Liberator of ladies’ hair

Liberator of ladies’ hair, Vidal Sassoon, dies at 84

 Thursday, May 10, 2012 Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — Vidal Sassoon used his hairstyling shears to free women from beehives and hot rollers and give them wash-and-wear cuts that made him an international name in hair care.

When he came on the scene in the 1950s, hair was high and heavy — typically curled, teased, piled and shellacked into place. Then came the 1960s, and Sassoon’s creative cuts, which required little styling and fell into place perfectly every time, fit right in with the fledgling women’s liberation movement.

“His timing was perfect: As women’s hair was liberated, so were their lives,” Allure magazine Editor-in-Chief Linda Wells told The Associated Press in a written statement. “Sassoon was one of the original feminists.”

Sassoon was at his home in Los Angeles with his family when he died Wednesday at age 84, police spokesman Kevin Maiberger said. Maiberger said police were summoned to the home but found that Sassoon had died of natural causes, and authorities wouldn’t investigate further.

His exact cause of death was unclear, but publicist Mark Sejvar said Sassoon had leukemia for several years.

Cisco earnings

Cisco gloomy despite 20% rise in third quarter earnings

From bbc news  5/10/2012

Cisco Systems, the world's largest maker of computer-networking equipment, has reported a 20% boost in third quarter earnings, amid fears of a slowdown in technology spending.

Cisco earned $2.2bn (£1.37bn) between February and April, compared with $1.8bn for the same period last year.

But chief executive John Chambers warned that continuing economic uncertainty was affecting client spending.

Cisco shares fell over 8% on the news.

Customers are waiting longer to close deals and spending less, Mr Chambers warned.

As a result the company forecasts that fourth quarter revenues from May to July will increase by between 2% and 5%, below analysts' forecasts.

Revenue for the February-to-April period was up 7% from a year earlier to $11.6bn.

Mr Chambers said: "We will muddle through this with a little bit of bumps in the road."

Cisco has been undergoing a severe round of cost-cutting over the past year, which is estimated to have shaved $1bn off the company's running costs.

China and Philippines...

China urges Philippines to ensure citizens' safety

By Chris Buckley and Manuel Mogato 5/10/2012

(Reuters) - China on Thursday urged the Philippines to ensure the safety of its citizens ahead of planned anti-Chinese protests, as tensions mount over a territorial standoff in the resource-rich South China Sea.

A protest of about 1,000 people, organized for Friday in Manila by Philippine civil society and political groups, risks worsening strains over the disputed waters, thought to posses abundant oil and gas reserves and fishing stocks.

The two countries are engaged in a more than month-long confrontation that began when Manila sent a warship to check on Chinese fishing boats in the region, and escalated to involve four Chinese maritime

Knicks, Woodson...

Knicks, Woodson could be close to deal

5/10/2012By HOOPSWORLD

Basketball News & NBA Rumors

Now that the offseason is officially here, now that this crazy New York Knicks season of ups and downs, twists and turns (and an unforgettable thing called Linsanty) has finally come to an end, the first order of business is to decide what to do with Mike Woodson.

Multiple reports have indicated that Madison Square Garden is ready to lock up Woodson on a multi-year deal to keep him as head coach. His 18-6 record to finish the season and the endorsement of the team’s stars, mainly Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler, are more than enough to cinch it for him.

Woodson denied a report that he already met with Garden chairman James Dolan for

Facebook

Facebook app store launches amid mobile revenue worries

 From bbc news5/10/2012

Facebook has launched its own app store to promote mobile programs that operate using the social network.

The company said the App Center will become the "new, central place to find great apps like Draw Something" and other titles.

Developers will have the ability to charge a fee for apps sold in the store in the near future, Facebook said.

The announcement came as Facebook admitted growth in mobile use could hurt future advertising revenue.

Ahead of its initial public offering, Facebook told potential investors in a statement: "If users increasingly access Facebook mobile products as a substitute for access through personal computers, and if we are unable to successfully implement monetisation strategies for our mobile users, or if we incur excessive expenses in this effort, our financial performance and

Futures

Futures briefly tick higher after data

5/10/2012

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stock index futures briefly edged higher on Thursday after data showed new U.S. claims forunemployment benefits dipped last week, allaying some concerns about the slowing economic recovery.

