The singer and beau Gerard Pique are new parents! Plus, see more stars who welcomed new bundles of joy
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Thursday, January 24, 2013
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Mrs. Obama has bangs: Let the analyzing begin
NEW YORK (AP) ? Before we start rambling on obsessively about Michelle Obama's bangs, let's be clear: The president started it.
It was he, after all, who called the new hairdo, unveiled just a few days before the historic occasion of his second inauguration, "the most significant event of this weekend."
And he hasn't stopped there. On Tuesday night, he introduced his wife at the Staff Inaugural Ball: "And the First Lady of the United States, bangs and all..."
So given the president's evident interest in the subject, perhaps the rest of us shouldn't feel so bad about analyzing ad nauseum the first lady's new look, an activity that has certainly taken over social media for days (and, perhaps, ended discussion of an earlier obsession, Michelle Obama's arms.) Heck, the bangs even have their own (unauthorized) Twitter account, FirstLady'sBangs, which has taken to issuing dispatches like: "Just got a text from Hillary Clinton's side-part" or "BREAKING NEWS: Barack just named me director of Hairline Security."
And how about the headline in New York's Daily News, the day after Obama's private swearing-in? "In With A Bang."
Quips and clever headlines aside, everyone seems to have an opinion about the new style ? not only how it looks, but what it means. And so, just because it's fun, we analyze some of them here:
THE YOUTH FACTOR: It's no secret, say fashion experts, that on the right person, bangs can make you look younger. It's also no secret that Mrs. Obama turned 49 the very day she unveiled the cut last week, in a photo tweeted from her new Twitter account, FLOTUS.
"None of this is accidental," says Linda Wells, Allure magazine's editor-in-chief. "She tried this on her 49th birthday. She wants to spice it up a bit. And it's definitely a more youthful style than what she had before. It just has a flirty, young quality to it."
THE FASHION PLATE: Clearly Mrs. Obama, well known and admired for her fashion sense, is aware that bangs are in these days. Sure, they've been around forever, and your 5-year-old may have them, but recently bangs have become a full-fledged fashion trend, with actress Zooey Deschanel one of the standard-bearers. (Fun fact: Deschanel, 33, and Mrs. Obama happen to share the same birthday ? Jan. 17.)
"Bangs have always been there, but they are clearly having a moment right now," says celebrity hairstylist Harry Josh, who was in Washington to style singer Kelly Clarkson's hair for the inauguration (Clarkson sang "My Country, 'Tis of Thee.") "Mrs. Obama is really being modern and fashion-forward. We haven't had a fashion-forward first lady like this since Jackie Kennedy."
New York hairstylist Robert Stuart agrees. "Bangs have been really, really big for about a year," he says. He thinks Mrs. Obama has picked the perfect cut for her looks. "It's much softer and younger, and it makes her look more approachable," Stuart says. "It also works well for her sense of fashion. And it brings out her eyes."
THE NAYSAYERS: Just in case one thinks everyone loves the hairdo ? and the reaction does seem extremely positive ? there are naysayers. Count among them Joan Rivers, comedienne and fashion commentator, who tweeted on Inauguration Day: "Today starts President Obama's next four years in the White House. Let's hope the same isn't true about the first lady's new hairdo." Explanation? She didn't provide one, but in her defense, she only had 140 characters.
SHE'S EXPRESSING HER INNER SELF: Here we get a little more philosophical. Some have speculated that, since Mrs. Obama is starting a second term and won't have to endure any more campaigns, she's finally free to express herself exactly as she wants ? and feels. "Haircuts do express how people are feeling," says Wells. "You get that sense of her feeling liberated ? more comfortable, and less worried about what everyone else is thinking. She's showing her own sense of style and own sense of energy."
Stuart, of the Robert Stuart Salon, has a similar thought. "I think now she's maybe feeling less threatened, and can express herself more. Really she just seems more comfortable."
IT'S SOMETHING TO EVERYONE: If you'd wandered around the National Mall on Inauguration Day, and spoke to women especially, you'd have found a lot of Michelle Obama fans. No surprise there. But many of these women were also fond of the bangs, and for various reasons.
