Wednesday, November 30, 2011

YaCy's gunning for Google with free-software bullets

YaCy's a new free-software search engine aiming to wrest control of your private data back from the Googles and Bings of this world. There's no targeted advertising here, just a global network of peers all connected with the site's software. It currently has 600 peer operators servicing 130,000 queries monthly, with each user able to create individual search rankings so results improve over time. Project head Michael Christen said it's important no person decides what is listed, or in what order -- which makes us wonder what would happen if the Justin Bieber fan club decided to game the system. The software is available on GNU/Linux, Windows 7 and OS X and you can try a web-based tester (if you can get it working) at the source link below.

YaCy's gunning for Google with free-software bullets originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Nov 2011 08:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/30/yacys-gunning-for-google-with-free-software-bullets/

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Wandering wolf inspires hope and dread (Providence Journal)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/167165086?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Monday, November 28, 2011

FAA: 4 dead in Chicago-area plane crash (Providence Journal)

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The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 Still No. 1 at the Box Office (omg!)

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 Still No. 1 at the Box Office

Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy's long-awaited return to the silver screen was no match for the Twilight juggernaut.

The Muppets -- costarring Jason Segel and Amy Adams -- debuted in second place with $43.5 million, falling behind The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1, which earned $61.3 million over the five-day holiday.

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Nikki Reed tells Us about her Breaking Dawn role

The vampire love story -- starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner -- has earned $220.3 million since its November 18 debut.

PHOTOS: Love lives of Breaking Dawn stars

Family friendly films dominated the box office this weekend, with Happy Feet Two falling one spot to third place with $18 million. The 3-D movie Arthur Christmas earned $16.5 million in its opening weekend, while Martin Scorsese's Hugo -- starring Chloe Moretz and Jude Law -- debuted in a disappointing fifth place with $15 million.

VIDEO: Kristen and Rob exchange vows in Breaking Dawn

Rounding out this week's Top 10: Jack & Jill (No. 6, $14 million), Immortals (No. 7, $13.3 million), Puss in Boots (No. 8, $11.5 million), Tower Heist (No. 9, $10 million) and The Descendants (No. 10, $9 million).

Tell Us: Which movie did you see this weekend?

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_twilight_saga_breaking_dawn_part1_still_no_210525882/43728622/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/twilight-saga-breaking-dawn-part-1-still-no-210525882.html

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Sunday, November 27, 2011

Black Friday pepper spray suspect surrenders in LA

(AP) ? A woman suspected of showering Black Friday shoppers with pepper spray surrendered to authorities but was released pending further investigation after she refused to discuss the incident, police said Saturday.

The woman, whose name was not released, is suspected of firing pepper spray into a crowd in order to clear a path to a crate of Xbox video game players that were being unwrapped late Thanksgiving night at a Walmart in the upscale Porter Ranch section of the San Fernando Valley.

The suspect got away in the confusion, and it was not known if she bought one of the Xboxes. Ten people suffered minor injuries from the spray and 10 others sustained cuts and bruises in the ensuing chaos.

"Last night at 8:30 the suspect involved in the pepper spray incident at the Porter Ranch Walmart turned herself in," police Sgt. Jose Valle said Saturday. She immediately invoked her right against self-incrimination, however, and refused to discuss the incident further.

Police released her pending further investigation.

Valle said investigators still have nearly a dozen witnesses to interview, including several spraying victims. He added it would likely be at least two days before an arrest in the case could be made.

If the woman who surrendered is indeed the person who sprayed the crowd she could face battery charges.

The attack took place about 10:30 p.m., shortly after the Walmart opened its doors for the traditional Black Friday sales that kick off the Christmas shopping season. A crowd of people had gathered to wait for store employees to unwrap the crate of discounted Xboxes.

The incident was one of several across the nation that marred this year's Black Friday.

In the most serious case, a robber shot a shopper who refused to give up his purchases outside a Walmart in the San Francisco suburb of San Leandro. The victim was hospitalized in critical but stable condition.

San Leandro police said the victim and his family were walking to their car around 1:45 a.m. Friday when they were confronted by a group of men who demanded their shopping items. When the family refused, a fight broke out, and one of the robbers pulled a gun and shot the man, said Sgt. Mike Sobek.

___

Associated Press Writer Terry Tang contributed to this story.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-11-26-Black%20Friday-Pepper%20Spray/id-582a322d5fa048c8acc93a5b7b471d41

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Saturday, November 26, 2011

AT&T Takes Two Steps Back With Hopes To Inch Closer To T-Mo Deal

attmo1Well, this isn't the strategy I was expecting, but it seems the FCC's request to investigate the AT&T/T-Mobile deal under the lens of an administrative law judge last week just doesnt sit well with AT&T. Rather than be scrutinized, the company has instead withdrawn its application for the merger. But don't let that confuse you. Buying Deutsche Telekom AG's T-Mobile is still big blue's end goal — the FCC just happens to be blocking the road at the moment.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/2Aa3DeUP2gU/

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Chiefs claim Orton off waivers; waive WR Colbert (AP)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. ? Kyle Orton has a new home in the AFC West.

Orton was claimed off waivers Wednesday by the Kansas City Chiefs, who were in the market for a veteran quarterback after losing Matt Cassel to a season-ending injury to his throwing hand.

Orton was released by the Broncos on Tuesday, six weeks after he was benched following a 1-4 start. The former Chicago Bears starter, who passed for 3,000 yards each of his first two seasons in Denver, became expendable when the Broncos opted to go with Tim Tebow as their starter.

The Chiefs will be responsible for approximately $2.5 million remaining on Orton's nearly $8.9 million salary this season, but they had plenty of space under the salary cap to make the move.

Orton can become a free agent after this season.

Several other teams were interested in Orton, including the Bears, but the Chiefs were highest in the order of waiver priority and landed him. He's expected to report to the Chiefs on Thursday, though it's unlikely that he'll be up to speed in time for Sunday's game against Pittsburgh.

If that's the case, Tyler Palko will make his second consecutive start. He was 24 of 37 for 230 yards and three interceptions in his first NFL start, a 34-3 loss to New England on Monday night.