S&P 500 futures rose 8.3 points and were above fair value, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration of the contract. Dow Jones industrial average futures added 45 points and Nasdaq 100 futures gained 11.5 points.

(Reporting By Chuck Mikolajczak; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)

Merkel resists calls ...

Merkel resists calls to put growth before reforms

5/10/2012

* Merkel rejects calls for growth stimulus in Europe

* German opposition encouraged by French president-elect

* Domestic pressure on Merkel to ring-fence German savings

By Stephen Brown

BERLIN, May 10 (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel rejected calls from her centre-left opponents in Germany and Europe for economic stimulus policies that rely on new debt, warning parliament on Thursday that "growth on credit" would just tip Europe deeper into crisis.

Since the election of Socialist Francois Hollande as French president on Sunday, Merkel has come under pressure to relax the austerity measures that, as leader of Europe's biggest economy, she has prescribed

Greek Socialist...

Greek Socialist Makes Last-Ditch Attempt at Government

By: Reuters5/102012

Greek Socialist leader Evangelos Venizelos will make a last-ditch attempt to form a government on Thursday and avoid a new election after voters rejected a bailout deal and pushed Greece into a political crisis.

Chances are slim that Venizelos can clinch a deal after both the conservatives and leftists failed to cobble together a coalition in three days of talks following Sunday's election, when voters spurned big parties and their austerity policies.

The deadlock prompted European threats to eject Greece from the euro, while impatient governments withheld part of the latest tranche of rescue funds to be paid to Greece on

Phillies swept by Mets

5/10/2012 BY ROB MAADDI

AP Sports Writer

PHILADELPHIA -- Charlie Manuel ran out of patience, so he gave his players an earful after their latest "ugly" loss.

Ike Davis hit a three-run homer, Andres Torres also connected and the New York Mets beat the Phillies 10-6 Wednesday night to complete their first three-game sweep in Philadelphia in six years.

The Mets rallied to win all three against slumping Philadelphia. They trailed after five innings against Roy Halladay on Monday, after six against Joe Blanton on Tuesday and after six against Cliff Lee in the series finale.

"We have to wake up and play better," Manuel said. "We don't like what we've been doing. If we want to win, and be able to go where we want to go, we better start playing better."

The five-time defending NL East champions are a season-worst four games under .500 at 14-18. The Mets (18-13) are five games above .500 for the first time since July 19, 2010.

mission

Liberty rocket aims for 2015 manned mission

Shane McGlaun 5/10/2012

With the space shuttle fleet retired, there’s a scramble in the United States for the next-generation rocket to take astronauts and cargo into space. There are several private companies hard at work creating rockets such as SpaceX. Another team is working on a rocket called the Liberty that uses parts from the US space shuttle program and Europe’s Ariane rocket.

The company working on Liberty hopes to sell the rockets to NASA to take crewmembers to the ISS and is

NBA's dirtiest player

Hawks owner calls Kevin Garnett the NBA's dirtiest player

By Reid Cherner, USA 5/10/2012

Every player and coach works the officials before, during and after games. Why should owners be different?

Atlanta Hawks co-ownerMichael Gearon Jr., was a guest speaker at the W.E.B. Du Bois Society andD. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports he made a plea for the NBA to even up the fouls in the Boston-Atlanta series.

"...we don't get any calls, which I know everybody always hears. But I'll give you a stat. (Tuesday) night, we are playing this old physical team. They are old. I know what happens when you play basketball, old guys foul. (Kevin) Garnett is the dirtiest guy in the league. We are playing Boston last night and they had two fouls the whole first half. We had five times that and we're athletic."

The two teams play tonight in Boston with the Celtics holding a 3-2 series lead.

Syria says...

Syria says 40 dead in Damascus blasts

By BASSEM MROUE, Associated Press5/10/2012

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Two strong explosions ripped through the Syrian capital Thursday, killing more than 40 people and leaving scenes of carnage in the streets in an assault against a center of government power, officials said.

Syria's state-run TV said 170 people were wounded in what one official said may have been the most powerful of a series of blasts that have hit the capital this year.

