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Monday, October 21, 2013

How Encouraging People to Walk Can Help Strengthen Our Cities

I live in L.A., a land of 20-lane interchanges, parking lots the size of football stadiums, and mind-bending, soul-crushing, life-altering traffic. Every day, I meet people who don't even know we have a public transit system and see places in my neighborhood without any sidewalks. This is because, a half-century ago, my city decided to redesign itself for cars, not humans.

'Murdoch's World': Inside One Of The Last Old Media Empires

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch's vast empire encompasses everything from newspapers to television networks to tabloids.

Jamie McDonald/AFP/Getty Images

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch's vast empire encompasses everything from newspapers to television networks to tabloids.

Jamie McDonald/AFP/Getty Images

People used to say the sun never sets on the British empire. These days, says NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik, it would be more accurate to say the sun never sets on Rupert Murdoch's empire.

In a new book, Murdoch's World, Folkenflik writes about the Australian newspaper owner whose company now stretches to India, Great Britain and the United States. He describes a powerful media insider who wants to be seen as an outsider.

"He very much cultivated this notion that the people who worked for him were swashbuckling buccaneers fighting against these elites at the BBC and The New York Times and places like that," Folkenflik tells Morning Edition's Steve Inskeep.

Folkenflik explains how newspapers and TV channels run by Murdoch's News Corp. have taken a strong conservative line, even though Murdoch himself is considered less conservative.

Interview Highlights

On News Corp.'s treatment of climate change

His publications and outlets — you know, particularly if you think, in this country, of Fox News — have conveyed some of the most skeptical coverage of the idea that global warming is occurring and that humanity has contributed significantly to that and that there really is some obligation to address that.

All the same, in 2007, convinced by presentations involving Al Gore ... and [British] Prime Minister Tony Blair, Murdoch himself became convinced that it was important for News Corp. to take a stand on this. And indeed the News Corp. company took a stand and said, "We are going to become carbon neutral within five years."

On how to reconcile the differences between Murdoch's own views and those of his publications

I think it's a confluence of political conviction and canny business sense. I think that Fox News has found it to its advantage to play up doubts that it plays to a certain very loyal, large part of its core audience. I would say the same for the Wall Street Journal's editorial page, although I would point out that I think it was doing that independently of the Murdochs, well before the purchase in 2007, and has maintained a consistent conservative tone that is to the right of Mr. Murdoch.

He would argue that he actually offers his publications great autonomy, and it's true. He doesn't send out a daily email to all of his outlets saying, "This is the uniform line you should take." But he certainly has antipathy to government involvement in regulating commerce and in taxation. And you see that play out. You see that breadth in so many of his publications and outlets.

On the News Corp. hacking scandal

The hacking scandal involved revelations that journalists for his newspapers in Britain had been involved in hacking into the phone mail messages of hundreds, even thousands, of people — some of them celebrities, some of them just private citizens. And concomitantly, there was the revelation that there had been widespread bribing of public officials to gain information that should have been kept private by law in a way that seemed like a second, and in some ways greater, betrayal, if you look at it from the legal standpoint of the promise to uphold the public good that journalists profess so often.

On how The Wall Street Journal covered the scandal

People at the Journal were so cognizant of the fact that this was the first true test. You know, [Murdoch] had bought the paper in 2007. ... And journalists were actually aggressively pursuing a story in which they felt they could show that, actually, knowledge of the kinds of hacking that was going on was known within the newspaper — not by a single reporter, as has been claimed for so many years, but as far back as 2002 by senior figures at the paper.

Before joining NPR in 2004, David Folkenflik spent more than a decade at the Baltimore Sun, where he covered higher education, Congress and the media.

Stephen Voss/Courtesy of PublicAffairs

They were onto a story they thought would show this, and Robert Thomson — then the managing editor, or the top news executive, for The Wall Street Journal, now the CEO for the new News Corp. — Robert Thomson personally intervened again and again to try to forestall publication of that story. The reporters who I talked to — and I talked to reporters and editors on both sides of the Atlantic about this — said that his objections were so insistent, that he was trying to set the bar so high, that that story would never see the light of day. But to the credit of the Journal, its journalists insisted on that story being published.

