Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2012/12/18/judd-apatow-mtv-pioneers/
মঙ্গলবার, ১৮ ডিসেম্বর, ২০১২
This Is Judd Apatow, Your Next MTV 'Pioneer'
FROM MTV NEWS Without qualification, Judd Apatow has changed the face of modern comedy. His brand of provocative yet sincere humor, seen in his own films ("Knocked Up," "This Is 40") and those of the talents he fostered like Seth Rogen, has become the standard for successful comedy in film. That's why it should be [...]
Analysis: U.S. policy gridlock holding back economy? Maybe not
(Reuters) - Washington thinks a resolution of the tense debate over the national debt will unlock a burst of economic growth by lifting uncertainty that has stymied investment.
It is a widely held view on Wall Street as well, derived from the glaring signs of weak business confidence over the last year as America struggles to get its fiscal house in order.
However, evidence for this belief is far from clear and is an issue of considerable debate, and even some businesses wonder how big a factor uncertainty is.
In Lexington, Kentucky, new sales are slipping at Gray Construction, a family-owned builder of factories and distribution centers. Clients say they are holding back because America could fall into recession if Congress and the White House don't strike a deal soon to avoid a "fiscal cliff" of some $600 billion in tax increases and government spending cuts due to begin in January.
"They're saying: 'Let's wait. Let's see what happens,'" Chief Executive Stephen Gray said.
And yet, the company, which also does design and engineering work, still has a record backlog of work and has hired about 30 people in the last six months.
The company's CEO has seen little dips in the sales pipeline before and said it's hard to know how different business would be if Washington's politicians inspired more confidence. As it is, Gray sees no reason to stop hiring: "I'm not super-worried."
Like Gray, economists are also unsure how much they can attribute business decisions to something so indeterminate as uncertainty, and they are divided over the degree to which erratic policymaking has dragged on the economy in recent years, if it has at all.
Answering this question could give important clues on how the economy will perform next year, whether or not Congress strikes a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff.
HOLDING BACK
Toward that end, researchers at Stanford University and the University of Chicago have created an index to gauge just how murky the future looks.
They count soon-to-expire tax provisions and mentions of uncertainty in major newspapers, as well as how much economic forecasters disagree on things like future government spending.
In a sample period between 1985 and 2011, they found heightened uncertainty went hand in hand with weak economic growth and hiring. Their index hit an all-time high last year when congressional gridlock nearly led the United States to default on its debt. It remains high, with a host of temporary tax cuts due to expire at year's end and the debate over the fiscal cliff regularly splashed across front pages.
Nicholas Bloom, a Stanford economist who helped make the uncertainty index, says weak levels of investment, along with surveys in which businesses say they are holding back because of concerns over the direction of policy, suggest uncertainty has weighed on growth since late 2011.
This year, business investment on capital goods - things like equipment and machinery - has fallen short of what economists would expect considering the $1.7 trillion in cash that companies were holding in the third quarter.
New orders for non-defense capital goods other than aircraft fell 7 percent in the year through October, while total business investment in the third quarter dropped the most since 2009.
Bloom says businesses would spend their cash more readily if politicians united around a grand bargain to put U.S. fiscal policy on a stable path. Using past correlations between uncertainty and economic growth as a guide, he estimates that lifting uncertainty could add about 3 percent to gross domestic product over the next 18 months - enough growth to create roughly 2 million jobs.
"There should be a surge of investment and hiring," he said.
That would be a big boost to the lackluster 1.9 percent growth rate many economists expect next year.
A deal in Congress that avoids the fiscal cliff while taming the nation's $16 trillion debt over the long term may come by year-end or in early 2013. It is also plausible Washington will avoid the fiscal cliff but kick the can into 2013 when it comes to the details of longer-term deficit planning.
Republican House Speaker John Boehner, who has looked exasperated in public over the fiscal debate, has edged closer to President Barack Obama's key demands in the last few days, and the president made a counteroffer on Monday that could put a deal within reach. The two sides still differ on where to set tax rates and how to overhaul social spending programs.
The tense negotiations have corporate America on edge.
So far this month, companies have submitted 148 statements to the Securities and Exchange Commission expressing concern about the fiscal cliff. In November, there were 215 such warnings, up from 80 in October and none prior to May. About half of 200 big companies surveyed by American Express last month said Congress won't resolve the fiscal cliff this year.
Chemical maker DuPont is trimming its capital investment plans due to uncertainty. "We're not going to spend as much as we thought next year," DuPont CEO Ellen Kullman said last week in an interview.
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told CNBC earlier this month that reaching a sensible fiscal deal would get rid of the biggest roadblock to stronger growth. Many business leaders and lawmakers agree.
NO SURE THING
However, some economists doubt uncertainty has played such a central role holding back the U.S. economy. If they are right, growth next year could disappoint even if politicians wow investors with a grand bargain.