There was no claim of responsibility for Thursday's attack on a military intelligence headquarters. But an al-Qaida-inspired group has claimed responsibility for several large explosions targeting mostly security facilities since December, raising fears that extremist groups are entering Syria's conflict and exploiting

No survivors

No survivors found after Russian plane crashes in Indonesia

5/10/2012 

By Olivia Rondonuwu

May 10 (Reuters) - A rescue team found no survivors but several bodies on Thursday when it arrived at the wreckage of a Russian plane that crashed into an Indonesian mountain during an exhibition flight with 45 people on board.

Russia's first all-new passenger jet since the fall of the Soviet Union, a Superjet 100 aircraft, went missing on Wednesday about 40 miles (64 km) south of Jakarta.

Wall Street open

Wall Street slides 1 percent at open

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell sharply at the open on Wednesday as political uncertainty hung over Greece and concerns arose over the frail state of Spanish banks.

The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 113.87 points, or 0.88 percent, to 12,818.22. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index dropped 13.77 points, or 1.01 percent, to 1,349.95. The Nasdaq Composite Index dropped 32.32 points, or 1.10 percent, to 2,913.95.
5/9/2012

(Reporting By Edward Krudy; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)

Tymoshenko

Ukraine's jailed Tymoshenko moves to hospital

5/9/2012 By Richard Balmforth

(Reuters) - Ukraine's jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko, whose plight in prison has soured relations between the country's leadership and the West, was moved to a local hospital on Wednesday in a high-security police convoy.

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich has faced growing criticism over the conviction of Tymoshenko - and the authorities' refusal to let her travel abroad for treatment for chronic back pain.

Her transfer from prison in the eastern city of Kharkiv to a nearby hospital for treatment under the

Travolta

Travolta facing assault claims

5/9/2012

John Travolta's lawyer has denied claims that the Hollywood star sexually assaulted two male masseurs.

The A-list actor, who is married to actress Kelly Preston, initially faced a lawsuit accusing him of sexually assaulting a masseur at the Beverly Hills Hotel in LA on January 16.

A second unidentified man has now joined the legal action against him, claiming Travolta sexually harassed and assaulted him on January 28.

The Grease star's representatives have dismissed both lawsuits - which were filed by the same attorney - as false.

His lawyer Martin Singer said: "This second 'anonymous' claim is just as absurd and ridiculous as the first one."

Travolta's spokesman said the 58-year-old actor will sue the attorney involved for malicious prosecution.

Copyright © 2012 The Press Association. All rights reserved.

The Voice

‘The Voice’: On the scene for the season 2 finale

by EW staff 5/9/2012

By Whitney Pastorek

Stuck in traffic on the way to the finale of The Voice tonight, I felt a palpable excitement, PopWatchers. Last night’s epic battle of Jermaine Paul, Chris Mann, Juliet Simms, and Tony Lucca had featured such fireworks – both literal and (yes, Adam) metaphorical – I felt certain that I was about to bear witness to a dramatic spectacle! Would Christina punch Adam in the face? Would Tony Lucca’s wife rip out Christina’s weave? Would audience members spontaneously combust in the heat? I did not know, but I was prepared for anything.

Sadly, the answer turned out to be: none of the above. It was a somewhat languid finale for those of us there in person, as the heat in the soundstage led not to combustion, but

Sun spot

Sun spot AR1476 setting sights on Earth, solar flares and aurora borealis possible this week

• Mark Johnson, newsnet5.com 5/9/2012

The sun is active again. A very large sun spot has rotated around the sun and is now about to face directly toward the Earth.

This sun spot, known as AR1476, burped out a pair of solar eruptions on May 7 and hurled coronal mass ejections (CMEs) toward Earth.

CMEs are massive bursts of solar wind and magnetic fields. Coronal mass ejections release huge quantities of matter and electromagnetic radiation into space. The ejected material is a plasma, consisting mainly of protons and electrons. They also contain small quantities of helium, oxygen and even iron. These bursts of energy strike the Earth's magnetic field, causing colorful auroras or, worse, major disruptions to the world's electrical grid.