"He never had a look that disturbed me before, after, during the game," coach Todd Haley said. "I know playing that position, there's no greater test, and getting thrown in to the fire on Monday night and, oh, by the way, six days later playing Pittsburgh, it doesn't get any harder."

Now it appears that Palko will have to fend off Orton to keep the starting job.

"Todd told me after practice that they claimed Kyle, and that's really it," Palko said. "He didn't tell me either way (about starting). Just full speed ahead for Pittsburgh.

"I've been the practice squad quarterback, I've been the No. 3, the No. 2, and the starter last week," Palko added. "I prepare the same way, with the same intensity, and that hasn't changed. I've never wavered or changed my mentality."

The Chiefs waived wide receiver Keary Colbert, who surprisingly earned a job out of training camp after spending three years away from the NFL, to make room on the roster for Orton. Colbert appeared in seven games this season, making nine catches for 89 yards.

Orton, a former Purdue star, was a fourth-round draft pick and appeared on the way to stardom when he assumed the Bears' starting job for 15 games as a rookie, winning 10 of them.

Often saddled with a reputation for being moody, Orton was demoted his second season in favor of veteran Brian Griese. He earned the starting job back late in 2007 and started 15 games for the Bears in 2008, passing for 2,972 yards with 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

"He was a really good player," said Chiefs running back Thomas Jones, who played with Orton in Chicago. "He's a real good teammate."

His stock never higher, Orton was traded along with a package of draft picks to Denver for Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler. In a curious twist of fate, it was an injury to Cutler that sparked Chicago's interest in claiming its former starter off waivers.

Orton excelled his first two seasons in Denver in an offense run by Josh McDaniels, throwing for 7,455 yards and 41 touchdowns with 21 interceptions.

McDaniels was fired late last season, though, and while Orton remained the starter when John Fox took over, things got off to a bumpy start. Denver lost four of its first five games, and Fox turned to Tebow as the starter, effectively demoting Orton to the third string.

Orton's career numbers bear a striking resemblance to those of Cassel, who was hurt near the end of the Chiefs' 17-10 loss to Denver two weeks ago. Orton's completed about 58 percent of his passes while making 66 career starts, with 79 touchdowns and 55 interceptions.

Cassel has started 54 games, completing 59 percent of his throws with 76 TDs and 46 picks.

The Chiefs, who are in the midst of a three-game skid that has threatened to eliminate them from contention in the AFC West, will try to get Orton up to speed quickly.

After facing the Steelers on Sunday night, they visit Chicago and the New York Jets, before returning home to face the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay. A division game against Oakland follows before wrapping up the season at Denver, a game that suddenly has a few more story lines.

"Good for him. Congratulations to him. That will be fun to play him the last game of the year," Tebow said. "Obviously he knows (Denver's offense) pretty well, so he could probably give away a few things, but I think we'll be OK."

___

AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Stapleton in Englewood, Colo., contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111124/ap_on_sp_fo_ne/fbn_chiefs_orton

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Friday, November 25, 2011

Crews hunt for victims in AZ crash that killed 6 (AP)

PHOENIX ? Crews hunted through crags and outcroppings of a mountaintop area just east of Phoenix, searching for victims of a fiery plane crash that killed all six people aboard, including the pilot and his three young children.

The family and two other adults were headed for Thanksgiving weekend in southeastern Arizona when the twin-engine plane traveling at 200 mph slammed into a sheer cliff in the mile-high Superstition Mountains an hour after sundown Wednesday, authorities said.

The aircraft exploded in flames, split apart and scattered burning debris.

"No one could have survived that crash," Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu said Thursday.

The body of one child was recovered and dozens of sheriff's search and rescue personnel worked Thursday to recover the remains of the other victims.

Babeu said he personally notified the mother late Wednesday. The woman, who is divorced from the children's father, is also a pilot.

"This is their entire family ? it's terrible," Babeu said. "Our hearts go out to the mom and the (families) of all the crash victims. We have has so many people that are working this day, and we just want to support them and embrace them and try to bring closure to this tragedy."

By coincidence, a search and rescue team was in the craggy, jutting mountains searching for three missing teenagers Wednesday evening and saw the explosion, Babeu said. The searchers found the teens, then went up the mountain to try to reach the crash site.

Ten deputies who spent the night on the mountain were relieved by 10 more early Thursday. They and dozens of volunteers began searching the crash site at first light. Video from news helicopters Thursday morning showed the wreckage strewn at the bottom of a blackened cliff.

"This is not a rescue mission, but that of recovery," Babeu said.

The dead included pilot Shawn Perry, 39, his two sons and his daughter, Babeu said. Morgan Perry, 9, Logan Perry, 8, and Luke Perry, 6, lived with their mother in the community of Gold Canyon in Pinal County. Their father lived in Safford in southeastern Arizona and owned a small aviation business there.

He had flown to the Phoenix suburb of Mesa with another pilot who co-owned the company and a company mechanic to pick up the children for Thanksgiving. The plane was headed back to Safford when it crashed.

The other pilot was identified as Russell Hardy, 31, of Thatcher, Ariz., and the mechanic was Joseph Hardwick, 22, of Safford.

There was no word on what caused the crash but the sheriff said there was no indication the plane was in distress or that the pilot had radioed controllers about any problem.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.

It was very dark at the time, and the plane missed clearing the peak by only several hundred feet. The aircraft crashed about 40 miles east of downtown Phoenix around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, authorities said.

Some witnesses told Phoenix-area television stations they heard a plane trying to rev its engines to climb higher before apparently hitting the mountains.

The mountains are filled with steep canyons, soaring rocky outcroppings and reach an elevation of about 5,000 feet at the highest point.

Part of the recovery operation was in such dangerous terrain that only teams well training in using ropes could maneuver, Babeu said.

"Regular deputies and even myself would not go into this exact area," he said.

The plane was a Rockwell AC-690A and was registered to Ponderosa Aviation Inc. in Safford, which Babeu said was co-owned by Perry.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111125/ap_on_re_us/us_arizona_plane_crash

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Thursday, November 24, 2011

Lawsuit over 'Jew or not Jew' iPhone app dropped (AP)

PARIS ? French anti-racism groups dropped a lawsuit Thursday against Apple Inc. over an iPhone app called "Jew or not Jew?" after it was removed from circulation worldwide.

