Dorothy Walsh

A chiptune, or chip music, is music written in sound formats where all the sounds are synthesized in realtime by a computer or video game console sound chip, instead of using sample-based synthesis. The "golden age" of chiptunes was the mid 1980s to early 1990s, when such sound chips were the most common method for creating music on computers. Chiptunes are closely related to video game music, which often featured chiptunes out of necessity. The term has also been recently applied to more recent compositions that attempt to recreate the chiptune sound for purely aesthetic reasons, albeit with more complex technology.

The chiptune scene was recently the subject of a documentary called Blip Festival: Reformat the Planet by 2 Player Productions. This film was an official selection at the 2008 South By Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas. The Premier took place on March 8 2008 at the Dobie Theater.

Voice Chip

Since the 1990s, the idea of replacing the income tax with a national sales tax has been floated in the United States; many of the actual proposals would include giving each household an annual rebate, paid in monthly installments, equivalent to the percentage of the tax (which varies from 15% to 23% in most cases) multiplied by the poverty level based on the number of persons in the household, in an effort to create a progressive effect on consumption. While many political observers consider the chances remote for such a change, the FairTax Act has attracted more cosponsors than any other fundamental tax reform bill introduced in the House of Representatives.

Determination of ways to legally reduce the amount of tax due on a transaction. For instance, how a company structures its invoices can affect the taxability of the entire transaction. In many states an item can become taxable if not separately stated on the invoice.

Texas Sales Tax Audit

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) –
Adam Lambert knows how to shock, how to sing and how it feels to "lose" TV's top singing competition.

But what the "American Idol" runner-up is not so sure about is how fans will take to his debut album now that he's performing original material rather than wowing viewers each week with his unusual take on established classics.

And, yes, now that he's gone public about being gay.

A little bit glam rock, some classic rock, touches of kitsch, commercial pop, '70s and '80s throwbacks, and a power ballad -- Lambert says his new "For Your Entertainment", released on Nov 23, has something for everyone.

"The album title sums it up. It's not for me, it's for the people who are listening to it," Lambert told Reuters.

"We tried to nod to all that glam classic rock while creating a variety of different music. But at the same time I wanted to make music that was really modern and current and poppy too. I love commercial pop music," he said.

Nicknamed "Glambert," the 27 year-old Californian's vocal powers and flair for showmanship led Entertainment Weekly to call him "most exciting 'American Idol' contestant in years".

But the former musical theater performer, who brought male eyeliner and black nail polish into millions of American homes during the TV show six months ago, knows he has to prove himself all over again.

"On 'Idol' you are singing songs that people already like, so it allows them to really listen to your voice and your interpretation. But as an original recording artist, you are doing music that nobody knows yet and you have to convince them to like it.

"This is a huge step. This is the first big chance I am taking as far as the career I want to be in," he said.

TEAMING UP FOR "ENTERTAINMENT"

Lambert co-wrote four of the 14 tracks on the album and teamed up with some of the hottest artists and producers in the music industry, including Lady Gaga, Pink and "Idol" judge and songwriter Kara Dioguardi.

The title single "For Your Entertainment", released three weeks ago, was No. 68 on the iTunes top 100 on November 17. The album also includes Lambert's "Time For Miracles," the theme song for the blockbuster disaster movie "2012".

The album cover already has people talking. Lambert describes it as a striking, alien-like pose that chimed with his own attraction to the camp, androgynous vibe of singers like David Bowie in the 1980s.

It's the kind of look that split America in half when viewers voted Kris Allen from Arkansas their "American Idol" in May over Lambert, who was widely considered the front runner.

"We had divided the country up a bit morally, and socially. I was the left of center wild child and Kris was the everyman who is really charming, appealing and accessible. So I knew we were total polar opposites," Lambert recalled.

Lambert waited until after the end of the contest to state publicly that he was gay, and proud of his sexuality. "I wanted the focus to be my voice and my entertainment, not my (sexual) preference," he explained.

"Eyeliner and nail polish isn't gay. It's just eyeliner and nail polish. In fact, most of the musicians I know who rock that look happen to be straight. People need to open their eyes up to what it all really is. So gay/straight -- it's really not about that. It's about music and style. It's not about preference," he added.

Lambert launches his album with a string of U.S. media appearances and will perform live at the American Music Awards on Nov 22.

Next year he hopes to go on tour ("Something that is really exciting and theatrical and massively entertaining") and said he would love to branch out beyond North America to tour in Europe, Japan and Australia.

(Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

ST. CLAIRSVILLE, Ohio – A paparazzo has testified that an Ohio police chief told him he had access to ultrasound photographs belonging to the woman who carried twins for Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick.
Justin Steffman of New York testified Tuesday in the trial of Barry Carpenter, the suspended chief of Martins Ferry, where surrogate Michelle Ross lived. Carpenter and Police Chief Chad Dojack from nearby Bridgeport are accused of scheming to sell items from Ross' home.
A special prosecutor has said Carpenter entered Ross' home in May and removed items that identified her as the surrogate.
Steffman says Dojack offered to sell him the surrogate's address and contact information for $1,000. He says Carpenter said he had access to the plaster cast and ultrasound photos.
Dojack faces trial in January.

iTunes' top 10 selling singles and albums of the week ending Nov. 9, 2009:
Singles:
1. "Fireflies," Owl City
2. "Need You Now," Lady Antebellum
3. "Replay," Iyaz
4. "Bad Romance," Lady Gaga
5. "Tik Tok," Ke$ha
6. "Empire State of Mind (feat. Alicia Keys)," Jay-Z
7. "Party in the USA," Miley Cyrus
8. "3," Britney Spears
9. "Whatcha Say," Jason DeRulo
10. "Russian Roulette," Rihanna
Albums:
1. "Before I Self Destruct," 50 cent
2. "Glee - The Music, Vol. 1," Glee Cast
3. "Play On," Carrie Underwood
4. "The Circle," Bon Jovi
5. "Attention Deficit," Wale

6. "Hello Hurricane," Switchfoot

7. "Memento Mori," Flyleaf

8. "Alter the Ending," Dashboard Confessional

9. "Ocean Eyes," Owl City

10. "Fearless," Taylor Swift

However, the remaining vast tracts of unsettled land were often used as a commons, or, in the American west, "open range." As degradation of habitat developed due to overgrazing and a tragedy of the commons situation arose, common areas began to either be allocated to individual landowners via mechanisms such as the Homestead Act and Desert Land Act and fenced in, or, if kept in public hands, leased to individual users for limited purposes, with fences built to separate tracts of public and private land.

Distinctly different land ownership and fencing patterns arose in the eastern and western United States. Original fence laws on the east coast were based on the British common law system, and rapidly increasing population quickly resulted in laws requiring livestock to be fenced in. In the west, land ownership patterns and policies reflected a strong influence of Spanish law and tradition, plus the vast land area involved made extensive fencing impractical until mandated by a growing population and conflicts between landowners.