Researchers at Goldman Sachs say the weak economy might be boosting measures of uncertainty as much as the other way around.
The bank doesn't rule out an "uncertainty shock" over the next few months - most economists think uncertainty must matter for something - but its researchers crunched numbers and found there might be a simpler explanation for the disappointing levels of business spending.
The bank's economists calculated how much the business sector would normally be investing given its assets and the stage of the business cycle, and found the recent shortfall could be mostly explained by a lack of available credit.
Rather than being too scared to invest, companies might simply be having trouble getting loans. That makes sense considering many banks are still licking their wounds from the recent financial crisis.
"The evidence that a policy uncertainty shock is already depressing activity is far from unequivocal," Goldman Sachs economists Jan Hatzius and Sven Jari Stehn wrote in a recent note.
Their research suggests some of the hype over uncertainty is overblown. Indeed, much of the country is not paying attention to the fiscal cliff debate.
A poll by Gallup conducted December 1-2 showed only 60 percent of Americans were following the talks at least somewhat closely. In the history of national events tracked by Gallup, that ranks somewhere between the Iraqi election of 2005 and the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito in 2006.
Households, whose spending drives more than two-thirds of the economy, are not as worried as the country's CEOs, although a recent consumer sentiment survey showed concerns appeared to grow in early December.
Some economists say the most important issue for Congress is not to resolve policy uncertainty but rather to strike a fiscal deal that doesn't hurt the economy by ushering in harsh budget austerity measures.
Surveys of small businesses show companies are worried about higher taxes, but over the last few months and years they have worried even more about poor sales. Adjusting for inflation, household incomes are still lower than they were before the recession. This has depressed spending, a situation that could be exacerbated by tighter fiscal policy.
"The biggest uncertainty is whether the U.S. consumer is really back," said Stephanie Kelton, an economist at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
(Reporting by Jason Lange in Washington and Jonathan Spicer in New York; Editing by Tim Ahmann in Washington and Steve Orlofsky in New York)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/analysis-u-policy-gridlock-holding-back-economy-maybe-060229725--sector.html
Rogen: I don't play a stoned moron in 'Guilt Trip'
By Ree Hines, TODAY contributor
There's something different about Seth Rogen's part in the new mother-son comedy "The Guilt Trip" compared to his usual roles, and in a Tuesday morning appearance on TODAY, the actor revealed just what he thinks the big difference is.
"I don't play a stoned moron in this," said the man who made it big following his roles in "Knocked Up" and "Superbad". "I'm trying to branch out -- microscopically."
In "The Guilt Trip," Rogen branches out alongside stage and screen star Barbra Streisand. And while some actors might have been intimidated by her living legend status, Rogen wasn't.
"I respect her canon, but I wasn't like the biggest Barbara Streisand fan on Earth," he said.
In fact, his Streisand appreciation was pretty limited.
"I watched half of 'Funny Girl,'" he admitted.
But for "The Guilt Trip," Rogen didn't need to be a Streisand super fan. He just needed to feel like her son, and she made sure he did.
"She bought me socks and underwear from the Gap as a gift -- just like a real mother," he said with all the gratitude of any kid.
"The Guilt Trip" opens Dec. 19.
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সোমবার, ১৭ ডিসেম্বর, ২০১২
Travel Insurance ? The Reassurance You Can't Do Without
A click of the mouse, and the Internet had my upcoming trip to Germany all ready to go. Only now could I relax and concentrate on how to pack. Should I arrive looking stylish like a tourist bundled up for Bavaria, Germany? I?d have to think about that.
The suitcases were packed and I flipped through my manila envelope, organized with computer print outs of airline tickets, train passes and hotel pictures for three excited female travelers.
I imagined getting through security would be the most difficult part of the trip, what with unloading laptops, coats and shoes while trying to not hold up the line. Had I only known that security would be easy compared to what was to come.
Our week of exploring German cities, shopping with the locals and tasting different regional foods was coming to an end as we anxiously planned our last day of activities. We would have one last train ride and then head to the airport?or so we thought.
That Horrible Snapping Sound
It all happened so fast. Our friend accidentally slipped and fell on a step and landed with a crashing sound. That horrible snapping sound and the sight of her bent ankle with a bone sticking out almost made me ill. Even worse, it signaled a very different end to our trip. As fast as we could, we loaded her into the car and drove to the local village (population 6,000) hospital, where staffing was at a minimum and all of us had to assist her into the emergency room by pushing the gurney.