Lawyer Stephane Lilti, representing four anti-racism associations, said the decision was "motivated by the removal of the application in all countries of the world."

Lilti said at a hearing in a Paris court Thursday that the app's designer, Johann Levy, decided to remove it. Lilti said while the groups agreed to drop the lawsuit, their complaint "had beneficial effects."

Representatives of Apple in France would not comment on the decision, nor did a lawyer for Apple at the hearing, Coline Warin.

The app let users consult a database of celebrities and public figures to see if they are Jewish or not. The app was selling for 0.79 euro cents in France, but was removed from the French online App Store after anti-racism groups initially complained about it in September.

The app remained available outside France, however, selling for $1.99 through Cupertino, California-based Apple's U.S. App Store.

SOS Racisme, MRAP, the Union of Jewish Students of France and a group called J'accuse joined in a lawsuit against Apple, arguing that the app violated France's strict laws banning the compiling of people's personal details without their consent.

Under the French penal code, stocking personal details including race, sexuality, political leanings or religious affiliation is punishable by five-year prison sentences and fines of up to euro300,000 ($411,000).

Such laws were enacted in the decades following the Holocaust, which saw some 76,000 Jews deported from Nazi-occupied France to concentration camps. Fewer than 3,000 returned alive.

In an interview published in September, app developer Levy said he developed the app to be "recreational ... as a Jew myself I know that in our community we often ask whether a such-and-such celebrity is Jewish or not," Levy was quoted as saying in the daily Le Parisien.

Apple has removed numerous apps from the App Store since it launched in mid-2008 for violating the myriad restrictions it imposes on developers.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111124/ap_on_hi_te/eu_france_iphone_app

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Thursday, November 10, 2011

Crisis in Italy spurs fears of euro zone break-up (Reuters)

ROME/BERLIN (Reuters) ? Political and economic crisis in Italy spurred fears of a split in the euro zone with borrowing costs for Europe's third biggest economy near unsustainable levels and the bloc unable to afford a bailout.

The escalating crisis prompted European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso to issue a stern warning of the dangers of splitting the zone. EU sources told Reuters French and German officials had held discussions on just such a move.

"There cannot be peace and prosperity in the North or in the West of Europe, if there is no peace and prosperity in the South or in the East," Barroso said.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel weighed in with a call to arms. She said Europe's plight was now so "unpleasant" that deep structural reforms were needed quickly, warning the rest of the world would not wait. "That will mean more Europe, not less Europe," she told a conference in Berlin.

She called for changes in EU treaties after French President Nicolas Sarkozy advocated a two-speed Europe in which euro zone countries accelerate and deepen integration while an expanding group outside the currency bloc stays more loosely connected -- a signal that some members may have to quit the euro.

"It is time for a breakthrough to a new Europe," Merkel said. "A community that says, regardless of what happens in the rest of the world, that it can never again change its ground rules, that community simply can't survive."

The European Central Bank, the only effective bulwark against market attacks, intervened to buy Italian bonds in large amounts but remained reluctant to go further and Italy's 10-year bond yields shot above 7 percent, a level widely deemed unsustainable, as investor confidence evaporated.

"Financial assistance is not in the cards," one euro zone official said, adding that the bloc was not even considering extending a precautionary credit line to Rome.

POLICY VACUUM

Italy replaced Greece at the center of the crisis as Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's insistence on elections instead of an interim government threatened prolonged instability.

Having lost his majority in a parliamentary vote, Berlusconi confirmed he would resign after implementing economic reforms demanded by the European Union, and said Italy must then hold an election in which he would not stand.

He opposed any form of transitional or unity government, which the opposition and many in the markets favor, and said polls were not likely until February, leaving a three-month policy vacuum in which markets could create havoc.

Italian President Giorgio Napolitano said there was no doubt about the resignation of Berlusconi once economic reforms were implemented by parliament within days.

"Therefore, within a short time either a new government will be formed ... or parliament will be dissolved to immediately begin an electoral campaign," Napolitano said.

Even with the exit of a man who came to symbolize scandal and empty promises, it will not be easy for Italy to convince markets it can cut its huge debt, liberalize the labor market, attack tax evasion and boost productivity.

Worries that the debt crisis could be infiltrating the core of the euro zone were reflected in the spread of 10-year French government bonds over their German equivalent blowing out to a euro era high around 140 basis points.

FRUSTRATION

Policymakers outside the euro area kept up pressure for more decisive action to stop the crisis spreading.

Christine Lagarde, head of the International Monetary Fund, told a financial forum in Beijing that Europe's debt crisis risked plunging the global economy into a Japan-style "lost decade."

"If we do not act boldly and if we do not act together, the economy around the world runs the risk of downward spiral of uncertainty, financial instability and potential collapse of global demand."

Berlusconi has reluctantly conceded that the IMF can oversee Italian reform efforts.

Euro zone finance ministers agreed on Monday on a road map for leveraging the 17-nation currency bloc's 440-billion-euro ($600 billion) rescue fund to shield larger economies like Italy and Spain from a possible Greek default.

But there are doubts about the efficacy of those complex plans, and with Italy's debt totaling around 1.9 trillion euros even a larger bailout fund could struggle to cope.

Lagarde said she was hopeful the technical details on boosting the European Financial Stability Fund (EFSF) to around 1 trillion euros would be ready by December.

Many outside Europe are calling on the ECB to take a more active role as other major central banks do in acting as lender of last resort. German opposition to that remains implacable, seeing it as a threat to the central bank's independence.

"The ECB will be drawn like everyone else by the weight of gravity (to act)," one euro zone official said.

"CORE" ZONE DISCUSSED

EU sources told Reuters German and French officials had discussed plans for a radical overhaul of the European Union that would involve establishing a more integrated and potentially smaller euro zone.

The discussions among policymakers in Paris, Berlin and Brussels raise the possibility of one or more countries leaving the zone, while the core pushes to deeper economic integration.

In a speech in Berlin, Barroso said Germany's gross domestic product could contract by 3 percent if the 17-member zone shrank and its economy would shed a million jobs.