Wood Fence Dallas

PRAGUE – With their country in deep political crisis, Czechs took to the streets throughout the country Tuesday to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the end of decades of repressive communist rule.
They will celebrate with exhibitions, concerts, speeches and rallies. Thousands of people in the capital, Prague, plan to participate in a reenactment of a student protest — an evocation of the event that triggered the Velvet Revolution that peacefully toppled the communist regime in what was then Czechoslovakia.
Nov. 17, 1989, began with fiery speeches at a university campus in Prague, inspiring thousands of students to march downtown toward Wenceslas Square. As darkness fell, police cracked down hard, beating demonstrators with truncheons and injuring hundreds in the melee.
Uncowed, the crowds mushroomed in the ensuing days, with demonstrators chanting: "You have lost already!"
They were right. Following the collapse of the Berlin Wall and communism in the region, by Dec. 10, Czechoslovakia had a new government. On Dec. 29, Vaclav Havel, a dissident playwright who had spent several years in prison, was elected the country's first democratic president in a half century by a parliament still dominated by communist hard-liners.
On Tuesday, Havel, President Vaclav Klaus and Prime Minister Jan Fischer, joined hundreds of people laying flowers and lighting candles at a monument marking the site of the brutal clash.
"The demonstration, the march set the history into motion," said Havel, who was applauded by the surrounding crowd.
Earlier Tuesday he praised the memory of those who helped overthrow the repressive regime, naming dozens including his late wife Olga.
"We often tend to forget our fellow colleagues, friends, and the open-minded people in everyday life," Havel told the Czech Senate.
The peaceful nature of the historic change and the leading role of Havel were praised by many.
"Your spirit, your courage inspired the world," U.S. President Barack Obama said in a video message broadcast at a concert organized by Havel over the weekend, featuring rocker Lou Reed, soprano Renee Fleming and folk singer Joan Baez.
"You are the model," Vice President Joe Biden said during his recent visit to Prague.
"As I travel through Eastern Europe — as I travel to Ukraine and Georgia and other places, you are the model for democracy that they look to," he said.
A survey by the Pew Global Attitudes Project showed that, of nine post-communist countries, only in the Czech Republic and Poland did a majority say that people were better off than they were at the transition from communism.
The Czech Republic is now a member of NATO and the European Union.
But the euphoria of revolutionary days is long gone.
Besides the economic downturn, the country has been in political limbo since the government of Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek was embarrassingly ousted in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in March in the middle of the Czech EU presidency, just days before Obama's visit to Prague.
Havel said Tuesday he was concerned about "a loss of trust in politics, the gap between the public and the politicians."

Havel said his nation of 10 million is still on the right track, enjoying a democratic society with the rule of law, respect for human rights and a free-market economy.

Eighty-eight percent of Czechs say they are not satisfied with the current political situation, a recent public poll showed. The Median agency surveyed 1,374 people aged 18 and older questioned in September and October. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.

"People have a reason to be dissatisfied," said Bohumil Dolezal, a political analyst.

"The political situation has been unstable for a long time," he said.

Currently, the country has a weak, caretaker government; a new government will be formed only after general elections in May.

Still, Dolezal said "we've got something to celebrate," because for most the revolution "was an unprecedentedly positive change in our lives."

Simon Panek, a student leader in 1989, said most people might be disgusted by politics, but "20 years ago we gained the essential thing: freedom."

Havel recently warned that democracy and freedom could not be taken for granted.

"The era of dictatorships and totalitarian systems has not come to en end," he said. "It may have ended in its classical way as we know it from the 20th century, but new, much more sophisticated ways of controlling the society are being born and we need to be cautious," Havel said.

Ten years ago, Havel, as president, honored former President George H.W. Bush, former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Poland's 1980s pro-democracy leader, Lech Walesa, at the Prague Castle for their contributions to the fall of communism.

This time, only heads of Eastern European parliaments will participate in a conference in the Senate.

Organizers of the re-enactment of the student rally said they invited more than 800 original participants, as well anti-Communist dissidents — but no politicians other than Havel.

"We do it for normal people," said Michal Pokorny, an organizer. "It's a great anniversary but we wanted a nonpolitical celebration."

(This version CORRECTS date of new government to Dec 10)

NEW YORK – A Chapter 11 filing usually means the end of the road for financial companies since they rely so heavily on customer trust. CIT Group Inc. is hoping that its case will be different.
The commercial lender's trip through bankruptcy reorganization may well be speedy given that it's already reached agreements with creditors on restructuring its debt. But the real test will come from CIT customers, who could decide to take their business elsewhere.
"Their image is tarnished right now," said Len Blum, a managing partner at investment bank Westwood Capital. "They have an uphill climb because they are only worth the value of the portfolio," Blum said of CIT's pool of loans it has extended to customers.
Just as a bank would fail if all of its depositors tried to get money out at the same time, CIT wouldn't be able to survive if too many of its customers close their accounts. Some have already been pulling their business in recent months as CIT struggled for survival, but it's still too early to know how many will remain.
CIT is one of the nation's biggest lenders to small and mid-sized businesses, providing financing to a large array of businesses including retailers, energy companies, a small movie studio, and operators of Dunkin' Donuts stores.
One factor playing in CIT's favor is that tight lending conditions would make it tough for customers who wanted to leave. CIT also provides specialized types financing services that relatively few competitors offer.
"Without many alternatives in place, and an environment of risk adversity, they still have a place in the market," said Scott Stuart, a senior managing director of bankruptcy management services firm Donlin Recano & Co.
Even with those advantages, analysts say it's still anyone's guess whether CIT can pull it off.
"The reputational risk is significant," said Hal Reichwald, co-chair of the banking and specialty finance practice group at the law firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP. "Ultimately that will result in a much smaller company."
CIT filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Sunday in New York after teetering on the brink of collapse for months. The company ran into trouble as rising costs to finance its operations outpaced the money it took in from providing loans. The pre-arranged bankruptcy plan with creditors will reduce its debt by about $10 billion.
The government gave CIT $2.3 billion last fall as part of a rescue of other banks and lenders, though there is now little hope of that money being recovered. CIT's stockholders would also be wiped out under the reorganization plan. The government declined a subsequent plea this summer for more even funds from CIT after concluding that any fallout from a possible collapse of the lender would be manageable.
CIT, one of the largest lenders to the retail industry, serves 2,000 vendors that supply merchandise to 300,000 stores, according to Craig Shearman, spokesman at the National Retail Federation. Analysts say 60 percent of the apparel industry depends on CIT for financing, so other lenders taking up all the slack would pose a big financial strain.
"Everyone is pulling for CIT to get by," said Michael Cipriani, senior vice president of Rosenthal & Rosenthal, a rival of CIT. "It would be devastating to see something like this fail."
Rosenthal & Rosenthal has picked up more than 100 CIT clients, whose agreements were up for renewal, since this past summer when the lender's problems flared up.
"We haven't slowed down one bit. The phones keep ringing," added Cipriani, noting that he's had to turn down a number of prospects.
While some borrowers jump ship, others are trying to ride out the storm.
Allen Schwartz, founder and design director of trendy fashion company A.B.S. Allen B. Schwartz, which has used CIT for 25 years to help finance the buying of fabrics and other operations, said that he's not seeking alternative funding right now.
"I am staying put," Schwartz said. "I am concerned about it. I am keeping my antenna up. I hope they pull out of it."

