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Strauss-Kahn seeks comeback via conference circuit

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 27 Oktober 2012 | 12.42

PARIS (Reuters) - Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former IMF chief whose French presidential ambitions were shattered by a sex scandal last year, is making a comeback in business and at conferences.

The 63-year-old Strauss-Kahn was accused of trying to rape a New York hotel maid in May 2011. He protested his innocence and criminal charges against him were dropped, though civil proceedings by the woman are still pending.

Now he is promoting himself as a consultant and guest speaker at far-flung points on the world's conference circuit, where participants can demand $100,000 or more to talk for an hour, and five times that sum for star performers such as former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

While Strauss-Kahn's itinerary for now will keep him at some distance from the financial capitals he used to frequent, experts say his economic policy experience and a contact book that many heads of state would envy will stand him in good stead.

"He has the potential to be enormously successful," says Roy Cohen, a New York-based career coach and author of "The Wall Street Professional's Survival Guide".

"He needs to be test-driven first ... If he is able to prove that his intervention and the consultancy advisory work he is doing is powerful and effective, he's going to generate interest."

Strauss-Kahn has been little seen in public in his native France, where until recently media have been portraying him as a shunned and lonely man. Yet in the past year he has delivered keynote speeches at conferences in China, Ukraine, Morocco and South Korea.

He was warmly applauded when he spoke about global economic prospects to hundreds of students and executives in Morocco in September, at an event where his hosts at a private university introduced him not with his grandest former title but simply as Professor Strauss-Kahn, the economist.

He is scheduled to make a second appearance in Morocco at an Arab banking congress in Casablanca in mid-November. Organizers of the meeting declined to comment when contacted by Reuters, as did others hosting conferences Strauss-Kahn is due to attend.

MAGAZINE PHOTO SHOOT

His come-back plan took another step forward last month when he lodged the founding statutes of a consultancy firm, called Parnasse, at the commercial court in Paris.

On top of conference work, public speaking and consulting, Parnasse's statutes show his ambitions stretch to finance, real estate and political services in France and abroad.

Strauss-Kahn this month also gave a rare magazine interview to France's "Le Point", which photographed him relaxing at his new apartment in Paris's Montparnasse district with a tablet computer in his hand.

It was a stark contrast to the image the world watched on TV in May 2011, as he trudged handcuffed and haggard to a U.S. courthouse to be jailed briefly on criminal charges, later dropped, of trying to rape hotel maid Nafissatou Diallo.

But the potential pitfalls that lie ahead were illustrated in March when police had to bundle him into a getaway car as protesting students clashed with security guards after he gave a speech on the world economy at Britain's Cambridge University.

The case will hang over for him for some time yet; though New York prosecutors dropped the charges on the grounds that Diallo was not a reliable witness, the date of her civil suit has yet to be determined.

And in France, a court will rule on November 28 whether to pursue a judicial investigation into a prostitution ring in which he was allegedly involved. He says he has done nothing illegal and is being pursued because of his libertine lifestyle.

Yet if Strauss-Kahn can put those cases behind him, Cohen said time would work in his favor and pointed to other big names on the conference circuit who overcame image problems.

Clinton, who survived sex scandals and an impeachment trial in the late 1990s, now makes millions of dollars a year attending high-profile events.

According to financial declarations his wife Hillary Clinton makes as U.S. Secretary of State, Clinton charged $750,000 for addressing a telecoms event in Hong Kong, and $500,000 for his presence at an Abu Dhabi conference on environmental data.

EURO ZONE PROBLEM SOLVER?

Sylvie Audibert, a Paris-based consultant who coaches corporate executives on topics from stress management to life-makeover decisions, said Europe's economic crisis could give Strauss-Kahn a perfect forum to use his talents.

He recently floated an idea under which Germany and France, which are enjoying low borrowing costs as investors see their debt as safe, devote some of their savings to helping weaker countries in the euro zone.

The idea has generated little visible interest, apart from a blog mention by former Irish Prime Minister John Bruton. Greek government sources have also quashed rumors that he is advising Athens over their debt troubles.

But Audibert said that like others who have held frontline posts in politics and global economic management, Strauss-Kahn may still harbor hopes of one day taking up a public policy role, perhaps at European level.

"We're talking about people with very big egos and very big ambitions," Audibert said. "I am not convinced his ultimate goal is to remain the adviser in the shadows."

Strauss-Kahn himself hinted at his longer-term ambitions in his interview with Le Point.

"I sense a possibility of investing myself in big international projects ... For the moment, my situation stands in the way."

(Additional reporting by Dina Kyriakidou; Editing by Catherine Bremer and Will Waterman)


12.42 | 0 komentar | Read More

Obama tackles rape comments, "fiscal cliff" on TV talk show

BURBANK, California (Reuters) - President Barack Obama suspended the levity during an interview with late-night TV talk show host Jay Leno on Wednesday to address a Republican Senate candidate's assertion that pregnancies resulting from rape are intended by God and to express confidence that Washington could soon address the looming "fiscal cliff."

"I don't know how these guys come up with these ideas. Let me make a very simple proposition: rape is rape. It is a crime," Obama said on NBC's "The Tonight Show."

"This is exactly why you don't want a bunch of politicians, mostly male, making decisions about women's healthcare."

Indiana Republican Senate candidate Richard Mourdock's comments that pregnancies caused by rape are "something God intended to happen" echoed across the U.S. media and sent ripples through political circles ahead of the November 6 election.

The Obama campaign, which enjoys leads among women voters in many election battleground states, sought swiftly to connect Mourdock with Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. This summer Romney had to distance himself from remarks by another Republican Senate candidate, Todd Akin of Missouri, about what he called "legitimate rape."

In an interview full of jokes about marriage, Halloween and other topics, the Democratic president made a few serious comments, mostly about the hottest topic of the election: the economy.

Asked about the so-called fiscal cliff - a combination of automatic spending cuts and tax hikes set to kick in early next year - Obama said he was confident that a solution could be found before the end of the year.

"Solving this is not that hard. It requires some tough choices," Obama said, adding that some programs had to be cut and tax rates should go up for people making more than $250,000 a year.

"I hope that we can get it done by the end of this year. It just requires some compromise, which shouldn't be a dirty word."

On the economic crisis gripping the European Union, Obama said countries have been "kind of muddling along" and "they didn't respond as quickly as they could."

The United States is working with those nations to make sure they have a credible plan to maintain the unity of Europe, he added.

In a lighter moment, Obama joked about real estate mogul and TV personality Donald Trump, who recently posted a video challenging Obama to release documents about his education.

Trump has persistently questioned whether Obama, a native of Hawaii, was actually born in the United States, and Obama played off Trump's theories about his origins.

"This all dates back to when we were growing up together in Kenya," Obama joked. "We had, you know, constant run-ins on the soccer field. He wasn't very good and resented it."

(Additional reporting and writing by Lisa Lambert in Washington; Editing by Christopher Wilson)


12.42 | 0 komentar | Read More

Strauss-Kahn seeks comeback via conference circuit

PARIS (Reuters) - Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former IMF chief whose French presidential ambitions were shattered by a sex scandal last year, is making a comeback in business and at conferences.

The 63-year-old Strauss-Kahn was accused of trying to rape a New York hotel maid in May 2011. He protested his innocence and criminal charges against him were dropped, though civil proceedings by the woman are still pending.

Now he is promoting himself as a consultant and guest speaker at far-flung points on the world's conference circuit, where participants can demand $100,000 or more to talk for an hour, and five times that sum for star performers such as former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

While Strauss-Kahn's itinerary for now will keep him at some distance from the financial capitals he used to frequent, experts say his economic policy experience and a contact book that many heads of state would envy will stand him in good stead.

"He has the potential to be enormously successful," says Roy Cohen, a New York-based career coach and author of "The Wall Street Professional's Survival Guide".

"He needs to be test-driven first ... If he is able to prove that his intervention and the consultancy advisory work he is doing is powerful and effective, he's going to generate interest."

Strauss-Kahn has been little seen in public in his native France, where until recently media have been portraying him as a shunned and lonely man. Yet in the past year he has delivered keynote speeches at conferences in China, Ukraine, Morocco and South Korea.

He was warmly applauded when he spoke about global economic prospects to hundreds of students and executives in Morocco in September, at an event where his hosts at a private university introduced him not with his grandest former title but simply as Professor Strauss-Kahn, the economist.

He is scheduled to make a second appearance in Morocco at an Arab banking congress in Casablanca in mid-November. Organizers of the meeting declined to comment when contacted by Reuters, as did others hosting conferences Strauss-Kahn is due to attend.

MAGAZINE PHOTO SHOOT

His come-back plan took another step forward last month when he lodged the founding statutes of a consultancy firm, called Parnasse, at the commercial court in Paris.

On top of conference work, public speaking and consulting, Parnasse's statutes show his ambitions stretch to finance, real estate and political services in France and abroad.

Strauss-Kahn this month also gave a rare magazine interview to France's "Le Point", which photographed him relaxing at his new apartment in Paris's Montparnasse district with a tablet computer in his hand.

It was a stark contrast to the image the world watched on TV in May 2011, as he trudged handcuffed and haggard to a U.S. courthouse to be jailed briefly on criminal charges, later dropped, of trying to rape hotel maid Nafissatou Diallo.

But the potential pitfalls that lie ahead were illustrated in March when police had to bundle him into a getaway car as protesting students clashed with security guards after he gave a speech on the world economy at Britain's Cambridge University.

The case will hang over for him for some time yet; though New York prosecutors dropped the charges on the grounds that Diallo was not a reliable witness, the date of her civil suit has yet to be determined.

And in France, a court will rule on November 28 whether to pursue a judicial investigation into a prostitution ring in which he was allegedly involved. He says he has done nothing illegal and is being pursued because of his libertine lifestyle.

Yet if Strauss-Kahn can put those cases behind him, Cohen said time would work in his favor and pointed to other big names on the conference circuit who overcame image problems.

Clinton, who survived sex scandals and an impeachment trial in the late 1990s, now makes millions of dollars a year attending high-profile events.

