure failed by one vote, 54 members of the Senate Democratic majority and 10 Republicans voted for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. It is the first major gay rights bill since Congress repealed the ban on gays serving openly in the military three years ago.

"All Americans deserve a fair opportunity to pursue the American dream," said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, a chief sponsor of the bill.

Proponents cast the effort as Congress following the lead of business and localities as some 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies and 22 states have outlawed employment discrimination against gay, bisexual and transgender Americans.

Supporters described it as the final step in a long congressional fight against discrimination, coming nearly 50 years after enactment of the Civil Rights Act and 23 years after the Americans with Disabilities Act.

"Now we've finished the trilogy," said Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, a chief sponsor of the disabilities law, at a Capitol Hill news conference.

Two Republican senators who voted against anti-discrimination legislation in 1996, Arizona's John McCain, the presidential nominee in 2008, and Orrin Hatch of Utah, backed the measure this time. Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski voted in favor; her father, Frank, opposed a similar bill nearly two decades ago, underscoring the generational shift.

"Let the bells of freedom ring," said Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., who took the lead on the legislation from the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass.

Senate passage came in a momentous year for gay rights advocates. The Supreme Court in June granted federal benefits to legally married same-sex couples, though it avoided a sweeping ruling that would have paved the way for same-sex unions nationwide. Illinois is on the verge of becoming the 15th state to legalize gay marriage along with the District of Columbia.

A Pew Research survey in June found that more Americans said homosexuality should be accepted rather than discouraged by society by a margin of 60 percent to 31 percent. Opinions were more evenly divided 10 years ago.

In the House, Boehner has maintained his longstanding opposition despite pleas from national Republicans for the GOP to broaden its appeal to a fast-changing demographic. Boehner argues that the bill is unnecessary and would touch off costly, meritless lawsuits for businesses.

President Barack Obama and Democrats used the progressive legislation piling up in the House as a cudgel on the GOP, with the gay rights bill likely to join the stalled measure to overhaul the immigration system.

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said if the House fails to act, "they'll be sending their party straight to oblivion."

Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois reminded Boehner of the history of his party in the 1880s over the issue of slavery and Abraham Lincoln's life work.

"Keep that proud Republican tradition alive," Durbin said.

Obama, in a statement, said "one party in one house of Congress should not stand in the way of millions of Americans who want to go to work each day and simply be judged by the job they do."

Gay rights advocates reminded Obama that he could act unilaterally and issue an executive order barring anti-gay workplace discrimination by federal contractors. Chad Griffin, the president of the Human Rights Campaign, said Obama is empowered to act and called on him to sign the executive order.

One possible option exists for proponents, adding the gay rights bill to the annual defense policy measure that the Senate will consider later this month and force the House to reject the popular legislation.

Through three days of Senate debate, opponents of the legislation remained mute, with no lawmaker speaking out. That changed on Thursday, as Republican Sen. Dan Coats of Indiana said the legislation would force employers to violate their religious beliefs.

"There's two types of discrimination here we're dealing with, and one of those goes to the very fundamental right granted to every American through our Constitution, a cherished value of freedom of expression and religion," Coats said.

Current federal law prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, race and national origin. But it doesn't stop an employer from firing or refusing to hire workers because they are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.

The bill would bar employers with 15 or more workers from using a person's sexual orientation or gender identity as the basis for making employment decisions, including hiring, firing, compensation or promotion. It would exempt religious institutions and the military.

The Senate approved an amendment from Republican Sens. Rob Portman of Ohio and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire that would prevent federal, state and local governments from retaliating against religious groups that are exempt from the law.

The Senate rejected an amendment sponsored by Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania that would have expanded the number of groups that are covered under the religious exemption.

Portman, Ayotte and Toomey voted for the legislation.

The first openly gay senator, Democrat Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, called the vote a "tremendous milestone" that she will always remember throughout her time in the Senate.

Sens. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., John Barrasso, R-Wyo., and Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., did not vote. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., a supporter of the bill, said his wife underwent heart surgery this week and he was unable to make the vote.

____

Follow Donna Cassata on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DonnaCassataAP

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/senate-oks-gay-rights-bill-banning-discrimination-192240598--politics.html
Similar Articles: Reign   cory booker   Dusty Baker   Johnny Galecki   princess diana  

Paula Deen Is Not Splitting With Husband, Affair Story "Absolutely" False


It's been a tough year for Paula Deen, whose career and public reputation imploded earlier this year thanks to a high-profile lawsuit filed by a former employee. Now a report has come out from the National Enquirer saying the celebrity chef, 66, kicked out her husband, Michael Groover, for having a secret mistress. 


PHOTOS: Celebrity chef scandals


A source close to the family vehemently denies these claims, telling Us Weekly, "This story is absolutely not true. They have never been closer. Michael adores her and Paula adores him. They are completely fine."


PHOTOS: Southern superstars


The tabloid claimed that Groover, 57, had been seeing a "sexy middle-age brunette" who has known the family for years. This isn't the first time The Enquirer has claimed the Southern couple was splitting. In July 2013, the tabloid reported they were heading for a $17 million divorce battle. The claims were unfounded and Deen and Groover never filed for divorce.


PHOTOS: Celebrity foodies


Deen, who was dropped by the Food Network and lost most of her endorsement deals after admitting to using the N-word multiples times in this summer's lawsuit, has yet to officially comment on the latest report on her personal life. The couple lives together in Savannah, Georgia. 


U.S. District Court Judge William T. Moore Jr. dismissed the racial discrimination lawsuit in August 2013, saying that the former employee who filed the suit could not be the "victim" of Deen's use of the N-word because she was white.


Source: http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/paula-deens-husband-is-not-splitting-with-husband-affair-story-absolutely-false-2013711
Tags: cleveland browns   Baby Hope   julio jones   Sydney Leathers   brandon jacobs  

After Virginia and New Jersey, voters offer GOP advice for 2014


Tuesday told a tale of two campaigns — and perhaps provided two lessons for 2014.