While CIT's bankruptcy adds more uncertainty to the retail industry, the timing could have been much worse. Mallory Duncan, senior vice president and general counsel at the National Retail Federation said the industry "dodged a bullet" because the bulk of the holiday merchandise is now out on stores' floors. However, there still could be some snafus with holiday reorders, analysts said.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner acknowledged that disruptions like CIT's Chapter 11 filing could create problems for small businesses trying to participate in an economic recovery. In an interview Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press," Geithner said that while credit is flowing for large corporations, small businesses still "face a really tough environment on the financing side, and we need to keep working to try to open up credit to them."

_____

AP Business Writer Daniel Wagner in Washington and AP Retail Writer Anne D'Innocenzio in New York contributed to this report.

Live foods commonly available are crickets (both Gryllus bimaculatus and Acheta domesticus commonly), waxworms (Galleria Mellonella), mealworms (Tenebrio molitor), Giant mealworms (Zoophobas morio) and locusts (a number of species are seen commonly). There are however many more species used such as butter worms, phoenix worms, a variety of cockroach species, silk worms and more. Insect species are most commonly used to feed small reptiles and amphibians.

Another common form of live food, most commonly used to feed snakes, is small rodents. The most commonly known small rodent used for live food is likely the mouse; many pet stores which carry snakes or cater to snake owners also carry "feeder mice" for this reason (see Fancy mouse).

Live Food

THURSDAY, Oct. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers have created
their first map of parts of the human genome that are considered
disposable.

Scientists estimate that at least 2.7 million base pairs of the human
genome, which reside in 58 distinct regions of DNA, are non-essential and
can disappear without hurting people's health.

The new report builds on previous findings by using microarray
technology to find DNA in 600 young and healthy Dutch subjects. Nearly all
of the study participants carried so-called complete DNA losses. On
average, the number was 50,000 base pairs.

"The results of this study have provided insight into the
'non-essential' parts of the human genome, which will aid in expanding our
current understanding of genetic variation among humans," study co-author
Terry Vrijenhoek, a medical geneticist from Radboud University Nijmegen in
the Netherlands, said in a news release from the American Society of Human
Genetics.

"Clearly, while the large majority of our genes are essential, the
current research results suggest that hardly any one of us possesses a
complete genome," Vrijenhoek added.

The researchers noted that most people can do just fine without the DNA
base pairs, even though some of the genes seem to play a role in
disease -- like psoriasis -- and food digestion.

It also appears that evolution protects the most important genes by
making sure they're not in areas where base pairs are often lost, the
study authors explained.

The findings were to be released this week at the American Society of
Human Genetics annual meeting, in Honolulu.

More information

Learn more about DNA from the U.S.
National Library of Medicine.

DULUTH, Minn. – A Minnesota man has pleaded guilty to driving his motorized La-Z-Boy chair while drunk. A criminal complaint says 62-year-old Dennis LeRoy Anderson told police he left a bar in the northern Minnesota town of Proctor on his chair after drinking eight or nine beers.
Prosecutors say Anderson's blood alcohol content was 0.29, more than three times the legal limit, when he crashed into a parked vehicle in August 2008. He was not seriously injured.
Police said the chair was powered by a converted lawnmower and had a stereo and cup holders.
Sixth Judicial District Judge Heather Sweetland stayed 180 days of jail time Monday and ordered two years of probation for Anderson. His attorney, David Keegan, did not immediately return a call for comment.
___
Information from: Duluth News Tribune, http://www.duluthsuperior.com

NEW YORK – Kenny Ortega was responsible for some of Michael Jackson's biggest concerts, including what were to be his comeback shows in London. But in the singer's final days, the producer-director-choregrapher felt like he needed to take on another responsibility — making sure Jackson stayed healthy.
"Michael had sleepless nights and we had to look after him. (I'd say to him), 'Stay hydrated, have a protein shake — Did you eat today before you came?'" Ortega said in an interview Thursday to promote the new Jackson documentary, "This Is It."
When Jackson would say he had, a skeptical Ortega would say — "Michael?"
"Michael's an adult. ... We didn't want to baby him," he said. "(But) I had concerns and we had conversations, wanting to make sure he was doing everything he could to build himself and not break himself down."
Jackson died June 25 at age 50. The Los Angeles County coroner has ruled Jackson's death a homicide, caused primarily by the powerful anesthetic propofol and another sedative. Jackson's personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, has not been charged with a crime but is the focus of the police investigation.
Ortega's work with Jackson included world tours for Jackson's "Dangerous" and "HIStory" albums. He was directing the "This Is It" shows — which would have marked the performer's comeback concerts in London's O2 Arena in July — and was brought on to direct a film adaptation of those taped rehearsals after Jackson's death.
"This Is It" will premiere globally on Tuesday and run for two weeks. The soundtrack for the film, which includes the newly released title track as well as some of his best-known hits, is being released Monday.
In a 12-minute clip previewed for media on Thursday, a strong-voiced King of Pop is shown enthusiastically practicing some of his biggest hits.
Jackson, though frail-looking, is shown warming up his vocals during a performance of "Human Nature." That's followed by the singer running through the song in various outfits.
Later, he playfully dances with a woman as he sings "The Way You Make Me Feel," touching her thigh and holding her waist.
"One more time," Jackson says toward the end of the song after being told the last eight bars were to be cut.
Ortega says although he worried about Jackson's health, he doesn't believe the preparation for the shows wore the singer down. In fact, he says it was the opposite.
"I can tell you this experience, working on this show, was invigorating, was nourishing. ... (it) wasn't taking away from Michael," he said.
Travis Payne, a choreographer who worked on "This Is It" and other Jackson tours, says he remembers spending one-on-one time with Jackson — especially visiting Web sites like YouTube.
"I used to love sitting and just surfing the 'net with him," Payne said. "And we would just do that and we would be able to have our creative reference time in a different way now."
Musical director Michael Bearden recalls Jackson's lofty goal to try to capture all of his music in one, over-the-top show.
"He had so, so much music that we tried to get everything in but not cheat the audience at the same time, which is a delicate balance if you will to try to get everything in and still feel like you're getting a full song," he said.
Ortega says Jackson was very adamant about the look of the tour — from the length of the songs to the stage's lighting.

"From the very beginning Michael was very vocal, and very upfront about what he wanted to do and why he wanted to do it," Ortega said.

"That's what 'This Is It,' Michael Jackson's 'This Is It' the film, is about — it's a privileged peak into the final creative process of Michael's last theatrical work."

___

On the Net:

http://www.thisisit-movie.com/

The Federal Election Commission is abandoning an ongoing court battle involving EMILY's List that may increase financial involvement by outside groups in future elections.

The agency Thursday deadlocked 3-3 in a vote to decide whether it would ask an appellate court to re-hear a September decision involving the group, which works to elect Democratic women candidates who support abortion rights.

The group had challenged the regulations enacted by the FEC in 2005, which prohibited nonprofit groups from using soft money -- unlimited contributions from individuals, corporations, unions and political action committees -- for campaign and election activities. The regulations directed the groups to pay for those activities with "hard money" contributions, which are limited to $5,000 annually from individuals and political action committees.

