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A woman with tea bags hanging from her hat participates in a rally at the Tennessee State Capitol at the Tax Day Tea Party in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, April 15, 2009. Protests were also held in Washington, Chicago and Boston, loosely inspired by the 1773 Boston Tea Party rebellion against British colonial taxes, which helped spark the American revolution.

REUTERS/Harrison McClary (UNITED STATES POLITICS BUSINESS)

Reporting Sean Hennessey from http://wcbstv.com/

Parishioners Pleased With Dolan Appointment

Most Excited By Announcement, But Alleged Abuse Victims Say Dolan Swept Abuse Cases Under The Rug NEW YORK (CBS) ?


Timothy Dolan, Catholic Archbishop of Milwaukee, June 25, 2002. AP

The Archdiocese of New York serves 2.5 million parishioners at 400 churches and includes Manhattan, Staten Island, and the Bronx, and stretches practically all the way up to Albany. The Archdiocese of New York serves 2.5 million parishioners at 400 churches and includes Manhattan, Staten Island, and the Bronx, and stretches practically all the way up to Albany. Catholics in New York's archdiocese began setting their sights on a new beginning with renewed hope with Monday's introduction of Archbishop Tim Dolan. 
"When I was young we used to go to church all the time and I think people have gotten away from that and I think it's because we don't have strong leadership in the Catholic Church," said Rose Navarro, a member of the Archdiocese of New York. 
Most would agree Cardinal Edward Egan was a strong leader but he doesn't have the charisma of his predecessor, Cardinal O'Connor, a trait parishioners think Dolan brings to the table. 
"With his people skills we'll have a better connection with him and the church. I feel a little more confident that he's with us and one of us," said Karen Bordzuk, another archdiocese member, who added she didn't quite feel that way with Egan. 
Those who knew of Egan's retirement only knew bits and pieces about the 59-year-old replacement who takes over the nation's second largest archdiocese after seven years in Milwaukee. 
"I heard he's very involved in interreligious dialogue and ecumenism and that's very important because in this world we really need to learn to be as one," said archdiocese member Anne Cecere. 
But not everyone is applauding the appointment. 
"I just wish he would have handled clergy abuse cases much differently," said Bill Nash, an alleged clerical abuse victim. 
Nash and few others who claimed to have been abused by priests when they were children claimed Dolan swept abuses cases under the rug. 
"He has never brought any of the cases that were reported to the church to the civil authorities and he has continued to not deal with the victims, moving priests around, covering up and it's more of the same," says Beth McCabe, who also claims she was abused by a member of the clergy. 
Despite those allegations, most seem pleased with Dolan's appointment, including Mayor Michael Bloomberg. 
In a statement, he thanked Cardinal Egan for his years of friendship and service and then offered a warm welcome for Dolan. 
"The Archdiocese of New York and the city of New York are partners in so many areas, and I look forward to working with Archbishop Dolan to continue making New York City a place for families of all faiths to work together toward common goals and shared dreams," he said

 Staten Island, and the Bronx, and stretches practically all the way up to Albany. The Archdiocese of New York serves 2.5 million parishioners at 400 churches and includes Manhattan, Staten Island, and the Bronx, and stretches practically all the way up to Albany. Catholics in New York's archdiocese began setting their sights on a new beginning with renewed hope with Monday's introduction of Archbishop Tim Dolan. 
"When I was young we used to go to church all the time and I think people have gotten away from that and I think it's because we don't have strong leadership in the Catholic Church," said Rose Navarro, a member of the Archdiocese of New York. 
Most would agree Cardinal Edward Egan was a strong leader but he doesn't have the charisma of his predecessor, Cardinal O'Connor, a trait parishioners think Dolan brings to the table. 
"With his people skills we'll have a better connection with him and the church. I feel a little more confident that he's with us and one of us," said Karen Bordzuk, another archdiocese member, who added she didn't quite feel that way with Egan. 
Those who knew of Egan's retirement only knew bits and pieces about the 59-year-old replacement who takes over the nation's second largest archdiocese after seven years in Milwaukee. 
"I heard he's very involved in interreligious dialogue and ecumenism and that's very important because in this world we really need to learn to be as one," said archdiocese member Anne Cecere. 
But not everyone is applauding the appointment. 
"I just wish he would have handled clergy abuse cases much differently," said Bill Nash, an alleged clerical abuse victim. 
Nash and few others who claimed to have been abused by priests when they were children claimed Dolan swept abuses cases under the rug. 
"He has never brought any of the cases that were reported to the church to the civil authorities and he has continued to not deal with the victims, moving priests around, covering up and it's more of the same," says Beth McCabe, who also claims she was abused by a member of the clergy. 
Despite those allegations, most seem pleased with Dolan's appointment, including Mayor Michael Bloomberg. 
In a statement, he thanked Cardinal Egan for his years of friendship and service and then offered a warm welcome for Dolan. 
"The Archdiocese of New York and the city of New York are partners in so many areas, and I look forward to working with Archbishop Dolan to continue making New York City a place for families of all faiths to work together toward common goals and shared dreams," he said

 Thousands rally with 'tea parties' on tax day

Reuters – Beverly Taylor from Hendersonville, Tennessee, rallies with others at the Tennessee State Capitol at …

ATLANTA – Whipped up by conservative commentators and bloggers, tens of thousands of protesters staged "tea parties" around the country Wednesday to tap into the collective angst stirred up by a bad economy, government spending and bailouts. The rallies were directed at President Barack Obama's new administration on a symbolic day: the deadline to file income taxes. Protesters even threw what appeared to be a box of tea bags toward the White House, causing a brief lockdown at the compound.

Shouts rang out from Kentucky, which just passed tax increases on cigarettes and alcohol, to Salt Lake City, where many in the crowd booed Republican Gov. Jon Huntsman for accepting about $1.5 billion in stimulus money. Even in Alaska, where there is no statewide income tax or sales tax, hundreds of people held signs and chanted "No more spending."

"Frankly, I'm mad as hell," said businessman Doug Burnett at a rally at the Iowa Capitol, where many of the about 1,000 people wore red shirts declaring "revolution is brewing." Burnett added: "This country has been on a spending spree for decades, a spending spree we can't afford."

In Boston, a few hundred protesters gathered on the Boston Common — a short distance from the original Tea Party — some dressed inRevolutionary garb and carrying signs that said "Barney Frank, Bernie Madoff: And the Difference Is?" and "D.C.: District of Communism."

Texas Gov. Rick Perry fired up a tea party at Austin City Hall with his stance against the federal government, as some in his U.S. flag-waving audience shouted, "Secede!"

In Atlanta, thousands of people gathered outside the Capitol, where Fox News Channel conservative pundit Sean Hannity was set to broadcast his show Wednesday night. One protester's sign read: "Hey Obama you can keep the change."

Julie Reeves, of Covington, brought her Chihuahua Arnie, who wore a tiny anti-IRS T-shirt. "I want the government to get its hand the hell out of my wallet," Reeves said.

The tea parties were promoted by FreedomWorks, a conservative nonprofit advocacy group based in Washington and led by former Republican House Majority Leader Dick Armey of Texas, who is now a lobbyist.

Organizers said the movement developed organically through online social networking sites such as Facebookand Twitter and through exposure on Fox News.

While FreedomWorks insisted the rallies were nonpartisan, they have been seized on by many prominent Republicans who view them as a promising way for the party to reclaim its momentum.

"All you have to be is a mildly awake Republican candidate for office to get in front of that parade," said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform.
The movement attracted some Republicans considering 2012 presidential bids.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich planned to address a tea party in a New York City park Wednesday night. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal sent an e-mail to his supporters, letting them know about tea parties throughout the state. South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford planned to attend two tea parties.
"There is no such thing as so-called free money and that includes stimulus," Sanford told several thousand people outside the statehouse in Columbia, S.C. "Paying down debt is an old American theme and never a bad thing."
There were several small counter-protests, including one that drew about a dozen people at Fountain Square in Cincinnati. A counter-protester held a sign that read, "Where were you when Bush was spending billions a month 'liberating' Iraq?" The anti-tax demonstration there, meanwhile, drew about 4,000 people.
In Lansing, Mich., outside the state Capitol, another 4,000 people waved signs exclaiming "Stop the Fiscal Madness," "Read My Lipstick! No More Bailouts" and "The Pirates Are in D.C." Children held makeshift signs complaining about the rising debt.
More than 1,000 protesters gathered outside a downtown federal building in Salt Lake City despite the rain and snow. Kate Maloney held a cardboard sign that read "Pin the tail on the jacka$$" with a picture of Obama on a Democratic donkey.
Other protesters also took direct aim at Obama. One sign in the crowd in Madison, Wis., compared him to the anti-Christ. At a rally in Montgomery, Ala., where Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It" blared from loudspeakers, Jim Adams of Selma carried a sign that showed the president with Hitler-style hair and mustache and said, "Sieg Heil Herr Obama."
Still others talked of their children's futures. In Washington, D.C., Joe Hollinger said he took the day off to attend the protest with his 11-year-old daughter.
"I'm concerned about the incredible amount of debt Congress is going to put on our children," Hollinger said, pointing to his daughter's sign, which read, "Congress get your hand off my piggy bank."

