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Friday, February 1, 2013

Sylvester Stallone supports assault weapon ban

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) ? Sylvester Stallone says that despite his "Rambo" image and new shoot-em-up film "Bullet to the Head," he's in favor of new national gun control legislation.

Stallone supported the 1994 "Brady bill" that included a now-expired ban on assault weapons, and hopes that ban can be reinstated.

"I know people get (upset) and go, 'They're going to take away the assault weapon.' Who ... needs an assault weapon? Like really, unless you're carrying out an assault. ... You can't hunt with it. ... Who's going to attack your house, a (expletive) army?"

The 66-year-old actor, writer and director said he also hopes for an additional focus on mental health to prevent future mass shootings.

"It's unbelievably horrible, what's happened. I think the biggest problem, seriously, is not so much guns. It's that every one of these people that have done these things in the past 30 years are friggin' crazy. Really crazy! And that's where we've dropped the ball: mental health," he said. "That to me is our biggest problem in the future, is insanity coupled with isolation."

Stallone is now in production on his next project, pairing up with the former "Raging Bull" Robert De Niro for "Grudge Match," about two aging boxers.

"People think it's going to be some geezer brawl. Really? OK, they're in for a surprise. I'm telling you. I've been working on the fight, the choreography. He's taking it deadly serious. Because no one wants to be shown up," Stallone said of De Niro. "It's going to be like a 'Rocky' fight. This will be 'Rocky 7,' with me fighting ? with Rocky fighting the 'Raging Bull.'"

___

Follow AP Entertainment Writer Ryan Pearson: http://twitter.com/ryanwrd

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sylvester-stallone-supports-assault-weapon-ban-212011998.html

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Japan helps Nomura put a bad year behind it

By John Foley

The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.

Who wants to be a global investment bank anyway? Not Nomura. The Japanese financial group delivered a solid quarter-on-quarter boost in underlying pre-tax profit in the final three months of 2012, driven largely by a recovery in its home market. Last year?s insider trading scandal and subsequent resignations punctured the global dreams Nomura was pursuing when it bought parts of bankrupt Lehman Brothers in 2008. For investors, that may be no bad thing.

Deducing Nomura?s profitability means digging through numerous one-offs. Strip away the 23.3 billion yen charge caused by increases in the value of Nomura?s own debts, a 24.1 billion yen write-down on real estate, and a gain of 13.2 billion yen from selling a private equity portfolio, and the headline 13 billion yen in pre-tax profit becomes a more creditable 47 billion yen, a third above the previous quarter?s figure.

While Japan now makes up just a quarter of Nomura?s investment banking revenue, the domestic market sets the tone. It accounted for half of the quarter?s revenue growth in equities and fixed income, as Tokyo?s market bounced in anticipation of prime minister Abe?s election victory. Meanwhile, Japanese companies angered by the insider trading fiasco look to have been placated by the corporate seppuku of its then-chief executive. Nomura ended the year back at the top of Japan?s equity underwriting league tables.

Nomura?s revised strategy of taking up profitable niches abroad is also working out for now. The Americas business almost doubled revenue since a year ago, though it remains minuscule compared with Wall Street?s biggest trading houses. Much of Nomura?s performance elsewhere may have benefited from rising bond prices. It is also taking on more risk, in the hope of getting more of the structured finance that brings in greater fees.

For investors, that risk requires greater reward. Nomura?s annualised return on equity for the quarter of 3.7 percent is dismal compared with a cost of capital perhaps three times higher. That explains why the stock trades at below its book value. Yet Nomura?s shares have risen by 80 percent since the beginning of November, outperforming peers. Call it the unwinding of the Lehman discount, and the beginning of a second chance.

Source: http://blogs.reuters.com/breakingviews/2013/01/31/japan-helps-nomura-put-a-bad-year-behind-it/

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Official: Israeli warplanes fly over Lebanon

BEIRUT (AP) ? Israeli warplanes flew over southern Lebanon Friday, two days after an airstrike near Damascus, as Syria's army chief of staff warned against testing his country's capabilities.

Gen. Ali Abdullah Ayoub made his comments Thursday during a visit to some military units in the country. The Al-Baath newspaper, the mouthpiece of President Bashar Assad's ruling party, quoted Ayoub as saying Syria will never change its stance "no matter how much the enemy carries out provocative and hostile acts."