So News Corp. can say, "Hey, look, the story was published — what's the issue?" What's the issue, to my mind and to the journalists that I spoke to, was that the integrity of the Journal was put in doubt, and it was very clear that Robert Thomson would have been happier to protect Rupert Murdoch.

... I went to Robert Thomson and the Journal, I believe, five times and said to them, "I think we need to talk about Robert Thomson and particularly his leadership at the top of the hacking scandal." And they just said that they would not participate in this book whatsoever.

On the experience of reporting the company's story

On the one hand, it was a fascinating journey. This was an opportunity to see the company and the creation of Rupert Murdoch in its entirety. I really was able to get a feel for how these ... corporate cousins in Australia, the U.S. and the U.K. operated and how they evolved similar characteristics from originally the same DNA.

That said, you know, News Corp. — there were people throughout all these properties who helped me in many ways, who patiently answered questions, sometimes convenient ones, sometimes inconvenient questions, but offered their insights throughout. Nonetheless, News Corp. did its best to ensure that people would not cooperate or collaborate with the book, and some of its various entities — I think, particularly, of Fox News — have at times really thrown roadblocks. Fox didn't do that in this case, but they've done that for a lot of stories throughout the way. It is a company that feels very comfortable with a muscular and robust response for those who raise questions they'd rather not be ventilated.

On the polarizing figure of Rupert Murdoch

There are ways in which I very much admire Rupert Murdoch. I admire the fact that he wants to imagine bigger things, he wants to figure out ways to reach people. You can look at a guy like Rupert Murdoch and look at what The Sun does — with the Page 3 topless girls and with phone hacking and bribery in Britain — and you can also look at the fact that he's essentially subsidized The Times of London and the Times' literary supplement and other fairly thoughtful publications that have lost money.

At the same time, there's a cruelty to his journalism. There's a desire to be punitive at times to people who are critics or people who are political opponents. When I talked to reporters who work for Murdoch, they almost uniformly said it was an exciting, exhilarating, giddy time; and at the same time, many of them recoil as they look back at what they did and what those papers did on behalf of Rupert Murdoch.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2013/10/21/238899506/inside-murdochs-world-a-peek-into-a-media-empire?ft=1&f=1008
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'No excuse' for health care signup issues

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Monday said there was "no excuse" for the cascade of computer problems that have marred the rollout of a key element in his health care law, but declared he was confident the administration would be able to fix the issues.

"There's no sugarcoating it," Obama said. "Nobody is more frustrated than I am."

The president said his administration was doing "everything we can possibly do" to get the federally run websites where people are supposed to apply for insurance up and running. That includes bringing in additional technology experts from inside and outside the government to work on the issues.

People have until March 31 to sign up for coverage. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office had projected that about 7 million people would gain coverage through the exchanges during the first year.

The president on Monday guaranteed that everyone who wants to get insurance through the new health care exchanges will be able to, even if they have to enroll over the phone or fill out a paper application.

Obama's event in the White House Rose Garden had the feeling of a health care pep rally, with guests in the Rose Garden applauding as Obama ticked through what the White House sees as benefits of the law. The president was introduced by a woman who had successfully managed to sign up for health insurance through the marketplaces in her home state of Delaware.

The rollout failures have been deeply embarrassing for the White House. The issues have called into question whether the administration is capable of implementing the complex policy and why senior White House officials — including the president — appear to have been unaware of the scope of the problems when the exchange sites opened on Oct. 1.

Obama, in his most extensive remarks about the health care problems, insisted Monday that the health care law is about more than just a website.

"The essence of the law, the health insurance that's available to people, is working just fine," he said during his 25-minute remarks.