"What is more, it would jeopardize the future prosperity of the next generation," he said.

Barroso said any push toward deeper integration should not come at the price of new divisions among EU member states.

GREEK DRAMA

In Greece, a deal on forming a national unity government collapsed as the country headed toward an economic abyss and revived early on Thursday the chances of former European Central Bank vice president Lucas Papademos heading the coalition.

Papademos made his demands for both major parties to back the bailout package, which includes austerity measures that are likely to prove highly unpopular, amid warnings that Europe is running out of patience with Greece and may cut a financial lifeline that the party leaders seem to take for granted.

On a day that was bizarre and chaotic even by Greek political standards, Prime Minister George Papandreou wished his successor well and headed off to meet the president -- only for it to emerge that there was no successor due to feuding in the political parties.

Papademos, whose candidacy had seemed doomed, insisted that both the socialist and conservative parties sign written undertakings to support Greece's 130-billion-euro bailout, as demanded by the European Union, a government source said.

The outgoing prime minister had agreed to the terms laid down by Papademos, who as Bank of Greece governor oversaw the country's adoption of the euro in 2002, the source said.

(Additional reporting by Dina Kyriakidou and Lefteris Papadimas in Athens, Emelia Sithole-Matarise, Kirsten Donovan and William James in London; Writing by Mike Peacock; Editing by Janet McBride and Andrew Roche)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/eurobiz/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111110/bs_nm/us_eurozone

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Military-style tents rise at NYC Occupy camp

It has been a key question as the protests on Wall Street's footstep approach their two-month anniversary: Can the encampment survive the icy, punishing conditions of a New York City winter?

On Monday, the Occupy Wall Street protesters gave their answer, erecting what they described as military-grade tents designed to withstand extreme weather and stave off hypothermia.

Twenty-seven of the 16-by-16-foot tents are expected to be up within the next 10 days or so, said protester Jeffrey Brewer, who is helping coordinate the deployment of the structures.

By late morning, three of the tents ? each as big as a tiny cottage ? had been erected. Another four were expected to be up shortly, and an additional 20 were being ordered, Brewer said. One of the first tents to be raised was for the site's volunteer medics and their patients, while another was designated a safe space for women, some of whom grew concerned after sexual attacks were reported at the camp.

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It remains to be seen whether the arrival of the tents will disrupt the balance of power at the site, a privately owned plaza called Zuccotti Park.

Tents are technically not allowed, but the company that owns the land has declined to enforce that rule for weeks, and dozens of small camping tents have proliferated for weeks. Mayor Michael Bloomberg has said that police will move in only in the case of unsafe conditions or if the owner, Brookfield Office Properties, declares that the protesters are trespassing. A call to the company for comment was not immediately returned.

Asked whether the protesters were concerned that the larger tents could prompt action by Brookfield, Brewer voiced no worries.

"Our point of view is we're participating in a civil disobedience," he said.

On Monday, about 1,000 black and Latino community members were marching 11 miles down the length of Manhattan to show support for the protesters. Also joining the march were public officials, including city Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and Comptroller John Liu.

"I'm a 99 percenter, living from paycheck to paycheck," said one marcher, 54-year-old Carmen Acosta, a resident of Manhattan's Washington Heights neighborhood. "The world is Zuccotti Park."

Maxine Dade, who at 16 is one of the protesters staffing the medical tent at the park, said that the addition of the sturdier tents is a necessity. On one recent night, she saw dozens of people come in with the symptoms of hypothermia, some of them shaking uncontrollably and practically exuding an icy cold, she said.

Story: Five arrested in Atlanta as police crackdown on Occupy protest site

"Sometimes, you can just feel it coming off of them," she said.

Dade, who is at the camp with a parental consent form, said that she didn't believe the park owner would come after the protesters now.

"They can't object to our putting up tidier, better constructed tents," she said. "They can't really want us to freeze to death."

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45195810/ns/us_news-life/

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Wednesday, November 9, 2011

APNewsBreak: PSU official's lawyer shapes defense

In this photo provided by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, former Penn State football defensive coordinator Gerald "Jerry" Sandusky, center, is placed in a police car in Boalsburg, Pa., to be taken to the office of Centre County Magisterial District Judge Leslie A. Dutchcot on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2011. Sandusky is charged with sexually abusing eight young men. Also, Penn State athletic director Tim Curley and Penn State vice president for finance and business Gary Schultz, 62, are expected to turn themselves in on Monday in Harrisburg, Pa., on charges of perjury and failure to report under Pennsylvania?s child protective services law in connection with the investigation into the abuse allegations against Sandusky. (AP Photo/Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General via Commonwealth Media Services)

In this photo provided by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, former Penn State football defensive coordinator Gerald "Jerry" Sandusky, center, is placed in a police car in Boalsburg, Pa., to be taken to the office of Centre County Magisterial District Judge Leslie A. Dutchcot on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2011. Sandusky is charged with sexually abusing eight young men. Also, Penn State athletic director Tim Curley and Penn State vice president for finance and business Gary Schultz, 62, are expected to turn themselves in on Monday in Harrisburg, Pa., on charges of perjury and failure to report under Pennsylvania?s child protective services law in connection with the investigation into the abuse allegations against Sandusky. (AP Photo/Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General via Commonwealth Media Services)

This Saturday, Nov. 5, 2011 photo provided by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General shows former Penn State football defensive coordinator Gerald "Jerry" Sandusky. Sandusky is charged with sexually abusing eight young men. Also, Penn State athletic director Tim Curley and Penn State vice president for finance and business Gary Schultz, 62, are expected to turn themselves in on Monday in Harrisburg, Pa., on charges of perjury and failure to report under Pennsylvania?s child protective services law in connection with the investigation into the abuse allegations against Sandusky. (AP Photo/Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General)

A sign for The Second Mile charity is seen outside the organization's headquarters in State College, Pa., on Saturday Nov. 2, 2011. The charity's founder, former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, was charged Saturday with 40 criminal counts for allegedly molesting eight boys. (AP Photo/Genaro C. Armas)