The latest overflights came after officials said Israel launched a rare airstrike Wednesday inside Syria, targeting a convoy carrying anti-aircraft weapons bound for Hezbollah, the powerful Lebanese militant group allied with Syria and Iran.

The general's comments reflected increased tensions between Syria and Israel, which up to now has refrained from actions that could be interpreted as intervention in Syria's civil war.

Israel had no comment on Lebanon's description of its air force flights over the border region Friday. There were no reports of airstrikes. Israeli planes frequently overfly south Lebanon, and Lebanon often files complaints with the U.N. over the incursions into its airspace.

According to a U.S. official, the Israeli airstrikes Wednesday targeted trucks containing SA-17 anti-aircraft missiles. The trucks were next to the research center the Syrians identified, and the strikes hit both the trucks and the facility.

Advanced anti-aircraft missiles like the SA-17 in the hands of Hezbollah could change the strategic equation, which so far has allowed Israel to send warplanes over Lebanon practically unopposed.

The Syrian military denied that the target of the attack was a weapons convoy. It said low-flying Israeli jets crossed into the country over the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and bombed a scientific research center.

The facility is in the area of Jamraya, northwest of Damascus, about 15 kilometers (10 miles) from the Lebanese.

The air raid raised tension in the already boiling region as a result of Syria's 22-month civil war that has left more than 60,000 people dead, according to the U.N. Many fear Syria's civil war could spill to neighboring countries.

Syria and its close ally Iran threatened retaliation, and Arab nations along with Russia condemned the raid.

In Israel, Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor declined to comment on Israeli media reports that its embassies were instructed to be alert of threats after Syria's warnings. Syrian-allied Hezbollah has been accused of staging deadly attacks against Israelis abroad in past years.

At home, Israel positioned an additional "Iron Dome" rocket defense system in northern Israel on Thursday, security officials said, after moving another to the northern city of Haifa earlier this week. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the battery's placement with reporters.

Capt. Eytan Buchman, an Israeli military spokesman, said the military's home front command has not raised its alert level.

Ayoub, the Syrian military commander, said the "battle with the Zionist enemy continues and did not stop." He said rebel gunmen fighting against his troops are "tools of the Zionist entity." Israel and Syria have been bitter enemies for six decades.

The uprising against Assad began in March 2011 with pro-reform protests and developed into a civil war. The Syrian government says there is no uprising in Syria but a conspiracy against the country because of its support of anti-Israeli groups.

"We know our capabilities and readiness to use all these capabilities at the suitable time," Ayoub said. "Those who think they can test our armed forces are mistaken."

In Lebanon, the security official said the Israeli fighter planes were seen heading from southern Lebanon toward the eastern Bekaa Valley that borders Syria. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

Butros Wanna, a resident in the southern Lebanese town of Marjayoun, near the border with Israel, said Israeli flights have been intense for the past four days.

"There is something not normal going on. Warplanes are always in the air," said Wanna.

____

Associated Press writers Lolita Baldor in Washington and Tia Goldenberg in Jerusalem contributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/official-israeli-warplanes-fly-over-lebanon-095625965.html

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Black ex-coaches say NFL's Rooney Rule is broken

FILE - In tihs Jan. 18, 2013, file photo, former NFL coach Tony Dungy, left, speaks to reporters at the NCAA convention in Grapevine, Texas. The Rooney Rule is broken and must be fixed. That's how former NFL coaches Tony Dungy, Herm Edwards and Jim Caldwell feel after seeing openings for eight head coaches and seven general managers this offseason not go to any minority candidates. Says Dungy: "It's not working the way it should." (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 19, 2013, file photo, American team head coach Herm Edwards talks with his team before the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl football game in Carson, Calif. The Rooney Rule is broken and must be fixed. That's how former NFL coaches Tony Dungy, Herm Edwards and Jim Caldwell feel after seeing openings for eight head coaches and seven general managers this offseason not go to any minority candidates. (AP Photo/AP Images for NFLPA, Ric Tapia, File)

Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Jim Caldwell listens at a news conference at the team's training facility in Owings Mills, Md., Friday, Jan. 25, 2013. The Ravens are scheduled to face the San Francisco 49ers in NFL football's Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans on Sunday, Feb. 3. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

NEW ORLEANS (AP) ? Three black former NFL head coaches say the league needs to rethink its Rooney Rule for promoting minority hiring after 15 top vacancies ? eight head coaching jobs and seven general manager positions ? were all filled by white candidates since the regular season ended a month ago.