In New Jersey, GOP Gov. Chris Christie sailed to victory by 21 percentage points in the Democrat-dominated state.

In Virginia, meanwhile, Republican Ken Cuccinelli couldn’t eke out a win over Terry McAuliffe, a candidate who occasionally received voter approval ratings south of 30 percent and who was dubbed either “cancer” or “a heart attack” by "The Daily Show." How does Cuccinelli lose to a candidate voters dislike so widely?

For sure, he and Christie are different. Cuccinelli’s low approval ratings in Virginia mirrored McAuliffe’s. The New Jerseyan, on the other hand, boasts bipartisan appeal — note his high-profile post-Sandy bromance with President Barack Obama — and is perhaps that rare blue-chip candidate whom Republicans can’t realistically place on every ballot.

Do these two high-profile gubernatorial elections furnish the GOP a strategy going forward? Who better to ask for a plan than the voters? Yahoo News invited Republicans and conservatives in each state to perform a postmortem on Tuesday’s results and also to look forward to future campaigns: What did their party learn that it can apply across the nation in 2014, 2016 and beyond?

Here’s advice voters offered the morning after. Click their names to read their full thoughts.

Abandon social conservatism

Annie Tobey, 53, votes for Republicans in most Virginia elections. But on Tuesday, she backed Libertarian Party candidate Robert Sarvis, who received 6.6 percent of the votes. She writes:

Increasingly, the Republican Party is influenced by the tea party, which is controlled by religious fundamentalists. Cuccinelli is a sterling example of this religious domination, especially controlling a woman's body and depriving gays and lesbians of equal rights.

Increasingly, as in the 2013 governor's race, I find myself called upon to choose between financial slavery and personal slavery: The Democrats want to hijack my purse, while the Republicans want to control my personal life. I'd rather give up my money.

Until the Republican Party can promote both social and economic liberty, I will not be able to give them my support, in 2014 or beyond.

Hammer away at Democrats’ support of the Affordable Care Act

Jeff Dunsavage, 51, is a lifelong New Jerseyan and lives in Dunellen. He has voted Republican in nearly every election since he first registered. He writes:

The next Democratic presidential candidate will reap the grief or glory of Obamacare. If President Obama and the Democratic leadership can bring this beast to heel, the party will have something to crow about. If not, the ACA may well be the vehicle that carries a Republican into the White House.

Right now, Christie seems the most likely beneficiary. But a lot can change in a few years.

Robert Peterson is a 36-year-old conservative voter in Sterling, Va. He writes:

McAuliffe's biggest weakness in my opinion was his full-sell mentality regarding the ACA, and it wasn't until late in the election that the Republicans advertisements focused on the effect that ACA would have on the Virginia budget and Virginian businesses that are shouldering new requirements of the health care law. If ACA fails, it should be the Republicans’ prominent lead in 2014 and 2016.

Stop being such a politician

Arrivanna Brooks, 28, lives in Clifton, N.J., and has voted Republican in elections since she was 18. She writes:

Christie's campaign teaches us that politicians need to be, well, non-politicians. In other words: Be more honest, reach across the aisle, commend the other side, don’t always say no just to say no. That resonates. Christie does not mince words, but he stands up for what he believes in. Republicans often say one thing and then distance themselves if they field a lot of blowback. Say what you mean. Stick by it. Voters want that loyalty.

Make campaigns more about issues and less about the party

Ashley Raybourn has been a registered voter and Republican in Virginia for 10 years, but cast a Democratic ballot for the first time. She is 28 and votes in Hampton.

The race for governor in New Jersey turned out quite differently; Christie won by a landslide. As colorful a character as he is, I think the Republican Party could stand to learn a lot from him. He wasn't afraid to point fingers at his own party when federal disaster relief was held up by House Republicans and he worked with a Democratic president in Sandy's aftermath. Some Republicans, such as myself, are fed up with members in our own party and he showed that it's OK to call them out and even reach across the aisle in the best interest of his constituents.

And take heart: It’s not all moonlight and roses for Democrats, either

Lyn Brooks, 45, lives in rural southwest Virginia near Roanoke. She writes:

Results show McAuliffe beat Cuccinelli by fewer than 55,000 votes statewide. That number is hardly a "clear mandate" that shows approval of Obama, Obamacare, or even a clear repudiation of the recent government shut down, threat of default, or the tea party.

Would a more socially moderate Republican have defeated McAuliffe? The narrow victory margin certainly suggests this.

The fact that McAuliffe beat Cuccinelli by such a small number should concern Democrats as the 2014 midterm elections draw near. To me, this narrow victory implies that Democrats face strong headwinds, and there is still time for Republicans to repair the fallout from this year's government shut down. If issues continue to plague the roll out of Obamacare, and if millions of Americans continue to receive cancellation notices in the mail from their insurers due to Obamacare, Democrats will pay the price in 2014 for Obama's lie: "If you like your plan, you can keep it," just as President George H.W. Bush paid the price for his infamous falsehood, "Read my lips: no new taxes."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/virginia-new-jersey-election-republican-lessons-200258255.html
Similar Articles: Monster Mash   Once Upon A Time In Wonderland   tupac   never forget   chargers  

TWITTER IPO LIVE: Contrasts near Twitter HQ

Specialist Glenn Carell, who will handle the Twitter IPO, works at his post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013. Twitter set a price of $26 per share for its initial public offering on Wednesday evening and will begin trading Thursday under the ticker symbol "TWTR" in the most highly anticipated IPO since Facebook's 2012 debut. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)







Specialist Glenn Carell, who will handle the Twitter IPO, works at his post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013. Twitter set a price of $26 per share for its initial public offering on Wednesday evening and will begin trading Thursday under the ticker symbol "TWTR" in the most highly anticipated IPO since Facebook's 2012 debut. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)







Twitter Chairman and co-founder Jack Dorsey, co-founders Biz Stone and Evan Williams and, Twitter CEO Dick Costolo pose for a group photo after their company's IPO began trading, on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013. If Twitter's bankers and executives were hoping for a surge on the day of the stock's public debut, they got it. The stock opened at $45.10 a share on its first day of trading, 73 percent above its initial offering price. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)