Associated Press writers who contributed to this report include Joe Biesk in Frankfort, Ky.; Mike Glover in Des Moines, Iowa; Beth Fouhy in New York; Kelsey Abbruzzese in Boston; Scott Bauer in Madison, Wis.; Terry Kinney in Cincinnati; David Eggert in Lansing, Mich.; Phillip Rawls in Montgomery, Ala.; Seanna Adcox in Columbia, S.C.; Brock Vergakis in Salt Lake City; Kamala Lane in Washington, D.C; Kelley Shannon in Austin, Texas; and Mary Pemberton in Anchorage, Alaska.

Becky Hanshaw, of McAllen, Texas, listens to a speech during a tax-day protest, Wednesday, April 15, 2009, in Dallas. Protesters gathered at state Capitols and in neighborhoods and town squares across the country Wednesday to kick off a series of tax-day protests designed to echo the rebellion of the Boston Tea Party.

 (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

 

Samuel 'Joe the Plumber' Wurzelbacher, who made news during the presidential campaign when he asked Barack Obama about taxes, speaks during a tax day 'tea party' protest Wednesday, April 15, 2009, at the Michigan Capitol in Lansing, Mich.

(AP Photo/Al Goldis)


Thousands rally at the Tennessee State Capitol during the Tax Day Tea Party in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, April 15, 2009. Thousands across the country participated in Tax Day Tea Parties on Wednesday to express their displeasure with government spending.

 REUTERS/Harrison McClary (UNITED STATES POLITICS BUSINESS CONFLICT)

 

Phillip Smith of Bedford County, Tennessee, takes part in a rally at the Tennessee State Capitol at the Tax Day Tea Party in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, April 15, 2009. Protests were also held in Washington, Chicago and Boston, loosely inspired by the 1773 Boston Tea Party rebellion against British colonial taxes, which helped spark the American revolution.

REUTERS/Harrison McClary (UNITED STATES POLITICS BUSINESS)


Samuel 'Joe the Plumber' Wurzelbacher, who made news during the presidential campaign when he asked Barack Obama about taxes, speaks during a tax day 'tea party' protest Wednesday, April 15, 2009, at the Michigan Capitol in Lansing, Mich.

(AP Photo/Al Goldis)

 

Thousands rally at the Tennessee State Capitol at the Tax Day Tea Party in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, April 15, 2009. Protests were also held in Washington, Chicago and Boston, loosely inspired by the 1773 Boston Tea Party rebellion against British colonial taxes, which helped spark the American revolution.

 REUTERS/Harrison McClary (UNITED STATES POLITICS BUSINESS)


A woman with tea bags hanging from her hat participates in a rally at the Tennessee State Capitol at the Tax Day Tea Party in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, April 15, 2009. Protests were also held in Washington, Chicago and Boston, loosely inspired by the 1773 Boston Tea Party rebellion against British colonial taxes, which helped spark the American revolution.

REUTERS/Harrison McClary (UNITED STATES POLITICS BUSINESS)

Donna Millwood and Sue Easterly, not seen, hold up a sign that reads 'Our government has gotten too big for its britches ' as hundreds of tea party tax protesters gather outside the Federal building in Anchorage, Alaska on Wednesday, April 15, 2009.

 (AP Photo/Al Grillo)


A woman participates in a rally as part of national Tax Day in Lafayette Park across from the White House in Washington, April 15, 2009. The tea bags represent the rebellion of the Boston tea party.

 REUTERS/Jim Young (UNITED STATES BUSINESS CONFLICT)

 

 

 

 


Demonstrators participate in a Tea Party protest at the Federal Building Plaza in Chicago, Illinois. Critics of President Barack Obama marked national tax day Wednesday with "tea party" protests that Republicans called the birth of a grassroots opposition, but Democrats dismissed as a fraud.

(AFP/Getty Images/Scott Olson)


A family holds signs at a "tea party" protest on the grounds of the Colorado tate capitol in Denver April 15, 2009. Protests were held in many U.S. cities loosely inspired by the 1773 Boston Tea Party rebellion against British colonial taxes, which helped spark the American revolution. The crowds demonstrated against taxes, government bailouts and U.S. President Barack Obama's budget proposal.

 REUTERS/Rick Wilking (UNITED STATES POLITICS CONFLICT BUSINESS)


People wave signs at a "tea party" protest on the grounds of the Colorado tate capitol in Denver April 15, 2009. Protests were held in many U.S. cities loosely inspired by the 1773 Boston Tea Party rebellion against British colonial taxes, which helped spark the American revolution. The crowds demonstrated against taxes, government bailouts and U.S. President Barack Obama's budget proposal.

 REUTERS/Rick Wilking (UNITED STATES POLITICS CONFLICT BUSINESS)


People take part in a tax day protest at the Capitol in Nashville, Tenn., Wednesday, April 15, 2009. Protesters gathered at state Capitols and in neighborhoods and town squares across the country Wednesday to kick off a series of tax-day protests designed to echo the rebellion of the Boston Tea Party.

 (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
 

People wave signs at a "tea party" protest on the grounds of the Colorado tate capitol in Denver April 15, 2009. Protests were held in many U.S. cities loosely inspired by the 1773 Boston Tea Party rebellion against British colonial taxes, which helped spark the American revolution. The crowds demonstrated against taxes, government bailouts and U.S. President Barack Obama's budget proposal.

 REUTERS/Rick Wilking (UNITED STATES POLITICS BUSINESS CONFLICT)


Tamara Schirrmacher dresses up as The Statue of Liberty as she holds chains that she says represents the national debt during a Tax Day Tea Party in Pleasanton, Calif., Wednesday, April 15, 2009. Protests took place around the country to demonstrate against recent bailouts and excessive government spending. Protesters gathered at state Capitols and in neighborhoods and town squares across the country Wednesday to kick off a series of tax-day protests designed to echo the rebellion of the Boston Tea Party.

 (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)


Demonstrators hold up signs during a Tax Day Tea Party in Pleasanton, Calif., Wednesday, April 15, 2009. Protests took place around the country to demonstrate against recent bailouts and excessive government spending. Protesters gathered at state Capitols and in neighborhoods and town squares across the country Wednesday to kick off a series of tax-day protests designed to echo the rebellion of the Boston Tea Party.

 (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)


Sherry Klein holds a sign as she drives past a tax day protest in Nashville, Tenn., Wednesday, April 15, 2009. Protests took place around the country to demonstrate against recent bailouts and excessive government spending. Protesters gathered at state Capitols and in neighborhoods and town squares across the country Wednesday to kick off a series of tax-day protests designed to echo the rebellion of the Boston Tea Party.

 (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)



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The Sanctuary for Independent Media is a telecommunications production facility dedicated to community media arts, located in an historic former church at 3361 6th Avenue in North Troy, NY. The Sanctuary hosts screening, production and performance facilities, training in media production and a meeting space for artists, activists and independent media makers of all kinds.

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US cargo ship escapes Somali pirate attack

US cargo ship escapes new Somali pirate attack; Hero captain's reunion with crew thwarted

  • Wednesday April 15, 2009, 5:38 am EDT
  • MOMBASA, Kenya (AP) -- Somali pirates fired grenades and automatic weapons at an American freighter loaded with food aid but the ship managed to escape the attack and was heading Wednesday to Kenya under U.S. Navy escort, officials said.
  • In defiance of President Barack Obama's vow to halt their banditry, pirates have seized four vessels and over 75 hostages off the Horn of Africa since Sunday's dramatic rescue of an American freighter captain.