The White House says more than 19 million people have visited HealthCare.gov since the site went live on Oct. 1. Officials also say a half million people have applied for insurance on the federal- and state-run websites.

Administration officials initially blamed a high volume of interest for the frozen computer screens that many people encountered when they first logged on to the website. Since then, they have also acknowledged issues with software and some elements of the system's design.

However, the White House has yet to fully detail exactly what went wrong with the online system consumers were supposed to use to sign up for coverage. And Obama on Monday did not explain how the problems in detail or why they were not fixed before sign-ups opened to the public.

Officials say that at this point they are not considering extending the enrollment window beyond March 31. They also say they are not considering taking the website down for an extended period of time to address the problem but instead will do that maintenance during low-traffic overnight hours.

The president did acknowledge that the failures would provide new fodder for opponents of the law, often referred to as "Obamacare." With the website not working as intended, "that makes a lot of supporters nervous," he said.

But he said, "it's time for folks to stop rooting for its failure."

In an ironic twist, the problems with the health care rollout were overshadowed at first by Republican efforts to delay or defund the law in exchange for reopening the government during the 16-day shutdown. The bill that eventually reopened the government included no substantive changes to the health care law.

With the shutdown over, GOP lawmakers have been ramping up their criticism of the health care law's troubles.

"An overhauled website isn't going to fix the underlying fact that Obamacare is not a workable law," Sen. Mike Johanns, R-Neb., said. "I urge the president and my colleagues across the aisle to recognize the harm being done and set aside their pride to stop the most damaging provisions of the law, or better yet, to repeal and replace it."

Associated Press writer Laurie Kellman contributed to this report.

Follow Julie Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-no-excuse-health-care-signup-problems-155553975--politics.html
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TSX gains on miners, possible Maple Leaf bake sale

By Alastair Sharp

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index opened higher on Monday, with Maple Leaf Foods surging 10 percent after saying it will look to sell its bakery business and major gold miners and energy companies helping extend gains to a fresh two-year high.

The resource stocks, which play a major role in the index, have been boosted by signs of Chinese economic growth and the reopening of the U.S. government after a partial shutdown.

Gold miners have been particularly buoyed by expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve will have to maintain its accommodative monetary stimulus for longer due to the shutdown.

Goldcorp Inc gained 2.2 percent to C$25.60 and Barrick Gold Corp added 1.7 percent to C$19.39.

That sector has struggled recently - both those stocks are down more than 25 percent this year - leading to underperformance for the TSX versus U.S. and other indices.

"Canada has been a big laggard over the last year," said Gavin Graham, chief strategy officer at Integris Pension Management Corp. "Some indications that the gold stocks will claw back some of their underperformance will help."

The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index <.gsptse> was up 51.66 points, or 0.39 percent, at 13,187.75 by mid-morning.

The price of gold steadied in early trade after a sharp rally last week.

The country's biggest lender, Royal Bank of Canada , gained 0.7 percent to C$70.01 after it said it plans to buy back as much as 2.1 percent of its stock. Major integrated energy company Suncor Energy rose 0.7 percent to C$37.99.

Food processor Maple Leaf Foods jumped to C$14.71 as it looks to sell its controlling stake in Canada Bread Co to focus on its meat business.

Canadian National Railway Co was one of the heaviest weights on the index.

The railway said on Monday that a "controlled burn" of propane in derailed tank cars at Gainford, Alberta, began last night and continues this morning.

Thirteen cars on a 134-car mixed freight CN train carrying liquefied petroleum gas and crude oil derailed on October 19. One car of LPG exploded and three caught fire but none of the cars carrying crude oil had leaked or caught fire, CN said.

(Editing by James Dalgleish)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/tsx-may-open-higher-fed-focus-122939575--sector.html
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Netflix, Disney Strike Netherlands Deal for Films in Pay TV Window

"The Avengers" is among the Disney titles Netflix will have exclusively for the Dutch pay-TV market.

