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5/31/2014
TED Talk: Brazil, beyond samba, soccer and beaches
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5/25/2014
Hospitals on Watch for MERS (video)
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS, has infected more than 500
people since it was first identified in 2012. About 30 percent of those
who contract it die. The steep increase in the number of cases in
recent months, and the fact that people in Asia, Europe and North
America have come down with the virus, have raised concern that the
situation may worsen.
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5/18/2014
GM to Pay $35 Million Fine
General Motors said on Friday that it will pay the maximum $35 million fine to the U.S. Department of Transportation for delays in recalling 2003-2011 small cars with a potentially deadly ignition switch defect.
The fine is part of a consent agreement (full text below) with the DOT to settle its inquiry into whether GM notified the government within the required five business days after finding a safety defect. GM admits in the agreement that it did not.
GM will make "significant and wide-ranging internal changes" in how it monitors safety issues.
In addition, GM will give the DOT's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration "full access to the results of GM's internal investigation into this recall." Anton "Tony" Valukas, chairman of the Chicago-based law firm Jenner & Block and a former U.S. attorney, is conducting GM's internal probe.
GM will pay a fine of $7,000 per day – the maximum -- until it gives NHTSA the Valukas report, expected no later than June 30.
GM also will pay an additional amount for not meeting NHTSA's deadline for submitting documents concerning events leading to the recall.
The GM settlement "puts all manufacturers on notice that they will be held accountable if they fail to quickly report and address safety-related defects," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx at a press conference about the agreement.
An industry expert says actions such as this already are having an effect. "Car companies in general are, and will be much more, rigorous about pre-introduction testing," says Jack Nerad, executive editorial director and senior analyst for Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com.
But Nerad says there also could be an unintended consequence. "Ironically, this climate might also curb innovation even in safety systems. The reason? Product liability.
GM told NHTSA Feb. 7 that it was recalling 619,122 of its 2005-2007 Chevrolet Cobalt and 2007 Pontiac G5 small cars. On Feb. 25 it expanded the recall by 748,024 vehicles to include: 2006-2007 Chevy HHR and Pontiac Solstice, 2003-2007 Saturn Ion, 2007 Saturn Skye.
GM documents show that it knew in 2001 there could be a problem with the key that unexpectedly shut off the engine, killed power assist to the steering and brakes and usually disabled airbags.
Two high-ranking engineers with links to the switches recently retired from GM and two others were put on paid leave.
In a statement on Friday GM said: "We have learned a great deal from this recall. We will now focus on the goal of becoming an industry leader in safety. We will emerge from this situation a stronger company."
edited from USA Today and AP
The right to be forgotten
Europe's highest court ruled Tuesday that people have the "right to be forgotten" and can ask Google to remove some sensitive information from Internet search results.
The case stems from a Spanish national’s request that Google stop linking his name to a 16-year-old announcement relating to the auction of his house because of a debt.
The European high court said that any company that gathers or indexes information about European citizens is subject to its laws, even if the company has no physical presence in that nation, because the information is being presented in that country via the internet.
Google said in a statement on Thursday that "This is a disappointing ruling for search engines and online publishers in general. We now must take time to analyze the implications. Implementation of the ruling will be complicated because of the many languages that are affected here. As soon as we develop a practical method, we will inform users. This could take several weeks”.
Dealing with these requests will cost money, but Google and other search companies already perform similar operations. For example, in the matter of copyright infringement, they routinely take down YouTube videos.
The ruling will not immediately affect Google's U.S. operations.
According to Glenn Gabe, president of G-Squared Interactive, a provider of digital marketing services to executives and celebrities, many people have something in their past they would like to remove from the Internet. "Let's say they went to prison maybe ten years ago, right? And everything's still showing up in Google on page one, even though they've paid their dues".
"The debate here is which is more important: the right to privacy or the freedom of information? The EU ruling is a very powerful statement in support of privacy" said Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington, D.C.