    The Liberty Sun's American crew was not injured in the latest attack but the vessel sustained some damage, owner Liberty Maritime Corp. said. Still, the attack on the Liberty Sun foiled the reunion between the American sea captain rescued by Navy snipers and the 19-man crew he had saved with his heroism. Capt. Richard Phillips was planning to meet his crew in the Kenyan port of Mombasa and fly home with them Wednesday to the United States. But Phillips was on the USS Bainbridge, the destroyer diverted to escort the Liberty Sun after it evaded attack. Instead, the crew was at Mombasa airport Wednesday preparing to return home alone. "We are very happy to be going home," crewman William Rios of New York City said. "(But) we are disappointed to not be reuniting with the captain in Mombasa. He is a very brave man." Phillips had offered himself up as a hostage to save his men from the pirates. Liberty Sun sailors used the same tactic Phillips employed to foil the pirates -- blockading themselves inside the engine room.

    "We are under attack by pirates, we are being hit by rockets. Also bullets," crewman Thomas Urbik, 26, wrote his mother in an e-mail Tuesday. "We are barricaded in the engine room and so far no one is hurt. (A) rocket penetrated the bulkhead but the hole is small. Small fire, too, but put out." The Liberty Sun "conducted evasive maneuvers" to ward off the pirates, said U.S. Navy Lt. Nathan Christensen, spokesman for the Bahrain-based 5th Fleet. "That could be anything from zigzagging to speeding up to all kinds of things," he said. "We've seen in the past that that can be very effective in deterring a pirate attack." The USS Bainbridge responded to the attack but the pirates had left by the time it arrived five hours later, Navy Capt. Jack Hanzlik said. The Bainbridge sent "a small security detachment" onboard the Liberty Sun to make sure its crew of about 20 American mariners was safe, Christensen said. This year, Somali pirates have attacked 79 ships and hijacked 19 of them. They still hold 17 vessels with more than 300 hostages from a dozen or so countries. The Liberty Sun was carrying humanitarian aid to Mombasa. It had set off from Houston and had already delivered thousands of tons of food aid to Sudan. Spokesman Peter Smerdon of the U.N. World Food Program said some of Liberty Sun's food was destined for Somalia. He said the U.N. agency was worried because more food aid was to have been delivered by another cargo ship hijacked by pirates on Tuesday, the Lebanese-owned cargo ship MV Sea Horse. It was headed to Mumbai, India, to pick up 7,327 tons of WFP food for Somalia. Nearly half of Somalia's 7 million people depend on food aid. "WFP is also extremely concerned that people in Somalia will go hungry unless the Sea Horse is quickly released or a replacement ship can be found," Smerdon said. A pirates declared Wednesday they are grabbing more ships and hostages to show they would not be intimidated by Obama's pledge to confront them "Our latest hijackings are meant to show that no one can deter us from protecting our waters from the enemy because we believe in dying for our land," Omar Dahir Idle told The Associated Press by telephone from the Somali port of Harardhere. The pirates say they are fighting illegal fishing and dumping of toxic waste in Somali waters but now operate hundreds of miles from there in a sprawling 1.1 million square-mile danger zone. Pirates can extort $1 million and more for each ship and crew. Kenya estimates they raked in $150 million last year. A flotilla of warships from nearly a dozen countries has patrolled the Gulf of Aden and nearby Indian Ocean waters for months. They have halted many attacks but say the area is so vast they can't stop all hijackings. The Gulf of Aden, which links the Suez Canal and the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean, is the shortest route from Asia to Europe and one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, crossed by more than 20,000 ships each year. In an unusual nighttime raid, pirates seized the Greek-managed bulk carrier MV Irene E.M. before dawn Tuesday, with at least 21 crew. Hours later, they commandeered the Lebanese-owned cargo ship MV Sea Horse carrying 19 crew. They also captured two Egyptian fishing trawlers, carrying 36 fishermen. Yemen's coast guard rescued 13 Yemeni hostages and their fishing trawler in a shootout Monday with pirates, the Yemen embassy in Washington said. No casualties were reported. Three Somali pirates were brought to the French city of Rennes to face an investigation, a French judicial official said Wednesday. They were arrested Friday in an operation to free the Tanit, a French ship seized in the Gulf of Aden. In that raid, four hostages were freed and one was killed, along with two pirates. An autopsy was scheduled Thursday on the body of the killed hostage, skipper Florent Lemacon, the judicial official said, speaking on the customary requirement of anonymity. Several other Somali pirates are already in French custody after being seized last year.

    Associated Press writers from around the world contributed to this report.

  •  

Oil prices rise above $50 despite demand concerns

Oil prices rise above $50 in Asia as investors shrug off weak US retail sales data

  • Wednesday April 15, 2009, 5:37 am EDT
    • SINGAPORE (AP) -- Oil prices rose above $50 a barrel Wednesday in Asia as investors shrugged off an unexpected drop in U.S. retail sales last month that suggested crude demand could remain weak amid a severe recession.

    • Benchmark crude for May delivery rose 89 cents to $50.29 a barrel by late afternoon in Singapore in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange after hovering around $49 for most of the day. The contract on Tuesday fell 64 cents to settle at $49.41.

      A rally that lifted prices from below $35 in February has stalled in the last couple weeks near $50 as investors look for signs of how long and deep the worst global slowdown in decades will be.

      On Tuesday, the Commerce Department said retail sales fell 1.1 percent in March, far worse than the slight increase that analysts expected and marking the biggest fall in three months. Businesses also reported they slashed inventories for a sixth straight month in February.

      "By no means are we out of the woods just yet," President Barrack Obama said Tuesday.

      "Demand will have to come back before you see the oil price move up from $50 in a sustained way," said Ben Westmore, energy analyst with National Australia Bank in Melbourne. "We haven't seen any signal that oil demand is turning, and things like falling retail sales in the U.S. contribute to that view."

      Traders also are focused on weekly petroleum inventory data that the Energy Information Agency will release Wednesday. Analysts expect a build of 2.5 million barrels in crude stocks, according to a survey by Platts, the energy information arm of McGraw-Hill Cos. Crude stocks already are at 16-year highs.

      "Even when demand does kick back in, there will be a supply response that's easily available to cushion the price for some time," Westmore said.

      OPEC production cuts have helped bolster prices. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, which next meets on May 28, has announced 4.2 million barrels a day of output quota reductions since September.

      "It looks like OPEC is making a concerted effort to try to stick to those production quotas," Westmore said. "If prices decline a little, I would expect another output cut at the next meeting."

      In other Nymex trading, gasoline for May delivery fell 0.41 cent to $1.45 a gallon and heating oil dropped 0.78 cent to $1.39 a gallon. Natural gas for May delivery was steady at $3.68 per 1,000 cubic feet.

      In London, Brent prices rose 21 cents to $52.17 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.

    • World stocks mixed amid murky economic outlook

      World stocks markets mixed amid uncertain global economic outlook

      • Wednesday April 15, 2009, 5:45 am EDT
      • TOKYO (AP) -- Asian stock markets were mixed Wednesday, caught between burgeoning hopes for a recovery in China and disappointment over weak U.S. data. European shares were lackluster in early trade.
      • Lethargic financial and tech shares dragged down markets in Tokyo, South Korea and Taiwan, tempering expectations for a sustained regional rally. Investors eager for good news may have jumped the gun in driving up prices recently, analysts said.

        Overnight, Wall Street shifted into reverse after the U.S. government reported a 1.1 slump in retail sales in March, an unexpectedly poor result that rattled hopes that the worst of the recession had passed. Investors watch retail sales trends closely as a barometer of consumer spending, which makes up two-thirds of the world's largest economy.

        The sales data, combined with a sharp drop in wholesale prices, came just as the corporate earnings season got under way. The Dow Jones industrials lost nearly 140 points.

        Francis Lun, general manager at Fulbright Securities in Hong Kong, said investors are now focused on company results out of the U.S., particularly from banks.

        "The market is prepared for GM's funeral march, so we won't be surprised (by that)," Lun said. "The important thing is really for the banks to recover. If the banks can report strong first-quarter results, then I think it'll be OK."

        But even then, he added, investors are "still worried that the economic data from the U.S. is still too bad."

        Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average lost 99.72 points, or 1.1 percent, to 8,742.96 and South Korea's Kospi fell 9.54, or 0.7 percent, to 1,333.09. Stock averages in Australia and Taiwan also fell.

        Meanwhile, benchmarks in China, Hong Kong and Singapore managed to climb into positive territory. Hong Kong's Hang Seng closed up 89.46 points, or 0.6 percent, at 15,669.62. India's Sensex shot up 2.3 percent to 11,214.62.

        Signs of an economic revival and rumors of a possible new government stimulus sent Chinese shares higher for the fifth straight session. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index edged up 8.88 points, or 0.4 percent, to 2536.06 -- its highest closing level since Aug. 8.

        Investors were optimistic after recent data suggested the economy has improved since the final quarter of 2008. Rumors that Beijing was considering a possible new stimulus on top of its 4 trillion yuan ($586 million) spending package announced in November also kindled buying enthusiasm.

        The mixed mood extended into Europe, where the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares was up 0.7 percent while Germany's DAX fell 0.7 percent and France's CAC 40 was down 0.6 percent. Wall Street futures pointed to a modest gains Wednesday. Dow futures rose 23 points, or 0.3 percent, to 7,907 and S&P 500 futures rose 0.1 point to 840.40.

        A murky outlook from Intel Corp. Tuesday, as well the yen's climb against the dollar, sent tech shares lower around Asia.

        Intel reported first-quarter net income of $647 million. The figure was less than half what the company earned in the same period last year but beat analysts' expectations for far worse. The chip maker claimed personal computers sales had "bottomed out" but it unnerved investors by not giving specific revenue guidance.

        In Tokyo, Advantest Corp., which makes memory chip testing equipment, shed 4 percent and Tokyo Electron Ltd. lost 4.6 percent. South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. fell 1.2 percent.

        Financial issues also took a big hit as investors moved to lock in profits after recent gains.

        Nomura Holdings Inc., Japan's biggest securities company, plunged 7.7 percent, while Korea's Woori Financial Co. fell 6.5 percent. Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. was down 1.9 percent in Sydney trade.

        Overnight in the U.S., the Dow closed down 137.63, or 1.7 percent, at 7,920.18.

        Broader measures also lost ground after three days of gains. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 17.23, or 2 percent, to 841.50, and the Nasdaq composite index fell 27.59, or 1.7 percent, to 1,625.72.

        Oil prices hovered around $49 a barrel for most of Wednesday in Asia as the unexpected drop in U.S. retail sales suggested crude demand could remain weak amid the worst recession in decades.

        But by late afternoon, benchmark crude for May delivery recovered to rise 72 cents to $50.13 a barrel in Singapore in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract on Tuesday fell 64 cents to settle at $49.41.

        In currencies, the dollar fell to 98.53 yen from 98.98 yen before recovering to 99.12, while the euro dropped to $1.3251.

       

Intel shares slip despite bullish PC prediction

Intel shares slip despite proclamation that PC sales have "bottomed out"

  • Wednesday April 15, 2009, 12:04 am EDT
  • SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Investors don't seem to totally buy Intel Corp.'s proclamation that slumping personal computer sales have "bottomed out."
  • The chip maker posted first-quarter profit Tuesday of $647 million, or 11 cents per share, that sailed past Wall Street's estimates. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters were expecting 3 cents per share. Sales of $7.1 billion also beat forecasts, even though both sales and profit were way down over last year, 26 percent and 55 percent, respectively.

    The problem was sketchy guidance, which stirred fears that the tech turnaround Intel sees might not happen as fast as some investors hope. Intel's stock fell 81 cents, or 5.1 percent, to $15.20 in after-hours trading, after Intel posted its numbers.

    Intel is predicting that revenue will stay flat from the first to second quarter. That's roughly in line with the $7.01 billion analysts were expecting for the April-June period. Some analysts said they were impressed with the prediction, considering the troubled state of the economy and the fact that the first and second quarters are typically the roughest for chip makers. Back-to-school and holidays are usually boom times.

    "This is an unseasonably strong result that they're guiding to, and I think people need to use that as the backdrop," said Doug Freedman, an analyst with Broadpoint.AmTech.

    But some investors seemed unnerved that Intel wouldn't give more specifics. Intel said it wouldn't give a detailed revenue forecast because it's still too hard to accurately predict results in this environment.

    One unknown is whether people are buying significantly more PCs, or whether Intel is mainly benefiting from computer makers replenishing their chip inventories, which had been whittled to low levels to save cash.

    "The strength of end demand is not clear," Intel's chief financial officer, Stacy Smith, said in an interview.

    In a broad sense, Intel's outlook was relatively upbeat, given the uncertainty about the length and depths of the recession. As the world's largest semiconductor company, Intel's results help gauge demand for personal computers, and are a proxy for the health of overall technology spending.

    When times are good, consumers and businesses buy more PCs, which leads PC makers to buy more of Intel's chips. When times are tight, PC makers clamp down, and Intel's sales fall. This recession is bearing that out: Computer sales fell slightly in the fourth quarter of 2008, according to market tracker IDC, the worst performance since 2002.

    Intel's CEO, Paul Otellini, said Tuesday that that trend appears to be reversing, and that Intel believes "PC sales bottomed out during the first quarter and that the industry is returning to normal seasonal patterns."

    Intel's report was notable because Intel is first technology company to report earnings for the first three months of 2009.

    Intel owns about 80 percent of the world's PC microprocessor market, and has been stealing share from smaller rival Advanced Micro Devices Inc. with the Atom chip. Atom is Intel's first microprocessor for "netbooks," which are mini-laptops that do less than regular laptops, but are very popular because they also cost less.

    In the first quarter, Atom sales were down 27 percent quarter-over-quarter to $219 million. Intel attributes the decline to netbook makers working through existing inventory.

    Intel's laptop-chip division had sales of $2.9 billion, down from $3.7 billion last year. The group that makes processors for desktop PCs and servers saw its sales fall to $4 billion from $5.4 billion.

    Intel said its profits were helped by a tax rate that was much lower than expected -- 1 percent instead of the 27 percent that was forecast. The lower rate increased earnings per share by about two cents.

    For the second quarter, Intel predicted a gross profit margin in the "mid-40s" as a percentage of revenue. Gross margin measures how much money a company makes once the cost of making its products is stripped out. It's particularly important for chip makers, which have heavy manufacturing costs.

    Intel's gross margin in the first quarter was 45.6 percent. That was down from 53.1 percent in the fourth quarter -- a sign that Intel is running its factories at less than full capacity to account for soft demand.

  •  

UPDATE 3-ASML loss widens but sees signs of tech pick-up

Wed Apr 15, 2009 5:19am EDT

 

* Q1 sales sink 'unprecedented' 63 pct from Q4

* Booked orders for 8 systems, valued at 207 mln eur

* CFO sees start of 'technology transition'

* Expects strong sales growth in second half of '09

* Shares up 4.3 pct, outperforming main index

(Adds shares, background, detail)

By Harro ten Wolde

AMSTERDAM, April 15 (Reuters) - Dutch chip equipment maker ASML (ASML.AS) (ASML.O) said on Wednesday it saw tentative signs of an innovation-driven recovery in the technology sector after its loss widened and sales fell at a record pace in the first quarter. ASML said customers such as Intel Corp (INTC.O) -- which said on Tuesday that personal computer sales had bottomed out -- were switching their strategic focus to its most advanced and pricier 'immersion' machines, which allow manufacturers to produce chips with ever finer structures.

"What we are seeing is customers ... engaging with us in leading-edge technology because it helps them to drive down their costs," ASML Chief Financial Officer Peter Wennink said in comments on the company's website.

"They can wait and see for a while, but ... they need to come back. And we see the first signs of the technology transition now happening."

That shift should boost quarterly sales to around 400-500 million euro sometime during the second half of the year, he said.

Hours earlier Intel, the world's biggest chip manufacturer, said the worst appeared to be over for the battered tech sector, though economic uncertainty prevented the company from giving a clear revenue forecast. [ID:nLF373099]

Petercam analyst Eric de Graaf said it was not surprising ASML also saw some signs of a pick-up.

"The low level we see now in the market can't be maintained very long, both for ASML and its customers. Obviously there will be a recovery. The question is: will it be this year?"

ASML, the world's largest maker of the semiconductor lithography machines that map out the electronic circuits used in computer processors on silicon wafers, reported a first-quarter net loss of 117 million euro ($154.5 million) compared with 88 million in the fourth quarter.