Twitter CEO Dick Costolo, Chairman and co-founder Jack Dorsey, and co-founders Evan Williams and Biz Stone, front row left to right, applaud as they watch the the New York Stock Exchange opening bell rung, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013. If Twitter's bankers and executives were hoping for a surge on the day of the stock's public debut, they got it. The stock opened at $45.10 a share on its first day of trading, 73 percent above its initial offering price. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)







Twitter CEO Dick Costolo, center, and Mike Gupta, chief financial officer of Twitter, wait for shares to begin trading during the IPO, on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013. If Twitter's bankers and executives were hoping for a surge on the day of the stock's public debut, they got it. The stock opened at $45.10 a share on its first day of trading, 73 percent above its initial offering price. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)







Twitter signage is draped on the facade of the New York Stock Exchange, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013 in New York. Twitter set a price of $26 per share for its initial public offering on Wednesday evening and will begin trading Thursday under the ticker symbol "TWTR" in the most highly anticipated IPO since Facebook's 2012 debut. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)







(AP) — Twitter had a strong public stock debut Thursday in the most highly anticipated initial public offering since Facebook's last year. That doesn't mean the people in the neighborhood near Twitter's headquarters are doing well.

Twitter is trading under the ticker symbol "TWTR." Twitter's stock opened at $45.10, or 73 percent above its $26 IPO price. The opening price values Twitter at more than $31 billion based on its outstanding stock, options and restricted stock that'll be available after the IPO. Expect some changes throughout the day, though: It has traded as high as $50.09 and is now at $48.21.

The high price comes despite the fact that Twitter has never turned a profit in seven years of existence. Revenue has been growing, but the company is also investing heavily in more data centers and hiring more employees.

Here's a running account of Twitter's first day of trading, presented in reverse chronological order. All times are EST.

___

— 3:05 p.m.: AP's @liedtkesfc explores the neighborhood outside @Twitter HQ and sees contrasts.

The San Francisco neighborhood outside Twitter's headquarters provides a forlorn contrast to the suddenly rich people working inside the building.

These are among the meaner streets in downtown San Francisco, long populated with the destitute who have no place to live and the miscreants who resort to crime to make ends meet. In hopes of cleaning the area up, the city of San Francisco gave Twitter local tax breaks on employee stock options to help persuade the company to move into the neighborhood two years ago.

But times are still tough here. Scruffy-looking people gathered against the wall of a post office across the street from Twitter's headquarters. Four of them had just spent the night in a homeless shelter. All of them said that they wished that they owned Twitter stock, yet they maintained that they didn't really envy Twitter employees becoming wealthier as the stock soared Thursday.

There was a clump of litter just a few feet away. Amid the empty coffee cups, cigarette butts and empty liquor bottles, there were two scratch-off games for the California lottery that had been discarded because they didn't pay off. #LandofBrokenDreams

— Michael Liedtke, San Francisco, @liedtkesfc

___

— 2:50 p.m.: In Asia, @Twitter has competition from local companies, reports AP's @YKLeeAP

Led by Japan, Indonesia, South Korea and India, Asia was the fastest growing region for Twitter in summer 2010, according to Semiocast, a Paris-based social media research company. But growth has slowed in South Korea and Japan, a red flag for Twitter as both countries are wealthy and have high rates of mobile device usage — now the predominant way Twitter is accessed.

New mobile applications from companies such as South Korea's Kakao Corp. and Japan's Line Corp., have experienced explosive growth, making them potent competitors for eyeballs and advertising.

Why are people leaving Twitter or spending less time on it?

Too open. Too crowded. Too difficult.

"In South Korea and Japan, open type social networking services like Twitter and Facebook are losing steam," said Justin Lee, an analyst of mobile messengers and games at BNP Paribas. "Closed social networking services where messages are shared among a small group of people will become more popular."

Twitter remains blocked from China's vast market but another giant, India, is open to Twitter. It has amassed 27 million users there, according to Semiocast. Yet Twitter acknowledged in IPO filings that low use of smartphones in emerging markets such as India could hamper the ability of advertisers to deliver compelling advertisements and hurt its earnings potential.

International users accounted for about three quarters of Twitter's members but only a quarter of revenue in the first nine months of this year. About 25 percent of Twitter's 232 million active users are in Asia.

— Youkyung Lee, Seoul, South Korea, @YKLeeAP

___

— 2:30 p.m.: @Twitter now among the most valuable media companies, notes AP's @rnakashi

Like Twitter, the other large media companies in the country rely to some extent on advertising revenue. As of mid-afternoon, Twitter's value is nearly $33 billion, after including options and restricted stock that'll be available after the IPO.

The market value of other media companies: CBS Corp., $34.7 billion; Discovery Communications Inc., $30 billion; Viacom Inc., $38.8 billion; The Walt Disney Co., $120 billion; Time Warner Inc. $60.3 billion.

— Ryan Nakashima, Los Angeles, @rnakashi

___

— 2:10 p.m.: @NYSEEuronext has congratulated @Twitter "on a successful #NYSEIPO! We're excited to be your partner."

___

— 1:55 p.m.: Looking back at Twitter's IPO price, here are some quick facts from @Dealogic

Twitter priced its IPO at $26, raising $1.82 billion. If the offering's underwriters fully exercise their option to buy more shares, the IPO's value will rise to $2.09 billion. That would make it the second-largest Internet IPO by an American company on record, following Facebook Inc.'s $16 billion, but beating Google Inc.'s $1.92 billion.

The research firm Dealogic says Twitter's IPO is set to be the third-largest U.S.-listed IPO so far this year, behind Plains GP Holdings at $2.9 billion and Zoetis' $2.6 billion.

Including Twitter, U.S.-listed tech industry IPOs have raised $7.8 billion through 41 deals so far this year. That's down from $20.5 billion generated by 35 deals during the same period of 2012, though Facebook accounted for $16 billion of the 2012 total.