"I know the concept is good and something we need to do," said Tony Dungy, who was with the Indianapolis Colts during the 2006 season when he became the first black coach to win a Super Bowl. "Obviously, it's not working the way it should."

The Rooney Rule, implemented in 2003, was named for Pittsburgh Steelers chairman Dan Rooney, who steadfastly pushed the league to require every team to interview at least one minority candidate every time there is a coaching or general manager opening.

Before the rule went into effect, the NFL had had only six minority head coaches in more than 80 years. Since it has been in place, 12 have been hired.

But none were hired this year to replace the two black coaches who were fired ? Romeo Crennel in Kansas City and Lovie Smith in Chicago ? and the one fired black GM, Rod Graves in Arizona.

Herm Edwards, former coach of the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs and now an ESPN analyst, has called for not only revising the rule but perhaps even changing its name.

"When you use the Rooney Rule and not correctly, you put a little bit of a bad mark on Mr. Rooney's name, and that is not good," Edwards said Wednesday. "If it keeps going this way, we might need to take his name off the rule. It is not being used in the right manner that Mr. Rooney meant it to be."

Robert Gulliver, the NFL's executive vice president of human resources, said that the hiring results were "disappointing" and that he expects to make revisions in the rule.

The Fritz Pollard Alliance, a group of minority coaches and front-office, scouting and game-day NFL officials, wants the Rooney Rule expanded to apply to coordinators, assistant head coaches and club president positions.

Unlike Dungy and Edwards, Jim Caldwell is still coaching, albeit as an assistant. Not only that, his team, the Baltimore Ravens, will play the San Francisco 49ers in Sunday's Super Bowl. But he wasn't even invited to interview for one of the eight vacant coaching jobs, though having a team in the playoffs can be a hindrance to such opportunities.

Fired as the Colts' coach following the 2011 season, Caldwell joined the Ravens as quarterbacks coach. When head coach John Harbaugh fired offensive coordinator Cam Cameron in December, Caldwell was promoted. With his guidance, Baltimore's offense responded.

Caldwell is no stranger to the Super Bowl, having led the Colts there three years ago after replacing the retired Dungy. It was only after Peyton Manning was sidelined for the 2011 season that Caldwell was fired.

"It has been a great rule and it has worked in the past," he said. "Just like anything else, you have to, after a certain period of time, revisit it and take a look and see if it needs a little tweaking. I think it does in this particular case."

Caldwell added: "That's one of the reasons that the Rooney Rule was put in place, because you're trying to avoid those situations, if possible. We're at that stage where guys like Lovie Smith, who didn't get an opportunity, who had won and been very successful previously ... obviously, there's some concern there, and that's why I think the rule is going to be revisited."

Dungy said he believes the entire system is broken. He cited 21 head coaching jobs changing in a three-year span, which he said indicates owners are making the wrong hires regardless of race.

Edwards said he wonders whether minority candidates get interviewed only to satisfy the rule, even though they have no chance of getting the job. He and Dungy noted that the last black head coach hiring ? other than coaches promoted from within, like Leslie Frazier, Raheem Morris, Mike Singletary, Hue Jackson and Crennel ? was Mike Tomlin by Pittsburgh, in 2007.

There are currently four minority head coaches: Tomlin, Frazier in Minnesota, Marvin Lewis in Cincinnati and Ron Rivera in Carolina. Minority general managers include Baltimore's Ozzie Newsome, Detroit's Martin Mayhew, Houston's Rick Smith, the New York Giants' Jerry Reese and Oakland's Reggie McKenzie.

"I am not saying you have to hire a minority candidate. No one is saying that," Edwards said. "I am saying you can't be blinded. It can't be, 'Who is the guy to interview to get this out of the way?'"