The company's shares were up 4.3 percent at 15.225 euros by 0857 GMT, erasing an initial 2.8 percent loss and outperforming a 0.3 percent fall on the DJ Stoxx European technology index .SX8P.

UNPRECEDENTED SALES DROP

ASML said sales had dropped 63 percent to 184 million euros, below the average of 189 million euros in a Reuters poll of 13 analysts.

"The size of the loss of revenue in one quarter is unprecedented," Wennink said.

ASML, which competes with Japan's Nikon Corp (7731.T) and Canon Inc (7751.T), said it received orders for 8 systems in the quarter, below the average expectation of 10 in a Reuters poll of 11 analysts.

The order value rose to 207 million euros, above average expectations for 119 million. At the end of the first quarter the order backlog was 853 million euros up from 755 million euros at the end of December.

The average selling price rose to 22.4 million from 18.4 million euros in the previous quarter, indicating ASML's customers were buying more expensive and advanced systems.

ASML said it expected second quarter sales of between 210 million and 230 million euros and gross margin of about 9 percent.

The company's shares are up more than 20 percent so far this year outperforming a more than 6 percent rise in the DJ Stoxx technology index.

(Editing by John Stonestreet)

 

ASML: Things Could Get Worse

Lionel Laurent, 04.15.09, 04:45 AM EDT

A wider first-quarter loss pushes back hopes of an imminent recovery for the chip-making equipment vendor.

Everyone, including President Barack Obama and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, is desperate to find green shoots of recovery in the midst of a biting recession. Even Dutch chip-manufacturing equipment vendor ASML talked up the prospects of a recovery in the second half of 2009 on Wednesday, but its disappointing $154.7 million first-quarter loss suggested things would get worse before then.

"The second quarter will be tough as well as weaker than expected," said Eric de Graaf, an analyst with Petercam. "The loss will accumulate in the year."

Investors piled into ASML ( ASML -news - people ) shares during early trading despite the loss, desperate to see signs of a bottom for the bruised company. Shares of ASML jumped 3.8%, or 55 euro cents (73 cents), to 15.15 euros ($20.03), during morning trading in Amsterdam.

ASML said its loss widened to 117 million euros ($154.7 million) in the first quarter, or 27 euro cents (36 cents) per share, from an 88 million-euro ($116.3 million) loss in the third quarter, or 20 cents (26 cents) per share. Sales came in at 184 million euros, down a whopping 80.0% from last year.

ASML Chief Executive Eric Meurice said that demand for its products had "collapsed" in the first quarter, but added that a 200 million-euro ($264.4 million) loan facility secured from the European Investment Bank would help support financing of research and development and other investments.

Meurice also talked up expectations of a "technology transition," or an anticipated wave of purchases from chip companies that need to invest in advanced technology to compete and survive. Most industry-watchers agree this phase of recovery will have to happen eventually, but when? Meurice said this would start to happen in the second half of 2009, yielding between 400 million-500 million euros ($528.9 million-$661.1 million) in quarterly sales.

Petercam's de Graaf countered that this range was hardly enough to get enthusiastic about, as it represented half of last year's average quarterly sales. He also told Forbes that the expectation-beating quarterly results released by Intel ( INTC -news - people ) on Tuesday did not change the big picture for ASML, as Intel confirmed it would cut capital expenditure this year. (See "Intel: PC's Bottomed Out.")

 

Teenager killed in quarry fall
Thousands of people are today expected to join the families of 96 Liverpool fans killed in the Hillsborough tragedy to mark the 20th anniversary of the deaths.

A memorial service will be held in front of the Kop at the club's home ground, Anfield, where a representative of each victim's family will be awarded the Freedom of Liverpool.

The commemoration will include a two-minute silence at 3.06pm and conclude with the singing of Liverpool's anthem, You'll Never Walk Alone.

The bells of Liverpool's two cathedrals and its civic buildings will ring out 96 times in memory of each of the fans.

The city's public transport will also come to a stop for two minutes at 3.06pm.

It was at that time on April 15, 1989 that the FA Cup semi-final between Nottingham Forest and Liverpool was stopped because the crowd was spilling onto the pitch.

Desperate fans climbed over safety fences, trying to escape the crush on an overcrowded terrace at Sheffield Wednesday's stadium.

Some 96 supporters were crushed to death.

Sheffield will mark the anniversary of the disaster quietly today.

After consultation with the Liverpool families' organisations, there will be no formal ceremony at the ground.

The Leppings Lane end of the Hillsborough ground will be opened up, though, and there are three different memorials within a few hundred yards of the ground to provide a local focus.

The disaster sent shockwaves around British football and led directly to vast safety improvements in modern football stadia, as recommended in the final Taylor Report in January 1990.

An official report into the disaster blamed senior police officers for not properly controlling the crowd.

But two decades on a Hillsborough Justice Campaign is still fought by the families of the 96 who travelled to watch their team and never came home.

They believe a Major Incident Plan was never initiated by South Yorkshire police and Liverpool fans were denied emergency medical attention.

A single inquest was held covering all the victims, recording a verdict of accidental death.

 

Liverpool Remembers 96 Hillsborough Victims
Thousands of people are today expected to join the families of 96 Liverpool fans killed in the Hillsborough tragedy to mark the 20th anniversary of the deaths.

A memorial service will be held in front of the Kop at the club's home ground, Anfield, where a representative of each victim's family will be awarded the Freedom of Liverpool.

The commemoration will include a two-minute silence at 3.06pm and conclude with the singing of Liverpool's anthem, You'll Never Walk Alone. The bells of Liverpool's two cathedrals and its civic buildings will ring out 96 times in memory of each of the fans. The city's public transport will also come to a stop for two minutes at 3.06pm. It was at that time on April 15, 1989 that the FA Cup semi-final between Nottingham Forest and Liverpool was stopped because the crowd was spilling onto the pitch. Desperate fans climbed over safety fences, trying to escape the crush on an overcrowded terrace at Sheffield Wednesday's stadium.

Some 96 supporters were crushed to death. Sheffield will mark the anniversary of the disaster quietly today. After consultation with the Liverpool families' organisations, there will be no formal ceremony at the ground. The Leppings Lane end of the Hillsborough ground will be opened up, though, and there are three different memorials within a few hundred yards of the ground to provide a local focus. The disaster sent shockwaves around British football and led directly to vast safety improvements in modern football stadia, as recommended in the final Taylor Report in January 1990. An official report into the disaster blamed senior police officers for not properly controlling the crowd. But two decades on a Hillsborough Justice Campaign is still fought by the families of the 96 who travelled to watch their team and never came home.

They believe a Major Incident Plan was never initiated by South Yorkshire police and Liverpool fans were denied emergency medical attention.A single inquest was held covering all the victims, recording a verdict of accidental death.

 



Tweed got off lightly says cabbie

The taxi driver attacked by Jade Goody's widower Jack Tweed has said he "got off lightly" with a 12-week jail term because of who he married.

Tweed, 21, from Buckhurst Hill, Essex, was locked up on Tuesday for assaulting Stephen Wilkins following a night out in nearby Epping last May.

Mr Wilkins, 54, told the Daily Mirror: "If he had been Joe Bloggs he would have got what he deserved - it's because of who he is and who he married he got off lightly."

Mother-of-two Goody, who married Tweed in February, died last month following a battle withcancer. Her husband was convicted last month for assaulting Mr Wilkins following a trial in Epping.

He picked up Tweed, another man and two women in Epping in the early hours of May 5.

Mr Wilkins said Tweed became aggressive after being asked to pay the fare in advance, grabbing him from behind in a headlock and threatening to stab him.

Tweed also grabbed the cab's handbrake, causing the car to spin in the middle of the road, he said.

Mr Wilkins told the Mirror: "He could have killed four people and all he gets is a few weeks. I still have nightmares about that night. He has never apologised. He was like an animal."

The attack happened while Tweed was on bail for another assault, on a 16-year-old boy in December 2006. Tweed, who was ordered to pay £455 costs and £200 compensation to Mr Wilkins, was told he would serve half of his sentence in custody.

Margaret Webb, magistrates chairwoman, told him she had reduced the jail term from 18 weeks to take into account "the recent change in your personal circumstances".