According to financial declarations his wife Hillary Clinton makes as U.S. Secretary of State, Clinton charged $750,000 for addressing a telecoms event in Hong Kong, and $500,000 for his presence at an Abu Dhabi conference on environmental data.

EURO ZONE PROBLEM SOLVER?

Sylvie Audibert, a Paris-based consultant who coaches corporate executives on topics from stress management to life-makeover decisions, said Europe's economic crisis could give Strauss-Kahn a perfect forum to use his talents.

He recently floated an idea under which Germany and France, which are enjoying low borrowing costs as investors see their debt as safe, devote some of their savings to helping weaker countries in the euro zone.

The idea has generated little visible interest, apart from a blog mention by former Irish Prime Minister John Bruton. Greek government sources have also quashed rumors that he is advising Athens over their debt troubles.

But Audibert said that like others who have held frontline posts in politics and global economic management, Strauss-Kahn may still harbor hopes of one day taking up a public policy role, perhaps at European level.

"We're talking about people with very big egos and very big ambitions," Audibert said. "I am not convinced his ultimate goal is to remain the adviser in the shadows."

Strauss-Kahn himself hinted at his longer-term ambitions in his interview with Le Point.

"I sense a possibility of investing myself in big international projects ... For the moment, my situation stands in the way."

(Additional reporting by Dina Kyriakidou; Editing by Catherine Bremer and Will Waterman)


12.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Obama tackles rape comments, "fiscal cliff" on TV talk show

BURBANK, California (Reuters) - President Barack Obama suspended the levity during an interview with late-night TV talk show host Jay Leno on Wednesday to address a Republican Senate candidate's assertion that pregnancies resulting from rape are intended by God and to express confidence that Washington could soon address the looming "fiscal cliff."

"I don't know how these guys come up with these ideas. Let me make a very simple proposition: rape is rape. It is a crime," Obama said on NBC's "The Tonight Show."

"This is exactly why you don't want a bunch of politicians, mostly male, making decisions about women's healthcare."

Indiana Republican Senate candidate Richard Mourdock's comments that pregnancies caused by rape are "something God intended to happen" echoed across the U.S. media and sent ripples through political circles ahead of the November 6 election.

The Obama campaign, which enjoys leads among women voters in many election battleground states, sought swiftly to connect Mourdock with Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. This summer Romney had to distance himself from remarks by another Republican Senate candidate, Todd Akin of Missouri, about what he called "legitimate rape."

In an interview full of jokes about marriage, Halloween and other topics, the Democratic president made a few serious comments, mostly about the hottest topic of the election: the economy.

Asked about the so-called fiscal cliff - a combination of automatic spending cuts and tax hikes set to kick in early next year - Obama said he was confident that a solution could be found before the end of the year.

"Solving this is not that hard. It requires some tough choices," Obama said, adding that some programs had to be cut and tax rates should go up for people making more than $250,000 a year.

"I hope that we can get it done by the end of this year. It just requires some compromise, which shouldn't be a dirty word."

On the economic crisis gripping the European Union, Obama said countries have been "kind of muddling along" and "they didn't respond as quickly as they could."

The United States is working with those nations to make sure they have a credible plan to maintain the unity of Europe, he added.

In a lighter moment, Obama joked about real estate mogul and TV personality Donald Trump, who recently posted a video challenging Obama to release documents about his education.

Trump has persistently questioned whether Obama, a native of Hawaii, was actually born in the United States, and Obama played off Trump's theories about his origins.

"This all dates back to when we were growing up together in Kenya," Obama joked. "We had, you know, constant run-ins on the soccer field. He wasn't very good and resented it."

(Additional reporting and writing by Lisa Lambert in Washington; Editing by Christopher Wilson)


12.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Strauss-Kahn seeks comeback via conference circuit

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 26 Oktober 2012 | 12.42

PARIS (Reuters) - Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former IMF chief whose French presidential ambitions were shattered by a sex scandal last year, is making a comeback in business and at conferences.

The 63-year-old Strauss-Kahn was accused of trying to rape a New York hotel maid in May 2011. He protested his innocence and criminal charges against him were dropped, though civil proceedings by the woman are still pending.

Now he is promoting himself as a consultant and guest speaker at far-flung points on the world's conference circuit, where participants can demand $100,000 or more to talk for an hour, and five times that sum for star performers such as former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

While Strauss-Kahn's itinerary for now will keep him at some distance from the financial capitals he used to frequent, experts say his economic policy experience and a contact book that many heads of state would envy will stand him in good stead.

"He has the potential to be enormously successful," says Roy Cohen, a New York-based career coach and author of "The Wall Street Professional's Survival Guide".

"He needs to be test-driven first ... If he is able to prove that his intervention and the consultancy advisory work he is doing is powerful and effective, he's going to generate interest."

Strauss-Kahn has been little seen in public in his native France, where until recently media have been portraying him as a shunned and lonely man. Yet in the past year he has delivered keynote speeches at conferences in China, Ukraine, Morocco and South Korea.

He was warmly applauded when he spoke about global economic prospects to hundreds of students and executives in Morocco in September, at an event where his hosts at a private university introduced him not with his grandest former title but simply as Professor Strauss-Kahn, the economist.

He is scheduled to make a second appearance in Morocco at an Arab banking congress in Casablanca in mid-November. Organizers of the meeting declined to comment when contacted by Reuters, as did others hosting conferences Strauss-Kahn is due to attend.

MAGAZINE PHOTO SHOOT

His come-back plan took another step forward last month when he lodged the founding statutes of a consultancy firm, called Parnasse, at the commercial court in Paris.

On top of conference work, public speaking and consulting, Parnasse's statutes show his ambitions stretch to finance, real estate and political services in France and abroad.

Strauss-Kahn this month also gave a rare magazine interview to France's "Le Point", which photographed him relaxing at his new apartment in Paris's Montparnasse district with a tablet computer in his hand.

It was a stark contrast to the image the world watched on TV in May 2011, as he trudged handcuffed and haggard to a U.S. courthouse to be jailed briefly on criminal charges, later dropped, of trying to rape hotel maid Nafissatou Diallo.

But the potential pitfalls that lie ahead were illustrated in March when police had to bundle him into a getaway car as protesting students clashed with security guards after he gave a speech on the world economy at Britain's Cambridge University.

The case will hang over for him for some time yet; though New York prosecutors dropped the charges on the grounds that Diallo was not a reliable witness, the date of her civil suit has yet to be determined.

And in France, a court will rule on November 28 whether to pursue a judicial investigation into a prostitution ring in which he was allegedly involved. He says he has done nothing illegal and is being pursued because of his libertine lifestyle.

Yet if Strauss-Kahn can put those cases behind him, Cohen said time would work in his favor and pointed to other big names on the conference circuit who overcame image problems.

Clinton, who survived sex scandals and an impeachment trial in the late 1990s, now makes millions of dollars a year attending high-profile events.

According to financial declarations his wife Hillary Clinton makes as U.S. Secretary of State, Clinton charged $750,000 for addressing a telecoms event in Hong Kong, and $500,000 for his presence at an Abu Dhabi conference on environmental data.

EURO ZONE PROBLEM SOLVER?

Sylvie Audibert, a Paris-based consultant who coaches corporate executives on topics from stress management to life-makeover decisions, said Europe's economic crisis could give Strauss-Kahn a perfect forum to use his talents.

He recently floated an idea under which Germany and France, which are enjoying low borrowing costs as investors see their debt as safe, devote some of their savings to helping weaker countries in the euro zone.

The idea has generated little visible interest, apart from a blog mention by former Irish Prime Minister John Bruton. Greek government sources have also quashed rumors that he is advising Athens over their debt troubles.

But Audibert said that like others who have held frontline posts in politics and global economic management, Strauss-Kahn may still harbor hopes of one day taking up a public policy role, perhaps at European level.

"We're talking about people with very big egos and very big ambitions," Audibert said. "I am not convinced his ultimate goal is to remain the adviser in the shadows."

Strauss-Kahn himself hinted at his longer-term ambitions in his interview with Le Point.

"I sense a possibility of investing myself in big international projects ... For the moment, my situation stands in the way."

(Additional reporting by Dina Kyriakidou; Editing by Catherine Bremer and Will Waterman)


12.42 | 0 komentar | Read More

Obama tackles rape comments, "fiscal cliff" on TV talk show

BURBANK, California (Reuters) - President Barack Obama suspended the levity during an interview with late-night TV talk show host Jay Leno on Wednesday to address a Republican Senate candidate's assertion that pregnancies resulting from rape are intended by God and to express confidence that Washington could soon address the looming "fiscal cliff."

"I don't know how these guys come up with these ideas. Let me make a very simple proposition: rape is rape. It is a crime," Obama said on NBC's "The Tonight Show."

"This is exactly why you don't want a bunch of politicians, mostly male, making decisions about women's healthcare."

Indiana Republican Senate candidate Richard Mourdock's comments that pregnancies caused by rape are "something God intended to happen" echoed across the U.S. media and sent ripples through political circles ahead of the November 6 election.

The Obama campaign, which enjoys leads among women voters in many election battleground states, sought swiftly to connect Mourdock with Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. This summer Romney had to distance himself from remarks by another Republican Senate candidate, Todd Akin of Missouri, about what he called "legitimate rape."

In an interview full of jokes about marriage, Halloween and other topics, the Democratic president made a few serious comments, mostly about the hottest topic of the election: the economy.

Asked about the so-called fiscal cliff - a combination of automatic spending cuts and tax hikes set to kick in early next year - Obama said he was confident that a solution could be found before the end of the year.

"Solving this is not that hard. It requires some tough choices," Obama said, adding that some programs had to be cut and tax rates should go up for people making more than $250,000 a year.

"I hope that we can get it done by the end of this year. It just requires some compromise, which shouldn't be a dirty word."

On the economic crisis gripping the European Union, Obama said countries have been "kind of muddling along" and "they didn't respond as quickly as they could."

The United States is working with those nations to make sure they have a credible plan to maintain the unity of Europe, he added.