Tech companies tend to post bigger first-day jumps than the overall market. The average one-day jump for tech industry IPOs this year is 35 percent, compared with an average gain of 17 percent for 2013 IPOs overall. Twitter's stock opened at 73 percent above the IPO price.

— Bree Fowler, New York, @APBreeFowler

___

— 1:40 p.m.: @Twitter soars while drop in overall market pulls down rest of Internet cos.

Twitter shares are flying high, but other Internet companies are having a tough time getting off the ground.

While Twitter's debut likely helped send shares of Facebook Inc. down, the overall tech industry also took a hit as the markets pulled back from record levels on worries that the Federal Reserve could soon start curtailing its economic stimulus program.

Facebook shares fell $1.07, or 2.2 percent, to $48.05 after dropping as low as $47.41 earlier in the day. Other Internet companies such as LinkedIn Corp., AOL Inc., Google Inc., Pandora Media Inc. and Zillow Inc. all posted small to moderate losses.

— Bree Fowler, New York, @APBreeFowler

___

— 1:20 p.m.: Will Twitter's stock keep going up? There is risk of Twitter burnout. #TwitterHaters

There's plenty of evidence online about the celebrities who tire of Twitter. The long list of Twitter quitters includes everyone from Alec Baldwin to Miley Cyrus to "Lost" co-creator Damon Lindelof, though some eventually return.

Some get overwhelmed by followers spewing hatred. Others get addicted to interacting with huge fan bases and need to pull away. Even non-celebrity users complain of the amount of time spent posting and replying and vow to close accounts to get on with their lives.

With its public stock debut, the company has been selling potential investors on the idea that its user base of 232 million will continue to grow along with the 500 million tweets that are sent each day. The company's revenue depends on ads it inserts into the stream of messages.

But Wall Street could lose its big bet on social media if prolific tweeters lose their voice.

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/user-burnout-could-threaten-twitters-prosperity

— Ryan Nakashima, Los Angeles, @rnakashi

___

— 1:05 p.m.: Twitter chairman @jack makes reference to first tweet in Vine video post

About two hours ago, Twitter chairman and co-founder Jack Dorsey tweeted this: "just setting up our $twtr —https://vine.co/v/hI1nP3vQOBI" The link is to video on Twitter's Vine app, showing traders shouting on NYSE trading floor.

The tweet, of course, is a reference to the world's first tweet, which was sent by Dorsey on March 21, 2006, and read "just setting up my twttr." Dorsey uses "$twtr" in Thursday's post in a reference to the stock's ticker symbol. Putting a dollar sign before it is a common way to refer to stocks on Twitter.

— Barbara Ortutay, New York, @BarbaraOrtutay

___

— 12:50 p.m.: @Twitter is trading very heavily in its first day on @NYSE.

About 82 million shares of Twitter have exchanged hands already. To put that in perspective, Twitter only sold 70 million shares in its IPO. One way to think about it, every share issued in Twitter's IPO has been traded more than once, and the session isn't half over yet.

Of course, not every investor who got shares of Twitter at the $26 IPO price is selling Thursday. Many large institutional investors are buy-and-hold firms. If every investor had sold at the debut, the stock would not have opened at 73 percent above the IPO price.

— Ken Sweet, New York, @KenSweet

___

— 12:35 p.m.: @TDAmeritrade official says stock debut is flawless

"It's gone on pretty flawlessly," says JJ Kinahan, chief strategist at online brokerage TD Ameritrade.

For one, he says, the broader market's downturn isn't affecting Twitter much. Trading is also tight, rather than volatile, which indicates that people feel like it was "pretty fairly priced," he says.

— Barbara Ortutay, New York, @BarbaraOrtutay

___

— 12:15 p.m.: Learn more about @vivienneharr, @sirpatstew and @bostonpolice official who rang @NYSEEuronext opening bell

Crediting its success to its users, Twitter gave the honor of ringing Thursday's opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange to three high-profile tweeters: a child activist, a legendary British actor and a Boston Police official.

Nine-year-old Vivienne Harr used a lemonade stand to raise more than $100,000 to support efforts to eliminate child slavery around the world. Her pink lemonade, along with a ginger-infused version, is now being bottled and sold online. A portion of the profits is donated to groups that work toward ending child slavery. More than 22,000 people follow @vivienneharr on Twitter.

Patrick Stewart is known both for his Twitter presence and his stage and screen careers. His highest profile roles have included Captain Jean-Luc Picard in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and Professor Charles Xavier in the "X-Men" movies. About 722,000 people follow @sirpatstew. Stewart tweeted a picture of himself on Halloween dressed as a lobster in a bathtub. It was retweeted nearly 39,000 times.

Cheryl Fiandaca has been chief of public information for the Boston Police Department since July 2012. Fiandaca spearheaded the department's social media efforts, and her department used Twitter to get information to the public in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings. More than 266,000 people follow @bostonpolice.

Bree Fowler, New York, @APBreeFowler

___

— 11:55 a.m.: @Wedbush analyst @MichaelPachter says high debut price suggests #TwitterIPO was managed well.

Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter says the surge "clearly shows that demand exceeds supply of shares."

"It's impossible to know what the real value is," he says.

Still, he acknowledges that the price is "pretty high" and not something he was expecting.

— Barbara Ortutay, New York, @BarbaraOrtutay

___

— 11:45 a.m.: It's #BusinessAsUsual at @Twitter headquarters, though employees seem happy.

Although Twitter's fortunes are already soaring on Wall Street, there haven't been any audible whoops of joy emanating from the company's San Francisco headquarters yet. But almost every employee walking in and out of the building is grinning.

Twitter seems to know that it needs to accelerate its revenue growth to support its lofty stock price. A few employees just came out to usher in a group of advertising agency representatives. #TheNewReality

--Michael Liedtke, San Francisco, @liedtkesfc

___

— 11:30 a.m.: @Barclays official in charge of stock debut speaks with AP's @KenSweet, admits being "a little nervous."