"The decision is groundbreaking and will fundamentally change the landscape not only in the field of privacy, but also in the information economy generally," Trevor Hughes, president and CEO of the International Association of Privacy Professionals.
Fordham law professor Joel Reidenberg, an expert on information law and privacy, said "A U.S. court would likely treat search results differently, since a section of the Telecommunications Act gives a company such as Google immunity from being responsible for content on their service"
For Jules Polonetsky, executive director of Washington's Future of Privacy Forum, the decision sets a legal precedent that is likely to limit the freedom of information in general — both in terms of individual privacy and, in some case, the right to a free press.
edited from USA Today, and Financial Times
Boko Haram Timeline
2002
Mohammed Yusuf founds Boko Haram
He sets up a religious complex, which includes a mosque and an Islamic school. Many poor Muslim families from across Nigeria, as well as neighboring countries, enroll their children at the school.
The official Arabic name, Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad, means "People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet's Teachings and Jihad"
It is nicknamed Boko Haram, a phrase in the local Hausa language meaning, "Western education is forbidden"
Boko Haram initially focuses on opposing any political or social activity associated with Western society - voting in elections, wearing shirts and trousers or receiving a secular education.
2009
Boko Haram launches military operations to create an Islamic state and attacks police stations and other government buildings in Maiduguri.
Boko Haram's trademark is originally the use of gunmen on motorbikes, killing police, politicians and anyone who criticizes it, including clerics from other Muslim traditions and Christian preachers.
It stages more audacious attacks in northern and central Nigeria, including bombing churches, buses, bars, military barracks and even the police and UN headquarters in the capital, Abuja.
This leads to shoot-outs on Maiduguri's streets.
Hundreds of Boko Haram supporters are killed and thousands of residents flee the city.
Nigeria's security forces eventually seize the group's headquarters, capture its fighters and kill Mr Yusuf. His body is shown on state television.
The security forces declare Boko Haram finished.
But its fighters regroup under a new leader, Abubakar Shekau.
2010
The USA designates it a terrorist organization, amid fears that it has links with other militant groups, such as al-Qaeda
2013
May 12
President Goodluck Jonathan declares a state of emergency in the three northern states where Boko Haram is the strongest - Borno, Yobe and Adamawa.
May 14
Boko Haram releases a video showing women and children hostage in response to the arrest of its members' wives and children. There is later a prison swap, with both sides releasing the women and children.
June through December
The group's fighters launch mass attacks on villages. They loot and burn properties in what appears to be a warning to rural people not to collaborate with the security forces.
2014
March
Boko Haram militants attack a boarding school in Yobe
April 15
They raid another school in Chibok and abduct more than 200 schoolgirls,
saying they will treat them as slaves and marry them off - a reference to an ancient Islamic belief that women captured in conflict are part of the "war booty".
April 16
The group's fighters continue with its urban bombing campaign. They target the capital and kill at least 70 people in an explosion near a car park.
May 2
19 people die in another urban bombing attack.
May 16
Boko Haram militants launch an attack in a Chinese workers' camp border region of neighboring Cameroon.
200 gunmen arrive in a convoy of vehicles in Waza and kidnap 10 Chinese engineers and kill one Cameroonian soldier,
May 17
The attack comes shortly before the start of Saturday's summit talks on Boko Haram in Paris, where five heads of state, including Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, meet to map out regional strategies to fight the militant group.
Representatives from the EU, Britain and other Western powers attend the meeting.
French President Francois Hollande says the Nigeria-based Boko Haram militant group is a threat to all of West and Central Africa and a "comprehensive plan" must be established to fight it.