 

« Comic pages try out "Stone Soup" | Main | 'Battlestar Galactica' a shock to some readers »

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/readers/2009/01/whither-the-spe.html


Keeping an eye on the Phil Spector retrial

A few readers have sent notes along the lines of that sent by Gretchen Armato of Santa Barbara, who asked by e-mail: "I would like to know why the paper is no longer reporting on the Phil Spector trial. I enjoyed your coverage of the last trial and am very interested in the current one as well. Will you be reporting on it any time soon?"

Spector is accused of killing actress Lana Clarkson at his Alhambra mansion Feb. 3, 2003; the first trial ended in a jury deadlock in September 2007. From coverage of the opening statements in April 2007 to the Sept. 27 piece reporting that jurors failed to reach a verdict, The Times published more than 100 news articles.

Times coverage of Spector's retrial started again in mid-October with selection of new jury. Trial No. 2 is turning out to be a bit more of the same, but The Times is still keeping an eye on it, says California Editor David Lauter.  His e-mail response to readers asking for more on the Spector trial follows.

"We've run eight stories on the Phil Spector retrial, including one which ran on Page 1on Dec. 1. So I wouldn't say we're no longer reporting on it. But it is true that we're covering this second trial less intensively than the first, largely because there's not much new to say. By and large, the same witnesses are recounting the same testimony. Our reporter, Harriet Ryan, has been watching the trial on many days, and we have been writing news stories when news occurs. She's also been looking for opportunities to step back and write about what's different this time around -- that was the focus of the Page 1 story last month. We'll continue to do that and write as the news warrants."

Below are other news stories on the retrial:

Website photos of Phil Spector critic illegal, judge says (Dec. 18)

Second Phil Spector trial begins (Oct. 30)

Spector’s defense attorney raises new character issues (Nov. 5)

Spector jury set for opening statements (Oct. 28)

Testimony on misogynistic comments will be part of Phil Spector’s murder retrial (Oct. 21)

Jurors can hear of Spector threats (Sept. 17)

Photo: Phil Spector in court in late October as arguments for his second trial got underway. Credit: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times

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Comments

I too would like more coverage. How far along are they with the trial. Justice for Lana is long overdue!

I would like to disagree with the coverage of the trial.
There is a lot of interest around the world; and the very principle in this case (justice for all), should be reported.
It is also very important to get a insight into the American
Court System.

i too would like more stories regarding
the 2nd phil spector trial....

The trial may not merit a lot of coverage, but a small blurb every day or two might be helpful: "Testimony continued today in the murder trial of famed music producer Phil Spector. The defense is presenting testimony of a Dr. H. H. Holmes, a forensic pathologist. Dr. Holmes' testimony is expected to end tomorrow."

I would LOVE more coverage. I'm in the Northeast and there is nothing here. I wish Court TV covered the trial.



US food aid ship escapes Somali pirate attack

MOMBASA, Kenya – Somali pirates fired grenades and automatic weapons at an American freighter loaded with food aid but the ship managed to escape the attack and was heading Wednesday to Kenya under U.S. Navy escort, officials said.

Despite President Barack Obama's vow to halt their banditry, and the deaths of five pirates in recent French and U.S. hostage rescue missions, brigands seized four vessels and over 75 hostages off theHorn of Africa since Sunday's dramatic rescue of an American freighter captain.

One pirate declared Wednesday they are grabbing more ships and hostages to prove they are not intimidated by Obama's pledge.

"Our latest hijackings are meant to show that no one can deter us from protecting our waters from the enemy because we believe in dying for our land," Omar Dahir Idle told The Associated Press by telephone from the Somali port of Harardhere.

The Liberty Sun's American crew was not injured in the latest attack but the vessel sustained some damage, owner Liberty Maritime Corp. said.

Still, the attack foiled the reunion between the American sea captain rescued by Navy snipers and the 19-man crew he had saved with his heroism.

Capt. Richard Phillips was planning to meet his crew in the Kenyan port of Mombasa and fly home with them Wednesday to Andrews Air Force base in Maryland. But Phillips was on the USS Bainbridge, the destroyer diverted to escort the Liberty Sun after it evaded attack.

Instead, the crew was at Mombasa airport Wednesday to return home alone.

"We are very happy to be going home," crewman William Rios of New York City said. "(But) we are disappointed to not be reuniting with the captain in Mombasa. He is a very brave man."

Phillips had offered himself up as a hostage to save his men.

Liberty Sun sailors used the same tactic Phillips employed to foil the pirates — blockading themselves inside the engine room.

"We are under attack by pirates, we are being hit by rockets. Also bullets," crewman Thomas Urbik, 26, wrote his mother in an e-mail Tuesday. "We are barricaded in the engine room and so far no one is hurt. (A) rocket penetrated the bulkhead but the hole is small. Small fire, too, but put out."

The Liberty Sun "conducted evasive maneuvers" to ward off the pirates, said U.S. Navy Lt. Nathan Christensen, spokesman for the Bahrain-based 5th Fleet.

"That could be anything from zigzagging to speeding up to all kinds of things," he said. "We've seen in the past that that can be very effective in deterring a pirate attack."

The USS Bainbridge responded but the pirates had left by the time it arrived five hours later, Navy Capt. Jack Hanzlik said.

This year, Somali pirates have attacked 79 ships and hijacked 19 of them. They still hold 17 vessels with more than 300 hostages from a dozen or so countries.

The Liberty Sun, with a crew of 20 American mariners, was carrying humanitarian aid to Mombasa. It had set off from Houston and had already delivered thousands of tons of food aid to Sudan.

Spokesman Peter Smerdon of the U.N. World Food Program said some of Liberty Sun's food was destined for Somalia.

He said the U.N. agency was worried because more food aid was to have been delivered by another cargo ship hijacked by pirates on Tuesday, the Lebanese-owned MV Sea Horse. It was headed to Mumbai, India, to pick up 7,327 tons of WFP food for Somalia.

Nearly half of Somalia's 7 million people depend on food aid.

"WFP is also extremely concerned that people in Somalia will go hungry unless the Sea Horse is quickly released or a replacement ship can be found," Smerdon said.

Pirates say they are fighting illegal fishing and dumping of toxic waste in Somali waters but now operate hundreds of miles from there in a sprawling 1.1 million square-mile danger zone.

They can extort $1 million or more for each ship and crew. Kenya estimates they raked in $150 million last year.

A flotilla of warships from nearly a dozen countries has patrolled the Gulf of Aden and nearby Indian Ocean waters for months. They have halted many attacks but say the area is so vast they can't stop all hijackings.

The Gulf of Aden, which links the Suez Canal and the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean, is the shortest route from Asia to Europe and one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.

In an unusual nighttime raid, pirates seized the Greek-managed bulk carrier MV Irene E.M. before dawn Tuesday, with at least 21 crew. Hours later, they commandeered the MV Sea Horse carrying 19 crew. They also captured two Egyptian fishing trawlers carrying 36 fishermen.

Yemen's coast guard rescued 13 Yemeni hostages and their fishing trawler in a shootout Monday with pirates, the Yemen embassy in Washington said. No casualties were reported.

Three Somali pirates have been brought to the French city of Rennes to face an investigation, a French judicial official said Wednesday. They were arrested Friday in an operation to free the Tanit, a French ship seized in the Gulf of Aden.

In that raid, four hostages were freed and one was killed, along with two pirates. Several other Somali pirates are already in French custody after being seized last year.

___

Associated Press writers contributing this report include Mohamed Olad Hassan in Mogadishu, Somalia; Michelle Faul, Malkhadir M. Muhumed, Tom Maliti and Todd Pitman in Kenya; Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Adam Schreck in Manama, Bahrain and Angela Charleton in Paris.




A file US Navy photo of Somali pirates making an escape back iinto Somali waters. Pirates off the coast of Somalia attacked a US flagged freighter with rocket fire and automatic weapons Tuesday, but the vessel escaped with only minor damage, the ship owners said in a statement



Crew members of the merchant vessel, Maersk Alabama which was confronted by Somali pirates, wait at Mombasa's international airport Wednesday, April 15, 2009. The crew of the U.S. freighter that thwarted a pirate attack are at Mombasa airport preparing to return home, according to Maersk shipping line officials. Their captain, Richard Phillips, who remained with the pirates was rescued by U.S.Navy SEALs Sunday.