COLOGNE, Germany – Netflix has signed a deal with Walt Disney Studios that gives the online VOD service exclusive subscription video-on-demand rights in the Netherlands for all animated and live action films Disney releases in the territory.

The multi-year deal, which kicks off in early 2014, includes both new and library product and features titles from all of Disney's studios.

PHOTOS: From 'Arrested Development' to 'House of Cards,' Exclusive Portraits of Netflix's Stars

Highlights include Marvel's The Avengers, Pixar's Monsters University and Disney's The Lone Ranger, as well as back catalogue titles including The Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, Wall-E and Ratatouille. ABC television productions, including episodes of Lost, are also part of the Dutch deal.

The deal is a boost to Netflix's nascent Dutch operations, which launched last month.

If successful, the agreement could signal a major shift in Europe, where the rollout of VOD services, such as Netflix, has lagged behind that of the United States.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheHollywoodReporter-Technology/~3/7vW22hhYF-s/story01.htm
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Graham Elliot Talks 'Covert Kitchens,' Pop-up Restaurants and Judging 'MasterChef Junior' Kids

Courtesy of Spike TV/Shine America

Graham Elliot

Chef Graham Elliot has a full plate.

He's not only judging Fox's MasterChef Junior but also gearing up for the debut of his new Spike TV special, Covert Kitchens, and the return of MasterChef.

PHOTOS: Hollywood Power Players Choose Their Favorite Chefs

In Covert Kitchens, he gives chefs 36 hours and $3.600 to come up with a pop-up restaurant from scratch -- in such unconventional locations as an auto body shop. Elliot serves as a mentor to the aspiring chefs, guiding them through their menu and concept and taste-testing everything along the way, while chefs Nancy Silverton, Michael Voltaggio and John Shook serve as judges.

Elliot recently gave The Hollywood Reporter a preview of what's to come on all of his shows.

What can you tell us about Covert Kitchens?

The idea is giving an up-and-coming chef an opportunity to show what they can do by kind of going off the grid and, with 3,600 bucks and 36 hours, transform a space into a fully functioning restaurant. In the end, they have to cook a multicourse menu for 50 or so people -- bloggers and who's who in the city and chefs who can help their career. It's an exciting and fun show; I don't think anything is on TV like it now. What happens is one of the chefs or two of chef or three will be able to offer the team a job and with that help them on their culinary journey.

What kind of locations will these chefs be dealing with?

The first one is in an auto body shop in East L.A. You'll be seeing someone cook on the hood of a Camaro and using blow torches. We also could do a tattoo parlor or an abandoned railroad car.

How popular are these pop-up restaurants?

[Many] chefs are not able to invest a million dollars into a bricks-and-mortar restaurant. This is how they can show everything they can do, and do it on the fly and cheap. These pop-up places exist for one night only. The word gets out via social media and people show up on the spot. From food trucks to pop-up restaurants to covert-style kitchens, this is a rebellious way to cook. As people are [getting into] cooking younger and younger, it's very similar to music -- you're going to see a lot of people going this route.

Have you done one of these yourself?

We've done certain things where we put up a restaurant for two or three days. You're dealing with all kinds of things, like maybe the water doesn't work or you think it will be this many [patrons] and it's double that amount. It's exciting but it makes you pull your hair out. You really do only have that much money to design [the space] and pay for the staff and get food and ingredients.

STORY: CBS Dramas, 'MasterChef Junior' and 'Shark Tank' Top Friday

What happens if a chef can't meet the 36-hour deadline?

I haven't run into that issue, but I'd still find a way to encourage them to stick with cooking and find a way to get better next time.

What's your role on the show?

I’m not telling them what to do, but what I'd do in a situation. "Don't be too ambitious; [create] soup instead." I'm giving guidance, so I'm focused probably a little more -- not stern, but focused on pushing them to get it done. I still get to be myself, but it's a lot more pressure, so I'm pushing them to make things happen.

How does this role differ than what you do on MasterChef?