In a lighter moment, Obama joked about real estate mogul and TV personality Donald Trump, who recently posted a video challenging Obama to release documents about his education.

Trump has persistently questioned whether Obama, a native of Hawaii, was actually born in the United States, and Obama played off Trump's theories about his origins.

"This all dates back to when we were growing up together in Kenya," Obama joked. "We had, you know, constant run-ins on the soccer field. He wasn't very good and resented it."

(Additional reporting and writing by Lisa Lambert in Washington; Editing by Christopher Wilson)


12.42 | 0 komentar | Read More

Strauss-Kahn seeks comeback via conference circuit

PARIS (Reuters) - Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former IMF chief whose French presidential ambitions were shattered by a sex scandal last year, is making a comeback in business and at conferences.

The 63-year-old Strauss-Kahn was accused of trying to rape a New York hotel maid in May 2011. He protested his innocence and criminal charges against him were dropped, though civil proceedings by the woman are still pending.

Now he is promoting himself as a consultant and guest speaker at far-flung points on the world's conference circuit, where participants can demand $100,000 or more to talk for an hour, and five times that sum for star performers such as former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

While Strauss-Kahn's itinerary for now will keep him at some distance from the financial capitals he used to frequent, experts say his economic policy experience and a contact book that many heads of state would envy will stand him in good stead.

"He has the potential to be enormously successful," says Roy Cohen, a New York-based career coach and author of "The Wall Street Professional's Survival Guide".

"He needs to be test-driven first ... If he is able to prove that his intervention and the consultancy advisory work he is doing is powerful and effective, he's going to generate interest."

Strauss-Kahn has been little seen in public in his native France, where until recently media have been portraying him as a shunned and lonely man. Yet in the past year he has delivered keynote speeches at conferences in China, Ukraine, Morocco and South Korea.

He was warmly applauded when he spoke about global economic prospects to hundreds of students and executives in Morocco in September, at an event where his hosts at a private university introduced him not with his grandest former title but simply as Professor Strauss-Kahn, the economist.

He is scheduled to make a second appearance in Morocco at an Arab banking congress in Casablanca in mid-November. Organizers of the meeting declined to comment when contacted by Reuters, as did others hosting conferences Strauss-Kahn is due to attend.

MAGAZINE PHOTO SHOOT

His come-back plan took another step forward last month when he lodged the founding statutes of a consultancy firm, called Parnasse, at the commercial court in Paris.

On top of conference work, public speaking and consulting, Parnasse's statutes show his ambitions stretch to finance, real estate and political services in France and abroad.

Strauss-Kahn this month also gave a rare magazine interview to France's "Le Point", which photographed him relaxing at his new apartment in Paris's Montparnasse district with a tablet computer in his hand.

It was a stark contrast to the image the world watched on TV in May 2011, as he trudged handcuffed and haggard to a U.S. courthouse to be jailed briefly on criminal charges, later dropped, of trying to rape hotel maid Nafissatou Diallo.

But the potential pitfalls that lie ahead were illustrated in March when police had to bundle him into a getaway car as protesting students clashed with security guards after he gave a speech on the world economy at Britain's Cambridge University.

The case will hang over for him for some time yet; though New York prosecutors dropped the charges on the grounds that Diallo was not a reliable witness, the date of her civil suit has yet to be determined.

And in France, a court will rule on November 28 whether to pursue a judicial investigation into a prostitution ring in which he was allegedly involved. He says he has done nothing illegal and is being pursued because of his libertine lifestyle.

Yet if Strauss-Kahn can put those cases behind him, Cohen said time would work in his favor and pointed to other big names on the conference circuit who overcame image problems.

Clinton, who survived sex scandals and an impeachment trial in the late 1990s, now makes millions of dollars a year attending high-profile events.

According to financial declarations his wife Hillary Clinton makes as U.S. Secretary of State, Clinton charged $750,000 for addressing a telecoms event in Hong Kong, and $500,000 for his presence at an Abu Dhabi conference on environmental data.

EURO ZONE PROBLEM SOLVER?

Sylvie Audibert, a Paris-based consultant who coaches corporate executives on topics from stress management to life-makeover decisions, said Europe's economic crisis could give Strauss-Kahn a perfect forum to use his talents.

He recently floated an idea under which Germany and France, which are enjoying low borrowing costs as investors see their debt as safe, devote some of their savings to helping weaker countries in the euro zone.

The idea has generated little visible interest, apart from a blog mention by former Irish Prime Minister John Bruton. Greek government sources have also quashed rumors that he is advising Athens over their debt troubles.

But Audibert said that like others who have held frontline posts in politics and global economic management, Strauss-Kahn may still harbor hopes of one day taking up a public policy role, perhaps at European level.

"We're talking about people with very big egos and very big ambitions," Audibert said. "I am not convinced his ultimate goal is to remain the adviser in the shadows."

Strauss-Kahn himself hinted at his longer-term ambitions in his interview with Le Point.

"I sense a possibility of investing myself in big international projects ... For the moment, my situation stands in the way."

(Additional reporting by Dina Kyriakidou; Editing by Catherine Bremer and Will Waterman)


12.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Obama tackles rape comments, "fiscal cliff" on TV talk show

BURBANK, California (Reuters) - President Barack Obama suspended the levity during an interview with late-night TV talk show host Jay Leno on Wednesday to address a Republican Senate candidate's assertion that pregnancies resulting from rape are intended by God and to express confidence that Washington could soon address the looming "fiscal cliff."

"I don't know how these guys come up with these ideas. Let me make a very simple proposition: rape is rape. It is a crime," Obama said on NBC's "The Tonight Show."

"This is exactly why you don't want a bunch of politicians, mostly male, making decisions about women's healthcare."

Indiana Republican Senate candidate Richard Mourdock's comments that pregnancies caused by rape are "something God intended to happen" echoed across the U.S. media and sent ripples through political circles ahead of the November 6 election.

The Obama campaign, which enjoys leads among women voters in many election battleground states, sought swiftly to connect Mourdock with Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. This summer Romney had to distance himself from remarks by another Republican Senate candidate, Todd Akin of Missouri, about what he called "legitimate rape."

In an interview full of jokes about marriage, Halloween and other topics, the Democratic president made a few serious comments, mostly about the hottest topic of the election: the economy.

Asked about the so-called fiscal cliff - a combination of automatic spending cuts and tax hikes set to kick in early next year - Obama said he was confident that a solution could be found before the end of the year.

"Solving this is not that hard. It requires some tough choices," Obama said, adding that some programs had to be cut and tax rates should go up for people making more than $250,000 a year.

"I hope that we can get it done by the end of this year. It just requires some compromise, which shouldn't be a dirty word."

On the economic crisis gripping the European Union, Obama said countries have been "kind of muddling along" and "they didn't respond as quickly as they could."

The United States is working with those nations to make sure they have a credible plan to maintain the unity of Europe, he added.

In a lighter moment, Obama joked about real estate mogul and TV personality Donald Trump, who recently posted a video challenging Obama to release documents about his education.

Trump has persistently questioned whether Obama, a native of Hawaii, was actually born in the United States, and Obama played off Trump's theories about his origins.

"This all dates back to when we were growing up together in Kenya," Obama joked. "We had, you know, constant run-ins on the soccer field. He wasn't very good and resented it."

(Additional reporting and writing by Lisa Lambert in Washington; Editing by Christopher Wilson)


12.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

DeGeneres honored for lifetime as U.S. entertainer

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 25 Oktober 2012 | 12.42

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Ellen DeGeneres, an American entertainer and prominent gay rights advocate, received the highest U.S. award for achievement in comedy on Monday.

Receiving the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center, the national showcase for arts, DeGeneres was praised as a pioneering female comic whose edgy variety show has helped define the format for daytime television in recent years.

But several guests also highlighted the comedian's groundbreaking decision 15 years ago to go public with her sexual identity in a career-rattling move the comedian said was a necessary step for personal dignity.

"I did it for me and it happened to help a lot of other people and cause a big ruckus," DeGeneres, 54, told reporters before the tribute, summarizing her decision in 1997 to come out publicly as gay in tandem with her on-screen character in a move that sparked controversy and prompted some advertisers to flee.

The Twain prize, named after the 19th century satirist, is the nation's highest honor for achievements in comedy.

A native of New Orleans, DeGeneres spent her twenties as an itinerant comedian on the Los Angeles nightclub circuit until prominent spots on late night television led to her own prime time sitcom.

The original show, Ellen, featured DeGeneres in the lead role as a bookshop owner in an idiosyncratic neighborhood. While the show got a boost after the star came out of the closet, it was over a few years later.

She later returned to the standup stage, and hosted the 2001 Emmy awards, which was postponed twice after the September 11 attacks - a somewhat subdued celebration that allowed her to try to lighten the national mood.

Several guests said that DeGeneres brought a compassion to her comedy that is rare in the field.

"The rest of us comics come from really messed-up, dark childhoods. She might have come from that, I don't know. But it's not what she puts forth," said John Leguizamo, who joined the tributes. "She just puts out this beautiful goodwill."

In the last 10 seasons on television, DeGeneres has left her mark with a daytime variety show which she often uses as a way to promote a commitment to gay equality.

"For a lot of people, Ellen is their only homosexual friend," said late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel.

DeGeneres is the forth woman to receive the award since its inception in 1998.

Comedian and actor Will Ferrell won last year. Past award winners have included Bob Newhart, Steve Martin, Richard Pryor and Bill Cosby.

Monday night's ceremony will be broadcast on PBS on October 30.

(Reporting By Patrick Rucker; Editing by Mohammad Zargham)


12.42 | 0 komentar | Read More

Strauss-Kahn seeks comeback via conference circuit

PARIS (Reuters) - Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former IMF chief whose French presidential ambitions were shattered by a sex scandal last year, is making a comeback in business and at conferences.

The 63-year-old Strauss-Kahn was accused of trying to rape a New York hotel maid in May 2011. He protested his innocence and criminal charges against him were dropped, though civil proceedings by the woman are still pending.