Sheila Garrison, an educator from Maryland, called the hairstyle "different," but all the attention paid to it brought home to her and her friend, fellow teacher Patricia Cooper, that Mrs. Obama "represents women in a beautiful way," in Cooper's words. "You look at her and you are proud to be a woman. She commands respect." Garrison, 58, also appreciated how Mrs. Obama, a fellow tall woman, "carries herself really well."
Mattece Mason, 34, of Tulsa, Okla., adores the cut ? when asked about, it she and her family members ? well, the females ? screamed, "Oh my God, we love it!" But the enthusiasm of her daughters was meaningful to Mason for a reason other than fashion. "My daughter Aubrianna, who's 14, said to me today: 'I want bangs now,'" Mason said. "That made me feel great because my girls have such a role model. A first lady they can emulate." (Mason also mentioned she thought Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton looked great in those eyeglasses she's been sporting lately.)
And Roslyn Snow, of Newport Beach, Calif., had another reason for loving the new Obama look. "I think she looks like Jane Fonda back in the old days," said Snow, 76. "Remember?"
A SIGN OF SOMETHING BIGGER?: Many have wondered whether Mrs. Obama has plans to forge a new role in the second term, taking on different issues. Wells, the fashion editor, gets that feeling, though she makes clear it's all speculation. "You sense it with the strong statement she is making with her appearance," Wells says. "Before, her look was sort of retrograde: the hair, the A-line dresses. The emphasis was on 'lady.' Now, it seems, the emphasis is on 'first lady.'"
A POLITICAL STATEMENT?: Josh, Clarkson's stylist, likes to see a broader message in the haircut choice. "Think about President Obama's statement in his speech about gay people as equals. It was so forward-looking. Mrs. Obama was saying something similar, I'd like to think. She was putting America into the position of a forward-thinking country."
Or not. "Of course," adds Josh, "she could just have been bored with her hair the old way."
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mrs-obama-bangs-let-analyzing-begin-214622965--politics.html
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Former players urge Miller be put in Hall of Fame
NEW YORK (AP) ? Baseball players urged that Marvin Miller be put in the Hall of Fame as they spoke Monday night during a memorial for the union leader.
In an auditorium filled with Hall of Famers, dozens of retired and current players, baseball officials, agents and labor lawyers, 13 speakers praised the former baseball union head, who helped players gain free agency in the 1970s and created the path to multimillion-dollar salaries. Miller died in November at 95.
"It is a travesty he is not in the Hall of Fame," former major league player and manager Buck Martinez said during the two-hour program.
Miller has been turned down five times by various Hall of Fame committees that considered baseball executives.
Jim Bouton, who entered the majors in 1962, was critical that Bowie Kuhn, baseball's commissioner from 1969-84, is in the Hall but Miller has been kept out.
"All those policies were not Bowie Kuhn's policies. In fact they were all Marvin's policies because Marvin won every battle he had with Bowie Kuhn," Bouton said. "I think Bowie Kuhn was 0 for 67."
Miller is next eligible to appear on a Hall ballot this December.
Hall of Famers Dave Winfield and Joe Morgan were among those who spoke before a crowd of about 450 at New York University School of Law's Tishman Auditorium. Reggie Jackson, Keith Hernandez, Steve Garvey, Ted Sizemore and David Cone were among the approximately three dozen former players in the audience.
Major League Baseball was represented by executive vice president Rob Manfred and senior vice presidents Katy Feeney and Phyllis Merhige. Also attending were George Cohen, director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service; Toru Matsubara, executive director of Japan's players' association; and Miller's children, Susan and Peter.
Winfield, who used free agency to sign a record-breaking contract after the 1980 season, said Miller taught him life lessons he still thinks of. Winfield addressed the five active players in the audience: Andrew Bailey, Bill Bray, Craig Breslow, Adam Ottavino and Micah Owings.
"Anything you do in life, know where you've come from, where you are and where you're going, and Marvin was able to share that with us," Winfield said. "Know the history of the players' association. Know how you got to where you are today."
A former economist for the United Steelworkers Union, Miller spent 16 1/2 years as executive director of the Major League Players Association, starting in 1966.