It was the biggest IPO of the year for Glenn Carell, the Barclays Capital official in charge of Twitter's stock debut. He has been doing it for 21 years and says, "I was a little nervous, but it went well."

Twitter hired Barclays to be its "designated market maker," which supervises the trading of a company's stock on the New York Stock Exchange. The IPO process itself was managed by three other investment banks.

— Ken Sweet, New York, @KenSweet

___

— 11:05 a.m.: RT @KenSweet: Twitter took a long time to open due to the deal size. Goldman also likes to take its time.

Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chase are the three investment banks in charge of Twitter's IPO.

After debuting at $45.10, the stock is now trading at $47.85, or 84 percent above the IPO price.

___

— 10:55 a.m.: AP's @BarbaraOrtutay notes that the $31 billion value puts Twitter in the ballpark of Yum Brands and Deere & Co.

It's also slightly below State Street Corp.

___

— 10:53 a.m.: The opening price values Twitter at $31.3 billion.

To calculate its value, the AP is using 694.8 million shares that Twitter is expected to have outstanding after the IPO, counting restricted shares and stock options it plans to issue to employees. At the $26 IPO price, the value was more than $18 billion.

___

— 10:51 a.m.: Twitter stock opens at $45.10, 73 percent above IPO price

___

— 10:50 a.m.: Range is now $45 to $45.25, or up to 74 percent above IPO price. Very close to debut.

RT @KenSweet: They're closing the book.

___

— 10:45 a.m. AP's @KenSweet says current bid is $45.25. The debut is near in #TwitterIPO.

___

— 10:40 a.m.: Patrick Stewart tweets on #Ring of opening bell as Twitter trade debut imminent.

RT @SirPatStew: Honored to join @ev @jack @biz @dickc & the @Twitter team at their historic IPO this morning. #Ring! pic.twitter.com/XaJpYW2kIh

___

— 10:35 a.m.: It's getting close to Twitter's stock debut. First indication for opening price is even narrower: $45.50-$46.50.

The high end would be 79 percent above its IPO price.

___

— 10:30 a.m.: AP's @KenSweet now says opening price narrowed: $45-$47.

He reports: "This is a good sign. Could mean we're finding the right price. Progress."

___

— 10:20 a.m.: AP's @KenSweet says opening price is expected even higher: $43-$47.

The range for first indication means Twitter could start trading at up to 81 percent above its IPO price.

___

— 10:15 a.m.: RT @KenSweet: I've heard some traders mention that this may not open until 1030, maybe 11. But things are changing rapidly.

___

— 10:10 a.m.: AP market reporter @KenSweet explains the role @Barclays has in #TwitterIPO.

Trading for Twitter's stock is under the supervision of Barclays Capital. Twitter hired the bank to be its "designated market maker." A DMM supervises the trading of a company's stock. He or she is an experienced trader in charge of ensuring that buying and selling go smoothly. If trading becomes volatile, the DMM can step in and buy shares using his or her firm's own money.

DMMs are especially important the day a company goes public, because the DMM coordinates between Twitter, the company's investment banks and NYSE's floor traders to get a stock trading. If technical problems arise, the NYSE uses DMMs to bypass electronic trading systems, allowing humans to trade a company's stock. That is not possible on all-electronic stock exchanges such as the Nasdaq, which had technical problems during Facebook's IPO last year.

Barclays' role as Twitter's DMM does not mean it is in charge of the entire IPO process. That role falls to Twitter's investment banks: Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chase.

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/twitter-picks-barclays-coordinate-ipo-trading

— Ken Sweet, New York, @KenSweet

___

— 10 a.m.: #TwitterIPO first indication for opening price: $42-46.

That means Twitter could start trading at up to 77 percent above its IPO price. Trading is to begin soon as representatives from Barclays continue negotiations to find the right price.

— Ken Sweet, New York, @KenSweet

___

— 9:50 a.m.: With the #Ring of the #NYSEBell past, what will happen? @KenSweet reports.

Traders gather around Twitter's booth on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. At Twitter's post, the company's "designated market maker" starts taking orders from the traders, who are representing dozens of firms and hundreds of investors.

The goal of the DMM, who used to be known as the NYSE's specialists, is to figure out what is the best price to start trading Twitter's shares.

Due to massive investor and media interest in Twitter, the actual negotiation over what are the right price for Twitter's now-public shares will take some time. It could take as little as 20 minutes, or it could take an hour. The NYSE wants to avoid the trading debacle that Nasdaq faced with last year's Facebook's IPO, so it's going to be careful.

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/going-public-how-twitters-ipo-will-work

— Ken Sweet, New York, @KenSweet

___

— 9:40 a.m.: The market is open at @nyse, though Twitter's stock won't trade right away.

RT @NYSEEuronext: #RING! Markets OPEN. #NYSEBell has rung, now begins #TwitterIPO price discovery. Wait for it . pic.twitter.com/gPxGgB6QWa

The opening bid is $35, reports AP's @KenSweet. It's the first indication of where the stock will open later in the morning.

As the NYSE's opening bell was rung, the graphic below displayed the hashtag #Ring!

Who rang the bell?

RT @NYSEEuronext: @Twitter owes success to its users, so gives #NYSEBell to @SirPatrickStew, @VivienneHarr & @Bostonpolice #TwitterIPO pic.twitter.com/fAprlGV8Vs

— Bree Fowler, New York, @APBreeFowler

__

— 9:25 a.m.: What's being said on Twitter? IPO is the 10th most popular trending topic in the U.S.

IPO is behind Thanksgiving, Texas, NFL and #throwbackthursday.

Worldwide, it doesn't make into the Top 10. Nobel Prize-winning author Albert Camus does. It's his birthday, after all.

— Barbara Ortutay, New York, @BarbaraOrtutay

___

— 9:05 a.m.: RT @KenSweet: Floor trader Kenneth Polcari thinks twitter's $26 share price is pretty fair. Doesn't expect it to double on the open.