Solicitor General Elena Kagan has the authority to ignore the FEC's vote and seek a rehearing of the case by a higher court, but she has not made a statement on the matter.

"The Solicitor General's office is studying the Court of Appeals decision," said Justice Department spokeswoman Beverly Lumpkin.

For years, nonprofits spent unlimited contributions to influence campaigns until the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (PL 107-155) took a major step in removing such soft money from elections.

Despite its origination with a partisan liberal group, many conservatives -- including FEC's three Republican commissioners -- say the case represents a fundamental free speech issue. Meanwhile, Democrats and the campaign finance overhaul community are calling it a case of judicial activism.

In its 74-page decision, a panel of the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit court wrote that EMILY's List -- "like individual citizens" is "entitled to spend and raise unlimited money."

Following Thursday's FEC vote, Democratic-nominated commissioners Cynthia L. Bauerly and Ellen L. Weintraub said their Republican colleagues are to blame for not reaching a consensus on how to proceed in the EMILY's List case.

"Although we do not believe it appropriate to appeal every adverse decision from a court, in cases where a divided opinion reaches significant constitutional questions not briefed by either party, we believe it is imperative to seek guidance from the full Circuit on behalf of the Commission and all who must comply" with the Federal Election Campaign Act, they wrote in a joint statement following the vote.

Republican commissioners Donald F. McGahn II, Caroline C. Hunter and Matthew S. Petersen issued a statement following the vote. "The court followed Supreme Court precedent in applying constitutionally sound reasoning," they wrote.

Critics in the campaign finance overhaul community blasted the FEC for not authorizing the appeal.

"We made some progress in slowing that down, but now all of that has fallen by the wayside," said Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer. "The three Republican commissioners ... once again have prevented the agency from doing what they would normally do in these circumstances."

WASHINGTON -- In a frontal assault on the U.S. banking system, the Federal Reserve proposed Thursday to review the pay practices of America's largest banks, while the Treasury Department outlined why it slashed executive pay at financial institutions that are receiving substantial taxpayer bailouts.

The moves potentially point to a new era of tough love for a sector that's long influenced what does -- and what doesn't -- get done in Washington .

The Treasury Department , part of the executive branch, had already moved assertively for months to press the issue of misaligned incentives for pay and bonuses in the financial sector, both through proposed legislation and high-profile pronouncements.

The newfound assertiveness, however, was striking from the independent Federal Reserve, which the Obama administration wants to arm with new powers to police the financial sector more broadly for system-wide risks to the economy.

"Compensation practices at some banking organizations have led to misaligned incentives and excessive risk taking, contributing to bank losses and financial instability," Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said in a statement. "The Federal Reserve is working to ensure that compensation packages appropriately tie rewards to the longer-term performance and do not create undue risk for the firm or the financial system."

In a three-page statement explaining how it will review compensation practices at 28 large banking organizations, the Fed made clear that it intends to have a say in how financial executives receive pay and bonuses.

"Because of the federal safety net, shareholders of a banking organization may be willing to tolerate a degree of risk that is inconsistent with the organization's safety and soundness," the Fed said — accusing boards of directors at major financial institutions of assessing and managing risk improperly because they think they have a federal safety net. "Thus aligning interests of employees and shareholders may not be sufficient to protect the safety and soundness of the organization or financial stability."

At the heart of the Fed's planned review of pay practices at the nation's biggest, most globally interconnected banks is a concern that in the run-up to last year's near meltdown of global finance, big financial firms were rewarding executives for short-term, unsustainable profits without regard for the long-term consequences.

Briefing reporters on the condition of anonymity, a senior Fed official said that the goal is to ensure that all major banks think of compensation over the long term, providing rewards across a horizon well beyond three months or even two or three years.

Fed critics were wary of Thursday's announcement.

"I'm impressed, but I am skeptical . . . What is new is the Fed seems to be interested in doing anything about it," said Dean Baker , an economist and co-director of the Center for Economic Policy Research , a liberal group. "I'm glad to see it, but it's a story of which you have to be skeptical."

Bernanke and other Fed officials have long known how well compensated top Wall Street executives have been, Baker said, questioning what makes the issue a top concern at the Fed just as some Democratic lawmakers want to weaken the central bank while the Obama administration tries to strengthen it.

The bank sector pleaded guilty to the Fed announcement.

"From a banking standpoint, their proposal is correctly focused on eliminating compensation practices that cause employees to take excessive risk," said Scott Talbott , the senior vice president of government affairs for the Financial Services Roundtable, the lobby for big financial firms. "The institutions did not manage their compensation risks, they were focused on the short term . . . and not over the longer-term horizon."

Compensation is front and center in the Washington debate after reports suggested that Wall Street banks are on track to pay salaries and bonuses exceeding what they paid in 2007, before the financial crisis began.

Many of the institutions paying bonuses received taxpayer bailout money. Even if some have repaid the government aid with interest, they still continue to enjoy loan guarantees and other federal subsidies designed to thaw a deep freeze in credit markets.

The Fed's compensation review, which can't begin until after a 30-day comment period, doesn't aim to equalize pay structures or cap them, but to end with a best-practices approach for the industry.

That complements actions detailed Thursday by Kenneth Feinberg , the Treasury Department's special pay czar for companies that now have significant government ownership. Feinberg announced that he's capping at $500,000 the cash pay for the 175 executives at seven large institutions receiving taxpayer support, and cutting their bonuses in half. These executives will be compensated with shares of company stock for the salaries and bonuses they're losing.

"We gave him the difficult task of cutting excessive pay, striking a balance between compensation and risk taking, and keeping strong management teams in place to help the companies recover -- all in the public interest." Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said in a statement welcoming Feinberg's action.

The seven institutions were Citigroup ; Bank of America ; American International Group ; General Motors and its finance arm, GMAC Inc. ; and Chrysler LLC and its finance arm, Chrysler Financial.