I think in MasterChef, there's more time to critique and go over how to make things better. In this show, the clock is constantly ticking.

How has it been working with the kids on MasterChef Junior?

The kids are awesome. They are super inspiring. Kids are open-minded and innocent and haven't been conditioned to cook a certain way, if their mom or grandmother did things a certain way. They try new things and are excited instead of being scared or intimidated.

How did you changing your judging style to work with the kids?

Between [fellow judges] Joe [Bastianich], Gordon [Ramsay] and I, we have 10 kids of our own. We went into this looking to be coaches and mentors and push the kids along no matter what. [To encourage them to] stick with cooking as a creative outlet. No yelling but a lot of laughing and show how food is a universal language.

What can you reveal about what's ahead the rest of the season?

The most important thing is the restaurant takeover. You'll see these kids cooking for a dining room full of patrons. In the end, they get to see who's cooking, and people are tearing up and just can't believe that it's kids doing good food. It's really emotional.

Why do you think cooking shows are so popular?

Because it's something that everybody does. Lots of people are cooking. [There's also] this kind of hipsterization of food, where people put photos on Twitter and Instagram. They show the different things they are making. It's very in vogue right now.

Do you think there is a limit to how many cooking shows can be on TV at any one time?

Yeah, but in the end, the viewers are the ones that dictate it. Crappy food shows get booted, and the ones they like grow and continue. I'm glad to be part of one that resonates with viewers.

Covert Kitchens airs at 11 p.m. ET on Sunday on Spike TV, while MasterChef Junior airs at 8 p.m. Fridays on Fox. Meanwhile, casting for MasterChef is under way, hitting Chicago on Saturday. All three series are produced by Shine America.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/thr/television/~3/ESoQJtTQ-UY/story01.htm
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Vols top No. 11 South Carolina 23-21 on final play

Tennessee kicker Michael Palardy (1) and wide receiver Tyler Drummer (3) celebrate their 23-21 victory over South Carolina after Palardy kick the game-winning field goal as time expired in an NCAA college football game against South Carolina on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013, in Knoxville, Tenn. Tennessse won 23-21. aSouth Carolina cornerback Victor Hampton (27) walks off the field. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

Tennessee linebacker Raiques Crump (40), defensive back Michael F. Williams, center, and linebacker John Propst (47) celebrate with fans after their 23-21 victory over South Carolina in an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013 in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

Tennessee kicker Michael Palardy (1) kicks a field goal as time expires in the fourth quarter to give his team a 23-21 victory over South Carolina in an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013 in Knoxville, Tenn. Tennessee wide receiver Tyler Drummer (3) is holding. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

Tennessee wide receiver Marquez North (8) makes a one-handed catch as he's defended by South Carolina cornerback Ahmad Christian (4) in the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013 in Knoxville, Tenn. The catch set up the game-winning field goal and Tennessee won 23-21. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

South Carolina quarterback Connor Shaw (14) throws to a receiver as he's pressured by Tennessee defensive lineman Jacques Smith (55) in the second quarter of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Michael Palardy lived up to his word.

Palardy made a 19-yard field goal as time expired Saturday for a 23-21 victory over No. 11 South Carolina that ended the Volunteers' 19-game losing streak against ranked opponents. Palardy had predicted such a scenario a day earlier in a conversation with Tennessee coach Butch Jones.

"I said, 'You've got the game-winner tomorrow, right?'" Jones said. "And he said, 'I got you, Coach.'"

The loss may have proved doubly painful for South Carolina, which had a four-game winning streak snapped. Quarterback Connor Shaw left the game after being sacked by Marlon Walls and Daniel McCullers with less than five minutes remaining. South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said afterward that Shaw had a sprained knee.

"I think he sort of got tackled on it," Spurrier said. "It collapsed under him, he said."