During Miller's tenure, the average major league salary increased from $19,000 to $241,000. It was $3.2 million last year. Players remembered his soft-spokeness, how when speaking on the field during spring training he kept lowering his voice to force players to crane their necks to hear.
"Every time somebody signs one of these wonderful contracts, and there are so many of them out there, I think before they get the first check they should have to write an essay on Marvin Miller," said Rusty Staub, a big leaguer from 1963-85.
Current union head Michael Weiner hosted the tribute, which included video clips taped in 2010 of Miller reminiscing. Players spoke in order of when they made their big league debuts.
"We could have searched 100 years and wouldn't have found a more perfect person for our situation," said Morgan, a Hall of Fame second baseman who played in the majors from 1963-84.
Donald Fehr, who served as Miller's general counsel from 1977-82 and then headed the union from 1983-09, said he could read Miller's mood by what drink he ordered at lunch: a Tom Collins signaled a happy mood, a martini meant he was perplexed and Old Grand-Dad Bourbon was a sign of problems.
"The reason I think he is remembered as he is, is that the baseball players' association became a symbol, it became a symbol of what a union could be if it was run right," said Fehr, current head of the NHL players' union.
Martinez talked about a telephone call he received from former Oakland Athletics owner Charlie Finley during the 1985 labor negotiations.
"You tell Marvin to stick by his guns," Martinez recalled Finley saying. "You guys are doing the right thing."
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/former-players-urge-miller-put-hall-fame-014300322--mlb.html
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Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Charles Taylor appeals war crimes conviction
LEIDSCHENDAM, Netherlands (AP) ? Prosecutors urged judges Tuesday to reject former Liberian President Charles Taylor's appeal against his war crimes conviction and 50-year prison sentence, saying the court should hold "lords of war" as responsible for atrocities as the machine gun-wielding killers they support.
Taylor was found guilty in April 2012 of aiding and abetting Sierra Leone rebels, becoming the first former head of state since World War II to be convicted by an international war crimes court. He was convicted of 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder, rape, torture and the use of child soldiers.
But as Taylor watched silently from his seat in the courtroom Tuesday, one of his lawyers, Christopher Gosnell, said judges at his trial had a "deep and fundamental" misunderstanding of the notion of "aiding and abetting." He compared Taylor's actions with those of other governments that provide support to rebel groups.
Taylor's defense lawyers have put forward 45 reasons to appeal his conviction and sentence, while prosecutors argue the Special Court for Sierra Leone should have found Taylor guilty of ordering and instigating crimes.
Prosecution lawyer Nicholas Koumjian said Taylor's lawyers want to water down years of international jurisprudence with their argument that he should not be convicted of aiding and abetting atrocities because a greed for diamonds and not blood lust led him to support rebels responsible for murdering and mutilating their enemies in Sierra Leone's decade-long civil war that ended in 2002 with some 50,000 dead.
Prosecutors want Taylor's 50-year sentence ? already effectively a life sentence for the 64-year-old former president ? raised to 80 years to send a message to leaders who facilitate atrocities.
"Those are the promoters of war, the lords of war that sell arms to groups engaged in these conflicts," he said.
Koumjian's comments aimed to counter Taylor's arguments that he should not have been convicted because his support for rebels was not deliberately designed to have them kill and maim.
Gosnell said for judges to convict Taylor of aiding and abetting crimes, his help must be "connected to a specific crime and there must be a substantial contribution to that crime."
Instead, he said trial judges applied a standard "so broad that it would in fact encompass actions that are today carried out by a great many states in relation to their assistance to rebel groups or to governments that are well known to be engaging in crimes," Gosnell said.
In their written appeal, Taylor's lawyers said "the Trial Chamber's approach extends criminal liability far beyond its proper bounds as recognized in international law."
Taylor's lawyers also argued that his conviction was based in part on uncorroborated hearsay evidence that should not have been admitted. They have asked judges to overturn all of Taylor's convictions.
The appeals chamber is expected to take months to reach its judgment.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/charles-taylor-appeals-war-crimes-conviction-105221757.html
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Chat With a Doctor: Thyroid Problems ? Health Hub from Cleveland ...