In this photo provided by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, former Penn State football defensive coordinator Gerald "Jerry" Sandusky, center, walks to the office of Centre County Magisterial District Judge Leslie A. Dutchcot while being escorted by Pennsylvania State Police and Attorney General's Office officials on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2011, in State College, Pa. Sandusky is charged with sexually abusing eight young men. Also, Penn State athletic director Tim Curley and Penn State vice president for finance and business Gary Schultz, 62, are expected to turn themselves in on Monday in Harrisburg, Pa., on charges of perjury and failure to report under Pennsylvania?s child protective services law in connection with the investigation into the abuse allegations against Sandusky. (AP Photo/Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General via Commonwealth Media Services)

Former Penn State football defensive coordinator Gerald "Jerry" Sandusky sits in a car as he leaves the office of Centre County Magisterial District Judge Leslie A. Dutchcot on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2011, in State College, Pa. Sandusky is charged with sexually abusing eight young men. Also, Penn State athletic director Tim Curley and Penn State vice president for finance and business Gary Schultz, 62, are expected to turn themselves in on Monday in Harrisburg, Pa., on charges of perjury and failure to report under Pennsylvania?s child protective services law in connection with the investigation into the abuse allegations against Sandusky. (AP Photo/Andy Colwell, The Patriot-News)

(AP) ? The Pennsylvania law requiring some school officials and others to report suspected child abuse does not apply to a Penn State administrator who's accused of keeping quiet about allegations that a former football coach molested a boy in a shower, the administrator's attorney said Sunday.

The comments by Pittsburgh lawyer Thomas J. Farrell offer a preview of the defense he plans to use on the charge of failing to report faced by his client, Gary C. Schultz, the university's senior vice president for finance and business. Farrell said he will seek to have the charge dismissed.

The charge is part of a broader case centered on retired Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, who is accused of sexually abusing eight boys over 15 years. Schultz, 62, and Penn State athletic director Tim Curley, 57, were both charged Saturday with failing to report to state and county officials that a witness told them he saw Sandusky sexually abusing a naked boy in the showers of a team practice facility in 2002.

Schultz and Curley were both also charged with perjury. Lawyers for all three men say they are innocent.

Farrell told The Associated Press on Sunday that the mandated reporting rules only apply to people who come into direct contact with children. He also said the statute of limitations for the summary offense with which Schultz is charged is two years, so it expired in 2004.

The explosive charges are surprising both for what they detail and their contrast to the image of Penn State's football program. Under the leadership of Joe Paterno, who's won more games than any coach in Division I history, the Nittany Lions have become a bedrock in the college game. For more than four decades, Paterno's teams have been revered both for winning, including two national championships, and largely steering clear of trouble.

Paterno is not implicated in the case.

"Joe Paterno was a witness who cooperated and testified before the grand jury," said Nils Frederiksen, a spokesman for the state attorney general's office. "He's not a suspect."

Frederiksen called questions about whether Paterno might testify premature and speculation.

"That's putting the cart way ahead of the horse," he said. "We're certainly not going to be discussing the lineup of potential witnesses."

In a statement on Sunday, Paterno said that, if true, the charges were "shocking."

"The fact that someone we thought we knew might have harmed young people to this extent is deeply troubling," he said. "If this is true we were all fooled, along with scores of professionals trained in such things, and we grieve for the victims and their families. They are in our prayers."

Paterno said that while he did what he was supposed to do with the one accusation brought to his attention, he was "deeply saddened" by the current allegations.

The grand jury report that lays out the accusations against the men cites the state's Child Protective Services Law, which requires immediate reporting by doctors, nurses, school administrators, teachers, day care workers, police and others.

Neither Schultz nor Curley appear to have had direct contact with the boys Sandusky is accused of abusing, including the one involved in the eyewitness account prosecutors say they were given. Prosecutors say Sandusky encountered victims through The Second Mile, a charity he founded for at-risk children.

An email Sunday to The Associated Press from The Second Mile said the organization was preparing a written statement but did not want to comment at this time because of the criminal investigation.

"The Second Mile will continue to do everything in our power to be cooperative with authorities and will maintain our focus on doing what is best for the children," the email said.

Schultz and Curley fielded the complaint from an unnamed graduate assistant, and from Paterno. Two people familiar with the investigation confirmed the identity of the graduate assistant as Mike McQueary, now the team's wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator. The two spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the names in the grand jury report have not been publicly released.

McQueary was out of town on a recruiting trip Sunday, according to his father, John McQueary, who declined to comment about the case or say whether they are the two named in the grand jury report.

The law "applies only to children under the care and supervision of the organization for which he works, and that's Penn State, it's not The Second Mile," Farrell said of his client. "This child, from what we know, was a Second Mile child."

Messages left later Sunday seeking comment from Frederiksen with the attorney general's office, and from Curley's lawyer, Caroline Roberto, were not immediately returned. Farrell said it was accurate to say the allegations against Curley are legally flawed in the same manner.

Farrell said he plans to seek dismissal at the earliest opportunity. Both Schultz and Curley are scheduled to turn themselves in at a district judge's office in Harrisburg on Monday.

"Now, tomorrow is probably not the appropriate time," Farrell said. "We'll bring every legal challenge that is appropriate, and I think quite a few are appropriate."

As a summary offense, failure to report suspected child abuse carries up to three months in jail and a $200 fine.

"As far as my research shows, there has never been a reported criminal decision under this statute, and the civil decisions go our way," he said.

Curley and Schultz met with the graduate assistant about a week and a half after the alleged attack, Pennsylvania Attorney General Linda Kelly said Saturday. There is no indication that anyone at school attempted to find the boy or follow up with the witness, she said.

"Despite a powerful eyewitness statement about the sexual assault of a child, this incident was not reported to any law enforcement or child protective agency, as required by Pennsylvania law," Kelly said.

The allegations mirror the sexual abuse scandal that has rocked the Catholic church, albeit on a smaller and narrower scale. As in the church's case, authorities say high-ranking figures were given details about instances of sex abuse and failed to share them with law enforcement or child-welfare agencies.

Curley and Schultz also are accused of perjury for their testimony to the grand jury that issued a 23-page report on the matter Friday, the day before state prosecutors charged them. Sandusky was arrested Saturday and charged with 40 criminal counts.