Now he is promoting himself as a consultant and guest speaker at far-flung points on the world's conference circuit, where participants can demand $100,000 or more to talk for an hour, and five times that sum for star performers such as former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

While Strauss-Kahn's itinerary for now will keep him at some distance from the financial capitals he used to frequent, experts say his economic policy experience and a contact book that many heads of state would envy will stand him in good stead.

"He has the potential to be enormously successful," says Roy Cohen, a New York-based career coach and author of "The Wall Street Professional's Survival Guide".

"He needs to be test-driven first ... If he is able to prove that his intervention and the consultancy advisory work he is doing is powerful and effective, he's going to generate interest."

Strauss-Kahn has been little seen in public in his native France, where until recently media have been portraying him as a shunned and lonely man. Yet in the past year he has delivered keynote speeches at conferences in China, Ukraine, Morocco and South Korea.

He was warmly applauded when he spoke about global economic prospects to hundreds of students and executives in Morocco in September, at an event where his hosts at a private university introduced him not with his grandest former title but simply as Professor Strauss-Kahn, the economist.

He is scheduled to make a second appearance in Morocco at an Arab banking congress in Casablanca in mid-November. Organizers of the meeting declined to comment when contacted by Reuters, as did others hosting conferences Strauss-Kahn is due to attend.

MAGAZINE PHOTO SHOOT

His come-back plan took another step forward last month when he lodged the founding statutes of a consultancy firm, called Parnasse, at the commercial court in Paris.

On top of conference work, public speaking and consulting, Parnasse's statutes show his ambitions stretch to finance, real estate and political services in France and abroad.

Strauss-Kahn this month also gave a rare magazine interview to France's "Le Point", which photographed him relaxing at his new apartment in Paris's Montparnasse district with a tablet computer in his hand.

It was a stark contrast to the image the world watched on TV in May 2011, as he trudged handcuffed and haggard to a U.S. courthouse to be jailed briefly on criminal charges, later dropped, of trying to rape hotel maid Nafissatou Diallo.

But the potential pitfalls that lie ahead were illustrated in March when police had to bundle him into a getaway car as protesting students clashed with security guards after he gave a speech on the world economy at Britain's Cambridge University.

The case will hang over for him for some time yet; though New York prosecutors dropped the charges on the grounds that Diallo was not a reliable witness, the date of her civil suit has yet to be determined.

And in France, a court will rule on November 28 whether to pursue a judicial investigation into a prostitution ring in which he was allegedly involved. He says he has done nothing illegal and is being pursued because of his libertine lifestyle.

Yet if Strauss-Kahn can put those cases behind him, Cohen said time would work in his favor and pointed to other big names on the conference circuit who overcame image problems.

Clinton, who survived sex scandals and an impeachment trial in the late 1990s, now makes millions of dollars a year attending high-profile events.

According to financial declarations his wife Hillary Clinton makes as U.S. Secretary of State, Clinton charged $750,000 for addressing a telecoms event in Hong Kong, and $500,000 for his presence at an Abu Dhabi conference on environmental data.

EURO ZONE PROBLEM SOLVER?

Sylvie Audibert, a Paris-based consultant who coaches corporate executives on topics from stress management to life-makeover decisions, said Europe's economic crisis could give Strauss-Kahn a perfect forum to use his talents.

He recently floated an idea under which Germany and France, which are enjoying low borrowing costs as investors see their debt as safe, devote some of their savings to helping weaker countries in the euro zone.

The idea has generated little visible interest, apart from a blog mention by former Irish Prime Minister John Bruton. Greek government sources have also quashed rumors that he is advising Athens over their debt troubles.

But Audibert said that like others who have held frontline posts in politics and global economic management, Strauss-Kahn may still harbor hopes of one day taking up a public policy role, perhaps at European level.

"We're talking about people with very big egos and very big ambitions," Audibert said. "I am not convinced his ultimate goal is to remain the adviser in the shadows."

Strauss-Kahn himself hinted at his longer-term ambitions in his interview with Le Point.

"I sense a possibility of investing myself in big international projects ... For the moment, my situation stands in the way."

(Additional reporting by Dina Kyriakidou; Editing by Catherine Bremer and Will Waterman)


12.42 | 0 komentar | Read More

DeGeneres honored for lifetime as U.S. entertainer

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Ellen DeGeneres, an American entertainer and prominent gay rights advocate, received the highest U.S. award for achievement in comedy on Monday.

Receiving the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center, the national showcase for arts, DeGeneres was praised as a pioneering female comic whose edgy variety show has helped define the format for daytime television in recent years.

But several guests also highlighted the comedian's groundbreaking decision 15 years ago to go public with her sexual identity in a career-rattling move the comedian said was a necessary step for personal dignity.

"I did it for me and it happened to help a lot of other people and cause a big ruckus," DeGeneres, 54, told reporters before the tribute, summarizing her decision in 1997 to come out publicly as gay in tandem with her on-screen character in a move that sparked controversy and prompted some advertisers to flee.

The Twain prize, named after the 19th century satirist, is the nation's highest honor for achievements in comedy.

A native of New Orleans, DeGeneres spent her twenties as an itinerant comedian on the Los Angeles nightclub circuit until prominent spots on late night television led to her own prime time sitcom.

The original show, Ellen, featured DeGeneres in the lead role as a bookshop owner in an idiosyncratic neighborhood. While the show got a boost after the star came out of the closet, it was over a few years later.

She later returned to the standup stage, and hosted the 2001 Emmy awards, which was postponed twice after the September 11 attacks - a somewhat subdued celebration that allowed her to try to lighten the national mood.

Several guests said that DeGeneres brought a compassion to her comedy that is rare in the field.

"The rest of us comics come from really messed-up, dark childhoods. She might have come from that, I don't know. But it's not what she puts forth," said John Leguizamo, who joined the tributes. "She just puts out this beautiful goodwill."

In the last 10 seasons on television, DeGeneres has left her mark with a daytime variety show which she often uses as a way to promote a commitment to gay equality.

"For a lot of people, Ellen is their only homosexual friend," said late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel.

DeGeneres is the forth woman to receive the award since its inception in 1998.

Comedian and actor Will Ferrell won last year. Past award winners have included Bob Newhart, Steve Martin, Richard Pryor and Bill Cosby.

Monday night's ceremony will be broadcast on PBS on October 30.

(Reporting By Patrick Rucker; Editing by Mohammad Zargham)


12.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Strauss-Kahn seeks comeback via conference circuit

PARIS (Reuters) - Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former IMF chief whose French presidential ambitions were shattered by a sex scandal last year, is making a comeback in business and at conferences.

The 63-year-old Strauss-Kahn was accused of trying to rape a New York hotel maid in May 2011. He protested his innocence and criminal charges against him were dropped, though civil proceedings by the woman are still pending.

Now he is promoting himself as a consultant and guest speaker at far-flung points on the world's conference circuit, where participants can demand $100,000 or more to talk for an hour, and five times that sum for star performers such as former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

While Strauss-Kahn's itinerary for now will keep him at some distance from the financial capitals he used to frequent, experts say his economic policy experience and a contact book that many heads of state would envy will stand him in good stead.

"He has the potential to be enormously successful," says Roy Cohen, a New York-based career coach and author of "The Wall Street Professional's Survival Guide".

"He needs to be test-driven first ... If he is able to prove that his intervention and the consultancy advisory work he is doing is powerful and effective, he's going to generate interest."

Strauss-Kahn has been little seen in public in his native France, where until recently media have been portraying him as a shunned and lonely man. Yet in the past year he has delivered keynote speeches at conferences in China, Ukraine, Morocco and South Korea.

He was warmly applauded when he spoke about global economic prospects to hundreds of students and executives in Morocco in September, at an event where his hosts at a private university introduced him not with his grandest former title but simply as Professor Strauss-Kahn, the economist.

He is scheduled to make a second appearance in Morocco at an Arab banking congress in Casablanca in mid-November. Organizers of the meeting declined to comment when contacted by Reuters, as did others hosting conferences Strauss-Kahn is due to attend.

MAGAZINE PHOTO SHOOT

His come-back plan took another step forward last month when he lodged the founding statutes of a consultancy firm, called Parnasse, at the commercial court in Paris.

On top of conference work, public speaking and consulting, Parnasse's statutes show his ambitions stretch to finance, real estate and political services in France and abroad.

Strauss-Kahn this month also gave a rare magazine interview to France's "Le Point", which photographed him relaxing at his new apartment in Paris's Montparnasse district with a tablet computer in his hand.

It was a stark contrast to the image the world watched on TV in May 2011, as he trudged handcuffed and haggard to a U.S. courthouse to be jailed briefly on criminal charges, later dropped, of trying to rape hotel maid Nafissatou Diallo.

But the potential pitfalls that lie ahead were illustrated in March when police had to bundle him into a getaway car as protesting students clashed with security guards after he gave a speech on the world economy at Britain's Cambridge University.

The case will hang over for him for some time yet; though New York prosecutors dropped the charges on the grounds that Diallo was not a reliable witness, the date of her civil suit has yet to be determined.

And in France, a court will rule on November 28 whether to pursue a judicial investigation into a prostitution ring in which he was allegedly involved. He says he has done nothing illegal and is being pursued because of his libertine lifestyle.

Yet if Strauss-Kahn can put those cases behind him, Cohen said time would work in his favor and pointed to other big names on the conference circuit who overcame image problems.

Clinton, who survived sex scandals and an impeachment trial in the late 1990s, now makes millions of dollars a year attending high-profile events.

According to financial declarations his wife Hillary Clinton makes as U.S. Secretary of State, Clinton charged $750,000 for addressing a telecoms event in Hong Kong, and $500,000 for his presence at an Abu Dhabi conference on environmental data.

EURO ZONE PROBLEM SOLVER?

Sylvie Audibert, a Paris-based consultant who coaches corporate executives on topics from stress management to life-makeover decisions, said Europe's economic crisis could give Strauss-Kahn a perfect forum to use his talents.

He recently floated an idea under which Germany and France, which are enjoying low borrowing costs as investors see their debt as safe, devote some of their savings to helping weaker countries in the euro zone.