___

— 8:50 a.m.: Busy morning at @nyse trading floor, reports AP's @KenSweet

RT @KenSweet: Orders for Twitter have been coming in since 8 am, floor trader Jonathan Corpina tells me. Very busy.

RT @KenSweet: Corpina expects a smooth opening. The NYSE does IPOs all the time, he says. The difference here is volume and media attention.

RT @KenSweet: Traders use these handheld wireless computers to send orders. Paper orders ended a long time ago: pic.twitter.com/bwz8UK4xcB

___

— 8:40 a.m.: Why Twitter went to @nyse. Pressure is on with opening bell less than an hour away. #lessonsfromFB

Twitter chose to go public on the NYSE over the all-electronic Nasdaq. One of the reasons why Twitter likely chose the NYSE over the Nasdaq has to do with problems Facebook faced with its Nasdaq-listed IPO last year. A glitch in Nasdaq's trading software led to trading delays and order failures on Facebook's first day of trading.

The NYSE isn't taking any chances with Twitter. The exchange tested its trading software on Oct. 26 to prepare for Twitter's debut. If the NYSE faces technical problems with its ordering software, the exchange can switch over the traditional human-based stock trading that dominated Wall Street for decades.

RT @KenSweet: NYSE traders and execs are really playing up the human element to this IPO. It's a shot across the bow at the Nasdaq.

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/twitter-list-new-york-stock-exchange

— Ken Sweet, New York, @KenSweet

___

— 8:20 a.m.: AP markets reporter @KenSweet says media outnumber traders 5:1 @nyse trading floor

It's a media madhouse. But it's still more than an hour before the opening bell, so more traders should be coming. Expect a big crowd.

RT @KenSweet: The NYSE is decorated head to toe. with twitter logos. They went big here to promote: pic.twitter.com/pnwRQ9e6QG

___

— 8 a.m.: After #TwitterIPO pricing, market debut comes Thursday.

It should come as no surprise that Twitter used Twitter to announce its public stock debut.

It began with a tweet on Sept. 12: The 7-year-old company posted on its official Twitter account that it has "confidentially submitted an S-1 to the SEC for a planned IPO." Details about offering emerged after the IPO documents were released publicly later.

On Oct. 24, Twitter set its IPO price target at $17 to $20 per share. It raised that to $23 and $25 per share, signaling an enthusiastic response from prospective investors. The actual price on Wednesday night was even higher, at $26. That bodes well for the company's stock when trading begins.

Twitter also took to Twitter to announce that price: https://twitter.com/twitter/status/398235511254298624/photo/1

The company is offering 70 million shares in the IPO, plus an option to buy another 10.5 million. If all shares are sold, the IPO will raise $2.09 billion, making it the biggest IPO for an Internet company since Facebook raised $16 billion last year.

Of course, Facebook made its debut with high hopes, only to see its stock fall below the IPO price by the second day of trading. Twitter has valued itself at just a fraction of Facebook and sought to cool expectations in the months and weeks leading up to the offering.

— Barbara Ortutay, New York, @BarbaraOrtutay

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-11-07-Twitter%20IPO-Running/id-5f87c41248124d44bef6ca50e8343dab
Similar Articles: Josh McCown   oakland raiders   sofia vergara   Canelo Vs Mayweather   world trade center  

Jennifer Lawrence Dishes on Justin Timberlake Crush & Negativity Created by "Fashion Police"

During promotions for "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," Jennifer Lawrence stopped by the Yahoo Headquarters in Sunnydale, CA on Wednesday (November 6).


The 23-year-old chatted with Tumblr execs and dished about a number of topics, including her childhood crush.


"My teen crush [was] Justin Timberlake," J Law stated. "Early 90s Justin Timberlake though. Like, 'N Sync Justin Timberlake."


"I remember buying the 'N Sync CD. Remember how CDs had like the pullout picture things? And I was like getting so overwhelmed with like hormones I almost threw up!" she joked.


Although she enjoyed a few laughs, Jennifer also spoke seriously about the negativity surrounding body image issues in Hollywood.


While discussing society's obsession with pointing out flawed figures, Miss Lawrence slammed the E! series "Fashion Police" for constantly criticizing celebrities.


"There are shows like 'Fashion Police' that are just showing these generations of young people to judge people based on all the wrong values and that it's okay to point at people and them ugly or fat," she explained.


Lawrence continued, "They call it 'fun' and they say 'welcome to the real world' - and that should be the real world. It's going to continue being the real world if we keep it that way. We have to stop treating each other like that and stop calling each other fat."


"There are unrealistic expectations for women. It's disappointing that the media keeps it alive and fuels that fire. It's something that really bothers me - because I love to eat," she added.

In regards to how she feels about people who cast judgement on others," Jennifer said, "Screw those people."






Source: http://celebrity-gossip.net/jennifer-lawrence/jennifer-lawrence-957151
Similar Articles: dolly parton   lauren conrad  

Noninvasive Macbook Storage Expansion, Game Of Thrones [Deals]

Noninvasive Macbook Storage Expansion, Game Of Thrones [Deals]

If the SSD in your MacBook Air or MacBook Pro is squeezed for space, this clever device sits nearly flush in your SD card slot and adds 128GB of extra storage. Today's $98 price is over $20 less than the previous low. There's also a cheaper 64 GB version, but it's not on sale.

Read more...