Thankfully, a trauma doctor was on duty and announced in broken English that surgery was needed immediately. My mind was racing. Here we were in a foreign country, with no time for a second opinion. Our friend had never had surgery. The nurse took a copy of her passport and then I chimed in: ?We have travel insurance!? And breathed a sigh of relief that we bought trip insurance for the three of us. The nurse told me to bring the insurance policy the following day because our friend would remain in the hospital for five days to avoid blood clots. Five days? But our return flight was in two days. As my friend was wheeled into surgery, the color drained from my rosy cheeks, and I whispered to my other friend: ?The party is over; we have a lot of work ahead of us.?
I did know one thing; the $200 I had paid for the travel insurance just became the best investment I had made in a very long time.
Change of Plans
The surgery went well and the staff was helpful to us, but now we needed to get to our B&B, get some rest and gather our thoughts.
My global smartphone became my constant companion throughout this time, and I emailed and called my travel agent and family members to inform them of our mini-crisis. Suddenly I was glad I had booked the airline tickets with a travel agent because she began coordinating all the requirements now required by the insurance company and the airlines. The small fee she had charged us to book the tickets seemed inconsequential compared to the feelings of being overwhelmed 8,000 miles from home and not knowing what to do to help our friend.
A valuable lesson we learned about booking travel on the Internet is that it is not like retail buying on the Internet, where returns are possible. A nonrefundable restricted ticket is exactly that: nonrefundable.
The European coordinator for the insurance company called me and outlined the procedures, and once again, I was relieved to know that professionals were helping us.
We were able to use local transportation to visit our friend in the hospital, and we were also able to leave an extra global phone with her to call us. On the fourth day, she called and her voice shook as she told me the hospital required 1,000 Euro to release her the next day. We hurried to the hospital and contacted the billing department and handed the woman a credit card. She said, ?NEIN!?- German for ?No? and then she walked us to the ATM machine.
1,000 Euro meant three separate ATM transactions. What if one of the transactions failed? We took our time and after the first withdrawal, I used two ATM cards from different accounts. Always worried my ATM card will get captured, I travel with extra debit cards for such an occasion.
Making sure a receipt for the payment was given to us, we asked the hospital for all the medical records and X-rays to take back home to her doctor. The hospital complied and we were ready to leave on the fifth day, as the doctor ordered.
The evening before we had hoped to leave, the coordinator and travel agent finalized our returned flights and organized a private driver to the airport. I stressed with the coordinator that we needed a large van for us and all our luggage, lots of luggage. They must have understood American luggage because a big van by European standards was provided for us.
The insurance upgraded our friend to business class because she needed to keep her foot up and we all made it home safe and sound. We are fine, our friend is healing and we all look back on our trip with fond memories, despite the accident. But we would never hesitate to buy travel insurance for any future trips ? because there?s nothing quite like knowing you have the protection when the unexpected happens.
For more information, the following websites are good resources for price and coverage comparisons:
Previously published in Amateurtraveler.com
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Source: http://global-writes.com/2012/12/travel-insurance-the-reassurance-you-cant-do-without.html
Jason Mraz tops Myanmar anti-trafficking concert
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) ? American singer-songwriter Jason Mraz mixed entertainment with education to become the first world-class entertainer in decades to perform in Myanmar, with a concert to raise awareness of human trafficking.
Mraz's 2008 hit "I'm Yours" was the finale for Sunday night's concert before a crowd of about 50,000 people at the base of the famous hilltop Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, the country's biggest city.
Local artists, including a hip-hop singer, also played at the event organized by MTV in cooperation with U.S. and Australian government aid agencies and the anti-slavery organization Walk Free.
Myanmar is emerging from decades of isolation under a reformist elected government that took office last year after almost five decades of military rule. It has been one of the region's poorest countries, and its bad human rights record made it the target of political and economic sanctions by Western nations.
But democratic reforms initiated by President Thein Sein have led to the lifting of most sanctions, and the country is hopeful of a political and economic revival. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, the pro-democracy opposition leader, was released from house arrest in late 2010 and won a seat in parliament last April.
Mraz called his top-billed appearance at the concert a "tremendous honor."
"I think the country is, at this time, downloading lots of new information from all around the world," he said. "I've always wanted my music to be here, (for) hope and celebration, peace, love and happiness. And so I'm delighted that my music can be a part of this big download that Myanmar is experiencing right now."
Organizers said Mraz was the first international artist to perform at an open-air, mass public concert in Myanmar. Jazz artists Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Charlie Byrd visited the country under U.S. government sponsorship in the 1970s, when it was still called Burma, but played at much smaller venues.
Many in the crowd queued for two hours before being admitted to the concert site. Yangon native Sann Oo, 31, wearing a white T-shirt with a sketch of Mraz, said he was pleased that Mraz had come and that there would be a broadcast of the event.
"His visit can promote the image of Myanmar, because people outside have been seeing the country as an insecure place, and poor," he said. "Now they can see how we look like from the concert. It also opens the potential for more concerts by foreign artists."