Register for Online Chat
Do you have a question about thyroid problems? Christian Nasr, MD, and Mary Vouyiouklis, MD, Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, and Rosemarie Metzer, MD, Department of Endocrine Surgery, will answer your questions about this topic during a live webchat Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, at 1 p.m. (ET).
Get answers to your health questions and concerns. It?s easy to be part of our live chat events, led by Cleveland Clinic doctors and health professionals.
About thyroid problems
The thyroid gland plays a critical role in a person?s overall health. The thyroid is an endocrine gland that is responsible for controlling metabolism (the energy produced and used by the body) and regulating the body?s sensitivity to hormones. Diseases of the thyroid cause either underactivity or overactivity of this gland, leading to diseases that may include diabetes, goiter, heart disease and cancer.
Many people suffering from thyroid conditions remain undiagnosed, and do not understand the serious health repercussions of untreated thyroid disorders. Diagnosis and treatment are key to managing a thyroid problem, and will help to control the related symptoms.
Possible questions for this webchat
- How do I know if I have a thyroid problem?
- What happens if I don?t receive treatment for a thyroid condition?
- How do I treat or manage symptoms if I have a thyroid problem?
Dr. Nasr is an endocrinologist in the Endocrinology & Metabolism Institute. He is board certified in endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism.
Dr. Vouyiouklis is an endocrinologist in the Endocrinology & Metabolism Institute. She is board certified in internal medicine and endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism.
Dr. Metzger is an endocrine surgeon in the Endocrinology & Metabolism Institute. ?
This health chat will open on Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013 to allow you to submit questions. We will try to answer as many questions as possible during the chat. Please create an account to attend the chat and submit your questions.
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Stocks rise on strong earnings reports
Stocks ended higher on Wall Street Tuesday as strong earnings reports from big US companies gave investors a boost.?Some homebuilder stocks fell after the National Association of Homebuilders said sales of previously occupied homes dipped.
Specialists Robert Nelson. left, and Michael McDonnell work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Tuesday. Stocks rose Tuesday as major US companies reported strong earnings for the final quarter of 2012.
Richard Drew/AP
EnlargeStrong earnings reports from big U.S. companies helped push the Dow Jones industrial average to its eighth gain in nine sessions Tuesday.
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DuPont, Verizon and Travelers Cos., three of the 30?stocks?that make up the Dow, closed higher after reporting their financial results for the final quarter of 2012.
The Dow closed up 62.51 points, or 0.5 percent, at 13,712.21. The Standard & Poor's 500 index gained 6.53, or 0.4 percent, to 1,492.51. The Nasdaq composite average rose 8.47, or 0.3 percent, to 3,143.18.
The indexes spent the morning edging between small gains and losses. Around noon, the Dow rose decisively and stayed higher for the rest of the day.
Earnings have been strong enough this season to drive a five-day winning streak for the S&P 500 and put the Dow on track for its biggest monthly percentage gain since October 2011. Jack Ablin, chief investment officer at BMO Private Bank in Chicago, said traders have been encouraged by the number of companies beating analysts' profit expectations.
"Granted, we have diminished expectations, but companies are doing a decent job beating on the profit side," he said. The revenue side of the equation has been weaker, Ablin said, preventing a stronger updraft forstocks. Traders might gain more confidence if companies reported stronger demand from emerging markets and Europe, he said.
"The U.S. has been pulling this wagon by itself for the last couple years, and now we're facing some austerity measures. We could certainly use a hand," he said.
Among the Dow components that reported early Tuesday, chemical and bioscience company DuPont reported a sharp drop in net income on weakness in its electronics, communications and other businesses, but the results still beat analysts' forecasts. DuPont's?stock?closed up 83 cents, or 1.8 percent, at $47.82.
Johnson & Johnson said higher sales helped boost its profit from a year ago, when results were weighed down by a slew of one-time charges. However, the company's 2013 profit forecast fell short of analysts' estimates. J&J dropped 54 cents, or 0.7 percent, to $72.69.
Verizon Communications Inc. rose after the country's biggest wireless carrier said it activated a record number of new devices on contract-based plans in the fourth quarter. Verizon's net loss widened on restructuring and pension costs and expenses related to the cleanup from Superstorm Sandy. Its?stock?rose 40 cents, or 0.9 percent, to $42.94.