 (AP Photo/Sayyid Azim)



Crew members of the merchant vessel, Maersk Alabama which was confronted by Somali pirates, wait at Mombasa's international airport Wednesday, April 15, 2009. The crew of the U.S. freighter that thwarted a pirate attack are at Mombasa airport preparing to return home, according to Maersk shipping line officials. Their captain, Richard Phillips, who remained with the pirates was rescued by U.S.Navy SEALs Sunday.

 (AP Photo/Sayyid Azim)


Crew member of the merchant vessel, Maersk Alabama which was confronted by Somali pirates, waves to journalists as he waits at the international airport at Mombasa, Kenya, Wednesday, April 15, 2009. The crew of the U.S. freighter that thwarted a pirate attack are at Mombasa airport preparing to return home, according to Maersk shipping line officials. Their captain, Richard Phillips, who remained with the pirates was rescued by U.S.Navy SEALs Sunday.

 (AP Photo/Sayyid Azim)

Shane Murphy a crew member of the merchant vessel, Maersk Alabama which was confronted by Somali pirates, waves as he waits at the international airport at Mombasa, Kenya, Wednesday, April 15, 2009. The crew of the U.S. freighter that thwarted a pirate attack are at Mombasa airport preparing to return home, according to Maersk shipping line officials. Their captain, Richard Phillips, who remained with the pirates was rescued by U.S.Navy SEALs Sunday.

 (AP Photo/Karel Prinsloo)



A crew member of the merchant vessel, Maersk Alabama which was confronted by Somali pirates, waves as he waits at the international airport at Mombasa, Kenya, Wednesday, April 15, 2009. The crew of the U.S. freighter that thwarted a pirate attack are at Mombasa airport preparing to return home, according to Maersk shipping line officials. Their captain, Richard Phillips, who remained with the pirates was rescued by U.S.Navy SEALs Sunday.

 (AP Photo/Sayyid Azim)



Crew members of the merchant vessel, Maersk Alabama which was confronted by Somali pirates, wave victory signs as they wait at the international airport at Mombasa, Kenya, Wednesday, April 15, 2009. The crew of the U.S. freighter that thwarted a pirate attack are at Mombasa airport preparing to return home, according to Maersk shipping line officials. Their captain, Richard Phillips, who remained with the pirates was rescued by U.S.Navy SEALs Sunday.

 (AP Photo/Sayyid Azim)



French commandos on April 10 evacuate hostages from the Tanit, during an operation to rescue hostages seized by Somali pirates on April 4. Three Somali pirates arrested during the French military rescue operation landed in France earlier Tuesday and were taken into custody, prosecutors said.

(AFP/Ecpad/Ho)

 

 

US merchant ship Maersk Alabama is moored at Mombasa port on April 12. Somali pirates seized two more ships, brushing off their losses from deadly rescue operations and throwing down the gauntlet to US President Barack Obama after he pledged to curb piracy.

(AFP/File/Roberto Schmidt)


Suspected pirates hold up thir hands in the Gulf of Aden in February. Somali pirates seized two more ships, brushing off their losses from deadly rescue operations and throwing down the gauntlet to US President Barack Obama after he pledged to curb piracy.

(AFP/US Navy/File/Jason R. Zalasky)



An undated file photo shows the Liberty Sun cargo ship, owned by the Liberty Maritime Corporation. Pirates attacked a U.S.-flagged cargo ship off the coast of Somalia with rockets and automatic weapons on April 14, 2009 but failed to board the craft, the ship's owner and the U.S. military said. Liberty Maritime said the pirates fired rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons at the vessel, which was carrying U.S. food aid for African nations to Mombasa, Kenya, from Houston, it said. REUTERS/Liberty Maritime Corporation/Handout (UNITED STATES CONFLICT SOCIETY BUSINESS IMAGE OF THE DAY TOP PICTURE) NO SALES. NO ARCHIVES. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS


This May 2007 photo provided by Katy Urbik shows her son Thomas Urbik during his graduation ceremony at Texas A&M Maritime Academy in Galveston, Texas. Urbik, 26, a crew member aboard the Liberty Sun, an American ship attacked on Tuesday April 14, 2009 by Somali pirates, had been e-mailing regular updates on the voyage to his mother, Katy, in Wheaton, Ill.

 (AP Photo/Katy Urbik)



 

FILE - In this Friday Nov. 5, 2004 file photo, workers unload food aid from the MV Liberty Sun at Eritrea's main Red Sea port, Massawa, Somali pirates attacked and damaged an American ship carrying humanitarian aid Tuesday, April 14, 2009, but the ship and crew are safe under Navy escort.

 (AP Photo/Karel Prinsloo, file) (AP Photo/Karel Prinsloo, file)


A team from the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) tows the lifeboat from the Maersk Alabama to Boxer to be processed for evidence after the successful rescue of Capt. Richard Phillips in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia in this picture taken April 13, 2009. Phillips had been held captive by suspected Somali pirates in the lifeboat in the Indian Ocean for five days. Somali pirates hijacked two more cargo vessels and opened fire on a third on April 14, 2009 in attacks that showed a determination to go on striking at shipping on the region's strategic trade routes. REUTERS/Jon Rasmussen/U.S. Navy photo/Handout (SOMALIA CONFLICT SOCIETY POLITICS MILITARY) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS


For more Photos of the modern Day Piracy click here



Greek-owned MV Irene E.M carrier is seen in this undated file photograph. Somali pirates hijacked two more cargo vessels and opened fire on a third on April 14, 2009 in attacks that showed a determination to go on striking at shipping on the region's strategic trade routes. The capture of the MV Irene E.M. and Togo-flagged MV Sea Horse were a clear sign pirate gangs have not been deterred by two raids in recent days in which U.S. and French special forces have killed five pirates. REUTERS/Roberto Smera/Handout (GREECE CONFLICT SOCIETY BUSINESS IMAGE OF THE DAY TOP PICTURE) NO SALES. NO ARCHIVES. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS



A sign announces in Underhill, Vermont announces the safe rescue of Captain Richard Phillips from pirates, on April 13, 2009. Somali pirates seized two more ships on Tuesday, brushing off their losses from deadly rescue operations and throwing down the gauntlet to US President Barack Obama after he pledged to curb piracy.

(AFP/Getty Images/File/Mario Tama)



In this black and white image made in 2007 in Houston, U.S.A., showing the Merchant Vessel Irene EM. U.S. Navy Lt. Nathan Christensen, spokesman for the Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, confirmed Tuesday April 14, 2009, that the MV Irene was taken early Tuesday by pirates in the waters off the Somali coast. The Irene is Greek owned and flagged in the Caribbean islands, and is believed to have 23 Filipino crew aboard.

 (AP Photo / John Hark)

From The New York Daily News
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/queens/2009/04/15/2009-04-15_100th_simultaneous_guinness_world_record_for_ashrita_furman_for_mass_poetry_reci.html

Mass poetry recitation gets Ashrita Furman his 100th simultaneous Guinness World Record

Updated Wednesday, April 15th 2009, 1:39 PM

Reciting poetry in Zulu may not seem like much of a talent, but it landed Ashrita Furman in the record books - yet again. Furman, 54, of Jamaica, Queens, became the first person to hold 100Guinness Book of World Records simultaneously Tuesday after assembling a group that recited a poem in 111 languages at City Hall Park. The bunch took turns reading "Precious," by the late Indian spiritual leader Sri Chinmoy.

"It was fun learning about many of these languages - quite a few I never even heard of," said Furman, who read the eight-line poem in Zulu. More than 100 participants - followers of Chinmoy from around the globe - recited the poem in languages ranging from Dzongkha to Picard. The effort broke the previous record, in which "Values on Community Harmony" was read in 79 languages. Furman, a health-food store manager, has earned about 230 Guinness records since 1979, when he did 27,000 jumping jacks in five hours. Earlier this year, Furman broke the record for eating the most M&Mswith chopsticks in a minute. He ate 38. Over the last 30 years, the man who has broken a record on every continent - including the fastest mile on a pogo stick in Antarctica and the fastest mile on a kangaroo ball on the Great Wall of China - has seen many of his own feats toppled. Organizing Tuesday's record was special, he said, because he got to work with many of his friends gathered from all over the world to celebrate the 45th anniversary of Sri Chinmoy's coming to America in 1964. Furman wasn't always a record-breaking machine. "As a kid I was always fascinated by the Guinness Book of World Records. But I was very unathletic and I never thought I could," Furman said. It was only when he discovered meditation as a teenager that he said he started to believe in his own abilities - however quirky they might be.