The idea has generated little visible interest, apart from a blog mention by former Irish Prime Minister John Bruton. Greek government sources have also quashed rumors that he is advising Athens over their debt troubles.

But Audibert said that like others who have held frontline posts in politics and global economic management, Strauss-Kahn may still harbor hopes of one day taking up a public policy role, perhaps at European level.

"We're talking about people with very big egos and very big ambitions," Audibert said. "I am not convinced his ultimate goal is to remain the adviser in the shadows."

Strauss-Kahn himself hinted at his longer-term ambitions in his interview with Le Point.

"I sense a possibility of investing myself in big international projects ... For the moment, my situation stands in the way."

(Additional reporting by Dina Kyriakidou; Editing by Catherine Bremer and Will Waterman)


12.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Goldman book was not meant to be an expose: author

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 24 Oktober 2012 | 12.42

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - The former Goldman Sachs Group Inc vice president who publicly accused the bank of taking advantage of unsuspecting clients said he never intended his book to be an expose of practices at the Wall Street firm.

Preliminary reviews of Greg Smith's "Why I Left Goldman Sachs," which hits bookstores on Monday, have been lackluster. Critics say the book contains few revelations, given that it had been hyped as a "tell all" look at the investment bank.

Smith, a native of South Africa, told Reuters in a phone interview on Sunday that his book was not meant to be a manual for change on Wall Street. Instead, he said he wanted to shine a light on what was wrong in investment banking and how ordinary people - not the super-wealthy - pay for it.

"People are looking for something sensationalist and expose-like," said Smith, who sold equity derivatives at Goldman. "I would like people to look at it in a thoughtful manner, with an objective sense that Wall Street has do to things that are right.

"I didn't write this book for Wall Street, I just wanted to give the Main Street people a window into what goes on, so they could make their own judgment."

Smith created a furor earlier this year when he resigned from Goldman, saying in a New York Times op-ed column that the firm had engendered a "toxic" culture of treating clients as "muppets" - slang in Britain for idiots - and relieving them of their money.

Smith then promised the book about the bank, building up expectations of new insights about the culture at Goldman.

Grand Central Publishing, a unit of Hachette, planned a print run of 150,000 copies for the book. That is considered a relatively big number for a first run, although many will also be sold through e-book formats.

The publisher declined to say how much it had paid Smith for the book, but media reports said he had received $1.5 million as an upfront payment.

Smith's op-ed piece and his plans to write a book prompted a public relations campaign and internal inquiries at the bank, as it tried to avoid another hit to its image after suffering a barrage of bad publicity in recent years.

"The Goldman Sachs Mr. Smith describes is not one our employees would recognize," a spokesman for the firm said on Sunday. "Mr. Smith has asked for answers, yet he did not respond to our repeated attempts to contact him after his abrupt departure earlier this year."

Goldman has said it looked into Smith's allegations - including the use of "muppet" in emails - and turned up little. The bank says that unless Smith provides specific examples, it cannot check what he is alleging.

Although "Why I Left Goldman Sachs" does not reveal a new scandal at the firm, Smith said he believed his book shines a spotlight on a worsening culture of greed on Wall Street.

Smith, who worked for Goldman in London, said the company would overcharge customers, such as charities or funds managing the pensions of teachers and firemen, or sell them products they did not need and did not understand.

In some cases, Smith said, traders would use knowledge of the clients' business to make easy bets against them.

"When you're trying to make an extra $2 million off a teachers' retirement fund, it doesn't jive at least with the values that I felt," he said. "There is no criminal activity because it's legal. But it should not be allowed, because it's unethical."

Smith, who quit his $500,000-a-year job at the bank, said he would do more to push for change in finance.

"I am in a rush to spread a message and get mainstream people to realize there is a big problem and to be outraged that no one fixed it," Smith said.

"There is a real absence of people within the financial industry trying to advocate for positive reform," he said. "I would like to try to be part of that conversation."

(Additional reporting by Lauren Tara LaCapra in New York; Editing by Paritosh Bansal and Lisa Von Ahn)


12.42 | 0 komentar | Read More

DeGeneres honored for lifetime as U.S. entertainer

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Ellen DeGeneres, an American entertainer and prominent gay rights advocate, received the highest U.S. award for achievement in comedy on Monday.

Receiving the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center, the national showcase for arts, DeGeneres was praised as a pioneering female comic whose edgy variety show has helped define the format for daytime television in recent years.

But several guests also highlighted the comedian's groundbreaking decision 15 years ago to go public with her sexual identity in a career-rattling move the comedian said was a necessary step for personal dignity.

"I did it for me and it happened to help a lot of other people and cause a big ruckus," DeGeneres, 54, told reporters before the tribute, summarizing her decision in 1997 to come out publicly as gay in tandem with her on-screen character in a move that sparked controversy and prompted some advertisers to flee.

The Twain prize, named after the 19th century satirist, is the nation's highest honor for achievements in comedy.

A native of New Orleans, DeGeneres spent her twenties as an itinerant comedian on the Los Angeles nightclub circuit until prominent spots on late night television led to her own prime time sitcom.

The original show, Ellen, featured DeGeneres in the lead role as a bookshop owner in an idiosyncratic neighborhood. While the show got a boost after the star came out of the closet, it was over a few years later.

She later returned to the standup stage, and hosted the 2001 Emmy awards, which was postponed twice after the September 11 attacks - a somewhat subdued celebration that allowed her to try to lighten the national mood.

Several guests said that DeGeneres brought a compassion to her comedy that is rare in the field.

"The rest of us comics come from really messed-up, dark childhoods. She might have come from that, I don't know. But it's not what she puts forth," said John Leguizamo, who joined the tributes. "She just puts out this beautiful goodwill."

In the last 10 seasons on television, DeGeneres has left her mark with a daytime variety show which she often uses as a way to promote a commitment to gay equality.

"For a lot of people, Ellen is their only homosexual friend," said late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel.

DeGeneres is the forth woman to receive the award since its inception in 1998.

Comedian and actor Will Ferrell won last year. Past award winners have included Bob Newhart, Steve Martin, Richard Pryor and Bill Cosby.

Monday night's ceremony will be broadcast on PBS on October 30.

(Reporting By Patrick Rucker; Editing by Mohammad Zargham)


12.42 | 0 komentar | Read More

Goldman book was not meant to be an expose: author

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - The former Goldman Sachs Group Inc vice president who publicly accused the bank of taking advantage of unsuspecting clients said he never intended his book to be an expose of practices at the Wall Street firm.

Preliminary reviews of Greg Smith's "Why I Left Goldman Sachs," which hits bookstores on Monday, have been lackluster. Critics say the book contains few revelations, given that it had been hyped as a "tell all" look at the investment bank.

Smith, a native of South Africa, told Reuters in a phone interview on Sunday that his book was not meant to be a manual for change on Wall Street. Instead, he said he wanted to shine a light on what was wrong in investment banking and how ordinary people - not the super-wealthy - pay for it.

"People are looking for something sensationalist and expose-like," said Smith, who sold equity derivatives at Goldman. "I would like people to look at it in a thoughtful manner, with an objective sense that Wall Street has do to things that are right.

"I didn't write this book for Wall Street, I just wanted to give the Main Street people a window into what goes on, so they could make their own judgment."

Smith created a furor earlier this year when he resigned from Goldman, saying in a New York Times op-ed column that the firm had engendered a "toxic" culture of treating clients as "muppets" - slang in Britain for idiots - and relieving them of their money.

Smith then promised the book about the bank, building up expectations of new insights about the culture at Goldman.

Grand Central Publishing, a unit of Hachette, planned a print run of 150,000 copies for the book. That is considered a relatively big number for a first run, although many will also be sold through e-book formats.

The publisher declined to say how much it had paid Smith for the book, but media reports said he had received $1.5 million as an upfront payment.

Smith's op-ed piece and his plans to write a book prompted a public relations campaign and internal inquiries at the bank, as it tried to avoid another hit to its image after suffering a barrage of bad publicity in recent years.

"The Goldman Sachs Mr. Smith describes is not one our employees would recognize," a spokesman for the firm said on Sunday. "Mr. Smith has asked for answers, yet he did not respond to our repeated attempts to contact him after his abrupt departure earlier this year."

Goldman has said it looked into Smith's allegations - including the use of "muppet" in emails - and turned up little. The bank says that unless Smith provides specific examples, it cannot check what he is alleging.

Although "Why I Left Goldman Sachs" does not reveal a new scandal at the firm, Smith said he believed his book shines a spotlight on a worsening culture of greed on Wall Street.

Smith, who worked for Goldman in London, said the company would overcharge customers, such as charities or funds managing the pensions of teachers and firemen, or sell them products they did not need and did not understand.

In some cases, Smith said, traders would use knowledge of the clients' business to make easy bets against them.

"When you're trying to make an extra $2 million off a teachers' retirement fund, it doesn't jive at least with the values that I felt," he said. "There is no criminal activity because it's legal. But it should not be allowed, because it's unethical."

Smith, who quit his $500,000-a-year job at the bank, said he would do more to push for change in finance.

"I am in a rush to spread a message and get mainstream people to realize there is a big problem and to be outraged that no one fixed it," Smith said.

"There is a real absence of people within the financial industry trying to advocate for positive reform," he said. "I would like to try to be part of that conversation."

(Additional reporting by Lauren Tara LaCapra in New York; Editing by Paritosh Bansal and Lisa Von Ahn)


12.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

DeGeneres honored for lifetime as U.S. entertainer

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Ellen DeGeneres, an American entertainer and prominent gay rights advocate, received the highest U.S. award for achievement in comedy on Monday.

Receiving the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center, the national showcase for arts, DeGeneres was praised as a pioneering female comic whose edgy variety show has helped define the format for daytime television in recent years.

But several guests also highlighted the comedian's groundbreaking decision 15 years ago to go public with her sexual identity in a career-rattling move the comedian said was a necessary step for personal dignity.