Boko Haram: I abducted your girls (video)
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5/17/2014
5/15/2014
Weirdest Hotel-requests and complaints
- Most unusual hotel requests:
1. One glass of water on the hour every hour, throughout the night
2. 15 cucumbers a day
3. Toilet to be filled with mineral water
4. Bath of honey
5. Sound of goats bells to aid sleep
6. Only the right legs of a chicken
7. A dead mouse
8. Bath of chocolate milk
9. 16 pillows (for single guest)
10. Crocodile soup
- Most unusual hotel complaints:
1. The sheets are too white
2. The sea was too blue
3. Ice cream too cold
4. Bath was too big
5. Girlfriend's snoring kept guest awake - discount requested
6. Guest's dog didn't enjoy his stay - refund requested
7. Hotel had no ocean view (in Mayfair, London and Italy, 80km from coast)
8. There was no steak on vegetarian menu
9. Waiter was too handsome
from Skyscanner and International Business Times
5/12/2014
5/11/2014
Fast-food worker strike
The fast-food worker movement for higher pay will soon go global.
Fast Food Forward, which represents U.S. fast-food workers, announced Wednesday at a press conference outside a McDonald's restaurant in Midtown Manhattan that workers from dozens of countries on six continents are joining the push for higher pay and worker rights.
The group announced nationwide strike plans for May 15 -- a date which mirrors the $15 per hour pay they are demanding. On that same date, workers from dozens of countries on six continents will hold protests at McDonald's, Burger King and KFC outlets. It is not known how many workers will strike, but thousands of the nation's 4 million fast-food workers will take part in the one-day strike.
"We've gone global," said Ashley Cathey, a McDonald's worker from Memphis, Tenn., who makes $7.75 an hour after six years on the job. "Our fight has inspired workers around the world to come together."
The strike will be front-and-center at Mc Donald's annual shareholders meeting on May 22, in Oak Brook, Ill.
On April 29 President Obama asked Congress to raise the national minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour, and earlier this year signed an executive order to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 for individuals working on new federal service contracts.
A week ago workers and union leaders from dozens of countries met for the first global meeting of fast-food workers, organized by the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations, a federation comprised of 396 trade union in 126 countries representing 12 million workers.
In the U.S. strikes will include the first walkouts in Philadelphia, Sacramento, Miami and Orlando. Outside the U.S., the protests will include protests in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, South America and Central America.
Some of the foreign protesters are taking action in sympathy with U.S. workers. Louise Marie Rantzau, who is a McDonald's worker in Denmark, says she makes $21 an hour. "I am surprised to hear U.S. workers have to fight so hard to make $15 an hour, that's why I'm supporting their cause."
edited from USA Today
Photo credit:
An American in a Chinese detention center (video)
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5/07/2014
Look up (video)
- If you want to watch the video without captions, click HERE
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5/04/2014
Rent a watch
Eleven James, a new timeshare, will allow customers to get a new luxury watch for an annual fee. The watches range in value from $7,000 to $50,000 or more.
Randy Brandoff, Eleven James' founder, said "Today's wealthy are smarter about their spending. They prefer to rent rather than own when possible. Private jets, vacation homes, classic cars, and many other historically prized possessions are accessible via various club and shared ownership models. I am simply following that trend"
Currently, three different Eleven James membership options are available.
- Aficionado: $249 per month (3 watches) or $449 (6 watches) is the simplest way to join Eleven James. Brands in this plan include Breitling, Omega, Paneria, and Rolex.
- Connoisseur: $459 per month (3 watches) or $829 (6 watches). Brands include Audemars Piguet, Hublot, Patek Philippe, and Vacheron Constantin- some of the biggest names in the industry.
- Virtuoso: $899 per month (3 watches) or $1,599 (6 months) The watches in this category are the most luxurious and range in value from $30,000-$50,000. Brand include the likes of Breguet and Ulysse Nardin.
Eleven James holds regular parties so customers can come and exchange their watches. Customers who just want to do their exchanges by mail can use FedEx.
Asked if his clients also include wannabes and pretenders who just want to look like they're rich, Brandoff said "All our members can afford the watch and already own them, but they want the variety at a fraction of the price."