    






Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/seOKpddSxHk/a-great-airplay-speaker-for-40-pny-storedge-game-of-1460211030
Category: jay cutler   Shakuntala Devi   Miley Cyrus Pregnant   krispy kreme   beyonce  

Arafat's mysterious death becomes a whodunit

FILE - In this May 31, 2002 file photo, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat pauses during the weekly Muslim Friday prayers in his headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Al-Jazeera is reporting that a team of Swiss scientists has found moderate evidence that longtime Palestinian leader Arafat died of poisoning. The Arab satellite channel published a copy of what it said was the scientists' report on its website on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013.(AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis, File)







FILE - In this May 31, 2002 file photo, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat pauses during the weekly Muslim Friday prayers in his headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Al-Jazeera is reporting that a team of Swiss scientists has found moderate evidence that longtime Palestinian leader Arafat died of poisoning. The Arab satellite channel published a copy of what it said was the scientists' report on its website on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013.(AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis, File)







Swiss professor Francois Bochud, left, director of the Chuv Radiophysics Institute, IRA, and Swiss professor Patrice Mangin, right, director of the University Center of Legal Medicine in Lausanne, CURML, speak on a forensics report concerning the late President Yasser Arafat during a press conference at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, CHUV, in Lausanne, Switzerland, Thurday, Nov. 7, 2013. Swiss, French and Russian teams took samples of the remains after exhuming Arafat's body in Ramallah, and submitted results to the Palestinian Authority on Nov. 5. (AP Photo/Keystone, Laurent Gillieron)







Swiss professor Francois Bochud, left, director of the Chuv Radiophysics Institute, IRA, and Swiss professor Patrice Mangin, right, director of the University Center of Legal Medicine in Lausanne, CURML, pose with a forensics report concerning the late President Yasser Arafat during a press conference on of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, CHUV, in Lausanne, Switzerland, Thurday, Nov. 7, 2013. Swiss, French and Russian teams took samples of the remains after exhuming Arafat's body in Ramallah, and submitted results to the Palestinian Authority on Nov. 5. (AP Photo/Keystone, Laurent Gillieron)







A forensics report concerning the late President Yasser Arafat is presented during a press conference of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, CHUV, in Lausanne, Switzerland, Thurday, Nov. 7, 2013. Swiss, French and Russian teams took samples of the remains after exhuming Arafat's body in Ramallah, and submitted results to the Palestinian Authority on Nov. 5. (AP Photo/Keystone, Laurent Gillieron)







Palestinian Hanadi Kharma, paints a mural depicting the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in the West Bank city of Nablus, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013. Swiss scientists have found evidence suggesting Yasser Arafat may have been poisoned with a radioactive substance, a TV station reported on Wednesday, prompting new allegations by his widow that the Palestinian leader was the victim of a "shocking" crime. (AP Photo/Nasser Ishtayeh)







(AP) — Yasser Arafat's mysterious 2004 death turned into a whodunit Thursday after Swiss scientists who examined his remains said the Palestinian leader was probably poisoned with radioactive polonium.

Yet hard proof remains elusive, and nine years on, tracking down anyone who might have slipped minuscule amounts of the lethal substance into Arafat's food or drink could be difficult.

A new investigation could also prove embarrassing — and not just for Israel, which the Palestinians have long accused of poisoning their leader and which has denied any role.

The Palestinians themselves could come under renewed scrutiny, since Arafat was holed up in his Israeli-besieged West Bank compound in the months before his death, surrounded by advisers, staff and bodyguards.

Arafat died at a French military hospital on Nov. 11, 2004, at age 75, a month after suddenly falling violently ill at his compound. At the time, French doctors said he died of a stroke and had a blood-clotting problem, but records were inconclusive about what caused that condition.

The Swiss scientists said that they found elevated traces of polonium-210 and lead in Arafat's remains that could not have occurred naturally, and that the timeframe of Arafat's illness and death was consistent with poisoning from ingesting polonium.

"Our results reasonably support the poisoning theory," Francois Bochud, director of Switzerland's Institute of Radiation Physics, which carried out the investigation, said at a news conference.

Bochud and Patrice Mangin, director of the Lausanne University Hospital's forensics center, said they tested and ruled out innocent explanations, such as accidental poisoning.

"I think we can eliminate this possibility because, as you can imagine, you cannot find polonium everywhere. It's a very rare toxic substance," Mangin told The Associated Press.

Palestinian officials, including Arafat's successor, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, had no comment on the substance of the report but promised a continued investigation.

The findings are certain to revive Palestinian allegations against Israel, a nuclear power. Polonium can be a byproduct of the chemical processing of uranium, but usually is made artificially in a nuclear reactor or a particle accelerator.

Arafat's widow, Suha, called on the Palestinian leadership to seek justice for her husband, saying, "It's clear this is a crime."

Speaking by phone from the Qatari capital Doha, she did not mention Israel but argued that only countries with nuclear capabilities have access to polonium.

Israel has repeatedly denied a role in Arafat's death and did so again Thursday. Paul Hirschson, a Foreign Ministry official, dismissed the claim as "hogwash."

"We couldn't be bothered to" kill him, Hirschson said. "If anyone remembers the political reality at the time, Arafat was completely isolated. His own people were barely speaking to him. There's no logical reason for Israel to have wanted to do something like this."

In his final years, Arafat was being accused by Israel and the U.S. of condoning and even encouraging Palestinian attacks against Israelis instead of working for a peace deal. In late 2004, Israeli tanks no longer surrounded his compound, but Arafat was afraid to leave for fear of not being allowed to return.

Shortly after his death, the Palestinians launched their own investigation, questioning dozens of people in Arafat's compound, including staff, bodyguards and officials, but no suspects emerged.

Security around Arafat was easily breached toward the end of his life. Aides have described him as impulsive, unable to resist tasting gifts of chocolate or trying out medicines brought by visitors from abroad.

The investigation was dormant until the satellite TV station Al-Jazeera persuaded Arafat's widow last year to hand over a bag with her husband's underwear, headscarves and other belongings. After finding traces of polonium in biological stains on the clothing, investigators dug up his grave in his Ramallah compound earlier this year to take bone and soil samples.

Investigators noted Thursday that they could not account for the chain of custody of the items that were in the bag, leaving open the possibility of tampering.

However, the latest findings are largely based on Arafat's remains and burial soil, and in this case, tampering appears highly improbable, Bochud said.

"I think this can really be ruled out because it was really difficult to access the body," he said. "When we opened the tomb, we were all together."

Polonium-210 is the same substance that killed KGB agent-turned-Kremlin critic Alexander Litvinenko in London in 2006.