"I did it for me and it happened to help a lot of other people and cause a big ruckus," DeGeneres, 54, told reporters before the tribute, summarizing her decision in 1997 to come out publicly as gay in tandem with her on-screen character in a move that sparked controversy and prompted some advertisers to flee.

The Twain prize, named after the 19th century satirist, is the nation's highest honor for achievements in comedy.

A native of New Orleans, DeGeneres spent her twenties as an itinerant comedian on the Los Angeles nightclub circuit until prominent spots on late night television led to her own prime time sitcom.

The original show, Ellen, featured DeGeneres in the lead role as a bookshop owner in an idiosyncratic neighborhood. While the show got a boost after the star came out of the closet, it was over a few years later.

She later returned to the standup stage, and hosted the 2001 Emmy awards, which was postponed twice after the September 11 attacks - a somewhat subdued celebration that allowed her to try to lighten the national mood.

Several guests said that DeGeneres brought a compassion to her comedy that is rare in the field.

"The rest of us comics come from really messed-up, dark childhoods. She might have come from that, I don't know. But it's not what she puts forth," said John Leguizamo, who joined the tributes. "She just puts out this beautiful goodwill."

In the last 10 seasons on television, DeGeneres has left her mark with a daytime variety show which she often uses as a way to promote a commitment to gay equality.

"For a lot of people, Ellen is their only homosexual friend," said late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel.

DeGeneres is the forth woman to receive the award since its inception in 1998.

Comedian and actor Will Ferrell won last year. Past award winners have included Bob Newhart, Steve Martin, Richard Pryor and Bill Cosby.

Monday night's ceremony will be broadcast on PBS on October 30.

(Reporting By Patrick Rucker; Editing by Mohammad Zargham)


12.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Goldman book was not meant to be an expose: author

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 23 Oktober 2012 | 12.42

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - The former Goldman Sachs Group Inc vice president who publicly accused the bank of taking advantage of unsuspecting clients said he never intended his book to be an expose of practices at the Wall Street firm.

Preliminary reviews of Greg Smith's "Why I Left Goldman Sachs," which hits bookstores on Monday, have been lackluster. Critics say the book contains few revelations, given that it had been hyped as a "tell all" look at the investment bank.

Smith, a native of South Africa, told Reuters in a phone interview on Sunday that his book was not meant to be a manual for change on Wall Street. Instead, he said he wanted to shine a light on what was wrong in investment banking and how ordinary people - not the super-wealthy - pay for it.

"People are looking for something sensationalist and expose-like," said Smith, who sold equity derivatives at Goldman. "I would like people to look at it in a thoughtful manner, with an objective sense that Wall Street has do to things that are right.

"I didn't write this book for Wall Street, I just wanted to give the Main Street people a window into what goes on, so they could make their own judgment."

Smith created a furor earlier this year when he resigned from Goldman, saying in a New York Times op-ed column that the firm had engendered a "toxic" culture of treating clients as "muppets" - slang in Britain for idiots - and relieving them of their money.

Smith then promised the book about the bank, building up expectations of new insights about the culture at Goldman.

Grand Central Publishing, a unit of Hachette, planned a print run of 150,000 copies for the book. That is considered a relatively big number for a first run, although many will also be sold through e-book formats.

The publisher declined to say how much it had paid Smith for the book, but media reports said he had received $1.5 million as an upfront payment.

Smith's op-ed piece and his plans to write a book prompted a public relations campaign and internal inquiries at the bank, as it tried to avoid another hit to its image after suffering a barrage of bad publicity in recent years.

"The Goldman Sachs Mr. Smith describes is not one our employees would recognize," a spokesman for the firm said on Sunday. "Mr. Smith has asked for answers, yet he did not respond to our repeated attempts to contact him after his abrupt departure earlier this year."

Goldman has said it looked into Smith's allegations - including the use of "muppet" in emails - and turned up little. The bank says that unless Smith provides specific examples, it cannot check what he is alleging.

Although "Why I Left Goldman Sachs" does not reveal a new scandal at the firm, Smith said he believed his book shines a spotlight on a worsening culture of greed on Wall Street.

Smith, who worked for Goldman in London, said the company would overcharge customers, such as charities or funds managing the pensions of teachers and firemen, or sell them products they did not need and did not understand.

In some cases, Smith said, traders would use knowledge of the clients' business to make easy bets against them.

"When you're trying to make an extra $2 million off a teachers' retirement fund, it doesn't jive at least with the values that I felt," he said. "There is no criminal activity because it's legal. But it should not be allowed, because it's unethical."

Smith, who quit his $500,000-a-year job at the bank, said he would do more to push for change in finance.

"I am in a rush to spread a message and get mainstream people to realize there is a big problem and to be outraged that no one fixed it," Smith said.

"There is a real absence of people within the financial industry trying to advocate for positive reform," he said. "I would like to try to be part of that conversation."

(Additional reporting by Lauren Tara LaCapra in New York; Editing by Paritosh Bansal and Lisa Von Ahn)


12.42 | 0 komentar | Read More

Filmmaker Tony Scott died with anti-depressant, sleep aid in system

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Filmmaker Tony Scott had an anti-depressant and sleep aid in his bloodstream when he leapt to his death from a suspension bridge in August, the Los Angeles County Coroner's office said on Monday.

Preliminary autopsy results confirmed that Scott's death, which baffled investigators and much of Hollywood, was a suicide, caused by blunt force trauma and drowning.

The 68-year-old British-born director of such blockbusters as "Top Gun" and "Beverly Hills Cop II" had therapeutic levels of the anti-depressant Mirtazapine and the prescription sleep-aid Lunesta in his system, coroner's investigators found.

But the findings shed no light on a motive for Scott to commit suicide. A coroner's spokesman said a final report was still two weeks away.

Family members have dismissed early reports that Scott was suffering from inoperable brain cancer and Craig Harvey, operations chief for the coroner, has previously said that there were no obvious signs of a tumor. The preliminary autopsy report made no mention of any evidence of serious illness.

Investigators have offered no theories as to why Scott took his life, and a note he left behind did not explain the suicide.

The last person to see Scott was an onlooker parking his car on the Vincent Thomas Bridge over Los Angeles Harbor, who saw the director leap into the water just after noon on August 19. His body was recovered by law enforcement several hours later.

The bridge, the surface of which clears the harbor's navigation channel by a height of about 185 feet, connects the port district of San Pedro at the southern tip of Los Angeles to Terminal Island in the harbor.

Scott, born in northern England and frequently seen behind the camera in his signature faded red baseball cap, is credited with directing more than two dozen movies and television shows and producing nearly 50 titles.

He built a reputation for muscular but stylish high-octane thrillers that showcased some of Hollywood's biggest stars in a body of work that dated to the 1980s and established him as one of the most successful action directors in the business.

At the time of his death, Scott was reported to be involved in developing several film projects including a sequel to his biggest hit, the 1986 fighter-jet adventure "Top Gun," which starred Tom Cruise.

The brother of Oscar-winning director Ridley Scott, he is survived by his third wife, Donna, with whom he had two children.

(Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Mohammad Zargham)


12.42 | 0 komentar | Read More

Goldman book was not meant to be an expose: author

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - The former Goldman Sachs Group Inc vice president who publicly accused the bank of taking advantage of unsuspecting clients said he never intended his book to be an expose of practices at the Wall Street firm.

Preliminary reviews of Greg Smith's "Why I Left Goldman Sachs," which hits bookstores on Monday, have been lackluster. Critics say the book contains few revelations, given that it had been hyped as a "tell all" look at the investment bank.

Smith, a native of South Africa, told Reuters in a phone interview on Sunday that his book was not meant to be a manual for change on Wall Street. Instead, he said he wanted to shine a light on what was wrong in investment banking and how ordinary people - not the super-wealthy - pay for it.

"People are looking for something sensationalist and expose-like," said Smith, who sold equity derivatives at Goldman. "I would like people to look at it in a thoughtful manner, with an objective sense that Wall Street has do to things that are right.

"I didn't write this book for Wall Street, I just wanted to give the Main Street people a window into what goes on, so they could make their own judgment."

Smith created a furor earlier this year when he resigned from Goldman, saying in a New York Times op-ed column that the firm had engendered a "toxic" culture of treating clients as "muppets" - slang in Britain for idiots - and relieving them of their money.

Smith then promised the book about the bank, building up expectations of new insights about the culture at Goldman.

Grand Central Publishing, a unit of Hachette, planned a print run of 150,000 copies for the book. That is considered a relatively big number for a first run, although many will also be sold through e-book formats.

The publisher declined to say how much it had paid Smith for the book, but media reports said he had received $1.5 million as an upfront payment.

Smith's op-ed piece and his plans to write a book prompted a public relations campaign and internal inquiries at the bank, as it tried to avoid another hit to its image after suffering a barrage of bad publicity in recent years.

"The Goldman Sachs Mr. Smith describes is not one our employees would recognize," a spokesman for the firm said on Sunday. "Mr. Smith has asked for answers, yet he did not respond to our repeated attempts to contact him after his abrupt departure earlier this year."

Goldman has said it looked into Smith's allegations - including the use of "muppet" in emails - and turned up little. The bank says that unless Smith provides specific examples, it cannot check what he is alleging.

Although "Why I Left Goldman Sachs" does not reveal a new scandal at the firm, Smith said he believed his book shines a spotlight on a worsening culture of greed on Wall Street.

Smith, who worked for Goldman in London, said the company would overcharge customers, such as charities or funds managing the pensions of teachers and firemen, or sell them products they did not need and did not understand.

In some cases, Smith said, traders would use knowledge of the clients' business to make easy bets against them.

"When you're trying to make an extra $2 million off a teachers' retirement fund, it doesn't jive at least with the values that I felt," he said. "There is no criminal activity because it's legal. But it should not be allowed, because it's unethical."

Smith, who quit his $500,000-a-year job at the bank, said he would do more to push for change in finance.

"I am in a rush to spread a message and get mainstream people to realize there is a big problem and to be outraged that no one fixed it," Smith said.

"There is a real absence of people within the financial industry trying to advocate for positive reform," he said. "I would like to try to be part of that conversation."