"The problem I have is you don't really abide by the Rooney Rule the correct way," he said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-02-01-FBN-Super-Bowl-Rooney-Rule/id-d530c3819a2342b18334d98b95cf870a

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Astro to offer Dead Space 3-themed A30 and A40 headsets on February 5th

Just in time for the release of EA's ultra-creepy Dead Space 3, Skullcandy subsidiary Astro Gaming is introducing themed versions of its A30 and A40 gaming headsets. While the headgear remains virtually unchanged, the news here is the addition of six custom magnetic speaker tags that feature tricked-out artwork taken directly from the game. Available on February 5th for $210 (A30) and $260 (A40), both headsets feature Dolby 7.1 virtual surround, a swappable cable system and cross-platform support for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. However, if you already own this eargear and are just looking to spruce up your cups, you can pick up the tags as a standalone purchase for $20 (A30) and $25 (A40) each.

Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds

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Source: Astro Gaming

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/31/astro-dead-space-3-themed-headsets/

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Willie Walsh to headline Business Travel Show | News | Breaking ...

Willie Walsh ? CEO of IAG and President of London Chamber of Commerce ? will officially open the Business Travel Show next week. Mr Walsh will present a welcome address to thousands of corporate travel buyers and suppliers at 0945 Tuesday 5 February on the show?s Centre Stage followed by an open Q&A session.

The Business Travel Show, taking place in London on 5-6 February 2013, is Europe?s main exhibition and conference for more than 6,000 corporate travel buyers, managers and bookers to source from more than 200 suppliers (including more than 30 airlines), learn and network. Buyers can register to attend at www.businesstravelshow.com.

?We are incredibly excited that Willie Walsh is opening the 19th Business Travel Show ? he?s such a well-respected and interesting figure in the travel industry, and it?s a rare and valuable opportunity for corporate travel buyers to put their questions directly to him,? commented David Chapple, Business Travel Show event director.

Preparing for the Future - Government Technology

Government agencies are often slowed down by the bureaucracy, creating challenges for pushing forward new ideas that could improve IT operations.?

In a keynote speech presented at Defining the Cloud for Government, a conference held Wednesday, Jan. 30, in Sacramento, Calif., Brian David Johnson?(pictured above), Intel?s futurist and director of future casting and experience research, said it?s crucial for government agencies to think well into the future when planning technology implementations. According to Johnson, cloud computing and big data will figure prominently into that future.

During opening remarks, Carlos Ramos, secretary of the California Technology Agency, said the agency plans to move some applications into a private cloud because he believes cloud computing is the future. He added that government is so reliant on technology that policies and programs ?don?t have a prayer? without the use of the cloud.?

But how can governments look a decade or more into the future?

Johnson is responsible for looking 10 to 15 years ahead to figure out how people will interact with technology. Similarly, he said that government agencies must prepare for the future of tech by having a vision, and contemplating what humans will be like down the road.?

Future casting -- a combination of social science research and technical research, can help organizations determine how to improve people?s lives using technology. But to better prepare for the future of technology, Johnson urged policy-makers to consider a major trend happening in the technology space.?

Around 2020, Johnson predicted, the size of meaningful computational power will approach zero. Since the intelligence inside a platform is getting smaller, traditional computers will no longer be the only vessels for computing. Other objects will also have the ability to serve as computers.?

While computing power shrinks, the proliferation of big data and the use of cloud computing will continue to grow.

?We humans are like fire hydrants of data,? Johnson said.?

Whether we create data from financial information, health records or social media, more and more data will be generated and collected, which will be stored in a cloud environment.?

Johnson said that in 20 years, we will start to see mobile devices diminish since computational power will live in the cloud. Living in the future will mean living in a ?smart? environment ? a time period where we are no longer dependent on laptops, PCs or mobile devices for computing.

Like any major technology shift, Johnson said the future will pose some challenges for governments looking to prepare. He said fear can be a driving force behind stifled innovation ? particularly fears about security threats.?

?You don?t come up with innovative ideas when you?re in fear,? he said.?

To prevent fear from holding an agency back, Johnson suggested communication to help increase government workers' understanding about technology implementations like cloud computing. While there will always be those who are wary of shifting to a cloud environment, Johnson feels that constant communication can help dispel some of that fear. When there is uncertainty, he concluded, public-sector organizations should embrace it as an area of opportunity to build and innovate in a more robust way.?

Main photo of Brian David Johnson??2013 William Foster Photography

Source: http://www.govtech.com/e-government/Preparing-for-the-Future-Intel-Futurist-Says-Cloud-Is-Key.html

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Friday, February 1, 2013

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