ON THE WEB

Treasury explanation of pay curbs

Federal Reserve notice on pay review

Fed FAQ on pay review

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ORANGE PARK, Fla. – After 7-year-old Somer Thompson vanished on her way home from school, investigators tailed nine garbage trucks from her neighborhood to a Georgia landfill nearly 50 miles away, then picked through the trash as each rig spilled its load.
They sorted through more than 225 tons of garbage before their worst fears were realized: Sticking out of the rubbish were a child's lifeless legs.
Sheriff Rick Beseler said the quick discovery of Somer's body on Wednesday, two days after she disappeared, may have saved precious evidence that could lead to her killer.
"Had we not done this tactic, I believe that body would have been buried beneath hundreds of tons of debris, probably would have gone undiscovered forever," he said Thursday.
An autopsy to establish the cause of death was performed Thursday, but authorities would not disclose their findings. At a news conference, Beseler would not say if Somer had been sexually assaulted or answer other questions about the condition of the body.
"I fear for our community until we bring this person in. This is a heinous crime that's been committed," Beseler said. "And we're going to work as hard as we can to make this community safe."
Searching landfills is common when children disappear, but it is unusual to try to zero in on them more efficiently by tracking a neighborhood's garbage trucks, said Ernie Allen, president of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
"Time is the enemy in these cases and the sheriff used every resource," Allen said.
The sheriff said police have questioned more than 155 registered sex offenders in the area so far. State online records show 88 sex offenders live in Orange Park, a Jacksonville suburb of about 9,000 people just south of Jacksonville Naval Air Station.
Beseler would not say whether investigators believe the crime was committed by more than one person.
Somer's father and other family members were "torn up" upon hearing the news, aunt Laura Holt said.
As for the killer or killers, "I don't think they deserve to live," Holt said. "I don't think there's anything worse that a person can do — to kill a child and dump her in the dump like a piece of trash?"
The girl disappeared in a heavily populated residential area about a mile from a stretch of fast-food restaurants and other businesses. Investigators will presumably try to pinpoint the trash bin or garbage can where she was dumped, based on the trash around her and the truck's pickup route.
Tuesday was trash day in Somer's neighborhood, and it was Detective Bruce Owens' idea to track the garbage trucks to the landfill they use in Folkston, Ga., 48 miles way.
"At that time I realized that this is probably not going to turn out good," the 10-year veteran of the Clay County Sheriff's Office told The Florida Times-Union. But he said he had been expecting to find perhaps a backpack or a piece of clothing, not a body.
The sheriff said he had told the girl's mother, Diena Thompson, to prepare for the worst, and called her after receiving the news Wednesday night.
"Needless to say, she was absolutely devastated," Beseler said. "It was the hardest phone call I've ever had to make in my life, and I hope I never have to make another one like that."
Somer vanished on Monday during her mile-long walk home from school. Authorities said she squabbled with another child and walked ahead of the group. She was last seen outside a vacant house that was on her route home, sheriff's spokeswoman Mary Justino said. Investigators are examining the house for evidence, Justino said.

On Thursday, flowers and dozens of teddy bears were heaped around an oak tree across the street from Somer's home where about 200 people gathered for a candlelight vigil in front of the family's home just after sundown.

Diena Thompson came out to thank the group who sang "Amazing Grace" and "You Are My Sunshine," then recited the Lord's Prayer.

"I wish I could hug every one of you," Thompson said. "I love every one of you."

Neighbor Carter Beukema shouted his comments about if the accused killer goes to trial: "I hope I'm on the jury. He will pay."

Somer "was always happy unless she couldn't find anyone to play with," neighbor Robert Ocain said. "She trusted anybody. Honestly, I think all the kids around here do."

At the tree, Catherine Sullivan held her teary-eyed 5-year-old daughter, Nya Frederick. They drove to the Thompsons' neighborhood from Jacksonville because Sullivan wanted to show her child the dangers of being too friendly with strangers.

"She seemed to understand when I explained to her her mommy wouldn't see her anymore," the mother said.

___

Associated Press writers Suzette Laboy, Sarah Larimer and Jennifer Kay in Miami and Katrina Goggins in Columbia, S.C., contributed to this story.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) –
Cable television network TLC on Friday sued Jon Gosselin, the father of eight who stars in the channel's reality show "Jon & Kate Plus Eight," accusing him of violating his contract by appearing on other programs.

TLC's lawsuit filed in Maryland, where the company is based, is the latest salvo in an ongoing dispute between the cable network and Jon Gosselin, who since splitting from his wife, Kate, in June, has sought to put the brakes on the program starring his family.

"The network has been trying privately and patiently for months to get Jon to honor the contract he signed and to comply with his obligations relating to public appearances and statements," TLC said in a statement.

"Those efforts have been unsuccessful," TLC said.

TLC's lawsuit accuses Jon Gosselin of violating his contract by taking money to appear on celebrity news programs "Entertainment Tonight" and "The Insider," where he talked about problems with his estranged wife and his family.

Jon Gosselin was under a contractual agreement not to talk about the show to the media without TLC's permission, but he violated that by making "false and disparaging statements about TLC and Mrs. Gosselin," the lawsuit states.

Jon Gosselin said in a TV interview last month that he despised his estranged wife, and he later told CNN interviewer Larry King that TLC paid his family $22,500 an episode.

TLC said in the lawsuit that the network, which is a division of Discovery Communications Inc, tried to work with Jon Gosselin about his media appearances, but did not give him blanket approval to speak about the show.

Gosselin's attorney Mark Jay Heller said in a statement that his client will "vigorously defend against this baseless action" and that it will be shown that TLC "exploited, manipulated and abused the Gosselins' vulnerability and financial hardship."

The Gosselins, whose family home is in Pennsylvania, are parents of sextuplets and a pair of twins, and they have said that appearing on TV helped them provide for their kids.

"Jon & Kate Plus Eight" began in 2007, and has become one of TLC's most popular programs, attracting its highest ratings in June, when 10.6 million viewers tuned in to watch the couple announce their divorce.

The lawsuit also detailed TLC's rational for announcing last month that it would change the name of the show to "Kate Plus Eight," stating the move was motivated by Jon Gosselin's "erratic public behavior" and his contract violations.

TLC said that although Jon Gosselin would still have a role in the program, the new incarnation of the show would have focused on "Mrs. Gosselin's role as a single mother."

Now that Jon Gosselin has asked TLC to stop filming his kids, TLC said in the lawsuit, "plans to re-launch the program as 'Kate Plus Eight' have been suspended indefinitely."

In its breach of contract lawsuit against Jon Gosselin, TLC asked a judge to order him to pay unspecified damages and tell the reality star to stop violating his contract.

(Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

There is no unified or centrally cleared market for the majority of FX trades, and there is very little cross-border regulation. Due to the over-the-counter (OTC) nature of currency markets, there are rather a number of interconnected marketplaces, where different currencies instruments are traded. This implies that there is not a single exchange rate but rather a number of different rates (prices), depending on what bank or market maker is trading, and where it is.

A foreign exchange option (commonly shortened to just FX option) is a derivative where the owner has the right but not the obligation to exchange money denominated in one currency into another currency at a pre-agreed exchange rate on a specified date. The FX options market is the deepest, largest and most liquid market for options of any kind in the world.

Forex Online Trading System MT4

Internet radio services are usually accessible from anywhere in the world—for example, one could listen to an Australian station from Europe or America. Some major networks like Clear Channel in the US and Chrysalis in the UK restrict listening to in country because of music licensing and advertising concerns.[citation needed] Internet radio remains popular among expatriates and listeners with interests that are often not adequately served by local radio stations (such as progressive rock, ambient music, folk music, classical music, and stand-up comedy). Internet radio services offer news, sports, talk, and various genres of music—everything that is available on traditional radio stations.

Internet radio was pioneered by Carl Malamud. In 1993, Malamud launched "Internet Talk Radio" which was the "first computer-radio talk show, each week interviewing a computer expert." However, as late as 1995, this service was not available via multicast streaming; it was distributed "as audio files that computer users fetch one by one."