(Additional reporting by Lauren Tara LaCapra in New York; Editing by Paritosh Bansal and Lisa Von Ahn)


12.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Filmmaker Tony Scott died with anti-depressant, sleep aid in system

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Filmmaker Tony Scott had an anti-depressant and sleep aid in his bloodstream when he leapt to his death from a suspension bridge in August, the Los Angeles County Coroner's office said on Monday.

Preliminary autopsy results confirmed that Scott's death, which baffled investigators and much of Hollywood, was a suicide, caused by blunt force trauma and drowning.

The 68-year-old British-born director of such blockbusters as "Top Gun" and "Beverly Hills Cop II" had therapeutic levels of the anti-depressant Mirtazapine and the prescription sleep-aid Lunesta in his system, coroner's investigators found.

But the findings shed no light on a motive for Scott to commit suicide. A coroner's spokesman said a final report was still two weeks away.

Family members have dismissed early reports that Scott was suffering from inoperable brain cancer and Craig Harvey, operations chief for the coroner, has previously said that there were no obvious signs of a tumor. The preliminary autopsy report made no mention of any evidence of serious illness.

Investigators have offered no theories as to why Scott took his life, and a note he left behind did not explain the suicide.

The last person to see Scott was an onlooker parking his car on the Vincent Thomas Bridge over Los Angeles Harbor, who saw the director leap into the water just after noon on August 19. His body was recovered by law enforcement several hours later.

The bridge, the surface of which clears the harbor's navigation channel by a height of about 185 feet, connects the port district of San Pedro at the southern tip of Los Angeles to Terminal Island in the harbor.

Scott, born in northern England and frequently seen behind the camera in his signature faded red baseball cap, is credited with directing more than two dozen movies and television shows and producing nearly 50 titles.

He built a reputation for muscular but stylish high-octane thrillers that showcased some of Hollywood's biggest stars in a body of work that dated to the 1980s and established him as one of the most successful action directors in the business.

At the time of his death, Scott was reported to be involved in developing several film projects including a sequel to his biggest hit, the 1986 fighter-jet adventure "Top Gun," which starred Tom Cruise.

The brother of Oscar-winning director Ridley Scott, he is survived by his third wife, Donna, with whom he had two children.

(Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Mohammad Zargham)


12.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Aurora police think attempted abduction at bar was isolated incident

Written By Unknown on Senin, 22 Oktober 2012 | 12.42

  Aurora police released details Sunday night about an attempted abduction outside a bar in the city last week, but cautioned that they believe the incident is isolated and probably unrelated to any other cases.

The incident happened at about 11:20 p.m. in the 1600 block of South Chambers Road.

A woman told police she had parked her car and was walking in the bar when two men pulled up next to her in a small, white sedan and asked for directions.

One of them got out, approached her from behind and tried to put a towel against her mouth, she said. The woman said she fought back, shoved the man down and ran inside the bar.

Both men were described as white or possibly Hispanic, "clean-cut" between 22 and 30 years old. The passenger of the white sedan was described as between 5 feet, 6 inches tall and 5 feet, 9 inches tall.

"Aurora Police have no reason to believe that this case is anyway connected to any other incidents and do believe that this is an isolated event," police said in statement Sunday night.

The Aurora Police Reward Fund is offering a reward of up to $2,000.

Anyone with information can call 303-739-6709 or Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867. Tips also can be sent by text to: 274637 (CRIMES) with the title DMCS.

Copyright 2012 The Denver Post. All rights reserved.
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Police get tuft of hair from park near where Jessica Ridgeway found

A Denver TV station reported Sunday night that investigators in the Jessica Ridgeway abduction and murder had received new evidence.

Investigator Trevor Materasso of the Westminster Police Department said that "60 percent" of what Fox 31 reported Sunday night was "erroneous and bad information."

He said someone walking near the park reported finding some items, including a tuft of what appeared to be blonde hair, and called police.

Materasso said there is no indication yet whether the hair are connected to the case. "We don't even know if this is dog hair yet," he said.

"Like everything else, every tip we've gotten, it was taken and we'll take a look at it to see if it's connected," he said.

Jessica was abducted after she left home walking to school Oct. 5. Her remains were found in garbage bags 11 miles away in an open field in Arvada's Pattridge Park five days after her disappearance.

Police have received more than 4,000 tips. They urge anyone with information to call a special tips hotline at 303-658-4336.

Copyright 2012 The Denver Post. All rights reserved.
12.42 | 0 komentar | Read More

Aurora police think attempted abduction at bar was isolated incident

  Aurora police released details Sunday night about an attempted abduction outside a bar in the city last week, but cautioned that they believe the incident is isolated and probably unrelated to any other cases.

The incident happened at about 11:20 p.m. in the 1600 block of South Chambers Road.

A woman told police she had parked her car and was walking in the bar when two men pulled up next to her in a small, white sedan and asked for directions.

One of them got out, approached her from behind and tried to put a towel against her mouth, she said. The woman said she fought back, shoved the man down and ran inside the bar.

Both men were described as white or possibly Hispanic, "clean-cut" between 22 and 30 years old. The passenger of the white sedan was described as between 5 feet, 6 inches tall and 5 feet, 9 inches tall.

"Aurora Police have no reason to believe that this case is anyway connected to any other incidents and do believe that this is an isolated event," police said in statement Sunday night.

The Aurora Police Reward Fund is offering a reward of up to $2,000.

Anyone with information can call 303-739-6709 or Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867. Tips also can be sent by text to: 274637 (CRIMES) with the title DMCS.

Copyright 2012 The Denver Post. All rights reserved.
12.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Police get tuft of hair from park near where Jessica Ridgeway found

A Denver TV station reported Sunday night that investigators in the Jessica Ridgeway abduction and murder had received new evidence.

Investigator Trevor Materasso of the Westminster Police Department said that "60 percent" of what Fox 31 reported Sunday night was "erroneous and bad information."

He said someone walking near the park reported finding some items, including a tuft of what appeared to be blonde hair, and called police.

Materasso said there is no indication yet whether the hair are connected to the case. "We don't even know if this is dog hair yet," he said.

"Like everything else, every tip we've gotten, it was taken and we'll take a look at it to see if it's connected," he said.

Jessica was abducted after she left home walking to school Oct. 5. Her remains were found in garbage bags 11 miles away in an open field in Arvada's Pattridge Park five days after her disappearance.

Police have received more than 4,000 tips. They urge anyone with information to call a special tips hotline at 303-658-4336.

Copyright 2012 The Denver Post. All rights reserved.
12.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

DU gets 5-2 victory over Air Force via Shore's hat trick

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 21 Oktober 2012 | 12.42

University of Denver coach George Gwozdecky called his timeout with 2:26 remaining in the second period Saturday. His team was winning, but not playing nearly as well as in Friday's 5-1 season-opening triumph over Massachusetts-Lowell.

Air Force does that. The Falcons disrupt systems like it was their jobs, and the Pioneers needed coordinates to get the the visitor's net with any consistency at Magness Arena.

Fortunately for DU, however, its defense was similarly as suffocating, and the the game's best offensive player wore the Pioneers' crimson and gold. Junior center Nick Shore scored three goals to lead DU to a 5-2 victory over Air Force in the Front Range rivals' annual nonleague game.

Shore struck on the power

play 17:42 of the first period, at even strength 11:56 into the second, and 3:56 into the third — the latter just 1:02 after Air Force made it a 2-1 game. Shore had a game-high five shots after two periods, when the Pioneers (2-0) outshot the Falcons (0-2-2) 28-14 and led 2-0.

Senior goalie Adam Murray was solid for DU until early in the third, when Casey Kleisinger's wrist shot from just inside the blue line sneaked through his legs. DU regained the two-goal advantage on the ensuing shift, when Shore redirected a slap shot from the point by freshman defensman Dakota Mermis. The puck dribbled over the goal line behind goalie Jason Torf, who absorbed a 6-2 loss to Colorado College on Friday at the Academy.

DU scored its second power-goal goal 7:32 into the third period on Joey LaLeggia's blast from the point. Shore got an assist to complete his four-point night and make it 4-1. On Dec. 31, Shore's older brother, then-junior Drew Shore, had a four-point night in a 7-1 victory over the Falcons. Drew signed with the NHL's Florida Panthers in April, forgoing an opportunity to play with two brothers at DU. Quentin Shore is a freshman center for the Pioneers.

DU has now won five consecutive games over Air Force, which fell to 3-33 in the series. The Falcons last beat DU in 2008 by a 5-2 score.

Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357, mchambers@denverpost.com or twitter.com/mchambersdp


Denver Post three stars

1. Nick Shore. Three goals for the DU junior center from Denver.

2. Joey LaLeggia. Pioneers sophomore defenseman had two points, including a goal.

3. Nolan Zajac. DU freshman defenseman had an assist, giving him three points in two career games

What you might have missed

Air Force freshman Ben Carey of Aurora was making his NCAA debut. He and DU sophomore Daniel Doremus of Aspen were midget triple-A teammates with the Colorado Thunderbirds.

Up next

Michigan Tech, Friday at Magness Arena. Mike Chambers, The Denver Post

Copyright 2012 The Denver Post. All rights reserved.
12.42 | 0 komentar | Read More

No. 11 USC, Matt Barkley blast Colorado 50-6

The Denver Post's sports reporters contribute analysis, notes and minutiae on this blog focussing on CU athletics.

LOS ANGELES — In a season in which Colorado's pass defense hasn't been able to stop a stiff breeze, the Buffaloes came to Southern California on Saturday afternoon and faced a hurricane. Following a script that could have been written in Hollywood and was as predictable as a bad sitcom, USC quarterback Matt Barkley and the 11th-ranked Trojans blew away the Buffaloes 50-6.

This was a sitcom at its worst. But Colorado (1-6, 1-3 Pac-12) didn't think it was very funny. Then again, the Buffs were mere props as they committed six turnovers and Barkley launched himself into the school and conference record books, if not back in the Heisman race.

He hit an amazing 19-of-20 passes for 298 yards and six touchdowns to

give him 102 for his career, breaking Matt Leinart's record of 99. The six also tied Barkley's school record for a single game — set last year in USC's 42-17 win in Boulder.