Mraz has a history of involvement with human rights and other social causes.
But there was some criticism of his visit by campaigners for Myanmar's Muslim Rohingya community, which has been the target of ethnic-based violence this year that has forced scores of thousands of people from their homes into makeshift refugees camps. They feel Myanmar's government has been complicit in the discrimination, and that Mraz's visit provides it cover with the image of being a defender of human rights.
Walk Free used the occasion of Sunday's concert to launch a campaign calling on the world's major corporations "to work together to end modern slavery by identifying, eradicating and preventing forced labor in their operations and supply chains." They are seeking to have the companies make a "zero tolerance for slavery pledge" by the end of March next year.
"While many think of slavery as a relic of history, experts estimate that there are currently 20.9 million people living under threat of violence, abuse and harsh penalties," the Australia-based group said in a statement. "Within this massive number, the majority of people ? more than 14.2 million ? are in a forced labor situation, used to source raw materials, and create products in sectors such as agriculture, construction, manufacturing and domestic work."
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/jason-mraz-tops-myanmar-anti-trafficking-concert-175448791.html
Servpro offers tips for preventing holiday fires | Times-Herald and ...
HEIGHTS ? The approaching holiday season brings traditions, parties, shopping, entertaining ? and potential danger, said Jeffrey Whitmarsh of Servpro of Dearborn Heights North/East Garden City.
The latest statistics available from the National Fire Protection Association show the holidays are a high-risk time for home fires. Christmas trees are responsible for 240 home fires each year, and other holiday decorations are the cause of another 1,170 fires. Thanksgiving Day sees almost a threefold increase in cooking-related fires; cooking fires are almost twice as likely to happen on Christmas Day as on non-holidays.
?No one wants to think about the possibility of losing their home, and even more tragically, lives because of a fire during the holidays,? Whitmarsh said. ?But statistics show, it?s important to be aware of the increased risk seasonal decorating, entertaining
and cooking can cause during the holidays.?
Whitmarsh said prevention and common sense can help keep homes and families safe during the holidays and throughout the year.
Here are some facts about holiday fires and tips to help keep homes, friends and family safe throughout the holiday season.
Christmas tree fire facts
? Thirty-three percent of tree fires are caused by electrical problems; 13 percent involve decorative lights. Check wiring on lights for breaks and wear. Replace worn strings and don?t exceed manufacturer guidelines for connecting multiple strands of lights. Don?t leave tree lights plugged in when you are away from home or when you go to bed.
? Forty-two percent occur on the 12 days from Dec. 23 through Jan. 3. Keep live trees well watered to reduce the chance of a fire.
Holiday decoration fire facts
? Forty-five percent of all holiday fires involve candles; that number rises to 56 percent in December. Use flameless candles. If you do use traditional candles, burn them in sturdy candleholders, well away from drapes and other flammable materials, and never leave them unattended or allow them to burn down to less than one inch in length.
? Forty-eight percent of all decoration fires start because the decoration is too close to a heat source. Keep all decorations away from heat sources like radiators, portable heaters and fireplaces.
Cooking fire facts
? Cooking fires on Thanksgiving Day exceed the daily average by 272 percent. Supervise items on the stovetop. Fifty-eight percent of kitchen fires involve ranges; homes with electric cooktops have a higher risk of fire than homes with gas cooktops.
? Cooking fires on Christmas Day and Christmas Eve exceed the daily average by 96 percent and 89 percent, respectively. Keep flammable items ? potholders, packaging, wrapping, wooden utensils, loose clothing ? away from the stovetop. And, don?t let lack of sleep or alcohol consumption affect your ability to concentrate on preparing the meal.
?It only takes a moment?s distraction or carelessness to turn a holiday celebration into a catastrophe,? Whitmarsh said. ?We hope these tips will be a reminder to families to make fire prevention a priority in their holiday preparations, so they can spend the season enjoying family and friends, not dealing with the aftermath of a fire.?
For more fire prevention tips and information about fire and water damage restoration services, contact Whitmarsh at 313-228-5134 or servpro9764@aol.com. For more information about Servpro, go to www.servpro.com.
About Servpro
Founded in 1967, the Servpro Franchise System is a national leader and provider of fire and water cleanup and restoration services and mold mitigation and remediation. Servpro?s professional services network of more than 1,600 individually owned and operated franchises responds to property damage emergencies ranging from small individual disasters to multi-million dollar large-loss events. Providing coverage in the United States and Canada, the Servpro system has established relationships with major insurance companies and commercial clients, as well as individual homeowners.
Source: http://downriversundaytimes.com/2012/12/16/servpro-offers-tips-for-preventing-holiday-fires/
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Frosty Gifts for Powder-Shredding Snow Lovers
Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/nD3W6L2MpIo/cool-gifts-for-people-who-play-in-the-snow
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