Curley denied that the assistant had reported anything of a sexual nature, calling it "merely 'horsing around,'" the grand jury report said. But he also testified that he barred Sandusky from bringing children onto campus and that he advised Penn State President Graham Spanier of the matter.

The grand jury said Curley was lying, Kelly said, adding that it also deemed portions of Schultz's testimony not to be credible.

Schultz told the jurors he also knew of a 1998 investigation involving sexually inappropriate behavior by Sandusky with a boy in the showers the football team used.

But despite his job overseeing campus police, he never reported the 2002 allegations to any authorities, "never sought or received a police report on the 1998 incident and never attempted to learn the identity of the child in the shower in 2002," the jurors wrote. "No one from the university did so."

Farrell said Schultz "should have been required only to report it to his supervisor, which he did."

Schultz reports to Penn State president Graham Spanier, who testified before the grand jury that Schultz and Curley came to him with a report that a staff member was uncomfortable because he'd seen Sandusky "horsing around" with a boy. Spanier was not charged.

About the perjury charge, Farrell said: "We're going to have a lot of issues with that, both factual and legal. I think there's a very strong defense here."

The university is paying legal costs for Curley and Schultz because the allegations against them concern how they fulfilled their responsibilities as employees, spokeswoman Lisa Powers said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/apdefault/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2011-11-06-Penn%20State%20Ex-Coach-Allegations/id-b64c7da94fc04c32b894a839b34b91f7

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Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Heavy D dies at 44 after collapsing outside home (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? Heavy D, the self-proclaimed "overweight lover" of hip-hop who became one of rap's top hit-makers with wit, humor and a positive vibe, has died. He was 44.

Lt. Mark Rosen of the Beverly Hills police said Heavy D died in a Los Angeles hospital Tuesday after collapsing outside his home.

Rosen said Beverly Hills police officers were dispatched to Heavy D's condominium building Tuesday morning after receiving a report of an unconscious person laying on the walkway of a building. They found Heavy D was conscious and communicative but had difficulty breathing and was transported to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he later died.

Rosen said Beverly Hills detectives found no signs of foul play and believe his death is medically related. He said Heavy D "was returning home from shopping. He experienced difficulty breathing while walking into his condominium building. He was being assisted up to his apartment by building personnel when he collapsed in an exterior hallway."

The last tweet from Heavy D, who frequently filled his timeline with positivity, was posted Tuesday morning and read, "BE INSPIRED!"

Dwight Arrington Myers, the rapper known as Heavy D of Heavy D and the Boyz, and his crew released their debut album "Living Large" in 1987. Their hits included "Now That We Found Love," "Who's the Man" and "Somebody For Me."

The New York-born rapper was one of the genre's most integral stars in the last 1980s and early 1990s, as it relied on new voices and star power to fuel its phenomenal growth in the mainstream.

The deep-voiced rapper's earliest hit, "The Overweight Lover's in the House," played up his hefty frame. But while that nickname would stick, his weight did not become part of his shtick, like the Fat Boys. What drew people to his music was his singular style, which celebrated an easygoing, party vibe ? sometimes humorous, sometimes inspiring and almost always positive.

"Most know Heavy D as a rap icon," said actor-comedian Tommy Davidson. "I considered him a brother who made an indelible mark on me as a performer and a human being. I miss him already."

In the mid-1990s, Heavy D became president of Uptown Records, the label that released most of his albums and was also the home to acts like Mary J. Blige and Jodeci. He also created the theme songs for sketch comedy shows "In Living Color" and "MADtv" and acted on such TV shows as "Boston Public," "The Tracy Morgan Show" and "Law & Order: SVU," as well as in the films like "Life" and "Step Up."

"I feel sick," tweeted rapper and "Law & Order" actor Ice T. "Everyone should stop for a second, take a breath and realize how lucky you are to be alive, then appreciate every second with your luv ones."

Combined with the fusion of the "New Jack Swing" musical style, Heavy D was a constant presence on the charts, and also a go-to figure for several performers. He collaborated with such artists as Michael Jackson on the 1991 single "Jam" and the 1997 duet "Keep It Coming" with B.B. King.

"My heart goes out to the family and (loved) ones of Heavy D," tweeted La Toya Jackson, who performed with him at a tribute concert for Michael Jackson last month. "I am sooo sorry for your (loss). You will be in my prayers."

The late Notorious B.I.G., Questlove and Sean Kingston were just a few of the artists who counted Heavy D as an inspiration.

"We had a lot of great times touring together," tweeted MC Hammer. "He had a heart of gold. He was a part of what's good about the world."

Heavy D wasn't as successful with his later Boyz-free albums. He attempted a reggae-fueled comeback in 2008 with the album "Vibes," which didn't contain any rapping. He returned to his lyrical roots on his latest album, "Love Opus," which was released in September, and he performed a medley of his past hits at the 2011 BET Hip Hop Awards last month.

"I'm so glad that we got to work together for his performance at last month's BET Hip-Hop Awards," said Stephen Hill, BET's president of music programming and specials. "Hev was focused, energetic and happy. He worked hard, as he always had, to excite the crowd. Our condolences go to his family and specifically his daughter who he doted on. He was a unique figure in hip-hop and will be missed."

He most recently had a cameo appearance in the new movie "Tower Heist," starring Eddie Murphy and Ben Stiller.

___

AP Music Writer Nekesa Mumbi Moody in Los Angeles and AP Writer Mesfin Fekadu in New York contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111109/ap_en_ot/us_obit_heavy_d

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Monday, November 7, 2011

HuffPost Radio: Both Sides Now: On Abortion, Labor and Frontrunner Fumbles

By Mark Green

With Arianna debating Kellyanne Conway, the show previews Mississippi's "Personhood Amendment" and Ohio's pro-labor referendum, then reviews the stumbles of the two GOP frontrunners: does Romney lack a "core," and does Cain lack credibility? Do any or all of these significantly affect 2012? (To listen to the entire show, click below.)

*On Abortion in Mississippi. With a limping economy, abortion hasn't been a leading political topic, though not for lack of trying by conservatives. In the House and in State Houses, Republicans have been pushing for a variety of restrictions, with one of the most extreme being a "Personhood Amendment" in Mississippi, which would declare that life begins at conception.