A fourth member of the Dow 30, property and casualty insurer Travelers Cos., rose strongly after it said core income categories like investments and premiums written rose. Net income fell because of claims filed in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. The?stock?shot up $1.64, or 2.2 percent, to $77.95, an all-time closing high. Travelers has risen nearly 27 percent over the past 12 months.
The market was closed on Monday for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
Yet another company hit by Superstorm Sandy was Delta Air Lines, which said its fourth-quarter profit was nearly wiped out after it was forced to cancel more than 20,000 flights. The storm hit Delta harder than other airlines because it slowed operations at Delta's new oil refinery near Philadelphia. The results were still better than analysts were expecting. Delta rose 40 cents, or 2.9 percent, to $14.01.
Tech behemoths Google and IBM reported solid earnings gains after the market closed. Tech companies' results are being watched closely because many of them have warned about a weak fourth quarter.
Google soared after saying its fourth-quarter earnings rose 7 percent as online advertisers spent more money in pursuit of holiday shoppers. The?stock?gained $29.13, or 4.1 percent, to $732 in after-hours trading.
IBM said its net income rose 6 percent. The?stock?rose $6.82, or 3.5 percent, to $202.90 in late trading.
Apple reports after the bell Wednesday.
Freight rail companies are another key category at this stage in the economic recovery. They are seen as a proxy for the broader economy because their results track the demand for transportation of materials used in manufacturing and goods sold to consumers and businesses.
Two big railroads reported after the closing bell. CSX gained 74 cents, or 3.6 percent, to $21.55 in after-hours trading after beating analysts' expectations. Norfolk Southern rose $1.05, or 1.6 percent, to $67.99 after the bell.
Some homebuilder?stocks?fell after the National Association of Homebuilders said sales of previously occupied homes dipped to an annual pace of 4.94 million in December from 4.99 million in November. November's figure was revised lower, but was still the highest in three years.
Lennar Corp. fell a penny to $42.07. Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. lost 6 cents to $6.24.
The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note was unchanged at 1.84 percent.
Benchmark oil rose 62 cents to $96.66 on the New York Mercantile Exchange, as global economic reports remained generally positive.
Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/KbMQ2Pj7ebI/Stocks-rise-on-strong-earnings-reports
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Monday, January 21, 2013
Inclusive cloud computing may increase internet access Global ...
Inclusive cloud computing may increase internet access
Americas Jan 20, 2013
WASHINGTON: The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services has proposed that ?inclusive Cloud and Web computing? be a priority for the federal Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects (DRRP) and Centers.
In the United States, people classified as ?disabled? are accessing the World Wide Web 23 percent less than the rest of the population, according to the National Broadband Plan and a 2010 Federal Communications Commission report.
?One reason for the disparity is that the Web infrastructure is not set up to address disability access issues seamlessly across all of its functions,? the Department of Education?s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services explained. ?Additionally, software and devices (e.g., computers, smartphones and tablets) used to access the Web are often inaccessible for people with disabilities, and individuals with disabilities have limited access to technical assistance with selecting, setting up and using appropriate technologies.?
In addition, the Department of Education said, ?People with disabilities often are required to purchase separate accessibility software and assistive devices for each device they use to access the Web, which adds to the economic burden of Web use by people with disabilities.?
One possible answer lies in Cloud computing, a technology used to store, access and process information on the Web. Cloud computing carries the potential to enhance Web participation by people with disabilities by providing an infrastructure that better supports accessibility for this population.
The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services proposed the research project under the Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers Program administered by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research. The proposed project, based on Cloud and Web inclusion, is intended to contribute to improved employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities.
The Assistant Secretary has also proposed the process of Knowledge Transfer, which ensures new knowledge and products gained through research and development will ultimately be used to improve the lives of individuals with disabilities.
?Technology transfer is a subset of knowledge translation that focuses on ensuring that technology-based knowledge and products will be transferred into tangible benefits for individuals with disabilities through commercialization, engineering standards, freeware and other tangible applications,? the Assistant Secretary said.
?Source: Court House News
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