Internet Radio

PARIS – Over the years, the chief sommelier had forgotten they were there. And when the four bottles of 1875 Armagnac Vieux were finally unearthed from the labyrinthine wine cellar this week, they were covered in a black fungus that looked like matted cat fur.
The landmark Tour d'Argent restaurant, which dates back to 1582, is cleaning out its 450,000-bottle wine cellar, considered one of the best in the world. It is putting 18,000 bottles up for auction in December, an event that has captured the imagination of French wine lovers.
The restaurant is selling mostly wine but also some very old spirits, like three bottles of a Clos du Griffier Cognac from 1788, the year before the French Revolution, as well as the ancient Armagnac, valued at euro400-500 ($595-$743) a bottle. The fuzzy fungus is nothing to worry about — it thrives on the fumes of such spirits and often grows on long-aged bottles.
The restaurant wants to cut down on wines it has in multiple to vary and modernize its selection.
"You'll probably see, we've got too many bottles," jokes chief sommelier David Ridgway.
Unlocking a padlocked iron gate, he ushered visitors into the restaurant's underworld, where bottles are stacked floor to ceiling in a succession of caverns. Though everything is registered in a computer, there are occasional surprises, like the 1875 Armagnac, which Ridgway came across while looking for something else.
Visitors are offered sheepskin blankets for the chill: 14 degrees Celsius (57.2 Fahrenheit) this week, but dipping to 12 degrees Celsius (53.6 Fahrenheit) in winter.
"I like the wine to live a little bit of the seasons, even though it's temperature-controlled," said Ridgway, a Briton who has overseen the restaurant's wine menu since the early 1980s.
The cellar of the Left Bank restaurant, known for pressed duck and spectacular views of Notre Dame, is a part of its history. A sign marks the spot where a brick wall was built in 1940 to hide the best bottles during the Nazi occupation in World War II.
Estimated prices at the Dec. 7-8 sale by French auctioneer Piasa start at euro10 ($15) a bottle and go up to euro2,500-euro3,000 ($3,716-$4,459) for each 1788 Cognac, one of which will go to charity.
Among wines on sale are Chateau Lafite Rothschild (1970, 1982, 1997), Cheval Blanc (1928, 1949, 1966) and Chateau Margaux (1970, 1990). The total sale is expected to bring in around euro1 million ($1.5 million).
Buyers can rest assured the bottles aren't counterfeit — a major problem in the industry — because the restaurant bought them directly from vintners. As for the restaurant, the timing of the auction is right even as Europe struggles amid a global economic crisis.
"I'm sure there are some amazing treasures in that cellar, and it's a good time to sell because the wine auction market has really come storming back" after tanking during the early months of the financial crisis, said Michael Steinberger, Slate's wine columnist and author of "Au Revoir to All That: Food, Wine, and the End of France."
The restaurant, a family business, was once the summit of French gastronomy, but recent years have brought setbacks. Longtime owner Claude Terrail died in 2006, and his 29-year-old son Andre now runs it. The restaurant long held three Michelin stars but is now down to one.
The economic crisis has affected the restaurant's finances only "a bit," Terrail said, in part because of its name and diverse international clientele. While the kitchen was renovated recently, the wine sale may fund more extensive renovations down the line.
The restaurant's name means "The Silver Tower" in French, and all the bottles for sale are stamped with the restaurant's insignia, a tiny tower.
On the Web:
http://www.piasa.auction.fr/UK/

Cap Cana is located in the Eastern region of the Dominican Republic known as Juanillo. The site was founded as a new and more ambitious touristic site with contributions from international investors and strategic partners such as Ritz-Carlton, Sotogrande, Donald Trump and many others. The site has a Marina, Large resorts, beaches, and many others. Primarily founded as a site to attract international visitors. The Cap Cana Championship, a Champions Tour golf tournament, is held at Punta Espada Golf Club in Cap Cana, a course designed by Jack Nicklaus.

Cap Cana is a tourism development with an investment of upwards of two billion dollars in the eastern lands of the Dominican Republic. This area renown for its great hotels and beaches, lacks exclusivity to the high upper class which Cap Cana hopes, in part, to offer. The area was conceived with the backing both financially and publicly of "elites" such as Donald Trump, Jack Nicklaus, and other holders.

Cap Cana Villa Rental

WASHINGTON (Reuters) –
President Barack Obama faced increased pressure on Thursday to win approval of a free trade deal with South Korea after the European Union locked up its own pact with Asia's third-largest market.

"We have concluded our negotiations with the EU, which has almost a similar economic size as the United States," South Korean Ambassador to the United States Han Duk-soo said.

"President Obama will visit Korea in November and we hope we will make some progress before that" to resolve concerns blocking approval of the U.S.-Korea free trade pact, Han said in a speech at the Heritage Foundation.

The United States and South Korea signed their free trade deal more than two years ago. But U.S. lawmaker concerns over beef and auto trade with the longtime ally that borders North Korea has blocked approval of the agreement.

Many U.S. lawmakers argue the free trade pact fails to tear down "non-tariff barriers" that keep out American cars. Others want Seoul to remove remaining barriers to U.S. beef imports that stemming from the discovery mad cow disease in the United States several years ago.

Since then, South Korea has continued negotiating free trade deals. It initialed a pact with the European Union on

Thursday expected to go into force by the middle of 2010 and is currently in talks with Canada, Mexico and Peru.

"We would like to be the hub of free trade agreements in East Asia," Han said, citing a study that U.S. companies could lose 380,000 jobs to competitors in the EU and Canada if the U.S.-Korea free trade agreement is not approved.

The EU-Korea trade deal could be worth 100 billion euros ($149 billion) to both economies and advocates says it will help both sides fight the worst financial crisis in decades.

It also comes at a time when the United States is already losing market share in South Korea to the EU, Japan and China.

US SAYS "KEENLY INTERESTED" IN EU-KOREA DEAL

Obama sided with the United Auto Workers and other opponents of the South Korean free trade agreement during last year's presidential campaign.

After meeting with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak in June, the two leaders agreed to work on outstanding concerns. However, Seoul has steadfastly refused to renegotiate auto provisions that are the biggest obstacle to U.S. approval.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. Trade Representative's office said the United States was "keenly interested" in the implications of the EU-Korea deal for the United States.

"EU firms compete directly with U.S. suppliers in key segments of the large and growing Korean market, such as machinery, chemicals, plastics, auto parts, and dairy products," USTR spokesman Carol Guthrie said.

"Ambassador (Ron) Kirk believes it is vital to maintain the competitiveness of US businesses and workers in this important market," Guthrie said, referring to the U.S. Trade Representative.

PANAMA, COLOMBIA

Meanwhile, Panamanian and Colombian trade officials also urged U.S. action on their free trade agreements, which like the Korean deal are left over from the administration of former President George W. Bush.

Obama sided with labor groups in opposing the Colombia free trade agreement on the grounds that President Alvaro Uribe has not done enough to stop violence against trade unionists and prosecute those responsible for killings.

But Ricardo Triana, director of the Colombia Trade Bureau, said the average Colombian had a hard time understanding why the U.S. Congress still has not approved the trade deal signed between the two countries in November 2006.

The trade situation facing Colombia is especially difficult after Venezuela decided to cut trade in the wake of Washington and Bogota's decision to negotiate a defense cooperation agreement, Triana said.

September figures show that trade with Venezuela, Colombia's second-largest trading partner, has fallen 52 percent while trade with Ecuador, Colombia's third-largest trading partner, has also dropped, he said.