"It's quite difficult to understand why (Arafat) might have had any polonium, if he was just in his headquarters in Ramallah," said Alastair Hay, a professor of environmental toxicology at the University of Leeds who was not involved in the investigation.

"He wasn't somebody who was moving in and out of atomic energy plants or dealing with radioactive isotopes."

___

John Heilprin reported from Lausanne, Switzerland. Associated Press writers Daniel Estrin in Jerusalem and Lori Hinnant in Paris and AP Medical Writer Maria Cheng in London contributed to this report.

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-11-07-Arafat's%20Death/id-b9f661e6e8964bfdaa3e6520d9adf400
Tags: Keke Palmer   Toy Story of Terror   bo pelini   Julie Harris   Miley Cyrus Vma 2013  

Arafat's mysterious death becomes a whodunit


RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Yasser Arafat's mysterious 2004 death turned into a whodunit Thursday after Swiss scientists who examined his remains said the Palestinian leader was probably poisoned with radioactive polonium.

Yet hard proof remains elusive, and nine years on, tracking down anyone who might have slipped minuscule amounts of the lethal substance into Arafat's food or drink could be difficult.

A new investigation could also prove embarrassing — and not just for Israel, which the Palestinians have long accused of poisoning their leader and which has denied any role.

The Palestinians themselves could come under renewed scrutiny, since Arafat was holed up in his Israeli-besieged West Bank compound in the months before his death, surrounded by advisers, staff and bodyguards.

Arafat died at a French military hospital on Nov. 11, 2004, at age 75, a month after suddenly falling violently ill at his compound. At the time, French doctors said he died of a stroke and had a blood-clotting problem, but records were inconclusive about what caused that condition.

The Swiss scientists said that they found elevated traces of polonium-210 and lead in Arafat's remains that could not have occurred naturally, and that the timeframe of Arafat's illness and death was consistent with poisoning from ingesting polonium.

"Our results reasonably support the poisoning theory," Francois Bochud, director of Switzerland's Institute of Radiation Physics, which carried out the investigation, said at a news conference.

Bochud and Patrice Mangin, director of the Lausanne University Hospital's forensics center, said they tested and ruled out innocent explanations, such as accidental poisoning.

"I think we can eliminate this possibility because, as you can imagine, you cannot find polonium everywhere. It's a very rare toxic substance," Mangin told The Associated Press.

Palestinian officials, including Arafat's successor, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, had no comment on the substance of the report but promised a continued investigation.

The findings are certain to revive Palestinian allegations against Israel, a nuclear power. Polonium can be a byproduct of the chemical processing of uranium, but usually is made artificially in a nuclear reactor or a particle accelerator.

Arafat's widow, Suha, called on the Palestinian leadership to seek justice for her husband, saying, "It's clear this is a crime."

Speaking by phone from the Qatari capital Doha, she did not mention Israel but argued that only countries with nuclear capabilities have access to polonium.

In another interview later Thursday, she described her husband's death as a "political assassination" and "the crime of the century" and called the new testing conclusive for poisoning. She said she couldn't predict who was behind the death, but she added, "Whoever did this crime is a coward."

Israel has repeatedly denied a role in Arafat's death and did so again Thursday. Paul Hirschson, a Foreign Ministry official, dismissed the claim as "hogwash."

"We couldn't be bothered to" kill him, Hirschson said. "If anyone remembers the political reality at the time, Arafat was completely isolated. His own people were barely speaking to him. There's no logical reason for Israel to have wanted to do something like this."

In his final years, Arafat was being accused by Israel and the U.S. of condoning and even encouraging Palestinian attacks against Israelis instead of working for a peace deal. In late 2004, Israeli tanks no longer surrounded his compound, but Arafat was afraid to leave for fear of not being allowed to return.

Shortly after his death, the Palestinians launched their own investigation, questioning dozens of people in Arafat's compound, including staff, bodyguards and officials, but no suspects emerged.

Security around Arafat was easily breached toward the end of his life. Aides have described him as impulsive, unable to resist tasting gifts of chocolate or trying out medicines brought by visitors from abroad.

The investigation was dormant until the satellite TV station Al-Jazeera persuaded Arafat's widow last year to hand over a bag with her husband's underwear, headscarves and other belongings. After finding traces of polonium in biological stains on the clothing, investigators dug up his grave in his Ramallah compound earlier this year to take bone and soil samples.

Investigators noted Thursday that they could not account for the chain of custody of the items that were in the bag, leaving open the possibility of tampering.

However, the latest findings are largely based on Arafat's remains and burial soil, and in this case, tampering appears highly improbable, Bochud said.

"I think this can really be ruled out because it was really difficult to access the body," he said. "When we opened the tomb, we were all together."

Polonium-210 is the same substance that killed KGB agent-turned-Kremlin critic Alexander Litvinenko in London in 2006.

"It's quite difficult to understand why (Arafat) might have had any polonium, if he was just in his headquarters in Ramallah," said Alastair Hay, a professor of environmental toxicology at the University of Leeds who was not involved in the investigation.

"He wasn't somebody who was moving in and out of atomic energy plants or dealing with radioactive isotopes."

___

John Heilprin reported from Lausanne, Switzerland. Associated Press writers Daniel Estrin in Jerusalem and Lori Hinnant in Paris and AP Medical Writer Maria Cheng in London contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/arafats-mysterious-death-becomes-whodunit-200731203.html
Similar Articles: happy halloween   chris brown   kelly clarkson   alyssa milano   alexander skarsgard  

The hidden fangs of Windows 8.1 -- and how to avoid them


Quantifying the Business Value of VMware View


For this white paper, IDC performed an in-depth analysis of the business value of VMware View, defined as the expected ROI associated with the use of the solution as a platform for the targeted deployment of a virtual desktop infrastructure. more


Source: http://www.infoworld.com/slideshow/127158/the-hidden-fangs-of-windows-81-and-how-avoid-them-230183?source=rss_infoworld_top_stories_
Tags: Time   nobel peace prize   Agents of SHIELD   iOS 7 download   Becky G