Tennessee (4-3, 1-2 SEC) got into field-goal range on a spectacular 39-yard catch by freshman Marquez North, who snared the ball with his left hand at the South Carolina 26 while being closely covered by cornerback Ahmad Christian down the left sideline. Four consecutive runs by Marlin Lane got the Vols to the South Carolina 2 and set up the field goal.

Palardy celebrated his game-winning kick by racing to join his teammates on the sideline closest to the Tennessee locker room, where they gathered to celebrate at about the 15-yard line. They later ran to the other side of the field to celebrate with Tennessee's band and students.

Tennessee coach Butch Jones chest-bumped athletic director Dave Hart on his way off the field.

"It meant everything, to be honest with you," Palardy said. "It's been a long time coming."

Mike Davis rushed for 137 yards and a touchdown for South Carolina (5-2, 3-2), which erased a 17-7 halftime deficit before falling. Shaw had a touchdown run and a touchdown pass, though he also was 7 of 21 and threw his first interception of the season, ending a string of 177 consecutive passes without getting picked off.

"They came out, played fast, did the things we expect them to do," Davis said. "We just didn't execute."

Tennessee hadn't beaten a ranked foe since a 31-13 victory over No. 21 South Carolina on Oct. 31, 2009. But on a day when hundreds of former Volunteers joined the team Saturday in running onto Neyland Stadium, Tennessee finally started playing like the Vols of old.

About 250 former Tennessee players, including All-Pro selections Al Wilson and Jamal Lewis, joined the team in going through the "T'' and onto the playing field before the game.

"I was shaking all those guys' hands earlier and told them, 'We've got your back,'" Tennessee offensive tackle Antonio "Tiny" Richardson said. "We're trying to get Tennessee back to where it needs to be. I think we took the first step to getting there."

The presence of all those former Vols seemed to inspire Tennessee.

Tennessee took a 3-0 lead on a 37-yard field goal that was set up by a targeting penalty on South Carolina safety Kadetrix Marcus that resulted in his ejection. Marcus had hit Alton "Pig" Howard at the end of a 12-yard reception.

After Shaw's 76-yard touchdown pass to Damiere Byrd put South Carolina ahead 7-3 on the first play of the second quarter, Tennessee reached the end zone on its next two series. Justin Worley threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Howard and Rajion Neal added a 5-yard touchdown run.

"It's ultimately a matter of belief," Jones said. "I thought our team took a valuable step forward two weeks ago. It was gut-wrenching, but also our kids believed and they built confidence. Confidence is a powerful thing. Belief is a powerful thing. We've pointed to this game for a long period of time."

South Carolina regained the momentum after a gutsy fourth-down call.

Shaw scrambled 9 yards for the first down on fourth-and-8 from the Tennessee 45. Shaw capped the drive by pitching right to Davis on third-and-6 for a 21-yard touchdown.

After Palardy's 46-yard field-goal attempt sailed wide left on Tennessee's next possession, South Carolina grabbed a 21-17 lead Shaw's 1-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter.

Tennessee cut the lead to 21-20 with 10:11 remaining on Palardy's 33-yard field goal, which was set up by North's leaping 48-yard reception. But the Vols stalled after reaching South Carolina territory on their next two possessions.

South Carolina, which has gone 6 of 6 on fourth-down conversions over the last two weeks, considered trying to put away the game with one more fourth-down attempt. South Carolina faced fourth-and-2 from its own 26 with about three minutes left when Spurrier kept his offense on the field and called two straight timeouts before finally opting to punt.

"We were thinking about going for it," Spurrier said. "We went up there and if it looked good, we were thinking about going for it. Then, the second time, they actually changed their defense a little bit. We thought we had a little bit of a hole there. ... But looking back, I always tell myself to go for those."

That punt set the stage for Palardy to reward Jones' faith in him.

"He tells me every day to visualize a game-winning kick because sooner or later it would come down to it," Palardy said. "Sure enough, he was right."

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-10-19-FBC-T25-South-Carolina-Tennessee/id-af596e0c847f4c0187283eeb209c531d
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