Don't be surprised to soon see a stuffed buffalo in Barkley's living room. In two games against Colorado, he is 44-of-59 for 616 yards and 12 touchdowns. On Saturday, he threw three touchdown passes in his first eight plays. His lone incompletion for the day was dropped.

He wasn't that accurate in warm -ups.

Then again, this is a recurring theme with Colorado this year. One game into the second half of the season, one common thread is found through this year.

"Definitely blown assignments, guys not doing their job," said junior safety Parker Orms, who indicated some are studying more than others. "We talked about not letting them beat us deep, to keep them in front of us, and that's what we let happen."

This game had all the trappings of the disaster that it became. CU came in 118th nationally in pass-efficiency defense, and a sellout Coliseum crowd came to christen Barkley as the new king of Trojans QBs.

Colorado welcomed back senior safety Ray Polk, out since the opener against Colorado State with a high ankle sprain.

In this game, he was just another speed bump. Receivers for USC (6-1, 4-1) were more wide open than some of the 83,274 fans left in empty sections of stands in the fourth quarter.

"Pretty rusty," Polk said. "I wasn't myself."

Symbolizing the Pompeii-level rebuilding job second-year coach Jon Embree has, covering Barkley's top target for the day, All-America receiver Robert Woods, was freshman Kenneth Crawley. A year ago, Crawley was blanketing tiny receivers in for his Washington, D.C., public school.

Barkley victimized him on the two touchdown passes that pushed Woods past Dwayne Jarrett for the school's all-time reception record. Woods went on to eight receptions for 132 yards and a school-record four TD catches. Marqise Lee added 103 more receiving yards.

Yet through all the blown assignments and video tributes to Barkley and Woods, the pass defense wasn't what stuck in Embree's ever-deepening craw the most.

"Turnovers," Embree said. "We talk about getting first downs and protecting the football. And we didn't do that. That was the disappointing thing. We've got to protect the ball."

Colorado's offense, only reasonably better than the defense at 103rd in the country, gained 351 yards but shot itself in the foot in the red zone. Jordan Webb threw an interception in the end zone when he tried to throw it away on the first possession, freshman tailback Christian Powell fumbled at the Buffs' 17 on the next one and Webb threw two more interceptions in USC territory, one when Tony Burnett stole the pass from the hands of freshman receiver Nelson Spruce.

Make that shot themselves in the foot, the hand, the lower intestine.

"We're not playing good enough," said Embree who said the staff will discuss Sunday whether to keep Webb at quarterback. "It's not just his position. At other positions, we're not making plays also."

While the junior may not be the answer in Embree's rebuilding plans, he's a much less of a problem than Colorado's horrific pass defense. With USC backup Max Wittek throwing a TD pass in the fourth quarter, the Buffaloes have given up 27 touchdown passes and intercepted three.

And believe it or not, it's only getting worse. Up next Saturday is a visit to second-ranked Oregon. But Colorado can finally make some history of its own. A loss would clinch the Buffaloes a school-record seven consecutive losing seasons.

John Henderson: 303-954-1299, jhenderson@ denverpost.com or twitter.com/johnhendersondp

Copyright 2012 The Denver Post. All rights reserved.
12.42 | 0 komentar | Read More

DU gets 5-2 victory over Air Force via Shore's hat trick

University of Denver coach George Gwozdecky called his timeout with 2:26 remaining in the second period Saturday. His team was winning, but not playing nearly as well as in Friday's 5-1 season-opening triumph over Massachusetts-Lowell.

Air Force does that. The Falcons disrupt systems like it was their jobs, and the Pioneers needed coordinates to get the the visitor's net with any consistency at Magness Arena.

Fortunately for DU, however, its defense was similarly as suffocating, and the the game's best offensive player wore the Pioneers' crimson and gold. Junior center Nick Shore scored three goals to lead DU to a 5-2 victory over Air Force in the Front Range rivals' annual nonleague game.

Shore struck on the power

play 17:42 of the first period, at even strength 11:56 into the second, and 3:56 into the third — the latter just 1:02 after Air Force made it a 2-1 game. Shore had a game-high five shots after two periods, when the Pioneers (2-0) outshot the Falcons (0-2-2) 28-14 and led 2-0.

Senior goalie Adam Murray was solid for DU until early in the third, when Casey Kleisinger's wrist shot from just inside the blue line sneaked through his legs. DU regained the two-goal advantage on the ensuing shift, when Shore redirected a slap shot from the point by freshman defensman Dakota Mermis. The puck dribbled over the goal line behind goalie Jason Torf, who absorbed a 6-2 loss to Colorado College on Friday at the Academy.

DU scored its second power-goal goal 7:32 into the third period on Joey LaLeggia's blast from the point. Shore got an assist to complete his four-point night and make it 4-1. On Dec. 31, Shore's older brother, then-junior Drew Shore, had a four-point night in a 7-1 victory over the Falcons. Drew signed with the NHL's Florida Panthers in April, forgoing an opportunity to play with two brothers at DU. Quentin Shore is a freshman center for the Pioneers.

DU has now won five consecutive games over Air Force, which fell to 3-33 in the series. The Falcons last beat DU in 2008 by a 5-2 score.

Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357, mchambers@denverpost.com or twitter.com/mchambersdp


Denver Post three stars

1. Nick Shore. Three goals for the DU junior center from Denver.

2. Joey LaLeggia. Pioneers sophomore defenseman had two points, including a goal.

3. Nolan Zajac. DU freshman defenseman had an assist, giving him three points in two career games

What you might have missed

Air Force freshman Ben Carey of Aurora was making his NCAA debut. He and DU sophomore Daniel Doremus of Aspen were midget triple-A teammates with the Colorado Thunderbirds.

Up next

Michigan Tech, Friday at Magness Arena. Mike Chambers, The Denver Post

Copyright 2012 The Denver Post. All rights reserved.
12.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

No. 11 USC, Matt Barkley blast Colorado 50-6

The Denver Post's sports reporters contribute analysis, notes and minutiae on this blog focussing on CU athletics.

LOS ANGELES — In a season in which Colorado's pass defense hasn't been able to stop a stiff breeze, the Buffaloes came to Southern California on Saturday afternoon and faced a hurricane. Following a script that could have been written in Hollywood and was as predictable as a bad sitcom, USC quarterback Matt Barkley and the 11th-ranked Trojans blew away the Buffaloes 50-6.

This was a sitcom at its worst. But Colorado (1-6, 1-3 Pac-12) didn't think it was very funny. Then again, the Buffs were mere props as they committed six turnovers and Barkley launched himself into the school and conference record books, if not back in the Heisman race.

He hit an amazing 19-of-20 passes for 298 yards and six touchdowns to

give him 102 for his career, breaking Matt Leinart's record of 99. The six also tied Barkley's school record for a single game — set last year in USC's 42-17 win in Boulder.

Don't be surprised to soon see a stuffed buffalo in Barkley's living room. In two games against Colorado, he is 44-of-59 for 616 yards and 12 touchdowns. On Saturday, he threw three touchdown passes in his first eight plays. His lone incompletion for the day was dropped.

He wasn't that accurate in warm -ups.

Then again, this is a recurring theme with Colorado this year. One game into the second half of the season, one common thread is found through this year.

"Definitely blown assignments, guys not doing their job," said junior safety Parker Orms, who indicated some are studying more than others. "We talked about not letting them beat us deep, to keep them in front of us, and that's what we let happen."

This game had all the trappings of the disaster that it became. CU came in 118th nationally in pass-efficiency defense, and a sellout Coliseum crowd came to christen Barkley as the new king of Trojans QBs.

Colorado welcomed back senior safety Ray Polk, out since the opener against Colorado State with a high ankle sprain.

In this game, he was just another speed bump. Receivers for USC (6-1, 4-1) were more wide open than some of the 83,274 fans left in empty sections of stands in the fourth quarter.

"Pretty rusty," Polk said. "I wasn't myself."

Symbolizing the Pompeii-level rebuilding job second-year coach Jon Embree has, covering Barkley's top target for the day, All-America receiver Robert Woods, was freshman Kenneth Crawley. A year ago, Crawley was blanketing tiny receivers in for his Washington, D.C., public school.

Barkley victimized him on the two touchdown passes that pushed Woods past Dwayne Jarrett for the school's all-time reception record. Woods went on to eight receptions for 132 yards and a school-record four TD catches. Marqise Lee added 103 more receiving yards.

Yet through all the blown assignments and video tributes to Barkley and Woods, the pass defense wasn't what stuck in Embree's ever-deepening craw the most.

"Turnovers," Embree said. "We talk about getting first downs and protecting the football. And we didn't do that. That was the disappointing thing. We've got to protect the ball."

Colorado's offense, only reasonably better than the defense at 103rd in the country, gained 351 yards but shot itself in the foot in the red zone. Jordan Webb threw an interception in the end zone when he tried to throw it away on the first possession, freshman tailback Christian Powell fumbled at the Buffs' 17 on the next one and Webb threw two more interceptions in USC territory, one when Tony Burnett stole the pass from the hands of freshman receiver Nelson Spruce.

Make that shot themselves in the foot, the hand, the lower intestine.

"We're not playing good enough," said Embree who said the staff will discuss Sunday whether to keep Webb at quarterback. "It's not just his position. At other positions, we're not making plays also."

While the junior may not be the answer in Embree's rebuilding plans, he's a much less of a problem than Colorado's horrific pass defense. With USC backup Max Wittek throwing a TD pass in the fourth quarter, the Buffaloes have given up 27 touchdown passes and intercepted three.

And believe it or not, it's only getting worse. Up next Saturday is a visit to second-ranked Oregon. But Colorado can finally make some history of its own. A loss would clinch the Buffaloes a school-record seven consecutive losing seasons.

John Henderson: 303-954-1299, jhenderson@ denverpost.com or twitter.com/johnhendersondp

Copyright 2012 The Denver Post. All rights reserved.
12.23 | 0 komentar | Read More
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