Brandoff said that once Eleven James has 1,000 clients—and detailed data on their watch preferences—it will become an attractive partner for the watch companies. For now, Eleven James buys the watches itself.
"But we are getting good prices and terms because of our volume," Brandoff said.
Eleven James will soon offer a watch trade-in service. Its customers will be able to drop their old watches off on consignment. Some brands are interested in using Eleven James as a marketing exercise.
“The luxury market is evolving and we want to follow. Eleven James is not just another rental service”, Brandoff said.
edited from USA Today
New Ford CEO
Outgoing Ford CEO Alan Mulally (left), the man who transformed Ford Motor Co. from a dysfunctional money-loser to a thriving company, will retire July 1 and long-time Ford executive Mark Fields (right), currently COO, will replace him.
Fields, 53, will be named Ford president and chief executive officer and elected as a member of the company's board of directors. He won't name a new COO and plans no executive changes: "The structure's just right now."
Mulally, 68, will retire from the Ford board as well as from his CEO post, and is not planning to work elsewhere. "Retirement sounds good," he said at a "town hall" meeting of employees at Ford's Dearborn headquarters, where the change was announced.
His Ford stock holdings are valued at roughly $300 million, so he doesn't need to work if he doesn't want to.
Bill Ford (center), chairman of the car company, said that when he hired Mulally away from Boeing in 2006, they talked about "all the great things about the Ford culture and the not-so-great things about the Ford culture, and we talked about changing the latter. Here we are eight years later and we did it," Ford said with a wide smile, to enthusiastic applause.
"We did it," Mulally agreed moments later.
In 2006, Mulally's first year at Ford, Ford lost $12.6 billion. It posted another $17.5 billion in red ink the next two years, but in 2009, as rivals continued to struggle, Ford reported a profit of $2.7 billion.
Last year, Ford reported a profit of $7.2 billion, and has earned more than $43 billion under Mulally despite the tough start.
Before becoming COO, Fields was in charge of Ford's operations in the Americas and reversed losses, making North America a profit engine.
"Mark Fields is well positioned to succeed Mulally after 25 years with the company," said Karl Brauer, senior analyst at Kelley Blue Book.
"His previous role as the head of Mazda gives him experience in the Asia-Pacific market, a critical region for growth going forward. In recent years Mark Fields ran operations and cut costs at Ford while serving as a key advisor to Alan Mulally in the formation and execution of the One Ford plan."
And now a short video on Ford and ......
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article edited from USA TODAY
Donald Trump's new golf resort
Yesterday Donald Trump confirmed to Golf.com that he purchased the Turnberry Resort in Scotland on Monday night. Trump paid Dubai-based Leisurecorp just over $63 million for the resort, his 17th golf property.
The Turnberry Resort comprises three courses, a hotel and a spa. The courses will continue to be managed by Starwood Hotels & Resorts.
Speaking by phone, Trump said "I wasn’t looking specifically to buy the Open venue on Scotland’s west coast, but I couldn’t pass it up. It was an opportunity, as far as I was concerned. It is an honor and privilege to own one of golf's greatest and most exciting properties".
“Some of the greatest championships in the history of golf have taken place at Turnberry, And the golf course itself is considered one of the greatest in the world. Some rate it as the best in the world. I’m not going to touch a thing unless the Royal and Ancient Golf Club authorities ask for it or approve it.. I won’t do anything to the golf course at all without their full stamp of approval.”
What Trump will touch is the fabled Turnberry Hotel.
Mr Trump said: " This is a fabulous property in a great location .I am planning to invest many millions of dollars in order to bring the hotel to the highest levels of luxury. When completed, the Turnberry Hotel will be the finest and most luxurious golf hotel in the world."
Will he insert the Trump name into the property?
“We’ll make that decision fairly soon—in a couple of days.”
Edited from BBC and Scorecard
5/03/2014
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