"I believe we all have an inner strength that we very rarely use," Furman said. "I just love the challenge of trying to be the best in the world in something."



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Dolan installed as NY's new archbishop

A beaming Timothy Michael Dolan was installed Wednesday as archbishop of New York, capping a two-day St. Patrick's Cathedral celebration.






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Archbishop Pietro Sambi hands over a staff to Archbishop Timothy Dolan during the Archdiocese of New York Mass of Installation for Dolan.

Timothy Michael Dolan installed as archbishop of New York at St. Patrick's Cathedral

A beaming Timothy Michael Dolanwas installed Wednesday as archbishop of New York, capping a two-day St. Patrick's Cathedralcelebration of the Missouri-born priest's ascension.

A papal letter announcing the promotion was read by Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the Vactican ambassador to the U.S., as an emotional Dolan sat quietly with his eyes closed and hands folded in prayer.

Once Sambi was finished, Dolan stood on the altar of the venerable cathedral as the new shepherd for the archdiocese's 2.5 million Catholics.

"This cathedral has been such a warm, embracing, spiritual hall for so many millions," Dolan said to begin his first homily as head of the archdiocese. "Thank you. Thank you all for embracing me." Dolan, who received several ovations during the installation Mass, brought the loudest cheers with his defense of the unborn. His mention of the protecting the "sanctity of life ... the tiny baby in the womb" brought many in the audience to their feet. The crowd of 5,000 inside the 130-year-old cathedral included Gov. Paterson,Mayor Bloomberg, Comptroller William Thompson, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, and New York senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand.  Ex-mayors Ed Koch and Rudy Giuliani were also there, joined by former governorHugh Carey. A smiling Dolan made a point of stopping by the pew filled with politicians, greeting each with a grin and a handshake. Once officially installed, Dolan embraced predecessor Cardinal Edward Egan and greeted a series of community leaders from his ethnically diverse new home. Dolan displayed a bit of his already evident sense of humor during the gospel. "I am really relieved to see mom," Dolan said, with his mother anchoring a large family contingent in the front row. "We were a little worried this morning that she might not make it. "She found out there was a sale at Macy's." Prior to the Mass, the engaging Dolan raised his clasped hands like a prizefighter when walking through the cathedral. Outside, the 59-year-old shook hands and chatted with police assigned to his security detail on 51st Street. He waved to the faithful gathered behind police barricades, smiling and asking for one favor. "Pray for me!" said Dolan, who came to Manhattan from Milwaukee.

Standing on an altar covered with white lilies and tall yellow azaleas, Dolan received an ovation from the packed church when he walked up the aisle. He paused on his way up to greet a small boy, lifting the child in his arms. New Yorkers arrived hours before the 2 p.m. Mass began, hoping for a chance to see a little bit of history. "I'm staying until I see everything," said Roselure Eveillard of Brooklyn. "I don't care if it rains. When you are Catholic, you make sacrifices."

lmcshane@nydailynews.com 


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Susan Boyle, the most unlikely reality TV star ever, shocks Simon Cowell on 'Britain's Got Talent'

Susan Boyle on Britain Got Talent mby dwarthy

Meet the frumpy, unemployed, 47-year-old woman who shockedSimon Cowell.

During auditions for "Britain's Got Talent" this week, Susan Boyle of the village West Lothian walked on to the stage to snickers from the audience and an eye-roll from Cowell. After she unleashed a perfect rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream" from the musical "Les Miserables," she left with the crowd on its feet.

"Without a doubt, that is the biggest surprise I've had in three years of the show," said one of Cowell's co-judges, Piers Morgan.

Boyle received three perfect scores and is the early favorite to win on the hit reality TV series.

"I know the minute you walked out on that stage that we were going to hear something extraordinary and I was right," quipped Cowell.

In just three days, the clip of Boyle's stunning performance has notched 2,605,000 views on YouTube.

"I've always wanted to play before a large audience," Boyle said before hitting the stage. "I'm going to make that audience watch."

Comments:
steep Apr 15, 2009 4:52:41 PM 
I saw Aretha Franklin on You Tube sing the same song and wow Mrs Boyle sang it key higher and a voice made for classical hits like the one she sang, it seemed the song was made for her.....I can tell you that her simple down to earth ways are like an innocent angel, she has that down to earth country look that Vincent Vangogh would of painted in the clouds....one thing I can tell you is that she will be the next Edith Piaf - a wonder of a voice in an angelic simple down to earth woman.....ha ha ha and she doesn't to put on make up or dress like Britney, Mariah or whoever or have all these dancing acts behind her....she;s got it all by the emotion she puts out


sweettea Apr 15, 2009 5:44:18 PM 
I went back and found a video of Paul Pot. He is good, but he can't touch Susan. He didn't grab the audience or the judges like she did. (Not trying to take anything from him at all) I even went back on you tube and saw the one where the Paige lady sang. Susan is still better. I think it's because that particular song is maybe her life. I've watched it about 75 times today and it still does the same thing to me. Wow, just WOW!

ThorungLa Apr 15, 2009 6:45:46 PM 
For any of you who have ever felt small, unworthy, unnoticed and unable to raise up your voice and hands in celebration of who you are and what you can do and dream, you MUST see this. WOW, just wow!!! I do not say that lightly. Above are my daughter's words accompanying a link to Susan Boyle's performance. I can't thank her enough.

AvidAvatar Apr 15, 2009 7:10:39 PM 
Ms. Boyle is truly a brilliant singer. I've watched her performance over and over and shared it with my extended family online as well. We are a musical family and have all been touched by her moving performance. She is a gifted woman and deserves to win Britain's Got Talent this year!! Anyone who can move Simon to sit there hypnotized with his face in his hands and make him sigh with that huge smile on his face is a WINNER and a STAR! Ms. Boyle, I could listen to you sing for hours and hours. Good luck to you!!

nebben Apr 15, 2009 7:34:41 PM 
Here's why we love Susan. http://digg.com/u1177D

classic22 Apr 15, 2009 7:47:42 PM 
Reminds me of when Sgt Carter heard Gomer Pyle sing for the first time. Good luck & God bless Susan

NYNana252 Apr 15, 2009 8:33:27 PM 
This is specifically for the writer of this piece. Dwarthy, I hope that you are a perfect physical specimen. What else would give you the gall to describe this woman, who has the voice of an angel, is shy and unnassuming, as "frumpy?" Why would you even begin an article like that? How about "meet the shy, humble woman with a voice that shocked the world?" This woman had the power to bring many to tears with the beauty of her voice. "Frumpy" doesn't belong in her description. She's anything BUT.

Fergiesmama Apr 15, 2009 8:34:54 PM 
Leaves me wanting to go out and by a CD --- come on, Susan, strut your stuff. Real music is hard to find and your soul just oozes sound!

Jamie Foxx has apologized for telling Miley Cyrus to do heroin and become a lesbian.Pizzello, Terrill/AP

Jamie Foxx has apologized for telling Miley Cyrus to do heroin and become a lesbian.

'The Foxxhole' host Jamie Foxx to Miley Cyrus: I'm sorry

Wednesday, April 15th 2009, 10:12 AM
And now, the apology ...


Comedian Jamie Foxx has issued a mea culpa to Miley Cyrus after suggesting she make a sex tape, become a lesbian and, uh, do heroin.

"I so apologize ... and this is sincere," he said on the "Tonight Show With Jay Leno" on Tuesday. "I am a comedian, and you guys know that whatever I say, I don't mean any of it."

"I have a radio show... We're really the black Howard Stern. We go at everybody. There was a situation with Miley Cyrus, and I just want to say, I apologize for what I said. I didn't mean it maliciously. You know I'm a comedian. You know my heart."

Foxx came under fire from Cyrus fans after verbally attacking the "Hannah Montana" star on his Sirius radio show on Sunday. The 16-year-old should "get like Britney Spearsand do some heroin. Do likeLindsay Lohan and start seeing a lesbian and get some crack in your pipe. Catch chlamydia on a bicycle seat," Foxx opined.

And now he's taken a different tact.

"Miley, I apologize, so I'll call you," Foxx said Tuesday. "I got a daughter too, so I completely understand."


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