Kellyanne predicts that it will pass and is personally in favor, but as a libertarian she is wary of constitutional amendments on such personal matters. If Amendment 26 is enacted, would prosecutors charge women and their doctors with murder? "No," she concludes, "since there would be carve-outs." Arianna strongly opposes a proposal that would outlaw nearly all abortions, even in cases of rape and incest, and some birth control and in-vitro fertilization, as well -- and would likely be unconstitutional, given that Roe allows most abortions. She questions why states with poor populations worry about such a "massive distraction" when they should be more focused on children's education and hunger. (In this context, recall Barney Frank's quip that to pro-lifers, "life begins at conception and ends at birth.")

Kellyanne adds that there's generally been a pro-life shift in America, probably because of the vividness of sonograms (liberals should admit that -- her words -- "the fetus beat us"). Because only "2 to 3 percent of all abortions are the result of rape or incest" (that's 50,000-plus), she's been urging GOP presidential candidates to "talk about all the rest using abortion for convenience."

*On Labor in Ohio. Unlike a social conservative referendum in Ol' Miss, on Tuesday there's also a progressive economic referendum in the blue-collar battleground state of Ohio. Given that recent polls show majority support (before late spending by business groups), did Walker-Kasich conservatives miscalculate when they pushed anti-collective-bargaining state laws? We listen to Richard Trumka in effect thanking Scott Walker for "giving us the opportunity to debate the right of collective bargaining, which the AFL had been trying to do for 20 years."

Kellyanne substantively lauds laws that help explain the costs of unfunded pension liabilities while acknowledging strategic problems in combining popular elements into one vulnerable referendum. Arianna favors repealing SB5 because it undermines the "fundamental right" of collective bargaining by public employees. Do the huge rallies in Wisconsin and Occupy protests vindicate her repeated complaints about the declining middle class? She demurs, referring instead to a Columbia colloquium with Bush speechwriter Michael Gerson, where both agreed that rising inequality and lower mobility were together "very destabilizing and ... could lead to oligarchy."

*On Femme TV: Women Are the "Men." Unlike The Honeymooners and All in the Family, a slew of TV shows this fall season -- The New Girl, 2 Broke Girls, Up All Night, Whitney, Homeland, even Pan Am -- highlights in-charge, savvy, attractive women dominating weak boy-men. Something in the zeitgeist? Arianna thinks the shows reflect both how parenthood has replaced motherhood in an economy where both spouses work and how men have been in power so long and making "stupid decisions" that people were ready to try something different.

Kellyanne adds that this trend reflects a) the "mancession" where more men lost jobs due to the especially steep declines in manufacturing and construction, and b) how audiences were eager for alternatives to "autopsy and biopsy shows." We discuss the evolution from the haute coutre of Sex and the City to blue-collar women living paycheck to paycheck in 2 Broke Girls. Then Kellyanne worries that shows with men appearing to be putzes would provide poor role models for her son.

*On Arianna on Greece. With a Greek on hand, Both Sides takes advantage by asking about the tumultuous 48 hours when PM Papandreou promised a referendum on the new European Union deal for banks and Greece, then reversed himself and finally resigned, calling for new elections. Arianna believes that this deal came six months too late because of German proscrastination and the fact that Greeks would have likely voted it down. By this point, withdrawl from the Euro and default would not be a worse outcome, given the onerous austerity imposed on the country.

*On Romney's and Cain's Fumbles. Abortion, labor law and Greece may affect the 2012 presidential election... but what of the performances of GOP frontrunners Romney and Cain?

George Will and David Plouffe agree that Mitt Romney seems to be prone to "serial changes of mind" (Will) and "corelssness" (Plouffe)? The women concur. Kellyanne laments that "voters want to know less about your electability than your ideology... what you believe in." Arianna thinks his 180s raise a "character issue" that could do him damage in a general election.

As for Herman Cain's spotty memory and inconsistent answers, they also agree that sexual harassment charges against a presidential candidate are serious. You can't abuse power in the workplace and then seek the most powerful job in the world.

But, Ms. Conway politically understands Cain's attempt to change the subject to alleged racial, liberal media bias (citing when Hillary Clinton changed the subject from her husband's infidelity to the "vast right-wing conspiracy"), and Arianna chastises the media for over-covering this week's "balloon boy." Well, did The Huffington Post cover it, the host impertinently asks? She dismisses any comparison. "It would be like spending most of this show on Cain rather than just at the end, since he has zero chance of being president." Hard to argue with that.

Kellyanne concludes that Cain made a "big mistake by playing the race card" when Politico wrote about the complaints from two women at the National Restaurant Association. "Liberals own that tactic." Cain allegedly misbehaves in the workplace and stumbles in the campaign and it's the fault of... liberals?

Mark Green is the creator and host of Both Sides Now, which is powered by the American Federation of Teachers.

Send all comments to Bothsidesradio.com, where you can also listen to prior shows.

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Both Sides Now is available
Sat. 5-6 PM EST From Lifestyle TalkRadio Network
& Sun. 8-9 AM EST from Business RadioTalk Network.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-radio/both-sides-now_2_b_1078824.html

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Sunday, November 6, 2011

National Briefing | Environment: March Against Pipeline Planned

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Environmental groups are mobilizing for a demonstration at the White House on Sunday against the proposed 1,700-mile Keystone XL pipeline.

Source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=576c7f2275ba4341f84a86017410d2d7

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IMF to monitor Italy's economic reform efforts (AP)

CANNES, France ? The International Monetary Fund agreed Friday to monitor Italy's financial reform efforts, a humbling step for one of the world's biggest ? but also most indebted ? economies as market confidence in its future wanes.

Premier Silvio Berlusconi told a press conference Friday at the end of the G-20 summit of world leaders in Cannes that Italy had turned down an offer of financial aid from the IMF. "We don't believe this type of intervention is necessary," he said.

But to solve the political deadlock that threatens to bring down his government and slow down implementation of reforms, he said he had asked the IMF to check up on the country's progress in implementing the measures.

Market confidence in Italy's ability to reduce its public debt and spur growth in its anemic economy has withered over recent weeks as the government weakened. Lawmakers have defected to the opposition and some of Berlusconi's ministers have openly suggested the government's days may be numbered.