Forecast tracks prepared by analysts at the Goddard Space Weather Lab suggests that clouds will

Hamilton hits four homers

Hamilton hits four homers in Rangers' win

Associated Press May 9, 2012

Josh Hamilton became the 16th player to hit four home runs in a game, launching a quartet of two-run drives against three different pitchers in a history-making performance that carried the Texas Rangers to a 10-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday.

Hamilton homered off Jake Arrieta in the first and third innings, added another off Zach Phillips in the seventh and topped it off with a shot against Darren O'Day in the eighth. During the last at-bat, Hamilton took a hack and missed, lined a foul into right-field seats and then sent the 0-2 pitch over the center-field wall.

Hamilton also doubled in the fifth inning. His 18 total bases is a new single-game American League record, and his eight RBIs are a career high.

The last player to hit four home runs in a game was Carlos Delgado on Sept. 25, 2003, for Toronto against Tampa Bay. Two of the 16 players to hit four homers in a game did it before 1900. Hamilton is the sixth AL

Nuggets avoid elimination, hold off Lakers 102-99

From cbs news

5/9/2012

LOS ANGELES — JaVale McGee went out with the attitude that Game 5 was the last game of his life. The other Denver Nuggets played their own mental games, some drawing inspiration from Lakers center Andrew Bynum's comment about how closeout playoff games can sometimes be easy.

The Nuggets went deep into their motivational wells for an impressive win at Staples Center, and not even Kobe Bryant could prevent the Lakers from getting on a plane back to Denver.

Andre Miller scored 24 points, including two free throws with 12.8 seconds left, and Denver survived Bryant's late scoring barrage in a 43-point performance, avoiding playoff elimination with a 102-99 victory over Los Angeles on Tuesday night and trimming the Lakers' series lead to 3-2.

Twitter news

Twitter says accounts hackers posted were mostly banned spammers

Shane McGlaun, May 9th 2012 

This week hackers claiming to be affiliated with Anonymous posted details from about 55,000 twitter accounts. The hackers claim to have broken into twitter servers to steal the data. Twitter is now claiming that most of those 55,000 accounts are bogus. In fact, twitter says that most of those accounts that were published were for accounts that are banned for spamming.

The details published by the hackers on Pastebin included five pages of twitter usernames and passwords.

Against Obama, even a jailbird gets some votes

By LAWRENCE MESSINA, Associated Press

5/9/2012

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Just how unpopular is President Barack Obama in some parts of the country? Enough that a man in prison in Texas got 4 out of 10 votes in West Virginia's Democratic presidential primary.

The inmate, Keith Judd, is serving time at the Beaumont Federal Correctional Institution in Texas for making threats at the University of New Mexico in 1999. Obama received 59 percent of the vote to Judd's 41 percent.

For some West Virginia Democrats, simply running against Obama is enough to get Judd votes.

"I voted against Obama," said Ronnie Brown, a 43-year-old electrician from Cross Lanes who called himself a conservative Democrat. "I don't like him. He didn't carry the state before and I'm not going to let him carry it again."

Republican Party's

Republican Party's Latino outreach off to a stumbling start

By Paul WestTribune Washington Bureau

 May 9, 2012

WASHINGTON _ A top staffer for the Republican National Committee got the party's election-year outreach to Latino voters off to a disastrous public start Monday when she told a roomful of reporters that likely GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, a hard-liner on immigration, was still formulating his position on the issue.

"As a candidate, to my understanding, that he's still deciding what his position on immigration is," said Bettina Inclan, who became the RNC's director of Hispanic Outreach in January. "I can't talk about something that I don't know what the position is."

Inclan, a former executive director of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly who worked

Two arrested in case of missing Tennessee family

Emily Le CozReuters

 May 8, 2012

TUPELO, Mississippi (Reuters) - The mother and wife of the prime suspect in the kidnapping of a Tennessee family have been also been arrested on suspicion of kidnapping, officials said on Tuesday.

Two members of the Tennessee family - the mother and one daughter - have been found dead and two other daughters were missing and presumed held by Adam Mayes, who remained at large and was considered by theFederal Bureau of Investigation to be armed and dangerous.

Adam Mayes' wife, Teresa Mayes, and mother, Mary Mayes, were jailed at Hardeman County