"This is not an easy situation and I am sure you can see the public perception of the real and tangible cost of being a U.S. ally," Triana said, adding Colombia believes it has made major progress in reducing violence the past seven years.

Panama hopes to soon resolve tax and labor issues that have blocked approval of its trade deal, which was signed with the United States in June 2007, said Francisco Alvarez de Soto, Panama's vice minister for trade negotiations.

Timothy Keeler, a trade lawyer at Mayer Brown who worked for USTR during the Bush administration, said the only way the three trade deals will be approved is if Obama decides to make them a priority and is willing to take on labor groups.

There may be a chance to approve the deals early next year if Obama "makes a very difficult decision he wants to get this done" before the November 2010 congressional elections, Keeler said. If not, it could be 2011 at the earliest before Congress votes on the pact, he said.

(Additional reporting by Darren Ennis in Brussels; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

MELBOURNE (AFP) –
Mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton are considering merging their Canadian diamond operations, as the former bitter rivals look for savings through increased cooperation, a report said Monday.

Both firms had sent employees to Canada to examine a one billion dollar (850 million US) merger of their diamond mines, which sit alongside each other in the Northwest Territories, the Australian newspaper reported.

They already jointly own the Escondida copper mine in Chile and earlier this year announced plans for a massive iron ore joint venture in Western Australia expected to save the firms at least 10 billion US dollars.

The Australian newspaper said the plan being considered in Canada involved combining operations at BHP's Ekati and Rio's Diavik mines.

Both companies, which were at loggerheads last year when BHP launched a hostile 150 billion dollar takeover offer for Rio, declined to comment on the report.

LONDON (AFP) –
Radio veteran Terry Wogan announced on Monday that he will be leaving Radio 2's breakfast show, the nation's most popular, and that he will be replaced by Chris Evans.

Speaking live on air, the 71-year-old said the decision to leave Wake Up To Wogan at the end of the year was the hardest of his career.

"I'd rather leave while we're in love, as the song says, while the programme is the most popular on British radio, while we still delight in each other's company," he said.

"And so we will, until the end of the year, when my good friend Chris Evans takes over. I know that you'll give him the same love and affection you've always shown to me."

Wogan said he will start work on a new radio show in 2010.

Recent figures show Wake Up To Wogan attracts a weekly audience of 7.93 million listeners, making Wogan the king of breakfast radio.

The legendary presenter first started working on the breakfast radio show in 1972. He left to host another show in 1984 but returned to Radio 2 in 1993 and has presented Wake Up To Wogan ever since.

Tim Davie, director of audio and music at the BBC said: "I'd like to thank Terry for entertaining his army of fans for many years and I'm delighted that he has agreed to continue to entertain the nation on Radio 2."

Evans, a popular radio DJ in his own right, will be taking over the reins in January 2010.

Writing in his blog, Evans said: "Good luck Mr W. I promise I will do my utmost not to let you and your listeners down."

LONDON (Reuters) –
Britain's Cadbury (CBRY.L), the world's second biggest confectionery group, has rejected a $16.7 billion bid approach by Kraft Foods Inc (KFT.N) but North America's biggest food group still hopes it can clinch a deal.

Kraft said on Monday it had offered 300 pence in cash and 0.2589 new Kraft shares for each Cadbury share in the hope that it can create a "global powerhouse in snacks, confectionery and quick meals" with combined revenues of about $50 billion.

Cadbury shares jumped 36 percent to 778 pence at the open, helping lift the European food and consumer goods sector, with Anglo-Dutch giant Unilever (ULVR.L)(UNc.AS) up 2.6 percent and Nestle (NESN.VX), the world's biggest food group, up 0.7 percent.

Based on Kraft's own closing share price of $28.10 on September 4 and a sterling exchange rate of $1.6346, the offer values each Cadbury share at 745 pence and the company as a whole at 10.2 billion pounds ($16.66 billion).

The offer is a 31 percent premium to Cadbury's closing share price of 568 pence on September 4, Kraft said.

Cadbury declined to comment on the statement from Kraft.

Cadbury's board had rejected the proposal, Kraft said in a statement, adding that it was "committed to working toward a recommended transaction and to maintaining a constructive dialogue." The U.S. company said it had published details of its approach in order to "encourage and further that process."

Kraft predicted a takeover would result in "meaningful revenue synergies over time" and said there was an opportunity to save at least $625 million a year in pre-tax costs.

Cadbury, whose brands include Bassett's Liquorice Allsorts and Maynards Wine Gums as well as its trademark chocolate bars, had sales of 5.4 billion pounds ($8.8 billion) last year while revenues at Kraft, which makes Maxwell House, Oreo cookies and Ritz crackers, were $42 billion.

Kraft said it expected any tie-up to boost earnings in the second year following completion and that the company would likely lift its long term revenue growth target to over 5 percent from over 4 percent at present as a result of any deal.

The company would also expect to lift its earnings per share growth goal to 9 to 11 percent from 7 to 9 percent at present.

Northfield, Illinois headquartered Kraft said that in the event of any deal it would offer Cadbury shareholders a mix and match facility under which they could elect, subject to availability, to vary the proportions in which they would receive cash and new Kraft Foods shares.

(Additional reporting by Victoria Bryan; Editing by Jon Loades-Carter)

($1=.6123 Pound)

HOLDEN, La. – A Louisiana killing spree that left four family members dead, including a 2-year-old boy, marked the bloody culmination of an ongoing domestic dispute between the suspected gunman and his estranged wife, said the father of a woman who survived the shootings.
Dennis Carter Sr. shot and killed his wife, son and 2-year-old grandson, then shot himself to death as police tried to pull over his car about 20 minutes later, Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office Chief of Operations Perry Rushing said Sunday.
Also shot was Carter Sr.'s daughter-in-law, Amber Carter, who was six months pregnant and was in intensive care in a New Orleans hospital after giving birth to a healthy boy named Aubrey, said her father, Paul Williamson.
Williamson said Carter Sr., 50, had a history of assaulting his wife, Donna Carter, and recently tried to attack her with a machete. Donna Carter had a restraining order against him that her husband had repeatedly violated.
"This had been going on for quite some time," Williamson said. "It was one of those domestic violence things that just gets worse and worse."
A 16-month-old boy was in the house during the shootings but was not hurt. The child was related to the Carters but Rushing was not sure how.
Authorities were called to the home in Holden, about 30 miles east of Baton Rouge, around 10:30 p.m. Saturday. Donna Carter, 49, and Dennis Carter Jr., 26, were dead inside. Found outside were Amber Carter, badly hurt, and their son, 2-year-old Masson Carter, who was dead.
Rushing said it appeared Amber and Masson Carter escaped from a second-floor window but it was not clear if the gunman shot them inside or followed them outside and shot them there. Williamson said his daughter had bullet wounds in her kidney and liver, plus spinal damage sustained when she leapt from the window, probably trying to escape her father-in-law.
Rushing said deputies spotted Dennis Carter Sr. about 20 minutes after the shootings driving on a highway. When they tried to pull him over, he shot and killed himself.
"It's very unusual to have this many victims," Rushing said. "This is an anomaly by any stretch of the imagination."
In a statement released late Sunday, Stephen Alexander, a lawyer representing other family members of Carter Sr., said they were "obviously devastated by their tremendous loss and they ask that the media respect the family's privacy during the grieving process."
All the Carters lived at the house in Holden except Dennis Carter Sr., who used to live there but had recently moved to nearby Hammond. Williamson said Carter Jr. and wife Amber had been planning to move to another house.
Williamson described the senior Carter as a semi-employed mechanic. He said Carter Jr. was a scaffold builder; Amber Carter was a secretary at North Oaks Rehabilitation Center in Hammond, where Donna Carter worked as a data entry clerk.
Rushing said that state police ballistics experts were conducting tests on a gun found in the senior Carter's car.
Williamson said he didn't expect to learn exactly how the killing spree transpired.
"We won't ever know what happened inside that house," he said.

NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) –
Online video site YouTube is in talks with several major movie studios about renting movies to users by streaming the movies over the Internet according to a person familiar with the talks on Wednesday.

YouTube, which is owned by Internet search giant Google Inc, has held discussions with Lions Gate Entertainment Corp, Sony Pictures, a unit of Sony Corp, and Time Warner Inc's Warner Brothers about online movie rentals, the person said.

In many cases, the movies would be available for rental for a fee in a system similar to Web rental programs from Apple Inc's iTunes with newer movies. It would mark the first time YouTube has charged users to watch videos.

YouTube, which is the world's No.1 video website, currently offers video for free, on an advertising-supported basis.

It currently has a range of archive movies, TV shows and promotional clips from the three named studios and other partners on its site.

"We hope to expand on both our great relationship with the movie studios and the selection and types of videos we offer our community," said YouTube spokesman Chris Dale.

(Reporting by Yinka Adegoke and Alexei Oreskovic; editing by Andre Grenon)

WASHINGTON – When you're a real-life guitarist like Billy Squier, seeing fans trying to emulate your behavior in a video game can be weird.
Squier, whose "Lonely Is the Night" was in "Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the '80s" and returns this week in "Guitar Hero 5," says he once saw some kids playing his hit in an electronics store.
"They were so focused on the game they didn't even notice who was looking over their shoulder," he says. "When I do this song in concert, there'll always be a few young kids playing air guitar ... which I'd attribute to the 'Guitar Hero' experience."
For younger musicians, landing a tune on "Guitar Hero" means invaluable exposure.
"It's ubiquitous, especially among younger fans," says AFI guitarist Jade Puget.
His band's "Miss Murder" was on "Guitar Hero III," and the AFI track "Medicate" is debuting on "GH5." Premiering a new single in a video game "isn't something we agonized over," says Puget. "The fans really enjoy it."
Tim Riley, Activision's vice president of music affairs, says bands young and old are becoming more aware of what "Guitar Hero" can do for them. The latest addition has "a lot of bands we've tried to get before," he says, citing the Arctic Monkeys and Dire Straits. "We get a lot more phone calls than we used to."
As "a bit of a geek," Riley says he feels a responsibility to bring diversity to each game's lineup. Classic or modern, he says, "great music needs to be heard."
___
On the Net:
http://hub.guitarhero.com/games/gh5/

The first insurance company in the United States underwrote fire insurance and was formed in Charles Town (modern-day Charleston), South Carolina, in 1732.

In many countries, such as the U.S. and the UK, the tax law provides that the interest on this cash value is not taxable under certain circumstances. This leads to widespread use of life insurance as a tax-efficient method of saving as well as protection in the event of early death.

http://www.healthinsurancebrokeronline.com/

WASHINGTON (Reuters) –
U.S. regulators are seeking ways to make more efficient use of the airwaves as consumers' use of smartphones is expected to surge, the official spearheading the national broadband program said on Wednesday.

"A key input is spectrum," Blair Levin, the top broadband official at the Federal Communications Commission, told industry executives and lobbyists. "There is consensus in the record; there is not enough of it."

Levin and the FCC are crafting a national broadband plan, as mandated by Congress, to extend broadband services to unserved Americans living in rural areas and to make broadband affordable for those living in urban areas.

One of the ways being considered to increase broadband use is to free up some of the airwaves, or spectrum, that is currently being held by U.S. government agencies such as the Department of Defense.

"The demand curves from uses like smartphones suggest it's going to increase dramatically, for spectrum," Levin said.

The wireless industry is anticipating increasing demand over the next several years for smartphones like Apple Inc's iPhone, Palm Inc's Pre and Verizon Wireless' Storm.

Verizon Wireless is a joint venture between Verizon Communications Inc and Vodafone Group Plc. AT&T Inc is the exclusive provider for the iPhone, and Sprint Nextel Corp provides service for the Pre.

T-Mobile, a unit of Deutsche Telekom AG, is also seeking more spectrum.

CTIA, a wireless trade association, is prodding Congress to move legislation that would take inventory of what portions are being used and by whom.

"We can't wait eight to 11 years for additional spectrum," CTIA President Steve Largent told reporters. He said his group will urge lawmakers to include language in legislation to set a timetable for spectrum auctions for businesses.

Both chambers of Congress are considering legislation.

(Reporting by John Poirier; editing by John Wallace)

BEIJING – China will soon approve domestically developed swine flu vaccines that manufacturers say can protect people against the virus with only one dose, an encouraging development for health officials racing to prepare for an expected spike in cases this winter.
Many health authorities are assuming two doses of vaccine are necessary while they await the results of trials by drug makers around the world to determine the appropriate dosage.
"Everybody is desperately hoping that one will do because then that's much easier to administer," said Jodie McVernon, a vaccine expert at the University of Melbourne, who has not seen the Chinese trial results but who is involved in Australian trials of swine flu vaccines for young children.
China's State Food and Drug Administration said on its Web site it will make a decision this week on approving two vaccines that completed clinical trials last month and passed reviews by panels of about 40 experts. Four other vaccines are being reviewed, it said.
The vaccine makers, Sinovac Biotech Ltd. and Hualan Biological Engineering Inc., said the clinical trials show their products are effective in single doses when used on people aged three to 60 years. More than 3,000 people participated in the trials.
Sinovac says it has the capacity to produce up to 30 million doses of swine flu vaccine in a year while Hualan said it can make 160 million doses.
In about two weeks, the U.S. expects to announce initial test results from its vaccine, which is the same type as the Sinovac version, said Dr. Anthony Fauci of the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
"From what I've seen and heard of the data it looks encouraging," Fauci said of Sinovac's clinical trials. "This is very good news. Let's hope the material that we're using has similar results."
Stockpiling vaccines is China's latest move in its aggressive approach to contain the spread of swine flu in the country of 1.3 billion people and relatively limited medical resources. It has quarantined travelers on suspicion of contact with infected people and ordered schools to test students' temperatures.
The Health Ministry says around 3,700 cases of swine flu have been confirmed on the mainland — none fatal.
China aims to have enough swine flu vaccine for 5 percent of the public by the end of the year, and although health officials have not released detailed vaccination plans, they have said health workers, public service workers and students are priority groups.
International health experts say swine flu has not been as severe as initially feared. At least 2,185 people have died, but most cases are mild and require no treatment. Worries remain that a rash of new infections could overwhelm hospitals and health authorities, particularly in poorer countries.