Italy's fate is crucial to the eurozone, because its economy ? the third-largest in the currency union ? would be too expensive to bail out like Greece, Portugal and Ireland have been.

Market fears mounted on Friday. Italy's benchmark 10-year bond yield jumped 0.32 of a percentage point to 6.43 percent on Friday, indicating a surge in investor worries about the country's ability to repay its debts.

Berlusconi insisted Italy was on track to rein in its public debt, which at euro1.9 trillion ($2.6 trillion), or 120 percent of GDP, is second only to the debt ratio in extremely troubled Greece.

And he insisted that his parliamentary majority was strong enough to pass legislation in the coming weeks containing an initial batch of reforms to sell off government property and privatize some local public services.

The G-20 final communique welcomed Italy's decision to "invite the IMF to carry out a public verification of its policy implementation on a quarterly basis."

IMF chief Christine Lagarde said she hoped a quarterly monitoring mission would start by the end of November to check that the reforms Berlusconi promised in a 15-page letter to the EU last month are implemented.

"It's verification and certification if you will, of implementation of a program that Italy has committed to," she said. "It's one of the best ways to have an independent view ... to verify that promised measures are actually implemented."

She concurred that Italy didn't need IMF funding.

"The problem that is at stake ? and that was clearly identified both by the Italian authorities and its partners ? is a lack of credibility of the measures that are announced," she said. "The typical instrument that we would use is a precautionary credit line. Italy does not need the funding that is associated with such instruments so the next best instrument is fiscal monitoring, which is what we have identified."

Berlusconi was asked what would happen if the IMF determines that Italy was falling behind on its pledges. "If they certify that they weren't carried out, we will be in difficulty, but we will carry them out," he said.

___

Winfield reported from Rome.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/eurobiz/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111104/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_italy_financial_crisis

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Saturday, November 5, 2011

Canon offers new camera for Hollywood filmmakers

Fujio Mitarai, chairman and CEO of Canon, Inc., holds one in the line of new EOS C300 interchangeable-lens digital cinema cameras, at the introduction of the Cinema EOS System, Canon's all-new lineup of professional motion picture cameras and lenses, at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles Thursday, Nov. 3, 2011. The Cinema EOS offers compatibility with Canon's existing array of EF lenses used in digital single-lens reflex cameras, including the existing video-capable EOS 5D Mark II. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

Fujio Mitarai, chairman and CEO of Canon, Inc., holds one in the line of new EOS C300 interchangeable-lens digital cinema cameras, at the introduction of the Cinema EOS System, Canon's all-new lineup of professional motion picture cameras and lenses, at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles Thursday, Nov. 3, 2011. The Cinema EOS offers compatibility with Canon's existing array of EF lenses used in digital single-lens reflex cameras, including the existing video-capable EOS 5D Mark II. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

Fujio Mitarai, chairman and CEO of Canon, Inc., speaks before a display full line of new EOS C300 interchangeable-lens digital cinema cameras, at the introduction of the Cinema EOS System, Canon's all-new lineup of professional motion picture cameras and lenses, at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles Thursday, Nov. 3, 2011. The Cinema EOS offers compatibility with Canon's existing array of EF lenses used in digital single-lens reflex cameras, including the existing video-capable EOS 5D Mark II. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

One in the line of new EOS C300 interchangeable-lens digital cinema cameras, is seen with many added features at the introduction of the Cinema EOS System, Canon's all-new lineup of professional motion picture cameras and lenses, at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles Thursday, Nov. 3, 2011. The Cinema EOS offers compatibility with Canon's existing array of EF lenses used in digital single-lens reflex cameras, including the existing video-capable EOS 5D Mark II. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

(AP) ? Four decades after winning Academy Awards for its cinema lenses, Canon Inc. was back in Hollywood on Thursday, unveiling a new high-end digital video camera before an audience of some of the world's most famous filmmakers.

Fujio Mitarai, chief executive of the Japanese camera and office equipment giant, took the wraps of the movie camera, called Cinema EOS, in a packed theater on the Paramount Pictures movie studio lot.

At $20,000 for the body alone, the Cinema EOS is not cheap by consumer standards but is on the low end of what professional digital film cameras cost, which can reach into the six figures. Two zoom lenses intended for movie making will go for $45,000 and $47,000.

Making such costly cameras for professional users is somewhat of a departure for Canon, which makes up more than a third of its revenue from consumer electronics, and more than half from office equipment like all-in-one printer-copier-fax machines.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Mitarai said Canon's move into expensive high-end products for professionals comes in response to the rising yen and the movement of manufacturing to cheaper-labor countries abroad.

"Anything without high added value is now being manufactured in southeast Asian countries and China. So we need to shift into an era where all our products have an added value," Mitarai said. "That is one major trend in meeting the difficulties posed by the strong yen."

The camera draws on the popularity of the Canon EOS 5D Mark II, a single-lens reflex still camera that the company introduced in 2008 and which became widely embraced by independent filmmakers because of its ability to take full high-definition video at the 1920-by-1080 pixel resolution known as 1080p.

It didn't take long for its popularity to reach Hollywood.

The Mark II was used in the final episode of the last season of Fox's television show "House M.D.," as well as in the car racing scenes of "Iron Man 2" and certain scenes in "Captain America: The First Avenger," movies that Paramount distributed.

The Cinema EOS is similar in shape to a traditional still camera but works with a variety of mounts.

Mitarai said the camera's digital images had the warmth of film and brought out skin tones well. The company showed a number of short films that used the camera to show off how it functioned in action sequences, especially in tight areas that made use of its compact size.

The camera is compatible with an array of around 60 "EF," or electronic focus, lenses that work with Canon's still cameras. The company also introduced seven new lenses that are precise enough to work with super high-definition movie cameras made by other companies using a standard known as 4K.

"This is the camera that gave us the opportunity to work with you today," Mitarai told the crowd.

Filmmakers including Jon Favreau, Ron Howard and Martin Scorcese were in attendance.

"Mr. Mitarai, welcome to Hollywood," Scorcese said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2011-11-04-US-Canon-Cinema/id-d8a4e95dded44434846542a662e947a6

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